400 people found this review helpful
14 people found this review funny
Recommended
0.0 hrs last two weeks / 426.6 hrs on record (408.5 hrs at review time)
Posted: Oct 24, 2014 @ 6:08am
Updated: Dec 20, 2015 @ 12:19am

Early Access Review
(Edit: I'm away for two years of military duties, so no updates to this review.)
http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=579445919

'Quick' & simple review:

Pros:
  1. Dedicated developers, even if progress on the game is slow. (For goodness' sake, it's a small indie studio!) Plus great community managers!
  2. Generally mature, close-knit, and wonderful community.
    (I must warn you, a few black sheeps exist.)
  3. Intentionally challenging game mechanics: (devs are aiming for realism)
    • No HUD crosshairs,
    • real weapon recoil,
    • hearing impairment after taking damage (with disabled HUD until you recover),
    • dynamic character breathing (which affects gun wobble),
    • limited movement speed and hampered jumping,
    • no checkpoints/save system in campaign/co-op
      (aka. permadeath, 'cuz it's hardcore),
    • long respawn time in PvP to force the players to be vigilant,
      (you can never be too careful in this game)
    • fair & balanced PvP
      (for now, SMG and rifle are available, and NO KILLSTREAK BONUS, HA!),
    • bots are literally robots who can flank you, snipe you a mile away, and make you wish you are wearing adult diapers on harder difficulties.
  4. Innovative game mechanics:
    • First-person simulation
      (no floating hands, no viewmodels,
      full first-person body is rendered where FP camera resides... and that helmet faceplate you see in first-person?
      Yep it's a real in-game, in-environment model too)
      wtf, the HUD too?,
    • dynamic crouch & cover system,
    • changing environments and game states.
  5. Dynamic maps! (This deserves repetition!)
    (Laugh as a wall rises to block your opponent off, or ragequit when a ninja jumps on you.)
  6. Awesome audio & visuals!
    (Provided that your hardware can take it and max out all the settings, and it's in Unity.)
    • Hear the water splatter around you at different places
      (on the ground, on your helmet, on the roof...)
    • Watch how the water splatters on your visor
      (hint: slowly look up and down... if you bought this game)
    • "...help..." (Officially denied by the devs & CM)
    • Check out the lighting!
    • ...and maybe many more fine details that are too damn obscure that you must pay attention to actually notice.
  7. Tense atmosphere in both campaign/co-op and PvP.
    (Your flashlight may or may not be your best friend.)

Cons:
  1. It's Steam Early Access.
    (not really a bad thing, but I guess some people don't like the notion of buying an incomplete game.)
  2. It's hungry for hardware, and not Mac/Linux-friendly ('cuz OpenGL and Unity).
    • On my iMac:
      30-60fps main menu, 15-30fps in PvP,
      drops to 1-5fps on NeuroGen Incident (biggest map in the game)
    • *turn off beamsync*:
      OVER 90... yeah... until NGI, it drops to 5fps
    • Switch to Bootcamp Windows 7:
      40-100fps main menu, cool 30fps in PvP, 20-30fps on NGI... not bad.
    • *switch from DirectX to OpenGL*:
      screw this... OpenGL & Unity hate each other.
    • Machine: Intel i5 2.5GHz, AMD Radeon HD 6750M 512 MB, 8 GB RAM
  3. Plenty of bugs to stomp (which I actually enjoy, but then, again…)
    • I mean, check out the pinned post I'm keeping (or I had been keeping) in the Steam Discussions page. It's friggin' long...)
    • Seriously. The list, although unofficial, is longer than this puny review. The official buglist is much longer.
    ("...where the **** is the keycard?!" "HOLY CRAP I AM FALLING THROUGH THE MAP!"
    that kind of thing. But a marine keeps his cool, no?)
  4. Server rollback has yet to be coded & implemented. (keyword: yet)
    • Client-server feedback latency may vary for different people.
      If your opponent/robot manage to shoot you in the head before you can even react, blame lag.
  5. Small multiplayer population + surplus servers + high ping (in my area)
    • Perfectly good money wasted on empty servers, IMO.
  6. No landsharks, yet.
    • Devs are so perfectionist that they want to perfect the AI code before introducing the sharks... *hype dies out*
  7. Spoiler: Not in space, yet. (The NeuroGen Incident is a reenactment underground.)


Thus, in the current state of this game:

Recommended For:
  1. Gamers looking for a highly balanced and tactical FPS.
  2. Gamers looking for thrills with replay value, and tired of mediocre jumpscares.
    (Advice: Never play on Easy mode. It kills the atmosphere.)
    But this is not meant to be a horror game. It's... uhm... a test!
  3. Live by the game tagline: In space, your friends can hear you scream.

Not Recommended For:
  1. Gamers used to and prefer mainstream FPS, like CS, CoD, BF etc.
  2. People who don't like buggy and incomplete indie games.
  3. Gamers who set the same high expectations like they do with heavily funded games by big publishers.
...which I can totally understand. This review is meant to help your research.

Conclusion:
All you have to decide is
WILL YOU BELIEVE?
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22 Comments
WeebSlayer May 6, 2022 @ 10:01pm 
did this dudes Humvee run over an IED?
g0dd May 4, 2022 @ 8:23pm 
Dedicated developers, even if progress on the game is slow. (For goodness' sake, it's a small indie studio!) Plus great community managers!

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
El Syd Mar 19, 2022 @ 6:56pm 
A review like this is no longer helpful given the game's current status.
SavageSloth Feb 8, 2022 @ 11:20am 
it's 2022 any update?
cx3907 Nov 30, 2020 @ 7:54pm 
Birds aren't real.
Sweetroll Nov 30, 2020 @ 2:39pm 
Google keywords: Autism
cx3907 Nov 30, 2020 @ 8:50am 
Google keywords: Singapore Armed forces ILBV
Sweetroll Nov 28, 2020 @ 6:30am 
That is not a real uniform.
Der Kaiser Nov 6, 2020 @ 5:31pm 
i also respect the Dev, key word DEV, who is working on this by himself with the help of the community.
Warlord33 Oct 11, 2020 @ 2:53am 
Damn, gotta respect that