17 hours in, I've been hooked for a while, there's no chance I'm gonna stop anytime soon.
However, even though I was super inclined to like it, I must say it didn't win me over at first.
I think the split between reviews (say IGN's 8.5 vs Polygon's 5 for example) is due to that : it's a very cool game, that just somewhat fails at presenting itself in a good light.
If/when you start playing it in a way that makes its strengths shine, you'll most likely be hooked. Sadly, this isn't how the game sets you up to play it 'officially'.
Basically, in my opinion, here's how the game can be amazing (and how I've been playing for the past 15 hours and want more) :
- Just explore and engage with whatever you see. See something (a landmark, smoke, or really anything cool looking in the distance), go there, and engage with whatever you find, you'll earn scrap and complete legend stuff that gives you points to upgrade your car and Max, so buy a bunch of stuff, then see something else, go there... rinse and repeat.
This probably sounds very boring and repetitive, but that's missing how really freaking cool the world building/level design is. I don't think it can be explained with words, but you'll be amazed, and you'll be surprised. Sometimes on your way to something very visible on the horizon, you'll just stumble upon something that was hidden on the way (sometimes a whole goddamn camp hidden inside a mountain, that you just took a secret entrance to without even knowing it was there). Even small scrap locations can turn out to be just a little more than they look like at first. Maybe there'll be a new enemy type. Or maybe a cool "history relic" with an appropriate comment from Max reminding you of what this world is. Or maybe a project part. Or maybe even a whole new car body. Or maybe just scrap. Or maybe it will just be a super cool-looking place even though it doesn't have anything surprising gameplay wise (it will still fillup your challenges and give you scrap towards upgrades anyway, so it's never lost or meaningless).
That's how I love the game : go wherever I want, engage with what I find (camps/convoys/scrap locations), upgrade, over and over again. Just do a story mission from time to time when I need a upgrade that's locked behind it, but that's about it.
The constant progression of fun combats (car and ground), and discovering a diverse world of charismatic locations has won me over.
This is very much what the game can be (and is now for me), but sadly this really isn't how it presents itself, a few points that make the game look bad :
- It teaches you to go into Ubisoft Balloons (TM) to ruin any sense of exploration and turn its world that is so lovingly crafted into an cold icon chase. Only this specific decision, to me, is probably the reason for at least 50% of the criticism the game gets. (I can understand how raiding all those cool and varied locations could feel like a "samey grind" if you get there straight by following your GPS and are reminded 100% of the time of all those other exactly same icons you haven't visited yet).
- The game also smothers the main stuff, the best stuff, (ie convoys, camps, scrap locations : the reason you're here in the first place, the stuff worthy of exploring and doing) with a billion other icons and thingies that are entirely optional, mostly unimportant, but are presented to you with the same level of importance as anything else.
On your map, big meaty gameplay pieces with best rewards like camps, are showed the same size as funny "destroyables" like snipers or scarecrows, and both are also the same size as NPC encounters, which aren't even gameplay (just press A to exchange a few words with a generic NPC to get scrap/intel/extremely sidey side activity like jumping from ramps). Taking into account that you'll have all those different things on the map at the same time even the very first time you go out into the open-world, and it's not hard to see how some people might have experienced the game as "full of mindless tasks", even though it's as far removed and can be from what I've experienced these past 15 hours.
In the same way, before you even get to fight a convoy or raid a proper camp (aside from the tutorial one), the game shoves in your face the "stronghold projects" checklist, which is something like 10 straight up fetch quests, suggesting you mark one on your map, further maintaining the impression that the proper way to play the game is to go straight for icons, pick up a collectible, maybe beat up 1 or 2 low level guys, and go back to the stronghold to enjoy the smallest of passive bonuses/added comfort.
Let me be clear : I don't think any of those side things are inherently bad ideas or shouldn't be here, I just think they're presented in the worst way possible, AND can even take you away (until you know better) from the more important stuff, the stuff that matters, the actual meat of the game, what you should be hooked on (= convoys/camps/etc).
Sorry for the shitty food metaphor, but I'd say if a restaurant served you so much appetizers that you'd forget to order the proper meal until your stomach is full, you'd likely feel as a result that "the food in this place was bland and boring, let's not go back".
Another point that can probably seal the deal of a less-than-stellar first impression, is that at first, maybe your starting car and character simply aren't cool enough to show the potential of both combat systems. A lvl 0 max against lvl 0 enemies can probably feel like the combat system is so shallow it won't go anywhere. Even though it really mixes things up later on as you upgrade and meet several different enemy types and environments. Same for car combat. With your lvl 0 car not going very fast, and only your harpoon fighting only cars with drivers that can be one-shot with it, it really doesn't sell the amazeness that convoy fight becomes later on. And remember : if you're stuck doing only the wrong 'icons' on your map, you might not even progress fast enough to see how it evolves.
TLDR :
Game is great, world is awesome, bad reviews are likely due to a bunch of small things & clumsy exposition that can really come together and make it boring if you're not careful.
Very subjective tips to enjoy it : avoid the damn balloons (or just fuel them to get fast travel if you want), and at first don't bother with stronghold projects, NPC encounters, or whatever else, just go your way with your magnum opus and your Chumbucket, towards whatever cool thing you see on the horizon, raid whatever you come across, upgrade things as you go, and bask in the glory of the world. For hours.
Peace.
