Foreclosed is aggressively fine! Its comic panel cuts and camera changes enable it to punch up in its stellar presentation, but the compliments end there.
Combat is stiff, difficult, and feels limited until late in the game. If I didn't find the easier difficulty option then I may not have finished this game. Near the end you face several enemies in an entirely empty hallway... No cover, no environment to fight with.
Checkpoints are poorly laid out, and often had me repeating 'presentation' segments that wore on my nerves. I wasted time searching for invisible switches in an archaic design choice.
The trophy list contains a missable secret ending that's unlocked only if you find all collectibles within one playthrough. Despite the Chapter Select Option (Which is only accessible after rolling credits), you cannot go back and clean these up. There's also no way to track them, or any visibly presenting trophy associating with these. These collectibles are also hidden and require shadowing every wall until a marker pops up.
Only half of the game options, such as Audio Mixing and Difficulty are only accessible via the Main Menu. I learned this 80% of the way through the game. The only reason I was exploring the menu was because I ran into my first of two glitches that completely locked me from combat, menus, moving or dying. Two heavy glitches like that don't sound like a lot, but feel very apparent in a <3 hour game.
In writing this review I'm reckoning with how frustrating Foreclosed was to play. The potential was there and that left me disappointed above all else. With a little more time and care this could have won my heart as a special experience. Instead it languishes in the skippable territory.
Combat is stiff, difficult, and feels limited until late in the game. If I didn't find the easier difficulty option then I may not have finished this game. Near the end you face several enemies in an entirely empty hallway... No cover, no environment to fight with.
Checkpoints are poorly laid out, and often had me repeating 'presentation' segments that wore on my nerves. I wasted time searching for invisible switches in an archaic design choice.
The trophy list contains a missable secret ending that's unlocked only if you find all collectibles within one playthrough. Despite the Chapter Select Option (Which is only accessible after rolling credits), you cannot go back and clean these up. There's also no way to track them, or any visibly presenting trophy associating with these. These collectibles are also hidden and require shadowing every wall until a marker pops up.
Only half of the game options, such as Audio Mixing and Difficulty are only accessible via the Main Menu. I learned this 80% of the way through the game. The only reason I was exploring the menu was because I ran into my first of two glitches that completely locked me from combat, menus, moving or dying. Two heavy glitches like that don't sound like a lot, but feel very apparent in a <3 hour game.
In writing this review I'm reckoning with how frustrating Foreclosed was to play. The potential was there and that left me disappointed above all else. With a little more time and care this could have won my heart as a special experience. Instead it languishes in the skippable territory.