Recent reviews by Hevvy180 {G4C/CD} #TeamPyro

A mold-breaker -- solid gameplay forms a bedrock on which continual updates are laid, with no cost to the user save the purchase price of the game. FOMO doesn't exist -- anything you didn't get when it came out is simply added to the loot pool for standard missions. Each class has a wide variety of different gameplay styles that seamlessly mesh with the other dwarves in your party, and there aren't any truly non-viable weapons in the game -- an impressive feat of balance.

Rock and Stone.

TL;DR, the game is good, but it exists in a world in which Far Cry 3 and 4 existed first, and Blood Dragon and Primal surpassed their origins. Plot's janky, side quests range from meh to pretty good, guns are alright, driving's fun, but it's shackled to Ubisoft's insistence on using an inferior secondary community application.

SPOILERS BELOW:

This game really, REALLY wants you to care about its plot. Like, the game insists that whatever gameplay thing you have chosen to do is no longer important once they feel like it's time to do plot. A plot, mind you, that's deeply inaccurate in its intended message. The whole point is supposed to be that "sometimes it's better to let go and walk away," knowing full well that not only is your character (as a police officer) OBLIGATED to interfere in service to the innocent citizens of Montana, but both you and the character are actively motivated by every facet of gameplay and plot to dive in headfirst and save lives. This "message" is delivered by a man who: openly admits to killing his infant daughter in his arms; regularly commands the kidnapping, brainwashing, torture, and execution of innocent civilians; is implied to have forced himself upon one of his "apostles" and force-fed her powerful hallucinogens until she was addicted at the tender age of seventeen; doesn't know how to wear a shirt; and willfully wears a man-bun. The line "not every problem can be solved by a bullet" leaves the mouth of a problem that can be solved with a bullet, and all you are allowed to do is suffer through myriad cutscenes that never would have happened because a sane man would have shot this guy by now. Even during the end of the game, as you careen through burning forest, you can't turn around and Marvin this man as you SHOULD -- you willingly brought him along with you, for no reason?

The siblings are individually kind of cool, though.

END SPOILERS

The gunplay is Far Cry 3's gunplay, nothing crazy there -- though the shovel launcher is fun. Movement, vehicular or manual, feels solid. Game looks good, sounds good, and any time you're not interacting with its horrible Ubisoft-based multiplayer UI or its painfully counterintuitive and ham-fisted "plot," the game is fine. Problem is, 3 and 4, as well as Blood Dragon and Primal, are RIGHT THERE. If you're gonna get this one, get it on sale; otherwise, stick with the better games.

This is quite a strange game. The gameplay, while simple, is varied and flexible enough that you can get a lot out of replaying the main storyline alone -- and then, there's Kaycee's Mod, which further increases the depth and challenge of what is generally regarded as the best part of the game. The characters and writing are, for the most part, gripping and enjoyable, and the art style(s) are carefully thought out.

---Spoilers Below---

Act 1 is almost a TTRPG, in that the host of the cabin, Leshy, illustrates a story with you as its centerpiece -- one of sacrifice, decay, rebirth, and ultimate triumph against overwhelming odds. Its laws are cruel, but just, those of tooth and claw and blood and bone. The mechanical side of things is based on combining effects and increasing the raw stats of your cards, while managing deck size to ensure decent draws. The entire cabin is a sort of escape room, where the puzzles are designed to unlock new toys to play with -- although even in victory, you are reminded in full force that Leshy is in total control. However, the little cracks in the facade -- the influence of the others trapped in the cabin -- give hope of overcoming Leshy's vicious cycle once and for all.

Act 2 is more of a traditional RPG in style, where combat is a broader, if not as deep, version of Act 1's gameplay. The game has reset, after Leshy's control is lost, to its baseline state, where all 4 Scrybes sit in a deadlock of power-balance. As such, its tone is one of relative neutrality and balance, where the world is clearly gamey and lovingly cliche. The rules are simple and the options are limitless, and while the more interesting mechanics of Leshy's world are no longer here, the combinations of cards and strategies from the other Scrybes breathe plenty of life into the otherwise shallower mechanics. The primary flaws of Act 2 are twofold -- the lack of replayability (for after their defeat, none of the enemies can be refought) and the fact that you have to move to Act 3.

Act 3 is the most mechanically focused and least flavorful world design -- which, of course, plays into the themes of the game. P03, a rival Scrybe, has gained command of the game at this point. Unlike Leshy, who cared little for mechanics unless flavor could be injected, P03 has little love for flavor, and only ever uses it as a vehicle to inject more power-gaming into his setup. Being a machine, he has little to no originality, and only truly copies the other Scrybes in a way that ends up stripping their identity from the pieces he steals. The primary saving graces of this entire Act are the gifts the previous two Acts leave you to get through it -- Lonely Wizard, the Angler, Goobert, Ouroboros. They make the ride bearable, where otherwise it might be more difficult due to, well, intentional lack of flavor and overfocus on its mechanics. On an artistic level, it's genius -- but making something intentionally bad doesn't change the fact that it's still bad, if that makes sense.

Throughout the game, you are given glimpses into the life of Luke Carder, who is revealed to be (ostensibly) playing the game, and we're really just watching footage of him having done so. This is all connected to an ARG that ran during the release and updates of the game, and I'm sure it's really cool, but as far as I'm concerned, it detracts from the immersion and investment of the player into the game. I don't care for Luke, in general -- the information given is primarily an interruption of the gameplay and characters I do care about. The Lucky Carder segments are the weakest part of the game, honestly, but they are tolerable.

