Encased: A Sci-Fi Post-Apocalyptic RPG

TL;DR: If you can forgive mediocre gameplay for an extremely interesting world to explore then you will probably have a good time with this one. I certainly did, I'm 60 hours in and just finished ACT 1 so there is also a good amount of content (Im very meticulous tho) and I havent lost interest yet, which really says something because nowadays I tend to loose interest rather quickly I was very hesistant about this because it seemed lik this was going to be an early access desaster: new indie team, ambitious project, from the early version it seemed it would take years and years to get done. And the DLCs during development: a portrait pack with just 10 portraits and one with a pair of shoes and a gun at the start of the game for 4€ each - the reddest flag imaginable, seemed like the laziest and most cynical way to squeeze more money out of a dead project before abandoning it. But they probably just really needed the money to get the game done, beause they did and the final product does net seem cynical at all, quite the contrary. Unfortunately I cant go into any detail because of GOGs shitty review length limit Its an RPG both in the original interactional sense of playing a role in a fictional setting, and in the gamified sense of playing a class basically. It really shines in the first part: the world is extremely intriguing to me, the writing is for the most part pretty good, a lot of care has gone in to it (the lore, item descriptions etc) and its just fun to do stuff in this game. The second part (character progression, combat) is .. fine. Nothing spectacular, quite limited in comparison to other games, but also not horribly broken, boring or frustrating. Could potentially become better or even great through future updates but as it stands its quite unremarkable and unsatisfying. Had no buggs but some aspects seem undercooked (e.g. driving is pointless atm), combined with mediocre gameplay = 4 stars. But again, havent had that much fun in a long time <3

Encased had a lot of thought, effort, and love put into it, and it bleeds through its absolutely grimy and cruel world. I can easily recommend this for turn based strategy and RPG enjoyers The world, enviroment and the music is great pairing with its atmosphere, and its storytelling. Some would say the story tries to copy fallout, or S.T.A.L.K.E.R, but I'd leave a remark on such comments. I'd say that this game is a love letter towards these franchises, and it puts its own ideas inside of it. Yes it DOES build upon these afromentioned brands there are simillarities, but rather than trying to hide it, it shows this on itself like a badge of pride. One must understand when playing this game, that this wasn't made by a tripe AAA + ULTRA studio with infinite funds. It is a love project made possibly by a handful of people who put everything they had into it. I wish I could give this game 5 stars, but there are some glaring issues, mainly with the gameplay itself. PROS! + The game is simple(For a strategy game), understandable, and quick to pick up. The game rewards everything so you don't have to worry about "powerfarming" + The main story for those who read the dialogues is fantastic! + The enviroment, the music is great! It fits everything well, from the clean corpo-megalomaniac sanitized halls, to the endless dunes of lifeless emptiness of the dome! CONS! - The game is AWFULLY SLOW. This game consists of walking to point A to B. Not only that the combat as well is pacing at a handicapped snail. Combat has speed up thankfully, but even then, this game is TOO SLOW. - The game feels unpolished, and in some places, empty. In a BAD way. It is obvious the developers ran out of money, and there are places where the game feels ... off. It is clear they were rushing it by the end, and it did not turn out well for them. - The companion level ups are a joke. They can't be customized, by any means and they are not allowed to do anything. Its' worth trying out!

I have just finished this game as a blue wing. I played it on normal difficulty. My team consisted of Yoko and Katharina (the scientist from Magellan). The fights were not too difficult, as long as you look for good weapons or upgrade them. Picking locks is a very useful skill, as is influence and Tech/Science, whereas hacking is ok but there are few opportunities where you need a high level. Of course, evading fights is easy, and I like games with a good stealth option, but going stealth was the weakest part of the game and somewhat disappointing because it is so easy and sometimes comic when you walk in apparent good visibility in a well-lit room and your opponents don't see you walking just a short distance away. So this mechanism feels rather ridiculous. It is also annoying that you can enter forbidden places in stealth or picklock safes but the owner will realize it and come running to you even if you have left the crime scene. So you have to make lame excuses and say you repent your crimes and can still keep everything. They should improve this. Dialogues, too, are not too well-carved out. You can annoy another person and they will still say "Nice to meet you", no matter how the conversation was going. Overall, I don't regret playing this game, the main setting is convincing and different, and I don't need games with boss fights where you need 20 reloads to succeed, it is more about exploring, but the game is not too sophisticated. They should improve some of the game elements to make it a good game.

This is pretty much retro-futuristic Fallout, but not post-apocalypse. More like full-on sci-fi and cyberpunk (You're working for a corporation, that doesn't think about anything but pure profits). It's still in the very early stages with a lot of bugs though, so if you're not ready to report bugs constantly and hit brick walls - wait before it comes out to play. From what I've played - I think this is going to be a great game. Setting is rather interesting, mechanics are pretty much like OG Fallout 1-2 with a bit of original spin and path-finding is terrible. Recommended.

I don't normally review games, despite owning perhaps 200+. But I just thought I had to say that this is brilliant, if you like Isometric turn based indie games (which, clearly I do). I loved Fallout 1 & 2 & Fallout Tactics, Shadowrun, X-Com and Atom and this is as good in my opinion. As to all the negative reviews (including one that's entitled "Not recommended unless you're a furry"), I can only say that they have no sense of humour. I bought this on sale, but I would have paid full price if I had known how good it was.