Did you know that there is a video game that they actually forgot to make? Nice cinematics, but no actual game! 🤦♂️🤦♂️
At the time of its release, Microcosm dazzled players with its stunning CGI cutscenes, which depicted a dystopian cyberpunk setting inside a microscopic world. The premise was unique: players controlled a miniaturized ship navigating a human body to combat a malevolent corporation’s biological invasion. The game’s marketing heavily leaned on its cinematic presentation, which was among the best of its era, rivaling even early CGI-heavy games like The 7th Guest and Myst.
Unfortunately, once players moved past the jaw-dropping visuals, Microcosm revealed itself as a shallow, repetitive rail shooter. Instead of offering deep, interactive gameplay, the experience was largely on-rails, with limited control over movement and an overreliance on pre-rendered backgrounds that restricted player agency. The shooting mechanics felt sluggish, and the level design lacked variety, making the game feel monotonous despite its intriguing premise.
Additionally, the disconnect between the pre-rendered backgrounds and real-time action often led to confusion, as enemy placement and movement didn’t always sync naturally with the visual environments. The game also suffered from uneven difficulty spikes, exacerbated by the limited movement mechanics.
Nevertheless, here is a video about it :)
