14: Overmind

Why Start Making Games That You Abandon Anyway?

Before getting into this, I want to clarify that I received a review copy of the game before its public release, so this is clearly not a final build. That said, the game has not received any updates since Steam Fest (October 2025), which is around 6 months ago at the time of writing. Combined with the fact that the developers have multiple other “coming soon” projects lined up, it honestly raises some concerns about whether this game is actively being worked on or quietly abandoned.

14: Overmind drops you into space with a pretty simple setup. Your ship is wrecked, you are completely alone, and reality itself is behaving in ways that make no sense. At first glance, it sounds like one of those survival games that leans heavily into mystery and exploration, and honestly, that is what pulled me in. A strange, broken universe where you have to figure things out on your own? That is a strong hook.

But after spending time with it, the experience feels very different from what that premise promises. There are flashes of something really interesting here, but they are buried under a looooot of rough edges, technical issues, and design choices that make the game really really hard to enjoy.

On top of that, I did not even get to fully experience everything the game seems to offer. Between the unfinished state, confusing progression, and language issues, a lot of systems and content felt out of reach rather than something I could properly engage with.

About This Game

Storyline

The story is built around exploration and discovery rather than direct storytelling. You are trying to survive in a part of space that is falling apart due to anomalies, while also searching for answers and possibly other survivors. It is the kind of setup that should make you curious and push you forward.

The problem is that the game gets in its own way. A big part of understanding what is going on comes from tutorials and quest text, but a lot of that is randomly in Russian even when the language is set to English. So instead of feeling intrigued, you often feel confused. You are not uncovering a mystery; you are trying to decode what the game is even asking you to do.

Because of that, the story never really gets a chance to shine. It feels distant and unfinished, like something that might become interesting later but is not there yet. Right now, it is hard to even properly follow what is happening, let alone feel invested in it.

Gameplay Mechanics

On paper, this game has some really cool ideas. You are supposed to explore anomaly zones where the rules of reality change, with gravity flipping, space looping, and strange fractal enemies that behave in unpredictable ways. It honestly sounds like a fresh and creative take on the survival genre.

Unfortunately, I was not able to properly experience most of this. Due to the game’s current state, confusing progression, and lack of clear guidance, I never really got far enough to encounter these systems in a meaningful way. So while the concepts sound great, I cannot say how well they actually work in practice.

In practice, it is a mixed bag, leaning more toward frustrating than fun. The biggest issue is movement. Yes, you are in zero gravity, but the way the game handles it makes you constantly spin and lose your sense of direction. You often have no idea which way is up unless you stop and look around carefully. It is not just disorienting; it can actually make you feel a bit sick after a while.

Then there is the overall state of the game. It feels very prototype-like. Honestly, it feels more like an internal test build than something ready to be handed out as a review copy. The UI is all over the place, with no clear consistency. Menus, indicators, and systems feel like they were added without much polish or cohesion. Bugs are very common, and some interactions just do not work the way you would expect.

There is even an active debug console in the game, which is surprising. It makes the whole experience feel less like a finished product and more like something that was not fully prepared for players.

Performance is another major issue. Even on a mid- to high-end PC, the game struggles to maintain stable performance. Dropping below 30 FPS happens more often than it should, and when combined with the already disorienting movement, it makes the experience even harder to deal with.

Visuals & Audio

Visually, this is probably where the game shows the most promise. The anomaly zones look interesting, and the idea of a distorted, broken space is actually represented pretty well at times. There are moments where you stop and think, okay, this looks pretty cool.

But even here, things are inconsistent. Some assets look good, while others feel out of place. There are noticeable issues with object placement, like items being stuck inside walls or positioned in ways that do not make sense. It breaks immersion and makes the world feel less believable.

There is also this slight feeling that some assets might not be entirely original, though that is hard to confirm. It just adds to the overall impression that the game is not fully polished.

Audio is minimal and leans into silence, which fits the lonely space setting. It does its job, but it is not enough to carry the experience when other areas are struggling.

Pros-

• Interesting concept with reality-bending anomaly zones

• Some visually appealing moments, especially in space environments

• Ambitious ideas for survival, exploration, and technology

Cons-

• Poor optimization, struggles to run smoothly even on decent hardware

• Movement is extremely disorienting and can cause nausea

• UI feels messy and unfinished

• Frequent bugs and strange object placements

• Tutorial and quest text partially in Russian despite English settings

• Active debug console left accessible

• Feels more like a prototype than a complete game

• No updates for 6 months after Steam Fest, which makes the project feel abandoned

• Developers have multiple upcoming projects, which raises some doubts about support

Conclusion

14: Overmind feels like a game with a really strong idea that has not been fully realised. There is something interesting here, especially in how it aims to play with space, physics, and survival. But in its current state, I was not even able to experience a lot of what the game seems to offer due to how unfinished and confusing it is.

It is hard to recommend in its current state. Instead of feeling like a finished or even properly early-access game, it comes across as something that is still in a very early stage, possibly even abandoned. If it gets significant updates in the future, it might be worth revisiting. But as it stands, it is more frustrating than enjoyable, and that is a shame considering the potential it shows.

At this point, it is less about what the game is and more about what it could have been.

Rating: 2/10

I would surely get motion sickness in space…

Links:

• Visit the game's Store Page