I'm writing this review roughly half an hour into the game, which is early; but that's because I've decided to pause there. Graphics are lovely, action has good heft and weight to it, combat seems to be very skill-based and allow for a lot of mastery. That's great stuff. I really want to like this game. The reason I'm giving it a 2/5 is because I'm playing with a Controller, and currently, the game doesn't allow for any type of changes to the control scheme. By that I mean the game technically has an option for it, but if you actually try to rebind any controls, your game is --fucked-- *Example 1:* I want to dodge on A, not B. But since "B" also is the button to go "Back" in all menus, it will also back out of the keybind assignment. Hence, I can't assign B to any new button since it won't let me. B is forever-dodge. *Example 2: I want to swap places of Block (Y) and Interact (A). The menu lets me do that at least. I now block on A, and I interact with Y. Wrong choice. Since "A" is the button to "Confirm" in menus, it no longer works. Does "Y" work to "Confirm"? No. Neither button works. All ingame prompts and options still say "A to Interact", but pressing it does nothing. Y can be used to do all the ingame function of A, but all the menu navigation is screwed over. Could I use the keyboard to navigate the menus? Yeah, I could! But it's annoying to swap between keyboard and controller all the time, especially if I wish to navigate menues or pull up items quickly. Could I also choose not to make any changes to the controls? Yeah, I might get used in time to what I think is a weird control layout. But eh, I'm the type of person that wants a tested and finished product when I buy it. Currently, this game doesn't let me rebind the keys as I want it to even though it's supposed to allow it. Luckily, this is something that should be an "easy" fix, so I'm just going to wait until it is fixed. Disregard this review if new patches come.
**Shorter review:** I had a good time in my first playthrough which clocked at 10h, and with me playing on Standard Difficulty. All interactions, challenges, exploration and combat is done via text- if you don't like reading, this game ain't for you. The world is interesting, and while no NPC alone is memorable, as a whole I always found the interactions engaging. When I was finished with the game, the epilogue made me feel as if my choices had mattered and that a second playthrough could be sufficiently different. **Longer review:** I was initially surprised at the lack of 'gameplay', but since I'm an avid reader I got over it fairly quickly. The game is, if played on Standard, about trying to manage risk against reward, and caution against speed. Sometimes it pays off to be hasty, sometimes it does not. It's a dangerous world, and while you're a capable Roadwarden, you're not a one man army. Your main weapon, apart from the Axe, will be your tongue- cuz you'll do a lot of talking! The game has a slew of NPCs belonging to various tribes and factions, and will react differently to your interactions. If you as a player feel hated by every single character in the game, odds are you're not picking up on the hints and the lore of the game; there's plenty of friendly and helpful people, but their disposition towards you comes down to the choices you make. Having people on your side is important, because you're trying to find out what's going on in this barely-tamed land; now, and ten years ago. Where's the previous Roadwarden? Why are people so tight-lipped? What secrets do people hide? I feel like there's a lot to unpack; and in truth, when my time limit ran out, there seemed to be a lot left to uncover- and I also feel that a lot of the solutions/approaches I had could've been done very differently. For the price, it's a reasonable experience; I think my biggest wish would've been even more pixel art, and portraits for key NPCs. I still recommend it!
I bought this game on 50% off, and played through it in roughly 5-6 hours (not bothering to do the small extra collecting stuff). The game resolves around a strong of body but elderly man as he wakes up in the afterlife. You glimpse back at key events in his life via levels that are a mix of light platforming and puzzles, together with a time manipulating mechanic. As you progress the level, you get wonderful little cutscenes, atmospheric fantastical landscapes and emotional, competent music. In his past, he has experienced both positive and negative things. These you get in about equal measure- and the levels themselves are designed with symbolism in mind, sometimes quite cleverly. By the end, I had shed a tear or two. I think the game was lovely. The negatives of the game are the controls that feel imprecise, and that some of the levels have infuriating platform elements. I'm not saying they were challenging, but rather just... annoying. Sloppy control of the character and at times difficulty to estimate length of jump/landing, and so on. Additionally, while I feel that 5-6 hours is the perfect length for this type of game, I find it hard to justify the original price tag of roughly 22$. It's always hard to put a price on games that lean more towards 'art' & 'story' rather than gameplay, but I'm not sure I'd recommend it to anyone for that price. For 11$ however (the price I paid), I'd rather it a fine 4/5.
This is a game that is held back by bugs, but if you look at my hours played- a staggering 170h in not even under a month- you'll see I found it more than worth my while despite them. **Strengths** - Amazing art (3D, Drawings, environments, music). Especially the music is memorable. - Absurd amount of customization and options for building your characters class + backstory, and RPing them - Many ways to express your character via consequences and dialogue - The Mythic Paths offer a lot of uniqueness I really loved - Interesting story that kept me entertained from start to finish (sometimes great, sometimes OK) - Voice actors do a fantastic job - Intensely challenging combat **Areas for improvement** - Bugs. I didn't run into game breaking ones, but it's clearly a game without polish. - Some puzzles are great, some puzzles are horrible - The challenge of the combat sometimes comes from poorly balanced encounters. Note: I always found a way to deal with them, but sometimes a boss' minions were tougher than the boss itself. - Pre-buffing is a necessity in this game, and can feel like a chore. I have nostalgia to help me get over this, but for people fond of say Pillars of Eternity, the long time spent on just prepping for fights may be off-putting. - Crusade mode, while immersive and fitting, is tactically extremely simple and offers little nuance. **Final reflections and verdict:** I have patience with games that set the bar high, and want a lot. You can tell Owlcat aims for the stars- and they almost get there. I adore this game and consider it as masterpiece. It is a game that will really, really click with some people and completely turn away others, I suspect. If you feel intrigued, despite the variance in reviews, I think this may be for you. But maybe wait a few months for the bugs to get fixed.
I have not been this captivated by a game in a long time. It's a torturous journey I could not stop myself from continuing, a sweet suffering. I'm blown away by the atmosphere, the storytelling and the acting. This game could not have been what it is without the facial capture technology at work, and gods, is it good. If you're expecting a God of War, this is not for you. Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice is about the journey of a woman suffering from mental illness, and carries with it greater depth than what trailers portray it as- it's not a game centered around combat, put just a part of the storytelling. I'm still shivering from the last hour of gameplay and credits, and I just want to ask everyone to play it. It's a difficult experience- not always enjoyable, and not something everyone will find to their taste- but I stll think it's a game everyone should have played. I think my only criticism of the game is the combat, and the repetitive nature of it- but I can overlook it, and still give it a 5/5. A 9/10. Near perfect this game, and while it's "short" at 8 hours, it's well worth its asking price of 30$.
