PREDATOR AND WRECK

Predator and Wreck is a stealth, sci-fi horror game developed by Japanese student developers. It has clear inspiration from the titular title [i]Alien Isolation[/i] and has recently been re-released in English after winning a student game competition award. I believe this is the students' first attempt at developing a game, which is an impressive feat. But here on Steam, it struggles to differentiate itself from the surge of Indie horrors that overwhelm the store. [b] [u]Pros[/u] [/b] [list] [*] Ever-present looming threat [*] Puzzles [*] Sprawling map [/list] [b] [u]Cons[/u] [/b] [list] [*] Lack of audio [*] Lack of stealth gameplay [*] Repeated animations [*] Rough English translation (but it is serviceable) [/list] [h1]Story[/h1] There is little explanation or introduction to the game, but I suspect there was a distress signal, and the unnamed protagonist heads to the space station to investigate. Upon arrival, they discover there does not appear to be any people onboard, only alien lifeforms stalking the ship. The character then proceeds deeper into the station to search each area for survivors. https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2882497383 [h1]Gameplay[/h1] The gameplay is quite simple, try and traverse each area whilst avoiding the stomping alien. I say stomping, as this is the only noise it constantly makes. Complete basic puzzles (gear puzzles, locate objects etc) and try and find your way around the very confusing space station. There is only one alien who is wandering around, and players must do their best to avoid it by listening to their stomping, as it gets louder when they are approaching. There are shelters to hide in, and objects to interact with to impede the aliens view or lure it to one area. If the enemy does catch you, you are dead in one hit. Luckily, there are manual save points everywhere and the game also autosaves upon every important milestone. On normal difficulty, there are maps located throughout the rooms to help you navigate the ship. On easy, the map can always be accessed but honestly, the layout was so confusing I do not think this would have helped me. My only saving grace was to search everywhere and memorise the layout. Trying to read that map was harder than all of the puzzles in the game, but in all fairness, map reading has never been my forte, so take this particular comment with a grain of salt. It is not difficult to avoid the alien, but the first few times it spotted me, it did achieve the "jumpscare factor", but only the first, second and third times. After this, the threat does not change, and it just becomes more of an annoyance. Common with games of this style. Predator and Wreck can be completed in around one hour, which I think is a fair length for the cost of the game. For a students' first project, it runs exceptionally well and there are no major bugs. Sure, the aliens head may clip the doorway sometimes, and the translation to English is serviceable at best, but the gameplay is functioning exactly as intended. In my experience, this is certainly not the case for an Indie horror on Steam, in this price range AND made by first-timers. If I went to hide, the alien would not automatically find me unless it saw me go in, and most of the time, it would only trigger if I was actually in direct line of sight. This may sound minor, or to be expected, but it is not as commonplace as you might think, and certainly not for under $AU10. https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2882497326 [b][u]Controls & Options [/u][/b] My biggest grievance was that the game is labelled a stealth game, and it is, but.... there is no crouch button? Or if there is, the game never taught me how to use it and I tried the usual ctrl/c. This was just bizarre. I tried my best to hide myself amongst the many storage boxes, but the alien would always notice me awkwardly trying to shuffle my head out of sight. Another mystery is the "option" (options) settings. The resolution is graded on a scale from worst-best. I am not sure I grasp this concept, but