So far it succeeds everywhere other grand strategies fail. Unlike other grand strats I've encountered no game breaking bugs or design issues. And there's most definitely the tip of the iceberg, scratching the surface feel to it, where there's always something more the further down you go. I'm sure it'll run out of that at some point, but that's always the case. It's also still in early access and they've got definitely some more fleshing out to do (like more details on why a mission was aborted by a councilor or more/better organised info in tooltips), so I guess we'll see how the development goes. But at the current stage even in early access it's better than pretty much any fully released Grand Strategy I've tried; and it doesn't ask for a bajilion dollars and dlcs.
Most Helpful Review is outdated - as of 0.9.2.12 you can save when exiting the game and you can save when using a bed (beds are in predetermined spots, or you can purchase a bedroll or create one using crafting). Overall Stoneshard (as of 0.9.2.12) is missing 2 or 3 mechanics and a lot of content before you can call it "finished". Even as is, however, it is still one of the most immersive, original and well-crafted "roguelike" "dungeon crawlers" (I hesitate to call it that, since Stoneshard straddles the fence between a roguelike dungeon crawler and an RPG; I would personally like it to tip even more into the RPG side, because the setting is chef's kiss, it begs for more content and lore).
People are mistakenly used to the notion of grandiosity and dark grimness being innately conjoined. No such thing. It is not that grim when you're participating in the rupture of a universe and consorting with gods. It is not dark when you share a bad fate with trillions of other people. In Colony Ship, you are one of thousands of survivors each of whom seems determined to diminish that already scarce supply down to hundreds. Your entire world is a dilapidated junkyard, only a miracle keeps it habitable. And surrounding it is a void of space, which is even less habitable than the ship (as voids tend to be). Onto the details: The Good: - Audiovisuals - looks and sounds very good, really immerses you in the tiny, sad world. - Story - it's a good story. - Writing - it's good. The but: - Deja vu - if you liked Age of Decadence, you'll like this one but for both of these games the originality is it's strongest advantage. Colony Ship is still original compared to the market but much less so when compared to AoD. - Rails and roads - outside of combat sequences the game is pretty much just a graphical version of a CYOA book. There's no randomness whatsoever. Every element was placed there by hand, nothing is simulated or generated. The combat sequences themselves can either be won or avoided (if you lose you load back and either try to win or take a different road and avoid it).
It would be good if it was remotely playable. 3 years after release there are still game-breaking bugs and the optimization is so bad that it turns CPU and GPU into an oven at slightly above medium.
Disco Elysium has by far the best writing I've ever experienced in any game, and that's an understatement. I'm also a book nerd and have often found myself thinking, whilst paging through some novel: "well, the writing here is good, but it ain't no disco elysium". The characters feel real. Blood and meat, and bones real. Kim is so well-written he sometimes doesn't even feel like an NPC, but like a bro you're enjoying this experience with. The world, while being really unique also feels real and you learn it in the best way possible - with a character that has a story-justified reason to learn the world with you. It's masterfully clever. The art style is awesome (but that's also subjective), it kind of grasps at the moment in modern art evolution after all the Dalis and Picassos rulebreaking fun era and before all the 90s-00s putting weird stuff in a jar and calling it art era. The voice acting is the best I've ever heard, especially the narrator. How one guys can make 13 different characters sound at the same time distinct and the same is beyond me. Disco Elysium is trully a 'narcotic' experience that breaks your expectations and then picks up the broken pieces of them and build a marvellous collage. ELECTROCHEMISTRY(success): Did he just say 'narcotic experience'? Why are you still waiting, BRING. IT. ON! VOLITION(success): Don't listen to him. He's just attempting to share something. Truth is you will visit Revachol for a while and then leave it. As a guest, not as a local. You will not stay at the whirling in rags, you will not wear ridiculous ties. You will feel bad about leaving. You will wish you never visited in the first place. Then one day, you'll walk down a street in the evening, watch the sodium lamps radiate monocolor and then hear the tinhorns sound in your head. Then all will be fine again.
