Recent reviews by Gołąbek Wymiotny

Minor texture glitches - worth the money.

Update after 50h:
More glitches and bugs but few game breaking (apart from two that required closing/opening game). Other than that, you can get occasionally pissed off but overall, you'll have a good time as there's a hell lot of content to enjoy.

---{ Graphics }---
☐ You forget what reality is
☐ Beautiful
☐ Good
☑ Decent
☐ Bad
☐ Don‘t look too long at it
☐ MS-DOS

---{ Gameplay }---
☐ Very good
☑ Good
☐ It's just gameplay
☐ Mehh
☐ Watch paint dry instead
☐ Just don't

---{ Survival mechanics }---
☑ It's all around you
☐ Very good
☐ Some survival elements
☐ What for?
☐ Drink water
☐ No need to survive

---{ Audio }---
☐ Eargasm
☐ Very good
☑ Good
☐ Not too bad
☐ Bad
☐ I'm now deaf

---{ Audience }---
☑ Kids
☑ Teens
☐ Adults
☐ Grandma

---{ PC Requirements }---
☐ Check if you can run paint
☐ Potato
☑ Decent
☐ Fast
☐ Rich boi
☐ Ask NASA if they have a spare computer

---{ Game Size }---
☐ Floppy Disk
☐ Old Fashioned
☑ Workable
☐ Big
☐ Will eat 10% of your 1TB hard drive
☐ You will want an entire hard drive to hold it
☐ You will need to invest in a black hole to hold all the data

---{ Difficulty }---
☐ Just press 'W'
☑ Easy
☐ Easy to learn / Hard to master
☐ Significant brain usage
☐ Difficult
☐ Dark Souls

---{ Grind }---
☐ Nothing to grind
☐ Only if u care about leaderboards/ranks
☑ Isn't necessary to progress
☐ Average grind level
☐ Too much grind
☐ You'll need a second life for grinding

---{ Story }---
☐ No Story
☐ Some lore
☑ Average - Great for younger audience
☐ Good
☐ Lovely
☐ It'll replace your life

---{ Game Time }---
☐ Long enough for a cup of coffee
☐ Short
☐ Average
☑ Long
☐ To infinity and beyond

---{ Price }---
☐ It's free!
☑ Worth the price
☐ If it's on sale
☐ If u have some spare money left
☐ Not recommended
☐ You could also just burn your money

---{ Bugs }---
☑ Never heard of
☐ Minor bugs
☐ Can get annoying
☐ ARK: Survival Evolved
☐ The game itself is a big terrarium for bugs

---{ 6 / 10 }---
☐ 1
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☐ 3
☐ 4
☐ 5
☑ 6
☐ 7
☐ 8
☐ 9
☐ 10

Give yourself a chance to partake in this exquisite journey that, for a time, grants you the profound sensation of being understood, regardless of who you are. If you long for something that isn't a repeat, you found yourself in a good company. This "game" (although calling it a game is an affront to what this piece of poetry really is), doesn't narrate your personal story, but a story so universally familiar that you find yourself feeling a deep connection to anyone else who might have experienced it. The art, the music, the writing, the characters, the world, everything is so meticulously crafted that it's hard to believe it's a product of human hands. Where I thought I'm in for a boring conversation with a stranger, I found myself in a deep, meaningful dispute with a friend I didn't know I needed.

The unbound depths of this masterpiece allow you to delve into it for hours at a time, always discovering something relatable in a context that ought to feel truly alien. It's a challange to articulate the sheer brilliance of the minds behind this creation. Never before have I been so enamoured in a video game as an adult. It's akin to reclaiming lost fragments of your past, recapturing something you feared was irretrievably lost. After all, we've encountered innumerable stories that recycle the tired trope of a protagonist lost in their own despair, yearning for brighter days. However, this game compels you to introspect, to view yourself through the eyes of a stranger, realizing that in justifying the actions of the protagonist, you're also making excuses for your own shortcomings. It jests with you, at you, in moments you least expect. It shows a fresh perspective on the human condition, a simple reminder that we're all just trying to make sense of the world around us but in a form that was so completely new and unique.

The best part is that this art piece has seemingly no right to be this engaging. After all, you're just talking and talking and talking. But for some inexplicable reason, I didn't want it to ever stop. And the looming sensation of inevitable end was so dreadful, it... It made me appreciate the time I had with it even more. I didn't want to check how far am I, how much more there is, because I was truly afraid. And when the end came, it was so... Sudden. What the feeling truly was, was a hinted realization of your own impermanence. It challanges you to not go quietly into the night, but extend this beautiful ephemeral moment forever, whether you can or cannot.