I played on "best" with 2560x1440 and it seemed fine. [h1]Visuals & Sound[/h1] Understandably, this is a budget student project and visuals are not going to be spectacular. I knew this before diving in, and they are about what I would expect. The space environments are crisp, but the bright colours such as blood, or oil (not sure what the yellow liquid is on the ground sometimes), they just look like spilled blobs of paint. The alien models themselves are ok, nothing overtly scary, but the standout is the last alien which definitely has direct inspiration from the iconic predator. There is barely any audio, there are no voice overs or atmospheric music, only the same dramatic clash of sounds when the alien spots you and is chasing you. The beginning is odd, it immediately just displays some text lines on a very bare backdrop. Voice actors would most likely be out of the question for such a game, but this intro felt severely out of place and awkwardly silent. https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2882497698 [h1]Technical & Stats [/h1] [quote][b]This game was played using a keyboard & mouse, and with the following PC specs.:[/b] Intel i5-9400 2.9 GHz 16GB RAM GeForce RTX 2060 6GB 2560x1440 resolution HDD Windows 10[/quote] [b]Playtime:[/b] 1 hour - 1.5 hours [b] Controller Recommended? [/b] No [b]Replayability value:[/b] No [h1]Conclusion[/h1] Predator and Wreck is an impressive Indie horror, especially knowing that this is an all student-developer team. Despite the English translation being a little off, and the lack of audio, it is very fairly priced and has varied, functioning gameplay. It struggles to make a lasting impression, but ultimately achieves what it sets out to do. If you are looking for a short survival horror experience, and can understand the budget limitations associated with its development, I would recommend supporting the developers and giving it a go. [quote] If you would like to see more reviews written by me, please follow my curator page and help support my work [url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/34936724/] Cookie Reviews[/url]. [/quote]

[code]Curator page here-->[url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/37670120/] DaRevieweD #204 [/url]<-- [i]New review every Weekend[/i][/code] [h1]"OH YOU CAN RUN, AND YOU CAN HIDE-"[/h1] https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2893653831 [u] Here's The Thing:[/u] You are either simply a good Samaritan, a designated space rescuer, nosey nobody, someone who has got a death wish… and the list goes on. But anyway, a distress signal gets picked up by you and so you make it your life’s mission to investigate what happened. Because these things always end up well~ [h1][u][+] PROS;[/u][/h1] [h1]:) A NERVE-WRECKING ESCAPE FROM XXX PREDATORS~[/h1] Gameplay transmits you flashbacks to[url=https://steamcommunity.com/id/DeadeGuard98/recommended/214490/] Alien Isolation[/url] with the unstoppable singular threat on your tail and[url=https://steamcommunity.com/id/DeadeGuard98/recommended/238320/] Outlast[/url] in terms of constant enfeeblement where all you have at your disposal are your legs. However, it doesn’t quite nail either inspiration, instead I direct you to[url=https://steamcommunity.com/id/DeadeGuard98/recommended/1458980] Misery Mansion[/url] which is for all intents and purposes identical not only in formula but also its eventual shortcomings… The hide-and-seek, run-like-hell action is split across five levels / modules with each having their own self-contained objectives such as finding keycards, repairing a leak, restarting a reactor, and so on. I must give it extra brownie points for the various handicap attempts depending on which difficulty you decide to go with; “easy” hands you a map that you can readily access, whereas “normal” removes it leaving you to stretch your spatial memory, and “hard” disables all the fire extinguishers! There are fire alarms that work on cooldown periods for you to draw the creature to a spot without fail, cryostasis-like chambers to act as shelter, and also