Recent reviews by vCount

i loved episode 1, but episode 2 seemingly needed more time in the oven, which is kinda silly, given that its been in the oven for so long already. I've discovered at least 3 ways to softlock yourself in e2m1, one in e2m2, and im honestly getting kinda annoyed between that and the glitchy textures/other stuff.

I'll return in a few months and im sure ill be able to give it a glowing review, but for now im putting a negative one here, at least to let New Blood know, that this level of polish is unnaceptable

Just like with the other chess roguelike i reviewed, man, is it hard to ape Balatro with another game, you'd think it's piss easy, but no.
Honestly, this one is better, the presentation is better, the bosses being references to IRL players is fun, we only need to add Levy yapping in there somewhere.
The game is alright, my biggest problem with it is that i don't really feel the urge to play these sorts of games like chess, you know? I play them as roguelikes, concerning more about OP strategies than actual tactics and strategy. That might be me, of course, but i think it's more the entire idea of a game like that.

Not a fan. I guess it's a good example of the fact that you can't just ape Balatro but use another game instead of Poker and be fine.
First off, it's ugly. I don't have a word to describe it, but UI looks very basic, and the pieces, oh god, instead of going for any established sort of figure presentations, the dev went for 3d models, and i'm sorry, when i can't tell a pawn from a bishop at a glance you may have a problem.

Good game, the biggest missed opportunity is that that one opponent doesn't say the word "skibidi" a single time

I'm going to compare this game with WOTR and Kingmaker as a person who's played every Owlcat game so far. It's only natural when they are in the same engine. Spoilers ahead.

Let me get one thing out first: RT gives us a rather unique way to look into we don't usually see in 40k games, the lives of (relatively) normal people. I value it a lot. I also prefer the turn-based only combat system to PF's mishmash of turnbased being too slow and RTWP being weird (for me).

There are some more positives, but lets get onto the negatives:

-- BUGS. This game is more buggy than Skyrim, and it's 1.5 years after release! They are making DLC for this thing! From things i had were:
- Enemies just standing there, uninteractable, after being killed. Sometimes they t-pose. It happened with an enemy that killed him
- Minimap progress just erasing itself for some reason. The map was explored and now there's fog of war again.
- NPCs walking are occasionally stuck doing different animations while sliding across the floor (the worst of it was on Janus)
- At a certain point (i think it's related to the DLC quests in act 4) the companion i've sent away earlier in Act 4 just returned for no reason. Occasionally their model would just not be there in dialogue.
- Ah, and the reason i sent them away -- at a point in act 3 they are forced in your party and for some reason they would just completely skip all of their turns not doing anything.
- In one of those act 3 fights one other companion got stuck in a fight. You see, they take 4 squares of space, unlike everyone else that takes 1, and the map was made so they were stuck between two sets of stairs, with paths 1 square wide.
- Probably something else i forgot. And that's only the stuff i could see, who knows if any of quest broke or anything like that

-- Act 3 exists, and is just a worse version of Act 4 from WOTR. And while i don't hate the idea of Act 3, it's in that weird middle ground where it clearly took enough developement time and attention to not be a throwaway thing, but also not enough to be good. The whole thing feels pointless and like a waste of time, and again, which sucks that i can't help but compare it to an almost identical premise of WOTR Act 4, which was done miles better, which felt like an actual alien society, a city. Why shoot yourself in a foot like that? Nothing major comes out of us doing Act 3, you literally say once "oh i've done that" and that's it. You could've been in coma for several weeks with the same impact.

-- Act 4 exists and this is when the quality takes even more of a nosedive (though i guess it depends on how much you did in Act 2?). It's the same map as Act 2 with like one or two star systems added. There's barely any new sidequests, and only a few new areas to explore. The whole thing becomes super linear as a result. Companions banter during gameplay lessens massively, companions chiming during dialogue also lessens. A lot of things feel super arbitrary (like how Argenta's quest in Act 4 starts, it really felt like "oh we need to start it somehow!". Act 5 is this, but more, but there it's a clear ending stretch so i don't mind. Also in your quarters you collect trophies through Act 1 And 2 and then just stop. It's stupid because you start beating way bigger threats for your little museum.

