This week we have three titles. But one unifies them all. I played 'em AND enjoyed them. All titles listed were provided to me free for review with no other consideration.
Raiders of the Broken Planet: UNRATED
It's not a complete game. This is an ambitious episodic title from a publisher and developer that have yet to prove their mettle. If season one's episodes are complete and on time without being shitty or rushed then I'd have no problems investing in a season pass for season 2. Mercury Steam has written a big check here but they signed it with a kiss. There's every reason to believe they'll deliver. I am cautiously optimistic but I can't recommend pre-purchasing the episodes before release.
The first missions are free. You get an adequate introduction to the Raiders, their boss, and their motives. We also see the introduction of no less than two rival factions. While the writing is a bit hit or miss (son of a thousand dingos??) the voice acting carries it. There's a lot of story yet to be seen and I sincerely hope they get to conclude this season in a way that's satisfying to their audience. Although I remain skeptical of Mercury Steam they've proven so far they can combine a unique graphical aesthetic and writing with humor and a driving sound track.
Buying a season of unreleased episodes feels like too much of a gamble. Already there seems to be a framework in place for paid DLC and micro-transactions. As it is the whole setup feels like Loot Crate the Game. When episode 2 hows up will it be any good? No one knows. Even the episodes director doesn't have a clear few as they are too close to the project to see it as a paying customer would. Raiders of the Broken Planet is a lot like the hot hook up at the bar. You have no idea what it's going to be like when you get them home and no clue if you'll regret it when you see them the next morning.
MEG 9: Lost Echoes: 10/10
The game is nearly flawless. The list of issues I have is so short I can list them here:
1) Too short for the cost
2) Some higher graphical setting seem to crash
3) The initial load time was very long for me and asset pop-in was common during play
The voice acting and writing seem to match up. The voice acting itself was beyond the wooden tone I was expecting since a lot of scifi games try to imitate B scifi movies. An effect Elias Toufexis pulls of flawlessly in the recent Deus Ex games while I know for a fact he has amazing range (just listen to any work hes done in commercials). There's a crisp military tone that softens considerably once your operator, his RIG and AI MEG are in the field. Communications with your coordinator become more casual and even conversational at times.
Playability wise the games does a lot for you. Not in a hand-holdy way either. In the three missions available in Lost Echoes they show off a lot of what they plan for future installments. It plays like a triple A title and at first feels like an absolute bargain. Right up until it's over. You're left wanting more so you give the Flashpoint mode a try. For some that might be enough. For me it felt like a MetalGear Ground Zeroes flashback. A full price game with only one map repeated tirelessly. Don't get me wrong. The game is as near perfect as I can conceive. The music pumps, the graphics entice and the story is evocative. But at the asking price I can't recommend this game. If it included the full game's sound track as a teaser bonus it'd be worth it. Though if you can snag it cheaper at or less than 6.99 then GET IT. It is absolutely worth that.
This Strange Realm of Mine: 7/7
A perfect score for a retro indie title. Much like Captain Kaon this game reminds me a lot of the late era of DOS and console gaming. In this case it's a throw back to the '3D' FPSes. The game's style closely follows the Wolfenstines and DOOMs of yore. There's even a bit of Elder Scrolls Arena in this title as there is a 'hub world' that's just a bar really. A place of clam in the eye of the storm. There's no open world. You can just pick a direction and keep walking. But the missions are concise and are tied together by the storyline.
This is a graphically retro game. It attempts (and succeeds) in emulating the 2.75 D look we came to expect in Apogee and ID software titles. It even does a good job of recreating some of the external area levels common tot he DOOM and Quake series. The graphical achievements top out around the same level as Build engine games like Duke Nukem and Shadow Warrior of the late 90s. The music is actually much better. Opting for a modern aesthetic rather than trying to recreate the MIDI music of the era. It does, however, reproduce selections of music popular at the time.
At its core TSRoM is a dream wrapped in the last few moments of the protagonists death. The End is where all starts. The worlds you visit eventually force you to face the same blighted creatures you ran from on the opening level. Many tropes are subverted as well. Reloading a gun means you lose those bullets. Your vision dims as you take damage. The protagonist is aware of their recent mortality and their current situation. The story unfold itself gradually in an attempt to not 'overwhelm' the protagonist. Its introspective and challenging while adding on a layer of nostalgia for an era you may not even been a part of. Worth every cent of the 9 dollar asking price and a bigger bargain when on sale.
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