Info about Returnal™:

Official game description:
Steam Exclusive Offer
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**Link your Steam account with your account for PlayStation™Network and unlock two in-game outfits while your accounts are linked:**  
*   ASTRA Model 9 Prototype Suit.  
*   ASTRA Model 14 Tactical Suit.
About the Game
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Break the cycle as this award-winning third-person shooter brings bullet hell action to PC. Selene’s roguelike odyssey arrives with a suite of arresting graphical and performance-based enhancements to ensure an unforgettable journey. This includes the full Returnal™ experience, complete with Suspend Cycle, Photo and Co-op Modes, as well as the Tower of Sisyphus included from day one.  
**
BACKGROUND:
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After crash-landing on this shape-shifting world, Selene must search through the barren landscape of an ancient civilization for her escape. Isolated and alone, she finds herself fighting tooth and nail for survival. Again and again, she’s defeated – forced to restart her journey every time she dies. Through fast, relentless gameplay, you’ll discover that just as the planet changes with every cycle, so do the items at your disposal. Every loop offers new combinations, empowering you to push your boundaries and approach combat with a different strategy each time.  
Brought to life by stunning visual effects, the dark beauty of the decaying world around you is packed with explosive surprises. From high stakes, bullet hell-fuelled combat, to jaw-dropping twists and turns set across stark and contrasting environments. You’ll explore, discover and fight your way through an unforgiving journey, where mystery stalks your every move. Designed for extreme replayability, the procedural world of Returnal invites you to dust yourself off in the face of defeat and take on new, evolving challenges with every rebirth.  
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The complete PC experience
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**  
Includes support for achievements, complete with an in-game progress tracker. Five graphical pre-sets have also been included, alongside in-game performance metrics, including an FPS counter, a gauge for GPU and CPU usage and a latency tracker.  
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Savour a dazzling visual experience
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**  
**16:10, Ultrawide (21:9) and Super Ultrawide (32:9) aspect ratios offer an expanded field of view throughout Atropos – with wider aspects adding additional options for cinematics and the user interface. All this in stunning 4K._(1)_ On high-specification PCs, experience deeper immersion with ray-traced reflections and shadows, adding a whole new layer of lighting options – all customizable through various sliders. Performance enhancing technologies such as NVIDIA’s DLSS and NVIDIA NIS, as well as AMD’s FSR_(2)_, are also available.**  
**_1_ Compatible PC and display device required.  
_2_ Compatible PC and graphics card required for enhanced graphics.**   
**
Feel sensory overload, first hand
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**  
**Play with the DualSense™ controller to experience haptic feedback and dynamic trigger effects._(3)_ Alternatively, choose mouse and keyboard or other controller inputs – all with fully customizable button prompts. Expanded accessibility options have also been added, including an alt-fire crosshair charging notification, alongside a Co-op ping system. Added support for Dolby Atmos, as well as the option to select type of 3D Audio support._(4)_ Hear sound all around you with pinpoint accuracy, bringing environments to life and helping improve your reactions.**  
**_3_ Wired connection required to experience the full range of in-game controller features.  
_4_ 3D Audio modes require stereo headphones or compatible speaker**  
**
Co-op Mode:
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**  
In Co-op Mode, share your journey through the shifting labyrinth of Atropos with another PC player._(5)_ The hostile nature of Atropos will remain unwavering, but the possibility of teamwork adds a whole new dimension and means of survival. Each player controls a different version of Selene, from different cycles. Using the Chronosis device located in each biome, the host player summons a friend or is matched with another random online player. The progress of the host determines the available item pool for the duration of the multiplayer session.  
**
Tower of Sisyphus:
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**  
Next time you wake at the crash site, look up. You should be able to see a gate towards the Tower of Sisyphus, accessible as long as you’ve unlocked the Icarian Grapnel._(5)_ In this Tower, prepare for a new kind of challenge. It’s a nearly endless ascending gauntlet with a pure focus on combat, how high you build up your score and progress, exclusive items, Scout logs and as-yet unseen fragments from Selene’s story.  
