Recent reviews by Rayeth

"Recommended" with a disclaimer: This is an early access (=unfinished) game.

If someone were to not recommend the game because of reasons other than having been told to do so by loud opinions, it would be reasonable to speak of these things:

• The controls versus the map
  
• Stability
  
• AI

The controls, or rather the movement system, try to be semi-realistic to make it harder. No instant acceleration for example. I'd say that is a good thing for a game like this, however it clashes massively with the careless map design. An invisible wall, an impassable obstacle, a rock with a paralyzing aura... These things end a run very quickly and in an extremely frustrating way. While you can not accelerate instantly to dodge bullets, you can get stopped instantly by an over-eager pebble exerting the physical boundaries of a mountain range.

Stability is not guaranteed, the game crashes sometimes. Now that is to be expected in an early access game. Unfortunately, in this type of game it means you lose all of your current run's progress, which adds considerably to frustration.

The AI. No game past 1998 had good AI, still in this scenario, where anticipation of movement and reacting to actions is absolutely crucial to success, enjoyment and a major gameplay element, the absolutely bonkers spawns, AI reactions, movement patterns and decisions can be very frustrating to deal with.
The developers have declared that fixing this is one of their top priorities.



Good to know for new players:

There is no tutorial! If you want to be successful, you will have to check out the guides on steam. Many aspects of the game, which considerably impact your success rate, are not explained. Tutorials are very far below the list of priorities for any and all early access games, so I do not consider that a negative.
Also, people complained so much about handholding in recent games, be happy you can show your wits for once!

You are not playing COD. You are not a super solider. You are not the main character. You WILL lose! Often.
Players will have to get used to the idea of not being special. If you do not like that, this game is not for you.

Performance is based heavily on your hardware setup! If you are not at least in mid-tier range, I recommend to wait for them to optimize the game further.

The game is very early in development. If you can not live with the negatives listed above as well as other problems that are likely to plague in-progress games, wishlist it and move on!

Personally, missing basic options such as FOV or mouse sensitivity settings are things I do not care about. If that is very important to you, please do some research about what they already added and what is still missing. It is unfinished and the early access tag might have hinted at that, but I say it again just to be sure.


Now, why do I still click recommend here then?

• World
  
• Feel
  
• Potential
  
• Current state

The world they made is fascinating and really cool. Yes, that is subjective. If you do not like what is in the screenshots, that is your own call.
As a fan of the old Terminator movies, this setting appealed to me right away. I like post apocalyptic settings as it feels like a little prep for the next decade.
Apart from the background lore, I love the post-apocalypse setting as well as the "underdog" character of the player. In many games you are doomguy. In this game, you are a random demon on his way to the weekly spanking when you walk into doomguy and spill his coffee over his armor.

This ties directly into the overall feeling of the game. Every time you emerge from your hidey-hole, you are at risk. All the stuff you bring is at risk. Everything you do is a choice with a risk. The world punishes carelessness as well as being too confident.
Is it relaxing? No, but most people also don't watch horror movies in order to relax and unwind because of the soothing effect they have.
Going into a run is not something I do everyday. Actually, I can not play it for long before I get too riled up by the constant risk involved, but I simply like exactly that.
There is no other game that I can think of that puts you in the role of a no-name random survivor without any special qualities. It is harsh, yes, but success is oh so much sweeter.

Lastly, I tend to be less harsh on early access games with reviewing, because it is just half the story. If the developers actually finish this game, it can become a gem that stands apart from all the mainstream-slob the big studios pump out daily.
I can understand the divided opinions perfectly, as that is the nature of "unconventional" things: You either love them or hate them, while the general masses might simply not get it at all.

I am not saying the current state of the game is "good", but it is playable. I might just be lucky though. I have a decent enough pc for it to run well enough and for me it rarely crashes. The golden law of early access games is "Do only buy if you like the CURRENT state" and for me that is true. I am having fun with the current state. That is very very subjective and I really encourace everyone to look up more info about it before buying.

Gameplay

The same gameplay loop as the predecessors, yet with a few twists. In previous titles, you adjusted the map to your needs. Here, you will have to adjust your setup to the map.
They are big with a lot of possible scenarios due to parts being randomly blocked off from constructing traps, a natural maze-like layout and plenty of open paths. Personally, I prefer this version but that is a matter of preference.

Rounds are changed by twists that can alter spawns, trap prices, character abilities or the length of barricades. Overall, I was a lot more on the move than in the previous titles, which I actually like.

