UnderRail

Tiny disclaimer: I don't remember how much of this game I played, but it's somewhere between 100 and 200 hours. It happened mostly during the 2020 lockdown, so my memories of it are somehow stale without being foggy. I feel like this is the best moment to write this review, as it tempers the ups and downs. Story-wise, it's nothing too special. It's Fallout in and around a vaguely Western (by this I mean west of Russia) subway system with magic. Great atmosphere, I really enjoyed NPC interactions and the worldbuilding. Combat-wise, things are mildly iffy. At the start of the game, you have to choose if you sacrifice 20% or so of your health for your entire playthrough to be able to cast **MAGIC**, or the radiation-based equivalent. **MAGIC** makes it so you won't ever have to roll to hit ever again, otherwise you use the "Fallout system", where all weapons have a chance to hit based on skill and other esotheric factors. Hence, **MAGIC** OP, and if you play on higher difficulties you get lower hit chances (as far as I recall) and now that you know how OP **MAGIC** is, you will be kicking yourself for not choosing it as soon as you get your glutes tenderized by the first rat. However, if you get past the second or third zone in the game as a non-**MAGIC** user, reddit says you can do it. The final(?) area of the main campaign is extremely boring and is where I abandoned my until-then happy playthrough. No idea what Expedition is like (i.e., the expansion), but I have over-average hopes for my eventual return for the game. Overall, I feel the 4.3/5 average is a fair mark. If you're into CRPGs, TBRPGs and what have you, 10/10 should buy on sale (get Expedition as well, I've read good things) or if you don't worry about your online spending.

Despite its lack lustre appearance, Underrail is a very satisfying and fun adventure. Fans of the classic Fallout series will feel at home. The interface may look retro but it has polish and charm of its own. The difficulty level is not easy and the learning curve present, but both made up for by the wiki and community resources. If you skip this game, you're doing yourself a disservice.

Very confusing - even after watching videos and reading multiple guides

Classic RPG with deep build complexity

Interesting setting + gameplay. Even in the first couple hours already seeing choices in character creation matter. I see my choices locking me out of certain ways to progress and allowing me access to others, great RPG. Setting is very interesting.