Recent reviews by [PAI] Ambrose

Friend gifted me this a while back, then convinced me to give it a try. I, halfheartedly, did.

It is easily one of the most enjoyable, satisfying, and addicting experiences I have ever had in my gaming lifetime. Its a $5 game that is worth $50. The soundtrack alone (especially "Crystal Allure") is worth the price you'll pay.

I feel like the less that's said here, the better my point will be made. This game is truly a masterpiece in what it does.

SImply put, one of the best gaming experiences of my life. Amazing story. Exceptional gameplay. Worth every penny and second I gave it.

I can't properly put into words just how amazing this game is. A friend bought it for me and insisted I give it a shot and, ultimately, I can't thank them enough. The storytelling alone is a masterpiece, not to mention the absolutely beautiful star system that it takes place in. Time and time and time again I found myself astounded, mystified, and heartbroken...all in the best of ways. Now that I've completed the game? I'd love nothing more than to wipe it from my mind so I can experience it yet again for the first time.

You don't want to miss this one, I promise.

What an unexpected experience this game ended up being. Challenging, humorous, relaxing....an enjoyable beat'em-up feel....great music and art style. It was, from the get-go, a game that I knew I was going to have fun co-op'ing with a friend of mine. All of this is said from the mouth (or fingertips) of someone who has never cared, at all, for games that aren't first, or maybe third, person-shooters. The whole side-scrolling RPG thing never really appealed to me, and yet, this one stuck, and it stuck well.

I, personally, feel like it plays much better as a co-op, but that doesn't mean the single-player mode isn't good as well. In fact, co-op kinda takes away the need for having to learn how to play a different role outside of the one you, most likely, chose to stick with from the start. That being said, all four classes are very effective and fun to play as, though some are certainly more tricky than others. You're guaranteed to find one you like.

Pros:
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Runs, and looks, well.
Very satisfying combat.
Humorous and enjoyable dialogue throughout the entire story.
2-4 person co-op is exceptionally fun.
Relaxing and easy to play.
Has puzzles for puzzlers to puzzle.
Four different roles = a fighting style you'll enjoy.

Cons:
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Latency/Lag seemed to be an issue. Characters skipping around for each other. (Could just be personal though.)
Slightly challenging learning curve with Alex, the fighter, if you wanna use her from the get-go.
Some of the puzzles, and their solutions, are insaaaaaanely tricky to figure out.
The price of the game. Its a GREAT game, but $19.99 might be why more people haven't heard of/played it, sadly.

There's a whole lot of good to this game, and very little bad. The good stems from an incessant need to survive against the harsh Canadian winter/wildlife with only limited supplies of food, water, clothing, and overall resources. Wolves and bears are a reocurring threat, starvation is ALWAYS in the back of your mind, and when you're stuck out in the middle of a blinding blizzard and the wind chill has you suffering -30 degree (fahrenheit) temperatures? Well...it makes the generic, same-ole 'zombie survival' game seem like a cake walk.

Everything in this game is, or can be, limited...depending on the difficulty you choose to play on. Its because of this that there's always a fear of dying, a desire to scavenge, a need to hunt and keep moving in order to survive. That's what I've come to appreciate about this game. At the same time, this also creates the game's biggest flaw to me. Repetitiveness. It can't be helped, really. After a while you've explored most of the locations, you've done pretty much everything there is to do, and you're left feeling apathetic or bored about playing.

Fortunately, there's challenge modes to take on. There's also a story mode in the making. This game shows promise of having a lot more content to come and, already, its beyond enjoyable to sit down and kill a few hours with. I'm by no means an expert at it, and I've yet to explore everything and do all there is to do, but so far? So far the Hinterland developers have done a great job at making a PvE game that is, in my opinion, on par with 'Dont Starve.'