Encased: A Sci-Fi Post-Apocalyptic RPG

The game is a pleasure to play and drags you in with a well characterized world with its quirks. Something mysterious has happened, involving some technology from an obscure civilization: great! It is very unfortunate, in my opinion, that through the game you do not learn anything at all about why and how the main events get put into motion. Leaving a bit of mystery is usually ok, but here it feels a bit like the main story is some undefined background noise. I would still recommend the game when discounted.

Encased is a CRPG with turn-based combat and classless character development system. There are numerous gameplay systems supporting a wide range of playstyles and approaches. Also these very systems are at odds with each other - Fatigue increases for cracking open locked containers and non-lethal melee attacks, but not hacking or stabbing people. There are crafting and quite a lot of materials scattered, but not enough to use devices or upgrade weapons. The skill checks are static and RNG-free - the requirements are either passed or not and usually there are several ways to achieve the objectives. Non-combat builds are meaningful and viable throughout the game. There are a lot of equipment pieces, but the inventory management is most uncomfortable. The companions have personalities, character development, their own combat styles, and unique equipment, while their approval depends on the protagonist’s regular actions. They also can help in several story interactions and use their skills outside of dialogues. On the other hand, they do not have any quests after recruitment. The writing is mixed - while it presents a coherent narrative, there are some translation issues and it is not clear what the story is trying to tell, except that Fallout is inspirational. The protagonist’s appearance or Wing are never addressed, the only aspect that a vastly different experience in the story is the low Intelligence (Brains) attribute. The pacing is uneven, with the majority of quests and locations being in the first half, while in the second both the density and the flexibility decrease rapidly. The game has several accessibility options including subtitles, item and field-of-view highlights, rebindable controls, and manual saving at will. Though, in a few cases item highlighting does not work. The 3D graphics are adequate, the 2D images are most impressive, the soundtrack is present and not annoying, the voice-acting is partial and usually on point.

I can't quite put my finger on why, but I couldn't get into this game. Maybe I made the wrong choices in early game. I play a lot of strategy games. I like a challenge. I kept having to re - play battles and get trounced until I'd figured some weakness. I quit out of frustration. There's a lot of good here. Graphically it's solid and runs butter smooth on my R5 3600 / RX580. There's lots to like about the RPG mechanics and the depth of character customisation. I'll likely come back to it later. I've not long ago finished Wasteland 3, so maybe too soon for another RPG

Yes, they do. THIS IS IT! Fine, interesting and immersing, with variety and plenty of details though never overwhelming. The writing, the story, excellent. Combat system, character development, near perfect. Mature, lovely to look at... wow! I did not think there would ever be another real isometric turn-based RPG like this. But there is! Reminds me in a way of Shadowrun, but this is much more deep and realistic. Russian RPG makers are usually over-ambitious (in a good creative way) and often fail to meet the mark. But this time, they made it. The overall rating for this game should not include early access notes. It would then get a solid and deserved 4.8 stars.

So, i was curious - a new sci-fi apocalyptic game promising the real fallout-feeling. Well, haven't we heard that enough in the last years? And havent i tried this up to now with no avail? THat said, i decided to give Encased a try, not expectin that much. I tried Atom RPG by the way, and i couldn't really warm up with it - it felt bland most of the time. But after a few hours in Encased, i really got caught: i think, it really FEELS like Fallout, offering a harsh, brutal environment, but sometimes also funny and curious situations, random encaounters and a living world. On top of that, it also looks like classic fallout - modernized, in HD an with a lot more clours and depth - but still - i get that great feeling i had druing playing Fallout 1&2. So i recommend: give Encased a try. It is not always easy. In the beginning you will get stuck a lot not knowing what to do. But then, you geht the idea and maybe, as i did, you'll start all over after the prologue thinking "there msut be a better access to getting this done!" So, if you are a fan of the Fallout-series, if you do love post-apocalyptic scenarios and if dark humor is your thing: go get Encased and have fun!