-- Quetza Temer, the planet of loading screens, exists. Owlcat really took a look at their tech, at the complaints KM had about loading screens, and said "We really need to make one planet a maze of nothing micro-areas with loading screens in between".

-- In Act 2 you are introduced to factions and you might be thinking oh there might be some politics and stuff and no they are literally just vendors. I mean, as you approach the endgame the faction leaders get together and come to you and say good job pal go kill the bad guy and give you like a lollipop. But i'm sorry, these guys are literally just numbers. You offload junk you can't use to them, talk once as you make introductions and they act like you're a very important man for that.

-- While i like the companions i feel like both KM and WOTR had more content with them. Camp banter, party banter, Council decisions in WOTR, stuff like that. Also most of companions had at least 3 quest for them, here it feels a lot have only one or two. Which Owlcat tries to play with by making you take these characters on main quests (Like, is siege of Efrat Ulfar's quest? Hell no, but you can't do his quests if you don't do it with him in the party, so it kinda technically is?)

-- The main quest writing (?) is noticeably worse than Pathfinders. From the prologue to midway of Act 2 you're fighting Chaos. Then Chaos disappears from the story completely until the Act 4, as you're fighting Drukhari. But then Drukhari almost completely exit the story as Chaos remembers that it was in the story and comes back for like a quest and a couple of side locations.
Then there's again no Chaos. Or Drukhari. But instead a third thing, and the main antagonist is literally a guy you've talked to like twice, Speaking of antagonists, the guy who backstabs and threatens you in the prologue and promises to screw you over, disappears completely until that Act 4 quest. It's so funny when the beginning of Act 3 brings him up as if he's still a threat or a presence in your story

-- The vox master having that "any rumours" line and her 99% of the time saying "nah i dont" is silly. Just have her deliver rumours to us if they are appearing.

-- This is probably the only game where i dreaded to level up my characters, and you have to do it 50-something times per character. I got a secret companion late in the game, which was level 35 while every my character was 55, and i said no, i'm not leveling you 20 times, you're staying on the ship. Operative feels useless and boring to use. Soldier feels OP, or maybe a combo of soldier/arch-militant and officer (i know it was nerfed, but it's still strong)


It was not awful, but it's certainly more in the negatives for me. The writing decisions probably can't and won't be changed, but i hope they at least patch the game up and remake Quetza Temer.

bought it ages back on itch. very, very cute graphics, but pretty boring and samey all things considered. still doesn't have a multiplayer besides hotseat, and i dont know if its the recent thing but the performance is godawful, i have to wait for like a minute between turns for AIs to make their turns and then to stare at a loading bar.

This is honestly the crowning achievement of gaming. And it's a damn crime UFO 50 didn't get indie game of a year in 2024.
Hey, listen, if you're reading me and you're AT ALL into the games of NES era, grab this. Mini & Max alone are worth the price, and there's 49 games more. Do you like TBS? Play Avianos. Do you like puzzles? Play Camouflage, Devilition, freaking Coala Block. If you like more of an action-runney-shootey like Contra, there is Vainger. Rail Heist is amazing. Porgy is great. The collection is fantastic. Get it. Get it now

i dont plan on playing devil anytime soon, but i just wanted to leave review appreciating the work that went into reworking the mythic. Hope GD gets something in the future

Loving it so far, loving the alternate ways to play, Providence Trials, love the old stuff and the new stuff. Made Bandit from one of my least favorites to one of the most favorites (with whip and flashbang). Artificer feels weak but ive heard that its being adressed. Keep it up!

thanks for the dlc, can't wait for further updates!!