Recent reviews by ◖Zi.exe◗

The concept for this game: Half life and Scp with survival games mixed in. If that sounds cool at all to you, there's a lot for you here. In it's early state, it has so much to offer a first time experience. A lot of things are working here and it amounts to a solid experience exploring GATE (black mesa and SCP facilities combined).


The Good:
-Exploring feels really solid
-Progression feels tight to the point where you see your gameplay have an effect on the facility itself through
enemies
-You really feel like a Scientist in a half life scenario
-Weapon design is on point to the theme. Would love to see more alien weapons or home made ones like the scrap weapons
-Crafting is fun and finding new items is fun to see what's new to make
-Solid amount of content in EA. Excited to see what will be added
-Some of the locations were executed well in throwing you for a loop
-The power system works pretty well. The concept of power going off at night and using office outlets was a great mechanic to interact with

The Bad:
-Audio levels of characters are not rounded out yet. This means some speak normally and some BLAST YOUR EARS OH HELLO GORDON (might be fixed later)
-Currently some technical issues with frame drops the further you explore. This will most likely be fixed as this is EA
-Balancing isn't great yet. There's a system at play for types of weapons, elements and damage ranging as the player lands hits on limbs, armor or the head.
-Hitboxes are pretty messy in it's current state
-Skill tree could use a reorganization/lowering of when some skills are delivered. Impact is reduced for some skills as the skill is way too high (larger melee) for things that do a lot less damage or put the player at risk.
-Storage systems aren't added yet so inventory management can get a little overwhelming.
-Some guns can't be repaired. Imagine getting a gun early so you grind up to have it break and then have no way to fix it. The grind vs using a weapon gets tedious fast especially with the current very low ammo economy
-Stacks are so low that it takes several slots and can make bloated amounts of resources when it could take at the very least a little less than what it currently does

And this is kinda mid but the game has a system where killing some enemies with specific methods gives different item drops. While a cool concept, it's not the best for progression. Now that I'm into a second run I went for a backpack that has 30 slots in the first 10 minutes. It's gimmick is weight reduction is not on the item but you're able to move while overweight so..... why ever wear a normal backpack again I had to hunt for.
All and all this is a really great game I hope keeps the momentum and continues to deliver a solid experience. I had a great time playing this title with more time planned to be put in with just this version. Cheers devs this one is a banger.

When the don't starve devs say you've had it too easy

A lot of the reviews bounce between "It scales too hard", technical issues and some honestly weird expectations so uh here's a review from someone that got the game to play with friends and has been through this set of devs EA process.

TLDR; Game is good but difficulty and balancing are going to be a big discussion or focus for the game. Content will definitely be welcomed as the game adds more during EA. For 10 bucks this is a fun but difficult game from a group that brought you a series that was not easy and did wipe the floor with players. Lots of mechanics to enjoy and feedback is welcomed. Game also runs really well and makes total use of the 2D artstyle. Lots of ways to play and have fun with friends but solo is a great hardcore challenge as well if you like that kind of thing.

So much is subject to change in EA releases and don't starve together was a great example of that. The game that exists today is filled with so many changes and additions that the original game seems like a whole different game. As for Rotwood, I really think this will be the same case.

Combat is hardcore combos and understanding where you commit and where you hold back or do ranged damage. Definitely need some more weapons added to the game, especially early game, to encourage a little more change to the playstyles you use at the start but the ideas for combat is something I haven't really seen much if at all of. You have a hammer, a dodgeball called a striker, a actual cannon and a spear pike thing that all have extremely unique playstyles that get furthered by newer weapons with different versions of each weapon. Dodgeballs are so far my favorite and provide the ability to do passive damage through your friends actually smacking the balls at enemies as well as you. The bouncing around is not only great but provides a whole new way to approach encounters. Every weapon is like this with all having strengths, combos and specific requirements to do the biggest amount of damage. This doesn't seem super clear at first but there's challenges that all list the abilities so over time you build game knowledge on what's what.

Maps feel a little bland but do the exact job they need to. I'd really like to see more of a push later to give more dynamic arenas to fight within each set piece. Only the second boss so far has something a little more made to be unique to the fight.

Should talk about bosses though as this is a big point of contention for a lot of players right now. The first boss is a big check on "hey dummy you dodgin?" and is more of a dump dps while you learn to deal with the move sets. The second boss however is a MASSIVE fast paced version of this meaning you either get that timing down quick or you are not progressing. The roguelike skill building can help counter this boss and armor upgrades can do even more but overall, jesus christ that's one hell of a skill check. Definitely something that won't stay the way it is or will at the very least be something the devs have a discussion over so just EA early stuff with balancing.

