It is truly a wonderful game, it has given me the best and most satisfying gaming experience in recent months.

The pace is slow (although it can change in a heartbeat), the graphics are average, the setting is beautiful. Sounds are good, the scarce music is amazing. What carries this game on its shoulder is the truly unique atmosphere.

This one is about survival and exploration. You have to explore the wilderness in order to find what you need to progress (herbs to make medicine of), yet as you wander further and further from your sanctuary, you are getting uneasy as the idyll can turn into a wild chase in a second.

What I particularly liked about the game is that it rewards you if you play it as it was meant to be. I mean, if you explore the island with care, think ahead, manage your time and pick the best approach the most important herbs tend to be in the open where you are at a disadvantage with a pre-planned escape route, the game is quite easy. It gets easier as you accommodate yourself to the unique orientation-navigation scheme, which is very rewarding, because you seem to get better through your own progress, rather than power-ups or weapons showered at you.

There are a few negatives separating this from perfection. The latest patch brought dramatic improvement to frame-rate, so technical issues mentioned by others were not one of them for me. The dynamics of the Creature can sometimes be predicted and exploited, sometimes its randomness defeats the purpose. Many choices seem arbitrary in the game (2 pills per outing?) and there are many ways it could be improved (eating, more enemies).

Overall, I really recommend this game. It is fresh, original, well-made and, above all, gripping.… Expand

It's fairly hard to rate this game on a 1 to 10 scale, as there are many things that it does both right and wrong. The gameplay itself is very innovative, with nothing quite like it in any other game that I've ever played. The atmosphere created by the game is fantastic, creating a peaceful feeling with an undertone of uncertainty. The music and ambient noises also help the atmosphere in a whole. Overall, I love the gameplay, graphics (for the most part), and the audio of the game. However, the game does have its fair share of bugs and issues. For example, there are quite a few of graphical issues that can take away from the immersion of the game, like light reflecting on the ground in linear patterns, or blood looking like large lumps. Also, when the game first loads up, the game runs like gravel in a blender for about 15-20 minutes (or maybe that's just my bad computer). Overall, I absolutely love this game, but it still somewhat feels as though it's in beta.… Expand

Just finished Miasmata. It's a brilliant game, totally immersive, with beautiful scenery/artwork and an intriguing (if short) plot.

The downside is, you need a REALLY good machine in order to play it. Otherwise I have heard a number of people say that it is 'choppy and buggy'-although I must admit I had no such problems). Also PLEASE make sure to read the instruction manual before you start playing-I didn't and I had several frustrating hours trying to figure out why I couldn't save or how the hell the controls worked (this was very frustrating but worked itself out once I had customised them).

On the plus side though, the atmosphere is fantastic and I found my heart thumping to the point of almost jumping our of my seat a number of times. The story unfolds slowly which keeps you captivated and focused. The mapping/navigation/triangulation system is a bit of a nightmare at first but I found it quite fun once I figured it out.

Overall I would highly recommend Miasmata. I thoroughly enjoyed it and would play all over again!… Expand

A fascinating survival/exploration game made by only 2 ppl. Very beautiful graphics with a lot of love put into it.
You are playing a scientist (first person view) who suffers from the plague and is looking for a cure on an empty island. Well empty except of some sort of beast that hunts you.
Most of the time you are exploring the island, search for the right formula for your medicine, collect flowers and do some research on the,
Every now and then you will encounter the beast, you can't fight it you can only run or hide which makes a great atmosphere. A bit similar to Amnesia but not that stressful… Expand

Really great game. Good atmosphere. Good ideas. BUT sometimes this game feels like a late beta. There are many things missing and a few really annoying bugs. This game needs still a lot of work to be the game it wants to be. But i will walk along and play this game. (Things that this game lacks: - You have thirst, but no hunger. - You can find many flowers, but the creatures around you are just objects, running away from you. (Mental Stimulant should allow you to crouch to a creature, without getting noticed, but even squirrels run away from you.)
- The movement needs a bit work (The movement in this game is unique and a really REALLY pro on this game.)
- The out fading textures and stuff aren't well executed. (Sometimes it ruins the feeling of the game...)
- Some logic failures should be also fixed. (Drowning because you swim 2 meter in a knee deep source of water? Btw yes you can drink this water)
- If you recreate things like Basic Medicine, it always tries to tell you, that you created Basic Medicine... (Phay: "There is a chance of 90%, that you just created Basic Medicine, Master" Me: "GO BACK IN YOUR SWORD! It's the f***** 100 time i created this medicine! AHHHHH")
- The triangulation in this game and the map function, are buggy from time to time, just minor bugs. (But you don't need 3 hours to triangulate your position....)
And i could go even more in depth on this game... but i gonna let it go for now.

