Recent reviews by Anomalous Insect

The devs put out an update in November that broke the game, then moved on to Contractors Showdown: ExfilZone (after also abandoning Contractors Showdown Battle Royale.). They have been radio silent on the issue since then.

I cannot recommend this game at all.

The game slaps. If you don't mind EA jank, have a powerful rig and think it looks interesting, just buy it.

You run into the aforementioned jank that comes with a title still in early development and I have a fair number of criticisms pertaining to the game's systems (NOT WATER) but they have largely been addressed in their Q&A so I am content to let it cook. With all that said I have had more fun scavving in this beautiful desolation than most AAA titles in the bast few years.

Also, you can totally be That Guy. You just have to be smart about it.

If you're a fan of games like S.T.A.L.K.E.R. and Metro, Z.O.N.A Project X rocks and you should buy it. </review>

Going slightly more in-depth, yes there's a bunch of jank, but this is one of those instances where the whole is without a doubt greater than the sum of its parts. It has an amazing atmosphere, excellent sound design and despite it not being advertised as a horror game it's remarkably unsettling to traverse this rusted, abandoned and irradiated world. There is a wealth of content here between a full story campaign and raid locations that randomize both enemies as well as loot every time that you enter.

It's also still very much in active development, despite the fact that the next game in the series is entering early access within the month (as of my posting this review, 8/8/2024). It's made by a *solo developer* who is very active on his Discord and responds to both criticisms and technical issues.

Get the game, join the Discord and be careful out there, stalker.

The enemy saw what it means to be on the business end of Managed Democracy. Well done, Helldivers!

This game was really, really good. The guns felt great, the level design was varied and fun, and I enjoyed hunting down the collectibles (though I'm still missing one.. I'm coming for you, tiny subway car). The vibe and atmosphere are on point, and the game's performance was as smooth as butter. You can also perform tactical reloads, which an ammo goblin like myself really appreciates! It has some odd issues here and there that could use addressing, such as the holsters needing some tweaking and miscellaneous quality of life adjustments that go hand in hand with an early access title. Regarding anything game-breaking, though... have this short story:

I picked this up during the FPS Fest, and literally couldn't play it - I got stuck in the intro, unable to continue, because it wouldn't advance. Wondering if perhaps they had a Discord that might have the answer, I searched for / joined it and it turns out that... it didn't. Someone had a similar issue earlier in the year that seemed to be fixed for that person, so I posted about my own experience. The developers responded within literally three minutes and after a little back and forth the issue was patched two hours later. I ran into another progression issue a bit farther in, and they got that one fixed the following day. I was pretty floored, and hat's off to them for being so on point with getting those issues fixed.

After that it was smooth sailing. There were a couple of spots that I ended up getting stuck, but that's mostly because I'm an unobservant git; you REALLY have to pay attention to the environment and you're continually rewarded for doing so, whether it's with ammo or crafting materials or just getting from point A to B.

To sum up, kudos to them; if you're looking for an excellent shooter in a similar realm to something like Arizona Sunshine, definitely give this one a shot!