This is an no-spoilers review --------------------------------------------- In this game, you play as the AI of a space station, trying to help the crew recover after something befell the station by interacting mainly though camera feeds and commands. By reading around notes and memos you'll piece together the lore surrounding what's happening and you might even understand things that are not explicitly told in the story. The plot hook was gripping and i wanted to see it resolved. There are missable achievements (sadly) and that'd require a playthrough with a guide. I used a spoiler-free guide to get to 100% on the first run as i wanted to preserve my experience. The story was gripping and cohesive throughout, the ending felt satisfying, the twists felt like they made sense and the overall feeling i was left with was one of a memorable experience, enough for me to think about the game even a week after completing it! Buy it at any price! (I'd still buy it on a sale)
As this is an arcade game, don't expect a plot. -------------------- Which is a shame because the game is so good that i still wish it had some! An overall extremely solid (and somber) experience of rushing against the clock to try and survive. The gameplay loop consists of digging for resources outside of waves and protecting your dome during a wave. Depending on the mode, your end objective differs, and there's metaprogression that helps you prepare for future runs better. There's also various challenges you can take on to further unlock metaprogression. but at the end of the day, it's your skill that dictates the outcome of each run. Dome keeper is well worth your time if you're into arcade games overall. Same applies if you're into roguelites. I really wished it had a story, and i expect that some of you will think the same thing after playing it...
This is a spoiler-free review ---------- The game conists of 4 parts and took me 2.5 hours to experience. Overall a superbly-crafted game with extreme potential, but the ending marred the experience to the point of retroactively ruining the whole game. Acts 1/2 got me hooked, and act 3 was the same until the very end, where there are hints that things are not as they seem. The last act was unexpected and its goal was to connect the loose strands from the previous acts. Sadly, the overall narrative in which they are connected effectively put a steel wall between my perspective and the characters. I ended up acting out what the character did, while not being able to change anything. I'm sorry to say this, but the narrative felt forced, and forcing such a perspective shift on the player caused the previous experiences tyo be tainted. I suggest buying it on a sale, and playing acts 1-3 (avoid act 4).
