Reviews - stuntaneous

This review was written at verson beta eight, released on Feb 5, 2013.

Normally not a fan of tower defence, McDROID's take on the format has had me hooked. The player essentially designs the layout of their defence against waves of enemies and performs minimal however meaningful directed action along with a satisfying degree of micromanagement. You collect resources, buy turrets, upgrade turrets, upgrade your own unit and your all important 'base', maintain your increasingly damaged lines of defence and jump in the battles yourself where possible. It can feel like a very busy game at times but it never becomes overwhelming. The challenges are fairly well scaled as you progress and a 'research' system entices the player to buy new equipment and rise to the challenges ahead. Missions have and demand some replayability, attempts at their perfection leading to more research advancement. They're enjoyable to playthrough numerous times. However, the game can demand one too many attempts.

The research economy, that is, accumulating diamonds to spend on unlockables, is poorly balanced. Unlocks are currently too expensive and imply the player must slog away at very well traversed missions to reach the figures expected. The turrets and upgrades aren't just a luxury, either. To progress through the tougher challenges available the player needs access to certain unlocks. Hopefully this issue will be given a quick fix soon and before final release.

Content is still being added, however I don't know how much more is yet to come, and is needed. The game is highly enjoyable with the current line-up but its longevity would benefit from further structures and their accompanying new dynamics. What is present is rather refined and works well together.

At time of writing, McDROID is stable, very enjoyable and looks set to only improve. It's tower defence with a quirky, fun and individual theme. Micromanagement is minor!wordcountwordcou

As for co-op, I can't comment. No experience.

Darkout has obviously taken strong influence from Terraria. What most sets it apart is its haunting atmosphere and its more real to life, sci-fi asthetic. The gameplay is very similar to Terraria with minor differences. You spend your time digging, collecting resources, crafting items and objects, building and improving your dwelling, and engaging the fearsome, shadowy creatures of the gloomy forested world. The world is vibrant but foreboding, dangerous but alluring to the explorer. The art representing it is the peak of the game, as it stands. However immersive use of sound and any life that could've been instilled are absent. The glow of the undergrowth excites but the trees remain statically still and the landscape sits in an uneventful silence.

The game has been released but plays as if unfinished. Bugs are common and crashes occur. There is next to nil instruction or tutorial in-game let alone on the sparsely populated forums. You can find an image depicting key-bindings which helps but still sees you meaninglessly dead and confused as to what you're meant to do and how you're meant to go about it. As of writing, one player has created a beginner's tutorial. It's rather well done and without it, this reviewer would've had nothing but frustration to write about. But, even with the video's guidance the game is geared towards severe frustration.

There is no apparent goal. There is no penalty for death.

Darkout offers the survivalist a solitary stay in an intriguing however lacklustre world. It's a worthwhile experience but far from on par with the polished and universally acclaimed Terraria. It'll never reach those heights, either. This is Terraria transformed by the dev's soft spot for sci-fi and jammed with all the 'cool stuff' that came to mind. It needed more thought and still demands more effort on their part. Six out of ten. Average but worth a play. The price? I'm not so sure about it.

It's a trendy, modern appropriation of the classic Populous. It's pleasant on the eyes. But, gameplay quickly becomes stale and the aesthetic loses its novelty shortly thereafter. It could've been much more.