Developer: Stubby Games
Publisher: Playstack
Platform: PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox series S/X
Tested on: PC
The Entropy Centre – Review
Sometimes it’s hard not to make comparisons between games when playing them (and when reviewing them too), which can be unfair since every game deserves a chance to be enjoyed for its own merit. Having said that, comparing The Entropy Centre to Portal seems to be a logical choice considering there are many similarities not only in its gameplay but also in the setting and characters. We definitely mean it as a compliment if we liken the two though. The Entropy Centre is a puzzle game by indie developer Stubby Games that manages to blow us away from start to finish, deserving to become a classic of the genre, much as Portal did before it.
Story
The game starts with some foreshadowing in the form of a short dream sequence where the main character Aria sees the Earth seemingly destroyed by a meteorite. After that, she wakes up in the titular Entropy Centre, a large dome where people are hired to solve physics puzzles to generate energy. Aria has no memories of coming to this place or what it even is. Worse still, the centre is in a state of decay and looks like it hasn’t been in operation for decades. With no other options, Aria ventures deeper into the abandoned construction in search of answers. She quickly finds a gun capable of rewinding time when pointed at objects, as well as various robots that will help Aria on her journey. The most important one is Aster, the AI inside the gun that might be able to shed some light on exactly what the Entropy Centre even is, why it was built, and most importantly: what happened to leave the centre in such a mess and how it’s connected to Earth’s destruction.
The story is delivered through a combination of character dialogue and optional emails or recorded messages you can find lying around the centre.
Graphics
The Entropy Centre is a first-person game that has really good graphics. It cleverly combines the futuristic setting with naturalistic elements in how the science centre which was once built from metal and was made to be very modern and clean has been reclaimed by nature. The lighting in this game is especially phenomenal and there’s enough variety in the level design not to get boring. Every item you can interact with is outlined by a bright orange glow when you get close enough to it. While that is quite handy, it also breaks the immersion a tiny bit.
Sound
Honestly, puzzle games often don’t need to put a lot of effort into their soundtracks because players are too busy trying to solve puzzles to listen to the music in the background. This game obviously didn’t take that to heart and still put down a solid performance. Some tracks are more sad and wistful and fit the atmosphere of the narrative, others have a bit more kick to them. The elevator music you’ll be hearing several times throughout the game is appropriately catchy too. More importantly, the game comes with full voice acting from both the main character Aria and her AI companion Aster. Both voice actors do a great job and have great chemistry. Last but not least, the robots who don’t speak make adorable little electronic noises instead!
Gameplay
The Entropy Centre is a simple physics puzzle comparable to Portal, but the specific power your gun controls in this game is the flow of time. This means you can aim it at any applicable item and rewind it back in time or forward it through time. You can also freeze items in time too. You use this mechanic to solve puzzles, most of them of the simple ‘open the door and get through it’ sort. You’ll encounter pressure plates that require a box to activate, you’ll need to redirect lasers, and do similar things that get gradually harder as you go. The game never becomes super complicated though it drags on a bit in the latter half. Overall, the number of checkpoints makes it so you can stop for a short break whenever you need one, and you can easily jump right back into the game afterward.
To help you, picking up and moving items will trace their path through the use of colored dots which you can see at any time by pressing the F button. This makes it a lot easier to visualize the puzzles since you’ll often be working in reverse. There’s often a readily available reset button as well. Aside from the puzzles, you’ll encounter a few short chase scenes and stealth sections, but they don’t make up the meat of the game.
The game also doesn’t have any extra modes or difficulty settings but does offer you the chance to go back to any chapter you’ve visited and replay it. As it is, you don’t have much incentive to revisit the game after completing it except for wanting to collect the emails and audio recordings that make up extra lore.
Conclusion
Overall, The Entropy Centre is an enjoyable puzzle game that has mechanics that are simple enough to quickly understand while remaining challenging enough to keep players engaged. The game manages to make itself stand out through an intriguing mystery plot to gradually uncover, likable characters, great graphics, and good sound design. All these elements combined keep us coming back for more.
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