**_5_ The Tower of Sisyphus, House sequences and Challenge Mode are not available in Co-op Mode. Cross-play with players on PlayStation®5 consoles is not supported.**  
_**INTENSE COMBAT** - Fight to survive in this third-person roguelike shooter.  
\- Take on ruthless enemies in explosive, bullet hell-fuelled combat._  
_**THRILLING EXPLORATION** - Manage equipment and resources carefully – every time you die, you restart from the beginning.  
\- Scavenge alien tech for upgrades to enhance your abilities in future cycles._  
_**HAUNTING NARRATIVE** - Piece together fragments of Selene’s memories as she seeks out answers.  
\- Forge a personal connection with the planet as you explore its constantly evolving and decaying terrain._

Release date: Feb 15, 2023

Categories: Third-Person Shooter, Bullet-hell, Roguelike, Procedural Generation, Exploration, Cooperative Multiplayer, Permanent Upgrade System, Endless Mode (Tower of Sisyphus)

Feature scans:
- MTX: score 5; verdict: Fair / Pure (No Microtransactions); summary: The reviews contain no evidence of in-game microtransactions, pay-to-win mechanics, gacha, loot boxes, currency obfuscation, or any form of predatory monetization. All complaints are about the base price, perceived value, hardware ecosystem, or difficulty. Several reviews explicitly praise the game for having no microtransactions or season passes. Traditional DLC is only mentioned as a hopeful future addition, not a current monetization problem.
- Mods: score 0; verdict: Vanilla Ready - Preference; summary: User shares external community tweaks for Unreal Engine stutter optimization but does not claim the vanilla game is broken or unplayable. No mention of crashes, startup failures, or mandatory mods. Feedback aligns with 'Vanilla Ready' criteria, indicating mods are preferences for smoother performance.
- Wiki: score 50; verdict: The Student; summary: The primary complaint is about unexplained game mechanics requiring external wiki lookups, fitting the 'Student' category for instructional data dependency.
- Proton/Linux: score 10; verdict: Works well on Linux/Proton with minor limitations.; summary: Returnal runs well on Linux via Proton with strong performance and feature support. A minor HDR limitation exists, and VR mod usage may require extra tweaks, but standard gameplay is reported as smooth and trouble-free.
- Steam Deck: score 80; verdict: Broken - Frequent Crashes and Poor Performance; summary: The game is largely broken on Steam Deck, with frequent crashes, low frame rates, and audio crackling. While some users attempt workarounds (offline mode, shader cache resets), the overall experience is unstable and not recommended for the device.

- Hardware Profile:
  - Summary: The game exhibits serious performance issues across most hardware cohorts, with widespread reports of memory leaks, stuttering, and crashes. Only the 12-15GB VRAM cohort shows a balanced mix of positive and negative reports, while lower and higher VRAM cohorts are dominated by poor performance.
  - Sample size: 278 (12% coverage)
  - Audience skew: Review sample is heavily weighted toward Windows PCs with 10GB+ VRAM.
  - Windows 12-15GB VRAM (mixed, 117 reports): Reports are split: many users enjoy smooth performance with high frame rates, but a significant number encounter memory leaks, stuttering, and crashes requiring extensive workarounds.
  - Windows 8-11GB VRAM (negative, 61 reports): Users frequently report constant crashes, memory leaks, severe stuttering, and unplayable frame rates, although a few users have no issues.
  - Windows <8GB VRAM (negative, 49 reports): Performance is consistently poor, with many users experiencing drastic FPS drops to single digits, crashes, and memory leaks, making the game nearly unplayable on this hardware.
  - Windows 16GB+ VRAM (negative, 40 reports): Even on high-end hardware, users report VRAM leaks, stutters, poor frame pacing, and crashes, with both recommended and non-recommended reviews acknowledging severe performance flaws.
