This is one of the games I've had the most fun just playing. There isn't a point where it gets good after a certain point, its good right from the start. In most of these types of games, you grind to get to a certain point, where the grind itself isn't necessarily enjoyable, but the satisfaction of reaching that milestone is what makes it fun. This game, its just straight fun. Its one of those where I could spend the entire day playing, or if I only have 20 minutes, that's enough for a quick loot run.
Pros:
- Actually fun gameplay loop. The FPS action into base building loop is engaging and isn't something I've seen done properly before.
- Loadout diversity. Multiple weapons, abilities, squad composition, and the per-expedition upgrades keep the gameplay fresh.
- Enemy diversity. Each enemy faction has unique attacks with visual cues and readable attack patterns.
- Visual clarity. I can't emphasize this enough. Even on the massive scale battles, you can clearly see what you need to dodge and which enemy is about to shoot you. Every time I've died I knew exactly what hit me and why it hit me, and it was a skill issue on my part every time.
- Base building. You can move structures around without having to rebuild them, you fly in building mode so you can actually see where the structure is going to be built, and the items and upgrades you get at your base have a direct impact in your combat expeditions.
- Customizable difficulty and gameplay settings. Harder difficulty = more loot, but there are also a bunch of other settings, most added in a recent update that let you customize the base building grind, and you can disable your soldiers aging if you don't want to have to deal with that mechanic.
Cons
- Allied AI is way too basic. This is the primary issue for a game where you are supposed to build out your squad. Your squad should be more lethal than it currently is. It is more of a meat shield than anything, as it takes them way too long to acquire and shoot enemies. I've seen my squad allowing an enemy melee unit to zerg rush through them and chase me for a good couple seconds before they finally start shooting, and in cases where there are a lot of enemies surrounding them, I've seen some allies just stand around instead of shooting in literally any direction.
- Enemy AI is too basic. If enemies were more aware of their surroundings so that they would hold position in a chokepoint or take cover, it would add to the experience. Currently, they will charge at you running and gunning, which is serviceable, but could definitely be improved upon.
- Bosses are a bit plain after fighting a few, especially in the later stages when you have to kill 4 per level. They need different abilities and mechanics, as they feel like big bullet sponges.
TL:DR
This game has legs. Already worth the money and has potential to be great, especially if they get coop right.
For the State
