Through Abandoned: The Forest

Through Abandoned: The Forest
N/A
Metacritic
76
Steam
66.416
xDR
Our rating is calculated based on the reviews and popularity of the game.
Price
$0.49
Release date
9 August 2016
Developers
Publishers
Steam reviews score
Total
76 (282 votes)

You continue your journey in worlds of Abandoned.

Show detailed description

Through Abandoned: The Forest system requirements

Minimum:

  • OS: Windows XP, Windows 7 or latest
  • Processor: 2.33 Ghz or faster x86-compatible processor, or Intel Atom 1.6 Ghz or faster processor for netbook classes devices
  • Memory: 512 MB RAM
  • Graphics: Will work on integrated videocard
  • Storage: 750 MB available space
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Alex
Alex

You continue your journey in worlds of Abandoned. Welcome to the Forest, the sacral place in the Ordered.
Solve puzzles, find items and find a way to use them. Try to reach your brother and have fun.
Here I will leave the cat, friends who pass by can pet it and give it a thumbs up and awards
      />  フ
      |  _  _ l
      /` ミ_xノ
     /      |
    /  ヽ   ノ
    │  | | |
 / ̄|   | | |
 | ( ̄ヽ__ヽ_)__)
 \二つ

ArtsyFlashback
ArtsyFlashback

It really pains to say this, but I can't recommend this game due to its bugs...

I tried to delete my saves and attempt to play it all over again, but some items just kept diassapearing when trying to pick them up. They got added to the inventory and immediatly became invisible. I couldn't use them either, so sooner or later I got stuck.

The puzzles itself are okay, but for most of these I definetly needed a clue. I am glad there are some really helpful guides.

While watching a walthrough of the game, I noticed that the steam version of the game hasn't been updated yet. So maybe that is the reasson for the bugs, noich?

Anyway, story is okay too, this is the 2nd part of the triology but I think you wouldn't miss much if this is the part you played first.
I think the game looks pretty cool too, it has an oldschool vibe to it.

Since I wasn't able to play it through due to bugs it will be a negative review for now, sorry :/

Adelia_Bee
Adelia_Bee

I really enjoyed the first game in the series, and I like the lore the developer has created... but the second game (this one) was too obscure for me to play - I wandered back and forth through the forest and through doors, never quite certain where to go. I've beat the game only with the help of several walk through guides (mashing them together - there were some inaccuracies in each of the guides) (i.e., I finished the game purely by cheating :D)

Mik
Mik

Honestly didn't like this much, found it quite boring. Not to mention I seemed to encounter an error when trying to progress through a certain part of the game. I had to look up a tutorial walk-through which I then followed, unfortunately this did not resolve my problem, neither did reinstalling the game. Not sure if I had done something to soft lock myself but whatever the case I was unable to actually complete the game.
So this negative review is largely due to that, however I will say it was one of the more boring 'escape' games I have played. Even watching someone else finish the game was rather dull.
So can't personally recommend however if a basic escape game is your cup of tea then mabey you would enjoy this

Zach
Zach

in my opinion worst than Kach. There is zero point in playing this game, the only things your getting out of it is confusion and regret. Graphics are alright, no story. The game starts off weird. it never tells you want to do or what to start out with. I have no idea what this game even is.

TheMouldering
TheMouldering

I purchased an abandoned bundle that included the forest, refuge, and underground city, and I had a great time playing them while streaming on Discord with a few friends and solving the puzzles together. For as cheap as the games were, they are good.

Fbarok
Fbarok

This review is specially made for those who like to get all the achievements.
Minor spoilers ahead.

Description:
Through Abandoned: The Forest is an adventure point and click, hidden object game, where you need to solve puzzles and unlock doors to access new areas and progress through the story

The story mixes futurism with surrealism, and takes place in a forest that is connected to other worlds through doors. You need to find out why it’s abandoned and how to reach whoever lived there before.

The illustrations look a bit average, simple and hastily made at times but given the price tag it’s only fair. Still, the world itself and the locations are original and imaginative, and mix ancient buildings with modern or even sci-fi technology.

When it comes to the puzzles the game offers very little hints and even after using the guide I still didn’t get how one of the puzzles really worked. Eventually you’ll have to check a guide unless you make an effort of trying everything for minutes until you figure it out. Still, I solved most of the puzzles on my own, as some as just getting an object and using it in a specific place. One of the puzzles in particular, a board game, was easy after checking the guide, because the game doesn’t show you how to play it.

Achievements:
How many: 7 Achievements.
How much time: From 1 to 2 hours, depending on how much you try or use the guide instead.
Game difficulty: Easy, reaching the ending isn't too complicated.
Achievements’ Difficulty: Easy, with a guide, specially for the 4 secrets achievement.

Overall opinion:
Through Abandoned: The Forest is an okay point and click/hidden object game with average illustrations. Some puzzles are poorly explained and hard to guess, but the story is interesting and the world itself is original and well designed.
Given the price and the discount coupon I used I think I can still recommend it.

Join and follow my group Ribbon Hunters for more suggestions and reviews of easy indie games to get all the achievements.

猴子D.路飞☠
猴子D.路飞☠

𝐀𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐠𝐚𝐦𝐞:

Through Abandoned: The Forest is a small quest, much more complicated than the first part. The second game in the trilogy. You can quickly make a perfect game (or break your brain), and there are cards.