A new addition is the idea that you won't be able to finish the game without a single defeat in one go. Upgrades to characters and traps are important for your chances, which is in-line with the rogue-lite design that was aimed for.


Characters

There has been an effort to make them feel unique and that shows. Weapons and abilities are fixed to the character so how they can be used and played throughout a match varies. It also seems that there are certain natural synergies between characters and trap or trap types, which I do enjoy.
For example, a trap that gains power by orcs dying exactly on it works great for a sniper and the ability to instantly set off traps again regardless of their state or cooldowns works wonderfully with mass projectile throwers.
The only downside for me was that the ultimate abilities of some characters seem rather underwhelming.


Graphics

As shown. Up to taste.


Performance

My system is not good for comparisons, as it is low-end VR but at least that seems to be more than enough for the game to run fine.

It must be mentioned though that it is not without random crashes, which is especially frustrating as all progress in a run is lost.

Story

It is not an RPG, not an adventure game and not a novel, therefore if story is a must have for you, seek elsewhere, as there is (next to) none.


Multiplayer vs Solo

Yes, it is perfectly playable solo. I played in 4s, 3s, 2s and alone and the experience was roughly the exact same in perceived difficulty. Some rounds were won, some were lost. Some characters are harder to play solo though, yet not impossible.



Overall it is very enjoyable but i can see the notion of some people that it is quite easy. The game emphasizes "fun time" a bit more than "think and calculate" time but that is fine for me at least.

In short: The predecessor was already pretty fun, but this title tops it in all aspects.

The graphics are pleasant and nicely stylized. Personally, while I did not dislike the first title's visuals, this one's map (which is very varied and rather big) is just beautiful to look at. The chosen art theme works very well appears as if it was selected and executed with a lot of thought behind it to fit the general theme of the game. It is neither super realistic nor extremely extravagant but has a stunning simplicity that just works.

The gameplay and in extend the gameplay loop are an improved and extended version of the predecessor. Personally, since I do not need overstimulation every second I play a game, am very happy about the ebb and flow of excitement and relaxation. It alternates between travel, combat, building, gathering and storybits in a pleasant cycle and can be fine-tuned by the speed settings.
It never felt too slow or too fast for me, but that is of course subjective to each player.

The story is not exactly Lord of the Rings level, but it doesn't have to be. Going with the theme of the first game, you are expected to build the flying city and help people on the ground along the way. It is enough to give an incentive to travel to different regions and the missions do a good job in softly guiding you towards areas you might have missed when free roaming in a non-intrusive way.

There is combat now, which fits in nicely with the general game cycle. It offers a mix of passive defense buildings and active, player-operated weapons for attacking. Either through missions, exploring or by random attacks, you will get to actually spend some resources on repairs, get a long travel stretch interrupted by some action or simply enjoy throwing bombs at enemies.

The technical aspect of the game seems to be as good as it can be. My system is designed for VR so I can't really comment on performance but I believe it also runs well on most regular systems, given the complexity of graphics or simulation aspects. What can be said though is that I did not experience a single crash or bug so far. Quests seem to work, rewards are given, so no complains can be filed here either.

Game isn't finished but the potential is infinite.
Expect a playable perfect full game? Pass.

People should support this game simply because this solo developer has put more work into this project than whole studios nowadays do for what they call a product.

Yes, this is perfectly working Mech-Warrior built for VR! Seriously, what else could you want?

Graphics are as advertised in the screenshots and trailers and in my opinion adequate and good. It surely looks nice enough for me. There is no campaign, only skirmishes with adjustable parameters and different maps (for now??). It still gives you loads of fun though!

What really stands out here is gameplay and how VR is utilised:

You really "use" the elements of your cockpit with your motion controllers (works with Index controllers!). You press buttons, you pull stuff, you move levers all with gripping and moving your hands. You sit inside your giant metal monster and it really feels like you do. Ever shot that hits you shakes the cockpit, the sound of your firing missile batteries feels amazing and a well placed gauss cannon shot feels oh so satisfying! I don't think that during our lifetime any of us will get closer to actually piloting a battle mech onto a battlefield than this.
There might be little "content" without a campaign but it is a lot of fun to play skirmish battles and trying out the different "chassis" (Mech classes), loadouts and maps. There is slight variation in match modes (TDM and others). The game also has multiplayer but suffers from a small playerbase at non-peak times.

