Info about El Paso, Elsewhere:

Official game description:
Our Next Game
=============
About the Game
==============
**El Paso, Elsewhere** is a supernatural neo-noir third-person shooter. Hunt werewolves, fallen angels, and other damned creatures in a vivid slow motion love letter to action classics. Fight your way through a reality-shifting motel, floor by bloody floor. Save the victims of Draculae, lord of the vampires. Destroy the villain you loved--even if it means dying yourself.  
Somewhere in El Paso, Texas, a three-story motel gained another 46 stories... all below ground.  
So, yeah.  
This is going to get loud.
FEATURING
---------
*   Original hip-hop soundtrack.  
*   Molotov cocktails filled with holy blue flame.  
*   A fully-voiced neo-noir story campaign set in a reality-shifting motel full of monsters.  
*   Hordes of destructible physics objects; for shooting.  
*   More slow-motion dives than you would think it is humanly possible to fit into a single video game.

Release date: Sep 26, 2023

Categories: Third-Person Shooter, Max Payne homage, Supernatural Neo-Noir, Bullet Time Gameplay, Slow-motion Combat, Level-based Structure, Hip-hop Soundtrack

Feature scans:
- Proton/Linux: score 10; verdict: Plays Well on Proton; summary: The limited feedback shows the game runs well on Steam Deck and Proton, with only a mild, uncertain performance dip reported. No severe Linux-specific issues are present.
- Steam Deck: score 10; verdict: Great on Deck; summary: The game performs well on Steam Deck according to user feedback, with positive reports of smooth gameplay. One mention of performance drops on a desktop running Proton does not detract from the Deck experience.

- Hardware Profile: No data
Feature extractions:
- Community Price:
  - Community fair range: $10.00 - $15.00
  - Reasoning: The reviews show mixed opinions about the base price. Some recommend waiting for a sale, indicating that $19.99 is too high for them, while others find full price worth it. A 33% discount ($13.33) is considered good enough by one reviewer, but another says even a 50% discount ($10) does not meet expectations. Combining these, the community fair price range likely falls between the two discount points, around $10 to $15, though some value it higher.
- Playtime Metrics:
  - Game completion: 7.0h
  - Story completion: 7.0h
  - Session length: 3.5h
  - Endgame: N/A
  - Reasoning: Multiple reviews mention total playtime between 6-8 hours, with a specific mention of 7 hours for a first run; this is interpreted as both game completion and story completion metrics since the narrative is the primary driver. Session length is inferred from a player finishing the game in three sessions of several hours each, suggesting approximately 3-4 hours per session (conservatively 3.5). No evidence describes endgame content or post-story playtime, so that metric is null.
- Time-to-fun:
  - Summary: The game hooks players with its Max Payne-inspired style and narrative, but repetitive gameplay and level design cause fun to diminish within the first few hours; a difficulty spike in the second half may re-engage those who persist.
  - Stance: Fun then drops
  - Anchor: Late-game difficulty increase
  - Time to anchor: N/A
  - Friction: repetitive level design; limited enemy variety; useless dive and dodge mechanics; slow weapon switching; overly long campaign with padding
  - Unlock drivers: investment in combat mechanics; persistence through repetitive sections; engagement with story and voice acting
  - Conditions: being a fan of Max Payne; enjoying surreal narrative and atmosphere; tolerating repetition for story payoff; playing in shorter sessions to avoid fatigue
- Player Archetypes:
  - Remedy/MP Nostalgia Seeker (buy)
    - Motivation: Reliving the feel of classic Max Payne and Remedy games while enjoying a heartfelt story and atmospheric presentation.
    - Playstyle: Play defensively at first, learning to use slow-motion dives for repositioning and managing ammo scarcity as part of the design.
    - Experience: familiar
    - Purchase stance: buy
    - Labels: Max Payne fan; Remedy games lover; third-person shooter enthusiast
    - Reference games: Max Payne; Control; Alan Wake
  - Tactical Stylish Shooter (buy)
    - Motivation: Mastering the dive mechanic and resource management to execute stylish and efficient combat sequences.
    - Playstyle: Focus on movement and positioning, using slow-motion to control chaos, rebinding controls for efficiency, and exploiting weapon weaknesses (dual-pistols for werewolves, shotgun for fodder).
    - Experience: familiar
    - Purchase stance: buy
    - Labels: third-person shooter fan; movement shooter lover; hardcore gamer
    - Reference games: Max Payne; Resident Evil 4
  - Artsy Indie Enthusiast (buy)
    - Motivation: Experiencing a heartfelt, unconventional narrative with artistic flair and unique visual/audio design.
    - Playstyle: Savor the story, atmosphere, and audio; may play in bursts due to level structure; recommend headphones for narration and music.
    - Experience: mixed
    - Purchase stance: buy
    - Labels: indie game lover; artsy fan; unique experience seeker
    - Reference games: Lost Highway (film); Persona 3
  - Pacing Critic (deep sale)
    - Motivation: Wanted to enjoy the story but was frustrated by the monotonous gameplay loop.
    - Playstyle: Tries to push through for the story but becomes bored by repetitive structure; may give up or force completion.
    - Experience: familiar
    - Purchase stance: deep sale
    - Labels: patient gamer; pacing-aware reviewer; story-first but gameplay matters
    - Reference games: N/A