Borrowing a term from the Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows, we all harbor a longing for Yù Yī, and this poetic work made me feel, if only briefly, the childlike wonder where the intensity of the experience is more than what I thought an irreversibly lost memory.

Pros:

- BUILD BIG TOWN, I LIKE
- GOOD GRAFIC, NOICE

Cons:

Lacks Atmosphere: Missing voice acting and an engaging soundtrack, making the world feel lifeless.
Repetitive Quests: The tasks become monotonous quickly, with little variation or depth.
Underwhelming Storyline: The main quest feels uninspired, lacking compelling storytelling.
Pointless Combat: The combat system feels unnecessary and unpolished, with limited NPC interactions.
No Impact on the World: Your actions have no effect on the surrounding environment, reducing the sense of immersion.
NPC Interaction Lacks Depth: Conversations with NPCs feel repetitive and hollow, with limited dialogue options.
Unrewarding Gameplay Mechanics: Many mechanics, such as hunting and sneaking, don't add meaningful depth to the gameplay.
Mediocre Rewards: The game's progression system offers little in terms of satisfying achievements or rewards.


TL:DR:

I spent almost 50 hours (I thought but now I see it was 92 WTF is wrong with my masochistic self @_@), which could make you ask a valid "why" question. That's the question I was asking myself every fifteen minutes. I guess the positive reviews made me want to find the "special" that I was expecting to finally come across.

Right from the get-go, something felt off. No voices, no atmosphere, and the music? More like background noise that somehow makes the empty world feel even emptier. The quests just keep you running in circles without much payoff. This gem had more running errands than Death Stranding (but there it was at least rewarding). Progress feels... meaningless. You're grinding away without any real 'wow' moments or a sense of achievement.

The main quest felt like it was slapped together by a bot. No twists, no turns, just flat. I mean... You will find twists and turns if you're 8 years old, but I don't think that was the target audience. And the combat? It's like, why bother? You fight a few bandits, and that's pretty much it. Can't even mess with the townsfolk after you hear the same comment for the thousandth time - your attacks just ghost through them. Steal something? Lose some rep points, but nobody really cares, or says anything. There's no risk, no thrill. And talking to NPCs is like hitting the replay button on a broken record... "Heard anything interesting?" "Yeah, someone has some super fun errand of getting another freaking bow somewhere". Apparently, every single NPC loses a bow in this game.

And to add to the combat system... Why the hell build walls around your settlement when there is no danger looming over it ever. But you'll, of course, hear people saying "Walls are better protection than a guy with a torch", whether you have walls or not.

For a game that's supposed to be about building a thriving community, the villagers have nothing interesting to say. No varied dialogues, no surprises. And animals? Hunting feels pointless, sneaking around doesn't get you anywhere... It's all just kinda there.

When I started hearing NPC's saying "All right, then. Keep your secrets", or "Nothing is true, everything is permitted" etc. I smiled, saying "Eh, that's kinda cool". But... Hearing that said from everyone all the time, made me hate it to a special degree. Like... If said once or twice here and there would add depth, hearing it all the time, breaks immersion and drives you mad.

I love a good grind when there's something worth grinding for. But here? The rewards don't match the effort. Everything feels so... mundane. If you want to level your building skill, build 10 000 low fence just so you can learn enough building skill to build a slightly better house. Why was there no log house? Or stone house? Other buildings have variants so why not one of them that you spend more time catering to? Game allows you to customize the experience to make the xp gain 10x for example. Which I utilized during the end-game as the thought of building another fence seemed like it was made solely to drive me insane.
See... You can have grind like in Minecraft where you spend hours underground and it doesn't drive you insane. Why? Because there's reward for your grind every now and then. Here it was completely unbalanced. Insane.

After all that time, I did have "some fun," I guess. But looking back, it's more about what could have been. The game's got the bones, (mangled bones), but none of the heart. Really makes you wonder how it got all those good reviews. I wanted to love it, I really did... But in the end, it just left me feeling disappointed.

I approached "Colony Ship" with high expectations, having read numerous reviews comparing it to classics like Fallout 1 and 2, and Icewind Dale - some of my personal favorites. However, my experience with the game was underwhelming and diverged significantly from these comparisons. The game lacks depth and complexity, feeling superficial in its execution. The dialogues, a critical aspect of any narrative-driven game, were disappointingly simplistic, lacking the nuance and maturity one would expect from a game of this genre.