We are still looking for our brother among unknown worlds full of mysterious doors. In the first part, we were messing around in the dungeon, and when we came out into the light from the depths of underground ores, we climbed into a mysterious forest, with almost an Igdrassil in the middle. So we are looking for a brother further.

The plot is still served head-on, and still full of half-hints. And it still resembles the well-known in relatively narrow circles, the plot of the game Sublustrum.

Like the first part, point-n-click is reminiscent of ancient flash quests. Although he is on Unity. We pick up objects, use them, solve puzzles (this time the complexity is hellishly increased, on some puzzles you can naturally move your head trying to understand their logic), look for secrets (more without picking the walls with a pickaxe, but with puzzles), read the records. To solve many puzzles, you need to pay attention to the symbols nearby, keep this in mind, because with some puzzles, you can really get stuck. Well, there is a separate moment for collectors of all achievements - it is not always necessary to use all the buttons in elevators, there are other ways.

The picture is still the same simple, only a little more diverse than in the first part. And all with the same little mystical touch.

𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐮𝐥𝐭:

Compared to the first part, this one is much more complicated and brain-shattering. So fans of solving complex puzzles have a place to turn around. However, the game will end the same way before you get bored, and even before the cards fall out. Unless, of course, the mind does not give up earlier, on one of the puzzles.

𝐑𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠:𝟻 /𝟷𝟶.

𝓘𝓕 𝓨𝓞𝓤 𝓛𝓘𝓚𝓔𝓓 𝓜𝓨 𝓡𝓔𝓥𝓘𝓔𝓦 , 𝓨𝓞𝓤 𝓒𝓐𝓝 𝓣𝓗𝓡𝓞𝓦 𝓐 𝓟𝓡𝓞𝓕𝓘𝓛𝓔 𝓐𝓦𝓐𝓡𝓓 , 𝓘 𝓦𝓘𝓛𝓛 𝓑𝓔 𝓖𝓡𝓐𝓣𝓔𝓕𝓤𝓛 !

Klesk 🌈 Нептун 🇺🇦
Klesk 🌈 Нептун 🇺🇦

Through Abandoned: The Forest is an amazing game & an amazing series!

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countryshack
countryshack

I think this Could have been a great game: The graphics are fine (like hand drawn cartoon style). Movement works perfectly and I never so much as had a hiccup. My ONLY gripe is that there were puzzles that were just off the hook ridiculous! There didn't seem to be ANY rhyme or reason WHY you would have to do something...just WAY TOO VAGUE.
For example: Even after looking at a walkthrough (Had to so that I could proceed), the solution just didn't make any sense at all! In other words, there just WASN'T ANY LOGIC to the puzzle. In fact, some of the puzzles, you didn't even know that you were at a puzzle!

Didi Xana
Didi Xana

I love point and click games, so I decided to give this series of games a try but I'm stopping here. The first one was a really basic game, so meh... This second one is really badly made and needs some fixes. Although there is a perceptive line in one of the backgrounds that could easily be Photoshop, I actually love the art. I think it really is the only thing that I like about it and the music for the mood of the game is ok. However the puzzles are really annoying, seem very randomly made and you only stumble on things later on, after already finishing the puzzles by guessing. There are no explanations about the order you should take your steps, so you just go freestyle just like the game was made itself. The level design is the worst! You seem lost throughout the game, without any proper hints and not really knowing what to do next. This could be fixed by closing the area of the game into sections or leaving concrete hints in the notes the brother left behind. Once you finish all the tasks in the first section you can move to the second area and so on... I ran into a bug where the game just froze and I had to force its close. Another bug was the stup*d button that if you put in a different place you cannot finish the game at all. After spending a good hour trying to find a way, I decided to look it up. It seems, you either have to replay the game until that point or do some folder hacking by writing code in the game files or some nonsense like that. Well, that's just too much of an hassle and if you enjoy your free time, don't waste it with this. Even on sale, go spend your money elsewhere. You won't regret it!

ΔÐß²
ΔÐß²

Definitely, I think Through Abandoned: The Forest is not just an inspiration from Submachine series... rather a copy of Submachine games. It's not a bad game, but it has some small bugs and a couple of puzzles are unnecessarily confusing.

( •̀ ω •́ )✧hakin_4
( •̀ ω •́ )✧hakin_4

Through Abandoned: The Forest is a mesmerizing game that transports you to a mysterious world filled with puzzles and secrets. With its atmospheric visuals, immersive sound design, and intriguing storyline, it's a captivating adventure that will keep you engaged from start to finish. Prepare to explore the unknown and unravel the enigmas of The Forest in this unforgettable gaming experience.

Obey the Fist!
Obey the Fist!

Through Abandoned: The Forest is yet another construction kit template copy+paste from serial shovelware pushers and asset flip scammers, Trinity Project/Dnovel/FreeAnimals/Droid Riot (the guy uses a lot of shell accounts to try hide his identity and mislead gamers). These guys do nothing but copy premade game templates and game tutorials, fill out a few things/stamp out basic levels using the construction kit templates, slap on an asset flipped set of sprites/assets, and dump them on Steam and into cheap nasty shovelware game bundles as cash grabs. Trying to get paid for someone else's game templates, assets... at best, this is shovelware, at worst, it's a scam/cash grab.

