Residual Reviews
Residual is a comprehensive survival experience that fans of the genre will absolutely adore. Exploring the procedurally generated planets feels a bit daunting at first, but when the game opens up and starts dishing out essential resources, it becomes a lot more manageable. There are a few teething issues that we hope will be ironed out in time, like the confusing inventory UI, overly frequent need to eat/sleep, and the slightly dodgy navigation controls, but overall Residual is a fun, engaging 2D survival game that can sit proud alongside genre heavies like Minecraft and Don't Starve.
Residual is great for a quick survival experience, with less in-depth gameplay than other survival titles. Those who like Minecraft's Vanilla mode will likely enjoy the unique worlds, goal-oriented exploration, and resources collection. However, gamers looking for a complex survival experience like Terraria or Valheim may find the lack of standard survival mechanics frustrating and limiting while exploring.
A crashed spaceship, an unknown planet, and a mysterious secret hiding beneath the surface: side-scrolling survival game Residual appears to have it all. But is it a hidden gem, or bogged down by its own inexplicable ooze?
Residual has a good main idea, but I found that there’s too little around it to make the experience compelling in the long run. I liked the world and the exploration, but I was less impressed with the crafting or the puzzle design. I wished for a stronger narrative hook to give me a clear reason to get somewhere or mine minerals or find more vines.
If you enjoy games like No Man Sky, Animal Crossing, and Terreria, this is the game for you. There is an unlimited amount of worlds to explore and playing Residual is almost calming. The various dungeons are really cool to explore and the puzzles spread throughout the maps don’t take me out of the experience. There is a ton of replayability in this survival exploration game and if you want more of a challenge, feel free to turn on the permadeath option. With each planet, there are new puzzles and secrets to discover. There were a couple times during gameplay where I feel I may have locked myself out of being able to complete a planet but, it is quick and easy to jump back in to a new playthrough. Residual is a charming survival exploration game created by a person that is clearly passionate about his craft.
While they got off to a bit of a slow start on the Switch, over the years survival games have become more common and some excellent examples of the genre have made their way to the system...
Residual is ideal for those looking for a fast-paced survival game without complex mechanics.
Review in Greek | Read full review
Residual is not a bad game, and if you like resource collecting survival games, this one is fine. It just lacks any sort of exceptional or original aspect that would have me recommend it over anything similar.
Still, even with a small handful of flaws, this is a solid game. Residual has awesome pixel art, a unique premise, addicting gameplay, and the promise of unique playthroughs every time you start a new game. While it’s not a perfect game, my complaints are fairly minor all things considered. I’d definitely recommend this game to anybody looking for a unique survival/platformer mashup.
Residual is another winner from Orange Pixel. An intriguing survival exploration game that will keep you busy for long or short bursts of gaming. If you’re not a fan of the genre I’m not sure there is anything here to win you over. In a way, it’s fitting Apogee published this game as it kinda did bring back some of that nostalgia of that era in gaming. A game that doesn’t totally hold you by the hand, but the more you invest in it, the more you discover. What started as a stressful experience became one of wonder and intrigue. If that sounds good to you I highly recommend venturing to the stars with Residual.