Previous reviewers have already given a good overview of the game, but I'd like to add that the latest patch (1.5.3) makes it even more enjoyable for me as the planetary improvements AI got, well, improved, and the overall experience as well. The best 4X at the moment, and it looks they are still actively developing more patches and improvements :)
Some reviewers say that this game seems like something has been slapped on top of a physics engine to justify calling it a game, but that is simply not true. There's much more to the game that first meets the eye. There's a ton of very different (and also entertaining) enemies and spells, and them combined with the brilliant game environment with its detailed physics has made me smile many times already in my ~10 hours with the game so far. I've now played about 10 hours, and I've discovered something new on nearly every run so far so the amount of content is also great. Be warned, though: if you are looking for a game that holds your hand and lets you reload when you fail, look elsewhere. The game is not excessively difficult, though, and permadeath makes the game experience so much more engaging and rewarding because every choice you make matters :) The devs are releasing updates to the game and continue to listen to the players on their website. The current version seems very stable, and I haven't encountered any noticeable bugs either. So if you're looking for a good and fun challenge, Noita provides very good value for your money :)
Depth of Extinction has just sucked me in for two and half hours, even though I only meant to have a quick look after purchasing and installing it. In my opinion, the developers have balanced the gameplay very well, mixing the XCOM and FTL elements quite seamlessly into a refreshing blend of strategy and semi-emergent storytelling. The AI and the soundtrack deserve a special mention, as they contribute to the overall immersiveness and gameplay flow very positively. Some reviewers have given negative remarks about the permadeath feature, which is strange given that it actually is one of the key components that make the game so interesting. Of course with the yet small amount of hours under my belt I can't say for sure if it is possible to run into an encounter which is impossible to get out of alive, but the dev team is churning out patches steadily, and actively seeks to iron out any inconsistencies (the game actually has a bug report button in it!). Overall, the game seems to be very stable and well balanced at this stage. Definitely well worth my money, and among the most enjoyable games I've played in the last few years.
The few negative reviews so far on GOG.com have concentrated on issues that are mostly bug-related and which have been fixed in the patches that quickly followed after the game was released. The lack of save points in certain places originally caused a lot of frustration as the player was forced to restart a long, relatively difficult quest each time the character died. The devs responded within a few days, putting the save points in the places they originally should have been but were left out due to a bug. Another passage where the player had to complete a jump-and-run escape from a foe almost made me leave the game out of sheer frustration, as the controls seemed too clunky for me to be able to complete the sequence. I did complete it after only a few tries once I understood the control mechanism - it resembles the original Another World much. Still, the team responded and made the sequence in question easier, and also adjusted the controls so that they are now more precise especially if you're using a gamepad (which I did after initially trying mouse & keyboard). I also feel the criticism for bad hit detection is unfair. I've now completed the game and in my experience the only point where such problems occurred was the aforementioned escape sequence, in which making a single mistake let the foe eventually 'grab' you even when the actual thing on the screen was not quite touching the player's character. This was naturally very irritating and made many players angry, but it was not a game-breaker and definitely isn't now that the scene and controls have been updated. As a whole, The Way was a very enjoyable experience for me and I feel it deserves more attention. The action parts and quests complement each other quite nicely, and many of the quests were challenging enough to make their completion feel rewarding while none were too difficult. Perhaps the best part was the overall atmosphere - I really hope we'll see a sequel some day.
Treasure Adventure Game reminds me of the good old days in both the good and the bad - however, the former far outshines the latter. The good: + great playability + interesting, detailed and coherent game world... + ...which is full of things to discover + has an atmosphere of its own (which sadly is rare these days) + runs smoothly on older hardware too The not-so-good: - skipping dialogues and the intro should be made possible - you don't need to be THAT faithful to traditions! - I can't stop playing this - (boy am I nitpicking here) while the game does not require a top-of-the-line computer, it could still be better optimised - older GOG gems from the times when processor power was not so abundant run more complex stuff without slowdowns on my meagre laptop from 2006, but TAG is just barely playable in windowed modes. Overall, I can recommend TAG to anyone - ignore the thirteen-year-old know-it-alls who think this is a substandard PS3 shooter, and take a trip to a wonderful faery tale world!