Below are summaries of things people say about the game per category.
Each point is assigned a weight that represents how often it is mentioned across all reviews.
What players like:
- Excellent voice acting and narrative (weight 0.93): Players consistently praise the voice acting as top-notch, spectacular, and on par with modern AAA titles, combined with a strong narrative, cinematics, and writing that enhance the story experience.
- Max Payne-inspired gameplay (weight 0.48): The game is repeatedly compared to Max Payne, particularly for its slow-motion gunplay, bullet time, and atmospheric storytelling, with players calling it a spiritual successor or love letter that captures the essence of the classic series.
- Great soundtrack and music (weight 0.45): The soundtrack is described as awesome, memorable, fantastic, and varied, with multiple clusters highlighting its quality, including a rap album and evocative music that contributes significantly to the game's atmosphere.
- Atmospheric and immersive vibe (weight 0.34): The game creates a strong atmosphere with solid vibes, a PS1 aesthetic, and a noir style that players find engaging and full of personality.
- Fun and satisfying combat (weight 0.33): Combat is consistently described as fun, satisfying, and snappy, with elements like diving, rolling, and slow-motion blasting that make gameplay enjoyable and addictive.
- Weapon variety and feel (weight 0.24): Weapons feel impactful and sound great, with a decent array that offers variety and unique tools for different gameplay situations.
- Stylish cinematics and cutscenes (weight 0.18): Cutscenes are well-composed with fantastic cinematography and a stylish, directed feel that adds to the game's noir atmosphere and overall presentation.
- Level design and pacing (weight 0.14): Level design is interesting, fun, and balanced, with some players noting a Doom-like influence that contributes to good pacing and exploration.

Common complaints:
- Game is too long (weight 0.53): Many players feel the game overstays its welcome, with excessive levels (e.g., 50) leading to fatigue. This complaint is strongly grouped in clusters 2, 5, 9, 18, 31, and 41.
- Repetitive gameplay loops (weight 0.47): Players widely report the combat and mission structure as repetitive, with many describing it as monotonous and dull. This issue spans across cluster 1, 39, 21, 36, and 34.
- Poor enemy variety (weight 0.39): Enemy types are considered limited and slow to evolve, with only a few types repeated throughout the game. This is highlighted in clusters 3, 6, 19, and 42.
- Ineffective slow-mo dive (weight 0.39): The bullet time dive mechanic is often criticized as impractical or counterproductive, especially against melee enemies. This comes from clusters 4, 10, 12, and 28.
- Bad boss fights (weight 0.33): Several boss fights are described as frustrating, badly designed, or poorly placed, with clusters 11, 14, 20, 26, and 38 covering these complaints.
- Difficulty balance problems (weight 0.24): Enemies are either too easy or too difficult, and health/ammo drops make the game too easy, as noted in clusters 13, 32, 35, and 44.
- Simple and repetitive level design (weight 0.22): Levels are described as basic, corridor-like, and repetitive, with clusters 7, 29, and 37 containing these criticisms.
- Clunky shooting and movement (weight 0.14): The game's controls and gunplay feel stiff or clunky to some players, as noted in clusters 27 and 40.
- Minor bugs present (weight 0.12): Some players encountered bugs, though generally not game-breaking, as mentioned in clusters 33 and 45.
- Enemy spawning issues (weight 0.12): Enemies spawning directly on or behind the player is repeatedly called out as unfair and frustrating. This is covered in cluster 8.
- Story feels like fanfiction (weight 0.08): The narrative is described as a cringe, self-insert fanfiction, detracting from the experience. This is mentioned in cluster 15.
- Price is too high (weight 0.08): Some players feel the game is overpriced for its quality and length, as stated in cluster 23.
- Max Payne clone feel (weight 0.08): The game is seen as a poor imitation of Max Payne rather than a unique experience, as noted in cluster 17.
- Weapon and enemy roster limited (weight 0.08): A limited selection of weapons and enemies is criticized, as in cluster 42.
- Aiming issues (weight 0.08): Off-center and wonky aiming is reported as a gameplay hindrance, captured in cluster 30.
- Frustrating gameplay spots (weight 0.07): Rough or frustrating sections are mentioned without detailed specifics, as in cluster 43.

