[h1]Introduction[/h1]
I’m actually surprised that Damn isn’t a mobile port. It sure behaves like one and its developer has had plenty of experience on the iOS and Android platforms. Damn has only been released on Steam so far and that seems to pose some difficulty in readjusting for 7 Raven Studios. While PC gaming isn’t their forte, at least the Steam ports for Dyna Bomb and Ghost Sweeper manage to fulfill their roles somewhat better. We’re comparing apples to oranges, since the aforementioned two are platformers (you can’t mess up this genre on any hardware version, really) while the game I’m going to review today is a top-down shooter/bullet hell wannabe.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1567954963
[h1]Story[/h1]
I have written about a couple of games belonging to the top-down shooter subgenre and they were all masterpieces compared to Damn. For starters, both Geneshift and Solstice Chronicles stood out through their narrative threads. By comparison, Damn doesn’t even feature a cliché-ridden story. It’s just showcasing the “exploits” of a nameless dude sporting a Mohawk and a bionic arm which gets replaced by various weapons. We don’t even know his name or his motivations. Nermind any location names or intel in regards to anything. The “story” involves highly repetitive and pretictable rescue missions in which the hero fights against countless robots before blowing up their HQ, factory or whatever. Look, this isn’t John Connor finally destroying Skynet. It’s just the flimsy plot of a mobile game which never expects its players to raise any questions while they’re sitting at a bus stop or on the “throne”.
[h1]Graphics[/h1]
While I can’t say for certain, I guess that Damn is powered by the Unity Engine. Its graphics are rather primitive, with static 2D backgrounds and 3D assets for the protagonist and enemy types. Spartan looks aren’t a tragedy, given the price tag and topic, yet I was thoroughly displeased by the lack of an Exit button and the fact that the Windows mouse pointer was visible at all times. Silver lining comes in the form of a perfect resolution scaling, not that Damn was looking any better on 4K than it might have looked on 1080p or lower. When booting the game, you have to press Alt+Enter in order to force it in fullscreen mode. If you wish to exit this marvelous experience (and believe me, you will rather soon), it’s going to take the same steps in exiting the fullscreen mode first, before gloriously clicking on the ubiquitous X for closing tabs, applications and you name it. Just don’t press F to pay respects, please.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1567972815
[h1]Audio[/h1]
The sounds were certainly better than the visuals, but it’s not like they could have been worse. Somewhat rare considering the game’s scope, but I never felt compelled to mute the soundtrack and listen to something else. Bland is certainly a step in the right direction, in some cases.
[h1]Gameplay[/h1]
Annoyance was felt however, from the title’s focal point: its gameplay. It isn’t even that easy to point at the exact component which brought the “mechanism” to a grinding halt, but I could summarize it as a combination between repetitiveness and no sense of accomplishment. There was nothing moving forward. Same “missions” and enemy types over different terrains and map layouts. You could regard them more as visual filters, if you will. You get nearly the same results, but at least the boss fights were unpredictable. No pattern to follow, it was just avoiding a turkey shoot and dishing out punishment at the same time. As if being repetitive wasn’t enough though, we have almost every cliché imaginable as far as the shooting genre is concerned: explosive barrels, color coded keys, time bombs and brain dead prisoners which are at least mercifully sparing us of any escorting duties. Arena mode represents a chance for endless shooting over respawning waves of foes. It got old really fast as a highscore isn't much of a reward by itself.
You’ll be following this exact protocol on every scenario, whether we’re talking of futuristic bases or the ones built within stone temples: Locate and free the prisoners, set the timed explosives, escape the now doomed facility, but not before dueling a boss type. A series of falsely flagged collectibles might offer the illusion of going the extra mile and completing a secondary objective perhaps. In practice, all that you’ll be collecting will be extra points to the level’s final rating (in stars from 1 to a maximum of 3). No unlockables should be expected. If enemies are far from diversified, at least the weaponry allows more freedom of choice. Besides the standard pistol, shooting a single and slow slug, there are six more weapon types ranging from conventional (such as shotguns and machineguns) to overpowered examples like the rocket launcher and a portable laser that can hit targets from a corner.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1567955059
[h1]Verdict[/h1]
You get what you pay for, though. That is, if you’re willing to try out Damn in the first place. I wanted to rate it lower but before the review’s publishing, I noticed a new price drop. I’m still not going to recommend this title to anyone in particular, but if mobile games are your thing, I won’t judge and I am convinced that you might not feel cheated since you’re accustomed to such slim pickings. No serious gamer can regard console and PC games on an equal footing to your run-of-the-mill titles found predominantly on smartphones and tablets.
[h1]Strong Points[/h1]
+ Mindless fun, perhaps?
+ Scales to native resolution.
[h1]Weak Points[/h1]
- Highly repetitive gameplay with zero incentives.
- No Steam Trading Cards or Achievements.
- Main Menu with no Exit option.
- No story mode or multiplayer.
[b]Rating 45/100[/b]
[quote]This review was submitted for [url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/32199709-Fun-Fab-Game-Reviews/]Fun Fab Game Reviews[/url] through the generous contribution of [url=https://steamcommunity.com/profiles/76561198258304011/]JohnRomeroHD[/url] and the Steam Curator Connect program.[/quote]
