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Release Date: Feb 13, 2014
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NaissanceE week long discount start today!

May 5th, 2014

I’m please to announce you that NaissanceE will be available with a 25% discount all the week along on Steam.
The discount start today, Monday the 5 of May and will last until next Monday, the 12 at 10:00 am (Pacific time).

If not yet done, it’s time to discover and explore the world of NaissanceE, a gigantic world of contrast, loneliness, and music.

8/10 gamespot

- – rockpapershotgun

“Explore the abandoned Death Star of the mind: The Zone from Tarkovsky’s Stalker reimagined.”
71/100 killscreendaily

- – indiestatik

NaissanceE store page

1 comments Read more

An intense last run

March 14th, 2014

The patch 1.11 has been released.

This new patch is only focused on improving the very last part of the game, making it more enjoyable. Indeed whereas it before seemed technically not doable, a way has been found to add more checkpoints.
More players should now feel and play this section as it was originally designed: as an intense last run.

The patch also contains minor improvements, listed below:

-Additional checkpoints in "Meet the host" level.
-Small improvements in the "host awakening" sequence readability, making more clear what the player should do.

-Fixed a bug killing the player if he lands on a specific place on one of the last platform. The player can now land everywhere safely on this platform.

This patch should not break saves, but just in case, it's recommended to backup the "UDKNE_Safeguard.ini" file before launching the updated game.
Then if saves are broken, please follow the procedure below:

-Go to: "...\Steam\SteamApps\common\NaissanceE\UDKGame\Config"
-Copy/past this file somewhere else for backup: "UDKNE_Safeguard.ini"
-Launch the updated game, then exit.
-Copy the backup file "UDKNE_Safeguard.ini" you made before.
-Past it in "...\Steam\SteamApps\common\NaissanceE\UDKGame\Config"
-Overwrite if asked.

NaissanceE store page


6 comments Read more


8/10 – GameSpot

Rock, Paper, Shotgun

Indie Statik

About the Game









Warning! This game is not recommended for people with epilepsy.

System Requirements

    • OS: Windows XP SP3 or Windows Vista
    • Processor: 2.0+ GHz multi-core processor
    • Memory: 3 GB RAM
    • Graphics: NVIDIA 8800 gts or similar graphics card
    • DirectX: Version 9.0c
    • Hard Drive: 2 GB available space
    • OS: Windows 7
    • Processor: 3.0+ GHz multi-core processor
    • Memory: 4 GB RAM
    • Graphics: NVIDIA 460 gtx or higher graphics card
    • DirectX: Version 9.0c
    • Hard Drive: 2 GB available space
Helpful customer reviews
222 of 238 people (93%) found this review helpful
286 products in account
17 reviews
7.2 hrs on record
Thirty minutes in:
So I'm about thirty minutes into NaissanceE and it's as atmospheric and otherworldly as you might have hoped. The environments are expansive, monolithic, not in terms of being open to exploration but in terms of sheer scale. You feel small, lost and utterly alone in this world. It's a world that feels alien and weird, not in the twisty Escher-esque sense that Antichamber had, but like you just don't belong in this place. Even though it isn't a horror game, there's a distinct feeling of tension and apprehension of the unknown, and the unsettling sound effects add to this. It's been a linear journey so far, but I don't mind that. It's a world I want to venture further into and discover more about.
Two hours in:
2 hours into the game and it continues to impress. There have been a few challenging platforming sections interspersed between the traversal and light puzzle solving, but for the most part, it's all about the experience. Some might say it's boring, too much walking, but if there's one thing the game has excelled at since the start, it's making you feel small, insignificant within the massive alien spaces. That has been the highlight for me, just traveling through this mysterious complex. You exit from a narrow corridor into a gargantuan space that makes you tense just looking over the edge, and then you realize you have to find a way down. The game doesn't hold your hand, doesn't direct you where to go, besides the visual environmental cues. The game is certainly linear, don't expect a sprawling world, but you do have to find your way and it's easy to get disoriented, lost, turned around. The game has a fantastic atmosphere: mysterious, engaging, ominous, otherworldly.

As for negatives, there's one mechanic that at the moment feels more extraneous than integral to the overall experience. It complicates a simple action, and while it kind of feels almost Receiver-esque in the sense that you have to focus on an action that is usually automatic, I don't think it has really added anything to the gameplay yet. One platforming section was quite frustrating and I ended up just turning up the gamma to complete it. Also I found some checkpoints can be bit too spread out, but that's only been an issue two or three times.
Three hours in:
The developer said that the game's four to five hours long, but I'm thinking that's only if you know exactly where to go, how to go there, not die (repeatedly). I'm still on the second chapter. Probably should shave about twenty minutes of my overall play time, because I got stuck on a puzzle with a solution that was annoyingly obvious once I figured out what I was overlooking

My gripe about the checkpoints still stand. Some of them are just too spread out. You'll do some difficult platforming, get a safe area, start another difficult section, die, and then the checkpoint is back at the start of that first section. While you're just traveling and exploring, it's not an issue, but once you're dealing with sections where you can die because of a missed jump after making some progress, it can be frustrating.

