Recent reviews by Nomgoose

While this game has had mixed reviews since its release into early access, the development team has released TWO patches within the first 48 hours to not only address the balance concerns and issues expressed by the player base, but also to improve performance of the game on all machines.

Now onto what you actually want to know: how does the game play, feel, and function, but most of all, is it fun.

Let me be clear, this game has some of the best level design I've played in years. The way the areas twist and turn and roll into themselves is reminiscent of Dark Souls I and Hollow Knight. In fact, I would say the lessons the developers learned in creating Ori and Ori 2 are on full display here. This game is a Metroidvania game in an ARPG skin.

Gameplay is more similar to that of Dark Souls than it is Diablo. If you came expecting Diablo, you will not be happy. The Diablo comparisons make sense from a loot perspective (random drops with random modifiers), but not so much with the moment to moment combat. The moment to moment experience is more like a cross between Dark Souls and Dead Cells.

The equivalent of bonfires in the game are called Whispers. They do not heal you like they do in other similar titles and as such, the enemies also don't respawn when you use them. Instead, as you move around the map, the fog of war will cover up places you previously visited and at that point, enemies and materials will have respawned. This encourages you to clear areas, then explore a new area, before reclearing the old one. The enemy types are randomized when they respawn but their locations generally remain the same.

Visually, it is stunning. There is no other game that looks quite like this. Aesthetically, I feel there are elements from Dishonored and the character designs are cartoonish in a way that reminds me of Timesplitters. The environments are literally moving paintings that make you feel like you're walking through a fairy tale at every moment. The lighting and HDR is -- as one would expect after the spectacle of Ori 2 -- second to none. The only downside here is performance, which is being actively worked on. Given that this is early access, I find it fair to give this a pass for now as this is basically the first stress test of the game.

What I didn't expect is how visceral and powerful the sound design would be. Each movement, attack and animation has a proper thud or brush or stamp. And don't even get me started on the howls of the Risen enemies and bosses! The horror that rushed through my body when I heard the first boss wail from a screen away as I approached its arena was unlike anything I've experienced in years. This is truly outstanding and phenomenal work from the sound designers and they deserve so much kudos. It makes the experience so much more engrossing than I ever could have imagined.

I've barely scratched the surface of what appears to be in this game by focusing on the first area and the main city while gathering resources for some upgrades before progressing further. With that said, I can tell that this game is going to be a GOTY contender when it officially releases out of early access. It has all the elements in place, and Early Access will give it the polish deserving of that prestige.

If you can look past the issues that you would expect in Early Access, you will find a fabulous game with intentional designs that we just don't see in gaming any more. It feels hand-touched in a way that most studios would rather have a computer algorithm handle it. That's what makes it special, and if you miss that feeling, this is a game you should play.

It's open world Dark Souls, and that makes it outstanding. All the best parts of Soulsborne games are here and have been further refined to make it the ultimate version of From Software games. The way it approaches the open world by providing a map, but no information on where to find anything is incredible. It makes discovery and exploration a pillar of the game's design where other open worlds simply share a checklist of things to do so you know where everything is. If you like Dark Souls games and want to see the evolution at its fullest potential, pick this up and go in blind. Take your time. Explore the world. Soak in the environments. Talk to everybody, and take notes in an actual notebook. You may surprise yourself with how immersed you'll feel.

From a gameplay refinement stand point, this is the best souls game of the series. The mechanics and controls are tight, the environments are so detailed and gorgeous and it has so many easter eggs for fans of the previous games. The biggest downside is its linearity. It has lost that ability to go anywhere from the start in favor of a more linear progression compared to previous Souls titles. That being said, it still offers a lot to scratch that exploration itch and to find all its hidden secrets, much like a good Metroidvania game. Highly recommended.

I have exclusively used the steam controller for gaming in the past month, and I will not go back. The precision it offers and backend software support to customize the controller to your hands and play style make it unrivaled.

There are so many ways to tweak this controller that I've only been able to scratch the surface of its strengths. The gyroscope, for instance, is an unsung feature that has revolutionized how I make control schemes for games.

I cannot say enough good things about this piece of hardware.