I'm not normally a fan of these types of games, but I happened to pick this one up and I'm so glad I did. I can't seem to put my finger on it, but Dorf Romantik is incredibly addicting. It's not the type of game you'll waste hours and hours playing in one sitting, but it's nice to be able to pick up whenever you have a chance. Very laidback but incredibly challenging to master.
So I bought this after playing the incredible demo and I'm scratching my head about what I just paid $15 for. Don't get me wrong - what is here is very well executed. It's a little roguelike with a great art style. The gameplay is easy to learn and not terribly grueling. The first and second (if you can find it) layers are OK. But, after a few hours of playing, leveling up my character's armor and weapons, and doing the same 5-6 missions over and over it starts to become repetitive. The major drawback is that, not only are there only 6 available missions, but nearly all of them relate to Layer 1 and I have a sneaking suspicion that the devs intentionally made them this way because it's nearly impossible to find the hole to Layer 2 without searching the last 100 tiles of the map all the way around or luckily stumbling upon it through sheer luck.
Like some have mentioned, there's an incredible game in here but there are some major issues that need to be solved by the developers before it becomes fun. First and foremost is that, past one skull missions, mission difficulty level does not represent the actual difficulty of the level itself. I've been on 4 skull missions that were a cakewalk and 2 skull missions that were an absolute killer. Additionally, resistances don't seem to actually function properly, especially with Cold. I should not have a character with high Cold resistance getting one shotted by a basic Tzetclan rifle. Enemies are complete bullet sponges - a single Manager with middling armor should not take 6+ shotgun shells and 20%+ of weapon durability to kill. This problem is exacerbated by the fact that using anything other than the most basic silenced weapon causes all enemies on the floor to aggro and swarm the character, making stealth play basically pointless. Inventory system is clunky, as items do not always auto stack and mission inventory is too limited, so you're constantly making judgements about what to keep/loot on the mission, bogging down the action. That said, I like the barter/reputation system, characters, classes, and general atmosphere. I'd like to see the background fluff elaborated on more, as well as having the map expanded to include the outer planets.
What an incredibly well-made game. Bought this because it reminded me of the first Metal Gear Solid and was pleasantly surprised just how well it fits the genre. While reminiscent of MGS, it is it's own game and shouldn't be treated as simply another clone. I normally don't like DLCs but I definitely think this is the type of game that would benefit from them, if not a full sequel to it. Highly recommended
Picked this up on a whim since it was under $10 for the full edition and I'm incredibly pleased with it so far. Obviously, the first thing you notice is the incredible retro sci-fi aesthetic, very similar to 1980s Heavy Metal or 2000AD comic style. Character/NPC designs are great and the fight animation is above average, if a little repetitive at times. The lore reminds me of a cross between Phantasy Star and Borderlands. It's fun to pick up a datapad and read some about how a background character got his nickname or to come across a floor that wants you to get an NPC to stop stomping on it because it's painful (yes, this is a thing that happens). There's a definite learning curve in terms of gameplay, as there really isn't a true tutorial in this - your character is just sort of given his mission and let lose with some narrative bubbles to explain the basics. This is enough to get you through the first derelict (level) without a problem but it's up to the player to finesse their way their each progressively more difficult derelict and deal with environmental conditions, branching missions, and more difficult enemies. It wasn't until the third derelict that I learned you can draw cards (basically actions) from the environment, as well as your weapons and equipment. The card system is well integrated and, unlike some others, I don't think it was included as a gimmick. Part of the fun is getting new cards from weapons, equipment, specializations, and leveling and figuring out which characters benefit most from what cards, as well as what combos work best. If you're a fan or retro RPGs, I recommend this.
I REALLY want to like this game. The setting, art, play style, and challenge are on point. However, the game has some glaring flaws that make it incredibly frustrating and virtually unplayable. First, the raft portion. I swear this was designed by a sadist. The controls fluctuate between totally unresponsive to only slightly useless. This is not a big issue when you are in wide, slow flowing sections of the river, but any time your in narrow sections or rapids, you might as well let Jesus take the wheel (rudder) and pray. Often when you depart a dock the raft just sits unmoving at the pier and any attempt to push it out just results in spinning in place. Attempting to use your dash often pushes the raft into the shore, damaging it. This is especially frustrating when it happens after repairing at a marina, only to have the raft get damaged again. Second, opening a menu doesn't pause the game. Often I would find myself wanting to deploy a trap or toss some bait to a predator, only to have the predator attack while I was in the menu. Lastly, the predator AI is weird. Sometimes they will chase you only a few feet, while other times they will chase you clear off a map. This makes placing traps and luring a predator into it a matter of chance and luck, rather than skill. It is a good game, but playing it any longer than in short spans often gets to frustrating and unlikeable.
