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Recent reviews by Crow

Showing 1-4 of 4 entries
No one has rated this review as helpful yet
7.9 hrs on record (6.0 hrs at review time)
While intimidating at first, this game is a great route into fighting games and introduces a spectacular new take on the genre.
Posted 25 November, 2023.
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2 people found this review helpful
79.4 hrs on record (65.9 hrs at review time)
Early Access Review
10/10

ULTRAKILL is a game that takes you to the lowest depths of Hell, but the experience granted by this masterpiece is truly spiritual.

---{ Gameplay }---

Everything about ULTRAKILL feels meticulously crafted, with its thrilling movement system, unique weapon interactions, and masterful level design. Speeding your way through Hell comes naturally as you improve at taking out your enemies. Every combat sequence is fun and engaging; every victory--and every defeat feels earned. Each weapon has a great amount of depth on its own, but there are multiple different combination attacks you can perform with your arsenal, such as reflecting a Railgun shot off of a thrown Marksman coin. This allows for combat to feel fluid and free-form. The level design in this game seems to have been a major focus during development. Everything has a purpose and every little platform compliments another one. Everything feels perfectly crafted. There isn't a thing that I would change about ULTRAKILL's gameplay.

---{ Story }---

The game's plot itself is rather simple: you are a machine that uses blood as fuel. Humanity is wiped out along with any other sources of blood on the surface, so you venture into Hell. However, it is the underlying lore and world of ULTRAKILL that is so interesting. The nature of Hell and the entities that reside there, the chaos of Heaven and its influence on the different layers... it would be enough to make you feel small if you hadn't just slain hordes of underworld husks. You can find bits and pieces of lore in different levels, typically from a different character's point-of-view, giving insight into the background and motives of your enemies. The different layers of Hell are great at environmental storytelling as well, such as Lust being a worn-down cyber-city, the towers built to shelter residents from the harsh winds falling to erosion over time ever since the fall of King Minos. The in-game terminal contains lore for each enemy you meet as well. What is the fate of V1? Of Heaven and Hell? The deeper down you go, the closer you find yourself to those answers...

---{ Visuals }---

ULTRAKILL's style is inspired by movement shooters of old, utilizing mostly low-polygon models. The game even gives you the option to apply effects to the visuals to make them mimic those of a PSX game. However, ULTRAKILL still manages to provide stunning visuals through the use of scenic environments and lighting techniques. The fleshy hordes that you fight through have interesting and intimidating designs, and even the simplest enemy models, such as the enemy in mission 0-S, appear much more detailed than they really are when put beside ULTRAKILL's environments. When you step out into Limbo for the first time, the grassy terrain and sunlight is an indication that the worlds of this game will vary in appearance greatly. There are a few levels of note that are awe-inspiring the first time you walk into them; I recommend not looking anything up online and instead witnessing these for yourself.

---{ Music }---

ULTRAKILL's soundtrack is an absolute pleasure to look at and is always written to fit the mood of the stage that you're in. The tracks typically use MIDI instruments as a base, giving the game that classic feel that the game is inspired by. When in combat, the music ramps up to eleven as powerful drum beats begin to play. The overall genre for the soundtrack can be described as a combination of Industrial Metal and Breakcore. Despite going for a simplistic sound, each track is unique from the other and there are many different recognizable leitmotifs across the game's music. I can't imagine playing ULTRAKILL to anything else.

---{ Value }---

If ULTRAKILL were offered to me at the price of your average triple-A game, I would purchase it without any reservations. The replay value of ULTRAKILL is extremely high, thanks to the game's myriad of secrets and the level ranking system. There are secret weapons to find beyond what the game's main path will grant you, and there is a secret mission to the prelude and the first and second layers of each act. Getting a perfect ranking on all levels in an act will unlock a Prime Sanctum, a unique level providing a new challenge. Completing levels grants you points that you can spend on new weapons and weapon colors. Even after completing this game multiple times, I still play it frequently and find myself thinking about it when I'm not playing it. I'd recommend this game at any price, because you will get your money's worth.

I highly recommend that you purchase ULTRAKILL now if you have any interest in it. It is my favorite game on Steam, and I don't see that ever changing. Now get in there--it's time to get some blood.
Posted 29 October, 2021. Last edited 12 December, 2024.
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No one has rated this review as helpful yet
17.5 hrs on record (13.4 hrs at review time)
A must have for your gaming rig.
Posted 28 June, 2019.
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4 people found this review helpful
1 person found this review funny
524.1 hrs on record (16.9 hrs at review time)
good game, get game
Posted 23 February, 2017.
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Showing 1-4 of 4 entries