Recent reviews by FoG

Short but refreshing. In every sense of the word!

I really enjoyed it. The art style is cool, the music is great, the writing is engaging, and the story is based on old myths brought up to date.

In short, if you like slow paste story driven game, I recommend it.

The feeling is just too good on mouse. I love that you can play entirely with just a mouse, simple, smooth, and super satisfying.

The pixel art is absolutely gorgeous. GG to the artists! As a pixel artist myself, I can definitely recognize mastery when I see it :p
The music fits the atmosphere perfectly and really enhances the immersion.

The gameplay works really well and feels nicely balanced. The difficulty is tuned just right, challenging enough to stay interesting, but never unfair or making you rage quit.

Recently, when I tried to relaunch the game, I couldn’t get the mouse controls to work anymore… which sadly killed my motivation to replay it.
If anyone has a fix, I’d be glad to know, maybe it’s something on my end, though nothing has changed hardware-wise. The “mouse” option is still there in the controls menu, so it shouldn’t be the game itself. Maybe one windows update or something. Wouldn't be the first time...

Overall I highly recommend this game. An absolute gem!

- I recommend the base game (solo or co-op, it’s a blast).
- Avoid the DLC unless you’re seriously over-leveled and ready to gamble on not hitting the boss-breaking bug.

I honestly had a great time with this game. Maybe it was just the right kind of game for me at the right moment (at another time I might not have stuck with it as much), but this time I went all the way and even got 100% achievements in the base game.

- The gameplay feels good.
- The art direction is great.
- The atmosphere work is outstanding. Easily the strongest part.

(nothing deal-breaking, but worth mentioning):
- The balancing isn’t perfect.
- The game crashed twice (including once literally 5 seconds after my very first launch in the menu).
- Co-op design is weirdly done.
- UX could definitely be better.

Still, overall it’s a very solid game and I genuinely enjoyed it. 👍

I made the mistake of buying it without checking reviews first and honestly, don’t...
- The good points of the base game are still here. (Atmosphere, etc)
- But beside that, it’s one of the sloppiest DLCs I’ve played.
- Cutscene audio is mixed at completely different levels.
- The story is meh tier.
- The difficulty is a real steep spike AND is badly handled. Instead of meaningful challenge, it’s just endless waves of the same enemies as in the base game, but four times as numerous and in “HP bag” or “ bullet sponge” mode, whatever you prefer. Classic "don’t do this" game design 101.
- The content is tiny. So much so that I ran into the final boss without even realizing I was already there.

- The final boss is bugged/broken.
- I got there too early (around lvl 31), and since the game autosaves constantly, there’s no way to backtrack and grind.
- After arround 15 tries, even on easy mode, nothing worked. When I finally managed to clear the adds, the boss glitched into a permanent invincible shield. Completely stuck.

So the DLC completly destroyed my game. So yep, at your own risk, I'd say only buy it if you want to attack the final boss with a much higher level than him (don't go there at level 31 like I did, because you won't be able to come back to farm) and pray that it doesn't bug out...

Hope this help!

And once again, this is another review where I wish I didn't have to choose between “recommend or don't recommend”.

Sadly, I really want to love this game, but it clearly doesn’t want me to... Yet at least.

I played 3 games in multiplayer with friends, and it was fun. But I tried three solo runs and two of them ended because of bugs. And one of them happened after over an hour of play… And of course, you get nothing for it.

Both bugs were collision issues, my character got stuck and couldn’t move, either clipped under some rocks or trapped in the terrain. Nothing to do but quit the run...

The concept is great, but right now, it just doesn’t feel stable or worth the risk.

If the major issues get fixed and solo becomes reliable, I’d definitely update this to a positive review. I love the concept, But for now, sadly I prefer to warn peoples that, on my machine at least (and this is the difficulty for devs, which I totally understand), it's not reliable.