conveniently plentiful saves (auto & manual). So that it's neither too easy or too hard that you have to repeat the puzzles, but just the right degree of frustration! The escape mission in its entirety should last upwards of 2 hours and boasts very meagre replay value with but 1 ending. However, contrary to most indie horrors within the same price range, reading the pc logs actually alter the final outcome, albeit only slightly~ [b][u]TIPS:[/u][/b] 1) Don’t be like me, just play on “hard”! It’s VERY doable and will unlock “expert” (whatever that means) and you don’t have to play it thrice… https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2893656865 [h1]:) NOTHING NEW YET, HOW A-MOUSE-ING![/h1] Space Station #7 has got the ultramodern appearance and gizmo whatchamacallits down, what with it pushing to expand the frontiers of space exploration! There are no troubles in the “visuals” department whatsoever, being what you would expect from a place in distress and currently within a state of emergency… Poorly lit hallways that will turn you around, bloodied surfaces as if to mark territories, and remnants of a once productive research facility. I swear I’ve seen the creatures before, but I can only applaud how fittingly they were inserted and metamorphosed from one form to another. At first a small crawler type, then standing on two legs and growing more menacingly half alien-like and half predator-like in stature… The sound effects aren’t the most helpful or elaborate, but sufficed in getting the job done with the alarmingly audible stomps and cries being let out when you are real close~ [h1]:) THE SHUTTLE-BUTT IS…[/h1] [i]“Predator & Wreck”[/i] has an identical setup and progression to [b]Alien (1979)[/b], the creature design of [b]Predator (1987)[/b] and lastly, the ever-mutative traits of [b]The Thing (1982)[/b]. So, it goes without saying that you are in for quite the all-sci-fi fest! Even though it isn’t up to par as the titles it takes after, it did make a conscious effort to change a few details that some might view as minor, however, to me they made all the difference! Besides, as I stated earlier, the ending even notes exactly how big of an investigator you were~ [h1][u][-] CONS;[/u][/h1] [h1]:( NEO-BODY ASKED FOR THIS![/h1] The most astronomical gripes I had with the game is in regards to its gameplay which was not only highly illogical but also unintuitive… I understand that it’s an all-student team and therefore on a budget, however, was it too much to ask for a “crouch” key to duck behind the many- and I mean MANY tall paraphernalia? That would’ve at least added some tension it was desperately in need of as opposed to the default “oh nuu, I was spotted, guess I better dart it to the nearest shelter”. Moreover, I found the “always on” flashlight, which cannot be holstered, as yet another missed golden opportunity that could have shaken and switched up some of the encounters. Perhaps, had we been allowed to turn it off and stayed perfectly still, some versions of the creature could have just moseyed on? Or better yet, instead of all the stages having a stalker that relied solely on detecting the player via sight, maybe one of them could have been more sensitive to hearing!? [h1]:( DID SPACE MAKE A RESEARCH-GENCE? FRAID NOT...[/h1] I cannot pinpoint whether it’s a lack of animations to the creature, regardless of the form it adopts at any given time, or a mind-numbingly barren sound design overall…? Something is missing which sucks out a significant chunk of the fear we’re supposed to feel from the predator! There is a soundtrack but its presence comes off muted, except for the obviously “has to be loud” bits like the chases and climactic showdown. There are sound effects but they were procedural, especially the ones that emanate from the creature which can be summed up as footsteps and growls! I know in space no one can hear you scream but this seems pretty smart-aleck and not to mention strict~ [h1]:) HMM, LAB ME GUESS WHAT. HAPPENS. NEXT?