I'm writing this review after completing the base game and the Wrath of the Ancients DLC. Don't worry, there will be no spoilers. Yes, Everspace 2 is good. Nice fluid combat in space, which is pretty much what you'd expect from this kind of game. It has an okay story that can get a bit boring at times, but just as many times, it offers a good twist that pulls you back in. And this time, you are playing the good guy. There are no moral dilemmas for you to choose or solve. Although there are a few actions that are somewhat questionable, they are left entirely up to you to interpret. Sure, at times this can be good, just as it can be bad, but this is not your story - this is Adam's story, and you are playing as Adam. Frankly, this is a bit refreshing among the sea of open-world, choice-matter games. The "Wrath of the Ancients" DLC continues the story at the exact point the base game ends and offers a few new, unique regions for you to explore and fight through. Which reminds me to praise the visuals. My god, the backgrounds and level designs are amazing, stunning and gorgeous! Accompanied by a spot-on soundtrack, you will lose track of time and spend hours with the game before you know it. Enemy variety is pretty good, though after a while, once you reach max level, you can decimate entire fleets. Not a good thing, but at the same time, you feel you've earned it. A good factor for that is the variety of ship classes, devices, consumables, primary and secondary weapons combinations you can mix to get a combo that really works for you. And if you're looking for a challenge, you can always do high lunacy Reliquary runs (late game) or try to upgrade Ascendant items at the Alter (Wrath of the Ancients DLC).
Beware! The game is really addictive! Jokes aside, Everspace is one of those games you can't play for an hour. There's always one more run! It's really stable (in 100+ hours of playtime, I think it crashed only once), and it's really gorgeous looking! The level backgrounds will take your breath away when you first boot it up. The story is solid, even if it takes some time to get going. Side missions range from simple and fun to infuriating (yes, Throng! I hate scanning the wildlife!) to testing your skills in combat. On that note. One of the best positives is the combat. It's really fluid, and it takes a little time to get used to it. It takes a bit to remember that you can move in all directions, but once you do get the hang of it, you start to feel like an ace pilot. The variety of ships and weapons (primary and secondary) make for interesting combinations and, in turn, mean that no run will be the same (unless you want it to). Now, for the negative... It can get repetitive, especially after the 3rd sector, and sadly, the beautiful backgrounds and maps aren't always enough to compensate for that. Overall, it's a solid game.
The core idea, survival aspects and resource management are great and make for a really nice game. The issue is that once you settle down, there isn't all that much to do. Exploration for food and water becomes trivial, and the only risks are the ones you take. The best way to enjoy PZ is to play multiplayer with friends so that you can either bash each other's brains out or aim for a mutual long-term goal to keep you occupied.
Right, in terms of story and atmosphere, Sunless Sea is a 5 out of 5, and thanks to the multitude of choices you are offered, it has a lot of replayability. With that out of the way, the grind is real at the start and more so during a first or third playthrough and will make you question your sanity. But at the same time, this is a really chill game that you can put on a lazy weekend and waste a few hours.
Summoner is a game that's been dear to my heart after getting a demo of it with a gaming magazine some 20+ years ago. And I have to say that those first impressions held true. Sure, the game is a bit simplistic compared to the current standards, but that doesn't stop it from being fun and engaging. It has very strong foundations in terms of story and game mechanics, and the graphics are fairly good. This a game that needs... no! deserves a remaster or a graphic overhaul!
A very entertaining and accessable "Souls-like" game for those who do not wish to smash their keyboard. Steelrising offers an interesting and engaging story, enjoyable gameplay and captivating atmosphere, which grabs before you can say Les Miserable... Les Mieserables?!... Something in French :D Anyway, it is a perfect game if you want to play something "Souls-like" without wanting to tear your hair out, because it offers (in my oppinion) a very good learning curve, while leaving just enough for the avarage person to explore and find on their own. Now, the biggest enemy of Steelrising is the video settings. You'll have to keep them one idea lower then what is recomended. Seriously, I have a farily powerful machine (not top of the line, but slightly above avatage) and at the recomended settings, I experienced frame-drops, slow-downs, stuttering and one crash due to overheating (after 4 consecutive hours of playtime). Which is a real shame, because I'm really enjoying Steelrising. Overall, Steelrising is fun and entertaining game, which will keep you happy for some time, if you can run it.
