Recent reviews by Exodus

Like magic

Performance issues as of early access launch. Framerate dips to the 20s-30s even in 1440p in some areas.

i9-10900k + RTX 3080

Fun, when it works. The problem is that it doesn't work almost half the time, especially during prime time and weekends. Login issues, progress not being saved after missions, and down right not being able to play the game due to a black screen on launch. The problems have only progressively increased since launch. Patches have been put out regularly but it feels like things get fixed for a day or two and then get broken again. Disappointing that live service always online games like this can be good in terms of gameplay, sound and graphics but at the same time be bogged down by technical issues that actively prevent people from playing.

TLDR: Check back in a month and see if problems listed above have been resolved.

Edit: ♥♥♥♥ works now

Unpolished jank

Monster Hunter fan boys out in full force to review bomb a game they have less than an hour playtime in. Keep in mind people are petty enough to pay a minuscule price for the EA trial to leave a review, which you can do for some reason.

Personally, performance has been fine but there are rare occasions where it dips below 60 fps. The devs have said patch is out next week, wait till then if you are still on the fence and have a mid-tier PC regarding performance.

A lot of potential from what I've played in the first area, weapons do have depth in their move sets and there are skills attached to your armor sets which from what I've seen can be stacked to create proper builds. Monsters also have very varied move sets that can be countered in numerous ways with the karakuri you build (which persist through the entire playthrough) A lot of experimentation to be done with the huge amount of traversal options at the players disposal, only scratched the surface so far but the amount of unlockable things you can build looks huge.

If you like Monster Hunter and are open to trying new things without feeling threatened for some reason, definitely give it a try with the trial on EA Play or watch some videos/streams without reading the comments/chat.

There was definitely passion put into developing this game, a game made by monster hunter players. Also, post launch plans include some free updates every month or so, so it seems like the devs are hunkering down to support the game for awhile.

Intriguing.

Broccoli cheese soups main ingredient is onion

Despite the first day of performance issues which were rectified for me the next day with a prompt response by the dev team, I enjoyed the 8 hours I spent on Callisto. I had some qualms with the melee system and how dodging worked but warmed up to it after awhile. Combat felt very satisfying especially with how visceral the visuals are, coupled with amazing sound design throughout, the short journey I had with Jacob left me wanting more.

This is at its core a survival horror game, resources are scarce, jump scares might happen around any corner adding to the already increasing tension you feel when walking down dimly lit fogged filled corridors obscuring your vision. Not to mention how the sound design complements this perfectly, for example the sounds of enemies creeping around in vents are actually enemies crawling around in vents and not just something to throw the player off. With any survival horror game nowadays there is a small arsenal that can be upgraded by the player at apt 3D printers scattered around Callisto and watching the machine in action is a pretty satisfying sight to behold. Be it the reaffirming nod from Jacob after its done or how the weapon actually changes in looks/design as you upgrade, the combat does not only limit itself to its advertised melee gameplay.

Finally it is worth mentioning just how uncanny the character models look from their real life counterparts, the performances were also, evidently, top notch be it with voice acting or motion capture. There was definitely a lot of love put into the visuals, not forgetting the entire game, but its sad to see how the performance issues still managed to creep through at launch. Still, it was definitely enjoyable to see how good the game looked even with RTX off, which by the way does not add much to visual fidelity.

For what its worth, for the price Striking Distance studios is asking for, the game should have been slightly longer instead of ending it on a cliffhanger. Could the narrative have been better fleshed out? Maybe, but this is more dead space moving into the future and I'm all for it.

GOTY

Excellent eldritch style horror game that doesn't lean too heavily on its inspirations and tries some new things in the genre. The inclusion of a non-permadeath mode should have been an option from the start which was decidedly what pushed people away from this gem. Now that it's in there, anyone who has turned away from this title should try it out again.

The story was captivating from start to end, the usual mystery of what is haunting the main character and why, is always pushed forward by new questions along with answers. Use of other characters were also interesting as they all had their own little insights during an episode, I could tell that permadeath option was put in so you did feel the tension while playing with any of the characters besides the main character because you would feel attached to them by the time you opened a wrong door or put your hand down the wrong toilet.

The atmosphere was also something to note as being brilliantly crafted, each episode had distinct environments with little to almost no visible reuse of assets, a big achievement nowadays. Every area had their own creepy atmosphere and stories to tell which always accompanied the main story instead of detracting from it, from the types of visions/hallucinations you see to the sounds emanating across the halls.

Puzzles had me perplexed at times but I never got stuck anywhere. There was a huge sense of achievement for completing each puzzle, each having their own unique take on previously seen puzzles in other more prominent horror franchises.

There are definitely death traps scattered in episodes but they are only limited to about 1-2 per episode. At most there are ample warnings as to if what you're about to do will harm you or not and a lot of the time common sense comes into play.

Voice acting was also really well done, each character had their actors really portray the characters demeanor and anxiety to excellent effect, especially during the moment to moment gameplay. There are times where Daniel, the main character, sounds a bit goofy when he's trying to open locked doors and on occasions during cutscenes where the volume of voices are a tad bit low but they're few and far between.

TLDR

• Gameplay - 9/10 [Walk around the map, look for key items, solve puzzles, play minigames]
  
• Story - 8/10 [Eldritch horror with a decent mystery]
  
• Sound - 8/10 [Voice acting was really good but at times can be a bit goofy during gameplay, volume during cutscenes kept fluctuating, mechanics that utilize sound not too complicated but effective]
  
• Graphics - 9/10 [Kept true to visual style throughout with enough variation in environments and models, added to creep factor and sense of dread
  

Overall - 9/10