Exanima

It's a really great game with some very interesting physics based combat. If you're a fan of ragdoll like me then this is the game for you! 4 stars for being awesome. -1 star for being incomplete (lacking ranged weapons and some skill trees) the rating will change when the rest of the content is added.

New GOG version did not come out since February. Buy Steam version instead.

Now this game is hard to learn, the animations are basically a ragdoll with muscles attached to its limbs with physics applies to it, so unlike other games where the characters basically floats around with animations that just masks this to make it look like its walking, in this game the character is physically walking. now this naturally creates a delay between actions as you have to wait for animations to get done, or else you would just trip. If character falls then its not because it was a knock down effect, but the character lost or was tossed off balance unable to regain footing. Because of the nature of how it moves it might look drunk, especially if the player is new. As far as i understand it the hitboxes in this game is pixel accurate, meaning you hit exactly where you hit and not anywhere else. This makes weapon and armor design really important as the visual/design of something actually matters in how it functions. if there is a gap in your armor then its there where you can take some serious damage. The updates for this game has been really slow lately, but as i understand it, its because the devs are developing complicated systems designed for the much larger game Sui Generis and will simply be implemented into Exanima on a lower scale. Exanima is a standalone game, but still is the testing grounds for the devs bigger game, plus they get more money for development which they need since they didnt really get much from kickstarter. Overall the quality in this game is high. Good level design, really well optimized, good graphics, good sound track, awesome combat and a lot of possibilities in customizing your gear/load out (you can wear layers of armor like gambeson, chain, coat and plate at once for example). As im writing this the next thing to be implemented is dialogue (finally), more advanced ai and ai interaction, soon after that it will be dynamic weapons (currently armor comes in different conditions and look (worn, rusty,etc)) 9/10 a must buy

A very different, difficult, but still rewarding combat system makes the game one of its kind. It doesnt happen often i get impressed by games that often anymore since no new features are getting added which change the game experience. This game does.

Since it is in development at the moment of writing this comment, I will reserve my review on what it is available. Resume: This game is definitively worth trying, specially if you are fan of melee combat and medieval themes. I was skeptical at the beginning, but after watching videos and reading about its development, I realized that much effort has been written in the simulation code. The simulation of inertia, collision and balance of all thing in the game is impressive. I can not wait for the whole game to be fully developed. After playing for some time the Arena mode, you can feel the weight of a successful blow, how your footing work actually power your attacks and even the slight timing delay can lead to a fatal opening. As you try more weapons, you will soon discover that mastering one does not mean mastering them all. With practice you can be very proficient with a weapon, but soon you will discover that any other weapon will behave and feel completely different, and what you assumed to be the "right" way to swing is the "wrong" way to do it. Armor is another interesting topic, accurately depicting active strategy. Looking for unarmored areas will be your main priority. A combination of Slash, Crush and Puncture damage will determine what happens when a weapon collides with the armor. There will be a huge satisfaction when you successful y smash your opponent unprotected head from a premeditated planned attack. There is still some room for improvement, sometimes you can feel the inertia of your body "floating" or some wobble effect from a rushed u-turn. The A.I. ( Artificial Intelligence ) provides a lot of challenge, sometimes you can predict their moves and sometimes they deliver fatal blows at you.