Recent reviews by Azkel

shark bad
water has shark
raft good
stay on raft
poke shark
do other things too

raft good

It's one of those games where you'll say, "I hate this game", and then immediately hop into another match.

8 years of free updates and counting
Cheap price of $9.99 and frequent sales
Hundreds of hours of gameplay
A crap load of customization options
Amazing mod support
Told Epic Games to go away when they tried to buy them out

How based can a developer get???

the only bad thing about the story is the emptiness you feel as soon as it ends

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ THIS GAME IS ASWSOME I LOVE DINASOURS!!!!

f

The community can be toxic as hell. There's three basic types of toxicity.

New players who are uninformed (not your fault) who do things the community considers bad manners.
Experienced perfectionists.
People who enjoy other's suffering.

Higher learning curve than some expect.

Learning survivor and killer perks is important regardless of what you main.
Common tactics to avoid getting downed or looped.
Prioritization/situational awareness. Where is everyone, what are they doing, what should you be doing?.
Community slang.

Matchmaking leaves a lot to be desired.

Inexperienced paired with experienced... but in a "one gets dunked on" arrangement, not teaching.
Sometimes (often) seems to be under the influence when making lobbies.
wait.... ...... .............. .......................................... ....... times............................. ....... ............. ........ .... .....

HOWEVER, there's some pretty nifty things....

DLC characters can be unlocked through gameplay.

It takes 9000 iridescent shards, which are gained through leveling one's account up.
The Shrine of Secrets changes every week, and potentially has perks from DLC characters available.
Folks who can't afford DLC can still get the characters & perks.

Friends not required but make experience better.

No in-game voice chat for survivors, some use Discord instead.
In-game emotes used to communicate, as well as crouching.
Relatively easy to find new friends if you're nice, most people who play survivor want full SWF crews.

Replayable

Wide variety of maps, characters, perks.
Opportunity for a wide variety of play styles.
Private or public matches for whatever your purpose, including goofing off.

Lots of shenanigans

Get waterboarded by puke
Throw a flashlight rave
Thiccness knows no morals or gender

Overall, I'd recommend. Probably about a 8.5/10. Have not pooped my pants due to this game but have come close a time or two. Thanks, Ghost Face.

---------------------------------------

UPDATE (May 28 2021):

New content is still being released!

More mechanics are being added to the game, which changes how survivors play. Ex: Zombies being added in the R.E. chapter (in Player Test Build at the time of this update).
Some cosmetics can be purchased with shards, unlocked through game-play, or redeemed via codes released by BHVR.
Periodic events. Currently, there's an event to find Gnome Chompski once the exit gates are powered.

Map and graphical updates.

The game generally looks a lot better now.
Multiple variants of maps.
Maps tend to be smaller now, which can be both good and bad. Gens feel closer together but that also applies to hooks.

The Rift

A battle pass has been added to the game.
Auric cells (paid currency) are part of the reward system- if you complete the Rift you actually get your money back!
Players are rewarded with cosmetics, lore (The Archives), and various forms of in-game currency.
Challenges from the Rift add an extra layer of fun (or psychological distress and anguish) to matches.

Matchmaking... Again

Queue times are substantially faster for survivors in the morning than in the afternoon/evening.
I'm a filthy survivor main heathen, so I can only assume that means killer queue times are better in the afternoon/evening.
Still occasionally end up in lobbies that are very unbalanced or entirely unfair, but it's better than it used to be.
There's a lot more player consistency in terms of skill, but also toxicity, in higher ranks.
If you want to meme and enjoy, the higher ranks tend to be very serious...

HIT BOXES MAKE ME CRY.

This is just a game.
Please, self... It's just a game...
Sobbing intensifies.
In all seriousness though, the hit boxes need some improvement. Lag, frame-perfect timing, and other aspects all influence whether the hatchet hits your face or clips through your face.
I may be a survivor main, but if a Huntress nails me across the map, I'm impressed with the shot and outraged on the killer's behalf if it doesn't register.

What accessibility options?

Changing the struggle phase on hook to a series of skill checks was a huge improvement in terms of accessibility for wider audiences.
An option to suppress screen flashing effects or toggle an alternate view for them would be helpful. A fade-in, solid color, then fade-out screen aura might be a good option for this? It would preserve visual information without giving an 'unfair advantage' to players.
For the record, players with disabilities just wanna grind for bloodpoints and cry like everyone else. If your primary concern is giving players an 'unfair advantage,' please remember that accessibility options compensate for a set-back so that people with disabilities have an even playing field.

I'd say that the changes boost my rating to a 9/10, but the hit box issues can definitely make this game feel like a 2/10.

To BHVR, if they ever stumble their way into this review:
The new content is great but please look into hit registration and hit boxes. Accessibility options for a wide range of players would also be highly appreciated and it would increase audience reach and profitability. Keep up the good work.

---------------------------------------

UPDATE (April 21 2022):

Some mentions.

Boon totems were added (AoE survivor buffs).
Experimental wiggle mechanic (skill checks instead of button-mashing).
Hit boxes are still whack; the game is playable if you're in it for memeingful, not meaningful, gameplay.
Most of my points from previous updates still stand.
Cross-play was added (can be disabled).
Matchmaking is now skill-based, leaving ranks obsolete. There's still grades based on pips, but these have no influence on a person's actual MMR.

Content.

It doesn't feel like in-game content has changed substantially.
New killers and survivors have been added...
But I rarely see them, or their perks, after a couple of weeks pass.
Cosmetics are nice, but ultimately, they're just something to collect.
The Stranger Things chapter is gone.

I'm out of characters, so no more updates unless something drastic happens and I delete old points. Overall, 7/10. Fun but flawed.

VHERY MGHO8D

I'm a 46 year old dad and I absolutely love playing this with my 13 year old son. Don't get caught up over losing loot to a raider or reaper, it's just part of the game. Let your kid set the quest, or decide to attack a fort, or a tornado and just have fun being pirates for an evening. I take the helm and keep us on course, he works the cannons and is an excellent shot.

An awesome game to bond over, and a great way to talk about how to not be a jerk online, how to deal with disappointment, how to work as a team when you make alliances, and how to be a gracious winner. He loves to help new players, will upend a planned evening to help some newbie finish a tall tale. Great game to play with your kids.

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaas