Virtue and a Sledgehammer

The concept

Pratelle returns to the mountain village where she grew up. Its people no longer live in their bodies: their memories and personalities have been moved into robots. According to TheSixthAxis, this is the work of Nina, Pratelle’s sister, who sees it as the future of humanity. Pratelle sees only soulless copies, so she picks up a sledgehammer and starts smashing. Steam describes it as a game “about family, tradition and being an outsider”.

Gameplay

You move through the village knocking down walls, houses and robots. The sledgehammer is slow to lift and has two swings: a sideways sweep for most robots and an overhead blow for crawling or larger ones (TheSixthAxis). Memory crystals are hidden around the town: red ones are fragments, blue ones are full memories. Collecting them reveals the past of Pratelle, Nina and their mother.

Not every robot is hostile. Some attack or insult Pratelle, while others beg to be spared, such as a former gardener or someone who can walk again thanks to their robot body. It is up to the player to decide how far to go. Checkpoint Gaming mentions several endings.

Length and pacing

TheSixthAxis and ZTGD put it at about four hours (three and a half to four hours for ZTGD). The game is linear. Screen Rant and TheSixthAxis find the combat repetitive and the walking speed slow. Screen Rant says the compact structure “can veer off into monotony”, but its emotional payload makes up for it.

Presentation and performance

It is Deconstructeam’s first fully 3D game, built in Unreal Engine with an almost fully destructible world (Checkpoint Gaming). Screen Rant praises the lighting, colours and Paula “Fingerspit” Ruiz’s soundtrack. On Steam Deck, Steam Deck HQ calls it “a joy to play” and targets 60 frames per second on medium to low settings, with 2.5 to 3.5 hours of battery life.

Press average

The 16.9/20 average is based on eight scored reviews of the PC version, checked on 11 November 2026: covergeek 4.5/5, Screen Rant 8/10, TheSixthAxis 7/10, ZTGD 9/10, Checkpoint Gaming 8.5/10, Hey Poor Player 4.5/5, Steam Deck HQ 8/10 (on Steam Deck) and GameBlast 9/10. Critics mostly praise the story and writing, and are more reserved about the simple gameplay.

Price and languages

On 11 November 2026 the game cost €14.99 on Steam. The Humble Store sold a Steam key for the same price. It is not sold on GOG or the Epic Games Store. Steam lists French text. The game is on Windows PC only; no console version has been announced.

Who is it for?

For players who enjoy short, powerful stories, like Deconstructeam’s earlier games. The themes are heavy: grief, family conflict, rejection and violence. Players mainly looking for action may find it repetitive.