Bragr
Banned
Summary
"The Last of Us" during the black plague is a dumb description, but there is some truth to it. Remove the guns and add a slingshot, remove the mushroom monsters and add rats. And add some jank to it.
I like the game a lot more than I expected, but I also sit with the feeling that there is a lot of untapped potential here. They can do a better job with the story, they can make you more effective in combat, and they can make the game feel less level-based and predictable. They can do more work with the voice acting, like making things sound more natural, some of the conversations could be a bit stiff at times.
I like dealing with the rats, I liked the fast flow of the game (the 10-12 hours felt like 7-8 to me), and I like the characters and the setting. And the passion of the developers shows in all the little details throughout. Well worth playing.
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Initially, in 2019, I was never sold on this, I am tired of the trope where the main character has to protect or take care of a kid, and all the stealth and sneaking didn't sound that interesting to me. But since it's leaving Game Pass in a few days and the sequel is around the corner, I gave it a shot.
And I am very glad I did.
Amicia de Rune is in a desperate struggle to take of her sick brother during the hellish days of the black plague, the inquisition (nobody expects the inquisition) is after her little brother, and as you survive, you slowly start to piece together information about the real horror behind the curtain.
You can immediately tell the amount of work and heart that has gone into the game. It's a passion project from a studio that seems to have been outsourcing their work to other studios but doesn't seem to have built a game from their own making in a while.
The game is designed around environmental puzzles and sneaking or taking out enemies as you try not to get spotted. You can still fight when you get spotted, but it gets more difficult. What makes it work, is that managing and dealing with the rats is pretty satisfying. It's a horde of destruction, a whirlwind of rats that you have to use light to force around so you can move past them. Taking out the soldiers is satisfying too, and you get more and more ways to take them out as you progress.
Another thing that elevates the game, is how quickly you progress through areas. The game is easy, and while it could probably benefit from a few more complex puzzles, it means you are going from place to place and story bit to story bit quickly. I was never bored or tired of anything, I always felt I was supplied with new tools and that the story was moving.
Most areas are rather small, you usually only have to get past 3-4 guards, in a manner you choose, and I liked not getting constantly bogged down in long dragged-out stealth sequences. I also loved hearing the guards talk, as you don't know what a hell is going on early on, and by eavesdropping, you pick up interesting information.
The themes of the game revolve around how characters change as they are going through horrible things, and I think they hit that target in a so-so manner. Hugo, the little brother, has some sequences that are a bit over-the-top for a little kid, and Amicia has a tendency to react strongly to some things, and move past other things incredibly fast. I didn't necessarily buy into any of the characters too much, but I did like them. And I am interested in seeing whatever happens to them in the next game. There are some good side characters too that you work alongside, and they all have story arcs and well-made personalities.
There is a supernatural element to the game, and fear not, there are no corny fantasy monsters other than super-rats, but there is some wacky stuff later on in the game that does betray some of the more down-to-earth nature of the earlier parts.
I gotta say though, it's odd visually, it almost seems like there is some weird filter on it or something, at times it feels so foggy. Generally, the environments are detailed and well made and it's not a bad-looking game, at times it looks great, but there is some bloom or something weird that affects the look. It's worse in certain areas.
But, the cinematography of it is pretty solid, there are some big impressive areas and cool-looking places. Especially that battlefield with all the corpses early on. The presentation is hurt by the animations however, the is very little facial movements, and a lot of the walking looks janky, especially in the cutscenes. It really betrays the game if you just look at a cutscene.
What I found to be problems:
- Animations.
- It has a bunch of annoying stuff like slowly walking up ladders with your kid brother, and walking around pulling levers over and over to uncover a "secret door".
- Half of the upgrades were a bit useless.
- The game does repeat some of the puzzles and encounters, or at least they are too similar to previous ones you have already done a few times.
- They could have gone a lot deeper regarding the story of the macula.
- It was somewhat predictable at times rather than an organic adventure.
- Could use more novel puzzles and innovative segments.
- Limits you to a slow jog too many times.
- If you don't upgrade your slingshot, you gonna get some of those incredibly annoying sequences where you can't aim fast enough before the enemy gets you.
