Exanima

Seriously, I do not understand what is with these 4/5 and 5/5 reviews from people with rather new accounts. As for my review, this game has potential and I would be pleased with it if it was polished even a little. There is no tutorial, instead there is a manual in the options that you have to read in order to understand anything. The game also makes a claim that the combat is based on skills and not attack animations, which is odd considering that you have an attack animation that can be interrupted, which means it's literally a game about attack animations. Additionally, the combat is beyond sluggish, which is a shame because I feel like it could have been something truly special, instead what you get is basically Mount and Blade's physical input system but less polished. Overall, I REALLY wanted to like this game since it seemed like a sort of isometric Dark Souls, instead what I got was this weird Mount and Blade meets Diablo game that crashes very often. The game has errors in game that cannot be closed but don't end the game so your options are to quit or try to play around a window. I give this a two and not a one because there is something special here if you can dig through crashes, poor optimization, wierd v sync issues, and overall sluggish gameplay. I feel like for those who can stick it out through the development process this might be worth your time, however I'm going to requst a refund on this one as I find it nearly unplayable in its current state.

I backed it on Kickstarter, and own on Steam. Seriously , this piece of software has the worst user interface ever , unresponsive commands and animations, unclear gameplay... and all of that after waiting over 7 years ??? Do yourself a favor : save your time and money and move on to some other worthy game.

Combat in Exanima is interesting in the same way that the physics based combat in Gang beasts is interesting. The difference is that unless you are going to dedicate all of your time to the arena, you're going to have to be doing a lot of bumbling around in bland, boring dungeons with clunky controlls and a character that gets stuck on anything and everything while occasionally encountering npcs that are either brain dead and passive or brain dead and violent. There are so many other good, challenging and rewarding games to play and so few reasons spend your time on this one instead.

Exanima is still in development by Bare Mettle who have created their very own physics engine for the game. As a casual gamer usually enjoying RTS-games, I was actually looking for a good sword fight. Exanima has that in spades but is so much more. The physics is one of the things that makes the game stand out, and while it requires an effort getting used to, it's quite rewarding once you get the hang of it. This is your usual hack n slash and down-with-another-potion-of-healing dungeon crawler. Even an experienced character with fancy armour will get seriously hurt if hit in the right place with the right weapon - so take good care of yourself. The game is basically divided into two parts - there's the story/campaign which is about exploring a mysterious underworld where something rather uncanny has apparently taken place. I won't spoil anything, but the beauty of it is, that you don't have clue what's going on at first, but the story will unfold as you progress. I was a bit put off at first by the quasi-permadeath system, lack of saving options and unforgiving nature of the environment. I'd suggest an optional save function in the final release to make the game a bit more accessible. It gets tiring having to replay several levels only because you had a nasty encounter. The other part is nearly perfect though, and is a simple arena mode where you get to build and maintain your own guild of combatants who fight for money. There's plenty of variation and the fights are challenging, hilarious at times and just priceless entertainment. If you're into GoT-style fights, this might be just the thing for you!

Okay, I really enjoy the concept of this game. I have almost 13 hours of gameplay. Exanima offers a very new and unique format to the RPG/Dungeon Crawler genre. The combat system is fresh and actually demands a larger amount of skill than games that would run in a manner similar to this one. I can honestly admit that I am not that great at the combat system, but it is enjoyable once you start catching on to the flow of how it's supposed to work. And here comes the downside. While I have spent a good amount of time playing this game in the short period of ownership, it just takes way too much time with very little reward. It is promoted as a level playing field with the AI, but the issue is that the AI can coordinate the physics engine better than a human player. This is the main problem I am having with the combat system. Besides that, there are a lot of "clunky" issues that come from using a raw physics model, such as hands getting stuck behind the character's back. Lighting... I don't see too many reviews on this, but I feel it is critical in this game. The lighting in the game is TERRIBLE. For a combat system that relies on actual hits rather to a character model. I know it's keeping with the dark theme of the game, but it is absolutely miserable for the combat. And, honestly, it makes the main story almost unplayable. The main story starts in a dungeon. I don't know if that's where it ends, I can't get out of the dungeon and haven't spent much time trying. There is no sufficient light in the dungeon, which makes it impossible to use two-handed weapons in most circumstances. Also, makes it impossible to use a shield, as you can't hold a shield and a torch. The arena mode is worthy of being a small game in itself. There are multiple options of play and a no-mercy system by which you can build up your force. Also, there are maps with suitable light so that you can enjoy the combat system and get good at it. Short: New combat system not enough light, play arena