Support these developers, as updates are still going strong and the game is a hidden gem in the VR world!

No Index controller support -> unplayable.


I was able to play it before I changed my VR set from Vive to Index and it is actually fun to play. Sadly, it sits pointlessly in my library now since it is impossible to play with Index controllers and all good I would have had to say about this game is void.

One of the very few gems of VR gaming. It is truly build for VR and not just added it as a gimmick and that shows!
I played it on the Valve Index and it features full Index controller support and plays not only stable and with good FPS but I also never felt any motion sickness (not using extreme spin modifier!)

The world is huge and it is a lot of fun to shoot around it on your hoverboard. The controls are intuitive and extremely easy to learn. The addition of a grappling hook enables even more fancy moves.
The graphics are quite ok and allow the game to be run on less powerful machines without looking bad in any way. Check out the screenshots whether the art style appeals to you.

I didn't encounter a single bug or problem so far and I beat all of the game's bosses, which was a lot of fun and reminded me about Shadow of the Colossus, back on PS2. It took me about 2-3 hours but I did not explore more than maybe 20% of the map, so you can easily spend a few more hours just exploring the map, searching for drones to defeat. The soundtrack could be a bit more extensive but it's easy to set it to mute and then just put on your favourite sounds yourself!

Dear Developers, please make more! This game is awesome and deserves DLC's!

For an Early Access title, there's already a lot of work in it! If the huge potential of this game can be realised remains to be seen, but the active developers give me a lot of hope that it will eventually happen.

As with all unfinished titles, there are some flaws and bugs but after 10 hours, nothing game-breaking has occurred. Overall, I didn't notice anything bad except a minor drop in performance as I reached modern times (3rd and currently last civilisation stage). I can not relate to other reviews or comments regarding loads of game-breaking or visual bugs.

The gameplay reminds me a lot of the good old Black & White mixed with Empire Earth 1. It's like a perfect blend of some of my all time favourite games from a long time ago. However, Universim is refreshing and new, adding in some new aspects (intricate research tree), keeping some old tradition (smite them with lightning!) and appears in a cute and cartoon-ish look.
There's some humour in the game through the narrator but I think it's in the correct amount as to not get annoying or ridiculous. It actually made me smile several times and added to the cuteness of the game.

The current state of the game can only be guessed by me now, as I have not seen any sort of roadmap. There's a lot of stuff to do on your home planet already which includes: Building your civilisation from the stone age up to the space age. Manage (assisted by your minions) your workers and city. Trade or fight with "exile" cities that rise on other parts of the planet. Use your godly powers for good or for evil. Build a sustainable civilisation or raid the planet of everything it got and ditch it for a new one later? Youcan currently choose through research branches how you want to develop you civilisation and affect the planet.
Overall, a variety of systems is already in place and it is to be hoped that they will gain in depth further on. According to the developers we will see interplanetary colonisation (maybe because we killed mother planet through our poor choices) and some sort of alien threat.

Even though it's not finished, The Universim is a lot of fun to play already. For me, I did not encounter any serious problems within 10 hours of playtime and I had tons of fun getting to know the game. It takes little time to get used to and explains itself through tooltips and narrator hints quite well.

If you expect at finished and flawless game, please look up what "early access" means. If you are happy with a slightly bumpy but immensely fun ride, feel free to give this game a go!

I must congratulate Egosoft, they managed to create the first VR game that I actually do not recommend...
I am a big fan of the whole X-series and I even liked Rebirth a lot, but asking 40€ for a game that's not even worth 20€ is just not right. I really hope the real X4 is going to be better and I'll most likely buy it but I am not sure if I would risk buying a VR game from Egosoft again.

The gameplay:
Instead of allowing the player to use their hands to touch, press or hold things in order to steer, you simply use the (in my case Vive) touch controllers as a normal gamepad. It feels like they wanted to integrate the 2-part controller of the Nintendo Switch into their game but it just didn't work out. I was looking forward to being able to touch my ships controls, grip the thruster joystick and push it for max speed or to use my virtual hands to control the ship menu but instead all you get is the basic steam vr point&click mechanism. Yes, it is possible to call up menus by pointing and clicking at the little screens of the ship, but it is still not even close to being a VR experience. If you use a regular gamepad you won't notice a difference... Speaking of other controllers: Check out the discussion pages about using a HOTAS...
The positive thing about that was, that the controls are pretty easy to master in my opinion. It doesn't steer as good as it should but it could be a lot worse and it is a breeze to figure out but it simply doesn't employ any sort of VR asset...

