Recent reviews by DrPepPep

Multiplayer doesn't work anymore, so ... what's the point. So disappointing how this game was destroyed by a dlc.

I was super excited for this game after participating in the tech test earlier this year. In fact, just a few days ago I was considering writing a glowing review of this game. Unfortunately, I'm not able to recommend anyone purchase this game right now. The game came out a week ago and I have 73 hours at the time of review, so I've played it quite a bit. I've played both victim and family, and I will start by saying: I had SO much fun.

Unfortunately, within a week of release, much of the fun has been optimized out of the game. The game tells victims to hide and play stealthily at the start of the match, but it turns out: that doesn't matter at all. In fact, the most optimal strategy has become victims making as much noise as possible at the start of a match, waking the grandpa up while the killers are still in a cutscene. Yes, the family members stay in a cutscene for somewhere between 10-20 seconds longer than the victims. Because of this headstart, experience victims are already unlocking a door to the basement before the Family has even had a chance to play the game.

Unless you plan on playing this game with friends and sweating your balls off, giving comp comms, and still losing and getting less points than the few victims you manage to kill (if any), I don't recommend it. Playing Family solo is a difficult experience - console gamer mics aside (which are many and bad) -- without playing this CASUAL game like it's a competitive game, you probably will be losing way more than you'll win.

Victims ignore stealth in favor of trying to chainstun the Family (currently, there are situations where Leatherface can be permanently stunned in the basement until another family member comes to help. Other Family can be stunned this way too, but it's particularly egregious when the behemoth of a man Leatherface gets knocked down like a cardboard cutout for minutes at a time.)

When people were playing stealthily and playing the game like it was Texas Chain Saw Massacre and they were being hunted and trying to escape a terrifying family of cannibals, it was some of the most fun I've ever had. Both as Victim and Family. My heart was pounding as I tried to escape and had terrifying encounters with the family. The more I play, the more my face is essentially :| while I run to the quickest exits on the map, knowing full well the Family can do nothing to stop me unless I personally make a mistake. (Especially since my favorite character, Ana, has the ability to almost completely nullify any damage dealt to her.)

To finish: There are still fun moments, but it's when playing with people who aren't trying to play it like a competitive tournament match. Hopefully, the devs will be able to nerf some of the 'comp strats' making the game unfun. I think tuning down Leatherface's chainsaw 2-shots, making certain key escapes more difficult, making the basement more difficult to escape and more dangerous for victims, tuning down Sissy's poison, and fixing the myriad of bugs present in the game would make this something I could recommend to other players. If I didn't already have the game, I probably wouldn't have fun if I started playing it now. Knowing how fun it can be when it is at its best keeps me coming back, but I can't in good faith recommend a new player start playing.

Last tidbit that is important to mention- this game is VERY computer intensive. I struggle, lag, and crash with a 3070, so keep that in mind if you have a less top-tier system. There are also MANY bugs - crashes, abilities not working correctly, getting stuck in objects/walls and being unable to move for the entire match, suddenly not being able to vault or jump down wells as Victim. It honestly feels like each day more and more bugs crop up, but I do trust the team is working on those.

If some of these issues are addressed, I think the game could do really well and stand alone as its own thing in the asymm genre, and I'll absolutely change my review if I think it becomes worth it for new players to try.

Update 9/10: I definitely think they're working to make improvements and I'm feeling more positive about possible improvements. I'll wait to see how the upcoming patches go and will change to recommended if the technical issues become significantly less. Still quite a few too many bugs and crashes in my opinion to spend $40 on steam, but if you want to try it gamepass is a more affordable option.

Update 9/20: I really applaud the devs making strides on major technical issues the game has. While not all fixed yet, it's definitely getting to a better place. If the balance update coming out soon helps with chainstunning, I'll feel better about tentatively recommending it. I think it remains to be seen how they are planning to balance stealth, but they have communicated it is on their radar which is a HUGE step, and I am interested to see what they've come up with.

I think something that would help for new players would be a more robust tutorial as well as perhaps a soft mmr lock for low level players. I enjoy the wild west aspect of matchmaking but have had trouble getting friends into the game since they struggle to learn to play when facing level 60+ players. Some kind of "beginner matchmaking" could be super helpful for that.

