Fallen Aces has just come out, and while I've enjoyed playing it I have a couple of reservations. Thankfully, this is an early access release so I'm hoping some of my issues with the game will be fixed.

The game is a bit of an im-sim with fairly large open levels where you have to do a few things to progress, very Thief-like. The levels are gorgeous. Noir-inspired urban areas are a blast to explore and find secrets in. That said, since the game is made by a small team, the levels are obviously fairly restrictive, but in a way that's not easy to follow. Many doors can't be opened, and while a few are visually distinct: boarded up or destroyer, I feel like some more visual identity to dead ends would've helped.

The story is really cool, really tapping into the genre while not taking itself too seriously. Cutscenes being in comic form is a bit of a cliche for a game that didn't have money for any other method of doing a cutscene, but it really works in this game thanks to pacing and artstyle.

The main gimmick here is that effectively anything can be used as a weapon. Some things you pick up only to throw, while others get put into your very limited inventory. As with recent Zeldas, any weapon has very limited durability, asking you to switch them up often. The battle system is very fun!

That said, I have some issues with the game's difficulty, as I've found it way too easy. Switching to playing on hard seems to affect damage numbers somewhat while also spawning a bunch of new goons, but I feel like the game lets you approach any situation a bit too freely. Even on the hardest difficulty I barely ever died or reloaded.

Much like in other games of this sort, there's an option for stealth or going in guns blazing, but I don't think stealth is ever encouraged. Weapons, especially firearms, are fairly easy to find and are way too overpowered. A few swings or shots and everyone around you is dead with no consequence. There is a level later on in the episode where you're warned not to kill anyone, and I've had much more fun being somewhat restricted in my gameplay while still being given free access to the full level. Not sure if you actually can't kill anyone, but I have listened to the warning. I'm hoping that in the full game harder approach will be encouraged, as right now you can basically just grab a gun and play this game like a shooter (where most enemies can't even shoot back).

I think Fallen Aces is a great time, but knowing that gibbing enemies barely leads to any penalty (the AI of their friends is fairly stupid so you aren't hunted that much, and you don't miss out on anything) made the house of cards shake a bit. I'm not opposed to the game being easy, but I do hope that players who are more extrinsically motivated and enjoy harder challenges will be rewarded in the future.