BEAUTIFUL DESOLATION

An ok point and click errand boy adventure through a moderately interesting sci-fi world. I liked the world and the story once I got into it. But then it just ended with no explanation as to what was actually going on or how any of it happened. Not 'it was vague and difficult to understand and open to interpretation'. Just... nothing. So be prepared for that. But it was a fun ride. Many reviews mention the ease of missing essential items. As long as you thoroughly explore each area it shouldn't be an issue. Most (but not all) are marked by faint expanding circles like a signal. But if you do miss an item, it will be a pain later, and you find the most random stuff at the most random times, so just being thorough is the only strategy. A similar signal effect usually marks areas on the world map where there is someone to talk to, so watch out for that if you're stuck. You can choose how to respond during conversations, but the options are essentially "Ask nicely and the total stranger will help you" and "Threaten to kill the stranger and they will explain why that isn't possible and then help you anyway". So, like most morality systems, you can just be a total asshole for absolutely no reason or... not. As to the morality system, which affects the ending, this direct quote from a developer about sums it up: "The decision to nuke the different factions doesn't really play into the karma, it is more about who Mark is as a person and how he treats the characters during discussions." If the game made sure you couldn't possibly miss items and had no dialogue choices it would probably actually have been better, though it basically wouldn't have been a game anymore. Still, the world was interesting, and I liked the characters, so I'm glad I played it.

Fortunately I got this in a giveaway, but I lost a pack of hours of my life thinking it would be a decent story. Wrong. Story starts strong and interesting, but it becomes blurred as soon as you start to meet new "races". It doesn't focus in the Penrose, but in some minor and random conflicts of character or tribes. After finish the game, you don't get almost any answer. Controls are clunky too. Searching need items to advance in the history is a matter of luck, since you cannot know where are them until you walk close (and they cannot be spotted when you are away). That's a really bad design. Graphics and video are nice. And I think it's the only good thing of this game. But they are a smoke bomb to hide the horrible design. Avoid playing this, it's not fun, it's not interesting.

You will back and forth a lot watching your character travel, some backgrounds are really beautiful but long and not very interactable. BUT If you are willing to overlook this frustration the rest of the game is a real treat, 1) a very unique story fully voice acted, 2) charming personalities, 3) morally questionable choices 4) jaw dropping moments and beautiful environments 5) optional tactical turn based arena minigame it's a very unique experience, almost impossible to find another game like this

It's a really beautiful game. I had hoped that it would have been more of an RPG, But it's not. But I really like the game thus far.

I really liked the game. With starts and stops, the ability to review dialoge kept me on track most of the time, although I admit that I referred to a walkthrough out of frustration a time or two. With the rich world created by the designers, I would have enjoyed a bit more backstory troughout the game, even if only through reading books, to give the player more detail as to how the world got to where it is. This was really a game more about uncovering mysteries than solving puzzles, and I would have added a star had there been more to uncover. At the reasonable price that the game is selling for, I would recommend it for adventure game fans who are willing to stray a bit from the strict confines of the genre.