[code]Curator page here-->[url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/37670120/] DaRevieweD #116 [/url]<-- [i]New review every Weekend[/i][/code]
[h1]"Oh It's Under, Alright."[/h1]
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2566602616
[u]Here's The Thing:[/u]
You are nobody... or rather you can't remember who you are? Waking up to the aftermath of scientists, doctors and guards being obliterated- or maybe they’re prisoners just playing dress-up!? Anyway, it's up to you to find the way out with some notes left by some rando who's totally not trying to fix his mistakes~
[h1][+] PROS;[/h1]
[b]:) VISUALS[/b]
Granted, there isn’t much to look at because of how dark everything is… But that don’t mean it’s a bad-looking game. On the contrary, the penitentiary is actually well-designed and believable! Though I still don’t know the main agenda of this institution or who I played as- I was interested in the monsters, ghosts whose existence tell me it was something not good I bet!
I may be wrong, but I think their models could be original creations! I have never seen them before and they have quite a lot of detail to them. Even the corpses are not too shabby looking despite being you know lifeless and contorted. The lighting and shadows is especially done justice and I like the way my shadow gets casted, even spooking me at times~
[b]:) HORROR[/b]
While the gameplay’s a little monotonous and uninspired, the horror will at least keep you awake and on the edge of your seat. Going in, you won’t know what to expect (apart from what the back of your mind is concocting up). I actually freaked myself out more times than the actual scares UDR had in store for me. The dev has a way of preying on your fears, and it’s pretty darn subtle. The way notes are pinned to the wall and set up the situation. For instance, it tells you an enemy is ahead and it’s not too smart but will detect you eventually.
Or someone is infected and locked in a room for being aggressive. Then, the key item is in there with him- how would you react and where do you go? Most of the horrific bits are laid out in plain sight and will catch you only if you let yourself be vulnerable to them! It was truly unconventional and I wished there had been more of it. Even the way you’re supposed to handle each enemy was unspoken and I liked working out how they ticked…
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2566604504
[h1][-] CONS;[/h1]
[b]:( LACKS DEPTH...[/b]
It’s a short-lived, formulaic and brief playthrough, like 30 minutes give or take 10! Mine was stretched to two hours only due to me leaving it on idle (after manipulating enemies to be stuck facing a wall) for a bit as I tweeted to the dev for directions. I also wandered aimlessly, for a long while unaware that the key item was on me.
Furthermore, the price of 10 bucks is demented! Or it would’ve been, had I actually paid for it but the thought alone hurt my thumbs and my good cheek! Seeing as you’ll finish it once- won’t ever need to play it again because it’s a key-finding simulator with puzzle codes that do not randomize, fixed enemy placements and with no difficulty modes.
Oh and you know those burning questions in the trailer? The ones that were posed to you just begging to be answered?? You can forget all about those! I can sum it up in two words- [spoiler]nothing happens![/spoiler]. Which is an utter disgrace, because it had that little likeness to [b]Outlast[/b] in scenarios, setting and maybe the hostiles… but could not be leagues apart!! Possibly some resemblance to [b]Cabin in The Woods[/b] too, but I guess we’ll never know now, would we~
[b]:( BLOATED CONTROLS[/b]
The main character’s movements and actions are as if his oxygen is running out or maybe he also has a lumpy torso like the mascot of the game. Acts such as taking out the flashlight get him winded, presumably, as he won’t take it out when he’s near and staring at the wall.
Even when working fine, there’s a 3 second buffer between being able to switch it back on again after switching off! Which translates to bashing your head in the wall since you’ll be running in pitch black a lot while being chased~
[b]:( CLUNKY DESIGN[/b]
Usually saving gives relief but not here, since there’s no telling what exactly it saves or when. To help clear things, there are essentially two forms; one major checkpoint / scripted event save and this is where you’ll be spawned when you croak.
The other saves progression of items and is done in the background, although you will see an indication of it. Flashback to that part where a crazed druggy charged at me as soon as I loaded in even though I had already locked him in a separate room and had many saves after doing so.
Which brings me to my next point of how the enemies have that “catch you off guard” attribute when you first meet but outrunning them becomes all too simple once you realize they’re confined to their zones. They don’t react to neither sound nor vision unless you’re parading yourselves directly in front of them. AND they have like real slow movement speed and arm swings… It’s super hard to be scared by them~
[h1]BUGS:[/h1]
x Items spawning aplenty every time I reload; notes, batteries and bandages.
x Cannot take out the flashlight after spawning. Reload the game to fix!
x Sometimes turning on the flashlight will have it awkwardly face upwards toward the ceiling before suddenly snapping itself back.
x Enemies suddenly cannot see where I am mid-chase even though I am right in their sights...
x A certain levitating marker pen in one of the prison cells
x A blob-like enemy twitching uncontrollably by the door frame and preventing me from entering/escaping. Got pincer-attacked to death!
x Music meant for another room played because I stood behind the wall.
[h1]NITPICKS:[/h1]
~ Font size of notes
~ Key item in inventory having such a strange, murky icon that I couldn't locate/notice it.
~ Note say there's a map of the prison but really there is none. Or I couldn't find it...
~ Enemies are too unthreatening.
~ Despite taking place underwater, there's not much telltale signs or detail of it being true.
~ There's like one window that shows the flooded outside, but really it may as well be an indoor aquarium or pool.
~ Items are practically obsolete as you can get by with the infinite glowstick once you have it.
~ Doesn't save my reconfigured keyboard mapping.
[h1]"WHAT-ERR Mess!"[/h1]
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2566605672
[u]Last Words?[/u]
UDR should've been called "Under Fire", and it still wouldn’t have made any more sense. But at least would hint at its undercooked state! Shallow yet drowning in issues. Save yourself time & money~
If you are affluent and are a loyal, diehard fan of extracting just the surface value of what a horror game has to offer, then yeah it’s playable. But it won’t quench your thirst despite having some cool, creepy models and boasts no jumpscares whatsoever (huh so why am I NOT recommending it again?). Regardless, it’s a very brief, one-off experience and a mediocre one at that. It’s one of those moments where I would rather sink than swim~
[h1]4.5 / 10[/h1]
[code]Thanks to [b]Andreev[/b] for the key(s)[/code]
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