I was very hyped about this game. After playing around with it a bit, I kind of regret backing it for any amount of money.

It's not just that this game isn't *there* yet, it's that after playing it, I don't even feel like I have anything to be excited about when it gets *there.*

I don't doubt that developers have put a lot of effort into this game, but it has a sort of soulless feel to it. It doesn't just feel like a knock-off of SC2 and WC3, it feels like a knock-off of their knock-offs.

Campaign is abysmal, characters feel as generic and uninteresting as they come while trying (and failing catastrophically) to evoke a sense of nostalgia for much better characters from games of the past. Campaign levels feel like rehashed and less interesting versions of Blizzard's levels. And while the different races are technically mechanically distinct, the macro play feels completely unsatisfying and the micro-play feels simultaneously overwhelming and boring. Instead of the sense of excitement you get from trying out Zerg, Protoss, Terran, Human, Orc, Night Elf, and Undead for the first time? I felt very underwhelmed from the first moments. Every new unit that and new upgrade further increased that sense of "wow, this is unimpressive." With upgrades like +13% move speed (WOW!) taking the cake. I'm not sure if this is some sort of esports hypercompetitive edge mindset at work, but if so they got so lost in super-balancing 800apm esports that they forgot to make the game... you know... fun.

Maybe a great game will emerge from Stormgate over time, but this early access glimpse of the game doesn't give me any sense (or confidence) in what that may look like in the years ahead.

I wish I could offer some positives, but I don't know that there are any. Music, responsiveness, performance, unit design, macro, micro, mission objectives, graphics, UI, etc? I really can't think of a single thing that this game does well... except maybe pre-release marketing.

And for those of you upset that the ultimate founders edition doesn't include everything that comes out on day 1? Don't be! Because nothing else they could add would even remotely address what a disappointment you'll feel after backing this game.

What a waste.

I was very hyped about this game. After playing around with it a bit, I kind of regret backing it for any amount of money. It's not just that this game isn't *there* yet, it's that after playing it, I don't even feel like I have anything to be excited about when it gets *there.* I don't doubt that developers have put a lot of effort into this game, but it has a sort of soulless feel to it. It doesn't just feel like a knock-off of SC2 and WC3, it feels like a knock-off of their knock-offs. Campaign is abysmal, characters feel as generic and uninteresting as they come while trying (and failing catastrophically) to evoke a sense of nostalgia for much better characters from games of the past. Campaign levels feel like rehashed and less interesting versions of Blizzard's levels. And while the different races are technically mechanically distinct, the macro play feels completely unsatisfying and the micro-play feels simultaneously overwhelming and boring. Instead of the sense of excitement you get from trying out Zerg, Protoss, Terran, Human, Orc, Night Elf, and Undead for the first time? I felt very underwhelmed from the first moments. Every new unit that and new upgrade further increased that sense of "wow, this is unimpressive." With upgrades like +13% move speed (WOW!) taking the cake. I'm not sure if this is some sort of esports hypercompetitive edge mindset at work, but if so they got so lost in super-balancing 800apm esports that they forgot to make the game... you know... fun. Maybe a great game will emerge from Stormgate over time, but this early access glimpse of the game doesn't give me any sense (or confidence) in what that may look like in the years ahead. I wish I could offer some positives, but I don't know that there are any. Music, responsiveness, performance, unit design, macro, micro, mission objectives, graphics, UI, etc? I really can't think of a single thing that this game does well... except maybe pre-release marketing. And for those of you upset that the ultimate founders edition doesn't include everything that comes out on day 1? Don't be! Because nothing else they could add would even remotely address what a disappointment you'll feel after backing this game. What a waste.