I really like this game, thats why i take the time to write so much about this game.

PS.: To the developers: Please keep up your good work on this game. I'm looking forward to see one of the best games i ever played, but it not reached this moment, where i could say: "This game is amazing. BUY IT!", but if you keep up your work, i might gonna say it some day.… Expand

I loved the experience of exploring this landscape! They really captured the feeling of running down a hill, on the edge of control, and that's what makes exploring this world, especially when running, so fun. What keeps it fun is the scale of the environment: the ecology of the island is quite varied, depending on where you are. You're really rewarded for striking out in your own direction and exploring, and the fact that you have to manually fill in your map adds to this, making you feel like you really know the land. And getting to know the land is, of course, really helpful when you're trying to get about, especially at speed. This game may not be for the impatient, or those who need their hand held and told where to go and what to do all the time, or who like to feel in control over everything, but if it was, it wouldn't be so rewarding for the rest of us.… Expand

Finally something new. While most AAA titles and already many so-called Indy-games just recycle ideas from other games, this game has something new and unique. The map mechanism where you have to determine your position on the map via triangulation of known landmarks is ingenious. Finding that required plant that you searched hours for heureka! The game is quite unpolished. The models are rugged, the textures blurry and the animations clumsy. The engine does a good job when it comes to lighting and weather effects, a bad one for the water and is quite slow for the visual quality when compared Crysis or other outdoor game. I think that will improve in the future as patches for the game are released.

I really enjoyed the game and will definately replay it.… Expand

Miasmata achieves a peculiar kind of in-game immersion which I could only compare to Amnesia: the dark descent. You are alone, completely vulnerable (sick, thirsty) in a hostile yet truly beautiful environment and there is an omnipresent threat you can only hide from. This makes the perfect sauce for paranoia; you keep your ears open for any uncommon sound, your eyes scrutinizing every leaf in the jungle and the immersion begins. The premise of the game is quite simple: you are seeking the cure from a plague you'll soon die from on an island where few scientists might have discovered a remedy. You'll have to explore the island to discover what is that cure and how to fabricate it. What really adds to the immersion, aside from your ever constant vulnerability, is the realistic perspective of this game. Your character is sick and dying so you must keep him properly hydrated otherwise he'll become increasingly weak, his vision blurs, etc.; he has a body and hence inertia so you must take care of every movements so that he won't trip on a rock and split his head down a cliff; the environment is huge and getting lost is a true and fearsome possibility - especially if the sun is coming down and you have no light source to guide your steps (chances are you'll split your head on something or worse). I can't say it enough: all those details concur to provide a deeply engaging experience once you let the game get to you.

Technically, the graphics are astonishing and even more so if you consider that this is an indie production. At places, there are some texture and tiling problems but it is easily forgiven by overall beauty of the landscapes (I have played it at max settings though). The following video should give you a good idea of how good the game can look: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8xbdpCWyLFw The sound effects and music are decent but far from being as refined or detailed as what you get with Amnesia. As for the controls, a lot of people, complained of character's tendency to slip on ridiculously small slopes so that overall, the movement is unbearable but in my sense, this is simply an exaggeration. Most of the slopes a normal human being would handle are very well handled by your character and the better he physically gets, the less he is likely to slip; to the contrary, I found that this challenge really added to the experience.

In all, I really recommend to give it a try. Especially if you are fond of games such as Amnesia, Myst or Skyrim (for the exploring part that is).… Expand

3/10 for effort. This game has a good premise and a really interesting environment. I don't really consider it to be a "game" though certainly not a "survival game". It's more of a short walk through someones landscape painting. A few things that didn't really make sense to me and made the game feel unfinished. Why give me a knife and have animals running around and then not allow me to kill them for food? To survive in this all you do it seems is drink water and take medicine to avoid your growing fever. You arn't require to hunt and eat at all despite the presence of all these slow moving animals and insects. The animals and insects play no part in your research either so it's plant collection only. Very strange. Almost has a feeling of they wanted to let you do all that but didn't have time to finish the game. For that reason I had to drop the rating because you shouldn't release something this unfinished for money. Needs way more depth to be considered a "game" in my opinion. Avoiding "The Creature" by simply getting out of it's line of sight then stumbling (literally stumbling) from point A to point B while collecting plants simply doesn't cut it in my book. I'm disappointed because I wanted to love it and think it could have been so much more had it been finished.… Expand

The game is pretty and mysterious, and I like that. But the recommended hardware on Steam needs to be reevaluated, my computer is a lot better than what they listed but I still got a kinda choppy fps. It's not a huge deal though. The main reason I give it a 7 is that the game is incredibly slow and easily becomes boring. Other than that, it's fun to look at and explore around the island.

I turned the graphics down and such, so that's all fine. But my only problem is that the camera is constantly slowly moving to the left. I don't know why it's doing that, and even if I unplug my mouse, it continues to move left.

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. For three days I wandered alone in this land pondering its mysteries and beauty. Dissecting plants and exploration had become almost rote by now. By day I honed my navigation skills, fighting the terrain and sickness. I mostly slept at night because the darkness was immersive and dizzying making course plotting near invisible. This cursed fever trailed me like a shadow gaining the upper hand whenever I became slack in my preparation. The scout in me had been dormant for far too long to be relied on so heavily now. It was on that third night that bravery, or perhaps hubris, forced me into a corner of my mind rarely visited. Thus far the squirrels, rabbits, and birds had been but cute decorations between falling while running downhill and categorizing the island flora. I synthesized some basic and xtra strength fever meds, filled my canteen, and set off into that bottomless darkness armed with only a handful of flaming twigs and the feeling there was more than I had seen thus far. I had wandered no more than a few hundred yards when my heart began beating loudly. I quickly searched the journal to see if I was in poor health but I was fine. Still the heart and the beating as if Edgar Allen Poe himself had cursed my ears. The a large snap from the east rang out over my heart, now thundering like sasquatch feet. "Damn that squirrel is loud" echoed in my head as fear gripped my spine and pulled me to the west at full speed. Bushes then darkness then trees, more bushes, and falling for what seems to be an eternity. When I regain my footing I hear some thing growling in my ear and again leap to my feet sprinting towards a bridge, clearly losing against my predator. At last I clear the door and cowered in this flimsy until the daylight cleansed my paranoia.

Many days have passed since then but that was when I learned to respect this land and my fragile place in it.

That said this game is easily the most original and innovative title I have seen in 20+ years of full-time gaming, the fact it is also survival horror makes it even better imo. The devs are rather interactive and responsive. Performance is decent and the visuals stunning. This game is such that it will push some of your real life skills to new heights, such as wilderness navigation. Minor frustrations with interface regarding falling. Even then I love that sprinting downhill ends poorly for the runner.… Expand

The game itself is easy to describe in a way. There is an island and you are on it. You have a disease from which you will die if you do not cure it. To cure it you must explore the island, collect various plants, research them, and combine them to create the antidote. You will be helped along you way by scraps of maps and research notes left behind by the team of, now mysteriously disappeared, scientists who went before you, and you will be hindered by your overall lack of health, physical stamina, and the creature hunting you. It's open world. Do you want to follow the barely discernible path? Or do you want to turn around and just wander into the woods and hope for the best? Should you do it during the day? During the night? Your choice.

