Senaste recensioner av Detective Mekova™

I've played the trial and eh, it's okay.
I don't think I'll be putting any money into the game unless it's like, reeeaaallllyyy on sale. Like maybe 50% off the complete edition or whatever.
It's an interesting concept which genuinely makes sense since the wars fought in this time weren't just a handful of battles on fairly linear maps but giant fields. I think the biggest issue I have is how repetitive the gameplay really is. It feels hallow, like Pokemon: Arceus kind of feels.
I bet if they tried the open world and crafting formula again it'll work better since now they have an understanding of what to do, and how to do it.
I think what would help immensely would be to keep the open world gameplay, allow open world battles to occur naturally, but then have story missions which are playable in those classic style arena style battles. Specifically with sieges and the like. Then you can just jump from major historic battle to major historic story moment without doing the fairly boring open world stuff.
That would probably help the game really establish a new identity while retaining some of the classic feeling that the old games gave.
Also get rid of the stupid microtransactions.
Overall I'm not gonna buy it to be frank, but I can see how people might really jive with this experience.

The game has come a long way since my review a year ago. I've sunk some more time into the game, and it has certainly improved. The AI Pathing is better, but not perfect. The combat is less tedious, but only a little bit. There are some quality of life improvements, and the new temperature and weather systems make things more interesting. The addition of ladders is a life saver, especially since it makes it easier to mine without having to strip mine an entire area. I also really enjoy how your people will take certain paths in the environment, and the terrain changes to a path. It's fascinating to see exactly how my people navigate around the map.

It's been a year of solid, consistent updates that add so much positive content to the game which really elevates it from its other colony sim contemporaries. It's still not as feature-filled as Rimworld, but it truly is coming into its own. I'm quite happy with the progress so far!

Old Review: 06/22

The best way that I can sum up this game is by saying "Almost."
It's Almost a good 3D rimworld type game.
It's Almost a good simulator game.
It's Almost a good strategy game.
It's Almost a fun game.

It reminds me of a prettier Towns more than anything, but with less jank. It has a pretty solid buildup, but as other reviewers mentioned, once you get the high ground/towers, it makes combat encounters fairly mundane. The only threat that is remotely dangerous are the catapults. Even then, you can build adequate defenses against them IE WWI Trench Warfare style lol.
I only recommend the game because they've already come a long way and I think the game has potential. In a year I'll return and give an update.

SO far the game is pretty good. It's a simple, but solid tactical RTS. It reminds me a lot of Ground Control which is the game which got me into Tactical RTS games in the first place.
There are gripes I have with it, but most of them will likely be fixed as development continues. Why they didn't release it in Early Access is beyond me, but from what I've played and seen it's a solid game.
The main complaint people have is variety of missions and how it's basically like a tower defense game. Which I don't know if they saw the same movie I did or not, but that's literally the only tactic that really works against hordes. Push up, dig in, make some chunky bug guacamole, rinse and repeat. It's honestly a pretty satisfying loop for me personally.
I'm doing my part for the Federation... are you?

It took me 4 hours to beat according to the game, but I accidentally left it on when I went out to dinner so it says 7 lol.
So it took 4 hours to beat, but it took me two years to complete due to how uninteresting this one is compared to RE2. RE2 had more to it. Two runs, multiple character POV campaigns which were good, and a whole host of interesting mechanics that just wasn't present in this installment. They honestly should've made the city more open world-like with different alleys you can duck through to avoid Nemesis or even other survivors. Literally anything to make the world feel less scripted.
The coolest/best part was the ending, and the half where you're going through the city.

EDIT:
I have played RE2Remake for over 30 hours, and I've been playing RE4Remake for over 30 hours.
This one just isn't good ya'll. It's on sale, so now isn't a bad time to get it... but still.

The ultra-violence flickers before my eyes, gun shots fired reaching a final crescendo in an orchestra of death. Bodies piled higher than the walls used to block the memories of my past. The sound of the emptying of pills fills my mind, a quick dopamine hit to echo the protagonists relief of pain.
Time slows down as I dive between doorways.
Corners and doors kid, that's where they get ya. Such advice rang hollow before Max Payne's journey started, but now I truly understood that message.
By the end of the journey, I've become a seasoned killer. A legend of lead, my thirst for blood never truly quenched. A river flows behind me, ready to wash away my adversaries, staining the innocence a scarlet red.
The game's good folks.

I've only played for 11 hours but so far I enjoy the variety of options for which you can pursue creating your own story.
The biggest issue that I have is dialog. Literally everyone is totally cool with initiating combat with you for basically the dumbest stuff. Oops, I stumbled onto a cave and a bunch of slugs don't like me because I can't talk to animals...
OH but my companion does, so I can just ha- oh we're now in combat because the game doesn't give you the option to let your companions take over the conversation mid-conversation. Y'know, like in real life or in DnD proper?
The best part of the game is the world building and the combat, but the dialog and context clues for certain situations could be a LOT better.

So far it's an interesting City Builder game.
It's a callback to the classic city builder games.

Update as of 3/13/2023:
Don't bother. It's abandonware at this point.
The concept was great and progress was being made but the games performance is really bad, and the last update was too long ago to worth mentioning.
Just buy Cities: Skylines when it's on sale, or the classic sim city games.

Crunchy.
That's the descriptor I'd use for a game like this.
It's straight forward, and has no incredibly complicated rules or objectives. Your purpose isn't to construct a space ship to fly home, or to commit genocide against the native inhabitants as you fill the air with smog.
The objective it simply to build a factory, then optimize that factory to the point that when you climb up your lookout tower, and gaze upon the various factories and networks from above... you realize that this isn't Factorio.

