Threshold

Short but powerfully unsettling, Threshold takes aim at the strange and horrifying helplessness of being a small cog in a giant corporate machine, and nails its execution brilliantly.

Beneath its simple, minimalist exterior, Julien Eveillé’s work presents a searing dystopia that transforms the daily grind into a challenge capable of robbing us of even our last breath. It is a piece that conceals a powerful critique of industrial labor and personal sacrifice. It is frightening to think that something as basic as breathing becomes a commodity used to sustain a larger machine that consumes our lives and slowly silences us.

Threshold is a game that deserves to find an audience that will truly appreciate its provocative and philosophical approach and represents another excellent title in Critical Reflex's library. The opening credits claim that it is a true story and this detail in particular has lead me to speculate on possible metaphorical interpretations ranging from the highly personal to the global political. It is rare for a game to make you think quite this much and that is meant as high praise.

It's short, but Threshold will capture your attention straight from the off and keep you gripped until you reach one of its multiple conclusions. It can be repetitive at times, but the desire to unravel its mysteries will undoubtedly pull you through.

THRESHOLD is an interesting and creepy tale that succeeds in creating an intriguing tale, even if it has some minor issues here and there. The story is extremely entertaining, and I was taken aback throughout the game when I figured out what was going on. It is a bit short, and the gameplay is very basic, but it does the job and, with the fantastic visual style, complements the story which absolutely shocked me. I do wish the experience was a bit better with a controller and on the Steam Deck, and some optimization on both fronts would have helped a lot. It's still playable, but I wouldn't consider it the best experience. It's an awesome game, and may still be worth it given the short time it takes to complete. Hopefully these smaller Deck/controller issues can be fixed through patches!

As a whole, Threshold is a delightfully bizarre and engaging little game, but the odd pacing and structure might not be to everyone’s liking. The core main gameplay loop borders on tedious, and there’s a frustrating amount of bugs, however, it’s getting to the bottom of that mystery that makes it an utterly engaging experience. If you’re looking for weirdness, you should give this one a go.

Threshold takes a simple premise and runs with it, mixing a curious blood-soaked mystery with thin altitude air. The mystery of the ceaseless train atop the mountain peak is interesting to uncover, even if some of the gameplay systems try to get in the way at times. The train must run, just don’t look inside.

While Threshold doesn't do too much to justify its short runtime, has a misleading genre label, and has a few bugs and glitches that may break your immersion, the overall experience is fantastic. The unique premise, addicting gameplay loop, and dreamlike visuals will have you hooked from beginning to end. Plus, thanks to its multiple endings, you'll likely be going back to Threshold over and over again to find out everything it has to offer.

Threshold delivers a tense and immersive experience with resource management, branching endings, and PS1-inspired graphics. Though some elements can feel overly ambiguous, the game’s smart design and dark atmosphere make it a must-play for fans of psychological mysteries and unique storytelling.

Threshold is interesting, but didn't captivate me in the ways that Mouthwashing did. It has an eerie charm to it, and the PSOne/Nintendo 64 visuals do a lot to give this a nice unique look among the tons of sprite-based indie games. It may be a short shift, but you'll always remember your brief stint as a member of the Border Post, just don't tell Mo.