This review contains spoilers
This review is marked for spoilers but it is only for a particular gameplay section later on in the game. There are no story spoilers ahead.
Man, for the first half of this game I was really in its corner. But the level of frustration I had, especially, from chapter six and onwards dragged this down a star and a half. Let's start with the good! It's immersive. Character models are really impressive. Loved the environments, loved the atmosphere.
Let's start with the middling. The melee is not awful but it definitely feels like you have to step down to get to the game's level to get comfortable with it. It's a choice many don't seem to agree with but whatever. I got used to it.
Now let's start with the downright frustrating. The checkpoint system in this is severely outdated. Turns out I missed the platinum trophy for this because if you get a collectible, die and restart from a checkpoint, you have to get the collectible again. Oops. Didn't know that. I just figured you know, like every other modern game that shit like that would save. Oh well. Normally I'd be able to go back and get the collectible but I can't since there's NO CHAPTER SELECT. What are we thinking not adding this?
The amount of health, ammo and credits you receive throughout the game is inconsistent across the board. There are times where it's very manageable, and times when you hit a fucking checkpoint at a really bad time when you have NO health, NO ammo and are being bombarded by enemies with NO time to reload!
Which brings me to another point...the reloading. I get slowing down the gameplay just enough to make the enemy encounters more tense but it is WAY too slow. This mechanic singlehandedly makes the gameplay feel dated. It's a design choice that deliberately goes against how games should feel to play in 2022. I can't tell you how many times I was stuck in a situation where I was being bombarded by enemies (and ALL of them have tentacles, if you've played it you know what I'm fucking talking about) and all I can do is dodge and melee because I don't have time to heal, I don't have time to reload, I don't even have time to switch weapons (which is frustrating as fuck itself) and you just have to try again and again and again until you get lucky. Because you know, there's a good chance an annoying ass checkpoint got you in that mess in the first place.
I'm gonna talk for a second about the end of chapter six specifically. You fight this two-headed monster after you fight about fifteen or so enemies in which you better be prepared or else you're fucked. I had plenty of Hand Cannon ammo the first time I around. I die, checkpoint is reloaded and I have none. I couldn't believe it.
I finally got done with that, having exhausted ALL of my ammo and I was very surprised at the lack of opportunities to get more after that. I was barely scraping by having to melee everyone (a feat that took much longer than it needed to because of the fucking tentacles!!) Only to have to face that ammo-sinking two-headed asshole monster AGAIN. Oh and he shows up like two more times, all of which are completely inconvenient and not fun at all.
This could've been so good. So, so good. I really liked it up until it frustrated me to no end. I'm done with it now, without the Platinum trophy because of the dumbs checkpoints, and at this point I'm glad it's over.
Man, for the first half of this game I was really in its corner. But the level of frustration I had, especially, from chapter six and onwards dragged this down a star and a half. Let's start with the good! It's immersive. Character models are really impressive. Loved the environments, loved the atmosphere.
Let's start with the middling. The melee is not awful but it definitely feels like you have to step down to get to the game's level to get comfortable with it. It's a choice many don't seem to agree with but whatever. I got used to it.
Now let's start with the downright frustrating. The checkpoint system in this is severely outdated. Turns out I missed the platinum trophy for this because if you get a collectible, die and restart from a checkpoint, you have to get the collectible again. Oops. Didn't know that. I just figured you know, like every other modern game that shit like that would save. Oh well. Normally I'd be able to go back and get the collectible but I can't since there's NO CHAPTER SELECT. What are we thinking not adding this?
The amount of health, ammo and credits you receive throughout the game is inconsistent across the board. There are times where it's very manageable, and times when you hit a fucking checkpoint at a really bad time when you have NO health, NO ammo and are being bombarded by enemies with NO time to reload!
Which brings me to another point...the reloading. I get slowing down the gameplay just enough to make the enemy encounters more tense but it is WAY too slow. This mechanic singlehandedly makes the gameplay feel dated. It's a design choice that deliberately goes against how games should feel to play in 2022. I can't tell you how many times I was stuck in a situation where I was being bombarded by enemies (and ALL of them have tentacles, if you've played it you know what I'm fucking talking about) and all I can do is dodge and melee because I don't have time to heal, I don't have time to reload, I don't even have time to switch weapons (which is frustrating as fuck itself) and you just have to try again and again and again until you get lucky. Because you know, there's a good chance an annoying ass checkpoint got you in that mess in the first place.
I'm gonna talk for a second about the end of chapter six specifically. You fight this two-headed monster after you fight about fifteen or so enemies in which you better be prepared or else you're fucked. I had plenty of Hand Cannon ammo the first time I around. I die, checkpoint is reloaded and I have none. I couldn't believe it.
I finally got done with that, having exhausted ALL of my ammo and I was very surprised at the lack of opportunities to get more after that. I was barely scraping by having to melee everyone (a feat that took much longer than it needed to because of the fucking tentacles!!) Only to have to face that ammo-sinking two-headed asshole monster AGAIN. Oh and he shows up like two more times, all of which are completely inconvenient and not fun at all.
This could've been so good. So, so good. I really liked it up until it frustrated me to no end. I'm done with it now, without the Platinum trophy because of the dumbs checkpoints, and at this point I'm glad it's over.