Recent reviews by SingularKat

Excellent modding community, great base game, cats present

Excellent core to the game, but the devs approach to balancing weapons seems to involve looking at which is most used and then nerfing it in a constant cycle. I'm taking a break to do other things, and won't be recommending this to any friends until Arrowhead let's their players have their fun in an exclusively pve game.

Edit: VICTORY FOR MANAGED DEMOCRACY! In response to the successful protest, I am changing this to a positive review. The above issues remain, of course, but the game is worth playing.

This is being written during the early access period of this games existence. In fact, it has been mere days since this game became playable, yet it has managed to both charm, wow, and terrify me. If you've not got time, just skip to the bottom.

To begin, the graphics are remarkably nice and charming. The pixelated style, the lighting, and the little details are quite nice. Also notable are the characters within the game, not so much for their personalities and character, but more so for the fact that they feel alive. Vendors don't stand at their stalls all day, but will go home or out to the tavern for the night with some friends. Regular folk can be traded with, albeit with very few options. Corpses will be picked apart by crows. The world feels alive, and it feels as if it exists beyond when you're looking at it.

Now for the 'wowing' part. While I already mentioned the graphics and art style, the clear work put into this game and the clear love for it leave me wondering just a little how someone could have such inspiration. As mentioned above, the world lives and breathes. The game makes it apparent you are in the world, not the centre of it.

And for the terrifying part. Combat, especially early on, is an immensely tense and nerve-wracking affair, from the prolouge to the first encounters while trying to find your way to a landmark. The fights are quick, brutal affairs that manage to be difficult and quick without being overly so, and despite the difficulties in emerging victorious, it's possible to do so with wit, luck, and a good plan. Oh, and a good weapon. That's rather important. The effects of your combat, from bleeding to racing against the clock to avoid going into shock, provide very real reasons to pick your fights and partake in them with care. Even hours in, an unexpected encounter in a dungeon or a roaming wolf pack detecting me will leave with fearful.

Generally, the game is pretty good. Even just in it's current state it'd be a passable game, and it has far, far more development coming. I'm quite glad I bought this game, and heartily recommend it to those with a taste for a challenging game with some charming aspects between the blood and iron. I look forwards to seeing where the development goes, and wish the developers good luck in continuing.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to be rescuing someone from a dungeon...