For a long, long time I've waited for a game that lets me play with a band of prehistoric people in an authentic way. Imagine my surprise when I saw this at the front page of gog. This game came out of nowhere for me, but the moment I saw the 'cover art' (and the sensible price) I knew I had to check it out. I am glad I did. Went from a small family in the wilderness to a bustling copper age town and I can't wait to take it to the next age. My one complaint is that there less a lot to do for the player once you get in the bronze/copper stage. By then things work more or less automatically and all the player has to do is add a few buildings here, and there and hunt/catch animals if you're so inclined while you wait for the necessary points to get the next tech. These latter stages could do with a few extra buildings, even if it is just cosmetic stuff. Variation in houses/shrines might also be an idea, I would love if we got the opportunity to beautify our settlement. This complaint doesn't break my enjoyment and what you get for this price is more than fair.
Full disclosure: I have played around 5 hours. First of all, I am very pleasantly surprised by this game. All I knew going in was that it borrowed heavily from Fallout, but I didn't expect it to have a similar charm to it. Like Fallout, it is filled to the brim with pop culture references and silly humor, combined with sometimes harrowing stories from survivors that make you pause at times. And like Fallout this combination works really well. You can really tell the devs made this game with a lot of love for the genre/setting But it doesn't just blatantly copy Fallout. Atom RPG also adds things like crafting, survival elements (you have to eat, but it is not a constant worry), good 3d graphics and quality of life improvements that come with a modern engine and design philosophy. There is only one quibble I have and that is that the translation has its issues. It is (mostly) perfectly understandable and the actual content of the writing is good, but oftentimes the language comes across as very unnatural. Things from the top of my head like "they went up south" or using the word "interlocutor" instead of the more natural sounding "conversation partner" and using a capital Y for 'you' all the time. Also spotted a couple run on sentences that could do with a bit of shaving here and there. Things like that. I think the devs would be wise to hire a native speaker to edit the text in game. I want to reiterate that it is *not* horrible, just noticeable. I understand that it is an indie game and costs have to be cut somewhere but I think it would really finish up this already impressive tribute to old apocalyptic rpgs.
As of the time of writing, this game is a buggy mess in many places. During my 100 hours into this game I have experienced a handful of annoying, game-breaking bugs. Performance has much to be desired for also. That said, despite being unpolished, despite having to deal with BS once in a while because the game doesn't want to run as it should, despite your framerate tanking in the cities (I sometimes go from 60 to 40), despite the load times for conversations being way too long on a normal HDD (use your SSD if you can). Despite all the things that usually put a game in mediocre territory, it manages to captivate you and it eats up your time by giving you a rich, beautiful and believable world to explore. This game has one of the best forests I have seen in a game, the towns are detailed to absurd levels with npcs doing their job and living their lives. With houses hidden behind locked doors showing details you might miss if you do not spend time breaking and entering. If you are the type of gamer who likes to walk around in a game and immerse themselves in a digital world, you are going to love this. And believe me, you're going to walk around a lot in this game. Sure, you can fast travel and it has done it better than its counterparts (think more Dragon Age Origins, less instant travel like Elder Scrolls/Witcher 3), but it is not the same as walking through a wooded area, seeing the sun shine through the trees and spotting a bandit camp deep in the forest. Then you'll experience what I really adore about this game: the combat. It is difficult. You're incompetent to the nth degree when you start the game. The game forces you to practice you swordmanship with your instructor. Same goes for archery. You have to practice and get a feel for it. Before you know it you will be a bandit slayer par excellence. Feel free to add the last star once a patch (or two) fixes most of the issues. It deserves a 5 star rating, it's just not there yet.
Man, this game is something. Before I get my complaints over with, I have to say I am really enjoying this game. It is rough, not only when it comes to difficulty, but also in its execution. The graphics are okay, but it looks a little aged. Especially the animation. The voice acting isn't great (serviceable, though). The music is so-so, nothing is really standing out. However, none of should be deal breakers if you are looking for a deep fantasy rpg with an interesting backdrop in a beautiful world. The game is just a little mediocre in those areas noted above, but nothing terrible. Where this game shines is the story, the choices and the unforgiving brutal world. I love how it plays with both fantasy and science fiction genres. One moment you're walking around in the woods, armed with an axe, slaying monsters and it feels just like a medieval fantasy game. The next moment you will crawl through the hallways of a building that could be found in a contemporary city near you. And it feels every bit like a crawl through some dungeons or ancient elven ruins. All the while futuristic aircraft occasionally soar over you. This mix works really well. Combat could've been a little more fluid but it works and it feels fun once you get the hang of it. Maybe it's because I'm still low level and it will become better. The enemies are no joke in any case and will end you in no time. You have to be smart and not be ashamed to make like sir Robin and bravely run away. Luckily the game autosaves every 3 minutes by default (can be changed in the settings) so it doesn't really stop you to explore a little carelessly with your jetpack if you want. All in all, I definitely recommend it although I wish the presentation was a little better. With better voice actors and better music, this game would be a 5/5 without question. Now it is a 4/5 (or 4.5/50) because it ultimately doesn't detract from the fun I'm having.
You'll be done quickly with this demo, but it shows what this game will be about and that's all it needs to do. You'll guide your nuggets by designating research, telling them which building to build and by making sure they have what they need. Try it out if you want to know if you'll like this sort of thing or if your pc will be able to handle it. I'm only giving it three stars because there is not much to do as of now, but it definitely made me interested in the final game.
You start off with nothing but your skills and a hospital gown. It's cold outside, you have no idea where to go or what to do. You start off scavenging in the nearby town. Maybe you find some clothes, food or a container (like a plastic bag). More than likely you find nothing but junk. Or is it junk? It doesn't take long before you get thirsty. You find some water and drink it. Hopefully you found a way to start a fire, so at least you'll sleep warmly. You probably won't, though, but at least you are hydrated before you sleep. The wild dogs that are circling around you seem to come closer. Hopefully you can hide your tracks well enough. The next day you walk to another abandoned town. Today you are lucky. You find a backpack (with a cute bear on it) and a crowbar! You have the feeling you need a weapon. Some empty bottles help you collect the water you found, so at least you don't have to travel to drink. Thinks are looking up and you feel like you're understanding the basics. One of the dogs find you. It's a mean, snarling beast, but with the help of your crowbar you're able to knock it out and kill it. It got you, though, but luckily it's just a small scratch. With the shard you found you cut open the dog and take the meat with you. Hopefully by now you've found a way to start a fire, be it a simple lighter or a binocular (combined with the sun) . You dress your wounds with the cloth you found (wasn't junk after all), you drink some water and you skewer the meat. Life's tough, but you're alive. You sleep satisfied. At night you wake up. Shivering. You're sick. Was it the meat? Or the fact that you dressed your wounds with dirty cloth? Or the fact you never bothered to cook and sterilize your water? Its dark. Something's out there. It attacks you. Weak and tired you swing your crowbar blindly. You hit something but it hits you harder. You're knocked down. Panicked, you try to stand up. It hits you. The pain is immense. Blood fills your lungs. You die.