Igor Krutov/Trinity Project/Droid Riot have shown a repeat pattern of unethically dumping other people's work onto Steam as a cheap, nasty cash grab, through this account or through closely linked/alt accounts. Here's some examples so you can see for yourself:

Taking this shovelware seriously as if it was a genuine attempt to make a game, it barely counts... it's a HTML-like collection of badly drawn static drawings that you click on, like some ancient 1990's adventure game where developers had just discovered the mouse could be used for games. It's truly low effort, lazy garbage, so 100% a Dnovel/Trinity Project shovelware job. It also doesn't meet basic minimum requirements that most PC gamers expect as standard.

The artwork here is terrible, it's a hodge-podge of amateurish "My First Wacom Tablet" style drawings used instead professional looking game assets. It's unclear if this is due to lack of budget to arrange someone who can create graphical assets properly, or lack of talent, regardless, the overall visual quality of the game is extremely low, enough on its own to deter gamers.

There's no option to change the resolution and no useful graphics tweaks. There's no way to ensure this is running at the native resolution of your display. There's no guarantee this game will look right on any PC as a result of this hamfisted design decision.

The game features mostly static, barely animated 2D images, the kind of thing you expect to see in browser/flash games. While the artwork itself, while mediocre, might be considered passable, the visual presentation here is negligible, it might as well be a slideshow or a Youtube video. Pac-Man, Space Invaders and Asteroids had more advanced animation and visuals going on than this game does.

The controls can't be customised because the game has such a dumbed down, simplified interface that it's just point and click stuff like a browser/Flash game. The fact that the interface is this dumbed down might be seen as a problem in itself, however... this is a fairly shallow experience if you're the kind of gamer that likes to play games with deep, rich control schemes and interaction. You'll get none of that here.

The very poor quality of this game puts it squarely on-par with ancient 1990's Flash/Java games, and given it's 2023 (and this was released not so far back in 2016), gamers and the industry expect and deserve better than this kind of low effort shovelware.

These technical defects push this game below acceptable standards for any modern PC game.

You don't have to take my word about how bad the game is, we can measure the interest in a game by how much people bothered to play it. Through Abandoned: The Forest has achievements, and they show us a very clear picture that the game absolutely failed to capture any interest from gamers. The most commonly and easily attained achievement is FIRST_KEY, but only around 7 percent of players bothered to get that far before uninstalling the game. That's a tiny, tiny proportion of gamers who even bothered with this. Ouch.

Reviewing SteamDB to check how popular this game was with players reveals a surprise... there's a very healthy spike in player counts for the game. But this isn't consistent with the achievement stats, that show only 7 percent of players bothered playing the game for any reasonable amount of time. How is it possible for this game to have so many concurrent players who weren't even playing the game? Trading cards. Players will use card idling software to collect the cards and sell them, but this won't trigger any achievements in-game. That tells us people only really bought this game for trading cards, and that's a damning indictment of the woeful quality. A closer look at the numbers shows the game just has a couple of players every week running up the game and idling it for cards, then deleting it. We must ask how it benefits gamers for there to be so many games like this, with no merit as a serious game, that only generate sales from people idling and selling the trading cards.

It's also important to note the "developer" here has connections to a number of shady Russian asset flippers and review manipulators who show an organised pattern to scam and defraud gamers with fake reviews and asset flipping the work of others for profit. While reviews are about the games, gamers should be informed when developers act unethically. Whether these connections are the same developer using multiple accounts, or just working closely with other unethical developers, gamers should be warned about the harm to gamers by this developer and their associates. Buying games from unethical developers puts your money at risk.

Through Abandoned: The Forest is relatively cheap at $1 USD, but it's not worth it. Given the defects and quality issues with the game, coupled with the unrealistic price, and the questionable ethical nature of the developer and/or their associates (as outlined above), this is impossible to recommend.

Jonne_Bam
Jonne_Bam

Abandoned Through: Cabin in the woods

I recommend reading my previous review since this game is a sequel!!!!

When writing this review I played all 3 games and oh man you're in for a ride especially with the third game!
The first game was short but a good set-up, but this one a little dissapointing.
Its not as short as the first one which is a fairly good thing. Its a pretty decent length.
The game itself is alright. Its beginning to implement a little more story but its still clouded in mystery.
Like the first game if you exit the game and continue on later you have to deal with all the animation and sounds replaying when visiting area's.
And the game also glitched my elevator button but luckily I already progressed it far enough so I didn't have to use it and it wasn't game breaking.
There were a lot of times where I just had no clue what to do. Some puzzles were really specific and difficult. Overall its an okay sequel. It could have been worse

Game Aspects:
Since its a sequel my pro's and cons are still about the same.
It has a beautiful nostalgic art style refferencing/copying the submachine games
It has potential to be of the better kind of point and click/escape room games but its not getting there yet

Improvements:

    • The language on start-up would be best to make english the standard.
    Its awful to see everything in my own native language because either my pc or my system is apparently in dutch.
    • The animations and sound effects replaying once you exit the game and continue again.
    • There are some area's for example in the infinite staircase where the wall opens and closes every time you go up and down. Which is visually really unpleasing.
    • As stated in my review above, The elevator button glitched and just dissapeared from the elevator which wasn't too much an issue for me, but could be game breaking for others

5/10
Note: If all improvements would be fixed I'd give it 7/10

For more indie and other lesser-known games, Check out my Curator page
[url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/44310671/] 
8_bit_BEAR
8_bit_BEAR

I think as a piece of nostalgia this game does pretty well in that department. The game overall is pretty good and has some nice and interesting puzzles. The game itself feels a little bit glitchy but honestly that's how old flash games feel.