  - Caveats: 278 of 2323 reviews expose hardware metadata.; Review sample is heavily weighted toward Windows PCs with 10GB+ VRAM.
Feature extractions:
- Community Price:
  - Community fair range: $30.00 - $40.00
  - Reasoning: Multiple reviews explicitly state that $60 is too high for Returnal's content and quality, with one review directly proposing $40 as a more appropriate price. Others advise waiting for a sale, often citing $20–$30 as a fair price point, which suggests the base price should be lower than $60. The consensus from the community is that a fair base-game price lies between $30 and $40, balancing the game's production value and replayability against its perceived shortcomings and frequent discounts.
- Playtime Metrics:
  - Game completion: 100.0h
  - Story completion: 15.0h
  - Session length: 2.0h
  - Endgame: N/A
  - Reasoning: Story completion: multiple reviews report ~14-16 hours to finish the main acts, averaging ~15 hours. Session length: a successful run is described as taking up to three hours, and a satisfying run at least one hour, indicating a typical session of about 2 hours. Game completion: one review explicitly states 100 hours for 100% completion, supported by other reviews mentioning 70-100 hours for achievements; 100 hours is used as the typical total time to finish everything. Endgame: evidence is weak—no specific post-story hour count is given; only mentions of endgame grind exist without numeric support, so this metric is left null.
- Time-to-fun:
  - Summary: Returnal starts with punishing difficulty and confusing progression, but after overcoming early hurdles and completing the first full run, the game clicks into an addictive loop with rewarding permanent upgrades and satisfying combat mastery.
  - Stance: Clicks after
  - Anchor: First full run completion
  - Time to anchor: N/A
  - Friction: punishing early difficulty; confusing map and objectives; lack of visible progression on death; repetitive early loop without understanding; buggy co-op mode; performance issues and crashes
  - Unlock drivers: understanding permanent progression system; acquiring grappling hook and fast-travel portals; gaining familiarity with bullet hell patterns; mastering weapon mechanics
  - Conditions: solo play for more controlled progression; patience with roguelike structure; accepting death as part of learning; co-op can reduce difficulty if working properly; high-end PC required for smooth performance
- Player Archetypes:
  - Roguelite Mastery Seeker (sale)
    - Motivation: To master the challenging bullet-hell combat and roguelike mechanics through repeated runs and skill improvement.
    - Playstyle: Focuses on learning enemy attack patterns, optimizing weapon traits, and using movement to avoid damage. Often seeks high scores or completes the tower mode. May use melee and jump techniques for efficiency.
    - Experience: veteran
    - Purchase stance: sale
    - Labels: hardcore gamer; roguelike veteran; tryhard; master gamer
    - Reference games: Hades; Binding of Isaac; Quake; Doom
  - Atmosphere-Driven Explorer (sale)
    - Motivation: To unravel the mysterious story and immerse themselves in the game's atmospheric world.
    - Playstyle: Explores thoroughly, reads lore entries, pays attention to environmental storytelling. Takes time to appreciate visuals and sound design. Does not rush through runs.
    - Experience: mixed
    - Purchase stance: sale
    - Labels: story lover; atmosphere enthusiast; explorer; lore hunter
    - Reference games: Silent Hill; Dead Space; Control; Prey (2017)
  - Co-op Disappointed (no buy)
    - Motivation: To enjoy the game with friends in co-op, but the flawed implementation prevents this.
    - Playstyle: Attempts to play co-op but encounters bugs and design issues. May resort to playing solo or abandon the game entirely.
    - Experience: mixed
    - Purchase stance: no buy
    - Labels: co-op enthusiast; multiplayer fan; social gamer
    - Reference games: Risk of Rain 2; The Ascent; Helldivers 2
  - Technical Issue Victim (no buy)
    - Motivation: To play Returnal without technical disruptions, but persistent bugs hinder the experience.
