[code]Curator page here-->[url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/37670120/] DaRevieweD #38[/url]<-- [i]New review every Sunday[/i][/code]
While not much is known about GreatherGames, due to lack of a social media presence- they have indeed been around for half a decade! With around six indie titles to their name, all of which emphasize difficulty & mindless fun! Then some naughty things... just look them up. Their latest, T.A.R.S isn't any different in concept except maybe for the third person shooter format and now branching out to survival horror of sorts.
Now I was initially turned off completely by this game but I did promise myself to review every key that I was graciously given through my Curator page. So it goes without saying, thank you for this opportunity again! Now then, let's find out what went wrong here~
[h1]"Seeing T.A.R.S"[/h1]
[u]The Gist:[/u]
You role-play as Samantha, a nurse in a previous life, who's now taken to the fight against an unknown outbreak that has thinned out the world population in the distant future. With reserves running dry, she's tasked with her first mission to gather more supplies. Before she gets to do that, her team gets wiped out and she's left alone- does she even have the chops to be out on the field in the first place?
[h1][+] PROS;[/h1]
[b](a) Pain Medication[/b]
Contrary to what you'd expect, gameplay is straightforward. Mission directives are given and you head towards them! These could be supply caches to collect, points to regroup, investigate, and so on. But beware, for there are also mutants slowly coming for you from every direction! Ammo is limited and you can't outrun them but fret not- there are different colored markers on the map to help you; blue represent magazine caches, etc. There are green pickups in the area that act as adrenaline boosts to fuel the junkie within you!
There is no way to prone, so stealth is out of the question. That said, what I really got a kick out of is the animation for Samantha sliding downhill / landing after a no-damage fall when she jumps down after having built momentum. Not only was it showstopping and hilarious, but it's practical too because it helped me get around the huge map slightly quicker! It's basically a series of short bursts in adrenaline.
[b](b) War Stories[/b]
The way horror is tackled in this shooter is radical; heavy emphasis on realism. The difficulty, though not impossible, teaches lessons in harsh ways. Firstly, bullet conservation. Ammo drops are few and far between and you start out with 19. Enemies sustain 4 to 6 shots. Therefore, if you miss even a single bullet or take your sweet time exploring, you will run out fast with the constantly spawning mutants! Their corpses leave behind a few clips but the odds are ever so slim!
This brings me to the next topic, one hit and you out.... Then it's back to the last checkpoint (previously there were none altogether, so mini-victory). So imagine your weapon is empty, you see enemies creeping up on you and you're nowhere near any helpful markers. YUP, this is actually fairly common. Even when you do have ammo, danger is unpredictable and they can strike from anywhere. I didn't feel safe, not a once, as I kept watch over my cardinal directions in intervals of a few seconds. No other game brought that out of me before and for that I commend the dev~
[h1][-] CONS;[/h1]
[b](i) Liability[/b]
The game has a learning curve, but I encountered some problems when it came to game design. For starters, sound design. Maybe I wasn't playing loud enough but the audio hinting of approaching enemies was very faint, if present at all. I recall many instances where I turned around and a bunch of enemies were running up threateningly close to me. The sharp screech enemy never fails to make itself known but it presents a separate issue.
They let out the signature cue well in advance so I cannot tell where it comes from. There are also times where the bgm literally gets turned up and the other cues, already so weak, becomes more drowned out. In all honesty, I could do without the music as it just ruins the atmosphere of me trying to stay alive.
As for stage design, the map for the most part comprises of open fields- which is good, but the areas near the hills or the forest made spotting enemies difficult and I could barely tell if they were heading my way. Thankfully that has yet to happen but with the single hit penalty, I imagine it'd be utterly rage-quitting for some.
The mini-map is handy but I didn't like how the magnified one doesn't indicate where I am! Enemy designs don't fare any better, being either one of two variations- got old fast and don't look the least menacing.
[b](ii) Skipped Training?[/b]
Further complications in Samantha's movements. One, how she has to rotate her whole body to wherever she's trying to face, and in so doing, slows down to granny level motion. This issue goes away when she's doped up on adrenaline... Still, it would've been better to allow her to run while looking backwards or maybe have a quick turn button. Instead of having to freeze completely & waste a few seconds to turn around. In fact, how about a run-and-gun mechanic where Sam is able to aim behind and not affect her pace?
Especially useful when she's down to the last couple of rounds since enemies will catch up to her eventually... Finally, traversing uphill is an ordeal every time because it's never clear which terrain can be manageable despite appearances. You'll see that gravity has its way with you- leaving you having to take entire detours around at least twice before a death! You can test your luck by hopping mad or at a slight angle, but remember ammo is scarce and time; precious!! But as I've said, going downhill make you exclaim "thank God"!
[b](iii) Didn't See That Coming?[/b]
The story is your typical apocalypse scenario. I was interested in how it progresses- after all, there has to be something to drive you, right? It certainly was why I bothered to keep going... Voice acting wasn't THAT bad, I kinda liked Samantha's VA. Well, anyways, you'll be severely let down because [spoiler]you just get on your boat with the "mission accomplished" message and whether you completed the side-objectives[/spoiler].
At least throw in a sunset for Samantha to ride towards!! For a game worth $2, I guess it's alright if you factor in the countless deaths you'll likely have. But really it's just the ONE mission, which can be beat in 30 min once you know its tricks. There's no conclusion whatsoever as to what'll become of the human race. Having a wave-based mode would at least have softened the blow.
[h1]"T.A.R.S; Tedious Annoying Repetitive Shooter"[/h1]
In short, the biggest flaw with T.A.R.S is that it was made for an extremely narrow and patient, borderline self-mutilating player base. Despite having a sound premise initially and how it can kick in some horror noteworthy dread with ammo conservation. It quickly becomes clear that the overwhelming sensation you'll feel is all the wrong kind as it shifts almost immediately to no doubt, fear- but more of dying. More criticisms come to mind such as the lack of a proper ending, the sound design or even the movement all of which just seem to gang up and try to make the experience as frustrating and unfair as possible.
I'm not proud that this game is my first ever negative review on Steam but seriously... with a title that's clearly a homage to the iconic squad of Resident Evil; in that both teams share the same incompetence in combat and everything. What I'm saying is the unfortunate semblance in name didn't do it any additional favors as to how lacking it was by comparison, and perhaps until then you should be playing a completely different game altogether~
[h1]5 / 10 T.A.R.S[/h1]
[b]I'll always remember this game. For both good and bad.[/b]
