LifeisXbox’s Pnevmo Capsula review | I now know the word “atompunk” thanks to Pnevmo Capsula. Atompunk is a futuristic aesthetic seen through the lenses of the 1950s and 1960s. I didn’t understand that at first, but that is exactly the setting of the game. No humans are visible anywhere, but as you deliver mail and solve several puzzles throughout this journey, you can admire this fascinating world. Pomeshkin Valentin Igorevich created and Sometimes You is the publisher of the intriguing universe of Pnevmo Capsula.
Most Memorable Moment
Discovering this atompunk world of Pnevmo Capsula was very interesting. It’s a short game, but it managed to intrigue me quite well about what was coming next. It’s not the most realistic game I’ve seen, but that didn’t matter to me.
ℹ️ Reviewed on Xbox One | Review code provided by PR/publisher, this review is the personal opinion of the writer.
What we Liked!
- Atompunk, you say? | I really enjoyed the atompunk aesthetic used in Pnevmo Capsula, it’s a bit different from the one present in the Fallout games, but it’s just as interesting as the one from Fallout. The graphics themselves aren’t too realistic, while also not being unrealistic. It’s a mix of realism with some unrealistic textures and models. Overall, they are pleasant and fit the game nicely.
- It sounds interesting | The soundtrack of Pnevmo Capsula is fascinating. It differs from the typical video game soundtrack in that it has a tone I can’t recall hearing in a game or movie before. It has a mixture of the sound of a steampunk setting, a mad scientist’s laboratory, and a Russian soundtrack. It’s challenging to describe it more effectively than this, so I’ll just say that it’s different and that I liked it.
- Surroundings and gameplay | One thing that isn’t mentioned, but that you’ll learn pretty soon is that you should pay attention to your surroundings. Apart from the interactive objects that you need to interact with by holding the A button, which sends an electrical current near you, you’ll also need to check for some information present in the environment to be able to send mail. You can also go faster by holding the X button while moving, and that’s all there is to the gameplay.
Mixed Feelings
- There’s some kind of story here | I noticed that there’s a subtle story going on in the background, but I couldn’t figure out what exactly it was. For starters, there’s a single rail, which you’ll be getting through, connecting the whole city. In this rail, you can send mail, go through puzzles involving electricity, and access the interior of some buildings. The thing is, there are no humans in sight, at all, but there is definitely evidence that humans were here recently. All of this made me curious, but it never really elaborated on what’s going on here, your guess is as good as any.
- A short experience | I would’ve liked if Pnevmo Capsula was a longer experience, as it took me about an hour to finish the game, even getting all achievements. From what I understand, it was made by a single developer, which explains it being short, but I still liked the experience, and it’s cheap, so it’s not a huge problem.
What we Disliked
- A single bug | Though it’s not a big deal, I need to mention I experienced one bug. It made part of the background scenery on the first level invisible, it only happened once, so it’s not a big issue, as it didn’t prevent me from progressing.
- Questionable angles | Some parts of Pnevmo Capsula felt a bit annoying, not a lot, but still worth mentioning. What made them annoying was the camera angle chosen for them, as it was very far from your capsule, making it somewhat hard to see where you were. From an artistic point of view, it was nice because it showed more of the cool atompunk background, but it didn’t work too well from a gameplay perspective.
How long to beat the story | ± 1 hour
How long to achieve 1000G | ± 1 hour
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Hi there, I’m Gabriel Colombo (Hence my reviewer name), I live in Brazil and I’ve been gaming since I was around 5 years old. Xbox became my main platform on the Xbox 360 era, before that I had played a bit on PC, Polystation (basically a skinned SNES), PlayStation 1 and 2. I really enjoy to experience immersive worlds, but I also enjoy playing silly games to have a laugh or just have fun.
