Recent reviews by Hobo Elf

Game doesn't feel new or "modern" to me. It's just a PoE1 reskin with some systems made differently but in a way that it's worse and not according to the developer intent. The first act is slower and more tactical but midway through A2 the game regresses into being the same kind of game as PoE1. The developer intent was to make a different game that doesn't compete with PoE1, but so far the they have only managed to make a worse PoE1.

One of the greatest games ever made got one of the greatest remakes.

Out of all the 'boomer shooter' types, this one is perhaps the most faithful game of the era rather. The trailer on Steam doesn't really do the game justice either. It shows off a fast paced action game with loud guitar riff music, WRATH couldn't be further from that. While it IS a fast paced action game, the overall ambient of the game has this serene, ethereal and otherworldly feel to it. Even during boss fights which you'd think would be tense just has a soft and moody ambient playing in the background. The level design is quite stunning with some great vistas and atmospheric skyboxes.

When it comes to gameplay the game has pretty good movement. You feel nice and fluid. Weapons are aesthetically fantastic, have good sound design and feel powerful. The game doesn't shower you with bullets however, so resource management is an important part of the gameplay. Instead of using your favorite weapon all the time the game forces you into situations where using the right weapon for the right situation will leave you less drained of your precious resources.

The two cons I have for the game is the over abuse of monster spawning and how quick the AI reacts to you and how far they shoot you from. The monster spawning is an unfortunate necessary due to how the level design works, but I think it weakens the feel of the setting. Enemies don't feel like they are monsters that simply exist somewhere as most of them appear out of nowhere after you've triggered some event, which hurts the immersion. The designers also love abusing their Vortigaunt-inspired enemy who will start shooting at you the nanosecond you enter their FOV and shoot in constant bursts which can lead to a lot of peak-a-boo shootouts that honestly after a while get kind of worn out.

This isn't my favorite boomer shooter, although it's very good. But in terms of aesthetic, atmosphere, ambiance and setting it is probably going to be one of the long lasting memories for me.

The most recent update added goblins as a playable faction.

Narratively there are three strands of seemingly unrelated story that come together in the end. The problem is that you are locked into doing them in a linear order and you can only do a little bit of A before being sent off to B and so on. Just as you get invested in a certain plotline you're whisked away to the next one. On paper having multiple plotlines that come together is fine, but the execution along with the forced linearity makes it a jarring and unfun experience. You aren't allowed to just be immersed in any particular plotline from beginning to end or tackle them in an order that you'd find more pleasing. The stories themselves were interesting. I just think the story structure did much to undermine the enjoyment.

Note: this criticism applies to the first game as well and probably Avadon 3 although I've yet to play it.

Gameplay also suffers from pacing issues. The first half is fine but once you get to the Tawon Empire enemies will start to have some HP bloat. They don't become that much more challenging, it just takes longer to get through each encounter making it an exhausting experience in the long run. Especially boss fights which Vogel likes to make more challenging by having lots of additional enemies flood the arena after X turns or after the boss takes Y amount of damage. Usually what would happen to me is after dealing with the boss encounter I'd spend several more turns just cleaning up the chaff. It didn't make the encounters tactically that much more challenging or interesting, just longer. It was difficult to feel any sense of accomplishment after taking down named enemies since the encounters were just grinds to get through.

The newest addition to the line of Geneforge remakes and considered by many to be the strongest entry in the series. Infestation continues where Mutagen left off and adds even more new mechanics to play with. A new Combat creature in the form of a unique turret-like summon as well as an entirely new line of spells for melee and baton users. This along with the return of the next tier of spells and summons adds a lot of depth and variety to the gameplay.
Despite being a sequel this can be enjoyed without playing Mutagen. That said I do recommend playing the first game at least at some point as it contextualizes the events that happen in the rest of the series.

For those who are wholly unfamiliar with Geneforge it is a turn based RPG with a truly nonlinear narrative. You play as a Shaper, a powerful sect of sorcerers who use magic reshape life. The series explores a vast array of ethical dilemmas such as what it means when creatures you've created gain sentience and demand better living conditions, the ramifications of altering the environment and letting loose new apex predators that disrupt the delicate balance of nature and what can happen when a previously well guarded secret power is suddenly handed out for free to everyone without enforcing them with rules to make sure that they aren't abusing the power with irresponsible behavior.

If any of this sounds interesting then give it a try.

Update: Did this for the Steam 2024 autumn sale badge challenge.

Hell yeah.

Fast turn times vs AI, load times are fast. Map and tokens are very clear and readable. You can zoom out to see the full map which makes it easy to keep track of what's going. Has a lot of nice overlay options for the map such as previous moves and battles. Good level of complexity and depth on the strategic front. Despite being middle of the pack in terms of complexity (with SC being Easy and GG being Hard) it is still very approachable and easy to pick up and play.

Where it starts to fall apart for me are in the combat resolutions. No matter what I seem to try to do, I can't rely on the results. I have unfavorable odds and my units take damage. I have favorable odds and I still get worse results than the enemy. They surround my unit and they get shattered. I surround the enemy unit and they retreat far away to their backlines, into safety. Or on their turn they route a unit in the encirclement and go away. Either way I lose. I understand the basic do's and don't's of combat, how rivers, mountains, readiness and experience work. But none of this is useful information for me since I still can't get even somewhat predictable results when I try to pay attention. The AI just breaks through my lines and stomps my units and I can do nothing to fight back no matter what tactics I try to employ.

Definitely a game I want to enjoy, and maybe one day I will when I get more mastery over it. But so far it just feels like I'm gambling against very rigged odds. I think if you can get a stronger grasp of how the combat mechanics work than I do then this is one of the nicer modern hex based wargames out there. Probably pretty cool if you're into MP as well. I'm a strictly vs AI kind of guy and still think this game has something to offer.

Quite similar to other SC games, especially the previous WW1 game, but with more emphasis on tank and mech units (for obvious reasons). Combat is more fast paced and "blitzy", again, to simulate the feel of what the warfare was like at the time. Otherwise it is similar to other SC games, if you are familiar with their core mechanics. Easy to pick up and play. Takes some time to get the nitty gritty underlying mechanics, though you can do well vs the AI even if you don't have total mastery over the game's rules.

It captures the grueling feel of WW1 trench warfare with its entrenchment mechanics. Each time you upgrade your hole becomes a little bit bigger and more complex as well for added visual clarity.