I’ve only played a short while and will update my review once I’m further into the game. I’m a big fan of Cyan’s work, including the classics like Myst and Riven as well as the more recent Obduction. This game seems promising, but in its current state, the shader compilation stutter (SCS) is near constant, and it really impacts the flow of the game. It’s a known issue with UE4 games, but I’m getting SCS nearly every minute or so as I traverse through the world. I’m now going to wait for a patch before progressing further. With a game this small, I would happily wait for the shaders to pre-compile in advance of my first playthrough of the game. I really hope Cyan sorts this out, because this game seemingly deserves to be enjoyed.
I’m a real fan of this game. The puzzles are relatively well-conceived and feel part of the world that’s been constructed. The hub-and-spokes layout works well as you tend to open up shortcuts that are satisfying. The graphical design is enticing, and the world feels relatively organic. I was a big fan of Myst, Riven and Obduction, and while this game feels a bit smaller in scale, it is nevertheless highly enjoyable and clearly draws on those influences. One slight frustration is that the game does not fully integrate controller input like its console version. The menu is not navigable using a controller, which kind of defeats the purpose for me, as I like chilling with this game on the TV. If I remember correctly, the developer mentioned that full controller support would be added to the PC version alongside the recent console launch, but it seems that’s not the case. Still, as you may be buying this with the preference of playing using mouse and keyboard, I still highly recommend this game. I for one bought the game again on Xbox to have my preferred experience. On an autobiographical side note, I was playing this game and idly attempting to solve one of its puzzles in one of the last telephone conversations I had with my father before he died. I sometimes feel guilty I was playing a game while chatting with him, but at the same time, there’s something comforting returning to this game from time to time as it sparks a positive memory despite the sadness.
I've put about 10 to 12 hours into Titan Quest across different platforms. After continuing to enjoy the mindless fun of Grim Dawn, I thought I'd sink a bit more time into Titan Quest. Unfortunately, my old qualms with the game remain. It's plodding, the environments are dull and relatively empty and the mobs and other enemies are uninspired. I respect the fact that this game was released at a time when ARPGs had mostly died off. So, it's an important stepping stone to some of the ones that have been released in the last five years. However, while I was playing, I kept asking myself: 'Why am I doing this?'. That's not a good place to be, so it's been shelved and uninstalled.
I was a Kickstarter backer for Hero-U and casually followed its development over the years. When the game was finally released (and I got around to playing it), the whole experience felt a bit underwhelming. I respect the effort involved in developing the art and assets; this was clearly a labour of love. However, for me, the environments and settings lack depth; everything feels rather flat. The 2D drawings that stand in for cut scenes (studying, resting, etc.) are different enough in style to the art of the game that their addition is immersion-breaking. Additionally, the environments aren't varied. As others have suggested, you spend much of your time in this game retreading the same rooms and corridors. Character movement is a bit 'floaty', and at times, certain motions and interactions are disjointed. The characters are seemingly cut straight out of your typical fantasy/wizardry setting. The influence of Harry Potter is often painfully noticeable. The light, comedic charm of the QfG games is replaced with hackneyed attempts at 'witty banter', which often falls flat (with emphasis on 'often', as there's barely a line of text in which these attempts are absent). Interactions between characters are meant to be jabby and playful, but you get the sense that the writers were trying just a bit *too* hard. Also, some of the 'humour' - particularly between sexes - feels oddly out of place and questionable these days. Reading through the dialogue in this game is like trying to pick up a generic paperback fantasy book from 1973. Some of the beats are interesting, but the dialogue is locked in its time and place. I was looking forward to this game. However, with all of the quality gaming out there - especially in the indie space - there are just far better games to spend my spare time with.
This game is a true work of art. The research conducted to construct this game was immense. If I’m not mistaken, Cameron even relied on it for some of the groundwork for the 1997 film. So many areas of the ship are reconstructed here and the detail is fantastic. What I love about this game is how eerie it is. This is achieved largely through the fantastic soundtrack and the fact that you traverse lonely corridors and dark cavities of the engine room. Some might say the underpopulation of the ship is a detractor. It’s obvious that graphics limitations might have contributed to this, but for me, it enhanced the feeling of loneliness and solitude. The plot is decent and the interaction with other characters is fun. The FMV characters are quite entertaining. I can play the card game for hours. Fencing is basic, but fun. There’s also a tense fight in the engine room. So many great memories and I’m so very pleased to see this on GOG. I can now place my well-worn double disc set into permanent storage.
After completing Obduction, which I thoroughly enjoyed, I thought I'd return to Uru, as I have never finished it. The end result is...hmmmm. I'm torn. While the mythology is kind of fun, and I like the creativity in regards to the world-building, the puzzles are way too obtuse and glitches abound. Many of the puzzles in this game do not follow any sort of real logic. In addition, some really poor decisions went into their design. For instance, in one 'age', you literally have to stand in one spot for 15 REAL-TIME minutes until something is triggered. It's asinine. I clipped into the floor many times, particularly when trying to get out of the water. Oh...the water. There's one puzzle in which you have to swim against the current in order to reach an island. You have to be VERY specific when selecting your entry point and angle, otherwise you end up floating away from the target and have to spend about four minutes (not exaggerating) to make another attempt. It's a game that perhaps never should have been made and certainly is a love letter to fans of Myst rather than a sensible title in its own right. Even as an online experience, it didn't show much promise. I like the extension of the Myst mythology and perhaps spent far longer on this game than I should have as a result. However, sometimes it's time to hang up your hat and play something else in the backlog.
