Recent reviews by Lutt

the repeating ingame quote "We're gonna shake things up, like old times" pretty accurately describes the game because it feels like a love letter to older titles like system shock 2 and deus ex

gameplay: a suspensful, slower paced fps with puzzle and rpg elements. investigation, approach, and preparation matter as much as skill and reflex, with multiple solutions to most problems. stealth is just as viable as combat (and exponentially more effective combined). interesting and varied toolset like the previous dishonored titles

story is decent. a lot of "wow, i was not expecting that" moments from someone who has been pretty disillusioned from the generally repetitive and boring storytelling of the 2000s+. thought provoking but not too heavy; game is pretty funny at some parts

graphics are a little lackluster, but not horrible. probably better that the design focus went to gameplay

port is alright; probably suffered from that final month deadline crunch. problems easily rectifiable by ini/.cfg edits (changing fov at release) aren't really a con to me, but keys that can't easily be rebound (middle mouse/menu buttons) without third party tools are.

pros: great music, atmospheric visuals, deep yet intuitive combat, interesting gameplay mixup
cons: it came out during my finals week

yes, it's very buggy and suffers from net performance issues
yes, it takes a lot from previous survival games and isn't redefining the genre

but the game itself has a wonderfully immersive atmosphere and great potential. Funcom has always had rough releases, but make up for it with great post-release support that often turns their games into cult classics for many who are willing to give their games a second shot.
when I wasn't forced to restart from server database corruption (twice), I've genuinely had a good time with this early access. If you don't want to deal with some frustrating bugs, I'd wait this one out a bit... but don't just write it off as a failed game because of a bumpy first week.

Anime Princess Celestia-Samus and a lame balloon-fairy sidekick save the Great Japanese Deku tree and his forest. Throw in a mute character you've met for <2 minutes, kill him, and then call it emotionally charged storyline. Put all of the budget into art and soundtrack, and call it retro so you can take advantage of one of the easiest buzzwords in gaming while developing nothing new in regards to fun or entertaining gameplay.

This game is boring and repetitive and tries to justify a $20 purchase with having 800 shades of bluish-purple and a downtempo new age soundtrack. It will become a cult classic, inspire dozens of fanfictions, influence the future of softcore anthroporn galleries, and make Indie game of the year.