But despite this issue (or at least I consider it an issue), the game has not lost any of its luster or mystery. I think the world in this game is by far one of the most alien and atmospheric I've experienced. It's not alien in the way that Avatar's world was, but alien in the unsettling sense that this is truly not a place made for or by humans.

New mechanics are introduced, mainly to offer interesting platforming and puzzle scenarios. It's great when you just have to stop and admire some cool sight, and NaissanceE has had moment after moment like that so far. The sound effects are as well great, really adding a sense of place and tone.
Seven hours in:
Yeah, 7 hours and I finally reached Breath Compression. I guess me, first person platforming, and keyboard/mouse controls don't mix well.

But I'm still absolutely loving this game. It does something very well, that I've usually only experienced in sprawling open world games and it's the feeling of seeing something interesting in the distance and then after 10, 15, 20 minutes of traveling, turning the corner and seeing that landmark before you. NaissanceE accomplishes that so well, enticing the player with weird and intriguing architecture and structures far away and then later, you exit a corridor and you're there.


Now while the game is linear, it's certainly not tight corridors. Many areas have surprised me with how open they are, and all have been interesting to explore and just be in. Beside the exploration aspect, the gameplay seems to favor more platforming over puzzles, with a few light based puzzles and several challenging platforming areas.
Posted: February 12th, 2014
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74 of 81 people (91%) found this review helpful
137 products in account
1 review
4.8 hrs on record
I want to recommend this game. Aesthetically, it's perfect. A dark, forbidding, brutalist world to explore. I've lost count of the times I've just been stunned by the game's architecture, and stopped to look around.

Unfortunately, here are some other things I've lost count of:
The amount of times I've died and thought 'Really? There hasn't been a checkpoint for THIS LONG?'
The amount of times, a few seconds after I respawn or load in, the game has frozen for a second (this happens every time).
The amount of times I've been able to see through walls while moving quickly - and come on, this shouldn't happen in a game with textures this simple, should it?
The amount of times I've been killed because of how poorly the character movement controls and how short a drop can kill you in this game.
The amount of times I've foolishly tried to use the Steam overlay, which crashes the game for me every single time.

Aside from actual glitches which I hope will be ironed out in an update, the gameplay itself simply doesn't help. The proportion of the game spent trying to complete absurd platforming challenges instead of being allowed to explore this fascinating environment is unbearable. As for the puzzles, they're essentially fine, but as previously mentioned, falling off a ledge halfway through them is pretty un-fun. And then there's the weird breathing mechanic, which frankly adds nothing to the game.

What ultimately stopped me from wanting to continue with the game at all was a section where the player is expected to walk along a lengthy pipe, parts of which are rotating, others of which move up and down - in what appears to be a wind tunnel. In the particular part of the pipe I was up to, you first have to walk along a series of moving, floating cubes to reach the next section. Then you have to run past some rotating obstacles. Then you have to run along another section with a series of cubes being thrown at you which instantly kill you if you are hit. Then you have to run along some beams that move up and down. Then you die, because a gust of wind has at some point during the aforementioned series of challenges, picked you up and blown you away. Why does this happen? Not sure. How is the player expected to know when the wind is going to become dangerous to them? Don't know. What is the player supposed to do to survive this? No idea. Sometimes the wind simply blows you into a wall, which doesn't hurt, but the wind seemingly never stops once it begins, so you're forced to re-load a save anyway.

If I'm missing something blindingly obvious here I apologise, but at the moment I have to treat this game as simply being broken.

I can't emphasise enough how much I love the way this game looks and sounds. It really makes you feel small, and the abstract electronic music complements that feeling perfectly. It's just a shame that a game so seemingly great should be so keen with its gameplay to stop me from playing it ever again. NaissanceE is a beautiful art game trapped inside an alpha-release standard puzzle-platformer.

UPDATE: So with this review climbing up the store page a bit, felt it was worth updating. I've played a bit more of the game since my initial review, having FINALLY managed to progress beyond that awful platform section. Apparently, the fan automatically blows you away after a certain amount of time, not just at random. I don't know how you're supposed to know this, but there it is. I made it through the area in time, EVENTUALLY.

Anyway, the couple of levels after that have actually been fairly simple and enjoyable (and, it goes without saying, aesthetically impressive). I got up to the desert section and haven't played more since, but at this point, the game is no longer throwing ♥♥♥♥ in my face constantly, so I feel like I will continue and finish the game when I have time. For this reason, and a couple of others, I'm changing my review to a cautious recommendation.

The other reasons are that 1: the developer has announced plans to fix bugs and include more checkpoints in the next patch, which would be a great improvement, and 2: the developer has made clear that the platforming sections were 'old-school' and difficult by choice, not accidentally. And if it's a design choice, I can't exactly treat the game as broken.

