Refunct

Developer: Dominique Grieshofer | Publisher: Dominique Grieshofer | Release Date: 2015 | Genre: Casual / Indie | Website: Official Website | Purchase: Steam

It is not very often that the words “first-person platformer” go hand in hand with calm and relaxing, but that is about the only way to describe Refunct. It is a first-person platformer that gives you a simple task and a tranquil environment in which to do it. Your task is nothing less than restoring a vibrant world, but don’t worry; it is infinitely simpler to accomplish than you may think. Refunct has no death-defying traps, snarling monsters, obscure puzzles, or bloodthirsty opponents to deal with. Instead, it is a single-player title where it is impossible to die, and everything is so simple that you don’t even need a tutorial to show you the ropes.

The first thing you’ll notice when starting Refunct is that you are in the middle of a seemingly endless body of water surrounded by imposing gray columns. Stepping on a gray square results in it being covered in vibrant green grass, which means you’ll quickly be hopping around trying to convert everything in sight. You may also notice a red beacon of light shooting up at the sky and make your way over to it to investigate. Upon reaching the light, you’ll find that it originates from a button that, when pressed, causes more platforms that were just under the water to rise. With each new set of columns you uncover, reaching all the grey squares and buttons becomes a little more challenging, but it never feels impossible, and you have more than enough tricks up your sleeve to get to them.

Since you cannot die, you are free to explore your surroundings without the fear of doing something wrong. While initial blocks and buttons can be reached with a few short jumps, you will soon discover that your character can wall jump to reach higher spots. Then, some lifts can take you higher, and springboards can provide an extra boost. Reaching some spots also requires you to crouch down low or use the pipes dotted around. While exploring, you might even spot a couple of cubes floating around in places just out of reach. Collecting them is entirely optional, but making the effort rewards you with a couple of unique achievements. Refunct doesn’t have any story, but the texts accompanying the achievements appear to be designed to make you reflect. The achievements all have names like “What Drives you?” “What makes you, you?” “What makes you smile?” and “Do you do what you love?” There’s no need to collect any cubes, but they add some extra incentive to try a few trickier jumps.

Refunct is a nice looking game and while it doesn’t have a ton of detail or a vast gameworld, it is quite soothing on the eyes. To add even more visual polish to the game, the developer has implemented a short day and night cycle, contributing to the atmosphere while playing. The audio is just as minimalistic as the graphics, although the music is quite relaxing. The lack of any voices or jarring sound effects, combined with the stylish visuals and tranquil gameplay, makes Refunct a great game to chill out with if you don’t have the strength for anything else.
Just because Refunct is a very relaxing game doesn’t mean you can’t challenge yourself. On average, it takes about thirty minutes for players to complete the game, but it also lends itself nicely to speedrunning. This is why, after the game’s release, the developer also included a couple of achievements to encourage speedrunning, such as one for finishing the game in eight minutes and one for completing it in less than four. Both of these feats can be accomplished with a bit of practice, making Refunct a nice entry point for players interested in trying their hand at speedrunning.

Refunct doesn’t do much, but what it does, it does well, which makes it hard to criticize. The game is concise, but this is also reflected in the bargain price at which it is being sold. Paying for a game that can be completed in less than thirty minutes might not sound like value for money, but the low price and replay value more than compensate for that. Having said that, the playing area of Refunct is rather tiny, and we would definitely have liked to see more. The single level available feels like it is just an introduction to a larger game that never appears. The inclusion of an editor and Steam Workshop support could have gone a long way toward endearing the game to more players and making it a favorite among speedrunners.

As it is Refunct is a nice little Indie gem that offers a similar feel to games like Mirror’s Edge, but without any of the stress or worries. If you have some loose change left in your Steam wallet and want to kill a few minutes without taxing yourself too much, then Refunct should definitely be considered.