Despite the frequent need for combat, I'd consider Dysmantle a very casual survival sim. There's no hunger or tiredness gauge to constantly be aware of and there's no consequence (other than inconvenience) as a result of dying. Both are subject to change in the future, however...

Yet whilst the gameplay is relaxed to the point of being horizontal, it's also compelling and well thought out. Yes, it's grindy - of course it is, but it's an enjoyable grind which is balanced really well with a feeling of progression. Everything seems to have a purpose: You collect materials to make better gear. With that better gear you can harvest materials from structures you couldn't previously destroy. By harvesting materials, you gain XP and level up. Levelling up unlocks new craftables. New craftables help unlock new areas and skills. New skills help you deal more damage and survive. And so on...

At no point did I ever feel like I was simply clicking to make a number increase. Even in this early iteration, there seemed to be a lot to accomplish and there was a logical progression from level 1 to the level cap (24 at time of review). The combat isn't just "click on a monster until it's dead" and you do need to take time to learn the attack patterns and how best to deal with different types of former humans & animals. For a survival game, the combat is quite satisfying - it's very much hands on and you'll need to master the dodge button in order to take down the faster & stronger mobs. Monsters will back off rather than simply running into your swinging weapon and some will behave differently depending on what range you are at. I like it!

That said, I've stopped playing for now, as I've hit a wall - quite literally. I can't continue any further because the rest of the map is blocked off until the game is developed more. I'm at the stage where I'm fairly powerful and I'm simply finding things to do for the sake of it, rather than for continuing the progression and discovering the back story (which isn't possible at this time). There's a lot still to be unlocked and I don't want to get burned out simply wandering around looking for every last piece of pre-release content.

I'll be very much interested to see where this goes. There is already a load of things to see & do, but I'd like to see the existing ideas improved on, such as a day & night cycle which actually matters. Increase the spawn rate of monsters during the night, for example, or make them stronger. Give me a reason to travel by day (or night) and bunk down at night (or during the day). What I'm saying is, there's plenty of scope to make an already enjoyable game really shine and I look forward to the final release.

Despite the frequent need for combat, I'd consider Dysmantle a very casual survival sim. There's no hunger or tiredness gauge to constantly be aware of and there's no consequence (other than inconvenience) as a result of dying. Both are subject to change in the future, however... Yet whilst the gameplay is relaxed to the point of being horizontal, it's also compelling and well thought out. Yes, it's grindy - of course it is, but it's an enjoyable grind which is balanced really well with a feeling of progression. Everything seems to have a purpose: You collect materials to make better gear. With that better gear you can harvest materials from structures you couldn't previously destroy. By harvesting materials, you gain XP and level up. Levelling up unlocks new craftables. New craftables help unlock new areas and skills. New skills help you deal more damage and survive. And so on... At no point did I ever feel like I was simply clicking to make a number increase. Even in this early iteration, there seemed to be a lot to accomplish and there was a logical progression from level 1 to the level cap (24 at time of review). The combat isn't just "click on a monster until it's dead" and you do need to take time to learn the attack patterns and how best to deal with different types of former humans & animals. For a survival game, the combat is quite satisfying - it's very much hands on and you'll need to master the dodge button in order to take down the faster & stronger mobs. Monsters will back off rather than simply running into your swinging weapon and some will behave differently depending on what range you are at. I like it! That said, I've stopped playing for now, as I've hit a wall - quite literally. I can't continue any further because the rest of the map is blocked off until the game is developed more. I'm at the stage where I'm fairly powerful and I'm simply finding things to do for the sake of it, rather than for continuing the progression and discovering the back story (which isn't possible at this time). There's a lot still to be unlocked and I don't want to get burned out simply wandering around looking for every last piece of pre-release content. I'll be very much interested to see where this goes. There is already a load of things to see & do, but I'd like to see the existing ideas improved on, such as a day & night cycle which actually matters. Increase the spawn rate of monsters during the night, for example, or make them stronger. Give me a reason to travel by day (or night) and bunk down at night (or during the day). What I'm saying is, there's plenty of scope to make an already enjoyable game really shine and I look forward to the final release.