Performance warning before getting into the gameplay, this game is optimized like garbage. Even on my 980ti there is horrible pop-in, constant hitching, and terribly inconsistent frame-rate. Something is wrong with the AA as turning it on lowers my fps by 20 and right now it won't save my key rebindings. If my break down of the gameplay itself doesn't stop you from buying it at the moment then I hope the terrible port will get you to hold off until it is fixed. On to the gameplay itself. No Man's Sky isn't the second coming that the hype train was making it out to be and it isn't total garbage either; it's just really really boring after the first few hours. It has all the trappings of a steam early access open world survival game. You have a series of meters that you have to constantly manage just in case you were about to start having fun and a combat system that feels totally tacked on for the sake of the game having combat. Sure it sounds pretty awesome to be able to have so many planets that you can never possibly visit all of them but what you do on each planet is exactly the same. Touch-down with your starship, look for some carbon, name a creature you discover something offensive, go mine for some carbon, get attacked by a drone that gets pissed when you try to get carbon, mine for plutonium to recharge the mining laser you exhausted fighting the drone, go back to your ship and leave without having done anything different from the last 25 planets you went to, and finally repeat ad nauseam. Full Disclosure: I did not complete the final game objective before writing this review but given how tedious the gameplay is I couldn't bring myself to put in 20 more hours to do so which is pretty damning in and of itself.
I could gush for hours about this game but I'm going to try and keep it short for all of you so let's get to it. The Presentation: This game may be the most gorgeous title I have laid my eyes in in years. They pixel art is sublime , the animation quality is top notch, and the environments are breathtaking. In the first area alone I found myself with my mouth hanging open as I came upon a majestic vista for the nearby city. As beautiful as this game is, it is not without it's fair share of horrors. The opening scene was legitimately unsettling to watch thanks to some terrifying visuals and discordant music. Speaking of music, the soundtrack for this game is phenomenal. Exploration tracks are a joy to listen to as they lull you into the game world and the underground music contains a sense of foreboding and mystery. The sound effects are spot on as well whether you're taking damage or dishing it out. Which leads us to out next section. The Gameplay: Hyper Light Drifter brings some light puzzle solving and platforming, exploratory backtracking, and a visceral combat system to the table. The combat is where I think the game really shines and I was very surprised to find it so well done is a pixel art game. Your character isn't the most durable life form but he is incredibly agile and lethal. Wielding your badass blue saber you dash about the battlefield cutting enemies in half and peppering them with energy blasts from your trusty pistol. Every enemy has their own unique attacks and movement abilities and there is a ton of diversity when it comes to foes. The audio and visual feedback that you get while fighting really sells how heavy each blow is and makes the battles feel like dirty street fights than a graceful duel. I got a real Souls vibe from how the combat played out because if you die in an area it spawns you back at the beginning and brings back all the enemies you just fought as well so you have to memorize what you're fighting . TL;DR: Buy it. Buy it now.
Do you wish Gunpoint had more guns? Do you wish Not a Hero was less frantic and more methodical? Do you wish the guys that made Risk of Rain would make something else? If you answered "yes" to any of those questions then Deadbolt is definitely worth your time to check out. Playing as the titular Reaper of Souls it is your job to take out the undead that infest the city with extreme prejudice. Stealthy headshots or reckless hammer swings are your tools of the trade. Each level is presented in an open puzzle format that players of Gunpoint will immediately be familiar with; as well as the one hit and you die mechanic. Skillful play will reward you with souls to be exchanged with Charon for more deadly weaponry. Combat and sneaking is super responsive and so satisfying when you pull off that across the map headshot that clears the level for you. Presentation is stellar if you are fan of the art in Risk of Rain as Hoppo exercise their talent with great pixel art and a smooth soundtrack. Sound effects and lighting are very important here as you can hide in a dark room and your guns have different sound levels depending on stopping power and rate of fire. What else can I say? I love this game and for the asking price I recommend it over and over.
But I don't. This game is unfinished, there's no real way to get around that; it is not ready for sale and has game breaking bugs. Into the Stars puts you in the captain's chair of a space ship tasked with humanity's survival against a relentless alien threat that will pursue you without mercy. Sounds cool right? Well this is more of a space oil rig simulator as you're just collecting and using resources, hoping to find some uninteresting upgrades that are merely linear improvements over what you have now, and sending your crew down to planets and through the ship to deal with problems. There are no meaningful decisions to be made in this game as an event with three choices have the same chance of success. Navigation is tediously slow and combat is as exciting as watching your avatar's arms rest on their chair. Haven't been able to finish the game either because it keeps crashing and deleting my save file. TL;DR This game is unfinished and released with massive bugs still present. An interesting concept with an inherently flawed and boring core game play loop.
