[quote][b][url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asset_flip]Warning: Asset Flip![/url][/b]
Betrayal Beach is one of literally thousands of creatively bankrupt asset flips infesting Steam and lowering the average quality of all video games everywhere.[/quote]
This is a ripoff of Werewolf/Mafia/Amongus made entirely from Unity Asset Store assets, particularly Synty asset packs from the store. This is in direct violation of Unity's terms and conditions and it was done so for profit.
While there's no up front price for this asset flip, the other problem with asset flips is that when developers aren't capable of doing their job and creating high quality assets, it's also true they can't do any of the rest of the job of a game developer either. That's definitely true for "Betrayal Beach", and this kind of asset flipping never results in games that have quality or value for PC gamers.
Because this asset flip is made up of nothing but copy + pastes of the Synty asset packs, it's in violation of the [url=https://unity.com/legal/as-terms]Unity Asset Store Terms of Service and EULA[/url]. Specifically, Section 2, Subsection 2.2.1a:
[quote][i]Subject to the restrictions set forth in this EULA, Licensor hereby grants to the END-USER a non-exclusive, non-transferable, worldwide, and perpetual license to the Asset solely: (a) to incorporate the Asset, [b]together with substantial, original content not obtained through the Unity Asset Store[/b], into an electronic application or digital media that has a purpose, features, and functions beyond the display, performance, distribution, or use of Assets ("Licensed Product") as an embedded component of that Licensed Product, [b]such that the Asset does not comprise a substantial portion of the Licensed Product[/b][/i][/quote]
Because the developer misused the asset pack such that it comprises the vast majority of this "game", the developer has unethically and deliberately breached the license agreement. Worse, this intellectual property violation was done in an attempt to profit from their illicit actions. Why is this permitted on Steam?
There's also the old adage that those who lack the budget and talent to make their own game assets usually lack the budget and talent to do the rest of the job of game development properly, too.
On pricing and value for gamers, this isn't really free as you're expected to pay up $16 USD to unlock content/DLC, the game should not be considered completely unlocked until you empty your wallet for the developer. This is some nasty, predatory pricing and PC gamers don't like it.
It's important to note that, despite this being such a low quality product, there's a number of positive reviews that all appeared immediately after the game launched, from suspiciously inactive Steam accounts that have reviewed almost no other games apart from this. Take the review score of this game with a grain of salt.
Bearing in mind that free games don't add +1 to your game collector count, should you bother adding this to your library and downloading it?
Nope. This isn't worth downloading. While this didn't cost me any money up front, I still feel ripped off.
[quote][url=https://partner.steamgames.com/doc/store/reviews]Developer Response![/url][/quote]The developer has weighed in to inform everyone they didn't read the [url=https://partner.steamgames.com/doc/store/reviews]Developer Usage Rules[/url] for Steam "partners", or they deliberately ignored the part where Valve says:
[quote]Though it may be tempting, not every review needs to be responded to. A developer response will frequently draw more attention than the original statement, potentially turning a small issue into a much larger community discussion. It's also not a good idea to use this feature to refute customer opinions. Your direct attention can be seen as validation or a defensive attempt to silence your customers.[/quote]
The first thing the developer wants everyone to know is that they are "The Main Character". You, as a gamer, don't matter. They breach Valve guidelines for developers just to complain about a fully accurate and informative review (with facts their ego doesn't like). It's evident from their attitude that they never created this product with gamers in mind. They did so to stroke their own ego. When developers, especially failed ones who would never be able to get a professional job in the industry, put themselves before gamers, we end up with garbage products like this. That explains how this trash ended up on Steam, but it doesn't excuse it. At least we finally got to meet THE MAIN CHARACTER.
The developer leaps around the FACT he breached the Unity store terms and conditions for profit... sure, Unity won't shut this down even if it's in their legal right to, becuase they profit from every single Unity asset flip infesting Steam. Gamers have never been Unity's priority, and obviously gamers are not the priority for THE MAIN CHARACTER here, either.
Now we can tell that, apart from just ignoring his breach of legally binding agreements for profit (which could result in more than just the game being removed from Steam), the developer DEMANDS that I increase his player base by bringing other people to play. The developer DEMANDS I play a full match before I can tell people [i]it's impossible to play a full match because there aren't enough players because gamers hate crappy asset flips like this!!![/i]
The developer seems to be simply delusional here, but that just hammers home the point... he's performing mental contortions to avoid facing up to the fact that this asset flip ripoff of AmongUs/Mafia was a dismal failure rejected by gamers, doesn't have enough population to continue, but instead prefers to attack this reviewer for a frank and honest review instead of facing up to reality.
That delusion explains how someone thought it would be okay to breach Unity's terms and conditions for profit, and publish a garbage asset flip where the MAJORITY of the game assets are someone else's, and then attack reviewers for pointing out why it failed. But excuses none of that toxic behaviour.
Bonus points: The developer insists when he put paid DLC on this game so he can get YOUR money for Synty's assets that he didn't expect anyone to actually buy it. WTF. This is like Walmart building a store but not bothering to open the doors because who would come and buy anything anyway? You don't go through the effort of adding paid DLC without expecting someone will buy it. The developers sheer dishonesty and moral bankrupcy here is insulting to everyone.
Nothing in the developers pointless breach of Valve guidelines changes any of the objective facts of my review. My review stands unaltered. I cannot recommend this dead Synty asset flip to anyone.
