I was pretty hesitant coming back to this game, mostly cause from trailers and a friends synopsis it sounded like a straightforward 4-7 hour long game about driving in anomalous areas and solving mysteries, similar to Oxenfree but on wheels and while the description isn't that far off, the length and style of game i wasn't expecting.
This game plays like a survival crafting/roguelike and while im not super opposed to those styles, they tire me out pretty quickly. Adding on the fact it has a semi-linear story that requires you to have the necessary resources to continue, and to get those resources you need to do side drives just to scavenge areas which if you are unlucky could make you waste more than you gather. It feels like the game stretches what could have been a concise experience into a 35+ hour slog and it bored me to tears at times.
All that aside this game looks and plays beautifully, I loved driving the car it controls wonderfully and having the game throw hazards at you and you needing to swerve and adapt makes you feel like you're living out some dystopian Baby Driver. The environments also had me hooked, there are key moments that are stunning and even the small drives from junction to junction could give off immaculate feels with its atmosphere.
Im at least happy with myself to see the game all the way through, cause I felt like i would've missed a tight knit vision executed well, even if that vision suffers being stretched out between boring gameplay loops
This game plays like a survival crafting/roguelike and while im not super opposed to those styles, they tire me out pretty quickly. Adding on the fact it has a semi-linear story that requires you to have the necessary resources to continue, and to get those resources you need to do side drives just to scavenge areas which if you are unlucky could make you waste more than you gather. It feels like the game stretches what could have been a concise experience into a 35+ hour slog and it bored me to tears at times.
All that aside this game looks and plays beautifully, I loved driving the car it controls wonderfully and having the game throw hazards at you and you needing to swerve and adapt makes you feel like you're living out some dystopian Baby Driver. The environments also had me hooked, there are key moments that are stunning and even the small drives from junction to junction could give off immaculate feels with its atmosphere.
Im at least happy with myself to see the game all the way through, cause I felt like i would've missed a tight knit vision executed well, even if that vision suffers being stretched out between boring gameplay loops
It's probably my fault for over-hyping this game, thinking it was gonna be a new instant classic along the lines of Outer Wilds and Inscryption. Sadly, I've played maybe 7 hours on the week of its release and have been hesitant to open it since then.
Outside of its gorgeous presentation and intriguing atmosphere, I found the experience extremely tedious. The selling point of the game and its core mechanic, the car, ended up feeling like a burden instead of being a tool of experimentation and freedom. The reason being that you need to get out of your car every minute to pick up items and to explore buildings. The "drive 30 seconds, park, loot, drive 30 seconds" loop gets tired real fast.
It might still click for some enjoyers of looter/exploration game! I'll give it props for trying something new at least.
Outside of its gorgeous presentation and intriguing atmosphere, I found the experience extremely tedious. The selling point of the game and its core mechanic, the car, ended up feeling like a burden instead of being a tool of experimentation and freedom. The reason being that you need to get out of your car every minute to pick up items and to explore buildings. The "drive 30 seconds, park, loot, drive 30 seconds" loop gets tired real fast.
It might still click for some enjoyers of looter/exploration game! I'll give it props for trying something new at least.