So it's a reserved recommendation - if you're a fan of atmospheric exploration games, pick this up but be aware that there'll be some real challenges (hopefully more reasonably checkpointed in future) to struggle through unless you're a master platformer. And if you're looking for a hardcore platformer, maybe pick this up but be aware there's a lot of wandering around lost in-between.
Posted: February 14th, 2014
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58 of 69 people (84%) found this review helpful
699 products in account
8 reviews
5.5 hrs on record
NaissanceE hits the ground running – or rather, its protagonist does. The opening moments serve as a compressed summary of all that the player is about to experience. Disoriented, panting, lungs pumping air like every moment could be their last. Rows and rows of identical hallways swoosh past. Are the walls really shrinking in on us or is it just a trick of the camera? A glimpse of the assailant giving chase causes the pace to quicken, accentuated by a sickening electronic noise trill. Before long, we come face to face with the creature just moments before falling into a pit that carries us to safety. Safety being relative. As the world we’re introduced to is anything but friendly and familiar.

In a way it’s the older brother of Kairo, one who transitioned from Eno to Lucier while attending college. Second cousin twice removed to Antichamber, losing almost all of its puzzle genes while retaining the mind-twisting level design. NaissanceE stands proudly next to other modern takes on the puzzle adventure. Progression, while linear, always fits within the massive scope of any particular area. You’ll get lost in the larger maps, poking around in the corners feebly in hopes of finding direction or a sign of life. What plot there is to be told is presented entirely through the environmental clues left behind by whoever came before you. There’s no dialog to be heard, no monologuing audio diaries or scraps of paper to pick up. The only text ever seen is the chapter titles and the main menu options. Everything remains a mystery.

Most of the time is spent simply navigating the large maps with occasional platforming segments to break things up. A breathing mechanic comes into play while sprinting for a short time. Every few seconds while sprinting, a circle will appear on screen. Hitting the right button (defaults to Mouse 1) while the circle is there will make your character take a breath and they will continue running a little longer. Fail to do so and they become winded and slow down drastically. Not something you want happening in the large maps or while jumping from cube to cube. On the note of platforming, I found some of the sequences to be irksome. Some involving awkwardly shaped landing areas and altered physics took me out of the moment if only briefly. I feel like the game could have been better off without those or with a little more care taken with them. You’ll also get to play with some cubes that are sensitive to light sources for a few puzzles, but none of them are particularly difficult.

NaissanceE expertly grasps the concepts behind what makes lonesome wandering compelling. The lights are on but nobody’s home. An expansive view of an area could show thousands of lit windows though you never get the sense that anyone is ever sitting behind them. A few poorly spaced checkpoints and unintuitive platforming segments annoy but don’t detract from the overall experience. As challenging of a play as it is a listen, your hand is never held in the labyrinth. The atmosphere is stifling, mysterious, beautiful. I felt compelled to explore as much as I could even if I knew there was a dead end ahead. In the 5 hours it took me to reach the incredible last moments I remained entranced.

Though, I don’t really know what it all means.

And it terrifies me.
Posted: February 12th, 2014
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42 of 50 people (84%) found this review helpful
989 products in account
13 reviews
4.0 hrs on record
Such a conflicting game and NOT one I can recommend sadly.

The atmosphere, mystery and exploration elements are FANTASTIC and it has some remarkably unsettling imagery and design but it's crippled by TERRIBLE gameplay decisions.

The checkpointing is AWFUL and made significantly worse by some of the worst 'first person platforming' elements this side of Xen, incorporating instant-death booby traps, fiddly jumps, narrow walkways and areas where progression is not sufficiently telegraphed resulting in some stupidly unneccessary deaths. By some accounts there may also be some bugs with the various "windy" locations that make the game nigh-on unplayable in places, but I personally never encountered any of those problems.

Special mention needs to go to the completely pointless side corridor that warns you "not to continue this way", and when you (of course) *DO* continue in that direction the game eventually just unceremoniously quits to desktop.

Ha. Ha. Funny. *sigh*

Also, unless I missed something (which is very possible) don't expect any sort of payoff or even an ending to the game. Upon reaching the end you just get dropped back to the main menu with nary an explanation of what just happened or why.

* * *

In the end, I personally have a particular love of exploring strange, alien places and abandoned locale's in games, so I still feel like I got my moneys worth out of it. The visuals and sound design feels like a modern interpretation of an ancient long-lost Lovecraftian cityscape.

BUT unless you can be equally forgiving of some incredibly bad "game" elements then I'd suggest you steer clear or wait for a sale.

Two wibbly wobbly cuboid snake monsters out of five.

Posted: February 16th, 2014
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97 of 149 people (65%) found this review helpful
277 products in account
18 reviews
3.6 hrs on record
NaissanceE is a breathtaking game that will leave you questioning everything. Here is my full review: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YjfQAbX6pYs
Posted: February 10th, 2014
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