If you want to pay $20 for an unfinished game that looks like it belongs on Dreamcast, here's your chance. Don't get me wrong, I'm not a big graphics guy. I can easily dig a good game with retro style graphics like Shovel Knight that pays good homage to its era. In comparison, TBC just looks dated (gaming circa 2002) and has probably the ugliest use of cel shading I've ever seen. The game's atmosphere feels sterile void of any charm or interest. And the audio? Completely forgettable, I don't remember a single tune from the game, granted most of the playtime is with the Desura build so this may have changed with the Steam release but from my brief testing, the game appears unchanged from its most recent build on Desura.

The gameplay isn't much better. The controls are ultra clunky and the combat reminds me slightly of the old PS2/XBox horror game Cold Fear but have action games come a long way since then and honestly Cold Fear already did it better. The puzzles are easy and occasionally well crafted but don't feel substantial enough to carry the game. It feels like the game was trying to be a mix of something cerebral like Portal and while having action similar to Resident Evil 4 but fell completely flat in both regards. If a developer is going to price their game at the level of some of the 2 year old AAA games, it should be able to hold its own. No, I'm not expecting AAA quality from an indie developer, but the pricing falls in the premium range as far as indie products go therfore I expect something good. This game is far from the indie cream of the crop. TBC fails miserably in many areas and it's simply just not fun to play.

I'm glad I won my copy in the winter auction for far less than the regular price. At regular price, the game is far too boring and unpolished to be worth the $$$. There's some honest hard effort evident in this game but good effort is not enough reason to give a recommendation. At least, the game seems to launch more stable in its Steam release, I had to jump through hoops to get the game to simply load through Desura. In comparison I tried loading the game 3 times in Steam and it loaded perfectly each time.

(Removed segment about developers and distributing keys to bundle buyers. They eventually gave keys to the Groupees bundle buyers)

Keep in mind this is an Early Access game, things could improve in the future and if they do improve I will be willing to re-visit the game and change my recommendation if the game warrants it. As it remains now, the game is a mess and not one I can recommend.

(This game was in early access when the review was written. I have not tried it since completed)

If you want to pay $20 for an unfinished game that looks like it belongs on Dreamcast, here's your chance. Don't get me wrong, I'm not a big graphics guy. I can easily dig a good game with retro style graphics like Shovel Knight that pays good homage to its era. In comparison, TBC just looks dated (gaming circa 2002) and has probably the ugliest use of cel shading I've ever seen. The game's atmosphere feels sterile void of any charm or interest. And the audio? Completely forgettable, I don't remember a single tune from the game, granted most of the playtime is with the Desura build so this may have changed with the Steam release but from my brief testing, the game appears unchanged from its most recent build on Desura. The gameplay isn't much better. The controls are ultra clunky and the combat reminds me slightly of the old PS2/XBox horror game Cold Fear but have action games come a long way since then and honestly Cold Fear already did it better. The puzzles are easy and occasionally well crafted but don't feel substantial enough to carry the game. It feels like the game was trying to be a mix of something cerebral like Portal and while having action similar to Resident Evil 4 but fell completely flat in both regards. If a developer is going to price their game at the level of some of the 2 year old AAA games, it should be able to hold its own. No, I'm not expecting AAA quality from an indie developer, but the pricing falls in the premium range as far as indie products go therfore I expect something good. This game is far from the indie cream of the crop. TBC fails miserably in many areas and it's simply just not fun to play. I'm glad I won my copy in the winter auction for far less than the regular price. At regular price, the game is far too boring and unpolished to be worth the $$$. There's some honest hard effort evident in this game but good effort is not enough reason to give a recommendation. At least, the game seems to launch more stable in its Steam release, I had to jump through hoops to get the game to simply load through Desura. In comparison I tried loading the game 3 times in Steam and it loaded perfectly each time. (Removed segment about developers and distributing keys to bundle buyers. They eventually gave keys to the Groupees bundle buyers) Keep in mind this is an Early Access game, things could improve in the future and if they do improve I will be willing to re-visit the game and change my recommendation if the game warrants it. As it remains now, the game is a mess and not one I can recommend. (This game was in early access when the review was written. I have not tried it since completed)