CONSCRIPT

an amazing game with all the bleak vibes of great war and original resident evil

I have been playing the game's demos throughout the years and now finally got around to play the full game. I held off on buying it because a lot of reviews mentioned issues like the rats, but this has since been updated and got me to buy it. Overall, I had a blast since it is more of the gameplay loop that I fell in love with during the demos. The mechanics are enjoyable and there are multiple ways to survive, some paths are completely optional, but rewarding for those who want to put in the effort. Combat is clunky at first, but satisfying once mastered, this can be achieved well before you end your playthrough. The artstyle, while good, can sometimes be a impractical in that it is not clear where you can walk, so you end up hugging walls to find the boundaries of a map. Fortunately most of the game takes place in trenches, tunnels and buildings where you do not run into this issue. Combined with the sound it really sold the atmosphere. Sound design is amazing both in how it sets the tone and in communicating what kind of threats you're dealing with. I regularly took a second to stop walking and listen what was going on in the world around me. There are some minor bugs like enemies getting stuck on geometry or spotting you while hiding. It breaks the flow but not the game. Difficulty was alright, While I'd like a more challenging 2nd playthrough it ain't happening with how steep the difference between normal and hard is. Newgame+ is a welcome feature but since you can't change the difficulty of a replay it just feels like a power fantasy that I have no interest in playing. More customization options for newgame+ and an extra difficulty would be very welcome. Besides that I'd like some more clarity on what certain items do and which actions led a player to get one of the several endings. Overall a great debut of a solo developer, the sheer amount of work is very commendable and I am looking forward to future projects!

Had been waiting for it since the first demo came out and jumped right into it when It finally made its full release. A real treat for people who were kids in the 90's and early 2000's and for classic survival horror junkies like me. :) A pleasant ride down on memory lane with a delightful twist in setting, as it manages to get away from the classic zombie (or whatever biological weapon biproduct) formulae that we have gotten used to in similar titles into the shockingly real horror of WW1, that is not only a fresh take on survival horror but a refreshingly new take on the horror aspect itself. :) Absolutely and wholeheartedly recommended!

I was looking forward to Conscript after playing the demo, but the full experience is dull and poorly paced. As a "top-down survival horror" the game is seriously lacking in the horror part. Combat encounters feature too many enemies and large arenas, so the fights lose their edge quickly. There are long sections without anything but containers to search, and the backtracking is an issue, given how big the maps are and how slow you are in comparison. In the sections were enemies keep flooding your trenches, if you use well the turrets you'll save a huge amount of ammo, neutering that aspect as well. The game seems to try too hard to make a lot of the movement and combat awkward for the sake of it, sometimes in very detrimental ways. In Conscript, there is almost always a chance to miss your shots. Aiming has a reticle that slowly shrinks (and the spread is huge if you try to immediately shoot), plus it has weird hitboxes that favour the enemy (you can miss an enemy right in front of you, and the enemy can shoot through walls very often). While the arenas are large, enemies tend to match your sprinting speed, meaning that they are a bit faster overall, as they don't seem to tire (unlike your character). You have a roll, but enemies can kick you out of it, or at least so it seems (melee in general is awkward as you and the enemies overlap each other in close combat, making it hard to figure out at times). This makes running away from enemies a nuisance, especially since they almost always outnumber you. The puzzles in the first 3 chapters didn't feel too smart or involved (with a single exception). Music and sounds aren't bad, but it feels as if they are missing something. Despite my complaints, it's not an awful game, but, it's boring for me. There is too little story and personality to the characters, and the gameplay is too dry. The top down view takes away a lot of the tension, and while it somewhat captures the dread of war, it's not scary when playing.

You won't be disappointed. Good gameplay and other things.