However, the experience is so unique it is hard to describe. One reviewer called it a cross between Far Cry 3, without guns, and Dear Esther, without the locked-into-story-mode. I suppose that may be accurate. Perhaps because the experience is so unique this game cannot be recommended to everyone, but for it's price I think that anyone who has any desire to play games beyond adrenaline pumping shooters (not that I don't like those games too) should at least try this game. Outside of being a niche market, the other minuses are fairly obvious - there are a host of minor technical glitches - and a few major ones if you don't have a high end PC and graphics card. Outside of technical glitches there are some odd graphical glitches which others have noted (pop in items, distant textures look tile like, and up close many the detail is not that great. This is the only reason I did not give this game a ten. However, when you keep in mind that this was a game, and a graphics engine, made from scratch by two people - it is an amazing feat and didn't detract from the overall game. And the game is still generally pretty. Not always, but has a whole this is one of the prettiest games I've played in recent years. Game play itself will likely be different from what you're used to. Having completed it and watched a few playthrough videos I can say with confidence that if you play this game like you play a normal FPS (or any game remotely similar to one) you will likely have a negative experience. The game rewards slow and patient progress. Because there is no HUD or way of pinpointing yourself on the map getting lost in a very large island is guaranteed. Navigation requires taking the time to continually orient yourself, use the in game compass and mapping process, and in generally remember you're not Rambo. But all that is actually what makes the game completely unique and memorable. To sum it up - this is a game you should try because if you're like me (and many others) you may find in it one of the most interesting and unique games of the year and finish wanting more.… Expand

For a two man indie game this game is quite impressive. As some people have said, the graphics aren't the best. But the graphics aren't that important really. There's no huge polygon counts or extremely high resolution textures. But the game makes up for this with a really good atmosphere. It has very impressive lighting and has really good scenery and land details. There's plants and grass almost everywhere for example, something that you almost never see in realistic amounts in games. The game play itself is the main feature of the game. Those that say it's a bush walking simulator are missing the entire point of the game. You play the role of a man called Richard, a scientist who was researching the cure for a plague. Richard catches said plague and comes to the game's island where a lot of researchers were working on curing it. He arrives to find the scientists missing or dead. And there's a lot of references to some creature stalking everyone. Your role in the game is to find the cure which involves exploring the island and gathering ingredients, all while evading the mysterious creature. Exploring the island by itself is a challenging hazard. With the way the mapping system works (which is easily my favorite part of the game) it's incredibly easy to get lost if you're not paying attention. In addition to that, in your weakened state it's easy to stumble and fall (which can result in you taking damage and sliding down hillsides) and you can't swim very far because you wear out quickly (which can be somewhat helped later on in the game). Then there's the creature. It has a random chance of appearing in most places plus there's certain times it's guaranteed to appear. You're too weak to harm it and it's faster than you. It has really well written intelligent AI that dynamically reacts to the player's actions (although there's an occasional bug where the creature can get stuck running around in circles although that's not too terribly common and is a bug the developers are addressing), trying to cut off escape. Evading and escaping it is somewhat challenging (very challenging until you learn how to deal with it) and extremely exciting.

Graphically, the real impressive parts are the lighting system (which is extremely impressive and realistic) which can stand on even footing with most professionally done development engines and the careful attention to details such as having grass and plants everywhere. For having only two people making the entire game, it's an incredible accomplishment. It's more impressive than many games developed by dozens of people.

The game isn't for everyone, just like as any other game. But for those who enjoy exploring beautiful landscapes, solving mysteries, and trying to survive a challenge, this game is one of the best you'll find. Even with the occasional bug and performance issue.… Expand

While this is not the perfect survival game I expected at first, this is a beautiful adventure that reminds me on a couple of older games like myst and even morrowind. The engine is not very efficient, but I can play it on my older budget machine on a lower resolution. I give this game 10 points for being innovative and courageous in what it does. In a time where I got bored by the 1000st boring CoD / MoH like shooter (which happen to still ride on the 12 year old Counter Strike Wave) I can't tell you how enormously pleased I'm by the release of titles like miasmata.… Expand

There aren't too many games in the world which drop you into its immersive world and lets you figure things out on your own, where you can choose to go about things your way or take simple tutorials to get you set on the right track. Miasmata is a exceptionally original game about survival and a mystery on an uncharted island in a race against time and a terrifying invulnerable beast. I've spent about 14 hours of this game and I have to say, this is really how a game is made.… Expand