Frenzy mode is like this prestige level mechanic that lets you redo a level with higher tier enemies and gets much much harder. Even with really solid builds and players that knew whats up we got slapped to the ground (doing it under the gear requirement majorly as well). But is that a bad thing? No. You can choose which level of frenzy you play which means more freedom for the player to play as you want with the only big thing you miss out on is higher rewards.

It was really fun and EA always has some bumps but people are way too harsh on this. Give it a try and if ya don't like it, refund if you meet the policy guidelines for that. It's a fun challenge for roguelike players as well

It's not anything crazy and expecting anything besides southpark being southpark is getting your hopes up for a game you're not getting. TLDR; if you expected them to make a 3rd installment of the other 2 games' themes, this isn't for you. If you enjoy southpark and just wanted to have a little fun for a under 60 game, you 110% can get something you'll enjoy from this.

This was a pretty decent and fun roguelike with a more centered focus on the overall story. It was short but a nice little break from other games. Hard mode gave me a balanced amount of combat so I'd recommend playing on that for more of a challenging or honestly just better combat to engage with. This is a game to have fun for a few hours, with friends or randoms or bots, and just chill with it.

The roguelike elements are actually pretty good for a roguelike. They flow a lot better than a lot of roguelikes tend to struggle with and you genuinely feel upgrades.
The skill tree is a bit grindy but functions as actual upgrades for your character. Balancing is maybe a bit off but for the most part, everything seemed like it could be used without putting yourself at a massive determinant for using what you want.
Co-op worked really well. I was able to jump into random matches without a hitch and playing with friends didn't take ages to join. They even have settings so you can dodge getting spoilers while matchmaking.
The world itself is pretty well done but maybe feels a little too lifeless at times as the city is covered in snow and a lot less south park residents are going outside.
Jokes were a little toned down but to be expected. Much much harder for the IP to use as much edgy humor categories as it did in the past with other games. That definitely was noticeable but nothing crazy. The characters acted like kids on a snow day in south park. What you would want.
Combat is a little jank at times but there's some real combos out there you can have fun with. Use the flamethrower wand and the black hole balloon. You'll have some fun

All in all, this game delivered a fun little 3D experience. 30 bucks is a little steep for the amount of content but where there isn't content to play, a lot of the work obviously went into making sure the game felt like the IP in 3D and making it keep the theme. It's biggest flaw is that game mechanics needed more focus over the look but when we're talking about games that are using a IP, this definitely is not at the bottom. It's a pretty mid in that regard. Content looks like it could be pretty decent for anyone wanting to rotate this game as a little breather from others. We'll have to see what they have planned once we start seeing visuals of that DLC.
And it's important to note day 1 DLC did happen and that's always a rough move to make in consumerism. I'm not a fan of this tactic but it wasn't crazy overpriced 20 dollar skins so not really as bad. Just leaves a bad taste in people's mouths.

I bought this to improve my reactions a bit. It kinda helped but I mainly got better at some rhythm games because of this. Pretty decent amount of content.

Also the april fools character was the best unlock I've ever gotten look it up

One of those games that is just pure fun.
I'm a big fan of pretty much every mechanic and gameplay element in this game. Everything is just done well and every character provides a variety to ways to play. Sitting at a pretty affordable price too you get a lot of content to sink your teeth into.
This game gets gameplay loop for this genre and runs a marathon with it. Unlocking new things feels great and the devs do a great job communicating/delivering solid updates. The roadmap has been met every time and I continue to be excited to see what this game adds next.

Only one thing to kinda have a gripe about and that's the extra 4th stage boss. Mechanics get a little rough to interact with but as that's optional and extra endgame content it's not a huge deal.

You'll be able to get 10-20 hours easy just doing runs over and over trying to learn items and unlocking more. Give it a real shot you won't regret it.

A roguelike with combat I wish was in other games.
This genre can be in so many different forms but this one stands out to me based on the combat alone. It perfectly saw combat like doom eternal and said hold up you're onto something and executed it.
The only real short comings are the lackluster roguelike upgrades and small improvements you get as really combat loop and juggling is key to beating the run. Abilities are also locked to a class system that stays basic and would be amazing if it allowed you to edit the player robot through choices instead of 4 different playstyles of classes.