Gameplay feedback:
- Max Payne clone (weight 0.99): The game is heavily inspired by Max Payne, featuring third-person shooting, bullet time, and slow-motion dive mechanics. It is frequently compared to the Max Payne series.
- Horror monster enemies (weight 0.39): Players face a variety of B-movie horror monsters including vampires, werewolves, fallen angels, and weeping brides, blending Max Payne-style shooting with horror elements.
- Repetitive level design (weight 0.2): Levels are described as narrow tunnels and corridors that feel repetitive with slight variations. Some players mention the game has 50 levels taking about 8 hours.
- Dual pistol weapons (weight 0.15): Primary weapons include dual-wielded pistols, shotguns, and machine guns. The dual pistols are a standout feature reminiscent of Max Payne.
- Retro PS1 graphics (weight 0.08): The game features a deliberate PS1-style retro aesthetic, which some players appreciate as a stylistic choice.
- Breakable furniture stakes (weight 0.08): Breakable furniture can drop stakes that allow for one-hit kills, adding a tactical element to combat.
- Melee focused enemies (weight 0.08): Enemies are mostly melee-oriented with a few ranged projectile enemies, influencing combat strategy.

Performance notes:
- Poor performance on older PCs (weight 0.13): Users report poor performance on older computers that are capable of running more demanding games, suggesting optimization issues. This is observed even at 1080p resolution, with frame rates dropping to 60 or 50 FPS.
- Frame drops from explosives (weight 0.09): Explosives that hit knights cause significant frame rate drops that persist until the level ends. This indicates a specific performance bug related to particle or physics effects.
- Great on Steam Deck (weight 0.05): One user reports the game runs very well on Steam Deck, indicating that performance is acceptable on certain hardware configurations.

Recommendations:
- Strong positive recommendation (weight 0.6): The game is frequently praised across multiple clusters using enthusiastic language such as 'must-play', 'highly recommended', 'wholeheartedly recommended', and '10/10'. Players strongly advise others to play it.
- Recommended for Max Payne fans (weight 0.4): Multiple clusters directly compare the game to Max Payne, recommending it to fans of that series. This is the most frequently mentioned specific audience.
- Neo-noir and Lynchian fans (weight 0.26): The game appeals to fans of neo-noir, Lynchian film style, unique narratives, and atmospheric shooters. This artistic angle is highlighted as a key draw.
- Story-driven recommendation (weight 0.23): The game is recommended for players who value deep emotional storytelling, narrative, and atmosphere. The story is seen as a major strength, especially for story-focused players.
- Worth for the experience (weight 0.16): Despite criticisms, many feel the overall experience is worthwhile, especially for story-driven shooter fans or those curious about the developer's vision.
- Audio and soundtrack praise (weight 0.14): The soundtrack and audio experience are praised, with recommendations to play with good headphones or purchase the soundtrack DLC.
- Comparison to other games (weight 0.13): Some suggest playing similar but better games like Max Payne, Stranglehold, or 'I Am Your Beast' by the same developer, or waiting for a film adaptation.
- Brisk pace compliment (weight 0.07): The brisk pace and enrapturing story are highlighted as strengths, making the game a quick, engaging play session.
- Audio-focused playtip (weight 0.03): A specific playtip encourages using good headphones for the best audio experience, underscoring the sound design's quality.

Other player notes:
- Sensitive content warning needed (weight 0.05): The feedback points out that the game contains references to substance abuse and domestic abuse, and requests that a content warning be added before the game starts. This is a specific and constructive suggestion for player safety.

