Recent reviews by PHLOOP

For an early access game, this is really polished. I really like the vibe and most of the gameplay loop. Some of the weapons definitely need some tweaking and I have provided feedback on the boss fights, but I'm really excited to see how this game comes along.

I love that this game still gets support.

I decided to refund this game once I beat an Elder God and didn't know why my character was surviving hits that should have killed them.

There are so many interesting ideas, but the whole thing is let down by a boring game-play loop and all sorts of weird mechanics.

I have played 29 hours. The only DLC/currency I've bought has been the one-time VIP upgrade, money I feel the devs have well earned. And with this latest update, I'm getting ready to pick out some other DLC just to feel like this is a fair trade for the devs time.

I like to see the numbers go up, this game gives you a fun selection of different numbers that get bigger. My current hero is a cool purple skeleton dude that has a cat and a frog buddy along for the ride.

It's THAT kind of game.

Much, much better than Pathfinder: Kingmaker. The encounter design is still a little on the sadistic side and the "Crusade Mode" is just a pain, but the game is actually fun to play. Lots of complexity in the character building, plus interesting events and reactions to your actions means that there's a ton of replayability and bang for your buck.

Also, Ember is baby.

I don't like Metroidvanias very much. I bounced off Hollow Knight, couldn't get a handle on the old school Castlevania games, got frustrated with Guacamelee. I find them frustrating, often because I know I'll need to backtrack, or that I can blunder into areas I'm not ready for. I hate the feeling when I can obviously see there's a thing that needs a skill I don't have yet, so I need to come back later.

Somehow, even though this game has that in spades, I didn't mind. I enjoyed the exploration, mostly. And I loved that I had a constant stream of upgrades, weapons and powers to try. I didn't even mind the reuse of some enemy designs, I thought every time it was done that it was a clever reuse of assets rather than lazy game design.

It's a beautiful game, with great sound design and fun gameplay. There's a crafting system that you can farm stuff for, but I managed to beat the game on Normal without having to be beholden to it. I really liked that I could change the main character's colours so that she stood out from the background more.

If you're gonna play a Metroidvania, this is the one to go for.

I played a few rounds and didn't get the appeal.

But on a whim I reinstalled it, got my first Weapon Evolution... and I was hooked. The game is mesmerising. There are runs where I can't see a thing on the screen because there are too many projectiles.

If you like flashy lights and hypnotic particles, I highly recommend it!

This is one of the best Warhammer 40000 games ever made. Definitely has the best soundtrack of the lot.

If you like XCOM, you know what you're getting into. Really wish all W40K games had this much love put into it.

Should you play this game?

Oh god, yes! Yes and yes again!

If you like card games at all, give it a go. The atmosphere, the mood, the art, the story, the music... it's all brilliant. I audibly gasped several times! I haven't been this in awe of a game since Disco Elysium two years ago.

Go into it as blind as you can and enjoy the ride.

Right now it's a very tepid recommendation from me. The game feels like it's still in Early Access, where there are really weird bugs, translation errors and balancing issues. The worst offender being the fatigue system, everything you do adds to your fatigue, which is crippling to manage and with little enjoyment.

However, the world-building is fantastic and I really like the atmosphere. I'm putting this back on the shelf for a few weeks, I hope the devs push through a major update that addresses some of the complaints. It would be a shame to leave this game in the state it's currently in.