    - Playstyle: May try various fixes (engine tweaks, settings adjustments) but still encounter issues. Often plays in fear of crashes wiping progress.
    - Experience: mixed
    - Purchase stance: no buy
    - Labels: PC gamer; performance conscious; bug reporter
    - 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:
- Gameplay is highly satisfying (weight 0.8): Players consistently report that the game is a blast to play with incredibly satisfying, finely tuned, and ultra-responsive mechanics. The consensus is that it delivers an exhilarating experience with polished gameplay that keeps them coming back.
- Fluid movement and combat (weight 0.66): The movement, combat, and gunplay are praised for being fluid, responsive, and intense. Users highlight the seamless integration of traversal and shooting, creating an exciting and fast-paced experience.
- Stunning graphics and effects (weight 0.33): The game is visually stunning, with impressive particle effects, lighting, and animation that create a spectacular spectacle during combat. Graphics and visual effects are consistently praised.
- Exceptional sound design (weight 0.32): The sound design is frequently called out as top-tier, with many noting its incredible impact and immersion, especially when using headphones. It is considered one of the best aspects of the game.
- Engaging boss fights (weight 0.32): Boss fights are a standout feature, described as challenging, fun, and memorable tests of skill with intense visual and audio spectacle. Players find them rewarding and a major highlight.
- Great weapon variety (weight 0.22): Users appreciate the large variety of weapons, each with unique traits and augmentations that allow different playstyles. The diversity keeps the gameplay fresh and offers strategic depth.
- Beautiful atmosphere and art (weight 0.22): The visuals and atmosphere are breathtaking, with exceptional art direction and an immersive environment that enhances the game's mood and enjoyment. The atmospheric design is a key strength.
- High replayability (weight 0.17): The game has significant replay value due to its core mechanics, rewarding loops, and varied content. Players love coming back to it again and again.
- Unique roguelike and soulslike blend (weight 0.17): It is often described as a roguelike shooter with soulslike vibes, blending fast shoot-em-up action with atmospheric depth. This hybrid appeals to a wide range of players.

Common complaints:
- Confusing and Mediocre Story (weight 0.37): The story is widely criticized as mediocre, confusing, and hard to follow from start to finish, even for players who read all available lore.
- Low Variety in Enemies and Content (weight 0.26): Players report a lack of variety in enemies, environments, weapons, and skills, with the same 10 rooms and enemies repeating frequently, leading to a repetitive experience.
- Broken Multiplayer and Co-op (weight 0.19): Multiplayer suffers from frequent crashes, bugs, getting stuck, and inability to rejoin sessions, making co-op mode largely broken.
- Weak Roguelike Mechanics (weight 0.17): Roguelike elements are severely lacking, with no rotating bosses and insufficient mastery of the genre, disappointing fans of smaller roguelikes.
- Save Wipe Bug (weight 0.11): A save wipe bug can delete player progress without warning, causing frustration and loss of invested time.
- Developers Abandoned the Game (weight 0.11): The game has been abandoned by developers with no future patches or optimization promised, leaving known issues unresolved.
- Unfixed PS5 Bugs on PC (weight 0.11): Numerous bugs from the PS5 version remain unfixed on PC, including environmental glitches that were patched years ago on console.

Gameplay feedback:
- Roguelite shooter progression (weight 0.78): The game is a roguelite or roguelike shooter with a cyclical death-progression loop. Players restart from the beginning upon death, but with persistent upgrades and progression, making each run feel meaningful.
- Bullet hell combat style (weight 0.48): The game combines third-person shooting with bullet hell elements, featuring dense enemy patterns and projectiles. This creates intense, skill-based combat reminiscent of danmaku shooters.
- Fast-paced action gameplay (weight 0.28): Combat is fast-paced and action-oriented, with fluid movement and quick enemy engagements. The high tempo keeps runs exciting and matches the roguelike structure well.
- Third-person shooter mechanics (weight 0.24): Gameplay is centered on third-person shooting with dodge mechanics and melee options. Players must aim accurately and move tactically to avoid damage.