See, with Factorio, you do a similar thing. You build factories, you produce goods, you research upgrades, and you kill the indigenous life. You do that here, but for a different purpose. You do it because it LOOKS pretty.
There's nothing like building a whole third factory whose sole purpose is to produce cables and other copper products only to see that it doesn't quite align right with your steel factory district. So you decide to remodel your copper production, only to realize that you've spent a whole 5 hours completely redesigning your entire production line from start to finish.
I did this not once, not twice, but three times. Not just because I'm a sadist, but also because it felt soooo gooood to learn from my previous mistakes, and also to use the new technology that I've unlocked to create a more efficient, and dare I say beautiful, production line.
Those with OCD are gonna love it, and those with ADHD will enjoy the various humming of machines, and the soothing noise of machines constructing newer, more advanced materials to be used to construct newer, more advanced means to increasing efficiency etc etc.
It's a serious trap that is addicting, and after owning it for little over a week, I've played it more so than I have (percentage wise) than most other games I play.

ALSO, It is in EARLY ACCESS! How the hell can a feature complete, enjoyable game be JUST RELEASED in early access, yet be so fun?

The only bad thing is that I'm unable to fully utilize the 3rd dimension as much as I'd like. You can basically stack conveyor belts on top of eachother to form some really impressive looking production lines that makes Ford look like kids playing with legos.
The issue is with factories. You need a LOT of space for factories, and in many cases you are limited in free space to the point where you end up having multiple districts around the map to process material, just to waste more space transporting it to another factory on the opposite side of the map because the resources are so scattered about.
I'm fine with resources being scattered, but the placement of factories being limited to a 2D plain wastes a whole other dimension. You can sort of use floating platforms above factories to give the illusion of building UP, but it looks ridiculous.
I think a really good solution to this would be to have modules that you can unlock that allows you to build foundations on top of factories, or maybe build conveyor belts on top of factories.

Just a suggestion.

I played this game about a year ago. Many of the bugs are just as prevalent, and the gameplay loop is still pretty... lackluster? If only just short of being truly enjoyable. If you like exploring the wasteland, and want to do it with a friend, it's not a bad choice.
The bigger issues I have with the game involve its combat, and how buggy it is.
The thing that made this review a positive, was the wastelanders update. Namely there's a quest where you get to meet with a man to find the location of a McGuffin.
Well I didn't know that I was supposed to actually talk to the guy, and I wanted to test how much creative freedom the game gives you when interacting with NPCs. So I just ran in, and blasted his head off. He actually died, and everyone actually reacted appropriately to my action, as if it has real world consequences. Sure it didn't REAAALLLYY change much, but the FEELING of this being a real fallout game was present if only for a fleeting moment.
As long as Bethesda keeps supporting this game, then it'll be a good game. It might take time, and while I feel like they really screwed the pooch with this one, there's still opportunity for them to make it a half decent fallout game. Eventually.

Doom 2016 came out with a bang. It had the high adrenaline action of the originals, while remaining true to the push forward and slaughter nature of the originals. It was clean cut, and to the point. The world was vibrant, and there was a TON to explore.
In Doom Eternal, I feel like they bloated my inventory with gadgets I never used. The abilities are equally hit or miss, but mostly miss since there are clearly a few runes and a few upgrades for Doom Slayer that are far more useful than the rest. It feels bloated, and as a result it feels pointless. Like ID was trying to find a reason to pas out the game time with useless collectibles.
They interrupted the slaughter and puzzles (if you could call them that) with cutscenes. The levels are gorgeous, but linear. The secrets are bare minimum, and exploration is non existent.
It has a similar problem to Doom 2016, where it feels like the action is separated by linear hallways leading to an arena of sorts, but here it's even more pronounced to the point that there's a literal indicator on the map of where the shooter arena is.
Ammo is limited, and while Doom Slayer can carry power cells and giant energy balls things, he can't seem to carry more than 16 buckshot at one time? Doesn't he have pockets? Ammo is limited, and you punch like a little girl half the time. It makes you feel weak, and powerless without the crutch of your guns.
The pistol was removed, which people like because who used that piece of junk? I did, because it's one of the most useful utilities in the game for taking out the creeps. No need to waste precious ammo on the minor demons, just charge up a shot and killmove them. Without it, once you're out of ammo you're kind of at the mercy of your chainsaw (which also has ammo) and your weak ass melee attacks.
The story is pretty good, but I wish the game maintained the First Person Perspective instead of trying to be like Halo or Doom 3. We don't need to see the Doom Slayer's face, because as far as the game's concerned, WE, the players, are the Doom Slayer, and the Doom Slayer is NOT Master Chief.

Pros:
- Fast gameplay makes for an adrenaline packed game
- Environments are beautiful. A lot of love was put into them
- Guns feels powerful

Cons:
- Doom Slayer feels like a child without his precious weapons. No wonder Earth was taken over by demons if HE is their savior...
- Gameplay is often interrupted with lackluster platforming and scripted scenes galore.
- Environments are quite linear, as if the devs just wanted you to push through with the game instead of actually admiring the scenery.
- Similar demon types to Doom 2016 so far. Nothing's really new in that regard except the spider demon thing.
- Very buggy. I had a few Caco Demons get stuck behind a force field that I could kill me, and did, because I couldn't shoot back. It happened a few times with other enemies, and the arena-styled level design forces you to kill those demons... which you can't... Because they're bugged. Loading a checkpoint works but it seems like a fairly simple thing to overlook.
- Poor level design. The levels are often NOT backtrack friendly. I've gotten stuck many times in certain areas due to behind able to go back to an area, but the door or elevator was locked. Loading a checkpoint just loaded me back into that room/platform.

All in all, there's something for you to like I'm sure. Me, I will go back to Doom 2016 and refund this game sadly. When it's on sale, I'll pick it up again. Until then, Best of Luck Demon Slayers.