Just in case, PC infos :
AMD Ryzen 9 3950X 16-Core
64,0 Go RAM
Geforce RTX 3080
Windows 10 pro

That's sad, I didn’t even start the game. Got stuck at the mandatory Netmarble account creation. Reading through the stuff no one reads, turns out they collect personal data (IP, Adress, Bank infos, Personnal details, etc) not just to run the game, but also for marketing and sharing with third parties you have no control over. Honestly, I’m just tired of this becoming the norm. So yeah, it’s a no go for me.

Honestly, It's a shame, really. You can tell a lot of skilled developers probably worked hard on this, only for it to be wrapped in layers of corporate nonsense cooked up by people who’ve likely never touched a game in their life, but sure know how to "maximize data value."

I miss the days when installing a game didn’t mean signing a mini-terms-of-service with a marketing department/Shareholders/Corporate overlords.

I can't recommend this game enough!

It's one of my 2023 Goty!

I had a great time, it's a refreshing and very interesting experience.

The evolution is fluid, it's chill, the Art Direction is really cool, it's not too long and unlike a lot of games in this genre, I found that there was some difficulty at times, but overall it wasn't far-fetched. It was pretty well done!

Of course, if what you're looking for is a fighting game, or a Fast-paced one, don't get it.

But I'm assuming that if you've reached the point of checking reviews, you're probably interested in the genre :p. In that case, I can only recommend it!

I think it will be one of the gifts I'll give to a few friends!

Let's finally review this game.

For the record, I streamed it when it first came out. And it took me months to motivate myself to write a review... I needed that to get past the frustration and cool off…

I have 100% finished FO (Fallen Order), which had given me renewed hope in Star Wars IP game, but ... I almost rage quit Survivor and clearly never restarted it after forcing myself to finish it ... And I'm thinking maybe FO made me set the bar too high on Survivor. I don't know but that's a shame because there are some very good points.

SPOILER WARNING!! I'll warn you beforehand but I'm going to spoil in this review, be ready.

---

Yes, there are some very good points!

OST :
First point too often ignored, the OST is really cool! The game really does have some breathtaking musics, so I wanted to emphasize it!

Environment design :
Its design can be awesome. I found certain areas full of life, all brought together in a coherent and credible way with the IP. I loved wandering around certain areas that I found to be better done than I could ever have imagined.

Exploration Gameplay :
Apart from a couple of moments, moving Cal around the environment is a real pleasure.

Boss Fight: SMALL SPOILER ALERT
The game has for me, what is probably one of the best boss fights I've ever done in a video game. The Boss Fight with Merrin. WOW! I took a break at the end of the sequence and wanted to do it again right away. It was so cool and epic!!


NPC :
As with FO, most of the NPC are really cool and well-developed. I really enjoyed watching some of them evolve and discovering others. Most of the time, NPCs were consistent with the environment and everything seemed credible!
At least ... For most of them...

Soo, why “Not Recommended” huh ?

---

UI/UX :
The game is clearly designed for consoles, with all the problems that brings to PC. I had several frustrating moments + UI bug.

EA :
As with FO, you’re forced to go through EA with all the problems that brings ...
I've had several connection and playability problems because of EA's software, in addition to game crashes and bugs ...
- In addition to potentially having security issues with EA's anti cheat software ... Which wouldn't surprise me since I've already had major security/virus issues with Origin...
- It's getting to the point where I'm wondering if cracking the game wouldn't be safer than trusting EA ... But that's another debate ...

Scripted part:
Many games have scripted moments, which are often necessary to move the story forward. But this game had several scripted moments where I particularly would never have done any of the proposed actions and did something else entirely. This made the game feel too "directive", and personally pushed me out of the game even more.

Cal, the poacher!
There is a very big problem of coherence with the Jedi motto for me. Far more so than in FO. Especially since they were almost selling the game as a "Be a friend to animals" game… But in reality, it's more like:
Game : “butcher animals and shut up!”
Me : “But I'm a jedi! I just want to use force and tell them to go back to eating their grass. I don't want to kill them. Especially since it doesn't advance the story one bit.”
Game: “NO! I DON’T CARE! KILL EVERYTHING THAT MOVES!”
I REALLY felt like I was spending my time killing animals that attacked me for no reason, just to "fill" time and "do battle". It was very annoying and completely inconsistent with the Jedi for me ...

