I'm a sucker for open-world survival games, and adding a creature collecting mechanic made this a game I had very high hopes for. After beating the final boss and finishing the story, here are my main takeaways:
- Combat is simple, Dark Souls-like mechanics. You have stamina which is used to run, attack, and dodge. You can parry attacks by blocking right as certain attacks hit you. It's simple, effective, and enjoyable (although it can feel a bit stale at times).
- The building mechanic is fun. It's only pre-built things that you can rotate around, so it seems very limiting, but you can flip things upside down, sideways, or however you want to make some cool designed bases. Just make sure everything is under a roof or it'll take damage over time (repairing it is free). I do wish some of the material types had more variety, but overall it's done really well.
- The Companions are a neat addition, and I'm a big fan of pets in games lol. It's not super necessary to have any in the game, but they can be very helpful. I had a gecko that carried me through a handful of bosses until he ran off without me and died to a bunch of flies lol. Taming requires a lot more resources than incubating, but then you don't have to pray for an egg to drop from the creature you're killing cuz you have a chance to catch it like a Pokémon. It's an enjoyable mechanic and I loved it in the game (also DO NOT TAME A BUTTERFLY they are USELESS and a WASTE of resources, don't repeat my mistakes lol).
- Here comes my biggest gripe: the end-game. A lot of it is a slog to get through and it's not that rewarding. The new equipment you can make has almost the same stats as what you already have at that point, just with different minor qualities, so have fun grinding for equipment just to realize it's the same or worse than what you already have. The final boss is also a MONUMENTAL pain in the ass. Not only do you have to walk up a tower through an army of enemies (most of them are pushovers, but the archers can and will kill you in 6 shots from 100 yards away), but the boss himself is crazy strong, fast, and has almost no windup on his attacks. Forget flying to the top either, cuz the place is littered with cannons that will shoot you out of the sky and stun you until you walk on your own two feet like a good boy. TL:DR the game kinda falls off towards the end.
Overall, I really enjoyed this game. The base building is fun, the combat is basic but good, and I love the mechanic of turning enemies into pets. Just wish the last 15% was as polished and enjoyable as the first 85% of the game.