"The Last of Us" during the black plague is a dumb description, but there is some truth to it. Remove the guns and add a slingshot, remove the mushroom monsters and add rats. And add some jank to it.
I like the game a lot more than I expected, but I also sit with the feeling that there is a lot of untapped potential here. They can do a better job with the story, they can make you more effective in combat, and they can make the game feel less level-based and predictable. They can do more work with the voice acting, like making things sound more natural, some of the conversations could be a bit stiff at times.
I like dealing with the rats, I liked the fast flow of the game (the 10-12 hours felt like 7-8 to me), and I like the characters and the setting. And the passion of the developers shows in all the little details throughout. Well worth playing.
--------------------------------------------------
Initially, in 2019, I was never sold on this, I am tired of the trope where the main character has to protect or take care of a kid, and all the stealth and sneaking didn't sound that interesting to me. But since it's leaving Game Pass in a few days and the sequel is around the corner, I gave it a shot.
And I am very glad I did.
Amicia de Rune is in a desperate struggle to take of her sick brother during the hellish days of the black plague, the inquisition (nobody expects the inquisition) is after her little brother, and as you survive, you slowly start to piece together information about the real horror behind the curtain.
You can immediately tell the amount of work and heart that has gone into the game. It's a passion project from a studio that seems to have been outsourcing their work to other studios but doesn't seem to have built a game from their own making in a while.
The game is designed around environmental puzzles and sneaking or taking out enemies as you try not to get spotted. You can still fight when you get spotted, but it gets more difficult. What makes it work, is that managing and dealing with the rats is pretty satisfying. It's a horde of destruction, a whirlwind of rats that you have to use light to force around so you can move past them. Taking out the soldiers is satisfying too, and you get more and more ways to take them out as you progress.
Another thing that elevates the game, is how quickly you progress through areas. The game is easy, and while it could probably benefit from a few more complex puzzles, it means you are going from place to place and story bit to story bit quickly. I was never bored or tired of anything, I always felt I was supplied with new tools and that the story was moving.
Most areas are rather small, you usually only have to get past 3-4 guards, in a manner you choose, and I liked not getting constantly bogged down in long dragged-out stealth sequences. I also loved hearing the guards talk, as you don't know what a hell is going on early on, and by eavesdropping, you pick up interesting information.
The themes of the game revolve around how characters change as they are going through horrible things, and I think they hit that target in a so-so manner. Hugo, the little brother, has some sequences that are a bit over-the-top for a little kid, and Amicia has a tendency to react strongly to some things, and move past other things incredibly fast. I didn't necessarily buy into any of the characters too much, but I did like them. And I am interested in seeing whatever happens to them in the next game. There are some good side characters too that you work alongside, and they all have story arcs and well-made personalities.
There is a supernatural element to the game, and fear not, there are no corny fantasy monsters other than super-rats, but there is some wacky stuff later on in the game that does betray some of the more down-to-earth nature of the earlier parts.
I gotta say though, it's odd visually, it almost seems like there is some weird filter on it or something, at times it feels so foggy. Generally, the environments are detailed and well made and it's not a bad-looking game, at times it looks great, but there is some bloom or something weird that affects the look. It's worse in certain areas.
But, the cinematography of it is pretty solid, there are some big impressive areas and cool-looking places. Especially that battlefield with all the corpses early on. The presentation is hurt by the animations however, the is very little facial movements, and a lot of the walking looks janky, especially in the cutscenes. It really betrays the game if you just look at a cutscene.
What I found to be problems:
- Animations.
- It has a bunch of annoying stuff like slowly walking up ladders with your kid brother, and walking around pulling levers over and over to uncover a "secret door".
- Half of the upgrades were a bit useless.
- The game does repeat some of the puzzles and encounters, or at least they are too similar to previous ones you have already done a few times.
- They could have gone a lot deeper regarding the story of the macula.
- It was somewhat predictable at times rather than an organic adventure.
- Could use more novel puzzles and innovative segments.
- Limits you to a slow jog too many times.
- If you don't upgrade your slingshot, you gonna get some of those incredibly annoying sequences where you can't aim fast enough before the enemy gets you.