Recent reviews by chankwa.adinkool2007 @aflan2018

The dwarves had just emptied the last of their payload into their walking pack M.U.L.E. They've tunneled and traversed absurdly difficult terrain and mowed down swathes of insect-aliens, covering themselves in their disgusting green blood in the process. As they struggle through another wave that stands between them and the escape pod, the network of caves rattles with thump and a roar. Vegetation is set ablaze as the Bulk Detonator - the size of a small house - crawls towards them, blocking the only way forward. Even as their bullets tear through its pimple-like sacs and they scream at each other to get away, Mission Control announces via headset that he's received the M.U.L.E with all the resources they've gathered, and that their way out is ready to fly, whether they're inside or not.

"Deep Rock Galactic thanks you for your service. Drop pod will leave with or without you."

Anecdotally, this is what the game feels like. Badass dwarves delving into the deep, facing terrifying odds with nothing but their weapons, their teammates, and their grit. If you haven't bought the game and want something that rewards planning, coordination and aim, I can't recommend DRG enough. If you've bought the game and want that heart-racing punch, turn up that Hazard Level - because those moments are the best that DRG offers.


DRG is a game that sells itself on its unique classes, cooperative gameplay and destructible environments, and so far it has fully delivered on all these concepts - and more.

Buckle up, because with a game that has a lot to offer, I'm going to do it justice by covering the greatest aspects that I've found so far.

Looking at the basic selling points, there's definitely a lot to cover.

Unique Classes
Unique classes don't just add variety for players to choose from, they add high replayability to a game that has somewhat of a repetitive core cycle gameplay. Each class has something about it that makes it fun to play in a different way, and contributes to team efforts in a way that no other class can.

- The gunner's core is simple: mow down hordes of enemies with powerful weaponry. He gives the quintessential 'terminator' experience in a one-man army scenario.
- The engineer doesn't just build sentries and cower, he wipes out clusters with an expansive arsenal of explosive crowd control - all rewarded by good placement and planning.
- The driller has complete control over the terrain, making routes for his team that can be invaluable in mining resources fast. He strikes the combat balance between area control and singular target decimation - key to survival.
- The scout uses his grappling hook to zip about, lighting areas not just for mining, but to illuminate potential threats. His combat options largely involve sniping out larger targets with high burst damage, making precision especially rewarding.

These simple summaries don't even cover the alternative options that a class possesses, which brings me to my next point:

Customisability
Putting aside the amount of beards, armors, skins and models, each and every weapon has a tech tree that can change how it functions and the upper limits of the weapon. As you play the game, your weapons grow alongside you, becoming more powerful according to your specifications. Progression feels great, which is a big part of becoming better at the game. However, I find that the lower-endgame - when you're able to unlock all the upgrades and fully customise your weapons - is where DRG truly shines.

To my delight, this isn't something the devs took lightly; on higher difficulties, choosing the right combination of mods, in coordination with your teammates, can make all the difference between mission completion or failure. It makes success feel great when your weapons, specced according to your thought and planning, succeed in slaughtering the alien of your choice, and even better if you saved a friend in the process.

Cooperative Experience
Hoxxes is unforgiving, and that means you shouldn't delve alone. This is something that can't be fixed about DRG: it isn't an inherently enjoyable singleplayer experience. BOSCO the bot will help you get through things just fine if you're alone, but you're not getting the full experience of working along side other dwarves. Sure, you can have fun, but partying up is the best way to play, period.

Not only does it allow you to plan out your customisation strategies, it makes traversing terrain that much easier, and that much more fun. From small strategies like the engineer platforming resources on cliffs so the scout can grapple up and retrieve them, to the gunner shielding his entire team from literally dozens of enemies. From the driller digging the rest of his team to freedom, to a scout sniping a whale-like breeder out of the air so his team stops getting harassed as they work. The game really rewards working together, pooling all of your resources and deploying them effectively to conquer the dark. And if that isn't convincing enough, look to the community: there's all sorts of guides and people out there working in the spirit of the game to help others triumph over the denizens of Hoxxes

It helps if your teammates are friends that can laugh, rage, and work alongside you when things get heated and exciting; because believe me, it can. I highly recommend getting into this game with a group of friends, because that's where all the fun is in DRG: learning, planning and coordinating strategies that succeed together.

Gunplay
A hidden crux behind what makes this game so great is its rewarding gunplay. With a majority of time spent massacring glyphids, great visual and audio design was put in to make killing aliens feel satisfying. Not just that; with ammunition as a constant consideration, the game actively rewards players for aiming well, looking for critical weakspots, and yet again, coordinating to take down beasts bigger than yourself. With my friends, we've had clutch moments where only one man is up fleeing a horde: he lands a great grenade alongside a few well aimed shotgun shots into glyphid faces, and succeeds in picking us all up with no ammo remaining.

DRG would not be fun if killing aliens was not fun, and great weapon design + sensory feedback makes slaughtering glyphids a truly gritty, satisfying, almost cathartic experience.

Conclusion
This concludes my attempt to explain what makes this game just so undeniably fun. I'm a latecomer to this early access - I bought for half price with a close group of friends - but as the game stands its already well worth full price. I peaked at 120 hrs in 2 weeks, which is verifiably insane; the game is just that addictively good.

Something that should not be taken for granted: active development and community interaction. How many 'early access' games have roadmaps and development plans that actively deliver? Constant hotfixes and balances that keep the game experience smooth and in check? This game is already great, and has so much more room/is actually continuing to grow. I expect to see more, and look forward to the game's full launch.

TL;DR Teamwork, progression systems, customisability and gunplay make this game great.

Just buy the damn game. Don't have a friend to play with? Go make one. It's worth it to play Deep Rock Galactic.

I still have a headache.