This game is really wonderful, and very topical without being preachy or over-the-head, while also having really satisfying puzzles to solve. I highly, highly recommend anyone pick this up and play it. It blew me away, and made me think in more ways than one.

never mind.

It's Not Dead by Daylight.

And it shouldn't try to be.

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This game is an incredible addition to the Asymmetrical genre.

The game is very unique in its gameplay, even though at first glance one might expect it to play similarly to Dead by Daylight. Playing any game in this genre inevitably begs comparison to the behemoth of the genre, and while there are obvious thematic similarities in one powerful monster/killer vs a group of ragtag teens/survivor, that's where the similarities stop.

VHS is a deathmatch. There is no way out. You either kill, or be killed.

There is incredible variety in the teen gameplay, as there are many different weapons and modifications for those weapons for teens to use, and monsters have various mutations and perks that affect their gameplay.

One of the biggest critiques I see about VHS is that monsters are too weak, and I honestly understand why people think this initially: playing monster is very different from killer in DBD. It requires much more forethought and strategy, because you are not an invincible and unstoppable force. Whereas DBD is selling an unstoppable power fantasy to the killer player, VHS is selling more of a feral 'fight to the death' feel - it evokes the horror movies of eld wherein the monster attacks, and a group of teenagers have to band together to put it down.

The monster is incredibly powerful, but it takes extreme awareness of positioning to be successful. Because there are no scratch marks, tracking is much more difficult than in DBD - this is one area I'd be curious to see if Devs have plans for, because this would make monster near impossible for the hearing impaired, and is really the only major downside I see in the game. Making an accessibility option that isn't overpowered will be hard, but I believe this dev team could figure it out. The dev team obviously has an incredible care for its community, and my favorite part is that they love to play their own game! I've ran into them in the beta quite a few times, and they're always so fun to play with.

The community is insanely nice and welcoming, and is honestly my favorite thing about the game other than the gameplay itself. The community is incredibly inclusive, supportive to the LGBT community - I have never seen a woman harassed on mic the second she speaks like I see in other video games with voice chat. I've met some really wonderful people in this community, and for the first time actually want to be a part of the community instead of just... playing the game by myself.

I am really excited to see what Hellbent has in store for the future of VHS, and I hope everyone gives it the try it deserves.

TLDR: If you're coming from another asymm, specifically the Big Boy (DBD), give this game a little more time. Watch some videos, understand it might be a big adjustment at first. The timing and play is VERY different than in DBD, and it definitely takes some getting used to. For me, it took a bit for it to click, but once it started to click, everything fell into place. Give it a real chance, and not just a couple hours of play, before deciding it's bad. It's not DBD, and DBD fills its own niche; I'll probably still boot up DBD sometimes, because they offer different things and are fun for different reasons. VHS isn't DBD, and it shouldn't try to be. Both games can exist and succeed - it is not one or the other :)

Please find below a small selection of creators I recommend watching if you want a better idea of gameplay. Tried to include a smattering of both teen and monster.

Name

Main Role

Where to Watch

TricksterShadow

Monster, but plays teen as well

Twitch[www.twitch.tv], YouTube

ARTPOPxGuy

Teen

Twitch[www.twitch.tv]

mrbluwu

Monster (WART God)

Twitch[www.twitch.tv], YouTube

Jaee

Teen

Twitch[www.twitch.tv], YouTube

BunBunHD

Monster

Twitch[www.twitch.tv], YouTube

justJustin

Teen (Slingshot Master)

Twitch[www.twitch.tv], YouTube

Granny

Verse

Twitch[www.twitch.tv], YouTube

SpaceLion

Teen

Twitch[www.twitch.tv], YouTube

Never before has a game filled me with such anger. I cannot stop playing it.

I've only just begun playing and even though this is early access and there is some animation and visual work, as well as minor mechanical work that must be done, I am blown away by how fun this is. They've managed to capture all that makes D&D exciting and blend it perfectly with the pacing, play, and freedom of the Divinity series. I can't wait to continue my journey and see what comes next for Baldur's Gate 3.

it good