Tom Ravencroft
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MonsterVineLatest Reviews
But if you’re willing to put up with that sort of ongoing pressure on your health and sanity (oh, how very meta), it is, at least, an intriguing experiment and a certainly unconventional game in a genre that usually tends to be more about 360 noscopes and sick kills than reckoning with the fragile mental health of your band of heretics who may or may not be falsely accused as they seek to escape a monastery. One day, they’ll make that The Name of the Rose Black Ops they keep hinting at, but until then, this is what we’ve got.
But on the other hand…there’s not really a competitor, except Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020, so what else are you going to do? It’s a gorgeous game and when it all comes together and you’re soaring over the Grand Canyon or crashing into the street in front of your house or doing low-level stunts in an F-18, it hits like nothing else. But you’re going to need a big, beefy machine, a nice, steady internet connection, and the favor of…THE CLOUD! HAIL CLOUD! I dunno, I’m starting to think this “put everything online and make it dependent on massive server infrastructure” thing was a mistake.
Look, I’m not going to lie to you, this isn’t some subversive indie game where deep down there’s a deeply moving story about a sad dad with a beard discovering he loves his son or whatever. There’s a squirrel, there’s a gun. What more do you want?
I’m not going to reveal much of the story since that’s the entire point of playing this one, but while it’s fairly linear, it’s fun to see it unfold from a fairly mundane beginning to what becomes kind of bugfuck especially once we get into the whole cults and Lovecraft and mythos thing. So yes, there’s some animation jank, the world isn’t as open as some of their bigger budget titles, and it’s fairly short (about 10-12 hours), but if you like to actually keep a notebook at your computer and write things down like we did back when your choice of display was “green” or “amber”, you can forgive some of that. (It actually does a good job of compiling all its information in-game, but sometimes it’s easier to flip through a paper notebook and I’m also a dork that likes stationary and pens).
If you’re chasing whatever the hottest new trend is or want a groundbreaking game with never-before-seen mechanics, obviously this is not a good match. But if you’re looking for a game that captures the vibe of a place, the mood of a place, and a story that rapidly spirals into both relevance (the nerds are cobbling together a rocket to go to the MOOOOON! They dress as crusaders!) and insanity, well, you can’t do much better. Between the setting, the rampant Catholic/Christian imagery, and the general near-future vibe, this was an experience. Normally I’m a bit of a dabbler, but I powered through this one in two nights, then powered through it again to make slightly different choices and see what changed. Very few story spoilers here, but let’s say it’s both deeply personal and deeply knowledgeable of the setting and surroundings…and completely bugfuck in an enjoyable way.
I found it compelling. Even if you don’t like tactical combat, you have to admire something so completely insane and very much its own thing when the world is busy making roguelike soulslikes platformers. It’s also an excuse to buy a cowboy hat of your very own.
If the idea still intrigues, maybe grab it on sale and wait for a slow time and check it out when they’ve got some patching in because there are some interesting ideas at work here. There’s even two or three interesting games that could be carved out of this one. I feel like I’m Monstervine’s Official Big Idea Lover and Jank Tolerator, but when there’s so many good games coming out…frankly, I don’t think I can tell you to slog through this weird, buggy game when Cyberpunk 2077 just came out, which is also weird, buggy, and one of the most anticipated games of the year. It’s not that I’m angry, it’s that I’m disappointed.
I’ve followed Paradox since Europa Universalis was a beta they burned onto a CD when I was a wee baby game writer, so it’s been a lot of fun to watch them grow. Crusader Kings 3 feels like the game they’ve been trying to make all along, and they finally figured out how to do it.
It feels like an artsy, short-ish game taken over by a producer that said, “You know what the kids like? Hard games. It’s what’s in!”, so there’s more grinding than maybe there ought to be, and the story goes from depressing and sad to literally rubbing your face in it. I mentioned Sucker Punch above and that’s actually a good comparison: it’s stylish enough to be interesting, but it’s really not all that deep. And obviously, if you need a pick-me-up in these grimdark days, this ain’t it, chief.
It may have a reduced scope, but it’s still XCOM. You can still miss with a 100% chance to hit. You still never have enough assets to do everything you want. The demands from your higher-ups are near-impossible. Time grinds onward and the city may explode at any minute.