Achievements aren't too bad to get but you do likely need to look up a guide to ensure that you do get them. And they also only unlock after exiting the game.

SigmaTiger
SigmaTiger

got much more than the first, but that includes bugs and graphical issues. got stuck on which blue bricks to extend from the wall room, what the two circular knobs with the line on it on the big tree does, and what purpose the small pyramid underground serves. The flying platform card is the area where i need a part for it to function, but no leads on what to do next. got similarly confused several times with this series, but randomly clicking everything and trying to discover which direction on the screen leads to a new area isn't working anymore. fair enough i got it for $.33, as the music is a very nice touch

ratkicia
ratkicia

I didn't mind the undeveloped story as much as some other reviewers, but unfortunately had to restart the game quite a few times as it freezes/crashes after solving certain puzzles. At a certain point it just became a chore to restart the game again and again, redoing the same stuff all over again. The quality of riddles was meh, nothing too frustrating, but also nothing particularly interesting.

Marvu
Marvu

i enjoyed the game however there were a few bugs and i had to use a guide for the most part

Gunslinger
Gunslinger

This was really interesting. A quick play (it took me about an hour, and I got confused a couple times)

I am not familiar with the rest of the games in this series, I got this game for about 50 cents after completing a badge for another game. I really liked it though, as I love puzzle games and creepy stuff. I also didn't feel like my lack of experience with the rest of the series had an impact on playability as a standalone game, and yet it makes me want to play the others.

SPOILERS:
After completion/reaching the Refuge, it tells you "to be continued in Refuge" so I do plan on trying that one out.

Mr. Jacobs
Mr. Jacobs

The developer is very keen to make this game good. In my original review I cited some issues with the English and he has since fixed them with my help.
Elsewhere, there are Solid puzzles and interesting gameplay.
Good artwork and sound design as well.

Certainly worth your time for $2.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IB-z6sTKaWc

(Full Disclosure:I have now helped with parts of this game so may be unbiased. I did pay for this game myself however.)

SDRanger
SDRanger

The long awaited sequel to "Abandoned" The Underground City" has arrived on STEAM...and it's ABSOLUTELY FANTASTIC ! ! ! This will keep you glued to your computer for a very long time...you've been warned...
This second installment of the "Through Abandoned" series is even more impressive than the first: The navigation of the environment is simple enough for a "newbie" to instantly pick up the computer's mouse and instinctively know how to navigate and explore the multitude of environments in The Forest. The INVENTORY system and its operation in particular, is VERY ORIGINAL, and was just an all-around GREAT idea to put in a game like this! Like the first chapter of this series, the ambient is quite gripping, making it very easy for the Player to become totally immersed in The Forest...
As discussed by many in the past, the style of the artwork is of course "familiar"...so the player INSTANTLY feels quite comfortable here...The puzzles are original and interesting, and the game as a whole is challenging. Not too simple...not insanely difficult...It gets your mental gears turning while you remain relaxed by all the rest...
Take your time and savor every detail of it...it's likely that you'll make some discoveries when you do.
HOPEFULLY, many other developers will be influenced by this incredible game's style.
If you are not familiar with "Point & Click Puzzle-Escape" games with a good dose of ADVENTURE...check this title out. You'll be wanting more of this stuff in the future!
Lucky for us all, this will eventually be a FULL SERIES of many THROUGH ABANDONED games, with the connecting storyline unfolding in each installment.
(SOME OF US are already hungry for Chapter Three!)

PaeP3nguin
PaeP3nguin

This is a fun sequel to the original game! It felt like it might have been a little shorter, though it's still a pretty beefy puzzle game. I enjoyed the art, ambient soundtrack, and the ability to navigate with the keyboard arrows. Definitely worth the price!

Chase137
Chase137

I was a fan of the first game and the sequel did not disappoint! This game, much like the first one, is cheap, has a nice art style and good music. It also has good, smooth gameplay.
The puzzles in this game are a good difficulty where it's not too difficult [albeit a tiny bit frustrating from time to time] but it's not too simple.

TL;DR
Intriguing story and gameplay. Highly reccomend this series to people!

Dr. Pootis Spencer
Dr. Pootis Spencer

Through Abandoned 2 is a point-and-click adventure game in which the player has to progress through the abandoned ruins of a mysterious yet technologically advanced race. The player has to explore different areas and rooms in order to find items and clues that will allow them to activate strange mechanisms and reveal entrances to new areas. The game is set in the same eerie atmosphere of the first Abandoned game, being inspired by Mateusz Skutnik's Submachine games. If you have played the aforementioned games before then this series will bring you a feeling of nostalgia that will make the game, in my opinion, very enjoyable. The art style is good and the music enhances the eerie feeling of the game. The only downside I can think of is that it's a bit too short for its price. Nevertheless, I am looking forward to the next installment and I hope the series will gain the same prestige as the Submachine games. 10/10

uka7777
uka7777

This game is better than the first one - much longer, and without obscure color puzzles :)
Still, the visuals are very simple and many screens are used several times. A lot of backtracking is required (that's what makes the game longer in the first place), however puzzles are rather good and complex.
Hopefully the third game would be even better, as the story is still not finished.

