Myo Hyori, a gifted Korean teenage girl who must face the perils of the future. Survive many hazards, explore a seemingly endless metropolis and beyond as the world around you implodes and history marches towards its inevitable conclusion.
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This game sucks
This review contains spoilers
the main appeal of this game is the aesthetic of the world it dips you into. the gameplay for the most part of course feels like hl2; especially when gordon is on the run, you can see many influences from bladerunner, ghost in the shell, hl, portal, star wars and even a sprinkle of eva, metal gear + other media containing cyberpunk/dystopian themes and if you have a taste for the source engine style you will probably love it and stick around for the world as i did even though there is a BIG part of the game that can sometimes makes you feel like you will never get through it, moments where you are stuck but the slightly-janky charm will hold you. gameplay-wise the platforming was solid at times but the last handful of missions are the coolest part of the game i wish those were the parts that actually went on longer. as some others said it has quite the esoteric feeling and near lynchian cutscenes i enjoyed. things plopped around the sprawl and the character's progression have some message (spoiler): even after being experimented on and going through such a dystopian hellscape full of control, this person had their innocence taken away trying to be made into a tool or weapon by some puppet-master but even through all that they prevailed in some strange way to become something they were never 'supposed' to become, almost just to prove it to the 'evil' that they were independent of them, even if they used the intended tools and became beast-like (making you question if they truly did prevail and if it was all worth it by the end in terms of the story) overall: atmospherical source goodness that feels like art at times, would put it up there as one of the most memorable games in recent memory and would place it up there with cry of fear and e.y.e as being some of the best games i've ever played with the engine.
Can't push myself to finish this one. Like previous reviews before me said, the game looks pretty good, even for a source game, mostly because of the inspired art style, but the level design sucks all the fun out of it. It feels like trial and error over and over again, and the dated gunplay of the source engine doesn't feel that fun for me anymore. The telekinesis/pyrokinesis mechanics aren't that well implemented, either. It feels pointless or too awkward to use. Also, there's a problem with the game's sound not working. If you're having trouble with that, you can use GCFScape to fix it. Kinda annoying, though.
★½ – Unplayable ❌
★½ – Unplayable ❌
Honestly tried to stick with this one but the level design kinda sucks lol. Felt like a frustrating test of trial and error to figure out where to go in these levels, and while it's a very nice-looking game, nothing about its aesthetic really grabbed me in the way I hoped when I watched the trailer on Steam.
Also I kinda feel bad that I haven't been playing as many games lately, I was recently laid off from my job and I've been trying to put my time and energy toward my main creative efforts or looking for work. Looking to find another game that'll really spur me back into playing again.
Also I kinda feel bad that I haven't been playing as many games lately, I was recently laid off from my job and I've been trying to put my time and energy toward my main creative efforts or looking for work. Looking to find another game that'll really spur me back into playing again.
The gameplay is good overall, it’s the classic HL2 formula, even down to the gravity gun which is repurposed as telekinesis. Pyrokinesis is a new mechanic, but it felt very contextual, and even in said contexts, it’s often hard to use. I feel like it could’ve been made into something cooler and more useful.
The gunplay feels okay, only a few weapons like the shotgun feel satisfying to use. There’s also a lack of feedback when you get hit or take damage, which sucks. I do like hearing the MC gasp for air when taking damage though, it adds to the immersion.
The environments are in my opinion the strongest suit of the game. The levels have a great aesthetic and are a pleasure to explore thanks to that, especially the rundown sections (which make up for like two thirds of the game). The source engine is put to good use, in particular to add extra interactivity with physics.
While G String does run on the source engine, it comes with its own set of assets. Almost no HL2 assets are used, which helps make the game feel fresh and contributes to world building.
The sound design is also great, your imagination often being put to work with sounds being played without showing you the source. Those range from mundane sounds to strange screams and yells. Those, as well as the frequent street fights and other environmental story telling cues, make the world feel very alive.
While the levels do look great, it’s a bit more complicated when it comes to how they play. It’s often hard to make out the path to progress, which I disliked at first, but then ended up liking. It might sound strange, but it made me feel like the main character, just exploring without feeling sure of where I was going.
