Where to get it

Steam

2014 · Limasse Five · Adventure · Indie

NaissanceE

NaissanceE is a first person exploration PC game developed on UDK by Limasse Five with the participation of Pauline Oliveros, Patricia Dallio and Thierry Zaboitzeff.

Released: 13 February 2014
Platforms: Windows
Genres: Adventure Indie Platformer Puzzle
Developers: Limasse Five
Publishers: Limasse Five
Modes: Single-player
Perspective: First person Virtual Reality
Themes: Science fiction
Country: France
Languages: English
Time to beat: 4hmain story3.5hwith extras5hcompletionist

About

NaissanceE is a first-person adventure game developed by French studio Limasse Five and released for Microsoft Windows in 13 February 2014. Players control Lucy, who navigates an expansive, abstract structure with shifting architecture and environmental challenges. The game incorporates light and shadow mechanics, platforming sequences, and exploration-based progression, with no direct storytelling or guidance.

The world of NaissanceE features large-scale geometric environments and dynamic spaces that emphasize solitude and discovery. Puzzles and traversal mechanics require players to adapt to the evolving terrain, solving spatial challenges and interacting with the environment to progress. The game draws inspiration from titles like Another World and Ico, encouraging interpretation through its minimalist design and atmospheric presentation.

Players say

Media

The articlegameplay, story, development, reception

Gameplay

The gameplay in NaissanceE is presented in a first-person perspective, allowing the player to move around environments, sprint and jump over gaps and duck to crawl through short passages. Gameplay consists primarily of exploration, with occasional puzzles and platforming challenges. Unlike other games in the adventure and platformer genre, the player cannot interact with objects in the world except by moving into them. Puzzle mechanics include orbs of light which change position when bumped into, revealing new areas and covering other areas in shadow.

When sprinting, a circle will flash in the center of the screen, prompting the player to pass a quick-time event in order to maintain their speed. Health depleted by falling will automatically replenish over time, while falling too great a distance will result in a game over. Certain hazards in the world will result in an instant game over as well.

Story

NaissanceE follows the story of Lucy, a lone roamer who finds herself stuck in an enormous, surreal building. The game begins with Lucy being chased by some invisible entity before falling through a trapdoor into a massive, labyrinthine world. With no direction or explanation, she must navigate the shifting landscape, solving environmental puzzles and avoiding hidden dangers.

As Lucy ventures deeper, the world around her becomes increasingly abstract and mysterious. Strange mechanical beasts react to her presence, and the world itself seems to be alive, constantly twisting and reshaping. The game is built around exploration and observation rather than explicit storytelling, so a lot of the narrative is open to interpretation.

Reception

The game generally received positive reviews, being praised mainly for its atmosphere, soundtrack, and graphics. The level of difficulty of some of the challenges has been criticised though, with several reviewers believing that those challenges are too difficult. It has also been said that, due to the open nature of the setting, it can be easy to get lost.

Chris Capel of GameWatcher complained that "NaissanceE could've been a neat game but Limasse Five should've just stuck with making a cool artistic world and left the actual gameplay at home."