Encased

Some jank does not stop Encased from being one of the most ambitious and greatest CRPGs in years.

Encased is an isometric RPG that wears and bears its role-playing roots proudly. It does so but presents an entirely new story. The time is the 1970s, but a version of the 1970’s where the Cold War has ended not because of emerging countries and détentes, but because of the Dome. All the countries of the world shifted their attention to a previously unexplored desert, for there lies an area containing an anomaly of unknown origin.

The setting and story of Encased have a lot of hooks that will keep any RPG lover engaged. With both the choice of five backgrounds and many dialogue choices, the game has high replay value. Still, it can be a bit cumbersome worrying more about supplies and sleeping over equipment and character progression. Those that enjoy skulking, camping, and talking over fighting will find the most value in Encased.

Encased is a strategy RPG with lots of depth and options that suffers from stiffness and imbalanced gameplay

If hard sci-fi sends you to sleep, you might want to give this a miss, because every now and then, the story be can a little dry. But for everyone else, if you’re prepared to give Encased your time and attention, and overlook what are mostly fixable flaws, you’ll discover an engaging, compelling and pleasingly deep RPG.

Encased is a solid game, yet one that struggles with its own nature. Despite being conductive to genuine emotions, the old school's biggest flaw is that it's old. Read more in our review.