Pneuma: Breath of Life Reviews

Pneuma: Breath of Life is ranked in the 25th percentile of games scored on OpenCritic.
4 / 10.0
Mar 4, 2015

Pneuma is a first-person puzzler, with some amazing looking graphics at times due to its use of Unreal Engine 4. But thats all the game has going for it. Throughout the story you are led to believe you are like a “god,” but you internally question some things that are going on, such as the existence of certain features in your own world. During most of the puzzles the character gives you a little hint on how you should solve each one. But I quickly became annoyed by the mellow and monotonous tone of his voice, so I essentially tuned him out. As you might imagine, this can make each future puzzle more difficult since you’re virtually not getting the one provided hint. That said, if you are good at this type of game, the hints are probably not needed until you make significant progress. Most of the initial puzzles are simple, requiring that you look at an eye to open a door, create sound, or just pull a lever. However, once you get further into the game, listening to the “god’s” monologue is must. At one point it took me awhile to figure out that I just had to sit and stare at a sundial to complete the puzzle – all because the only character in the game had almost immediately lost my attention.

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45%
Feb 26, 2015

Pneuma: Breath of Life should have been the kind of game you turn to between Call of Duty sessions, but instead it's a slightly insipid, short-lived and ultimately disposable puzzler. Console gamers like us are crying out for games like these, but Pneuma really isn't it.

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5 / 10.0
Apr 10, 2015

I wish the developers had given the more interesting elements of the game more time to breathe. I wish Pneuma had been a little less hasty—a little more interested in conveying why exactly we should care about his rushed philosophical ponderings than racing to solve high school thought experiments. In a game about creation and existence and perception, I'd have loved some sense of what it would actually feel like to be birthed from the void into a world that was, for all intents and purposes, yours.

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5 / 10.0
Feb 26, 2015

However, impressive aesthetics and weighty mental gymnastics aren't enough to compensate for puzzle design that becomes a slog before long. It's a shame because Pneuma boldly asks questions about player agency, but in ways that are bogged down in tedium.

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6 / 10
Apr 26, 2015

Imperfect but occasionally thrilling

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6 / 10.0
Feb 26, 2015

Clever but flawed collection of conundrums makes the act of observation a key puzzle solving mechanic, tying in a few heady philosophical concepts along the way

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6 / 10
Feb 26, 2015

Pneuma can appear pompous and over-reaching, and those who buy it for the puzzles alone will walk away disappointed. As a package though, it's worth checking out.

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6 / 10
Mar 1, 2015

Portraying existential quandaries as gameplay puzzles is a daring idea, but ultimately this is a more enjoyable game to watch and listen to than it is to play.

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63 / 100
Jul 29, 2015

But these moments are too few and too far between, in a brief but well-designed puzzle game that really just doesn't need them. There's a strong tradition of puzzle games enlivened by the voices that inhabit their world, but the more I look at Pneuma, the more I am forced to conclude that it would be better if it simply had the confidence to be silent.

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63 / 100
Mar 2, 2015

A solid, if thin puzzle game, with not quite as much to say as it thinks it has.

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6.5 / 10.0
Feb 27, 2015

An aesthetically-pleasing but decidedly empty puzzle game, Pneuma scratches an itch but fails to excite

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7 / 10
Feb 26, 2015

Pneuma: Breath of Life didn't completely rock our world, but it did make for a captivating and satisfying afternoon in front of the television. If puzzle adventures are your thing and you don't mind linear progression, there's a lot to like here.

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Feb 27, 2015

After looking at what Pneuma: Breath of Life has to offer, is it worth keeping an eye on? For the most part, yes. It is a well crafted adventure and a lot of love has gone into creating a unique take on the puzzle genre. The game's one character is interesting to listen to and the topic is something that is rarely discussed in the gaming industry. While puzzle fans will find enjoyment here, fast-paced gamers and those looking for something a bit more beefy in content may not find it as worthwhile. The ID@Xbox games that have been released so far have all had their quirks, and Pneuma: Breath of Life definitely deserves its place within the library.

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7 / 10
Jul 5, 2015

With fantastic dialogue, beautiful graphics, and some truly innovative puzzles, Pneuma: Breath of Life is a great buy, even for a short game. Though it does have some boring and frustrating moments - as well as some framerate issues - it's all worth it for the incredible ending. Pneuma may not breathe life into the puzzle genre, but it certainly gives you a new perspective on it.

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Jul 16, 2015

Pneuma: Breath of Life is a first-person puzzle platformer that offers an interesting mechanic, all while beating gamers over the head with a philosophical voice over.

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7 / 10
Feb 27, 2015

Pneuma: Breath Of Life is a game that I urge you to experience. It's not perfect, but in a way that fits entirely with its own outlook, and its effectiveness as a story is both thought-provoking and surprising. Pre-conceptions aside, it is certainly an intriguing and unique title that explores elements of philosophy and life often left untouched by gaming.

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USgamer
Top Critic
Jul 14, 2015

An engaging and quirky game that packs some intriguing puzzles... as well as some that are almost too easy to solve. The narration sometimes feels like it's trying just a little too hard for its own good, but the overall experience Pneuma: Breath of Life delivers is an enjoyable one.

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3.9 / 5.0
Mar 4, 2015

Pneuma: Breath of Life provides an interesting male lead, a gorgeous backdrop, and unique puzzles solved through the powers of perception. However, it fails to provide a nuanced story, and the one it delivers finishes much too soon. With such a surreal premise, there was an opportunity to take the journey much further and the puzzles much deeper. It's a stunning presentation, but in the end your personal judgment will be based on quality over quantity.

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9 / 10
Mar 8, 2015

A wonderful entry into the first person puzzle solving genre and whilst other games do individual elements better, Pneuma nails it as a package.

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Evan Norris
Top Critic
Unscored
Jul 7, 2015

Pneuma's story, while intriguing and heady, is sometimes delivered in an annoying way.

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