- Permadeath and upgrades (weight 0.22): The game features permadeath with permanent upgrades between runs, but some upgrades only unlock after zone bosses are beaten. This balances risk and reward.
- Weapon trait variety (weight 0.18): Weapons come with randomly generated traits, creating high variety between runs. This adds replayability and strategic depth as players adapt to their loadout.
- Challenging boss fights (weight 0.15): Boss fights are challenging and serve as progression gates, often unlocking new areas or rewards. These encounters require precise dodging and offensive timing.
- Co-op multiplayer mode (weight 0.14): The full story campaign supports cooperative multiplayer, allowing friends to play together. This enhances replayability and social enjoyment.
- Responsive movement system (weight 0.14): Movement feels smooth and responsive, with intuitive controls that make dodging and positioning easy. This is crucial for bullet hell avoidance.
- Tower of Sisyphus mode (weight 0.14): An additional endless mode, Tower of Sisyphus, offers a grind-focused challenge for players seeking more content. It extends the game's longevity beyond the main story.
- Procedural level generation (weight 0.14): Levels are procedurally generated, adding unpredictability to each run. However, some players note that layouts can feel repetitive despite the randomization.
- 2D bullet hell style (weight 0.13): The game is a 2D bullet hell roguelike with many particle effects, creating a visually chaotic and fast battlefield. It appeals to fans of dense shoot 'em ups.
- Dodge-focused gameplay (weight 0.11): Success depends heavily on dodging and phasing through enemy attacks. Mastering evasion is key to survival in intense firefights.

Performance notes:
- Memory leak degrading textures (weight 0.56): Multiple users report a memory leak that causes textures to degrade to low resolution after 1-3 hours of play, requiring a restart to fix. This is a widespread issue affecting visual quality over time.
- Stuttering and frame drops (weight 0.37): Players experience persistent stuttering and frame drops, especially in later zones or specific biomes, making the game unplayable for some. The issue is inconsistent across hardware but frequently mentioned.
- Performance degrades over time (weight 0.36): FPS and texture quality degrade after several hours of play, requiring a restart to restore. This suggests an underlying memory leak or resource management problem.
- Smooth performance on high-end hardware (weight 0.29): Some users report excellent performance on high-end systems (e.g., RTX 4080, RTX 4070, GTX 1080), running at high frame rates and settings. This contrasts with the majority of complaints.
- Crashes in multiplayer (weight 0.15): Crashes are reported, particularly in multiplayer sessions, sometimes leading to crash loops. This disrupts gameplay and frustrates users playing with friends.
- Bad frametimes despite high FPS (weight 0.08): Some users note that while FPS appears high, frametimes are poor, leading to a choppy feel. This indicates optimization issues beyond raw frame rate.
- Workaround with launch options (weight 0.08): Using -notexturestreaming and -dx11 launch options can fix texture and crash issues for some, but notexturestreaming may cause crashes with insufficient VRAM. This provides a temporary solution but is not universal.
- Random freezes and crashes (weight 0.08): Game freezes randomly or crashes several times without a clear pattern, affecting both single-player and multiplayer. This adds to overall instability.

Recommendations:
- Buy on sale (weight 0.56): Many reviews indicate that the game is not worth its full price, recommending waiting for a sale of 50% or more off. The consensus is to buy on sale, with ideal pricing under $20-30.
- Genre-specific recommendation (weight 0.51): The game is highly recommended for fans of roguelikes, bullet hell, and third-person shooters. It appeals strongly to players who enjoy the specific mechanics and high challenge of these genres.
- For challenge seekers (weight 0.3): The game is strongly recommended for players who enjoy challenging games, suffering, and improving through repeated deaths. It is praised for its difficulty and well-made design.
- High praise from fans (weight 0.21): Some reviews give the game a 10/10 rating and strongly recommend it, calling it a must-buy for seasoned gamers and hobbyists.
