Putting a Negative review for now only because Steam has no sideways thumbs.
There is definitely potential here, but the potential of this game is being barred by a very concerning lack of design and polish that will require further time in the cooking pot before they can get addressed. This is by no means a negative against the devs. They are supposedly a two-person team working hard to develop this game to achieve the goals they want. I just cannot recommend this title at this stage, but I would say that the potential and the interaction the devs have been making with the community might be justified enough for you to put some money in to fund the development.
So what about the game?
Currently, the game feels very much like an improved student showcase project done in game school utilizing store assets to create something. Its better than the countless effortless asset flips on steam at least, but there still requires a LOT Of improvements and features for this game to be worth 15 bucks. This might sound harsh, and admittedly I have not played enough of the game to know it very well indepth, but I have spent enough time in game to get a gist of what is going on. The game as it is, exists as two seperate experiences - VR and Desktop.
While it is no doubt VR was the target focus of Alien Dawn, the current iteration of VR has very un-intuitive controls. Backpacks and Vests are two seperate item containers, and trying to manage them requires you to fumble with both of them trying to slot your items into pinpoint precise circles, failing which to do so will drop the item and require you to bend over to pick them up. There is an auto pick up and store option, which often fails and there is no cue or understanding as to why. Did I just out of the slots that hold that type of item? How do I tell?
Meanwhile, playing on desktop mode (pancake) is a very different set of issues. You can easily tell that this game is made for VR because playing on pancake a lot of things don't work as they should in a traditional game setup. There is a hotbar now and assigned keys, and mouse1 automatically uses items, which is always good, but the game still tries to implement the fiddling of bagpack which was already a problem in VR, and now made even worse in desktop mode. There are a few solutions but I won't discuss them here as this is an impressions review not a feedback thread.
As for the general gameplay, its a mixed bag. The concept, the overall high concept, is really good. We don't have enough open world games on VR, much less so coop games with replayability built in mind. The thematics are unique enough. Sure, its still zombies, but when you see the UFO and Grey Martian looking dudes come out at night, it is interesting at least. The sounds and ambience are pretty great actually. At night there is a general sense of fear when you hear the alien sounds and the darkness is so foreboding.
However, the world design is quite a letdown. First off, there are no unique landmarks that are important in open world games for pathfinding. In Half Life 2, we see the Citadel as a towering landmark that acts as a compass and a orientation guide. In other games, mountain ranges, unique cliffs, cities often provide visual landmarks that let you know where you are even without using the map given enough knowledge. None of that exists here. Everything is designed on a flat axis plane and sometimes you get a slight depression with structures below, or a river, or a small abode. The entire map is a span of vast empty nothing, just rolling green fields and trees, and then the occasional farmhouse that is recycled throughout the map. You don't know what loot is inside them, because everything is so random nothing is ever a tactical decision. A house can have no food, just machineguns laying around. You might find a grenade launcher, but near it are rifle magazines. And this is because there is really not much variation of structure. Almost every loot spot is a repeat of the same farmhouse/whitehouse or military area you just visited minutes ago.
There are fast travel points, and these aren't even attached to any unique feature or structure. Why is a random grass patch beside the road a fast travel point?? Every spot on the map looks exactly the same, except with a slight variation in how things are arranged. Buildings are singular models and many of them cannot even entered, you can even look at the missing windows and see the insides of the building (Unrendered walls). To get around the map, you require vehicles, which are randomly scattered. There is just so much empty space, and repeating patterns, that there is not much reason to choose to explore one area over another. More interesting POIs and better wayfinding would go a long way if a rework is ever possible. Maps need to have more flair, more character. Have distinct areas of the map that offer different playstyles and objectives. Increase height variation and let the player notice these peaks from far away to aid in navigation.
Guns feel floaty and too much like toys. Enemies are just unpolished generally. Their attacks are too fast without the animation to match, and melee is quite redundant because you take so much damage just trying to melee in desktop mode. There needs to be more guidance on what to do in game.
Now, all this said, its not exactly a bad game. I don't think the devs are trying to make a low effort scam. But as it is, there still needs a lot of work. If anything, the third person desktop mode and the VR mode itself are great areas of potential to work on, and with a redesign of the map, more objectives, better loot distribution and polishing, this game would be pretty decent. I wish the two devs all the best. This review sounds really critical, but they are things a normal player would definitely notice if they are not from the game industry and understanding of development troubles.
Buy to support development, but not to play a game yet as it is still very WIP. There is a LOT of potential here, and with enough work, it will be a good VR game.
