Recent reviews by [RUS] Election Hacker

Game of the Millennium 420/69

nice

Eight long years of waiting has proven to be worth every second.
We have just entered the 2020s and the Game of the Decade has already been released.
A spectacular and terrifying preview into the dark and gritty future of mankind.

Pretty good strategy game especially after some big updates.

Fun and cheap puzzle game.

Great game with nice concept, artwork, and puzzles but quite overpriced for a title that can be completed in an hour or so, and I don't think there is much replayability either. While creative and visually appealing, the puzzles are also not so challenging so if you feel lazy or want to save money you can just watch on Youtube. Also, the phone version is inexplicably cheaper.

There is a lot to love about Thronebreaker, but ultimately a number of flaws hold it back from its full potential. The story, characters, and world are every bit as engrossing and nuanced as you would expect from a CD Projekt Red production, and thematically, it shares a lot with the Witcher 3. The entire narrative is essentially an allegory to the story of the Polish nation over the ages. The game also includes a masterfully made soundtrack which is excellently paired with the various situations encountered by the player. These are the main reasons to play this game. If you enjoy immersing yourself in a compelling and elaborate story, journeying with believable and memorable personalities, and making difficult decisions between two evils, then you will probably have a great time playing this game. If you buy this primarily for the RPG or CCG elements, you will probably be disappointed.

The game evidently lacks polish, and I've encountered a number of bugs, including card artwork being switched, cards not functioning as written, unreachable resources on the map, camp markers that don't disappear, and glitched achievements, though nothing gamebreaking. Also, there are some texts with grammatical errors, some of the puzzles are poorly designed, and the game is just too easy overall. Even on the hardest difficulty, I was overflowing with resources without even trying (ended with over 80K gold, 20K wood, and 1K recruits), and few of the battles even come close. Really, only the final battle makes you feel a sense of desperate struggle. Some of the battles, especially in the later maps, felt like filler material to stretch out the game, and I would have preferred fewer but more difficult and well designed encounters.

It also seemed like they tried to implement some roguelike elements, but did not fully go on board with it either, which is a massive lost opportunity that could have made the game much more enjoyable and replayable. For instance, there should be some penalties to losing battles, and losing most battles should continue the game at the loss of resources rather than allowing the player unlimited restarts, at least on the harder difficulties.

In the end, a playthrough of this game lasts around 40 hours if you complete every battle and don't skip too much of the dialogue, making it well worth the $30 asking price despite the rough edges.

11/10 would pay money to do homework again

Positives:
-Improved combat mechanics
-Captivating world to explore
-Good character creation
-Passable graphics for its time
-Immersive soundtrack
-Active modding community

Mixed:
-Decent story, but with large plot holes, and important decisions that impact the plot are only made near the end
-Some well-developed characters and some terrible ones
-Initially amusing building system, but really shouldn't be the focus in an RPG
-Signs of reemergence of civilization, which is interesting, but results in lack of post-apocalyptic feel and tension

Negatives:
-Very rudimentary and casual RPG systems (abilities, crafting, factions, etc)
-Laughably bad dialogue options
-Poor animations
-Noticeably outdated engine (graphics, FPS drops, loading times, physics, gameplay)
-Signature Bethesda game bugs
-Creation Club aka paid mods
-Horrible DLC

Overall: 6.5/10
Slightly above average relative to other triple A titles, but also a new low for Bethesda; worth getting on a sale but not at full price. However, I am leaving a negative review because Bethesda needs to understand that it is heading in the wrong direction in terms of game design, and the outdated engine will be unacceptable in future titles.

Pros:
-Excellent visuals really capture the feel of the American countryside and wilderness
-Coop multiplayer for story missions
-Much improved combat, including bullet ballistics, NPC companions, vehicle handling, etc
-Interesting characters, including companions and enemies
-Lots to do in the open world and boring tasks in previous games such as radio towers are removed

Cons:
-Mediocre story (despite the interesting characters) that is often quite irrational and outright nonsensical
-Bad ending
-Main story is somewhat short, game can be completed in around 20 hours
-Abilities unlocked from player progression mostly useless
-Overly simplified crafting system (animal skins can only be sold for money)
-Story progression only for the host in coop mode

Overall: 7.5/10