If you like super fast combat like Ultrakill and see this on sale, pick it up. 25 is a bit much as you don't have as much interest in replaying compared to some roguelikes that really hook you into doing the loop over and over.

I wanna start by saying I don't hate this game and I didn't hate the story. This is coming from a live service vet (from good and bad) Spoiler free
A lot of the criticism of this game is its rewrite of a lot of things to make it "woke" or "hip with the kids" and yeah. WB definitely demanded that from Rocksteady along with the layers of live service crap that doesn't work.
And that's a great way to describe this game: Something that can be fun but just doesn't work due to live service and modern crap we as players want to take a moral high ground on but don't do it correctly. The discussion should be about the quality of the game and substance. Is this a game worth your time vs the cost? What does it do good? What does it need to improve on or dropped the ball on?

TLDR; (because i know a wall of text sucks so heres a summary)
this had actual potential to be a good to mid 4 player co op experience that got forced to do a crap live service model. It's close to being an actual good game with updates and overhauls minus the meh to bleh story. Will it get that? Well there's 4 seasons planned and the content besides the premium battlepass with cosmetics only is free. That's not too bad and the new characters are exciting if you are as hyped with the movement as me. It's not worth 70. It's not worth the 100 for deluxe. There's a lot to love. A lot to hate. It's a shame the conversations around the game further it probably dying in the future but on the subject of the game itself it just could be more. Maybe pick it up on sale if you're lookin for a really mid experience and hopefully it gets a offline mode to just exist long term because I'd love to at least see the game fix itself and allow others to try the movement at a reasonable price point. But that's most likely too hopeful.
Hate WB Games for how they continue to butcher and poorly manage their IPs in chase of cash.

Update 3/29: Dont even bother with this. They're running it straight into the ground. Has probably a few months before it closes and if it goes longer it'll be a tax write off. Characters will be locked behind 10-12 hours of more of the same crap with a brand new bloat level system. And somehow, these mfs added even more useless menus on top of the crazy amount the game has already. And the new changes to the environment? They put the buildings in wrapping paper and wrote HAHA on them like they pulled the joke on you for even bothering playing. Joker also is in the same boat as the Jared Leto one. Why? Why bother? I dont care what you try to do with a character but HA this was not it.

Combat:
Probably the most fun but jarring experience. When you master it, you feel great as a player in the world. Builds could be more inspired but when it all comes together, it affects gameplay in amazing ways.
Enemies aren't the worst either despite the criticism. With some more polish, they'd at least be ok fodder for the general game. It's the larger enemies where the game just stops working.
And things not working is a common theme. Afflictions (elements) tried something new but just leaves most of them not worth using vs electric which just makes all hits critical. Ez game. Ez life. Some perks just do not work out in combat like they want to
When this combat works though my god does it work. it's smooth, it flows well and each character is distinct.

Loot:
This isn't bad but isn't good either? No gear score is great. It removes the urge to use something worse for the number. That said, most could be cut from the game and you'd never notice. It's pretty obvious that this system worked in a more Destiny like game but in this? No. Not at all.
Builds can be really really unique but with so many downsides to juggle it leaves you always feeling like a double edged sword instead of a continuous building of power

Movement:
Talked about in combat it alone needs to be talked about. F*** yes. It's not perfect but I genuinely feel great moving around this world. It's a super dense city that you can choose to parkour the rooftops or go through this ravaged really cool looking city streets. This is one movement game no matter what I'll think fondly of for the feeling it gives in control. And I even did it on keyboard and mouse. There's a learning curve and some rebinding needed but ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ is it just good.

Story:
This is not a Arkham game. No matter what marketing you've seen or what flash words some exec said lied flat out. It sure does have references all over and its like oh hey I know that but no. The writing, tone, everything IS NOT ARKHAM.
So noting that and giving this its own shot, it's obvious some very heavy reworks last minute happened. When you meet the fallen heroes, you're introduced to this period where the Justice League has become god like to the point where people just think the heroes have everything handled. It's a neat idea and some of the cutscenes, jokes, and just overall plot points land but its kind of like a hydra always giving you 2 reasons with each good to be disappointed or left wanting more.
The invasion kind of feels like a half baked narrative with no real direction to utilize the awesome setting it is trying to play off of. For a game where you kill the JL, it did not feel like I killed them. Some of the characters are a great version of JL members too. I tried so much just to get back into the story but it actively kills itself through randomness and no direction.
Also we got a really solid Wonder Woman that is a real shame she didn't do more than be a random set piece to throw lines for trailers.

