This game is devoid of any AI. It is just a bunch of trip wires. You walk into a room to a point where it will set it off and everything comes running at you at once. You run out, stay to the side of the door, and just pick them off as they come running out one by one. Some rooms are larger with a second trip wire, I got bored with it and started fooling around ... like how close can I get to the rocket launching mummy standing directly in front of me before he gets activated. I got to the 3rd world or whatever you want to call it and just got bored with it. I paid full price for this title and regret it, I wouldn't even buy it on sale. Sadly this is a grave mistake by Dev's nowadays. They feel they have to put loads of content in, killer graphics and sound. And to hell with any AI or playability (ya know the stuff that really matters). This is one of those games that could have been a keeper, but the Dev messed that up. Playability people!! Frustratingly hard because the enemy is actively engaging me!! Took me almost a year or more to beat it!! That's what makes a REAL classic, which this in it's current state is not. Sprites are very basic to the point even the enemies always face you (no 8 directional billboard sprites here) , old school Doom and Wolf 3D are still more advanced than this with the illusion of 3D. If I was the Dev I would put it back into early access, fix it up properly, and re-release it. RECODE. Something a retro title couldn't do back in the day. Show ownership! It might be shameful at first but you will get more respect later for it. Hey Dev, play Wolf 3D spear of destiny floor 2. Every time you play they engage you different. The longer you run the game the smarter they get, even loading from a save state. Listening to doors open and close as they position themselves to get you. Constantly checking your 6 so one doesn't' come up behind you and shoot you in the back of the head. It's frustrating...and that's the point, that's a classic.
The best way to get this game to run on Mac is to install it with Wineskin Winery. Install Boxer App and take the folder out of the wine bottle and drop it in the Boxer App. Zero stuttering. You can also do this with Spear of Destiny as well.
I liked the graphics, humor and wit of this game. At times I felt like I was playing chess almost in certain situations, you might have to think about what to do for 10 minutes or more. Then when actions don't go as planned you have to rethink your strategy with what you have left on your turn. Replaying a level doesn't go down the same, the computer is thinking against you and I like that. I liked how you could use ductwork to get around and hide. I also liked how you can mutate into other classes. So you could use the ductwork to get somewhere distant quick and then mutate into a creature too large to travel through that ductwork. I didn't like the traps the aliens can make, they didn't do anything, you would assume they would maybe stop an opponent for one round or give them 5 points damage or something, but they just walk through it with I stepped in dog poo animation or something. But everything else was great. There is even side missions on top of the main mission for extra mutagen credit to upgrade your units for the next mission. I would have liked the game to have been a tad longer, but that is just because I enjoyed playing it. It was normal length. Would have been nice to have a 2 player option, where one player can be the aliens and the other the humans just for kicks. It's original enough to be a keeper, and a part 2 with even more options and alien types would be welcomed. Or a version with zombies instead of aliens. There was a couple instances where I wished I could just bite one of the soldiers and infect them with alien rabies and control them for a turn or two. All in all the game is solid, voice acting is good, the jokes are good. The controls are easy to use. The AI is challenging enough. It's not XCOM and it's not trying to be. It's got it's own thing going on. Thumbs up
Excellent game mechanic. Would like to see this in a medieval, prehistoric, or even a jumanji type port as well. Very odd game in a good respect. I like hiding in the brush, the time of day changes and the AI of the robots. Very hard indeed. Game has alot of mystery about it. It's not for the impatient. You will need to start on easy to understand the mechanics and even at that it is still very hard. You might also have to generate a different world, sometimes it makes the world just too hard.
Bought this despite all the negative reviews from people that are expecting the hurt your brain ultra HD with the need to run it with water cooled processors. Good Grief. I was able to run this on a 2007 iMac, 8 gig ram 2 ghz dual core processor at 640x480 res for that old school doomish look. It's not like the old doom, where you strafe into a room shoot the barrel, turn left and pop 2 guys then do your procedural dance around the room which you have memorized by heart. This is an ever changing level with some bad ass AI. The longer you play the smarter they get with the wolfenstein come up from behind you and kill you if your not careful. There are colored key cards to get to open certain doors, you can level up your gun with robot vending machines. Plenty of gun variety which you can cycle through and keep for certain situations. Use them up and then break it up over someones head for instant kill. But wait ... you find more, so it's not like your losing anything. You have to find scrap to change it into more armor. Which gets used before your health. There are health machines, but there is also ladybugs you can find which you can keep on you. Access with Q. Left mouse button smashes them and there blood gives you a little health like Wolfenstein with the drinking blood off floor. Right click you can throw them. Or you can buy a crate of them at the store when you come across them. You can also go into cryo sleep and "save" your progress for later. Thats the tube near the entrance that rises up. Not the elevator. 7-8 character varieties per level is enough for me. Normal is stupid hordes but easy is intelligent fewer characters. You will still DIE plenty either way you choose. My main weapon is the laser on the far right. You find the other choices in the level so why grab those. You earn coins and use them to unlock abilities which is the staircase above where you first warp. $20 bucks!?! WORTH EVERY PENNY Their randomizer is fair and is the best so far.
Who makes a game like this where you can't save your progress? Or even if I beat a level I should beat it permanently if you don't want to give me the ability to save. Got past level 0 and 1, did the save and quit. Went back in to play some more. Ran out of time and had to go. When I came back I have to start at level 0 again. So you are gambling your progress every time you play. Speaking of gambling, the randomizer is horrible sometimes. Been more than one occasion I just get hulls, or engines and no weapons really to speak of. And twice already I have gotten where almost every treasure box was a trap on top of no weapons. Once I got 8 repair kits and sometimes I get 1 or none. You either die from no weapons, no ability to get health, or sheer lack of energy to power your weapon, or you get no ammo for the weapons you are using. I'm playing normal difficulty too. The game is over randomizing EVERYTHING, you also have to sit and wait while it does this. And with the lack of any ability to save your progress or permanently win an area it just leaves me to believe that there isn't much content. I see 5 levels, 4 including 0 and I really think that is it. Considering the length of each level your probably looking at a total span of 2 levels on decent. If you must use a randomizer, it is fine to use it for the tunnels and rooms, or enemy placement ( keeping a set amount) Or making "trip wires" in the code when you come to an area and the randomizer is the decision maker for the enemy. Randomizing as in...holding position, leaving and coming for you from behind, rushing you, and so on. You want the player to feel empowered, dying because the enemy was too smart. Dying because the randomizer made you a desert is not fun. Not being able to fire because you are getting ammo for weapons you don't have is not fun. Not being able to save in any way is not fun. It doesn't matter if there isn't much content. For a busy adult to sit and play something "fresh" each time with the ability to save their progress. Working toward eventually saving the galaxy would have been a priceless classic and a true ode to descent. Randomizing a little with not many levels is fine. But this seems like the programmer was scared someone would say it's too short because it doesn't have 30+ levels. But as it stands now you are fighting against the randomizer. With a player vs. house scenario. And we all know the House always wins...HA HA HA