Pretty weak game, over all. I'm a pretty big fan of survival adventure games and this one definitely falls far below both expectations and standards. The graphics are abysmal, as are the textures. You can make out the tiles in the ground, and squirrels look like a cluster of polygons. The gameplay is tedious, where most of your time is going to be spent walking around or reading notes/books, which wouldn't be so bad if the pacing weren't so slow and dragged on. There is no real atmosphere or music to speak of, so the game depends purely on it's environment and a powerful imagination to draw you in. Is it impressive that two people made this game? Not...Really. It's more like it's impressive two people pushed out a game, but this game in particular really has nothing going for it. With the sudden surge of adventure games coming out of steam these last few months, I can't think of a reason why you'd pick this one up. Unless you're just hurting that badly for a "survival" adventure fix. The game gets a 3, 2 points for each person that worked on the game, and 1 out of generosity. I may have given it a 4 or even a 5, if it had run even remotely well on my machine. I can run Skyrim on max graphics with 20+ texture mods, at 50+ fps, but I can't run this Miasmata higher than 15, so you could probably chalk up "poor optimization" as another flaw.… Expand

To be honest, I did not expect much from this but I actually got more then I expected. For something that was made by only two people it is a mile-stone in achievements as graphics go, as it is a completely new engine. The idea is original and the story is simple. Sadly however, I cannot stress enough at how slow you progress throughout the game because you are only doing one thing, collect plants. As another person said, it IS literary a bush walking simulator. However it does have it's shining points. I applaud the graphics for two people and design. A lot of the scenery is beautiful and it does get you thinking about the islands previous inhabitants. If you do not mind the snail like pace progression and the repetitiveness of it and know that all you really do is just walk and walk and walk through an island, then you should pick it up. A major downfall is the price and the system requirements.… Expand

Incredibly good survival game. Beautiful scenery but enough action (or worry) to keep you on your feet. Have played for multiple hours.

My only real disappointment was there there presently is no hunger factor, however this is something the designers are apparently working on.

The more I play this game, the more I want to play. If you enjoy exploring wilderness (in real life) then Miasmata will definitely pique your interest - it is literally a bush walking simulator (with a few surprises). The developers are still working on ironing out a few issues (such as FOV) but I believe Miasmata will define a new genre in gaming. It's all about atmosphere. It will not appeal to everyone - if you need constant action, then you will probably not enjoy this game. I want to give it a 10, but taking 1 off as it still needs some polish.… Expand

In short, the game is very unique, does many things well, but has some minor issues. Normally I'd say the game is a 8 but because I love games who dare to do new things I'll give it a 9.

Since most people will wonder about the gameplay: The main gameplay consists of traveling the island, avoiding the creature, picking up and examining plants, and add to your map. Especially the mapping system is interesting, since you have to build parts of the map yourself by triangulating your position as well as other positions to reveal new parts. You also only know your own position by triangulation or if you are near a known spot. This way, it adds much to the survival aspect of the game.… Expand

I am really enjoying this game so far. The varied environment looks and feels amazing, and there's a lot of explorations and secrets waiting to be revealed. This game is very different to other games that i played. If you are a type, who likes action/adventure indie-games, this is perfect for you!

This game stands out in three aspects: freedom, difficulty and originality. Precisely the aspects that have lost 90 % of current games. Sufficient reason to buy it.

Miasmata's a game about survival and exploration. Having been built fresh it's a different play feel than most, if not all other games. Movement is more realistic, in that you lose traction on slopes, pick up speed going down hill, and can't turn too quickly if you're running fast. It takes a while to get used to it, but it's a great add.

The graphics are on the upper scale of games, which is an impressive feat considering where it came from.

As for the game itself, if you enjoy exploration, discovery, and (extremely) dangerous adventure, this is a must-buy. An absolutely open world coupled with the ever-present fear of the Creature makes this one of the best games I've played all year.

It's not a short game, either. I've played 10 hours and still not finished. I've probably got another 5 hours to go, so Miasmata is easily worth the $15.… Expand