- Not for casuals (weight 0.2): The game is not recommended for beginners, casual players, or those seeking an easy or relaxing experience. Its difficulty may frustrate less skilled players.
- Platform preference varies (weight 0.19): Opinions are split on the best platform, with some preferring PS5 and others recommending PC for better performance. Players should choose based on their system.
- Co-op mixed (weight 0.13): Opinions are mixed on co-op: some highly recommend it for co-op play, while others warn against it due to bugs and recommend solo play.
- Sci-fi theme appeal (weight 0.12): The game is recommended for fans of space alien themes and sci-fi, offering a cool sci-fi roguelike experience.
- Grinding expected (weight 0.11): The game is recommended for players who enjoy grinding, as it requires patience and effort to progress. The grind is seen as part of the challenge.
- Avoid by some (weight 0.11): A small number of reviews strongly advise against buying the game, giving it low ratings and recommending avoiding it unless at a deep discount.
- Performance issues (weight 0.08): Some users cannot recommend the game due to performance issues, recommending caution until these are fixed.
- PS5 controller advised (weight 0.07): Reviewers recommend using a wired PS5 controller to fully experience haptics and adaptive triggers, enhancing gameplay.

Other player notes:
- Keyboard input broken (weight 0.05): Keyboard input is broken: letter keys like WASD are unresponsive, though Alt+F4 still works, suggesting a critical input bug.
- Forced Epic Online Service (weight 0.05): Co-op mode forces use of Epic Online Services and prompts players to link an Epic Games Store account on every launch, creating friction.
- Invasive data collection (weight 0.05): Data collection cannot be fully declined; players are only given binary options: accept or a 'strip me naked' choice, implying privacy concerns.
- Controller disconnection bug (weight 0.05): PS5 controller randomly disconnects even when connected via wire, degrading the experience on that platform.
- Act 3 pacing issue (weight 0.05): Players find Act 3 slower due to unclear navigation and difficulty locating required objectives, impacting pacing.
- Low port quality (weight 0.05): There is general criticism regarding the quality of Sony's porting efforts, though specific details are not provided.

Emotions:
- Frustration (weight 0.25): Players experience frustration due to severe technical issues like crashes, memory leaks, and stuttering that degrade performance over time, forcing restarts. The game's brutal roguelike mechanics, high difficulty, and long runs with no checkpoints cause significant progress loss on death. Additionally, unbalanced RNG, unfair enemy attacks, and unresolved bugs in co-op mode further exacerbate the feeling of helplessness.
- Disappointment (weight 0.11): Disappointment stems from the lack of roguelike variety, including few builds and meaningful progression, compounded by the game's poor replayability. Technical issues like the memory leak bug remain unpatched, while the story is vague and unrewarding, failing to match the hype. The high difficulty and slow permanent upgrades prevent players from enjoying the game's world and narrative.
- Excitement (weight 0.1): Excitement arises from the intense, fast-paced combat, fluid movement, and responsive gunplay that create a thrilling bullet-hell experience. The game's tense long runs, addictive gameplay loop, and spectacular boss battles captivate players, while the excellent sound design and atmosphere enhance the immersion. Mastering enemy patterns and dodges provides a rewarding sense of skill progression.
- Satisfaction (weight 0.08): Satisfaction comes from the rewarding gameplay loop, clean movement, and balanced difficulty that makes dying feel fair and progression meaningful. The game's smooth performance, satisfying shooting, and successful runs provide a sense of accomplishment, especially after overcoming initial challenges. The constantly changing maps and risk-reward mechanics keep the experience engaging over time.
- Admiration (weight 0.05): Admiration is felt for the next-level sound design, the oppressive and immersive sci-fi atmosphere, and the sumptuous art direction that evokes a sense of scale. The game's graphics, ray tracing, and soundtrack are highly praised, alongside its status as a unique and underrated title that stands out in the genre. The atmospheric narrative and environmental storytelling are considered exceptional.