Kururu
Kururu

There are definite improvements since the last instalment. The puzzles are more thought out but can still be difficult if you don't pay attention. The story is also more developed and I look forward to seeing what happens next!

BurlapFox
BurlapFox

A short but challenging point n' click game. More fleshed out than the first game, but also more difficult.

Make sure to play the first in the series, it's even free on the creators website.

hardr1an
hardr1an

Very nice little adventure game.

humblehero14
humblehero14

A bit tougher and deeper than the first one but enjoyable nonetheless.

spore
spore

I remember playing the first game on Kongregate long ago. And I remember how much of a shitstorm it created due to the accusations of plagiarizing Mat Skutnik, so much so that said author had to comment on it's page giving it a recomendation.

I also remember it's less than stellar sequels, with puzzles, which cemented the MatSkut analogy due to the first one being blatantly inspired by "the loop". I also remember that I commented on said sequel trying to explain why it was so poorly recieved ("the loop" came in 3rd, making people realize it was not what the series was going to be about, whereas chambers came in second, and the loop's puzzles were more organic and intuitive, whereas chambers were a bit too blatantly just gotten straight out of a puzzle book and specially the chess one simply didn't make sense in context.)

Point is... I remember this author's trip through game design with all of it's blunders. And I'm happy to say he's learned his lesson quite nicely. I can't believe this game flew under my radar until it got recommended to me by a friend due to the sale, and I'm so happy I got to play it.

Let's start with the pros: GORGEOUS drawings with fluid animation, and amazing sound design. A world that seems far more interesting than chambers made it out to be and expands on the first game quite nicely. Puzzles that are mostly far more intuitive (with two exceptions, we'll get to them) and a story that, while not that complex or nuanced, does manage to explain our travel through this world perfectly and has some potential, being more than serviceable for its intended purpose.

And now the things that could be done better:
-The philosophy of "chambers" can be felt again in some of the puzzles, in that they seem to be taken straight out of a puzzle box and make no sense in context (EG: the "lock" for the box in the skeleton room is a modification of the knight's crossing puzzle, which really wouldn't be a good security measure and the way one of the extras is gotten is with a red/white light puzzle.) This is really just a common blunder on many point and click games (rusty lake is notorious for it and I still love them) so I won't dwell too much on it but for more "consistent" worlds which try to make sense on their own terms (such as this one or "submachine") it is a bit more jarring than in rusty lake's psychodelic nightmare of a universe. More importantly however this makes puzzles that are hard to get far more agravating than usual. And here we go with the two exceptions.

-The first exception is a certain labyrinth on the red room, which you need to do to get a certain key. It requires you to illuminate the lights without reaching any "x" to get through with limited moves. This puzzle actually makes more sense in the fact that as opposed to the knight's crossing variant it is a decent security measure because if you don't remember the path it is infuriating and slow to crack. (Although the infinite tries still don't make sense in context) more imporantly tho: puzzles are usually good if they follow two rules, and that is that they're as hard to figure out as you can make them while also being as fast to get through once you figure them out. This puzzle is the opposite of that. It has no real intellectual challenge because you can very easily guess what you're supposed to do but it's layed out in a way that is hard as balls to navigate and in the end I only finished it by using photoshop to trace the path beforehand and then copying it in the game. It's the game's lowest point by far. Still not enough for me not to recommend the game, we all make mistakes, but that is a very serious blemish.

-The other exception is the way to oppen the lockers with the skull in them. I looked a guide to pass that one and I seriously still don't know how you're supposed to guess what the icons mean. At least it wasn't as aggravating as the labyrinth, but it just completely left me without words.

-Moving on from the puzzle side, there's a final blemish and I'd say it actually comes from the same source. The author seems to still not have confidence on himself, and relies a bit too heavily on references. Now don't get me wrong most of it is greatly integrated, but even before I got to the extra area and read what the references were the source of power being this all-consuming fluid immediately made me think it had to be referencing something because of how out of left field it was and while the author doesn't mention the alien being a reference to "being one" it again was so blatant in its retelling and so weird in the game's context that I couldn't help but immediately class it as just that. Most of the sources of inspiration I wouldn't have been able to guess had the author not admited to them on the extras but those two clashed a bit too heavily with the rest of the game not to be from something else, and while I loved finding the extras the submachine analogy is yet again hard to miss.

-Finally, about said submachine analogy, this game really could do away with the scene transition. I already mentioned rusty lake, and I'd say going with their style of transition (or even root's scrolling) would fit the animation style far more and I doubt it'd be that hard seeing as how in most cases the scenes seem to fit without the separation lines.

All in all, it's a great game. A bit short (I've already played it twice and will soon play it again so don't look at my play time for indication of its real length, I'd say it's somewhere between 15 and 20 minutes without counting the time spent figuring out the harder puzzles or going around completely lost because you don't remember what door was that one particular room it (for me it was the interrogation room) so I'd say most people will get it done in less than half an hour on their first playthrough.) Still, for the prize it's more than enough and I'd gladly recommend it.

