I guess, the savegame system is part of what the devs see as "perma-death", but I prefer when I can still save my game and perma death only means that I won't get an unconcious character after a defeat, not that I am forced to play hardcore mode.
Basically, I wouldn't have make a negative review for this, just conclude that the game is not for me and I made a mistake to buy it, but that was before a player's key was revoked by the devs for a negative review. This is an unacceptable behavior, and it require sanction, even if they finally backpedaled.
This game has alot of the charm that makes you smile when playing. An X-Com with rogue qualities. It also has some of the personallity of such games as Jagged Alliance, as it makes you care about your soldiers. When on dies, you feel the loss.
The map travel is almost exactly like FTL. It's done well, and seems to be fair. I like the decision making on where to go next, giving it a open world feel.
The graphics are ok but the music sets the tone and is very well done.
With so few games of this type being released, one can overlook the small room for improvement that all games have. I have played many, and this one is worth a look , if you like this genre then its a must try.
Thank you HOF Studios for a game that makes me remember the golden age of gaming.
I'm a huge fan of all things squad-based, turn-based, and tactical. I picked this up mostly to see what it was about. Going into this, I wanted to like the game. Don't glance at FTL when considering this game. It has nothing in common there except a superficial similarity in the meta game.
If this game had come out in the early 90's before XCOM, it would have set the gold standard for tactical combat. Sadly, it comes out in late 2018 amid a field full of superior tactical squad games - and it dares to be mediocre by those standards. It doesn't bring anything really fresh or new to the table.
It checks a lot of boxes. Squad combat. Tactical. Turn-based. Rogue-like. Equipment earned carries over from one play through to the next. There is small innovation in having the squad semi-intelligently follow a single leader, but that's a solution to a problem the game itself creates in forcing everyone to move each turn across larger maps.
Where it falls right down flat on its face is repetition. The game re-uses - over and over - the same mix of set pieces and tiles to randomly generate every single mission. After a couple hours of play, I was pretty confident I had seen almost everything the game could throw at me, and none of it made me say "Oh, cool!" ... instead I just got to chew on the same cardboard visuals again and again. Maybe there were subtle differences in the color palette? I didn't check. I just got really bored really fast as it felt like I was doing the exact same thing on repeat. Having to start a mission over from the beginning - or the entire game - if you botch a mission and wipe your crew doesn't help alleviate that feeling.
So - in summary - it's a good effort, but dry and repetitive. Technically proficient, but not outstanding.
Devs may have been bad with customers at first, but now they're among the best.
They have addressed all flaws, at least they have lessened them.
So, if you had played months ago, retry the game, maybe it could please you now.
Sure there are still many battles, but it's the game, if you don't like batteling, see elsewhere.
In this game I've cleared hostile bases, room after room, killed "bad guys" left and right while also sacrificing the innocent. I've travelled across the seas fullfilling my missions, watched my crew grow, die on duty and get replaced but I still get attached to them every time and to be honest, it gets a bit repetitive.
As of writing this I've clocked 40+ hours in the game (not counting pre-release) and I still love it, though I've barely played through the story.
If you like X-Com with a touch of FTL this might be a game for you.
