Recent reviews by Sanctum

We dive together, or not at all.

They gave Natalya jiggle physics.

10/10

This game seems like it could have potential, but it is outright unplayable for me. There as so many problems right out the gate, before even leaving the main menu, it's hard to know where to start. First and foremost, this game is NOT designed to be played with a Valve Index. The in-game controllers are clearly modeled for Oculus, and the control scheme is nonsensical. There is no option at all for teleport-style movement, you can only do continuous style and add a "motion sickness" compensator that just makes you feel like you're going to black out when you move. Calibrating your height in the main menu turns you to face away from the actual menu every single time, and seated mode made me clip under the ground. The actual height scaling seems totally out of whack, as I feel like a giant, but my hands reach all the way to the "ground." I'm not sure if I just did something wrong, or if this game is really that whack. I didn't even play this for five minutes before I had to shut it off due to frustration. This really sucks, because Iragon seems to have a lot of promise based on what I've seen from other people, but the fact that is is just impossible to play for me is a deal breaker. Hopefully these issues are dealt with in the full release, if that ever comes to pass.

EDIT: A few updates have gone up since my original review, AND IT STILL DOESN'T WORK. It's at the point where normal gameplay works alright, all the way up until you reach any sort of cutscene, at which point the tracking completely breaks. It corrects itself after moving to the next map area, but then it breaks again as soon as the next cutscene triggers. It's clear the deverloper has little to no intention of making this work properly on Index.

Say what you will about Rockstar's business tactics, especially when it comes to their online stuff, but you can't deny they are true masters when it comes to storytelling, and this is no exception.

Okay, forget the bugs, forget the console BS, forget everything surface level. I'm going to tell you exactly why this game is a massive pile of lies.
Every single thing that was promised through the marketing is either outright not in the game, or is hopelessly underdone, and the various bits and bobs you do get here are very poorly done.

Story:
V is NOT the main character here. After the first few hours this becomes "The Johnny Silverhand Show" and everything starts revolving around him. If you're obsessed with Keanu Reeves, you'll probably enjoy it, but if you were expecting a deep and branching storyline you'll be sorely disappointed.

RNG:
Pretty much every piece of gear you get will have totally random stats. This goes both for container loot, enemy loot, and even crafted gear. It feels less like a proper RPG, and more like you're playing Borderlands. It's not the worst thing in the world, but it feels very out of place and leads to constantly changing out your gear after every fight. Your loadout will never have any sort of permanence.

Lifepaths:
The lifepath system that was so heavily anticipated is totally pointless. The first ten minutes of the game are unique, but then the entire rest of your playthrough will be identical no matter what lifepath you chose. You'll occasionally get some extra dialog options, but they amount to flavor text and nothing else.

Romance:
You get 4 options total, but can only access 2 per playthrough depending on V's gender. The romancable characters are pretty well written, but the sheer lack of variety is disappointing.

Customization:
Very lacking here too. The character creator is lackluster, even compared to much older games, and you have no option to alter your appearance later in the game. Clothing, weapon and vehicle appearance is completely out of your hands. If you want to look like a cyborg, too bad. You get to be a plain jane human with some lines on your skin if you want.

I could keep going ad nauseum, but I think I've said enough here. It's not a bad game, but it is NOT the game we were promised at all.

EDIT:
So, it's been a while. Plenty of updates, and many more hours of playtime have gone by, and frankly these words are long overdue. Do some of my original points still stand? Yes, absolutely. However, considering the No Man's Sky degree of glow-up this game has received, I'm willing to overlook my previous gripes. I respect all the extra work that CDPR has put into this project, and I can confidently say this has risen into my top 10 favorite games.

Fun game; took me roughly 5 hours to get to day 50 with a friend. This is perfect to play with a group since it's cheap and not very intensive. If your computer can't run this, then why the hell are you even on steam?

The base game's anti-cheat system doesn't seem to be properly updated to recognise this new DLC. I reccomend not buying until Bandai Namco gets their ♥♥♥♥ together and fixes the problem.

This game is a great big middle finger to consumers. This game went on sale for 40% off just over a month after it released. If you waited to buy it, good job, you didn't get played.

Otherwise, this is a good game. (Salt levels intensifying)

The heart, Arisen! Attack the heart!
The heart, Arisen! Attack the heart!
The heart, Arisen! Attack the heart!
The heart, Arisen! Attack the heart!
The heart, Arisen! Attack the heart!
The heart, Arisen! Attack the heart!
The heart, Arisen! Attack the heart!
The heart, Arisen! Attack the heart!
The heart, Arisen! Attack the heart!
The heart, Arisen! Attack the heart!
The heart, Arisen! Attack the heart!
The heart, Arisen! Attack the heart!
The heart, Arisen! Attack the heart!
The heart, Arisen! Attack the heart!
The heart, Arisen! Attack the heart!
The heart, Arisen! Attack the heart!
The heart, Arisen! Attack the heart!
The heart, Arisen! Attack the heart!
The heart, Arisen! Attack the heart!


♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ kill me already.

WARNING! MAJOR SPOILERS! DO NOT READ IF YOU WANT TO PLAY THE GAME YOURSELF!

Still here? Okay, here we go!
This game was a total mindf*ck. Throughout the story, you get these flashes of a mental hospital, and you're one of the patients. All of the other characters in the game are either doctors or other patients in this hospital. They tell you that the "Darkness" is just a dillusion, and they're trying to help you get better. On the other side, in the gameplay you're told that this hospital is just a facade put up by the Darkness while it rebuilds your body after taking heavy damage. The problem is, both sides of this can be equally correct, so you go through the whole game wondering which one is real. At the climax, the game straight up asks you to choose a side. And here we are, left with a great big Schrodinger's Cat situation. You can play through both endings, and they both make sense in their context, but you're left wondering. Did I defy the Darkness, chase it to hell, defeat it, and save my girl, or did I jump off a roof and kill myself, having one last delusion before hitting the ground? Did I give up on my delusions and let the doctors help me live a normal life, or did I give in to the Darkness and let it keep me in a neverending dream? Of course, the little post-credits bits left me with even more questions. In the end, there is no absolute conclusion, and the player is left to sit there and debate over what they think is true. This is one of the things that makes this game so amazing, and why I absolutely reccomend it to anyone.