Detective
Detective

I am sorry Mr Developer....did not like it one bit. Could not even bring myself to continue playing. I will try again at a later time..but it did not capture my interest enough to do so on the first play through.

ufm
ufm

A lot of elements are full of bugs (can't be solved or be clicked), and some puzzles are just crap. (especially block rooms and red room) Enjoyed the first game of series but this one sucks.

avocado
avocado

not bed, remind me submachine ,

Genghis Pawn
Genghis Pawn

Short version: Much more difficult than the first chapter, worth the price if you have the patience.

Compared to the first game in the series, Through Abandoned: The Undergound City (which I've also reviewed):

    • The visual art design went up a notch on a few screens, but the ones you'll be seeing during most of the game are pretty bland,
    • The quality of audio is about the same (meh, ok, nothing great),
    • The story is as cryptic and disjointed as ever, which would be OK, except...
    • The puzzles became way more convoluted and frustrating -- you're just thrown into a non-linear clusterfuck that alternately sprawls and dead-ends in every direction, and the "notes" scattered around don't do much to offer any clear goals,
    • The number of bugs increased. I had one item drop out of my inventory and then re-appear where I'd found it, and had another disappear from where I'd put it.

After having enough, I resorted to a walkthrough, which pains me, but I wasn't ready to fight this one. (Glad I did, because on one screen, there's a crucial item in a glass case and it didn't display on the screen until I opened the case. I would've been a bit lost.)

Why the thumbs up? Because if you (unlike me) have the patience, I think it's well worth it, despite the issues. I just really wasn't prepared for it and got grumpy. Honestly, I think the first chapter and the price on this one are deceiving: this is way more difficult of a game, and I went into it expecting something much more casual. I'd recommend it to anyone who wants a real challenge -- this goes double for the next/third game in the series, which I've also reviewed.

Eyish
Eyish

Exploration game about an alien world and ancient technology, Music is just awesome. It will bring you far away in a world where you will find the peace of mind and some horror chills in the remains of an abandoned yet futuristic world. Game consists of a tree and you will find a mini world on each branch. Cryptic puzzles, alien language, wired machines and gadgets and forgotten technologies. You can wander in the beautiful wilderness of this mystic civilization. Perhaps I found some puzzle mistakes in the game.

Infamous
Infamous

The first game sucked it was like an intro but nothing more. The Forest is how I felt the first one should have been. The story, the puzzles, and the landscape are greatly improved.

Prof.Vaharrak
Prof.Vaharrak

Prof.Vaharrak's Curator Group - Almost 30 years of gaming experience at your service

A fine if short (about 30-40mins long) point-and-click game that has become an accessible series that you can speed through in a short while.

The game's not tiresome nor extensive, the puzzles are straightforward and there's enough clues laying around for you not to become overly frustrated. Save a red herring that may prevent you from finding the 4 secrets, it will require some observation to discover all it offers. The reward for this secrets are some logs in the final area of the game that give you some insight into the thoughts of the developer, which is always neat.

Even if basic, it's enjoyable, reminiscent of those point-and-click/escape-the-room games you'd find on the internet in the late 1990's early 2000's. The asking price is not absurd, either and even more adequate if you happen to purchase the bundle, which includes 3 games.

I think the series was originally intended for mobiles from what I can gather, the only gripe I have with that is the fact that the mobile version seems to be a little more detailed in its graphics and somewhat more complex, featuring a couple of extra puzzles that don't show up in this version.

The story is some weird alien world/technology tale told through diary entries. You're trying to find and reunite with your brother through the use of a tree with many doors that serve as gateways to other places.

It's good, if not extraordinarily original or inventive.

TiredEyesThomas
TiredEyesThomas

The second game in a series of "boring made-for-your-phone" games.
Don´t buy it, even though it´s cheap.
[ Clicking your mouse while solving a puzzle will crash the game. The narrative still has way too many boring notes. Making-Of-note scattered in the way to break immersion. Again, far from a proper game of its genre.]

Snort Cannon
Snort Cannon

Through Abandoned: The Forest is the second chapter of Abandoned series.

Story:

Taking place immediately after the events of the first game you have ventured deeper into the world while chasing your brother and now you end up in The Forest. At the beginning of the first game you were given an explanation of who you are and what you're doing, however the second one does no such thing, you're immediately dropped into the game and now the story is delivered through logs your brother has left for you.

These logs are even bigger exposition dumps than the first game, it feels like every single one of them explain what happened in the world and give an idea of your brothers psyche and then the ending is just the icing on the cake. It's rather disappointing considering how cool the concept is.

Graphics:

I will say that the environments and the art style are the only improvement over the first game. The environments you visit now are plenty varied and all look incredibly cool. The game still has the issue where there's plenty of screens where you simply do nothing, but overall I did enjoy the art much better this time around.

Audio:

The audio design is also slightly improved. There's now ambience when exploring locations which is something I highly appreciate it and feel like it ads tons to the atmosphere. I will say the music is also decent, just like the first one it's very easy on the ears which is great, considering you will need to take time off and really think about the puzzles since they are harder than the first game.

Gameplay:

Through Abandoned: The Forest is a point and click adventure game, you explore environments, find items and solve puzzles, it plays pretty much the same as the first game (before the achievements update even had the same UI). I will keep it brief since it's so similar to the first game, but the basic gist is you go from side to side and up and down and look for items and need to find a location on where to use them to solve puzzles.