The graphics:
We all knew the Rebirth's graphics were pretty bad. No improvement here. I've seen two ways of doing VR-graphics by now: making it as realistic as possible or cartoon-ish. Here, they simply imported the same bad textures as the original game had, being neither. That actually justifies the decision of cutting out Yisha, since looking at that 90's 3D model would disturb you anyway. This adds to the performance part, further down.

The content:
I'll cut this short, because that's what Egosoft did too. They simply removed several Stations, Sectors, 98% of all interiors, NPC's, traffic etc...
I don't agree with that decision mainly because the price for the game suggests at least a full game, since you have to buy it again even if you own the original and because vr games need high-end systems anyways. That's the best they could do? This leads us to performance.

Performance:
Back then when I played that game, I was running VR with a GTX970 and it performed suprisingly well. All the cut content and bad graphics really enabled me to play the game on "highest" (you can't really change anything of note) settings with only very minor disturbances or stutters.

The worst thing: the pricing...
Asking Rebirth owners to buy again makes the company simply look greedy (I know all companies do that, read on) because there is no actual new content apart from the native VR support. I would be OK with this, but you do not get the same game again, no you get 40% of the game you already own.
Even if I would not have owned Rebirth already I would have been disappointed because of the product, which is never worth more than 15€.

I'm incredibly sad that I was that much dissapointed by that game, as I was really looking forward to it and I used to trust Egosoft to make the right calls (even if that means delivering a good game only after 15 major patches... in the end the games were always good).
However, the basic control system, ignoring most of what VR has to offer, the bad graphics and the large amount of cut content simply spoiled the fun for me.
Therefore I came to the decision of hitting "do not recommend" button, simply because you do not get what you pay for if you expect 40€'s worth and I wanted to save others from that sort of dissapointement.

Finally!
A review of a VR game that is NOT in early access (anymore)!

Gameplay:
It is solid. For a VR title it works pretty well although the keybinding is something you have to get used to, if you play a lot of other VR titles. (Grip is assigned to the "grip buttons" not the trigger, for example.)
But overall it works and does not get tedious. There are some very minor QoL features like distant grabbing and you can either move within your playspace (which is the main thing you need to do, be sure to have enough space!) or by teleporting, so no motion sickness to be expected.

Graphics:
It looks like it does on the screenshots on the store page. It is decent enough to NOT make your eyes hurt or cause headaches and stays true to it's comic design. There are no apparent graphical glitches or eyekillers. The models have variety (depending on the chapter you play) but are not over-detailed. It's a comic design after all, not a photorealistic one.

Content:
You play seven (or was it eight?) chapters which, if you focus purely on the quest customers and only do regular customers when really really needed, take about fifteen to thirty minutes to complete, depending on how fast you are.
Apart from forging swords you can also do some alchemy and brew potions (which look pretty cool) and are sometimes also prompted to engage with your surroundings yourself. (Sometimes=rarely)
The is some sort of backstory to what you do and why you are there but it's just some written introductions to those chapters and it does simply connect the chapters in some way. It puts the player into the main focus and only provides a very brief background story.
There is no RPG-related system there, no skills, no levels, just crafting based on the chapter you play.

Details, Quality of Life, user-tailored:
Well, the devs said "there was a drop in communication from the community" but they did not bother to post even a single message for months so I'm not suprised if some people just had forgotten about that game. Sadly, this lack of interaction can be seen in the game too: There is pretty much nothing you can customize, there are no options for graphics, gameplay, keybinding or anything else, really. It does work, mind you, but it could be a lot more use friendly!
If you are shorter than average, it might be bothersome to play, if you playspace is very limited, it gets very tedious to play or the ability to turn the playspace (without re-scanning the room via the Vive setup) would make things a lot easier for people that do have just enough space. Those are all things, that could have been implemented since the first launchable version of the executable... (But hey, maybe they did and never told anyone about it, could be the case...)


TL:DR=You should probably sell you pc and buy some books if you can't bother to read. (Yeah, that's dedicated to your lifestyle, not the game.)

To sum up:
It is a LOT of fun to play. It does not cost that much but whether it is adequate depends on the user and how fast they play.
There could be more content but there is enough to not make you feel ripped off, the lack of options does however taint the overall impression a bit.
If you like VR interaction and crafting, you should definetly give this one a go!