BRUTALISMUS: Dystopia

a very badly made game with undisclosed ai generated assets and incohesive message

[h1] BRUTALISMUS Dystopia is a short, atmospheric walking simulator that explores the tension between creation and isolation within a heavy Brutalist landscape[/h1] [table] [tr] [th]Pros[/th] [th]Cons[/th] [/tr] [tr] [td]✔️ For an indie developer, the environment is well done. It's nothing mind-blowing, of course, but it definitely gets the job done.[/td] [td]❌ Although there is no tutorial, there is also nothing really much to explain. I'm listing this as a con because there are users on the Steam forums who would love to have it. As an "experienced gamer", I don't need it, but I can see why people would complain.[/td] [/tr] [tr] [td]✔️ The eery feeling created by the soundtrack, especially in the red area level near the end with the guitar echoing solo, is incredibly well-done.[/td] [td]❌ The game settings are almost non-existent, and nothing can be changed in terms of graphics or even V-Sync. This means that the game will constantly run at 100% GPU usage, generating 500–1,000 frames.[/td] [/tr] [td]✔️ Thought-provoking dialogue. [/td] [td]❌ It is unnecessary to have grammar errors in a game with little text to begin with. For example, you sometimes read 'thought' instead of 'though'. This error appears after the first bus ride towards the statue where you pray for example. [/td] [/table] [h1] Additional Info:[/h1] [table] [tr] [th]Content & Value[/th] [th]It took me 20–30 minutes to complete Brutalismus: Dystopia, and I earned zero achievements. For those interested in achievements: I don't know what you have to do to get that particular achievement, but I've made a forum post about it, which you can access [url=https://steamcommunity.com/app/3854040/discussions/0/594035508988925240/]here[/url]. If the developer responds with hints, you'll find them there[/th] [/tr] [tr] [td]Mode[/td] [td]Single Player[/td] [/tr] [tr] [td]Controller Recommended?[/td] [td]No, you can use KB/M[/td] [/tr] [tr] [td]Is it worth buying?[/td] [td]Yes. It offers a thought-provoking experience for 2€, but is nothing mind-blowing[/td] [/tr] [/table] [quote]Follow our Curator page, [url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/32732116/] IndieGems[/url], to see more high-quality Indie reviews regularly.[/quote] [h1]In-Depth[/h1] [h3]Story, Gameplay, Soundtrack, Brutalism & Downside[/h3] [h3] Story [/h3] We're playing an architect with no name who works in a Brutalist factory that builds the large buildings you can see around you while playing. One day, we wake up, look out of our window while drinking a coffee, and see a beautiful city with not a lot of buildings, and we have a beautiful view. Our only hope? That is stays that way because work is hard enough. The more we work and build, the more buildings we'll see around us... A vicious circle. Is there any hope for us that we'll be able to see this view forever? Uunfortunately, faith is not on our side, and one day, everything will change. The story takes ~30mins to finish and is nothing mind-blowing, but it's a thought-provoking experience for sure. https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3576514827 [h3] Gameplay [/h3] It's straight up a walking simulator where you can press "E" to interact with objects along the way. We walk through a Brutalist style-like environment and get accompanied by a soundtrack that is fitting to each level. Actual game mechanics are about at sparse as they come – aside from moving around the world interacting with statues, the only means of interaction in BRUTALISMUS Dystopia are a single button that pushes buttons and turns gives story snippets. The world is littered with weird environments that you can explore with close to nothing in them except for mostly beautiful backgrounds. The game doesn’t do a great job of cluing you in on what to do in these situations, and it took me a few minutes to actually wrap my head around this form of interaction. It's not confusing or anything, just not very obvious sometimes. [h3] Soundtrack [/h3] An amazing soundtrack accompanies you through the world, especially in the red area where the echoing guitar solo was incredibly well done. The soundtracks are short and sweet, and mostly spot on. Even though one soundtrack was somewhat louder than the others, and the volume could be adjusted, the overall feel was spot on. [h3] Brutalism [/h3] I love Brutalism as a design. It really resonates with me. However, I believe there is a significant distinction between well-considered, elegant brutalist structures such as the Barbican and Boston City Hall, and what could be termed "accidental" brutalism, which is evident in buildings constructed from raw concrete due to necessity, laziness, or budgetary constraints rather than as an intentional design choice. https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3576413454 In the modern world, we see concrete all around us, almost entirely because of its utility rather than its beauty. As such, brutalism probably needs virtuoso design to transcend the average person’s associations with heavy industrial contours (“concrete wasteland”, “concrete jungle”). If overdone, it definitely runs the risk of evoking a dismal, dystopian sameness. Nevertheless, I think brutalism is beautiful, and I would personally love to live in a brutalist home. I'm a pretty big fan of brutalism but I understand that it's a bit of an acquired taste. [h3] Downside [/h3] The downside, though, is the spelling errors and the lack of any settings. This means you have a lot more frames to work with than necessary, as there is no V-Sync option or any graphical settings you can adjust. You could, of course, use the Nvidia Control Panel to lock the framerate, but that's unnecessary work for the customer — it's something that should be included in every game. I'm not asking for much, but nothing is definitely too little. [h3]Conclusion[/h3] BRUTALISMUS Dystopia is a minimalist, thought-provoking walking simulator that trades gameplay complexity for atmosphere, mood, and architectural storytelling. Its Brutalist world is eerie yet striking, paired with a fitting and at times exceptional soundtrack that enhances the emotional tone of each area. While the game’s interaction mechanics are minimal and occasionally unclear, and technical shortcomings like spelling mistakes and lack of basic settings hold it back, these flaws don’t fully detract from the meditative experience it offers for 20-30 minutes. If you appreciate reflective storytelling, experimental design, and Brutalist architecture, BRUTALISMUS Dystopia is worth the short ~30-minute journey—though its appeal may definitely be more niche than mainstream. [h2] Final Verdict: 7/10 [/h2]