So now let's talk about the puzzles and they are both an upgrade and a downgrade. They are much more complex this time around and actually made me stop and really try to figure out on what to do, however I found a good majority of the puzzles almost border on cryptic. Just like the first game there's a ton of puzzles where you simply need to find an item and bring it back to where it was taken from, however now there's puzzle that require you to solve some really complex puzzles which barely make sense at first. For example in one of the rooms there's a room of blocks you can push them forward so a key drop appears and the solution for it is so weird that I had to resort to a walkthrough because I was so stumped.

It also doesn't help that this game is an incredibly buggy mess. In my first attempt to beat a game, I used one of the items to solve a puzzle, but I was missing the other part to fully complete so when I went to try and find it, I came back to find that the original part I used has now disappeared and it forced me to go back to the start and if you want to find the secret buttons, be careful cause this route is also glitchy. Sometimes you don't even have to solve puzzles, you can mash buttons and the door that was locked will simply unlocked in the background.

Verdict:

Through Abandoned: The Forest is a massive step down over the first game. it took me roughly 50 minutes to beat, but I had to restart from the beginning because of the bugs. Even though it's cheap, I honestly don't think it's worth buying or playing, so just stick with the first game.

Final Rating:
4/10

Pros:
+ Environments are much more varied
+ Puzzle design overall is a massive improvement

Cons:
- Story is an even bigger exposition dump
- Game breaking bugs that force you to restart from the beginning
- Quite a few puzzles have solutions that could be easily missed

If you liked this review please consider following our groups and curator pages at https://steamcommunity.com/groups/completingthebacklog and https://steamcommunity.com/groups/ImperialReviews

Riddley Walker
Riddley Walker

Be warned: The game has a bug where your mouse cursor dissapears. This happens just after you solve a difficult puzzle. The bug is a game breaker and you can't continue. The developer hasn't repsonded or fixed it, even though it has existed for a long time.

AScottishPotato
AScottishPotato

Its a strange but intriguing point and click adventure in a forest full of sci-fi mystery. Generally, Normally, I'm not good at these kind of games however I got 90% of the way through without YouTube help. Its easy and hard enough to keep you interested and the art and music is beautiful.

Worth the pick up for an hour of relaxing fun.

Ânon
Ânon

My brother still nowhere to be found, have to keep looking for him.

GamingCouchPotato.co.uk
GamingCouchPot…

Static screen point and click game.
Find keys, open doors, solve puzzles, open hatches, try to find your lost brother.

Simple graphics, repetitive areas, tough puzzles.

Includes 5 free card drops, (10 to get)
7 Achievements, all secret.

Even with a walkthrough you may struggle to complete as a few bugs in the game.

6/10

LostInIndigo
LostInIndigo

This one is a BIG improvement over the first one, though still not amazing. I'd give it a solid 6/10.

Here's the rundown:

-->The Good: The personality of the artwork is MUCH improved. The first installment in this series was well-drawn, but lacking personality and individuality. The art has developed much more character in this one - there were far fewer backdrops/structures straight ripped off from Submachine, and the series seems to be developing its own technological style unique to this world. The color palettes seem to have improved a bit too, developing more subtlety and cohesion, so they appear slightly less stock-drawing-like. The music also felt a bit more intentional in this one, instead of like they picked the first royalty-free track labelled "industrial" with mechanical sounds in it. Very happy to see this game team grow a bit and make more intentional and developed choices.

The puzzles required more thought in this one, mostly an improvement other than the nonsensical ones (more on that in a minute). There were also significantly less bugs, and the overall quality of the game/attention to detail seems to have improved a bit-there are no more issues with single-event sounds randomly looping, and they made the backgrounds more individual and thoughtful instead of just repeating the same lazy image on every screen.

While I don't have much positive to say about the plot, at least this installment of the game actually had a beginning, middle, and end, with an overall goal to meet and an ending that feels like there was a resolution to this story arc.

This game felt more like a finished experience than a quick cash-in, which is a step in the right direction.

-->The Bad: There's still an issue with the game occasionally freezing on triggered events. For example, when you solve a combination lock puzzle, it occasionally will freeze and you have to restart the game and re-solve the lock. I feel this is an issue with the game originally being made for mobile, but I don't understand why they haven't worked it out in the second installment. There are also a couple small issues with hit boxes/clickable areas being small or misaligned.

-->The Ugly: A couple of the puzzles just straight up weren't able to be solved with normal logic - SPOILERS AHEAD! - In one puzzle- the matching room puzzle with the sliding wall blocks, the way to input the answer is inexplicably not aligned to the same origin point on the grid, and you must instead depress each block one unit over. There is no logic behind this and the error makes it so the puzzle answer appears incorrect when you try to input it as expected. Luckily I figured it out, but I can imagine that being very frustrating for some people, especially since people who enjoy games like this tend to be fairly detail-oriented and logical.

In several other puzzles, the "logic" is a stretch at best and it feels almost random. For example the lockbox where you remove the lens and the panel where you have to charge the three units to access the skull cup. - there are puzzles where the internal logic doesn't feel quite firm and you feel like you essentially just f*cked around til it worked somehow. You can usually grasp what you have to do, but it doesn't feel like the way to do it is quite repeatable/reliable. It makes you feel like it was made to frustrate you instead of being fun, and you are not so much satisfied when you get it, as confused.

