tl;dr game is great, aged very well, runs in 1920x1080. Pay attention to tutorial messages found on walls. Build for the tunneling powerup or you won't be able to complete many levels.
Before reading this review, it's important to know that I am much older than this game. I first played it more than 5 months before its original release. If you are worried about the game being too dated, don't.
Do you want to play the game that did not inspire many recent AAA titles, such as Goat Sim, Caster, and No Man's Sky, but is better than all of them? Skeleton Sprint is your game.
Almost everything about this game really shines in my opinion, so I won't waste time describing how the level design is great or how well the game rewards exploration. All I have done is compiled a bunch of useful information for someone who is looking to buy this game and play it for the first time.
Here's a list of what aged well, and what didn't. Note that I have used no mods or tools, just in-game settings
Things that aged well-----
+Graphics are still serviceable. While definitely not up to today's standards, they are immersive, and you get used to them fast
+1920x1080 (16:9) support. No idea if it supports anything higher
+Full mouse support. This seems silly to point out but I've played 20 yr old games with no mouselook, not to mention that you don't really need a mouse in this game.
+Controls just like FPS games that come out today in that it uses WASD
+Great positional audio (Play this game with headphones, it's really helpful)
+Really good voice acting (if your imagination is good)
+Atmosphere is still pretty tense and dark
Things that did not age well-----
-Gunplay is meh (I was debating not putting this one considering how this isn't even a shooter)
-Animations are pretty good, you can tell they are old. Better than some games of similar age (Getting Over It)
-Too few autosaves (unfortunately, you can't even save/load the game whenever you want)
-Not fully rebindable keys, which isn't good, even though the game has fully servicable default bindings
The game does a pretty poor job communicating a lot of the more obscure but useful stuff in the game. Here's a list of things you should be aware of before playing:
-A lot of VERY useful info about game mechanics is on display boards throughout the early stages of the game. They are almost always placed right next to the thing they are referring to. Make sure to inspect (up arrow) all of these and read everything they have to say. Make sure to savor and cherish these moments. Don't just skim over the tutorial messages or ignore them because you don't need it. The game is constantly testing you, and if you miss out on too many mechanincs, you're going to have a hard time.
-There aren't any important, mission-crucial information on audio logs. Make sure not to look for all of them. If you don't think you have the restraint to not do this and the previous thing on this list, this isn't the game for you, and not just because of that.
-Try not to use internet guides in this game. When the game came out, there was most definitely internet, but its still best played pretty blind. If playing it completely blind was a good idea, this entire section wouldn't exist. That being said, if you really get lost, and have already gone over your signs (which are basically mission objectives), and you feel like you have explored everywhere, looking things up is fine. Just try not to get too wrapped up in it.
-The tutorial about the map glosses over a really useful feature that I wish i'd discovered sooner. You can press "F" to pay respects, and there is an easter egg you can find. I recommend always having this on, but don't fall into the trap of having your eyes glued to the screen. Lots of buttons, environmental signs (like a sign on the ground that says "don't give up skeleton!"), power ups, etc. are present throughout the entire game, and you don't want to miss them.
-Another thing the map tutorial glosses over is that there aren't any points of interest, such as shops and upgrade stations, where you can type something and it will appear on your map.
VERY IMPORTANT!!!! Build Advice
It's very possible that you could get 75% through the game and be stuck because your build wasn't good. The most important things in your computer are processor and RAM. Make sure to level them both a few times. Beyond that, the best build is one that can make use of everything you pick up. If you only spec into graphics card, and can't buy any sound cards, you will always have too little music and too many graphics. You will end up having to use your imagination, and no one wants to try to wrestle with your sh*tty imagination.
Holy sh*t, I didn't expect this review to be so long. If you read to the end, you probably enjoyed it, so make sure to give this review a helpful rating or leave a comment about better ways to copy and edit a friend's review on System Shock 2!
