Judging a book by its cover works well here: a post-apocalyptic RPG where the characters stand with a nuke going off in the background. Novel idea, guys, it has truly never been thought of before. The characters thoroughly lack distinguishing features that would communicate anything meaningful about the game, donning generic outfits and generic facial features (contrast this with Disco Elysium and its protagonist's design: we know we're getting into something whacky and off-kilter). It also looks like something drawn up in mere half an hour -- blurry and lacking detail. AI could spit out better art, ffs (why not go for art that would communicate something distinct about the setting -- something uniquely Australian? Just a thought).

With things looking quite dire before even launching the game, the game itself sprinkles promise: character creation prides the philosophical alignment system above all, wearing its Disco Elysium influence on its sleeves. Unfortunately, the game creators don't understand what nihilism means, mistaking it for simple egoism, lol.

The first hours of the game are just a series of inconsequential dialogues. We are introduced to multiple areas, meet multiple vendors (without having had a single combat encounter and thus not really knowing whether what -- or anything -- is needed at all). The game fails to establish a plot hook; it's all just the most generic post-apocalyptic stuff, sprinkled with philosophy quotes during loading screens, which comes off as nothing more than a projection of an intellectual veneer, at odds with the content of the game itself.

The characters blur into a mess. The settlements lack character. I fix myself my second cup of coffee to fight off the nausea but call it quits soon after; these hours were some of the most boring hours I've spent playing a CRPG.