I've had an eye on this game for a while now, and seeing that it has now exited the early access phase I thought I'd give it a shot. Unfortunately, I can not even play the game I bought because it doesn't support rebinding of keyboard controls AT ALL. Since I have been playing computer games before WASD was even a thing I have adopted my own approach of binding keys centered around usage of the arrow keys, so no, just "rolling with it" is not an option - rebinding controls is a process that is easier and less painful than rewiring brain patterns. I still have hope that this game will see the addition of key remapping soon, but until that happen, this negative review stays here.
First off, I got this game on Steam during the sale accompanying the NEXT update and have since requested a refund. Disclaimer: I didn't follow the drama surrounding the game very closely, because I don't care about the hype or the shitstorms. The following is my own experience, nothing more, nothing less. I did have an interest in this game ever since it was first announced, but quickly feared that with all the freedom and possibilities that were pitched, the actual 'game' beneath it would be shallow and lacking. However, after waiting for a long time and seeing this game getting another huge update while being on sale, I decided to give a try. Long story short, the game is in a horrible state. I spent roughly two minutes staring at a loading screen, it crashed during the third minute of play time (!), plus the game's optimization is horrible and - worst of all for me - the controls are not fully rebindable. Not even close to it! Needless to say, I requested a refund. Before anyone says I should make use of autohotkey or other tools, I will say this: I buy games because I plan to enjoy them, not jump through hoops for hours in order to make a game work the way the developers should have ensured. If you plan on using only a gamepad and can live with all the other issues this game has, you may actually enjoy it. But I'm too old for this kind of crap.
NOTE: I have this game on Steam. Ruiner is, in essence, a twin-stick shooter. You control a nameless guy with a cybernetic arm and a weird screen-like mask that covers his entire head on his way to kill The Boss aka "Big Dog"; at least that's your main goal for the first ten to fifteen minutes of the game when - surprise! - a lot of excrement hits a spinning object. Your choices in this game are mostly limited to how your enemies die (or you, if you're not careful). While there's a large arsenal of guns melee weapons, the choice mostly boils down to slashing things or putting holes in them. It should also be noted that all but your basic gun and melee weapon have limited ammo or durability, so you end up pick up weapons from fallen enemies A LOT. The controls, being critical, are positively tight. I personally played through this game using a gamepad, though some may prefer KB+M. The overall design of Ruiner is much closer to classic 80s cyberpunk Anime than any western cyberpunk setting. This serves to give the game a somewhat fresh and unique look compared to other contemporary cyberpunk games. The action is fast-paced and, at times, combat can be challenging. That being said, I've often seen this game being criticized for its high level of difficulty, and while that may have been true in the past, the developers released some updates to game balance and (I think) a new easy mode along with it, which shouldn't be a problem for the average gamer - much less for experienced players well-accustomed to the twin-stick genre. So, do I like Ruiner? Hell yes! I like it very much. It knows what it is; it's a brutal, fast-paced action game set in a world full of bad and even worse people. The high-contrast red/black look of the game (sometimes with a dash of bright cyan) together with the fantastic - if unusual - soundtrack help to make Ruiner a game that you won't forget easily. If not for its gameplay, then definitely for its style.
Even though I really enjoy a good adventure and love a well-told story, this game for some reason remained almost completely under my gaming radar until a few days ago. Sure, I've heard the title, but that was it. When I started playing this game I practically knew nothing about the gameplay or story, and my expectations weren't all that big. To say I was in for a massive surprise would still be an understatement. Oxenfree tells its story in just the right way; there is a lot of dialogue - all of it superbly voiced - and even the letters you can find scattered around the island are (while not narrated) commented on by the main character. The overall tone of the game is one of mystery and discovery, which is perfectly strengthened by its amazing soundtrack. Retaining such a relatively positive atmosphere is quite a feat given some of the darker themes in this game. As for the characters you could argue that they are a bit on the clichéd side, but for me that didn't get in the way of enjoying their bits of banter. In fact, I grew to like and care about them, something that very few games managed in recent history. So far I've played through this game two full times over the course of 11 hours, with maybe one or two more playthroughs at a later time (to get the remaining three achievements). During my first run of the game I played exclusively using keyboard and mouse, and didn't find much of a fault with the controls. That being said, for the second playthrough I switched to gamepad and found the overall flow of the game a little better (especially since you can usually run instead of walk easily using the analog stick, whereas you need to keep your movement key pressed for several seconds using a keyboard). Conclusion: If you are fine with relatively basic gameplay, but like having meaningful choices and an interesting, well-told story, this is for you. Besides, the gameplay is still more complex than that of Telltale games, so there's that.
