Reviews - dark_matter_mobius

I'm going to confess I'm not very far into this game. I just beat the first boss, but I already know there are some elements I like and some I dislike.

The good:

Art is great with this game. I like the 'companions' look.

The bad:
The Story
While I like the fact that we seem to be in the kid's head, I never really connect with the characters early on. I'm given no cause to connect. He's a kid, he obviously has had something tramatic happen to him, which he cannot remember anything about, but the presentation just leaves me going, "Eh? Why should I care?"
This might be because the enemy is forgetfulness. That kind of enemy might have more weight if our main character were an elderly person rather than a child.

Characters
Teddy Bear- While the Teddy is a nice touch, I feel it is inappropriate for this story. I'd much rather our narrator jump between the kid's parents, thus adding more depth and a sense of urgency to the child's situation.

Companions- While I like the art and design behind the companions, I just don't feel that they should be in this world. Maybe if we were given back stories (another chance for us, your audience, to connect with the main character) or if they didn't look like they were put together from pieces of a blanket. We just need more of a reason to buy the kid conjuring up these things as his companions. Why not Mom or Dad or school teachers or other kids? Why these things?

Game Mechanics

Over all the game mechanics aren't bad, but it isn't really great either. This game doesn't bring too much to the table that hasn't already been brought by other titles. In fact, it sort of takes a few things off of the table. Like keyboard shortcuts. While keyboard shortcuts aren't a big deal, it is a step back not to include them. I want to hit 'C' to build a collector.

Last and least: Grammar. I understand that the developer is not a native english speaker, but still. It would be nice if I didn't have to mentally correct it.

The primary problem with this game is that it gets too old too fast.

This game is sort of like a simplified Terraria. While in some respects this is a good thing (with building and construction) in others it is extremely bad (money, equipment, fighting, and NPCs).

Building and Construction are more straightforward than in the closest relative to this game (Terraria). For starters, for those commonly built locals, you can set up prefabs, which allow you to have a template design. While there is some need to gather resources, for the most part you can just spend cash and be able to build whatever you need. Need a dirt block? No need to mine, just spend the cash and it'll be available for placement.

However, this brings us to cash. After an initial start up money is infinitely available (right from the get go) which makes it practically useless in the game. Most games make money useless towards the end, after you've already spent those millions and you've strained yourself getting that cash flow.

To make things worse, money is only really useful for building. You can splurge on a chest, but those are readily available as well, and equipment found is dependent on your level, not on depth or location. So, it is easy to get the most up-to-date equipment.

This leads into equipment. Equipment is overly simplified. You find it, it equips the best, no hassle. There is no need to find all those precious resources, or save up for that really expensive piece of equipment. While this may seem like a non-issue, it is also what makes the game lose its grip on you. You become bored because there is no challenge.

No challenge in acquiring equipment and resources, or the fighting for that matter. You hit tab, left click on the critter you want to attack, and as long as you are in range, you'll slowly kill it. You eventually get technika and weapons on your airships, but the fights are already too easy.

NPCs are too limited in type and usefulness to make them engaging.

My initial review was not fair to the current version. Removed :).

Still has quite a ways to go, but this game is starting to set itself apart.