Stephen's Sausage Roll

 PC
Metascore
90

Universal acclaim - based on 9 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 9 out of 9
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 9
  3. Negative: 0 out of 9
  1. Brash Games
    May 31, 2016
    100
    This isn’t a game for everybody. It’s brutally difficult and requires incredible patience and lateral thinking. However for puzzle aficionados interested in a casual but challenging experience, Stephen’s Sausage Roll is one of the best puzzlers available.
  2. Guardian
    Apr 18, 2016
    100
    Its concept may seem silly at first, but the latest title from prodigious indie developer Stephen Lavelle is one of the most difficult puzzle games ever made.
  3. Destructoid
    Apr 4, 2016
    100
    It's a game where every aspect of it is designed with such incredible care and efficiency that it actually comes together as one cohesive whole.
  5. Edge Magazine
    Jul 5, 2016
    90
    It's a game you'll come back to the next day, having faced constant defeat in levels that are surely impossible, and find yourself beating them. [July 2016, p.120]
    All this publication's reviews
  6. GameSpew
    May 4, 2016
    90
    It’s worth every penny.
  7. Hardcore Gamer
    Apr 20, 2016
    90
    To put it simply, Stephen’s Sausage Roll might be some of the meatiest and most delicious food for the mind you’ll taste all year.
  8. Game Informer
    May 2, 2016
    80
    I obsessed over Stephen's Sausage Roll for several nights in a row and ended up rolling sausages around in my dreams. Thankfully, Stephen’s Sausage Roll is an obsession worth having.
  9. Kill Screen
    May 2, 2016
    80
    Stephen’s Sausage Roll is tough and tumbly, with a greater emphasis on one’s own form than any other puzzle game, which usually waiver the avatar as too grotesque of its gorgeous world.
  10. Slant Magazine
    May 1, 2016
    80
    Hard as Stephen's Sausage Roll is, it rewards those with an open mind; it's almost literally built for those who, as kids, couldn't help playing with their food. The difference is that the creative, outside-the-box solutions found in the game don't leave any mess at all, and their clean and ultimately clear precision is what makes this title such an appealing and rewarding puzzler.
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  1. Eurogamer
    Mar 7, 2017
    Stephen's Sausage Roll is a design masterclass. It's also a game about the joys of getting stuck. Don't savour the victories. This is about the precious moments of being absolutely lost, stumped and clueless within a tight, beautiful thing that defies any sense of how it came to be.
  2. Rock, Paper, Shotgun
    May 1, 2016
    Weirdly for a game about sausages the size of hay bales, I’d say this is all meat and no fat or filler.
  3. Wired
    Apr 29, 2016
    I don’t expect to ever beat Stephen’s Sausage Roll, but that won’t stop me from recommending it. Unlike The Witness, which muddled its message with pretentious framing and unfriendly design, Increpare’s latest is smart and welcoming. It’s a loving ode to puzzles and the people who love them. If you check it out, be sure to eat something first.

Awards & Rankings

4
#4 Best PC Game of 2016
99
#99 Most Shared PC Game of 2016

User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
5.5

Mixed or average reviews- based on 99 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 48 out of 99
  2. Mixed: 9 out of 99
  3. Negative: 42 out of 99
  1. eys
    May 2, 2016
    10
    I'm not finished with the game yet. Seems people are reporting an average of 40-60 hour play times if that is of interest though.

    So far    I'm not finished with the game yet. Seems people are reporting an average of 40-60 hour play times if that is of interest though.

    So far it's great. As many people have already said, the design is where it shines. The game never tells you what or how to do anything. You begin pushing and rolling sausages to fully cook them around and while it seems like a simple premise, you are constantly learning new things and playing the game in a much different way than you were before so it never feels repetitive. Often I get stuck and then realize, "Oh wow I can do that?" While being designed in a way where I naturally stumbled upon it by trying things that seemed possible. I have never thought, "Oh how was I suppose to think of that?" You can undo every move you make too so trying new things is encouraged.

    But don't be fooled by its funny name or silly premise. This is one of the hardest puzzle games out there. Think of something like Snakebird, another extremely hard game that looks all cute and innocent on the outside. Of course I still have much to do so it's just going to get even more difficult.

    I can see why Jonathan Blow (Braid/The Witness) has cited this game as one of the greatest puzzle games of all time. Alexander Bruce (Antichamber) has given the game high praise as well.

    The developer Increpare has created English Country Tune and a multitude of other small little games. Games I would also recommend checking out. He's mostly known among devs and people who actually watch out for these lesser known games. But I hope more and more outlets begin to review/cover this game.

    Stephen's Sausage Roll deserves it.    … Full Review »
  2. kingplain
    Jul 1, 2016
    4
    This game is a spiritual successor of the puzzle game Sokoban, a puzzle game where you push boxes. Do you remember it? No. How about theThis game is a spiritual successor of the puzzle game Sokoban, a puzzle game where you push boxes. Do you remember it? No. How about the mediocre Boxxel on the gameboy? No? Well you can see why I'm surprised when a game like Stephen's Sausage Roll lands 10/10 on numerous review sites.

    Yes, for a game about pushing boxes (or sausages in this case) it's well made. Possibly game of the year for "Box pushing puzzle games fanatics monthly" Magazine. Outside that narrow niche, next to other games given a perfect 10, it's laughable. Is it Super Metroid? Is it FF7? Is it even Cave Story?

    There's not much depth. There's no story. The levels are all similar. It's ugly. The feeling of progress and reward isn't there. Well-designed learning curve aside, it's nothing special. It's a good take on something inherently mediocre (.8 x .5 = .4).

    I tried reading other reviews for a taste of what's going on. What I pulled away with was this games the perfect storm of overrated. It's an indie developer creates a piece of "art" that appeals to your intellect. Another reviewer even mentioned how smart the game was and how smart he felt for playing along.

    Video game journalism, everyone.

    If you like puzzles games and have hours to devote to intellectual validation, go for it. You'll get your money worth. Just know I think you're dumb spending $30 on a back-patting machine.    … Full Review »
  3. busterbeam
    Jun 2, 2016
    0
    2000s browser game-tier experience shilled by The Guardian and other big name journos because the dev is roommates with the creator of VVVVV2000s browser game-tier experience shilled by The Guardian and other big name journos because the dev is roommates with the creator of VVVVV and Super Hexagon… Full Review »
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