I think this is the first time I review a game, so bear with me. I've been gaming very rarely for the last 10 years, for lack of time. I have lately got a Steam Deck, which has allowed me to attempt to catch up. I have 1000s of games to try; most don't hold my attention more than 20mn. I found myself going back to Dex, and I did finish it, something rare for me. No individual part of Dex is good, but the different aspects mesh into a game that holds itself together better than most. The best parts which drag it out of the mud and into the greats: the artistic direction and the story. Neither will stand out immediately, but the artistic direction has this Eu-sci-fi touch, and lived feeling. The story has some original touches and is neat, the characters memorable, and their individual stories are touching enough to provoke emotion. The voice acting is really way better than anything you can expect from a small studio. The worst parts: Hacking sequences are no better than gamejams. Unimaginative levels, difficulty all over the place, very basic mechanics and run-of-the-mill graphics and sound effects. It completely feels like those sequences were an afterthought, and I often found myself thinking, "this isn't fun!" while playing. It's telling that I was willing to put myself through those to continue the story, though! Outside of hacking, action sequences are also barely passable. Combat works by cheese, which isn't very fun. Running and jumping animations have great keyframes that are very dynamic, but the movement itself is stiff. It's not _bad_, but there is room for improvement. I'll be looking at the next game by this studio/people. If they can keep the same level of polish for the story and the graphics, and upgrade the action (or make a turn-based game without action), then I'll be incredibly interested. If not, I'll still be interested! I enjoyed Dex better than a hundred others. Thank you for concocting this neat game!
