Apsulov: End of Gods

This game has very good atmosphere and the the production values are pretty great in all areas except the NPC animations which is really janky. I specially loved how unsettling everything is. The first 5 minutes of the game does a really great job of just making you uneasy. It also nicely mixes Norse mythology with scifi which is a first for me. All that being said, i didn't end up finishing the game. I stopped after ~3 hours (it's a 6 hour game from HLTB stats). The gameplay is just mediocre. The shooting mechanic is clunky and uninspired, which i wouldn't mind, if it was for the abhorrent save/reload system. Basically, to shoot your "gun" in this game, you need to (a) have enough charges and (b) charge your weapon (by holding down the fire weapon) for a few seconds and release the volley before it get overcharged. If you miss or otherwise fail, you have to manually open your inventory and reload the weapon. The game doesn't pause when you do so, and missing means insta-death 9/10 times. It's worse on higher difficulties where you have to face multiple enemies at the same time. Overall, the clumsiness of this mechanic, the stupid reload gamplay/checkpoint system, and mediocre "press LMB at the right time" puzzles had me abandon the playthrough half-way. It's a shame because the art design is very nice and the story is intriguing enough. Oh one more thing. That big-bad who "interacts" with you in the start of the game was entirely absent past the intro, instead replaced by dumb enemies and a stalking beast. WHY? That character was so awesome! Why deprive of his/her psychosis like that?

This is not a shooting gallery nor a pure stealth game where you crouch around all the time. Rather a perfect blend of activities and environmental gameplay in a believable world with outstanding audio in the vein of System Shock 2, Dead Space, Penumbra - Yes, that is a *ringing* endorsement. I hope they get to make AAA games in the future.

Outstanding graphics and concept. 10/10 for that. Gameplay... not so much. My initial reaction of "wow!" tapered down steadily due to the gameplay. Gameplay swings between boring, confusing or frustrating, but rarely fun or satisfying. Or was it meant to be "scary"?...yeah, no. It's nothing close to scary. Voice acting was top-notch too (I saw some complaints about this in reviews... I think those reviewers must be smoking their Jarngreipr.) I think the devs did an amazing job, I hope they make enough money to fund a follow-up that takes the graphics and concept and builds a fun gameplay loop on top of that. PS - huge shoutout to the developers for putting this on GOG. I'd not have bought it otherwise. PPS - I'm fresh off a System Shock 2 "Impossible" difficulty re-run; so I really wanted to love this game!

As far as horror titles go, this game felt fairly unique. As is the case with most unique games, it will be middling for some, and phenomenal for others. Creepy Ambiance Solid Visuals Solid Audio Really nifty mix of sci-fi and norse mythology Overall game felt pretty polished(ran flawlessly and smooth...no bugs or crashes) In all honesty, the only thing I can think of that people might see as a downside is the combat. It can feel a bit cumbersome. The way it's done does fit the overall theme, however. I highly recommend giving this a try. The industry needs more developers that aren't afraid to mix it up.