[/h1] Despite my earlier compliments, I did have various issues with the story… Things like a rushed and context-less beginning, repetitive middle, and a watered-down end. Let me put it this way, if I had to choose between playing this game again or just rewatching the original [b]Alien[/b]; sorry, that wouldn’t be a fair comparison, much less a contest! Pretty much everything that occurred in the film will occur here, but again, not vice versa. Lately I’ve been seeing this trend of reintegrating a good chunk of the classics into indie horror works of this era. So, while it is serviceable, because who doesn’t like a knowing nod- more often than not, they end up in an identity crisis and fall short for there is a major disconnect in the quality and also approach between initial inspiration & final product. This game is one of them~ [h1]BUGS:[/h1] x While hiding in a shelter, the pause menu glitches out when pressed with the options doing nothing. [h1]NITPICKS:[/h1] ~ Multiple misspellings including but not limited to “recieved” and “assitance". ~ Incorrect plural form of “mouse” ~ Awkward phrasings. ~ Predator scums and goes through the shutters put up…! ~ Description of achievements are in Japanese. ~ Difficulty-clearing achievements get unlocked one at a time; so finishing on “normal” won’t nab you the “easy” achievement… [h1]"WELL… THAT’S REALLY ALL THAT YOU CAN DO~"[/h1] https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2893657733 [u]Last Words?[/u] Rather standard, one-off stealth horror title with each pro also serving as its own untimely undoing… Be that as it may, the point A to point B objectives are hair-raising and plays out like Alien~ [h1]6.7 / 10[/h1] [code]Don't forget to follow my curator [url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/37670120/]DaRevieweD[/url] for more games!![/code]

東京電機大学の学生チーム4名（＋サブメンバー4名）による習作。 徘徊する怪物から逃げたり隠れたりしながら、時折はさまるパズルを解いたりしつつ、宇宙ステーション脱出を目指す短編ホラーだ。 本作はホラーゲームとして上質な体験とは決していえないものの、「あのホラーゲームを自分たちの手で再現したい」「プレイヤーに楽しんでほしい」との熱意を感じる仕上がりとなっている。 敵の造形・所作・行動パターンなどに特に恐ろしさや魅力は感じず、動く障害物としての役割に従事してしまっていた印象。一部の発見判定では、Navmesh距離を参照しているためか、やや理不尽に発見される時も。 カットシーンでも、特に演出上必要ないであろう暗転が入ったり（不具合の可能性も）都合上はさまっている以上の効果はない。 また、パズルも難易度は低いわりに一瞬困惑するデザインなのが残念。随所に散りばめられたログも、好奇心をそそるほど練り込まれてはいない。 そして、最後の意欲的な脱出シーケンスも、やや調整やデザインの練り込みが足りないと思われた。 一方で、「必要なものはきちんとハイライト表示する」「導線を考えてレベルデザインする」「宇宙ステーションの雰囲気を再現する」などの配慮や目標は一定の成功を見せている。そうした点が、本作を一本の“遊べる”作品たらしめている。また、本作3年かけて制作したという開発者たちの努力が伝わってきて、好感を覚えるポイントだ。 上質な低価格インディーゲームが多数登場している昨今、本作に価格相応の価値があるかどうかは疑問。筆者としては、ほとんど若きクリエイターへの支援ないしは祝儀として支払った感覚である。 そうした観点から、筆者は本作を応援しつつも、総評として「おすすめしない」に一票を投じさせていただきたい。 東京電機大学の学生チーム4名（＋サブメンバー4名）による習作。 徘徊する怪物から逃げたり隠れたりしながら、時折はさまるパズルを解いたりしつつ、宇宙ステーション脱出を目指す短編ホラーだ。 本作はホラーゲームとして上質な体験とはいえないものの、「あのホラーゲームを自分たちの手で再現したい」「プレイヤーに楽しんでほしい」との熱意を感じる仕上がりとなっている。 敵の造形・所作・行動パターンなどに特に恐ろしさや魅力は感じず、動く障害物としての役割に従事してしまっていた印象。一部の発見判定では、Navmesh距離を参照しているためか、やや理不尽に発見される時も。 カットシーンでも、特に演出上必要ないであろう暗転が入ったり（不具合の可能性も）都合上はさまっている以上の効果はない。 また、パズルも難易度は低いわりに一瞬困惑するデザインなのが残念。随所に散りばめられたログも、好奇心をそそるほど練り込まれてはいない。 そして、最後の意欲的な脱出シーケンスも、やや調整やデザインの練り込みが足りないと思われた。 一方で、「必要なものはきちんとハイライト表示する」「導線を考えてレベルデザインする」「宇宙ステーションの雰囲気を再現する」などの配慮や目標は一定の成功を見せている。そうした点が、本作を一本の“遊べる”作品たらしめている。また、本作3年かけて制作したという開発者たちの努力が伝わってきて、好感を覚えるポイントだ。 上質な低価格インディーゲームが多数登場している昨今、本作に価格相応の価値があるかどうかは疑問。筆者としては、ほとんど若きクリエイターへの支援ないしは祝儀として支払った感覚である。 そうした観点から、筆者は本作を応援しつつも、総評として「おすすめしない」に一票を投じさせていただきたい。 また、もしもSnymとして新たな作品を手がけたり、開発者それぞれ個別だとしてもゲームに携わることがあれば、筆者は喜んで購入し進歩を確かめたいと思う。

大学生のチームが3年という長期間をかけて制作したゲームです。 まず総評としては、「得体の知れない怪物に追われる恐怖」というものをうまく表現できている作品だと思います。 本作は、「恐るべき怪物からなんとか逃げ切り脱出する」という目的に最初から最後まで忠実に進んでいきます。基本的に怪物に対する対抗手段はなく、暗い雰囲気や足音で謎解きの最中だろうがすぐそこから出てくるかもしれないという恐怖を煽り、早く逃げなければという焦りをかき立ててきます。最後の方とか特に。 地形をうまく使えば見つかっても逃げ切れますが、ヘマをやると逆に行き止まりに追い詰められたりするので、謎解きの他にその点でも頭を使います。 またゲーム外の部分でも、インディーゲーム特有の製作者の距離の近さを活かしてゲーム実況等ファン活動の支援もTwitterで積極的に行っており、そこから得たフィードバックをゲームにも活かそうという姿勢が見受けられます。実際私は3D酔いに弱いためなかなか遊べずにいましたが、酔い対策のアプデが来てからは普通に最後まで通しで遊べました。 価格もお手頃ですし、夏の納涼も兼ねてぜひ遊んでみてはいかがでしょうか。

Pretty nice i loved it, heads up for the developers :D

For a devs first game? this is really well made and put together, some of the animations are stiff but for a first time game, this is really good, would heavilly recommend this. well done SNYM