Emotions:
- Frustration (weight 0.18): Players are expressing frustration with repetitive gameplay, slow-motion jumps being impractical or suicidal, and clunky mechanics like diving and weapon switching. Additional complaints include poor performance, janky physics, and cheap deaths from off-screen attacks or unavoidable boss charge attacks, making the game feel like a chore.
- Disappointment (weight 0.11): Disappointment stems from the game overstaying its welcome with a lengthy runtime and repetitive enemies and levels, despite a strong start. Many feel the bullet time and dive mechanics are counterproductive, and that the gameplay fails to capture the fun of Max Payne, with uninspired level design and a plot that goes nowhere.
- Enjoyment (weight 0.07): Players enjoyed the game for its fun and simple gameplay reminiscent of Max Payne, complemented by a compelling story, great voice acting, and a strong atmosphere. Positive highlights include satisfying bullet time headshots, smooth progression, and an overall engaging experience that many found thoroughly enjoyable.
- Excitement (weight 0.07): Excitement arises from addictive gameplay, a wild and engaging story, and the satisfying slow-motion gunplay. Players are particularly stoked for the sequel and praise the game's fast pace, fantastic soundtrack, and memorable experience that combines elements of Max Payne and Blade.
- Satisfaction (weight 0.07): Satisfaction comes from exceptional writing, a well-developed story arc, and a satisfying emotional conclusion. Players appreciate the reliable gameplay, satisfying gunplay and headshots, and the overall solid experience that left a great impression.
- Appreciation (weight 0.06): Players appreciate the game's high-quality music and voice acting, along with a deeply meaningful and personal story about healing and love. The art style, level design, and emotional weight of the narrative are also highly valued, with many acknowledging the passion behind the project.
- Boredom (weight 0.05): Boredom is driven by highly repetitive gameplay and environments, with the same few enemy types and a campaign that drags on for too many chapters. Many players report falling asleep or finding the game a boring slog after the first few hours.
- Annoyance (weight 0.02): Annoyance is caused by repetitive gameplay and bugs, high damage taken, unfair enemy mechanics lacking telegraphs, and the soundtrack killing the mood. Specific annoyances include the protagonist's mumble voice acting and bosses with frustrating mechanics.
- Surprise (weight 0.02): Surprise comes from the game exceeding expectations, particularly in the quality of its music and unexpectedly deep, heavy story about an abusive relationship. Some players found it better than other notable titles and were surprised by the depth beyond a simple homage.
- Admiration (weight 0.02): Admiration is directed at the game's masterful combination of music, visuals, voice acting, and story, which revives a dormant genre and matches the quality of the Max Payne series. The narrative's emotional complexity and unique art design are also widely admired.
- Love (weight 0.02): Players love the game primarily for its story, characters, and atmosphere, as well as the unique idea and deeply moving narrative. Many express affection despite acknowledging flaws, highlighting the game's vibe and emotional impact.
- Engagement (weight 0.01): Engagement is sustained by an enrapturing story and fantastic soundtrack that keep players interested despite repetitive gameplay. The level design, narrative, and ability to push through tough spots all contribute to a high level of engagement.
- Joy (weight 0.01): Joy comes from fun run-and-gun action and a great soundtrack that made the game hard to stop playing. Overall, players describe it as a great time with enjoyable gameplay.
- Awe (weight 0.01): Awe is inspired by the game's story, which touches on emotional topics without feeling heavy-handed, and comparisons to iconic moments in other games. The title screen and overall style also contribute to a sense of wonder.
- Amazement (weight 0.01): Players are amazed by how haunting the levels are after finishing, and the powerful combination of gameplay, level design, and soundtrack. The story is described as so compelling that it drives intense emotional reactions.
- Sadness (weight 0.01): Sadness is evoked by the protagonist's struggle with an abusive relationship, with players reporting they wept along with the character or closed the game teary-eyed.
- Dissatisfaction (weight 0.01): Dissatisfaction stems from the price being too high for the content offered and an illogical, cruel enemy spawning system that feels unfair.
- Fatigue (weight 0.01): Fatigue results from too many levels in the midgame, making the experience feel repetitive and overly long.
- Fun (weight 0.01): Players find the first few hours very fun due to the solid gameplay loop and level variety, which provides an engaging start.
- Mild frustration (weight 0.01): Mild frustration arises because the game goes on longer than needed, with filler levels and length causing the gameplay to outstay its welcome.}