I've owned this game for less than five days and I've already sunk almost 30 hours into it. I have been wishing for YEARS that a "storm chasing simulator" could exist, so when I saw this game pop up on my recommendations, I didn't really hesitate to buy it. The overall concept of this game is incredible. It's not a perfect game - it's still in early access, and it definitely shows - but I enthusiastically recommend it if the subject matter (tornadoes, storm chasing) is a nerdy area of interest for you like it is for me. Let me break down a few things about my experience with this game.

CONS:

- Always online. I HATE that. Hate it, hate it, hate it. There's zero reason for this game to be always online. Now, strictly speaking, you can do "solo chase" mode, which does not require you to be online to play - but anything you EARN from those solo chases doesn't count unless you're online to save your game (save data is apparently not stored locally, which doesn't make any sense, but that's how it is). So in other words, the ability to actually PROGRESS in the game is gated behind an internet connection.
- Long loading times. There's a lot of preloading stuff that takes quite some time to do every time you launch the game (even for me, and I've got a pretty good computer). If you want to start a solo chase, be ready to wait 3-4 minutes on the loading screen. If you want to start a quick chase online, be ready to wait 3-4 minutes for the matchmaking to find a match... then another 3-4 minutes for the loading screen. When the disclaimers at the beginning pop up saying the game isn't optimized, they are not joking.
- Unity engine graphical weirdness. Frankly, given that this game involves a large open world where the main graphical point of the game is "render detailed clouds," the developers' choice of using Unity instead of Unreal is... frankly a bit baffling. There's no "sweet spot" for the graphics; the game is either going to look amazing and be a slideshow, or run well but look awful.

PROS:

- Gameplay. Ultimately, if you can suspend disbelief over the graphics and a couple of other things, the game is immensely just fun to play. It's MOSTLY a driving simulator, to be completely honest. In terms of actual gameplay mechanics, it plays a lot like a racing game. But at its heart, it's a strategy game. You have to make quick decisions on which storms to pursue, which chances to take, etc. The risk/reward balance is extremely gratifying.
- Multiplayer. Even though I've complained about the "always online" requirement, the online chasing experience IS a good one. It's the style of game that encourages you to be courteous to other players, but the slightly competitive aspect (wanting to be in good position, getting those "first reports," etc.) drives you to take risks and not play it too safe. The game is extremely fun even in solo chase, but multiplayer is an adrenaline rush.
- Weather physics. One of the key selling points of this game is the weather simulation, and it does not disappoint. Just like in real life, you learn to watch the radar and recognize patterns. Sometimes that lets you get in just the right spot, and sometimes the storm will throw a curveball and do something completely unpredictable. No two chases are the same. It makes it really gratifying when you get to the end of a chase and everything has gone right.

Overall, this game is outstanding. It's still got lots of room to improve, but even in its current state, it's a lot of fun - easily the most fun I've had out of any other game I've played so far this year. I'm eagerly awaiting the developer's next moves. Heartily recommend!