[h2] Positives [/h2]
[list]
[*]Good graphics, the lighting and texture work surpassed my expectation, I was afraid it was going to be a UE asset flop. The equipment, armor, gun, energy guns, all look good.
[*]I don't encounter any bugs at all, no game breaking ones. Although, I need to access the options menu every time I boot up the game because the motion blur is on for some reason despite me already turning it off. Entering the options menu and exiting it immediately fixed it.
[*]Skills increased from in-game usage instead of putting point every time you level up is a welcome change, unique as well, especially in an isometric C-RPG.
[*]Combat systems and leveling up your characters are neat and simple in a good way (not overly complicated but still have some depth). Combat feels grounded, realistic and very lethal. It's not perfect though, there are some things I will address about it later.
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[h2] Mixed [/h2]
[list]
[*]Interesting CRPG setting and lore, which fully take place on a big spaceship with so many factions running amok. It sets up to be a treasure trove of story telling, especially if the developers truly lean on the gritty aspect of it. But sadly, the writing fell short, it's just... decent. If the developers did a better job of presenting the story, the pacing, the narrative, even the encounters, it would probably be able to make me feel like I am in an immersive sci-fi setting like the Expanse, but all I got is just generic sci-fi. It shouldn't feel [i] generic [/i] but there's something wrong in the execution of presenting the world to the players. It's still an interesting setting at the end of the day, but there's so many untapped potentials.
[*]Playing as a character specializing in speech feels counterintuitive because the resolutions aren't satisfying. It's usually just me picking the green options, a skill check I had passed and it boils down to: Me - Just trust me. NPC - Okay. I am oversimplifying things here but you get the gist. And since the combat is fun/ the meat of the game, I ended up choosing the violent options more often than not.
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[h2] Negatives [/h2]
[list]
[*]The music is just passable and there is only one track per map. There are a few good ones but most of them are forgettable. The right ambient soundtrack can go a very long way in this game but the devs didn't put much effort into this. A shame.
[*]Grenades are too powerful in combat, there is a reason the developers made a good grenade worth more than a pristine assault rifle. If you have plenty of good grenades in your belt, in the world of Colony Ship, you are the apex predator. The devs balance it by price and availability but you should still be able to accumulate a good amount of them. Using the grenades feel cheap and it could easily win some unwinnable fights. The grenades have 100% accuracy, and very low AP too. Want a good game that utilizes grenades very well? See Underrail.
[*]Trying to block a shot from hitting your vulnerable party member is janky.
[*]You cannot do reaction shots when being engaged in melee, but can still shoot other people besides the melee attacker when it's your turn. Why? Doesn't make sense. This goes for the AI as well.
[*]My main character focus on stealth and have 10 stealth at the end of the game, but I feel it is underutilized and the stealth mechanics are very basic. I can only remember one mission where there is full-fledged stealth section, only to be ruined by patrolling, walking enemies (the stealth mechanics fail hard if there is a patrolling moving NPC). It gets easier when you obtain a Cloaking Field but still, it's basic.
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[h2] Conclusion [/h2]
It is a solid 6.8/10 CRPG. This game reminded me of Wasteland 3 for some reason, for comparison purposes. Like I wrote above, Wasteland 3 presented it's world better than this game in many aspects, music, narrative, encounters, ambiance and systems. It's a shame because Colony Ship has a unique and interesting setting/premise, it's just lacking in execution. Still, the game kept me intrigued until the end and eventually I finished it, so it's not a bad game. Lastly, if you are an Age of Decadence fan, you will probably like this game.