It’s also worth noting that the game feels too long, which makes it suffer in other areas. For instance, there’s not enough enemy variety. The sex bots enemies are a great idea, but they do get old after a while. Also the spaceship segment at the end of the game was a very pleasant surprise, although it was quite short.
I found the story a bit hard to grasp. In a sense, the same reasoning can be applied here, where I feel closer to the MC because I’m not sure what’s going on, just as she doesn’t because her memory was wiped (IIRC?). That being said, I still feel like some more clarity would’ve helped me feel more connected to the story. I did dig the more abstract scenes though.
The OST is full of bangers and is a perfect fit, not much more to say about it.
Overall a good game, not perfect but its environments are what really make it shine to me. It’s impressive that this was mostly crafted by one person. You can feel the passion behind it.
The gunplay feels okay, only a few weapons like the shotgun feel satisfying to use. There’s also a lack of feedback when you get hit or take damage, which sucks. I do like hearing the MC gasp for air when taking damage though, it adds to the immersion.
The environments are in my opinion the strongest suit of the game. The levels have a great aesthetic and are a pleasure to explore thanks to that, especially the rundown sections (which make up for like two thirds of the game). The source engine is put to good use, in particular to add extra interactivity with physics.
While G String does run on the source engine, it comes with its own set of assets. Almost no HL2 assets are used, which helps make the game feel fresh and contributes to world building.
The sound design is also great, your imagination often being put to work with sounds being played without showing you the source. Those range from mundane sounds to strange screams and yells. Those, as well as the frequent street fights and other environmental story telling cues, make the world feel very alive.
While the levels do look great, it’s a bit more complicated when it comes to how they play. It’s often hard to make out the path to progress, which I disliked at first, but then ended up liking. It might sound strange, but it made me feel like the main character, just exploring without feeling sure of where I was going.
It’s also worth noting that the game feels too long, which makes it suffer in other areas. For instance, there’s not enough enemy variety. The sex bots enemies are a great idea, but they do get old after a while. Also the spaceship segment at the end of the game was a very pleasant surprise, although it was quite short.
I found the story a bit hard to grasp. In a sense, the same reasoning can be applied here, where I feel closer to the MC because I’m not sure what’s going on, just as she doesn’t because her memory was wiped (IIRC?). That being said, I still feel like some more clarity would’ve helped me feel more connected to the story. I did dig the more abstract scenes though.
The OST is full of bangers and is a perfect fit, not much more to say about it.
Overall a good game, not perfect but its environments are what really make it shine to me. It’s impressive that this was mostly crafted by one person. You can feel the passion behind it.
Frustrating feelings here.
When I first launched the game the arresting visuals immediately drew me in, and was really entirely the appeal that had me signed up for this months back. The pseudo-cyberpunk like vibes that bled into decaying architecture and brutal imagery is definitely the strongest hold together the game has, at first. To the point where I said enough was enough, that was still somewhat of a constant.
Unfortunately, this game happens to be a labor of love that borrows more from Hunt Down the Freeman and low polished source mods than I could reasonably be comfortable with. That doesn't have to do with the story and VA, those are fine if a bit tiring (there's a lot of dense visuals that initially make no sense to the story alongside extremely blunt dystopian themes with not a hint of subtlety, and the dissonance makes me think negatively of what it's handling... tacky body imagery included). It has to do with the level design and generally what you're accomplishing from a moment to moment basis. At first it evokes an oppressive vibe with how you have to scout through buildings looking for the next way forward but after the 20th spot of completely lost bullshit the frame of the painting comes loose. And then it's absolutely exploded when the combat is so trashy and taking the worst parts of HL2's mechanics while infusing it with some extremely questionable decisions.