This installment also had the same issues with very weak/lazy plot and an absurd amount of exposition that simultaneously overexplains the obvious and doesn't actually advance the plot. I don't need 18 notes saying "I don't know who these strange forest dwellers were, but they are gone. They must have been an advanced civilization judging by their technology. Something catastrophic must have happened." It's like buddy, I can see that by looking around - you didn't tell me anything useful about who the characters are, why they are here, what they feel, etc. You just keep describing the situation we've been in for two games now. At some point I would like more information about the characters and their relationships, their motivations, etc.

TL;DR: While better developed than the first game, this one still had a weak plot, issues with the puzzles, and a couple bugs. The art makes it worth a playthrough though.

smzhome
smzhome

Nice game. Generally simple puzzles with a few hard ones. Clues available but sometimes will hidden.

frogmanl
frogmanl

It felt like a mobile game, but the price was right, and for the price is was quite good. It was nothing amazing, but it felt like the point and click games that came out right after tablets were established. Not like Monkey Island or Kings Quest, but good in it's own way. I cannot recommend game three however. I played through the whole trilogy, and, while game three was ok story-wise, the puzzles made no sense, and the game crashed about every 20 minutes.

Ylthin
Ylthin

I encountered a few bugs that forced me to restart from the beginning 3 times so that's why it took me so long to go through that one.
One of the puzzle (the rooms with blocks, you'll know when you'll be there) is especially annoying when one block decides it doesn't want to return back to its previous position. That puzzle was really annoying and I understood only after reaching the last door and reading the commentaries you unlock with the 4 secrets and even there it wasn't exactly a match.
The guides are all obsolete, even the youtube versions are old and some parts don't match with the actual game but rather with the next one which crashed on me after 2mn playing. I'll need to try it again when I won't have those block rooms getting me upset to the point of looking for the Dev's location to bite him (I'm joking, of course, but most of my gameplay was understanding what I was supposed to do and why one of the block was bugged).
Anyway, I'm aware the last one is riddled of bugs, so I bought the trilogy knowing I would have a hard time with the last one, I still give it a positive review, even though some clues would seriously be needed for those block rooms.. I may do a guide for it, maybe not, not sure yet.

Xas
Xas

Short Clicker adventure,
following from The Underground.

Not as straightforward as before.
Puzzles that didn't really make sense.
Walking Simulator,
tedious to get stuck in the puzzles,
walking back and fro,
example,
the Blue Brick room, Skull cup that doesn't show up and
watch where you place the Red Button.

Prefer Part 1.
Glad its finally over, stuck for hours over graphical issues of the game.
Had bad experience.

BigGinge
BigGinge

Great small game, really nice little puzzles to do.
Definitely worth the money

KF4UYC
KF4UYC

After having played the first game in this series, Through Abandoned: The Underground City the developer has definitely upped his game development significantly! The puzzles have come a long way in being able to stress you out yet on the most part remain somewhat logical although some might be difficult to reason through. The non-linear path for solving the puzzles keep the game interesting and realizing that at times you have to retrace your footsteps upon finding a new clue, an object, or the realization on how everything ties in. The hand-drawn graphics are nice, the palette easy on the eyes.

The only portion of the game that I was not very pleased with was the seemingly common thread regarding the "loss of the button" in that procurement of that objects reveals it to be a "red-herring" forcing to restart the game with different objectives. If it weren't for the work-around found in the discussion forums on this topic, it would be fairly more frustrating. Castle Wolfenstein 3-D was another one of these games where you had to make a choice over objectives, sacrificing one for another.

With the improvements in the game though brings the issue of bugs. This chapter of the game-saga is more bug-ridden than its predecessor especially when a puzzle is solved which continuously causes the game to freeze. Thankfully the auto game save feature allows you to terminate the game, restart it, resolve the puzzle, and you should be able to just move on from there. Also, exiting the game and coming back in does not quite leave things quite the way they were when you left, or duplicating objects you have already discovered and gotten.

All-in-all it is an enjoyable game and good mental exercise for a casual point-and-click...I would recommend this game personally. Thanks to the developers!

JackSparrowSups.gg
JackSparrowSups.gg

Good game. My brain is on fire after play this.

Guyra
Guyra

The second game of the series. Play through TA: The Underground City first.

An interesting point & click adventure. Although not at the same level of quality and scope/size, it's reminiscent of the Myst series in some ways, like the general lack of NPCs and multiple, abandoned worlds to explore.

Might freeze up after solving a "popup puzzles", in which case you'll need to force the game to shut down(Alt+F4), and redo the puzzle when you restart the game.

Art and audio are both decent, creating a nice atmosphere. Story is so-so. Writing could use a bit of editing.

100% in roughly 2 hours.

siskax07
siskax07

After solving the puzzle with the 5 dials (skull bunker), the mouse cursor disappears. Restarting the game didn't solve the issue. There's no way to continue playing the game ... =/

marshmallowdragon999
marshmallowdragon999

I went from aggravated to wanting the entire series. There is a very simple yet convoluted puzzle in the beginning that made me turn to the internet. Is that a bad thing? Depends on who you ask I guess, but, most point and click puzzle games can be quite difficult, and this one has some difficult puzzles. The story is interesting, the art style is nice, the audio is subtle yet effective, and it is a great game. I would for sure recommend this to anyone who likes point and click puzzle games. The game play is good and the story has me wanting the rest of the series. The ending is very well done.