Four words come to mind when I play this game: BIG, JANK, RESIDENT EVIL.
Unfortunately, the jank cannot be understated. It is very, very real. 2 hours in and I've seen enemies zip through walls, had frying pans and other random BS phase though the floor, one very annoying crash setting me back about half an hour RIGHT as I got into a new save room (pro tip: save often), and my computer turns into an oven like when I play RE9 or other graphical powerhouses (see specs below, no super computer here). It always feels like the game is on the edge of breaking, saved by some caulk and duct tape. I'm only 2 hours in so I can imagine this list will grow exponentially. So if that sounds like crap to you, maybe don't buy it.
If you can stomach all of that, and potentially more I haven't seen, I recommend this game with a hearty thumbs up (if you're into survival horror that is). The enemies are a legitimate threat here. They are aggressive as hell, can catch up to you real quick, corner you, they'll even track you down if, for example, you're inside an apartment building and they catch you from outside. My first death I got stuck in a bathroom I panicked into when I meant to run out the front door, no ammo in my revolver. That zombie clobbered me. It's surprisingly tense, especially with having to manually reload the revolver and double-barrel shotgun (maybe others, too). It's a ton of stressful fun. The game beats you over the head with their "TWO TO THE LEGS, ONE TO THE HEAD" notes lying around, and you should HEED THEIR WORDS. Clint (your guy) is no Leon S. Kennedy. Going for only headshots will just waste your ammo, you have to shoot smart (although my double-barrel cut one zombie in half which resulted in a meat explosion with one shot, it was super sick). They also shuffle around in bizarre ways, making shots difficult to land. These, if I'm not clear enough, are all positives in my book.
I really dig the healing system, too. A lot. You can find and brew coffee and tea, which heal you and raise your max health respectively. You'll need a mug to use either. The coffee you brew heals you more than the cold coffee you can find around. If you find cold coffee, you get to keep the mug after its used for more home brews. Coffee can also be "upgraded" with some milk, like its a red herb. I love this, it's a very creative healing system. Super cool.
Another great addition is the rumors system. This is badass, plain and simple. You'll get little sticky notes on areas you'll read about in found notes, and when you click on them it gives you a list of everything going on (that you're aware of) in that area. This makes back tracking and "questing" very enjoyable. No more going through the entire back log of notes, it's all in one smart package. Fantastic stuff. Amazing, even.
The vibes are great, as well. Sure the game might look like crap to some, for me it adds to the vibe. This game takes a whole cargo fleets worth of inspiration from the first 3 PS1 Resident Evil games, so I think the graphics suit it's soul. I haven't come across a single loading screen yet, so I believe the entire map is constantly loaded in. And it's a pretty big map for a survival horror title. I haven't gotten the draw bridge down yet, which opens up the much larger other side of town. And yet I've had plenty to explore and puzzle and mainly, soak in. With how big the map is, it might be a little too much for the engine to handle. Can't lie though I'm a sucker for big seamless maps, so while I'm thankful for this, it might be adding a lot to the jank factor.
The sound design is a little odd. Hard to explain, even. Zombie moans sound great, similar to the ones in RE: Dead Aim. Pretty spooky. Yet cars, phone booths, fires, ect are loud as hell and have tiny "sound zones" (idk I'm not a game developer), so walking around can feel a little weird to the ears. The footstep sounds you make will sometimes double up, making it sound like something else is walking right behind you. I'll wager this is just more jank, but it kinda unintentionally adds to the creepy factor. There's also this one certain wood creak sound effect you're gonna hear a lot in-doors. After the 10th time it happens, it gets a little annoying. Nothing too bad, though.
2 hours in and I have this much to say, lol. It's a very, very enjoyable game. A VERY JANKEY ONE, but with a lot of love and passion baked into its DNA. Really the one and only gripe I have so far is the jank, like most of these other reviews. Totally worth the price of admission IMO. I'm gonna go reload my save and make my lost progress back. If it keeps crashing I might have to change this to a negative review, cause that's the one side effect of jank I have a difficult time forgiving. Especially when death is around any corner. Thanks StichedCliffs, for making this game. I mean no offense to y'all with my negativity here and there. You definitely cooked something fun.
