DAMex : DArk Matter Exodus

The era of AI slop in indie gaming has arrived. --- Note: Game was received (free) through curator connect (which requests curators to review) I would like to think I can be forgiving when it comes to indie developers. If they put in effort and are honest about the results, I've given some passing grades to functional games even if they aren't masterpieces as long as the results are somewhat fun and the price isn't obnoxious. I've seen other comments that the game is a "work in progress" but there's a problem with that statement: This isn't an Early Access title. As I review this, it's marked as a fully released game and will be judged as such. If you want a game judged as still in development: then the store page should be marked clearly as Early Access, still in development. So with those notes written, I'll simply judge the game on its merits or lack there of. The positives: The framework for a functional game is sort of there. Unfortunately anyone with a weekend to learn and access to YouTube could build something sort of functional using Unreal Editor and off the shelf asset store packs. So it's not exactly high praise to cobble together something sort of functional. In fact, technically this should be neutral and not on the positive list, but I'm trying to be nice here… A game using off the shelf assets and premade scripting needs to do something unique to stand out. At the very least have some hook of story, activity, gameplay, anything that makes it interesting. Even one or two interesting hooks or twists as an excuse to recommend it. I'm struggling to find that as I play through generic story in generic world with store bought asset packs #1 and #4 cobbled into incorrectly labeled genre with haphazard indifference. The neutrals: Store bought asset packs for characters, weapons and landscape. It is what it is. These don't make a game good or bad, but a lack of unique assets means there's nothing to celebrate when it comes to visuals. When the alien running at you looks like the same alien face hugger from another cheap game and your weapon/armor set is from another cheap game; you're wondering what your motivation is to experience this and if you don't find it in the story or gameplay loop, then there isn't one. The negatives: The store page lies: Labeled an Extraction Shooter and RPG. It's neither of those things. It's a looter shooter (if you know the difference… this dev does not) and there's no RPG elements, at least not in terms of game play. The only way to call this an RPG is if you would label any game with a character and you playing the role of that character (which would be almost every game, ever). For most people the RPG label in gaming is a specific genre and gameplay toolset and this isn't it. Quote from store page: "AI Generated Content Disclosure: This game uses AI-generated content, including cinematic videos, voices and some images." None of this comes off well in game. The story (conveyed in cinematic videos) is short and generic and still manages to have plot holes. The voices are flat and lifeless. There's ways to use AI to enhance a product, this isn't it. This is just AI slop for the sake of not doing the work. The gameplay manages to be slippery when moving. The controls don't feel tight or responsive. It's like they just used whatever generic animations were available in the asset pack and tuned nothing to be precise within their world building presentation. I played for a few hours just to see if there was anything I was missing. I don't like to make up my mind in 5 minutes and quit while pretending I've seen everything. But honestly the only thing that did was give me more things I could list wrong with it. I could actually list probably a dozen more complaints or suggestions on how to fix this or how it could have been a good game; but… Why? It doesn't deserve any more of my time or any more of my effort, because it's never going to be fixed, it's never going to be anything worth spending money on. And that's beyond any opinion of AI usage, character design or store page false claims; because the problems arise in the lack of concern and quality at every stage of the games design. I can show you in one single frame the kind of "quality" that went into this game: https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3758465094 This is your character (no choices or customizations) and yes, she is holding the sword upside down. And, yes you hit the enemies with the blunt backside of the blade. I'll be polite and say I don't care about the characters appearance (though I know some people will) but for freak sake, when you can't even have the character hold their weapon correctly it shows just how little you care about your game and how little respect you have for anyone that would consider buying your product. This is a game made using premade assets, off the shelf parts and an AI generated story, voice and cinematics. Literally all the tools needed were readily available and took minimal effort to assemble and the person who cobbled it together couldn't even be bothered to have the character hold their sword correctly. --- Bottom line: AI slop in game form. --- [url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/38232109/]While you are here, would you consider following my curator page?[/url] [url=https://steamcommunity.com/id/kunovega/recommended/]Want to read all of my reviews and not just the curated ones?[/url]

Runs ok on the Steam Deck on low settings. The game needs a lot of work though. Using the drone pet/companion as your gun doesn't feel good at all. Having to choose between melee or drone shooting shouldn't be a thing. To fix these issues I would suggest making the drone an autoffire low attack helper while you fight with melee and skills. I wish they had a sideways thumb for Meh! Currently I can't recommend it but a shell of something with potential is here still it just needs some time to cook. https://youtu.be/6YqLdZSZJzI?is=BnmpX13XNAAF6k01

Solo extraction game in a sci-fi world. Simple but effective gameplay. Not so simple...

Extraction shooter avec un gameplay nerveux. Cool !

Going to recommend this, even though just a short time played so far. It's definitely a work in progress, but it does have promise. It has an "Arc Raiders" vibe to it with a couple of the mob types like the Spider Bot at the timer countdown, or the "rocketeer" type mobs. To call it a "shooter" seems a bit deceptive in a way. You do use your drone to shoot, but you use melee for those up close and personal times. You upgrade your drones guns and you upgrade your blades. It seems to work well. The game also tends to remind me of "The Talos Principle" where you're a robot trying to find ways our of various mazes by interacting with doors/puzzles. While there aren't any puzzles, you do get to look around for the door unlocks. Leads to some exploration opportunities. Speaking of exploration opportunities, the map sizes I've encountered so far have been large enough for the time allowed before you have some very unfriendly company arrive, but it feels almost too small and "linear" in the level designs. Though again, it works with how the game plays, so it's just something I'll get used to. It's better than having a huge map for solo play that you can barely explore before a timer gets you, so it'll do. I've never enjoyed timers much anyhow. Overall, so far, it's been a decent game. Looking forward to finding out how it comes along. With a price tag like it has at the moment, you can easily get your money's worth even if you don't end up enjoying it. I definitely feel they have something to work with given the time to let it cook, so may as well get in while they are taking the ideas and using them.