Recent reviews by Mr. Vakarian

I don't really recommend this game at the moment, it lacks many feature. In reality the game resembles more a proof of concept rather than a full game at this stage,
That said the base gameplay loop is fun, and the build is very stable for early access.

I am going to shelve it for now, and I hope to see it grow over subsequent updates

It was alright.

So far, I like what I see.
One thing I would mention though, is that the concept of the prep round and the Surprised state do not work well with each other.
I think the Prep round should be classed as a buff that increases dodge, rather than a penalty to ACC. This way you could chose not to give it to surprised enemies. (Aka making your attacks land consistently)

I don't like this DLC at all. I don't mind that it is simply a country pack, however the DLC countries are not balanced at all. As if whoever designed the focus tree forgot to balance it for the rest of the game.

The 3 new countries (Chile, Argentina and Brazil) are incredibly overpowered. Their Military focuses were designed with the idea in mind that they are minors, and need a boost: as such they gain massive bonuses to their Combat Stats. However, all 3 of these countries can core the entirety of Latin America, so they end up having a massive population. This results in the optimal strategy being just mass waves of infantry, since no other Major Country can match you pound for pound.
Here's an example from Brazil's bonuses, just from going down the Military Branch and getting some advisors:
21% Division Org
9% Division Attack
5% Division Defence
4% Defence on Cores
15% Artillery Attack
20% Artillery Defence

These bonuses are more or less like having an additional Superior Firepower Doctrine on top of your normal doctrine.
And then you get a 20% Special Forces Capacity Multiplier. (France gets 2%, Poland gets 5%!!!), you can literally field 72 Special Forces Divisions without breaking a sweat.
And all this for country that doesn't lack from manpower to begin with, and can later core the whole of LATAM.

The story is the same for Chile and Argentina.

The industrial trees are alright, the political branches of the focuses are fine. And oh man, whoever designed the Amazon Rainforest needs to be let go.

I must say, that I find the Bucket to be extremely soothing. I would recommend this for anyone suffering from Chronic fatigue, stress, or depression.
Simply holding the bucket alleviates all feelings of hopelessness and existential dread, and provides a sense of absolute purpose.

10/10 would recommend the Bucket to anyone and everyone.

Please consult your medical professional.

Day 34 - Il Molise (South)

Once again we travelled at night. Something about keeping our movements hidden from the Reaper.
I cannot shake the feeling that something is off. That I am being mislead.
For famous Vampire hunters the Belpaese clan have not managed to show much in way of Vampire hunting.
Their skill at arms is immeasurable, to be sure; they cut down swathes of enemies as if they were wheat before the sickle.
Yet so far, we have not managed to find a single Vampire and drive a stake through its heart.
Master Antonio keeps insisting that we are hot on his trail and he cannot flee forever, but I am starting to have my doubts.

The fight was tough today. The waves of thralls bore down on us with unrelenting persistence, but we managed to persevere.
After wading once through the endless waves we found another accursed coffin, once again however there was no Vampire inside.
Only a another hapless fool, "trapped" inside the casket. They thanked us, just like the others did. This one too seemed to recognise the Belpaese folks, yet they still acted as if they had just met.
Are they truly trapped? Are we actually hunting a Vampire?
Or is this just a pretext to find and free the true occupants of those coffins and set them loose.

Lord preserve me. I think I am aiding the Vampires Survive, not Surviving the Vampires.

- Father Domario

:Edit:
I have revised my opinion.
I think what won me over is the Director's commentary. It's fascinating to hear the creators walk you through the thought process, and comment on the specific part of the game you are in right now.
:End of Edit:

I'll try to be as fair as I can, for I am fairly biased, as this type of game is not my cup of tea.
I would have preferred if Steam had a Neutral option instead of just Recommend/Not Recommend.
In this case I will select Not Recommend, based only on the price tag. 10 Euro is in my opinion too high for such a short game, I would have thought somewhere between 5 and 7.5 to be fairer.

That said:
This does not mean the game is bad.

I got this game for free somehow. I don't remember how, but this game sat in my library for a while.
If someone were to describe a walking simulator, this is perfect reference. It's a short game, a single playthrough should be about an hour long or so.
I am fairly conflicted on how to feel about this game. On one hand I enjoyed it, on the other I thought the tone was confused. I know this is intentional, but it didn't feel intentional until I heard the director's commentary.
I started the game downright disliking it. But I pushed on, and felt rewarded about the midpoint (caves), where the vistas started to look a lot more impressive. The thing that sticks out for me is the sound design, the team made very smart use of a non-existent budget.

This game is best approached as an interactive piece of art, with all the pretence the territory brings. The story/monologue approaches drivel at times, but If you go in with a receptive mindset, it's not that bad.

This is Gem of a Game, and a great example of a walking simulator done well. It's a short look into the history of a family that has been beset by tragedy. The narration, environments, pacing and music all come together to keep your attention.

Get it when on sale and keep it for a rainy day.
It's a fairly short game, and you could reasonably finish it in 3 or 3.5 hours. Comfortably fitting into a single sitting.
I highly recommend this as a cure for burn-out when you've been playing a specific genre or game for too long and need something else.

Concept-wise the game is decent. Good even. Just the fact that you can basically create a custom class is great in of it's own.
My issue is that this game is Fremium. And it has 0 qualms to try to get you to pay.
The economy is rigged to benefit spenders heavily. IMO it's better to find a different MMO to play.

I've played this game when in 2018. I was a cook then,
It was fun. It made a point. I liked it.
I played this game in 2023 again. I work in customer support now.
I am the point now.
I am Stanley.
I am slowly going insane.
This game is great, but I hate it... Cause it speaks true... It makes my inner self want to claw itself to the surface.
When I play this game, I want to be a communist.
And then I awake, and go back to pushing buttons.

A game that illicites this feeling in someone is a ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ masterpiece.