For example, there was a sniper section, and at first it was fine cuz the first one was very obviously telegraphed as it shot a robot. Then you head right to kill them, and along the way on the right there's grenades for you to do so. You throw one in, but when you keep going in that direction, it's actually a dead end with 2 not-combine who (if your luck is bad, it seems random) immediately fire at you taking off 30 hp with each shot. And off a tunnel very close to that is ANOTHER dead end but with robots instead. So you actually have to go LEFT, away from the sniper you could kill, but then there's a mine that just immediately drops on a robot as a scripted event. But you're so close when the event triggers that the mine does a shitton of damage in a way that, after testing, seems to only be avoidable if you anticipate the mine dropping on the robot ahead of time (the mine does 80 damage, it's not something you just want to take)! Then you blow up some explosive barrels and just as you walk out a sniper immediately spawns on your left and you bet your ass that it's hard to see the blue line that is their line of sight and it shoots fast and nearly unavoidable. But it's not over! After you take out the sniper in this new somewhat open area, you find that it's sort of a dead end but on the other side of the open area, not-combine will immediately fire down from where you came from with no audio cue and you just have to hope you were moving fast enough to avoid the fire. And god help you if you tried to climb the car there, because a sniper actually spawns a line of sight from the nearby window if you do and it's on the opposite direction of the not-combine, so if your fire is focused on them you're FUCKED.
This entire sequence of events was so mindnumbingly dull and pointlessly obfuscating to me that I just decided "I think I no longer have the patience for source mod crap". Which is such a shame, as I only see great things in visuals and maybe even its story coming later into the fold. But I choose not to whip myself any further. If I wanted an intentionally awful time with arresting visuals that complemented that if not gave you a headache, K&L2 seems to be the resurgent appeal for that and it's right there!!
When I first launched the game the arresting visuals immediately drew me in, and was really entirely the appeal that had me signed up for this months back. The pseudo-cyberpunk like vibes that bled into decaying architecture and brutal imagery is definitely the strongest hold together the game has, at first. To the point where I said enough was enough, that was still somewhat of a constant.
Unfortunately, this game happens to be a labor of love that borrows more from Hunt Down the Freeman and low polished source mods than I could reasonably be comfortable with. That doesn't have to do with the story and VA, those are fine if a bit tiring (there's a lot of dense visuals that initially make no sense to the story alongside extremely blunt dystopian themes with not a hint of subtlety, and the dissonance makes me think negatively of what it's handling... tacky body imagery included). It has to do with the level design and generally what you're accomplishing from a moment to moment basis. At first it evokes an oppressive vibe with how you have to scout through buildings looking for the next way forward but after the 20th spot of completely lost bullshit the frame of the painting comes loose. And then it's absolutely exploded when the combat is so trashy and taking the worst parts of HL2's mechanics while infusing it with some extremely questionable decisions.
For example, there was a sniper section, and at first it was fine cuz the first one was very obviously telegraphed as it shot a robot. Then you head right to kill them, and along the way on the right there's grenades for you to do so. You throw one in, but when you keep going in that direction, it's actually a dead end with 2 not-combine who (if your luck is bad, it seems random) immediately fire at you taking off 30 hp with each shot. And off a tunnel very close to that is ANOTHER dead end but with robots instead. So you actually have to go LEFT, away from the sniper you could kill, but then there's a mine that just immediately drops on a robot as a scripted event. But you're so close when the event triggers that the mine does a shitton of damage in a way that, after testing, seems to only be avoidable if you anticipate the mine dropping on the robot ahead of time (the mine does 80 damage, it's not something you just want to take)! Then you blow up some explosive barrels and just as you walk out a sniper immediately spawns on your left and you bet your ass that it's hard to see the blue line that is their line of sight and it shoots fast and nearly unavoidable. But it's not over! After you take out the sniper in this new somewhat open area, you find that it's sort of a dead end but on the other side of the open area, not-combine will immediately fire down from where you came from with no audio cue and you just have to hope you were moving fast enough to avoid the fire. And god help you if you tried to climb the car there, because a sniper actually spawns a line of sight from the nearby window if you do and it's on the opposite direction of the not-combine, so if your fire is focused on them you're FUCKED.
This entire sequence of events was so mindnumbingly dull and pointlessly obfuscating to me that I just decided "I think I no longer have the patience for source mod crap". Which is such a shame, as I only see great things in visuals and maybe even its story coming later into the fold. But I choose not to whip myself any further. If I wanted an intentionally awful time with arresting visuals that complemented that if not gave you a headache, K&L2 seems to be the resurgent appeal for that and it's right there!!