Recent reviews by Cthulhulemon

This game does not do mission progression like other games. Entire questlines are locked behind an often-mysterious combination of explored locations, faction contribution, item acquisition, and the progression of other related quests.

For example, to unlock a short questline unlocking hot air balloons, you will need to have a) progressed the main story to a certain point, b) discovered a physical location in the world where they make hot air balloons, and c) obtain a comrade at your camp who can build them. Invest in your camp early!!

As you do faction quests you will continue to unlock more and more additional faction quests and entire questlines you didn't even know existed that take you to new areas and give you powerful & interesting gear, which is pretty unique and IMO a big part of what gives this game its mystique and allure. It can be a little annoying at times, but just be patient and keep exploring.

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I think a lot of the criticisms are warranted, but as a sandbox game, it is quite possibly the best ever created. The sheer breadth of the world, the density of it, it's all phenomenal.

, animations and visual effects are incredible, as is the engine. I cannot wait to see who licenses this engine in the future because this engine coming out is quite possibly a generational leap in gaming. I have no idea how my 3080 can run the game this well at 2k resolution with everything on Ultra and about 70 enemies on screen at once.

is heavy and satisfying, and while the combos and advanced maneuvers may not seem necessary to win fights, you'll find that each combat maneuver has its niche strengths depending on the environment, enemy type and quantity, and weapon being used. Many times I was able to overcome a seemingly impossible boss fight by being smart about how I used the tools at my disposal.

The controls are not necessarily intuitive[/b] at first but if you learn them you are heavily rewarded. Many out-of-combat skills and abilities have combat utility in some capacity. Weapon abilities start to get pretty cool and flashy part way through the game and there are a [/b]huge amount of unique abilities[/b] to slot into armor or weapons.

is top class, easily up there with Elden Ring for me. You're nearly always rewarded for your curiosity, whether you're exploring a cave beneath a waterfall or a random crevice a hundred meters up a mountain with a chest tucked inside. It's reminiscent of the best part of Piranha Bytes games, where climbing onto a building just to see if you can often rewards you with some hand-placed loot, even if it's just a small amount.

are numerous and varied. You can be pickpocketing gold bars from the pockets of noblemen one moment, then climbing a mountain, then growing crops at your camp, then mining, then fighting a giant wooden funhouse mech, then conquering a fort with your comrades, then gambling all your money away, then delving into ancient ruins.

Each time you play the game you live a different story. All systems feel like they have care put in.

of this game is not amazing, but not terrible. It picks up significantly after chapter 6ish and while still not super well-written, it delivers spectacle and I actually started caring for the characters and getting excited for the next crazy set piece.

You will have to make it through the slow first ten hours or so. I love the unique progression for questlines as it pushes you to keep exploring and doing side content. While the writing is a bit bland, the voice acting is phenomenal.

is a bit cluttered but you get used to it. The ability to swap out armor in a quick menu seemed odd to me at first but I found myself using it all the time as I was switching armor pieces in different situations to do things like access different combat powers, disguise yourself, equip climbing boots, equip boots that let you slide across water, etc. My main complaint here would be that there need to be more storage chest locations in the world, especially at each Witch. I hate running back and forth when speccing out gear.

are interesting and difficulty ranges from easy to practically impossible. This won't be for everybody, but I love that the game respects your intelligence and doesn't hold your hand. Look EVERYWHERE for clues. The murals, clutter items, and journals you pick up all feed into how some puzzles might be solved.

There are also secret doors literally everywhere in the world and they are about as secret as it gets. Keep an eye out for space and geometry; there is very little wasted space in architecture in this game so if a building seems sized oddly you can safely bet there is a secret room in there.

An Oblivion-esque open-world RPG that surprised the hell out of me. This game makes really interesting and refreshing choices when presenting its mechanics and brings a breadth of new ideas to the genre. I'm practically foaming at the mouth thinking of what the devs could do next if they had a big budget.

The best part for me overall? AESTHETIC. It's a grimdark fantasy twist on Arthurian legend with cosmic horror flavoring and heavy H.R. Giger inspiration at times. The sound design and music are utterly fantastic as well and really brings the aesthetic together, especially when wandering through the Wyrdness at night or fighting some bosses.

Combat is pretty fun, not deep but plays like an enhanced Skyrim. Magic is fun to use and spells are varied though most of the damage-dealing spells are different flavors of projectile.

Exploration is top notch. This is something few games nail and the devs really show they know what they're doing. I haven't been in such a great open world exploration flow state in a long time.

Story is OK, but most of the time when you find a random NPC in the wild there is an at least semi-compelling mini story attached to them, and the frequency of this surprised and impressed me. Not something all modern open world RPGs can boast of. I'm halfway thru the main story when writing this review and the main story is compelling in its themes but falls a bit short with its writing and pacing, a fact I personally can overlook if the other elements like aesthetic and combat and exploration click well.