The setting of the game, admittedly novel, stands as its only redeeming quality. But the gameplay mechanics do not do it justice. Missions are oversimplified, often reduced to minimal interaction and lacking in meaningful choices. This superficiality extends to the character development as well; companions in the game contribute little to the overall story, making it hard to form any real connection with them.

Another significant drawback is the absence of voice acting, which could have added much-needed depth to the characters and story. This omission contributes to a sense of detachment from the game world. Despite investing over 23 hours into completing both the main and side quests and FINISHING the game on Hero difficulty, the gameplay felt repetitive and predictable. The narrative lacks a sense of progression or impact from the player's choices, leading to a monotonous experience.

Moreover, the game's dialogue options, especially towards the end, are disappointingly repetitive, with characters of the same rank sharing identical lines. This lack of variety further diminishes the game's immersive potential. Graphically, the game is competent, but like other aspects, it fails to captivate or impress beyond a superficial level.

On a more positive note, the character leveling system provided some enjoyment, though it fell short of my expectations for a more extensive gameplay experience. The soundtrack, meant to enhance the game's atmosphere, was unremarkable and did little to complement the game's settings.

In summary, "Colony Ship" had the potential to be a compelling addition to the genre but fell short in execution. The lack of depth, engaging narrative, and meaningful player interaction resulted in a game that feels disconnected and fails to live up to its promising premise.

Nope. Ah ah.

This game is a masterclass in blending nostalgia with fresh gameplay. As a long-time fan of the series, I was thrilled to see how this installment paid such a heartfelt homage to its predecessors, reminding me of the good old days while also bringing something new to the table. What truly stands out, however, is its replay value. This is the only recent game that has compelled me to dive right back in after the credits rolled, a testament to its unique world and mechanics.

The game doesn't get bogged down in taking itself too seriously, yet it offers a deep and engaging tactical combat simulation. The battles are intricately designed, ensuring that every playthrough feels unique and challenges you in new ways. There's a lot to be missed playing it only once, which makes it equally fun the first, second, or even third time around. Whether you're a series veteran or a newcomer, this game is an absolute must-play. Thoroughly recommended!

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Short Summary:
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Pros:
- In many aspects similar to the previous installment
- Engaging and satisfying level-based system
- Well created illusion of multitude of options ;)
- Long ~80h campaign
- Multiplayer co-op
- Aesthetics - might strike different at first, bu it goes very well together. Things are coherently put together.
- Very well written jokes, full of irony, puns, pop-culture reference etc. Hella entertaining.
- Entertaining combat-system
- Excellent soundtrack that neatly surprises you mid-fight. Loved it.

Cons:
- Who... Who created the male faces for your custom characters? I guess this isn't a major problem... But it's the first thing you are greeted with. The mongoloid, "I've been using my head for target practice" monstrosity, immediately strips you of any relatability to the main character @_@ Your best bet is to cover him heavily with long hair, beard, hat, glasses, mask, helmet, rag, animal carcass, old sock, potato peel.
- Some choices are not respected by the Npc's. For example, you've chosen the "not intented by game" route, and the world around you doesn't reflect that decision. Things around still act as if you went the "intented" route. That happens only few times but still, breaks the immersion again.
- You somewhat expect it to be longer? I don't know... Like it's a long game, but from the previous game, you expected there to be more. I was surprised by the abrupt ending.
- Lack of control over the details of your choices. Repercussions that would be easily avoided have you had more ability to control consequences of your actions.
- Some aspects are dead-ends. Like they had to wrap them up before they were finalized.
- World-map is... Weird... Meh, I guess I'm just trying to hard to find stuff.

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Long Review:
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After reading the reviews over a year ago I was very saddened. They were not great, and after playing Wasteland 2, this was on top of my anticipated games that year. The graphics look too clean, too shiny, the gameplay was downvoted into oblivion and overall the reception was very poor.
After I received a copy of this game for free, I gotta say... Never have I ever been more positively surprised. This game continues the story very well. I wasn't convinced by the snowy apocalypse look at first, but got my mind changed very quickly. Despite differences, it is still the same Wasteland experience as its predecessor.
Playing it now for 80h, I encourage everyone to give it a shot. It's definitely worth the money, as there has been put a whole lot of effort into making this a great game.
I'm sure I'll play it again in the future as there are many more secrets, easter eggs, endings to be discovered.

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Overall score: 8/10
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The buggiest sh** I ever played. Don't know why. I feel like this is some subset of Stockholm Syndrome. This game treats you wrong on every turn, and yet you continue to fight for it.
Buy it. Don't. Do it. 🤷‍♂️

No. Just no... I... I'm trying to save the last few brain cells I managed to hide from this game.