I'll start off with my direct impression of the game: It's a flawed gem that ends too soon, and not in the sense that I wanted more, but in the sense that the end feels abrupt.
Gameplay: 5/10
This game has an overall solid framework for how it plays, the movement is just in the right spot where walking feels good and running feels even better. This, coupled with the fact that running does not consume stamina at all, means that you don't have to carefully manage your stamina at all times. (That said, running does not allow your stamina to regen. More on that later.)
The skill system lets you customize your character to fit your play style, with a skill-based system that requires the acquisition of Behemoth Bones to earn a skill point, but these bones are very few and far between, case in point when I beat the game, it was with six points total. Make of that what you will.
This does mean that combat is largely avoidable. It's not entirely pointless, as enemies can drop items that have some use- though Enchanted Armors and Devastated Wizards drop nothing, making defeating them largely pointless unless they're guarding something. Combat is also very bare-bones and doesn't require much strategy, even early on. You block an attack to stun an enemy and then hit them. Alternatively, you kick an enemy and then attack them. Rinse and repeat. (Or you can spec into magic, get your hands on a magic tome, and go wild. Magic is kind of strong.) There's also weapon crafting, it was neat the one time it was used in Might & Magic: Dark Messiah, it's kind of neat here, but largely superfluous.
Relatedly, the game does not hold your hand. There are no waypoints, there isn't even a map. You either have to be good with finding your way, or you live with getting lost. This is both a good and bad thing. It's good in that it incentivizes you to explore, though that incentive is largely marred by a distinct lack of overall loot in the world. You do have a journal, but it only offers the most barebones explanation of your given objective without any further context. Read everything, you won't get a repeat.
Lastly in this category, the inventory system. I have to question why in the world the developer thought 12 inventory slots with a maximum weight of 30 was sensible, on top of many items having a maximum stack limit of 10. Open-world sandbox games do not mix well with inventory management akin to Resident Evil.
Overall, the gameplay is just very basic in many respects, what it gets right it does well, but what it gets wrong just drags the experience from largely enjoyable to kind of mediocre.
Sound Design: 5/10
One thing that is done well is the audio mixing. What sounds there are is just loud enough at default volume to enjoy, and avoiding the use of music in the large portion of the game, barring Rattown and Endgame Spoiler sets the mood quite effectively. This said, this is very much a game that would have benefited from voice acting. Granted, VO can be rather expensive if done professionally, and amateur VO can really grate on someone's nerves if it's particularly bad. YMMV here.
Level Design: 7/10
I think this is the one part that shines the most, even with a lot of flaws. Locations largely make sense and by and large can be navigated in spite of the lack of a map, once you get your bearings. Each location has character to it, it tells a story that underlines the distant tragedy of the past, and justifies the Ratfolks' fear and paranoia of the surface. It almost made exploration of every room worth it. Almost.
Creature Design: 10/10
The shining example of the game, every creature you see in the game looks good and looks like it fits. I call particular attention to the Ratfolk, who the developer was not shy of making them look realistic enough. It's honestly a shame the inventory doesn't show more than a vague silhouette, or even a fully rendered image of the protagonist.
Story: 3/10
The story has a good concept behind it, and the setting is interesting enough that I want to explore it, but where the game ends it feels far too short of a game to really tell a good story. It feels like it's building up to something, and then you're treated to a cutscene where you succeed at a goal you've only just literally been told about. The way the endgame information was presented, I was expecting and getting hyped up for quests to lead Ratfolk to the surface and establish a settlement. I was expecting you reaching that point to result in a massive change of the world from winter to spring and to work toward rebuilding on the surface, rather than subsisting below. I was expecting more, but story-wise, this is an unfinished game that needs more love.
Overall: 4/10
I cannot recommend this game to anyone, but that does not mean it's a bad game or unenjoyable. There's clear love and passion from the developer, and if in the future the game were to get an update that gives it more room to breathe and be the excellent game it should be, I would be ecstatic.
