[h1] A hyped up disappointment [/h1]
I was already expecting a completely average by the books indie game simply from it being a sort of 'mascot horror'. I did have a bit higher hopes for this particular game thanks to the premise being an on-rails RE3 Nemesis Stalker-type horror game. Now that's an intriguing concept! ... Unfortunately, however, the game is very rarely that. Most of the game is just simple fetch quest garbage, and has very little to do with the actual somewhat fun and interesting part of the game.
[h2] In short, it's your run of the mill medicore Unreal Engine Indie game [/h2]
Where to begin? Well, let's start with the actual gameplay being run around to collect scrap and upgrade your generic three stats. There really could have been interesting upgrade paths, some examples being:
> upgrade train size and add extra weapon placements
> adding crewmates to help protect the train
> adding deployable mines or grenades
ultimately, its wasted potential and only serves to elongate this game with little substance.
The voice acting is bad. Not 'so bad its good,' but just plain bad. it feels like anyone is really putting any effort in, as if they're directionless. This also ties into the fact that the story might as well be non-existent. NPCs are pretty generic and offer very little, dialogue is plain and offers little to care about. There really could have been something here. Explain more the background of Charles, the story of the land, or just give more insight into the life before attacked. The cult could have been cool to learn about, take some ques from Silent Hill.
Speaking of the cult, they really ruin the gameplay. Charles is a wuss compared to these cult members with shotguns, who go to the ends of the Earth just to blow your brains out. Seriously, these guys suck and shouldn't even be in the game. There's a pseudo-stealth mechanic, but you're just better off running past these guys because they can just spot you a mile away. Not even a basic crouch mechanic? Seriously? you couldn't even get generic Skyrim stealth slop right. These guys ruin the game and should have been completely removed, man.
Or, at the very least ADD A GUN TO USE WHEN OFF THE TRAIN! Walking around the island sucks because there's nothing to do on foot besides walk around, and get the magic mcguffin items they want. It's boring as hell because there's little story, crappy voice acting, and very little in the way of actual gameplay besides the segments where you're doing the actual fun part of the game - shooting Charles. Even then, it's really not that fun, because apparently whoever designed these firearms sucks at heat management, and within four to ten shots the weapons overheat and you're forced to switch off. Adding a limited amount of ammo, or better yet, using scrap to create ammo, would make this a much better survival horror experience [b]resource management is what makes survival horror GREAT[/b]. Normal mode is barely a challenge because death means very little. meanwhile nightmare mode is just brutal because of only having one life, which can be quickly ended by the much bigger treat of the cultists and swamp monster (another can of worms, that I'll just say is poorly designed, explained, and programmed, and leave it at that).
[h2] This game is pretty much just Youtube mascot horror slop [/h2]
I know i seem brutal on this game, but its only because there's so much potential that was wasted for this title. I hope these criticisms can be taken into consideration for a possible sequel or entire remake to turn this game into something truly unique and special. Make this the on-rails survival horror game experience that is unlike anything else.
