Recent reviews by Amyrlyn

I can't say anything that hasn't already been said by others. It's good. 10/10, and all that.

This is a revision:

Originally, I gave this game thumb's down, but decided to change that as I have found that it has grown on me over time. I still can't give it my strongest recommendation because far too many things that should be obvious in the game, simply aren't.

This is one of those types of games where the player must have items A, B, C, and D in order to get item E, which is what is currently needed. That would not be an issue if it were obvious what items A-D are, and where they might be located. Furthermore, figuring out how to use said items is far too often easier said than done. Additionally, for a game that bills itself as realistic, there are at least two issues in the game that aren't even remotely realistic.

Black bears, for example, are not always and at all times hyper aggressive when a human being comes anywhere near them. If they were, the millions of people that visit the Great Smokey Mountains National Park every year would be in constant danger of bear attacks. They aren't because IRL, black bears are not hyper-aggressive animals. So, the unnaturally numerous psychotic bears in the game are the first major departure from realism. The second is the rarity of iron ore. I mean, for heaven's sake! Iron is one of the most abundant and easy to find elements on earth. In this game, iron is as rare as gold, and good luck finding it.

All that said, this is a fun and challenging game for anyone looking for something a bit different in the survival genre. It's very rough around the edges, even for an early access game. But, where it gets it right, it truly excels.

7/10 with grace for early access.

Steam asked for a review too early for me, and I needed more time to decide what I really think of this game. The following is my revision.

As I have been playing this game, I have spent much time thinking about and making plans for future play-throughs. That is exceptionally rare.

As a base-building game, it's easily in the top ten, all-time best. I absolutely adore the building block sets and terraforming abilities. I understand now why so many people have raved about it. I especially enjoy discovering new block sets. I would like to see a block that is a _true_ 90 degree triangle, and a few other shapes that would enhance this part of the game (such as circular building blocks) but that may be my only gripe with block designs.

The survival elements (need for food and shelter) are just about perfect and entirely customizable. This element of the game can be as easy or as difficult as the player desires.

For anyone who enjoys exploration, discovery, and story, this game offers a rich experience. There seems to be something new to discover around every corner.

Perhaps the weakest element in the game is the RPG aspect. In my opinion, the developers should focus more attention on making the character classes more distinct, and sharpening up the skill tree. That said, what they have completed so far is exceptional.

There are some issues with lagginess, especially when accessing the workshops, but a quick click on the backpack seems to clear it up. Given that the game is still in early access, I almost hate to even mention it. Overall, the game runs beautifully.

My rig does exceed minimum requirements, though, and I believe some older machines may struggle to run this. It's huge and loaded with content. Anyone considering buying this ought to make sure they have what they need to run it.

If this game were in full release, I would give it 8.5 out of 10. As an early access game, I can only rate it a perfect 10.

As with all other games in this genre you gather items, fight bad guys, and build X. In this case, "X" is a train. If you're into base-building, this game is cool, if limited. If you're into story, this game has one, but it is in early access; therefore, unfinished. If you're looking for something new around every corner, you might want to wait awhile. Again, EA. As of now, I'll give it a tentative 7 out of 10 with some grace for EA. If it were in full release, I would give it a 5 or 6 for being too repetitive, lacking content, and for not offering much incentive to replay the game. The biggest drawback in this game is that the build project (the train) does not allow for much flexibility or creativity on the part of the player. That may change, but for now, _no one_ will be building a masterpiece work of art with the tools the devs have provided. But, while it is being developed _very_ slowly, what they have here is quite different and truly promising.

Edit #3

It's in full release now, and is absolutely loaded with content. Personally, I give it a solid 10. Good job, Miju Games! You have created one very unique masterpiece. I love it!

Raft and Fallout had a bouncing baby blimp. The little guy is not quite ready for the big leagues, but if the folks who brought it into the world (Far From Home) continue feeding it regular updates, I suspect it will grow up to be big and strong. It's got all the makings of a future pro.

If you like watching games grow up, this is one to keep your eyes on.

By the time I stopped making excuses for the problems with this game, I had already played it just a little too long to get a refund, and this is quite honestly the only reason I'm still playing it. Now I at least want my money's worth. But, I cannot recommend this game. It's glitchy, the building systems for the ships and outposts suck, the storage system sucks, farming is a major grind with very little payoff, and there are far better games to spend your money and your time on.

Too bad. I really thought this would be better.

Following the recent updates, I felt compelled to revise my review of this game. Green Hell is a great game if you're looking for a challenging experience and something different in terms of base building. The developers recently made some much needed changes to the storage system and added a means of transportation, both of which have greatly improved the overall experience.

There is something to be said for a company that is still making improvements on their product and adding new content years after the initial release without charging their customers additional fees to enjoy them.

I absolutely do recommend this game.

This one is quite different. It's a puzzle game, an RPG, a base-building survival game, a world builder, and a western zombie apocalypse all rolled into one very unique experience. I definitely do recommend it. It's loads of fun.

I followed this game all the way through early access, and I have really enjoyed the journey. The developers (Odinsoft) created something special, even considering its many flaws. While I initially downvoted this game due to the actions of the distributors Twin Sails, I feel I have enjoyed too many hours to give this game a thumb's down. Therefore, to be fair, I am changing my review. I do, however, recommend it with a word of caution about Twin Sails, detailed below.

1. Overall Artistic Design: 10
The world is beautiful, and each region is unique.

2. Game Mechanics: 7
The controls are easy to use, but are tedious when crafting.

3. Graphics Quality: 7
Graphics quality starts strong, but the game has had a strange light flicker all through development that didn't get addressed in time for full release. Additionally, even with a pretty strong rig, the game is laggy in places, especially as you get closer to the endgame.

4. Combat mechanics: 5
They have made improvements to this feature of the game, but it still needs work. This is probably the worst feature of the game.

5. Animations: 8
FoY is a first-person survival game, so there aren't many animations involving the character. AI animations need improvement; however, I feel this aspect of the game is sufficient.

6. Sound FX: 8
Some of the FX are out of sync with the character's actions and some are out of sync with the AI actions. Overall, sound FX are fine and are especially nice during storms.

7. Music Soundtrack: 9
The music is pleasant and fitting.

8. Originality: 8
The way time is managed is different, and the story provides a unique twist to a much loved myth that is a part of American history. Most other features of the game are standard to every survival game.

9. Story: 8
The story is interesting, engaging, and ends with a twist I absolutely did not see coming. However, the in-game text is poorly translated in places and the main story line is often overly simplistic.

10. Replay Value: Too subjective to score it. For myself...this gets a 10. Others _will_ score this differently due to the very simple building kit in the game, among other issues.

11. Business Integrity of the Distributors: 0

Twin Sails, the distributors of Survival: Fountain of Youth, engage in dishonest business practices. For example, they waited a full week after the game went into full release to require that the player sign a EULA before being permitted to continue playing. Because of this, everyone who downloaded the game during EA and during the first week after full release, had too many hours in the game to be able to decline the terms of the contract and receive a refund. This action on the part of Twin Sails denied the consumer the right of informed consent. To date, Twin Sails has done nothing to remedy the situation.

To Valve's credit, they have given store credits in lieu of a refund to anyone with 5 hours or less in the game who did not wish to sign the EULA if they purchased the game prior to the EULA being added.

Final Score: 7.2

If Twin Sails had not pulled a "bait and switch" a week after full release?
Final Score: 8