Away From Home
Last updated: 2025-12-22
- Stunning visuals and unique art style
- Outstanding and immersive soundtrack
- Engaging side content with high replay value
- Severe game-breaking bugs and crashes
- Performance issues and graphical glitches
- Unresponsive combat with strict input timing
Emotions
Players experience frequent game-breaking bugs, particularly during tutorials, scene transitions, and combat. Issues like hardlocks, poor translations, and an unfinished state at launch exacerbate frustration, especially when core mechanics (e.g., button inputs) fail to work as intended.
The game's potential and the developer's active efforts to address bugs through updates inspire optimism. Players anticipate improvements in performance and stability, believing future patches will resolve current issues and enhance the experience.
The game's unpolished state, including crashes, soft locks, and poor translations, clashes with its high price and initial appeal. Players feel let down by the gap between expectations and the buggy, often unplayable reality.
The unique rhythm-based combat system and engaging side content generate enthusiasm. Players praise the innovative gameplay loop and the promise of depth, seeing the game as a standout title with significant potential.
The game's unexpected quality, such as its rhythm RPG mechanics, pleasantly surprises players. Its ability to exceed expectations in design or genre novelty contributes to this reaction.
Verdict
Mostly negative
Summary
Positive 53% · Negative 47%. Score: 47 / 100
Positives:
- The game's aesthetic, visuals, and art direction receive high praise for their uniqueness and quality. Players compare it favorably to RuneScape while noting its refreshing difference.
- The music is frequently mentioned as a highlight, with some players rating it 10/10. It complements the game’s atmosphere and rhythm mechanics effectively.
- Yakuza-style side quests and random activities are described as hilarious, charming, and immersive. Players appreciate the variety and humor in the side content.
- The game is frequently described as genuinely original, blending retro and mystical elements with modern mechanics. Players appreciate its fresh take on gameplay and storytelling.
- Players commend the developers for their active communication and efforts to fix bugs via Discord. This transparency and dedication are seen as positive signs for the game’s future.
Negatives:
- Players report frequent crashes, soft locks, and characters getting stuck, requiring game restarts. These issues occur early and disrupt gameplay significantly.
- Players experience significant FPS drops (e.g., from 90 to <30) and graphical glitches, particularly during scene transitions or area loading.
- Combat lacks visual/audio feedback, especially after missing beats or blocked inputs, making it confusing and frustrating for players.
- Combat and quick-time events have overly strict timing, leading to punishing gameplay. Input recognition issues further exacerbate the problem.
- The game's translation, particularly in Russian, is criticized for being literal, nonsensical, and losing intended meaning, making dialogue hard to follow.
Gameplay:
- Players frequently highlight the turn-based rhythm combat system as a standout feature, blending RPG mechanics with rhythm gameplay. This innovative approach requires timing and strategy, making battles engaging and distinct.
- The tutorial section, including scene transitions and menu navigation, is noted as a point of feedback. Some players find it unclear or cumbersome, affecting early-game experience.
- Frustration arises from objects or buildings that appear interactive but cannot be engaged with, breaking immersion and limiting exploration options.
- Combat relies on a limited set of buttons (XYBA) without directional pad input, which some players find restrictive. This design choice affects strategy and fluidity in battles.
- Quick-time events and strategic planning are mentioned as key gameplay elements, though opinions vary on their execution and impact on difficulty.
Performance:
- Players report the game frequently crashes or freezes, requiring force-restarts or full game closures to resume play. This disrupts gameplay and frustrates users.
- Visual inconsistencies and glitches are noted, though less severe than crashes or FPS issues. These may include texture errors or rendering artifacts.
Recommendations:
- Multiple players advise waiting for patches to address bugs and translation issues before playing. The game is currently considered unfinished or unpolished by many reviewers.
- Despite its flaws, several players express intent to recommend the game, indicating it has redeeming qualities or potential. Some recommendations are conditional on future updates.
- The game is recommended primarily for fans of similar titles like Omori or Mother 3, suggesting it offers fresh but targeted gameplay experiences. Support for the project is also highlighted as a reason to try it.
- Reviewers caution that the game’s asking price may not align with its current state, advising players to temper expectations before purchasing.
- Players express optimism for updates to resolve existing issues, suggesting they see long-term potential in the game if development continues.
Miscellaneous:
- Players frequently mention the game's Early Access status, indicating confusion or dissatisfaction with the current state of development. This suggests a need for clearer communication about what to expect during this phase.
- Multiple reviews highlight issues with the Russian translation, such as errors or poor localization. This affects accessibility and user experience for Russian-speaking players.