A short but well-crafted walking simulator. Its slower pace makes it more of an experience to absorb, with architecture enthusiasts sure to enjoy the eerie, unwelcoming atmosphere. The soundtrack is well composed and enhances the unsettling mood. There is a steam achievement, but I was unable to acquire it and am unsure if it is actually working right now.

As an architecture student I picked this game up expecting some deep messages and comments on brutalism, and coming out after 2 playthroughs I feel slightly disappointed. While it has some very good environments and awesome ideas about capitalism driving architecture to be choking and hateful towards its inhabitants and environment, the experience is a bit shallow when you take an outside look. This is unconfirmed, but looking through the backgrounds and textures many of them seem to be AI generated, which is laughable in a game commenting on the art of buildings. It is insulting to be told brutalism is bad and architecture as an art should shy away from it, and then use AI to undermine the very art you want to lift up. There are a few other problems like grammar and slight glitches, but these are easily looked past for a one man indie game project. On a positive note the 2 soundtrack artists are EXTREMELY good, and the building models are quite good while being minimalist. The actual architecture leaves a little left to be desired, but does that not emulate brutalism as a whole? The message is also very digestible for those not particularly involved in architecture and presents some scenes that are quite persuasive and 'scary'. Overall I think this game is ok, and though I don't especially want to recommend it due to AI concerns, I have no evidence and don't want to condemn this game on suspicion alone. Thanks for reading!

I ran into this guy saying “I wish I could fly”. Man, I was literally flying. The game feels like a strange mix between Inception’s layered dream worlds and a psychedelic version of 1984, where u find urself praying to Big Brother. U honestly feel like u’re trapped inside the owner’s dreams stuck somewhere between reality and imagination. It’s one of those games that doesn’t just want u to play, it wants u to feel. The uncertainty, the quiet desperation to escape, all tied together with this haunting soundtrack that keeps ur nerves on edge. GG, this isn’t just a game, it’s a visual experience u have to live through

A psychological thriller for brutalist fans. The buildings look like a labyrinth, and the music is sooo good.

I really enjoyed this Brutalist Liminal Game and so did my audience. Amazing atmosphere and some really cool locations, Really enjoyed the music also, really worked well within the atmosphere of the various settings:) I am also a huge David Lynch fan, so it was great to play a game inspired by such works. Full playthrough - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=22mppnTQlhk&t=473s

Poorly made game using AI generated assets without disclosing it. If I'd known this was just lazy ai slop, I wouldn't have bought it.

Didn't like it...expected more beautiful, truly brutalistic buildings. This game feels very lazy made. If you want weird sh&t, you can find weirder and of much better quality around here.

Pretty cool walking sim game with a great sound track. I'm not sure if I beat the game because I still have a locked a achievement, but I got to the credits roll. I also love how this game runs natively on linux. My only gripe with the game is it seems pretty short (took me less than 30 minutes to beat), but I'm still missing that achievement so maybe I missed out on some of the game.