Rating: 6/10 as of review. Will update the review in 2 years time. I can recommend to Some people, but cannot wholeheartedly recommend to everyone.
TL;DR:
View the game through an artbook/lore lens and gameplay second, and you'll have a fun time. Needs more polish and additions, alongside depth of gameplay and AI. Game direction needs to be emphasized a little bit more so there's less confusion.
TIME TO RAMBLE.
Right, so here's my review after 20+ hours into the game, with my background on S.T.A.L.K.E.R series (SOC, CS, COP and Call of Chernobyl) and Escape from Tarkov (5k+ Hours and continuing to do so). Why i say the background is important because these are the lens i will be using.
The game does what it is advertised, Giant hulking mechs duking it out, Mother Courage performing battlefield cleanups, Tank battles at the distance, Orgamechs slaughtering infantry, Europan Exos gunning down hordes of mutilated cyborgs deployed from Eurasia... And the infantry inbetween dying and fighting. And you, are just there to loot. Anyone that gets in between you and your loot, you can either solve it by killing them, or manouvering out of the way. Some enemies you absolutely cannot kill, and they will absolutely turn you into fine human paste if you dare to cross their path. Sometimes, i spend my precious minutes on the battlefield watching the mechs or tanks duke each other out, only for a stray bullet to interrupt me, reminding me that i need to keep moving.
Underground tunnels are another story, they are absolutely terrifying and remind me of the realm of the mad god movie, the weird clay animation with war and ♥♥♥♥. That was cool. There are the odd OrgaMechs and Europan Exos patrolling the higher levels which has better loot and prevents the player from going rambo which is fair enough. However, people seem to rambo their way on the basic levels which is fair enough but i've rarely seen anyone rambo through Pipeline C-D and into the POIs above level C and D. Most end up being turned into piles of rotting human flesh, just like me because there are definitely bigger things lurking within those tunnels. :D It reminds me of the X-Labs in Stalker, those places ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ scare me lmao.
I mean in STALKER you can kill bandits easily as well so, idk why people are complaining about that infantry also needs to be hyperlethal. I think taking on regular infantry and MAYBE heavy infantry should be fine, but they should definitely add like Special Forces Units where if you DARE to take them on you will just absolutely get smoked, like in Tarkov fighting the Black Division. If you are not properly prepared and fully armed you will just get facetapped and it's GG, next game.
So in a way, fundog definitely delivered on the fundamentals of "You are not that guy". While yes, you can technically "be that guy" and cut down infantry, i think fun dog should add a "Threat elevation" where if you continue to keep killing infantry, you get marked as a priority target, and an even better layer of complexity, If you kill certain units (for example, Eurasian infantry) Europan infantry might be less inclined to shoot at you since you're seen as helping them. However, if everyone is free game and everyone is nothing more than a loot bag then they should just start mobbing you to prevent the "you are that guy" gameplay by deploying escalating dangerous units i.e. a Euruskan Grabber or an Europan Exo that genuinely just hunts you and YOU only.
At the moment the gameplay loop above ground for me is pretty cool, loot, manouver, shoot, GTFO. Watch the occasional MMA fights between Giant mechs and Maybe watch mother courage cleaning up the corpses of her own countrymen and feel sad for her watching her own countrymen die so needlessly. Below ground, that's where potential for fear and horror can begin. Personally, Fundog should give the players more tools to manouver across terrain and to compensate for that, add more dangerous enemies to really push home the "You are not that guy". People are getting the conception of "I should DIE to anything, even infantry to drive home the fear" there are better ways of driving in fear than oh ♥♥♥♥ enemy is unbeatable, like random creatures darting through the shadows underground, getting jumped by enemies and then being forced to run, just like in the STALKER series. Take for example, a Bloodsucker. Capable of disappearing, then reappearing due to its cloaking mechanism. They're not invincible, but also terrifying when you're not on your guard. Unexpected events need to be added more rather than wow i'm playing resident evil, i can't kill Mr X so i should Run. Give the players some form of tools that are rare, give them the win but once in a blue moon. You are the underdog that shouldn't be messed with, but you are also the underdog. Respect that, and you'll survive just fine. That is the pecking order Fundog seems to put on.
Gameplay wise, it's there. Needs more polish and frame, give it more depth and complexity and give us more tools to traverse the map. Clean up on some more animations as it is janky as ♥♥♥♥ and it looks goofy af. Use arc raiders as an example for animations, that ♥♥♥♥ looks mint for a 3rd person view. AI pathing and Threat direction and Gun rebalancing + Additions. Oh and Add more life to the NPCs. Example: Have like, an Infantry patrol in the trench just smoking a cigarette, writing a letter or just chilling, or even one having a mental breakdown. Drive home what it means to be at the frontlines. Also where are the artillery? like c'mon. Also i think not every raid i do above ground needs to be a constant gunfight. Add more of those night zones where it's all quiet and you really get to see what the enemy does in terms of maintenance and upkeep, doing fire picket watch and patrols etc. Just some more quality of life tbh. Keep up the artstyle, that ♥♥♥♥ is golden. I have visually never seen anything like this in a hot minute. I see the inspiration and i love it, keep going. And the lore, oh my god the lore. I eat that ♥♥♥♥ UP like its my last meal on earth. PLEASE keep adding more lore and making it even more cooler. Add more Playable Characters and Customizable character options as well, let the player go absolutely creative on the skins and let them write their own story on this cold hellhole through the threads they wear. Also i see you guys who bought the Kevlar Cake skin. (Me too. Guilty as charged.)
Oh and please fix the p2p hosting. I have trouble getting my buddies to join me for some shenanigans. :D
This definitely is a "Artbook first, Gameplay second" and the more you look at it that way the better your experience will be. Now, i'll be playing this game from time to time, as a quick pick me up since as an extraction shooter it is not that punishing compared to NIKITA'S ASSBLASTER: THE SECOND COMING OF HEAD, EYES
and making money is not that difficult anymore. Plus its cool watching mechs fight. Like in Pacific rim, that ♥♥♥♥ is lit.
Now i'm going to ask what we've been all quietly asking in the back of our heads, fun dog.
WHEN CAN WE PILOT THE MECHS. IMAGINE DRUNK DRIVING THAT MF ON THE FREEWAY.
Anyways, That's my ramble about the forever winter.
Get it if you like the niche things. Get it if you like gritty reality and the harshness of the post apocalypse. Get it if you flush react every time you see mother courage. Catch you in 2 years time, if i am even around.