The UI:
You'll hate it because holy crap is this bad. You can turn a lot of hud elements off due to community request which is great but if you have to do that, maybe overhaul the UI. It's just too much. It speaks for itself if you watch gameplay but when you turn a lot of it off it at least lowers how annoying it is. There's a menu for everything and dialogue to boot. AND THE MISSION REWARD SCREEN this left over loot box mechanic they obviously had to scrap needs to just go. it's a great idea in game but LET ME SEE IT IN GAME not a black screen with a drop pod opening slowly.

And unfortunately, everything else this game struggles with:
Bugs bugs bugs because live service was half baked
social menus that don't work
sub menus for menus
multiple materials you dont care about
a uninspired shop overpriced with a premium currency
THEY MADE ME WANT BATMAN TO SHUT UP (with brainiac after) the characters on enemy coms do not shut the F*** up
uninspired skill tree and random number percentages that all shlooters do

A pretty cool survival game that had amazing potential but fell into the pile of a lot of Early access games never finished. The devs for a good amount of time did little to no communication with that changing as outcry became larger. Now we're given dev logs that don't really tell us much about what's next and leaves most as broad as possible. Back in 2021 even 2022 if you had asked me if this is worth picking up, I'd say yes because what is in the game can be an extremely enjoyable experience despite a lot of systems remaining basic or staying surface level with no real evolution. Progression is probably this game's worst aspect now as the further towards the end game you get, the less gear holds an impact. Multiple armor sets and different gear options are basically useless/wastes of time vs the main ore sets. There are more games out there that saw this formula and are more committed to active development. I recommend you go after those unless you're looking for a one and done experience.

And a huge sin in these survival games is to add a unfinished biome that when updated, doesn't add the content if already generated and leaves people needing to restart the world. This was a really good time and it's sad to see how they devs treated their success. Everyone was playing this and now its just another game passing in the wind through dev choices.

It's buggy and a lot of systems are surface level, taking aspects from other games and combining it. If all goes well and the devs respect and uphold the early access status, the game could turn into a really great experience through polish and refinement. It's genius for a indie studio to do what is being done here and it would be awesome for more to take the same approach of doing what's done right but putting spins or combining gameplay elements.

It's dumb, affordable fun. Running around terrorizing "pals" and putting them to work, slowly expanding more and more satisfies a lot of survival gaming wants while bring the simple concept of controlling a bunch of monsters against other monsters. The most interesting aspect of the game is how they've blended different game inspirations into a single product enough to where it's short comings are easy to ignore within the first 20-30 hours.
When reaching the middle game, it seems to really really slow down. The grind becomes much more harsh for some resources and ultimately needs better additions to help generate more of those resources (the game has a logging pit and a stone pit. A mine pit would fit right into the later end game as the current method is to find a group of ore deposits, plot an entire camp down and ends up wasting a lot of valuable space.)

There's a lot of promise to the idea of this title and the execution gives hope for further improvement. With how much hype the game has received, it could turn out swell but be cautious as we've seen other survival games perform well in early access and to this day still not be fully built (7days, valheim)

Hellboy Web of Wyrd does everything in it's power to prevent itself from being a good game. If you're a fan of the character, it gives you bits to enjoy which to be frank, is nice considering hellboy doesn't get much in games. That said the moment you try to understand the game's mechanics, general enemy attacks and the roguelike builds, you're instantly let down. I tried very hard to like this game but as I've hit the last few levels, it's hit the point where I'm about done trying to put up with it's issues.
The combat is clunky and can go from working super well to welp the game has decided to lock up and you are going to die which in a roguelike is extremely frustrating.
Pickups are extremely annoying to interact with period. Lore pick ups are hard to see unless they place them right by a gate entrance. Upgrades do little to really affect gameplay as most of them are status effects and reflecting damage back at the enemy but at the same time the game does not want you to be taking damage.
You're given a shield which works kinda well as a ecosystem to maintain through combat but the upgrade for this GOES IN HALVES. With how scarce pick ups can be, there's little reason to limit the player so hard.
It's unfortunate because there is some solid work put into this that at first glance looks great but overall just plays horribly. They even got some solid voice talent
It's short too. On the hard mode I still trucked through the first five levels (each with 2 stages and a boss fight at the end) under 5 hours.
Other games do this better and there's not enough to justify putting much into this game. There's little reward for learning how to play well and outside the few things that work, almost everything doesn't.