Graphics:
To start with, you should always keep in mind, that miasmata is an indie game, which was developed by only two (!) guys. And for an indie game it really looks awesome. Of course, many textures are not too detailed, and the animations are long not perfect, but it looks far better than other Indie games like minecraft or slender for example. Story:
You are the scientist Robert Hughes and are infected with a deadly plague, which will soon kill you. You are stranded on an island called Eden and you are searching for a cure to safe your life. But unfortunately your colleagues, which were living on the island, searching for a cure, have disappeared. Now you have to survive and look for the cure yourself. But you are not alone on the island. Theres a creature out there chasing you and you don't know how to fight it...
All in all the story is not too good, but for an indie game it is ok. And if you explore enough, you can find notes about your colleagues and their backstory, which gives the game an interesting touch. Of course the whole story is not stage-managed in any way and I missed scripted events or cutszenes. But that is just a minor issue.
Gameplay:
Miasmata has an excellent and very innovative gameplay. It features very new and fresh elements like cartographing or researching plants. In addition, the character has some kind of momentum. That means, if you run down a hill, you start to struggle and fall down, which gives you a nice panic feeling, if you are chased by the beast. And this momentum works perfectly. I did not have any bugs or illogically moments yet. Miasmata also features an interesting beast AI and many strategies to survive a meeting with the beast, but it would ruin the game if I would tell you about them. It makes a lot of fun to try different strategies against the beast and you get a great rewarding feeling if you are successful.So to come to an end: Miasmata features a new and interesting gameplay focused on exploring and trying out things

Conclusion:
In my opinion, Miasmata is a must-buy for every survival action fan. It has great graphics, superb gameplay and a not too bad story. But I heard, that many people had proplems running the game properly. I did not have any problems running the game, so I did not include them in my review. And as far as I know, the developers are working hard on a solution for these problems.… Expand

Let's see, where to start. Well, first off I have no idea why some people say this is a very good looking game. The textures are awful, below even todays poor standards. The animations in general are poorly done, less than some mods. Items appear from thin air a few meters in front of you, as do textures. The FOV seems really narrow, and is uncomfy to move around with.
Now, I'm not one of these people who thinks that graphics make a game, but I do think bad graphics can damage a game, especially when it seems to be something people are saying is one of the high points of your game.
But, graphics aside, how does the game actually play. Well poorly I'm afraid to say. The concept is very good, similar to the old " Robinson's Requiem". It's like a survival exploration game, with your vulnerable character trapped on a deserted island, looking for a cure to his illness whilst being hunted by a large predator. That sounds excellent, but the execution is poor. Movement seems very clunky and unreal, I think in part to the Fov. Your character stumbles when climbing steep hills, balances on sudden hight changes and actually has momentum when he moves. This should be good, but it just feels so clunky, with you character shuffling along and makes going even short distances an annoying task. You have to find a cure for your illness by combing the island for plants, then research their properties and then using them to make cures and other such items. Again, this sounds good but it is poorly executed.You walk round, see a bright plant and try to get into the right position to "use" it, then you trek back to a research station, where it's just a case of clicking use another few times. What should be an excellent survival aspect ends up feeling like a boring fetch quest repeated ad nauseum.
The sound is so generic I can't really be bothered to talk much about it. The only thing there is to say is that the music is mostly non existent, and you will grow tired of footsteps and heavy breathing very quickly.
You may have noticed I've not named the character you play as, but that's not because he isn't named, it's that the story and setup is so bland I instantly forgot.. You are just a generic set of puppet arms wandering around a poorly textured island reading tutorials scientists left for you. I have no real feeling for anything either way. I don't feel a need to explore or discover anything about the island, I'm just sent off to get plants because I have the plague, apparently.

In the end, we have a game with a very interesting, if not original, concept for an adventure game, but it is so poorly done that I really can't recommend it to anyone. I wish i could say it will get better, but if this is a state they decide to release it in I don't think there is much hope for it in the future.… Collapse

I have played this game for 6 hours. It's very unusual game. I was very surprised that after playing the first 10 minutes in the game, I found myself totally lost deep in the forest at night, and have to start new game. (And I'm hardcore gamer)
The game-play is pretty simple, and doesn't include lot's of possibilities but never the less, the game is interesting to play. I liked atmosphere of the game: weather changes, sounds of terrain under you feet, day / night cycle, how you character slice from slopes - all this helps you immerse into game world.… Expand

I bought Miasmata on steam yesterday, after verifying that my computer could run the game (My system well exceeded the recommended specs). I ran the game and found that even on the lowest setting the game ran at 1-3 fps. I will re-write this review once the game is actually playable. For the moment, steer clear of Miasmata, unless you possess a super computer.