Recent reviews by Configure

The charm and adventure of an old-school fantasy RPG intertwined with team tactics combat that feels like a Venn Diagram of XCOM and Divinity: Orginal Sin 2 that removes almost all of the RNG elements that could make it so frustrating, instead relying on genuine strategy, troop placement, and teamwork.

While it may not seem like it in the initial stages of your journey, this game has (almost) more layers than Shrek. 60+ hours in and I'm still having plenty of "oo, what's that?!" moments. The story isn't going to be anything you haven't seen before in standard fantasy fare, but, coupled with a rich, detailed world that feels like you're walking through a renaissance painting makes for an experience that's hard to walk away from for extended periods of time.

The few drawbacks I've found are that the pathing could still use a little smoothing out when it comes to the rockier terrain, and that the difficulty balance of the encounters can sometimes vary wildly within a zone regardless of difficulty settings. Finally, I think the food consumption rate for animals needs a bit of tuning, especially since there are build options that support having a larger animal presence in your troop.

I think if you enjoy strategy games, the fantasy genre, team tactics combat, or all of the above, this is a must play. The devs care about their game and their community, and there is so, so much to experience in the world. It can easily be tailored for as chill or as anxiety-inducing as you want based on the encounters you seek out. Wartales can also be played co-op, though single-player is equally as fun. Definitely give this one a shot.

Far more than a game, Valheim is an experience in which you are wholly immersed into. True freedom in an incredibly rich and vibrant world based in Nordic mythology that is both mesmerizing and, at times, brutally unforgiving. While there are some (optional) tips spread throughout, learning is largely organic and mastering your environment feels earned. Although going solo is enjoyable, it's best to bring your friends.

If you haven't played it yet, don't hesitate to pick it up. If you haven't played it in a while, give it another playthrough, as the content is continually growing.

There's four people left. Your heart is pounding, your hands trembling. You've never made it this far.

Your partner died in a fierce firefight on the outskirts of Pochinki. You're on your own now. The circle is closing again. This time, you have to leave your cover.

10 seconds now. You chug your last red bull, check your magazine, and know you have to move. You know where one player is, but not the other two. It's time.

You sprint for the nearest cover, a rock in the center of the clearing. Immediately, shots crack by your head. You see a player to the north peeking from a tree, firing round after round, trying desperately to end your quest for the elusive chicken dinner.

You make it to the rock as a firefight erupts and a squad ends the life of your would be assailant. It's 2v1 now. The squad instantly switches to you and one player lays down fire while the other flanks your left. You see it coming. Leading your shots as you've learned, you strike first and send him to the ground, knocked out.

This is it. The final two. You're sweating; nervous. You tell yourself to focus. He moves first to a tree just 50 yards in front of you. You dash for the tree to your left so he can't get an angle on you. He peeks: but you're ready. You take some serious damage, but four of your well-placed M16 rounds seal the deal.

A wave of relief washes over. You stare at the winner screen with pride as your dead partner cheers for you over voice comms. You collect your points and retire to the menu. As you stare at the menu and finish coming down from the victory rush, you know there's only one thing left to do. You and your friend hit the ready button and prepare for another epic entry into the fray of PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS.

Quick review time!

Pros:
- A unique experience every match
- Gunplay feels great, on par with Battlefield and similar games
- Fast paced, quick to get into a match
- Vehicles aren't OP or necessary to win a match
- Cover works great and foliage is actually useful
- More fun (and more difficult) with friends
- Weekly developer updates

Cons:
- Optimization (Runs significantly better on Intel chips)
- Server lag issues, sometimes making it nearly unplayable (Rubber banding, dsyncing, crashing)
- No rejoin option if your game does happen to crash
- Cheaters (I personally have only had a few "fishy" incidents, but it does seem like a lot of people out there are affected by cheating.)

While there is a ways to go on the optimization, this game is remarkably well put-together for an early access title. It's an absolute blast. Hopefully the hype train doesn't slow down for a while on this one and we see it turned into a finished, well-polished product that isn't a complete cash-grab with neon pink and purple M16 skins and terrible mechanics. Jump on the hype train while it's here, it's worth the $30 price of admission.