This game is definitely not terrible, but it is certainly disappointing. The first in the new trilogy came at a time where games were becoming too linear, and it felt fresh by having intricate level design and a lot of little secrets to find. Not as much as old school FPSs, but enough, like a good balance between old and new design. Then the second one became a random map looter shooter for some reason. But honestly, for what it is, it was still a good game. There was a huge variety of weapons, and the experience felt meaty, even if because it had a lot of fat. But this game... this is everything I dislike about modern AAA gaming. Super linear and repetitive level design, to the point that I think it was boring even for the level designers to come up with new maps - you feel like you're doing the same wall running and grappling throughout the entire game. I actually don't mind the shorter game time, I love arcade games and short-but-replayable is actually a HUGE plus for me. But I don't feel like I want to replay this. Half the time you're just doing boring, mind-numbing Uncharted-like parkour where it's almost impossible to fail, and the arena battles aren't much better. The combat has good ideas but it can become too chaotic for its own good. Most enemies are not fun to fight - especially the drill dude and the flying mages, and all fell like bullet sponges. Not a single weapon felt satisfying to use. And the gore weapons are overpowered, so you use them like two times per encounter. The enemy encounters also do not feel interesting. You're mostly fighting very similar groups of enemies the entire game, and they do not have great synergy. The story is a huge nothing burger, and the characters do not feel like themselves. Not visually or emotionally. The text is a parade of tired jokes, some without context, some sounding like a blockbuster movie that imitates rather than creates its own one-liners. The visuals are pretty though.
I wish I could see what others see in this game. I also have a love for action/spectacle fighters games, and although there is indeed a good fundamental system here, and it is admirable that it was made by a tiny team, this is a game being sold by a price in which you can buy dozens of other much more rich, polished games. And by that price I cannot justify the state of unfinish this game demonstrates. It's an incredibly short game, the enemy variety is severely lacking, battle arenas are huge with no purpose, and the battle system, although good, feels like it only has the basic moves. It looks like a project in mid-development or a promising prototype/early access, but it's being sold as a finished product and that's what I'm reviewing, which is not a very good final product.
