been a little bit since i played a walking sim so i decided to dip back in with this. it felt like a good fit/change of pace since things have been roasting recently temp wise.
Kona is perhaps something that at first glance seems more exciting than it actually is in the end. the gameplay or general set-up here isn't anything unique by itself. what set it apart, at least initially was its sprawling and open Canadian setting. once you get past the introduction you're set free to investigate the mystery as you see fit which felt less restrictive than one might expect.
as i got into it a bit i was introduced to vehicle/traversal options, survival elements, and even combat gameplay all of which seemed to be setting this up to be something a bit more in depth. most, if not all of these things ended up being pretty surface level, unfortunately. exposure to the elements seems like it's going to be a much bigger issue than it ever is with the map being smaller in scale than it seems with less to do in it as well. combat is vaguely serviceable but thankfully optional for the most part. the vehicles are nice but again with the map not being as eventful as expected it doesn't do much for you beyond a straight line from point a to point b for the main progression.
when i got to the credits i was presented with a long list of backers which informed me that this was another crowdfunded project. looking into it, there seems to have been some typical pitfalls that come with this kind of development. apparently this was at one point meant to be an episodic experience before it ended up as a one and done game. wouldn't be surprised if some of the underdeveloped feeling could've been a result of feature creep and/or budgetary concerns. taking this with everything that i had said above it turned out surprisingly well? i'm willing to give it a bit more credit, at least.
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i didn't mention this elsewhere because i wasn't sure where to fit it in but i couldn't stand the narration. you have the narrator telling you the most basic, obvious shit with the most vacant tone. to top it off he talked CONSTANTLY. i really hope they didn't do this again with the sequel because it started to have a sizable negative impact by the end of my playthrough.
Kona is perhaps something that at first glance seems more exciting than it actually is in the end. the gameplay or general set-up here isn't anything unique by itself. what set it apart, at least initially was its sprawling and open Canadian setting. once you get past the introduction you're set free to investigate the mystery as you see fit which felt less restrictive than one might expect.
as i got into it a bit i was introduced to vehicle/traversal options, survival elements, and even combat gameplay all of which seemed to be setting this up to be something a bit more in depth. most, if not all of these things ended up being pretty surface level, unfortunately. exposure to the elements seems like it's going to be a much bigger issue than it ever is with the map being smaller in scale than it seems with less to do in it as well. combat is vaguely serviceable but thankfully optional for the most part. the vehicles are nice but again with the map not being as eventful as expected it doesn't do much for you beyond a straight line from point a to point b for the main progression.
when i got to the credits i was presented with a long list of backers which informed me that this was another crowdfunded project. looking into it, there seems to have been some typical pitfalls that come with this kind of development. apparently this was at one point meant to be an episodic experience before it ended up as a one and done game. wouldn't be surprised if some of the underdeveloped feeling could've been a result of feature creep and/or budgetary concerns. taking this with everything that i had said above it turned out surprisingly well? i'm willing to give it a bit more credit, at least.
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i didn't mention this elsewhere because i wasn't sure where to fit it in but i couldn't stand the narration. you have the narrator telling you the most basic, obvious shit with the most vacant tone. to top it off he talked CONSTANTLY. i really hope they didn't do this again with the sequel because it started to have a sizable negative impact by the end of my playthrough.