The story :
Let's get to what, in addition to everything else, almost made me rage quit the game....

For those who don't want to be spoiled or want the short version:
- One NPC in particular, unfortunately what could be "THE" main NPC of the game, was far too cliché and poorly written for me. I saw it coming from the very first hour of play, and his predictable evolution simply destroyed all the fun of the story behind it... Coupled with subjects covered in the game that could have been so interesting to tackle in the Star Wars universe, but which just turn out to be unused, barely scratching the surface...

For those who want the detailed version :

BIG SPOILER ALERT START
Don't say I didn't warn you!

So... Let's start with what after reflection turns out to be potentially the main problem with the Survivor story .... Bode... The "too much" character.

It's crazy to think that the writing of one character can destroy the whole structure of a story ... For those who don't know, Bode is THE main NPC in the Survivor story.

He starts out as a "newbie" on your team at the beginning of the game. I remember my first impression of him:
"Great ... Another attempt to do a Han Solo 20.0".

My opinion quickly evolved to "He's too much". Too friendly. Too eager to join the team. Too much answer to everything. Too perfect. etc

Then he starts talking about his daughter...
And there, I remember saying on stream, when I hadn't even finished Coruscant... (Which is a bit like the game tutorial) :
- “Please don't do the "Actually I'm the big bad guy, but I'm doing this for my daughter you know!" ...

Guess what ...

…

Anyway, the problem is that afterwards I noticed all the inconsistencies or "how convenient" moments. All the times he disappeared and then reappeared without anyone asking him where he was, how he had survived or how he find them. All the times he had just the right thing at the right time... I just got through the game seeing what I didn't want to happen, happen … And it just destroyed all my fun in the game. It took me completely out of the game and broke all the credibility of the story.

And each step took me even more out of the game.

And I remember seeing Bode's betrayal coming from afar… That famous moment when he said "I'm going to call my daughter", I stopped playing thinking to myself "And here we go..." I really wondered if I should continue playing at this time...
And then the alarm which arrives without any surprise... And from that moment I just had the impression of undergoing cliché after cliché... The arrival of Darth Vader, because… You know… He needed to be here like in FO... A moment that should have been intense and epic like it was in FO, for me had the bitter taste of boredom and "too much" because of Bode...

Then it brings us to an ultra-scripted and badly brought moment where Cal "turns" a little on the dark side. Zero fun… Plus the impression of doing a series of boring and useless fights... All for "nothing". I think that the subject of the Jedi who turns to the dark side could have been so cool! But it only scratched the surface without pushing anything....

About topics covered but not pushed, the relationship with Merrin. Another topic that would have been great to explore. The subject of romantic relationships in the Jedi order is almost unused and could have made something great! But no, again, it only scratches the surface without going deeper...

Anyway, from that moment I really "suffered" the game. I saw the predictable moments develop one after another, until the final confrontation. At that moment I was on autopilot. Like "Ok, I'm near the end, let's get this thing over with and move on." I finished the game with such bitterness that it hadn't happened to me in a decade or two...

BIG SPOILER ALERT END

Anyway, that's my review.

To be clear, this review is a personal one, I know it won't be for everyone, but it's my feeling based on my personal experience and knowledge of the IP. I hesitated for a long time between "recommended" and "not recommended", but I decided that I'd do the review for players who, like me, like well-written stories, well-written characters and a coherent universe more than fighting and action.

Hope it helps!

I must say that I haven't played a Star Wars game that I found "good" since ... Kotor 2 ? ... That says a lot ! (I haven't played all the Star Wars games since then either, but the ones I've tried ... The least I can say is that it wasn't for me.)



I can't say much without spoilers, but what we learn very quickly is that we will have to find a Holocron to retrieve a list of force sensitive childrens and rebuild the Jedi order.

