Recent reviews by Sir Piecemaker

A rogue-lite city builder is something that doesn't sound like it should work, but Against the Storm doesn't just work - it excels.

As an avid fan of both rogue-lites and city builder/colony simulators, I was instantly intrigued when I saw Against the Storm and I can safely say that if you feel half the interest I did upon seeing this game, it will be money well spent. Each run is a solid length of a few hours, the goals are well-defined and achievable, and runs feel different enough to make you change your approach - especially the random events you encounter. Meta-progression, similarly, is impactful and fairly nicely paced.

On top of all of this, the cosiness of the game is incredible - the soft rain, calm music and cute graphics feel amazing after a hard day. Be prepared for things to get a bit hectic on higher difficulties, however - especially during the Storm season.

Really, I can't think of much negative to say. Buy the game. It's worth it.

You can pet the goose, 10/10.

Do not forget that Sony almost F'd over the community with their PSN linking requirement.




Truly a beyond-remarkable game.

After a rocky release, the developers have worked with incredible determination and quickly solved the (technical) bugs to allow us to squash the (in-game) bugs. They have since then managed to make it an outstanding case of a live service game done right; updates and new content are tied to players' activities and accomplishments, such as awarding us the mech suit after freeing the planet on which the factories reside. This is after some players randomly found the mech laying around in a mission, providing borderline conspiracy-level engagement from the community which just made it all seem... alive.

The game itself is a coop shooter which does something very simple right. It's fun.

The guns feel good. The enemies respond to damage in a satisfying way. The chaos is all-encompassing. The explosions are plentiful. The satirical setting adds just enough levity to make the community friendly - as long as you are a democracy-loving, liberty-spreading Helldiver! The friendly fire is inevitable. Just know that yours and your friends' sacrifice will not be in vain, because freedom... does not come free.

Prove to yourself that you have the strength to become a Helldiver.

A fun little mix of city building/management and wave defence. It's very simple to grasp and control, but immensely satisfying to play. Despite having already finished the content of the initial release, I can't help but keep coming back. I'm hooked. Please send help. I truly cannot wait for more updates; even now, this is a hard recommend for the asking price.

I really, really wish Steam had the option to give a "Mixed" review. I must start off with one thing that was, for most of my playthrough, coursing through my mind.

This game does not respect your time.

Story is delivered by characters speaking AT you; not with you. Just massive stretches of uninterrupted dialogue. Sometimes unskippable; there was a part where I saw a giant elevator and thought to myself "Oh no" because, as expected, this slow ride was used to spout exposition at me.
Some areas feature huge, mostly empty swathes of land that you just run through. Sure, there is the occasional enemy to fight, but as they give barely any reward, I was hard-pressed to bother.
Levelling XP for your classes is painfully slow; or, at least, I found it to be. I wanted to experiment with builds more, but over the course of my playthrough, which included most optional areas and 2 adventure mode replays, I levelled 1,5 perks total - with an XP boosting ring.
And, as minor as it may be, I was quite bothered by how every time I approached an NPC, I had to wait for them to finish their animation just so I could talk to them. I'm looking at you, Whispers.

Some other issues I'd like to point out - I faced a good few graphical issues during my play. None of them entirely game-breaking, but when your flashlight produces no light in a dark sewer, it is beyond infuriating bumping your way through the walls.
I'm not a fan of how limited I was with traits. You get a rather small amount of them considering just how many perks there are.
Unlocking some things is beyond infuriating. Why, pray tell, must I wait for an RNG state of the world to farm resources for a class? Who thought rerolling an area for half an hour to get a Blood Moon was a good idea?
And, finally, regarding the story - without any spoilers, I really, really dislike how it ended. Or, more accurately, didn't. I assume there's going to be a DLC to finish the plot. That's just... cheap.

So! Why is this a positive review?

Because, on the whole, I had a fun time. More fun than the bad. But like I said - this is an exceedingly tenuous recommendation.

The gunplay is fun. The melee is satisfying. There are only very few areas, but they're all incredibly distinct and rather memorable.
Boss design deserves its own commendation - I found every (major) boss to be refreshing and interesting with its own unique mechanics, patterns and a great deal of spectacle. I did find some bosses quite annoying, but never to the point of rage. Save the final boss. Had to take a break from that one for a bit.
This quality extends, to a lesser degree, to regular enemies. They reflect the world they live in beautifully and are for the most part fun to fight.
I'm a fan of adventure mode - a way to replay an area, separate from your main campaign, but rather than simply repeating the area, you face new bosses and new areas. It's not mandatory to progress the plot, but very satisfying to play.
Traits not withstanding, the customization is quite fun. Tons of rings, a good few guns, mods to boot, and some very fashionable armour; let's be honest, it's called Fashion Souls for a reason.


To summarize:

The game is fun to play.

I just wish it wouldn't constantly prevent me from doing just that.

This review is being written 4 days after release into Early Access.

A very fun co-op shooter that stands out from the others with a far larger scale; 16 troopers work together to defeat the vile bug menace. This is furthered by a building system that allows you to build your own defences, further increasing the uniqueness. The guns have immensely satisfying sounds and the community is already quite welcoming and friendly.

As Early Access continues, the game needs to add mission variety and more equipment to use to truly survive the test of time, but even now, this is a quite solid shooter. A recommend from me.

A fun, stylish, and atmospheric shooter with light rogue-lite and moderate RPG elements that heavily leans into a regrettably underused "Occult Wild West" style. Prepare to face various monsters with classic six-shooters and double barrels that feel amazing to shoot.
You'll certainly feel the setting of the game when you start reloading your first revolver and realize just how slow it is, ejecting and loading it bullet by bullet. You'll find the competent stealth mechanics highly useful as a full-on firefight might not end well for you.
Get better guns, level up, kill monsters. Save your soul.

Be advised that at the time of writing this review, the game is light on content - as is to be somewhat expected from an EA game, but if you're looking for something to sink your teeth into for a while, wait a bit. Aside from that, it's a fun and unique game worth your money.

The game is an immensely enjoyable city builder/tower defense - if you've played or seen They Are Billions, you know what you're getting into. With a charming art style and some great feelings of impact thanks to the physics, this game already feels like a solid package. Since it's already quite good, I can't wait to see what comes in future updates, but I can safely recommend it at this point in time and development.

This game is just way too good for 3 dollars.

It's simple, fun, and deceptively addicting. It hits that primal part of the brain that likes to see numbers go up. I can recommend.

This game is... challenging to evaluate.

The presentation is spotless. Cryengine does not disappoint - the game not only looks gorgeous, it sounds fantastic as well. Good thing that, since sound plays an integral part of Hunt, informing you of nearby enemies, mobs, and bosses.

The guns are, for me, the main draw. The revolvers, rifles, and even crossbows all look and sound incredible, and firing them all is a joy. But here is where a few problems come in;

You won't be shooting them as much as you might want.

As I said, sound tells your position. Guns are, as it turns out, loud. If you want to enjoy the gunplay, you'll find yourself easily located by other players and sniped from afar. This is basically my biggest problem with the game - it constantly flip-flops between exciting gunfights on rooftops and swamps, and matches when you and 4 other people spend 10 minutes crouched behind cover, waiting for someone to make the first move, because whoever does will likely get shot instantly. It is a game that can be seriously fun, but incredibly frustrating at times.

I must give it a thumbs up on an objective level, but do beware of this before getting it. It is also worth noting that despite being a PvPvE, the PvE aspect is overall fairly minor, as AI mobs are more of an inconvenience than a real threat.