Let me start off with saying that this game is an absolute joy to play, During it's early access period I put in about 200 hours with it and never got bored. This game is super fast paced and incredibly hectic with no two runs ever being them same due to the random maps, huge amount of guns, and the random assortment of mutations you get with each level. I call this an impatient man's Isaac because the average run may only take you 15 to 20 minutes whereas Isaac can easily go beyond 30. Lots of different characters to choose from with their own special abilities plus an amazing soundtrack make this rougelite one that you do not want to miss.
Remember a time not so long ago when a smaller version of yourself ran around the yard throwing imaginary fireballs at the family dog? Warmadillo Inc. remembers. In all seriousness this game is something special in my eyes but it is not without its faults. On the one hand you get to create your own custom spells that make you feel like a master of the elements due to the excellent particle effects and solid sound design. This game also looks fantastic with the developers taking advantage of what the CryEngine can actually do. On the downside is that I would call this game an excellent first attempt as it is Xaviant's first entry and suffers from some very "gamey" design choices. The levels are linear with mild exploration and the enemies start to feel repetitive during this game's 18 or so hour campaign. It also commits a grave sin in a game about limitless magical power and that is punishing players for experimenting! You level up your elemental affinity by using that element continuously but if you ever change out one of your three spells for something different and switch back you will find your level with it reduced back to 1. With those issues aside the core combat just feels so good as your mage doesn't need to hide behind some tank character and gets to destroy everything in his path with reckless abandon. Full price may be too steep for some but on sale this is one you shouldn't miss.
We have something in Ascendant that I find very worthwhile and that I believe you may as well if you are looking for a new kind of roguelite game. You'll may think that Ascendant doesn't have much going for it in the way of mechanical complexity, at least initially, but when you take the time to learn reflecting, casting, and juggling enemies; you'll be surprised at how much the combat offers. Boss fights at the end of each dungeon are all particularly compelling as they each have varied approaches to victory. The dungeons are procedurally generated with each game start as each death is permanent and will take away all blessings, influence, and weapons you have acquired. The game also has a very high level or replayability as completing every dungeon in a single run is very challenging. The art style is colorful and cartoonish but is still one that I enjoy and the game is appropriately priced. What bogs the title down and keeps it from achieving five star status with me is the overly-looping soundtrack, questionable hitboxes, and the occasional blending of background into foreground interfering with the platforming sections. Those issues aside I still find Ascendant to be an excellent addition to the roguelite genre for bringing a different kind of mechanical complexity to the table.
Apotheon is a game fervently dedicated to its artistic vision even at the expense of its gameplay. What we have here is a title that has an excellent orchestral style soundtrack with higher grade sound assets for explosions and combat, looks quite beautiful (if Greek Pottery art excites you) and whose story is delivered very well by its voice actors (although it reads like the first draft of God of War). The Dark Souls comparison comes from the fact that combat is slow and deliberate in this title; you must carefully aim your attacks while predicting and dodging your opponents and hack'n'slash is rarely a viable option. Boss battles in particular are powerful and engaging, each with their own specific mechanic that challenges you to change your play style but in a logical sense. The above are all good things but the problem occurs with the strict adhesion to the art style when it comes to the UI and environmental navigation. You are given over a half dozen weapons in the initial level alone and switching between them quickly and graciously is a tedious and nigh impossible task when in tense situations as you must cycle through left and right to get to the proper weapon class then cycle up and down (sometimes through six or more weapons) to access what you want. Navigation becomes frustrating when it comes to bypassing stairs as you are forced up them and must drop below the staircase rather than running past it (admittedly a mild irritant). Apotheon is a game that will last you between 10-12 hours and is worth your time at current price if the art style intrigues you and you're after something that plays well.
What we have in The Last Tinker is a bit of mixed bag. It would appear that after creating such magnificent environments, colorful (forgive the pun) characters, and enjoyable music the developers went back to their checklist before release and realized that they forgot to put any gameplay mechanics into their title. The end result is a beautifully realized world in the artistic sense combined with painful stealth sections, bare-bones combat, and basic platforming that occasionally demonstrates a flair of interesting level design only to be quickly brushed off-stage. The inspiration from PS2 era platformers is undeniably present as you have rail-grinding reminiscent of Ratchet & Clank and avoid the flashlight guards from Sly Cooper but this inspiration isn't applied in any meaningful way. The end result is a being in a cage, a gilded one that is pretty to look at, but a cage nonetheless without very much to do other than go from one end to the other. A 6-8 hour adventure that may be worth your time on sale. P.S. There's also a turret section, because it just wouldn't be a video game without a turret section.
A competent first creation from Gone North Studios that combines satisfying momentum/precision based platforming puzzles with minor amounts of exploration and some cringe-worthy voice acting. Can be finished in a single sitting (roughly four hours) and has enough varied landscapes, puzzles, and power-ups to keep you entertained throughout the journey. Recommended that you play on mute as the music is predominantly non-existent and the voice overs are sub-par at best. Could benefit from more open areas with which to fully stretch your legs but the game never quite delivers such an area. Also there are invisible walls and times when your powers are forcibly taken away so more exposition can be rambled at you in this game about freedom of movement. Worth picking up on sale.