The least we can say is that it's a classico classic in the Star Wars universe. But as they often say, "The journey matters more than the destination". The story takes us to different "semi-open world" planets, where we will live interesting adventures, with particularly intense passages and a really cool gameplay! Wait until you get to Kashyyyk! You'll see what a good gameplay moment is in a game ^^.

And I have to admit that I liked Cal's choice at the end, but telling you more would be a huge spoiler.



Something I realize while writing this recommendation is that in the end you don't meet that many NPCs in the game. And yet, it doesn't bother at all! I really felt that each NPC was developed, with its own personality and goals. They were coherent in the universe and in their actions!

And this game offers some of the most interesting companions I've had in a game in a long time! Even if some of them arrive too late for my taste, which leaves a feeling of not really getting to know them. But I don't want to spoil anything so I'll be vague about it.

Anyway, the characters are well written and well developed! I didn't feel like I had any "Filler" characters or worse, characters that just gets under my skin... So that's a good point!



Even though I'm not a huge fan of the "action" genre, I found this game fluid and pleasant to play. The progression curve is good, the learning is well done and the whole thing feels natural.

The character's movements are well done, the gamefeel is pleasant and it's rare to have moments of frustration.

I even tested the hardest difficulty level to see and, although I didn't manage to play for a long time in this mode, I really had the impression that it was well done! Unlike some games that I find "Clumsy". But I'll come back to this in details in the "Souls-like" part.

The exploration is generally nice too, with some very interesting areas and others more standard but not boring.

Overall, except for some small problems that I will talk about in the "Cons", I enjoyed the exploration!



The art direction is cool, everything is consistent with the Star Wars universe, the planets are all different with their own color palette, props and sound ambiance! The music is nice and coherent, the SFX are well matched and nothing is annoying either (which means it's a very good job for me).

The props reuses are clever and well managed, you don't feel them while playing. I really had to pay attention and try to understand how things were done to spot them.

The whole thing is immersive and corresponds well to the vision I have of a Star Wars universe.



I am not a fan of the "Souls-Like" genre because it often means elitism and no accessibility. For me at least.

But this game offers different levels of difficulty and, having tried the hardest one, I find it well done. The combat gameplay is well timed, the combo's are interesting and follow the famous "Easy to Learn, Hard to Master".

It's fluid and doesn't feel clumsy like in some "Souls" games... And offers an intense difficulty for those who want challenge and other difficulties more accessible for those who want to play and not be tortured by the game? Maybe some peoples should take inspiration from it.^^



EA
For those who are like me not fan of EA for various reasons, know that it is necessary to go through their software ... And apparently you need a mandatory connection ... Which is usually a no go for me ... But I did the game on my main PC, with an internet connection, so I didn't realize this detail.

Exploration
Overall, the exploration is pleasant, but, having done all the achievements of the game, I must confess that the lack of fast travel made me almost hate Kashyyk and Dathomir, which was however among the most interesting planets for me. Sometimes you find yourself going in circles, getting lost, or having to waste 15 minutes making a boring detour just to get one thing... But that's something you probably won't feel if you just want to do the story and have no interest in coming back after finishing everything.

Overall, this is a great game! And one of the few that I liked enough to fully explore and finish it 100%.

Great ... So, about this pack and the other costumes pack of this game ...

First point : Very expensive for costumes that we had directly in game before and not in DLC ...

Second point : The worst is that you can't use them before chapter 5, (12-15H of game if you play while exploring like me) but it's not finished ! Sega apparently made the crazy choice not to display the costume changes ... Before finishing the game ... WTF. So we pay for something we can't even use until we finish the game...

Before that, the costumes changes are only displayed in combat. So we find ourselves with characters who constantly change costumes... Completely incoherent...

I rarely say this at this point but... This is a very big fail...

Fast but fun game, for a puzzle game. I think you need to have played the Witness to understand its depth. But the humor remains very accessible.

I had a good timein it!