Refunct is a game about nothing. There is no complex narrative, no tutorial, no menacing villain twirling a handlebar mustache, no damsel in distress, no fear of death; I repeat, this is a game about nothing. I know, that doesn’t sound very appealing at all, but I assure you; this was the most cathartic gaming experience I’ve had in years. I purchased this game while it was on sale for a whopping $1.50 at release and was pleasantly surprised with the effect it had on me. I played it during a break over the course of my recent, super stressful move, and instantly felt a sense of calm come over me as I ran, jumped, and climbed from point to point.
You begin Refunct in an open seaside landscape with a few pillars of varying heights with a red hue above one of them. With each pillar you land on, the color will change from a dull grey to a bright, colorful green. You’ll get the hang of the super intuitive controls almost immediately and work your way to the light, which will add additional pillars to jump to. This process will repeat throughout your time with Refunct, with each red light adding a little more to the mechanics and size of the level. Eventually, you will be climbing, ducking, sliding and using physics to your advantage. Think Mirror’s Edge or Portal 2 without the pesky combat or fear of death. As I mentioned before, you cannot die in this game. Not from fall damage, drowning, spider crabs or villainous potatoes that have been inhabited by sentient A.I. programs.
The progression in the game is not timed, so you feel absolutely no sense of urgency when completing your goals. The puzzles are so simple, yet complex just enough to keep you engaged. While certainly not for everyone, this game was what I wanted when I needed it, even if I didn’t know it yet.
While the visuals are nothing spectacular, they are not a disservice either. The sound is very minimal and promotes the games overall calm atmosphere. The controls are very forgiving and work as they should. While nothing is out of the ordinary, I assure you, Refunct is the anti-rage quit.
The only downfall that can be found is the overall lack of content. While it’s an indie title that I highly recommend purchasing, you can finish the game in minutes. My initial playthrough was around a half hour, and there are achievements for completing the game in as little as 4 minutes. This is no easy task, as I have tried this a few times and my best run was a little over 7 minutes. Unfortunately, the subsequent playthroughs do not offer me the same cathartic feeling. This could be due to knowing what I was getting into, or trying to meet the speed run requirement.
Outside of the speed run potential, you can also attempt to beat the game without jumping on all of the platforms, taking shortcuts, and using physics based choices. Finally, there are mini cubes that look eerily similar to the companion cube from the Portal franchise. Collecting all of these gives you the option to change the color of the tiles as you work your way through the game.
If the grind of shooting the Fallen in the face has gotten you down, or you’re simply needing something to cure that itch for a new Portal entry, Refunct is a game I would recommend for anyone who wants a break from the stress other games can offer. You won’t be disappointed.
9 out of 10
Pros
- Relaxing Atmosphere
- Intuitive Controls
- Low Price Point
- Low stress
Cons
- Lacks Replay Value
Refunct was developed and published by Dominique Grieshofer. It is available one PC and X1 for $2.99. The game was purchased for us for review on Xbox One. If you’d like to see more of Refunct, check out the official site.
Here at GBG we use a rating method that you are more than likely familiar with – a scale of 1 to 10. For clarification, we intend on using the entire scale: 1-4 is something you should probably avoid paying for; 5-7 is something that is worth playing, but probably not at full price; 8-10 is a great title that you can feel confident about buying. If you have any questions or comments about how we rate a game, please let us know.
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Good Review. Refunct was one of the best games I had played in a long time. It have good replayability, especially when speed-running. The trill of being able to finish the game in a mere 3 minutes and 45 seconds is exhilarating yet peaceful at the same time. I see so much potential with the game, especially with different atmospheres, different puzzles, or even allowing the player to create a map and add it onto the steam workshop. The one thing I want to remain is the minimal controls, and objectives.
Thanks for commenting Jtezzy. I agree that there is a lot of potential here and look forward to their future endeavors, whether it’s a sequel or new project. I’ve covered a few other games that were similar and none could come close to the bar that Refunct set.