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I have a few criticisms. I'm partway through Act II and I feel that some of that eerie cosmic horror vibe and story compulsion (driven by Arthur talking to you at bonfires) is lost a bit from the first act. I do agree with the general criticism that the acts following Act I are more sparse, but in terms of quest and activity density Act II is so far quite similar to Act I. But you can tell that the "flavor" quality check didn't hit the same for Act II.

Open world games these days can get a little overwhelming due to the breadth of content and mechanics that are thrown at you from the start. It's like encountering a wide ocean, and you have to struggle to sip when the game tries to pour it down your throat.

Valheim is more like a tower. You start in the meadows, explore it, master it. Fight a boss that tests your skills and gear. Then move to the next biome, and repeat.

There are aspects of this structure that may seem repetitive but in my experience the game has become increasingly more rewarding the farther you move through its progression. The two most recent biomes, Mistlands and Ashlands, are absolutely fantastic and I can't wait until the final biome is released.

There are flaws in this game for sure but I get so much joy out of building and playing with friends that I happily set those flaws aside and deal with them. That, and adding some awesome quality of life mods.

I think you get more out of this game when playing with friends than when playing solo but it is perfectly enjoyable alone!

Keeping this short and sweet. Best thing about the game for me so far?

Well thought-out, hand-placed loot.

You thought you were clever by somehow climbing on top of a tower you probably weren't intended to climb?

Lucky for you there's a nearby location to glide to only accessible from this pillar with a gold chest.

See an unassuming pile of rubble near the road?

Mine that bad boy open and guess what, chest inside.

I find myself cackling with glee when I consistently, and I mean CONSISTENTLY, get rewarded for exploration and perceptiveness. Can't get enough. Reminds me of PiranhaBytes games like Risen that had a similarly loving touch, with hand-placed loot scattered throughout the world in interesting locations.

I like it.

It's not perfect; there is an element of P2W. The game is a little too easy. Late game gets a little grindy.

Despite this, the game has fun combat mechanics.
It's pretty and the abilities look great.
PvP is actually really fun when 1v1 dueling or 3v3 deathmatching.
There is a ton of interesting and varied side content to do.

As a long-time Diablo player, this game scratches the Diablo itch better than many other ARPGs of late.
I'd recommend at least checking it out to see if the game is for you.

Game fuels my kleptomaniacal tendencies

Absolutely fantastic. The most creative puzzle game I have ever played. The music, art style, strange narrative... all on point. Well worth the price despite the short length of the game.

For the love of god, try not to play this game alone. I couldn't get into this game for the longest time but after playing with a friend I realized how much better it is co-op. Most enemy encounters seem to be balanced for two players. It is doable single player, but quite difficult.

Overall, a solid survival RPG-esque game. Few games have given me such a satisfying feeling of adventure.

I was part of the minority of players that enjoyed the game at launch, but this review is for the current state of the game as of 3/30/2021.

Do you yearn for exploration? When you play a new game, do you canvas the entire map looking for interesting things? Do you only get a dopamine rush from seeing something in a game that you have never seen before?

If you said yes to these questions, then this game is perfect for you.

The early game is a little rough, but once you get a decent amount of income, the game really opens up with the amount of things you are able to do.

My main gameplay tips:
- You should try to finish the first part of the main story as quickly as possible, because it opens up a lot of the other mechanics in the game.
- Get a lot of salvaged data and make a base with unlocked parts as soon as possible. Having a base will let you dig for deep mineral deposits or farm, which can quickly make you A LOT of money.
- Upgrade your scanner on your multitool with three S-class upgrades. Doing this, if you're lucky with the upgrade rolls, can mean that scanning a single new creature on a planet will give you ~500,000 units in one go.
- Try to mostly visit systems that have a three-star economy. You can buy and sell goods for better prices there, you will get more valuable ships there, and potentially more valuable multitools.
- Because this game can seem pointless if viewed from a big picture perspective, try to alternate what you do every time you play. One day you can set up a deep mineral extraction mine, the next day clear out some desolate freighters, the next day talk to a bunch of Korvax to fill out your lexicon, the next day fly around looking for a better ship, etc. This way you won't get bored, at least not until you hit 200+ hours.

I'll end by saying that this game is not for everyone. Hell, I take months-long breaks from it and return once in a while to try out new content and do some relaxing exploration. Overall it's a hell of a lot better than it was at launch, and one of the most interesting games I've ever played.

A sidescroller, soulslike platformer with metroidvania elements.

Co-op is really fun, but makes the game SIGNIFICANTLY easier.

Combat is rewarding and weapon types and builds are really cool, but since it's a sidescroller, most boss fights consist of you rolling through them over and over.

You will love this game if you like Dark Souls. It's a little hard at first but it really picks up the pace after the first boss fight.