Recent reviews by Da1sy

I really, really, really like this game.

But arbitration*? Transferring ownership into a license?

Hopoo Games, your game is good - but it is not good enough to make me give up my ownership and right to sue you if you mismanage my information.

Furthermore, an arbitration opt-out that I need to have to you in 30 days BY PHYSICAL MAIL ONLY is profoundly disrespectful in the modern age.

Shame.

hilarious game. worth full price and absolutely pick it up if you can - especially if you lived through 2014 and experienced the internet around that time. hell, even if you didn't.

also, unironically great handling. the trailer is ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ but it is a joy to play. just know that if you drop frames in the hub, it is... expected. a small price to pay for such a great game.

$2.3 million on cars as 17% of their workforce is laid off.

This studio has fallen from what it once was. Until the CEO manages to curb his car addiction and makes it a priority to keep the company running well (over keeping his wallet fat), I cannot advocate that you play this game. Your money will not be used well by this studio.

$2.3 million on cars as 17% of their workforce is laid off.

This studio has fallen from what it once was. Until the CEO manages to curb his car addiction and makes it a priority to keep the company running well (over keeping his wallet fat), I cannot advocate that you play this game. Your money will not be used well by this studio.

$2.3 million on cars as 17% of their workforce is laid off.

This studio has fallen from what it once was. Until the CEO manages to curb his car addiction and makes it a priority to keep the company running well (over keeping his wallet fat), I cannot advocate that you play this game. Your attention, and money if you spend it, will not be used well by this studio.

TLDR: The gameplay reminds me of why I play Milsim.
The ending cinematic reminds me of why I enjoy realistically-flavored perspectives set in any universe.
The game is good. Buy it if and when you can.

Long Bit:
If I were to judge this by 2022 standards of games, it would not pass.
However.

I used a modded game launcher (which is why Steam tells me I have 1.2 hours), and I was completely hooked from the beginning.
In approximately 5-6 hours, I felt completely and totally immersed: the various radio communications, the evidence of relationships between squad members, the constant snippets of dialogue from Advisor (even if he used "Delta Squad!" twice in the same order), etc.
This game extensively adopts the gameplay mentality of "Show, don't Tell*". From that design choice, the story feels more like you actually affect the pieces within it.
*Except when Advisor tells me all the ♥♥♥♥ I need to go clean up in the 14th bay, and tells me why I need to do it

Yes, the implementation of much of their "intuitive and smart squad commands" is clunky, but much easier and more understandable than modern games with similar systems (e.g. Arma 3) and arguably provides better functionality.

You wont know for sure until you try. Buy the game.

For you who are still reading, the ending cinematic made me want to rant a bit. So here we go, proceed with caution.
This is a Star Wars game. And I got goosebumps when Advisor patched Yoda through. BUT. The extensive use of semi-realistic radio and support calls/tactics, especially in reference to the beginning 10-20 seconds of the cinematic (and most of Advisor's verbage), felt like it fit right in to the tone of the whole game: the gritty ♥♥♥♥ you dont see in the movies. When Yoda was patched in, and the music swelled, of course it was cool. But it felt tonally disjointed to the Acclamator Assault ships behind it. Before Yoda came on, I watched the V-19 Torrents fly past with respect and amazement, conceptualizing that each of those fighters was controlled by a single person. I watched the Acclamators discharge torrents of Torrents (lol) with reverence, as the Republic brought the brunt of it's force to bear. I was watching the broader scale of the war I had been experiencing, and was elevated (as a player) to the mental and physical position from which to view it in that broad scale - and it was awe inspiring.

Then Yoda came on. And it felt like someone just used the force. It felt like the same thing I had seen in every Star Wars movie, the motif of the series - how could you have a piece of Star Wars media without the classic triumphant comeback of the good guys??? Except that was what I just played. The soundtracks, mood, and tone of Republic Commando are fundamentally different from traditional Star Wars media. And it is because of the nature of that difference that I personally feel like the ending falls flat. I don't want to feel triumphant. Apart from losing a squad member, I EXPERIENCED THE HORRORS OF WAR FIRSTHAND. I am not an observer. I am the main character. I am 38. Why am I being treated as an observer, especially when it's implied that there will be more work for Delta to do?
TLDR version of the rant: The ending cinematic's last 10 seconds suffer from a grating tonal shift, and a shift in player treatment (from player to observer). As such, it has fallen quite flat for me.