- Enjoyment (weight 0.05): Enjoyment is driven by the polished combat, memorable bosses, and the satisfying 'dance' of third-person shooter gameplay. The game's atmosphere, well-balanced difficulty, and engaging story keep players hooked, while the DualSense controller and 'just one more run' feeling add to the fun. The overall experience is highly appreciated despite some technical issues.
- Anger (weight 0.03): Anger is provoked by game save deletion, missing meta-progression despite store promises, and disconnections that cause lost progress with no reconnect. Technical issues like black screen bugs, frame rate drops, and fatal errors during exploration are compounded by enemy attacks from off-screen. Players are also furious that the developers abandoned the game without patches since 2023.
- Accomplishment (weight 0.02): Accomplishment is achieved by overcoming the game's tough difficulty, beating the final boss multiple times, and mastering initially impossible bosses that become fair with precision and knowledge. The sense of achievement comes from persistent effort and skill improvement, leading to a gratifying victory.
- Boredom (weight 0.02): Boredom results from repetitive build-up runs before bosses that become tedious, and the gameplay feeling same after the first hour. Boss fights are perceived as too easy compared to elites, while the destructible environment makes combat feel time-consuming and uninteresting.
- Love (weight 0.02): Love is expressed for the unique, fun shooter with amazing visuals and scale, where movement and controls are intuitive and combat is satisfying. The game's controller haptics and overall experience are beautiful, leading some to purchase the artbook due to deep appreciation for the title.
- Appreciation (weight 0.02): Appreciation is given for the story, which is fully appreciated through repetition, and the game is seen as a hidden gem that deserves more recognition. The game runs well on a cheap PC on medium to high settings, adding to its accessibility and value.
- Confusion (weight 0.02): Confusion arises from the story being confusing even after reading all lore, with players needing to watch video explanations to understand the narrative. The vague story and unclear progression requirements feel intentionally obscure, leaving players without a coherent understanding.
- Annoyance (weight 0.02): Annoyance is caused by the tiresome narration, excessive fall damage that resets adrenaline, and RNG-dependent collectables for 100% achievements. Dying to stupid mistakes like jumping off cliffs in challenge rooms and the lack of fun upgrades with repetitive rooms and boring bosses further fuel irritation.
- Resentment (weight 0.01): Resentment stems from the game being abandoned by developers with persistent problems, despite time invested in learning the game. In the second chapter, the lack of healing items and unfair deaths in elite rooms lead to a bad review, highlighting the feeling of wasted effort.
- Despair (weight 0.01): Despair is felt when long runs end abruptly from small mistakes due to high enemy damage, resetting all progress and feeling pointless. The inability to find healing items in later areas makes it impossible to pass the first level even after 30 hours, leading to hopelessness.
- Disgust (weight 0.01): Disgust is triggered by false warnings in the game and a perception of it being bad overall. Players also feel disgust when they cannot refund the game after technical issues were fixed too late, leaving a sour experience.
- Awe (weight 0.01): Awe is inspired by the sensational graphics and atmosphere, with the audio-visual experience described as orgasmic and stunning. The game perfectly meets childhood expectations of future AAA games with fluid arcadey gameplay and an amazing atmosphere, creating a sense of wonder.
- Joy (weight 0.01): Joy emerges once the game clicks, becoming a pleasure to play with its demanding yet fair difficulty that respects the player. The tower ascension mode is enjoyable and unlocks more story, adding to the positive experience.
- Mixed (weight 0.01): Mixed feelings stem from the game being fun for the main story content but only offering 15 hours of gameplay, not justifying the full price. The pacing and fatigue are too great, though it is considered a good game to play occasionally when reflecting on it.
- Regret (weight 0.01): Regret is expressed over the game not being worth $80, with players lamenting that they bought into the hype and feel 'screwed' by poor PC performance. The perceived lack of value and technical issues lead to a sense of wasted money.}