Then the climax of the game -- the twin betrayals, the glimpse into what could have been, the reminders of what was, and the deletion of Inscryption. We see the types of games the other two Scrybes would have run, and just like Leshy's is full of mechanical foibles and P03's lore and flavor is dry as a desert, they possess their own flaws -- Grimora's version of the game starts up rather slowly, and its overworld is rather simplified into a plain chessboard, whereas Magnificus's obsession with grandeur and perfectionism ends up feeling hollow due to lack of mechanical depth. We are permitted, as well, to face Leshy once more -- this time not as a foe, but as an old friend, a familiar face in this last trial. Our old deck is returned, and he asks us to play just a few more hands, and all of a sudden the dark and foreboding music of Act 1 is a mournful backdrop to a goodbye disguised as a duel. The entire ride to the credits is an absolute treasure, and what caused me to replay the main story three separate times.

---Spoiler End---

A storytelling mastercraft that remains mechanically sound, with a side-mode that allows you to hone your skills on the best of their work, and frankly, well worth twenty dollars.

Unique. There aren't a lot of games that focus on underwater gameplay -- and even fewer take it to space. On top of this, despite its early access status, the game runs relatively well and provides fun and interesting gameplay right off the bat. This game has powerful potential, and is fairly deep and very entertaining in the meantime. More animal variety and density -- especially of harmless or helpful animals like reefbacks and floaters -- would be a good direction to move in.

True Pacifist here.

Loved the game. The writing went above and beyond expectation, the musical variety and intensity was excellent. Gameplay was...well, it's an RPG, but the ACT system is quite creative, and the player has to piece things together to achieve their goals. That being said, the best part about this game is the ending, especially for pacifists. The last -- what, eight hours? Masterfully crafted, and absolutely something you should play through for yourself. Toby did good work.

Most of the game: 8/10, enjoyable and unique but not my favorite game ever

Papyrus: 10/10, bones untrousled

Mettaton: 10/10, fabulous fight

Everything past Mettaton: 12/10 hold on to your hopes and dreams

Surpasses AAA titles in thought-provocation and emotional draw, made mostly by 1 dude, it's ten dollars. Worth the money.

I'd recommend this game under one condition: Take the advice in the title, and prepare yourself. Death is not failure, but it is common.

First, a bit of background: Coming into this game, and having never touched either it or a controller before, I actively disliked a lot about it. I hated the Vancian cast limits placed on the magic (still do, in fact; I'd prefer nerfed magic and a bloody mana bar). I also expected to be able to play it immediately, but instead was advised to get DSFix (no, seriously, get it immediately) to ensure that it worked well the first time around. I had to buy a controller just to PLAY the game, since the M&K combo didn't work out. The only reason I even got the game was that a friend wanted me to try it, and it wasn't all that expensive. All in all, I was more than ready to hate this game and everything about it.

And then I actually PLAYED the game.

And it's amazing.

Let's ignore the setting for a minute, because it's awesome on its own. Let's ignore the depth of the lore, and the subtlety behind it, for the same reasons. Let's look at the combat, and the exploration, and the GAMEPLAY of the game. I have never seen a game so dedicated to making it YOUR FAULT when you die. It's not that hard to take about ten extra seconds and think it out before charging in, and if you do that, you instantly double your chances of survival. Trying out a weapon and learning its quirks BEFORE fighting the enemy is absolutely vital, so that you know how to time your hits. The attacks the enemies use are, for the most part, very easy to read if you just WAIT a minute and figure it out. It's not hard to figure out which enemies are tough enough that you should just leave them alone for a while, and if you attacked them, it's on your head. Once you understand the basic mechanics, the game becomes downright refreshing.

I don't know about you, but I hate it when I die in a game and it WASN'T my fault. I need to be able to see where I screwed up, and fix it. This is the game that lets you do that, and if you're not willing to do so, of COURSE the game is super hard. Of COURSE you're getting punished. If you're not willing to learn and get good, you deserve punishment.

In summary, though, this game is not for casuls. This game is for the player who is willing to accept constructive criticism both from the game and from the player base. This game is a trial by (bon)fire, and passing through will temper you into a better gamer, and possibly a better person. Git gud, stay warm, praise the sun, and kill the dogs first. Good luck out there, and don't you dare go Hollow.

>be me
>watch this game in a let's play
>want it
>see it coming out on PC
>be worried about it being a bad port
>play it for 5 minutes
>RULES OF NATURE
>no longer worried

In all seriousness, though, this is a great game. A couple things you might need to know, though:
1. This is not a Metal Gear SOLID game, but it is a Metal Gear game. It's just Metal Gear RISING, which means you control Raiden instead of Snake. Stealth gameplay is no longer a major factor. I hear MGSV is a thing, so you'll get your fix later.
2. This is a character-action game. If you usually use a controller for such things, now is the time to hook it up. The keyboard controls, however, are surprisingly good. I made only minor adjustments and played it comfortably. Unfortunately, a controller is required for the Konami code, but that just unlocks all difficulties early.
3. This game is rather intense. You should probably consider getting everything done BEFORE sitting down to play the game; you won't be leaving that chair anytime soon.
4. Jetstream Sam is WAY harder than Raiden. Play through Raiden's campaign first, lest your heart explode from frustration.

If all of the above appeals to you, or at least does not offend you too greatly, you should definitely give this a shot. The action is fluid, and the bosses are literally the best I've fought to date.

Custom characters, guns, hats, and multiplayer mayhem. Valve has outdone themselves. Also, BACKBURNER IS KING.