I want to start by giving credit where it's due to the developers. They listened to feedback from their audience and lowered the price while also giving exclusive content to people who paid for the higher price. That is a huge bullet to bite, and one that deserves acknowledgment.

Sadly, I'm not reviewing the developers. With that out of the way, I still don't think the game is worth buying, even at this hard to pass up price. The main reason is simply that the game isn't fun. You learn everything you need to the moment you start your first mission. The enemy AI is just the antithesis of fun. They always know where you are. Even if their back is towards you, the second you aim at them, they snap to you instantly. I actually tested that specifically, and it happened all three times I tried it. Before enemies were alerted, if I aimed at one with their back turned, they'd immediately snap to me.

The issue here is that, to compensate for these issues, the enemies sometimes just don't attack at all. They'll "flank" you and just stare at you for way too long. It creates an imbalance of enemies being far too stupid or far too difficult. They always know where you are no matter what, so to off-set this, they often just don't attack. This creates several issues while solving none.

In the brief time I played, that's the most pressing issue I ran into. DLSS breaks this game's interiors when using flashlights, which I know can be circumvented, but I'm out of my depths as to how. I've simply played enough games to know that it's not normal for the entire interior of a house to burst into shifting shadows when a flashlight is turned on. Other than that, I can't heavily fault the game for other possible issues. The AI is far and away a deal-breaker given that it's a PvE title. It's comparable to Ready or Not's own problems, though, which certainly warrants mention.

The animations aren't great. They're not bad enough to cause issues, but they're just stiff and boring. They're snappy in the wrong sense of the word, seeming almost stilted and unfinished. It's Early Access, so that's...probably reasonable enough, but I'd still really want to see some touchups there.

As for the good, this game nails a lot of things immediately. For starts, it looks lovely. Graphically, I was surprised by how charming it was. The HUB looks visually pleasing, has a practice range, and oh my GOD, the customization is straight up insane. So much love and passion went into the weapon customization that I'm simply stunned by its depth. The UI really could use a bit of work for weapon selection, though. They have way more guns than I expected, but only being able to see 2 at a time before having to scroll is just annoying. With so many, I want a larger list that I can easily choose between.

This is the first game to ever be almost perfect for me right out the box in terms of settings. Sensitivity was just right, FOV was maxed, and it came with options to toggle ADS, leaning, and crouching. All fantastic. No toggle sprint, though, at least none that I saw, which is odd. Makes sense for the type of game, and I can't fault it for not including it since I didn't play far enough for it to be an issue, but worth mentioning all the same. I don't like that the FOV slider was numberless, though. It was JUST a slider. Bit odd, but not a deal breaker.

All in all, I'll say something I am loathe to ever say. This game does have 'promise', but the issue is that it's had promise for a few months now. Almost half a year. That promise is starting to seem a lot less promising as time passes. The AI is fundamentally game breaking, and until that single thing changes, this game has no chance. I'll hang onto this game because, at this price, it just feels wrong to refund it. I really hope that it gets a major AI overhaul because I think this could be something fantastic. I'm such a fan of games letting players actually customize and enjoy finding their own unique setups for things, and this game really lets you go for it. I just sincerely hope that they manage to fix a problem that is not only immediately apparent, but will plague every single second of your experience.

The AI needs fixing. If it remains the same, this game will never see the success it's on the cusp of deserving.

One of the best potential i have seen in games yet. It may not be perfectly polished but it reminds me of ready or not mixed with scp type lore. I expect this to be my favorite coop shooter, as it has likeable gun customization, dark mysterious tones, coop centric, and satisfying gun play. I will also say that I believe some animations currently need some work, as well as the gunsmith seems to have issues with overlaps that work in real life on my personal rifle lol. Overall I think this game is a steal, and think that for the price I would get the game and then get it for a friend.

tf i meant to do bruh