Look, first off, ratings are subjective. Do I give this game 5 stars because it's perfect? No, it's not perfect. Do I give it 5 starts because I enjoyed it immensely? Absolutely. This is a soulslike metroidvania that knows how to be both of those things. Fights are enjoyable and responsive and I was compelled to explore the maps thoroughly. There's a vast selection of skills and abilities to use when performing acts of violence and enemies drop the things that they are wearing, which is something I greatly appreciate for some reason. No other game has had me looking forward to my next session as much as this one did recently, which is really the best thing a game can do.
That's not to say it's the same type of game, exactly. No longer a rogue-like (light?) this game now consists of beautifully hand crafted locations. Honestly? I can't really think of anything I didn't care for in the game and if you pushed me to point something out it would be that interaction with the game's characters can be a bit disorienting if you haven't played the first game. A paltry issue if you want to explore the vastness of space and enjoy yourself. The game looks great, plays great and is honestly just a jaunty good time.
This is a very competent game I personally found most enjoyable. What did it for me, specifically, were the following features: * While this is allegedly a stealth game, being brazen and insane is a completely legitimate option * The various optional goals on each level can be achieved over several different runs, which is great for completionists who also don't hate themselves. * The autosave feature is so good it feels like some sort of dark magic was utilized to create it. It almost always saved before I somehow messed things up royally. * Levels are fairly short, which is good if you're a busy person. * The UI is extremely snappy.
I've heard about this game back in the day and was sufficiently intrigued to finally give it a go, especially in light of the very positive reviews I've seen. What I discovered was a game that definitely seems to have an interesting story, if only I could bring myself to actually play it. Mechanically, the game has aged very poorly. While I can obviously forgive it for lacking modern FPS sensibilities, I cannot forgive the disparity between this and, say, the original Quake in terms of game-feel. Overall I would say that I found the game less frightening and more aggravating. What made me give up was when I jumped on a desk to pick up an item and died. What killed me? I did not know, nor did I care.
