- Fun, fluid magic-based FPS combat
- Stunning visuals and well-crafted world
- Witty humor and dialogue
- Weak story and characters
- Poor performance with frequent crashes
- Clunky controls and repetitive gameplay
Emotions
Players experienced significant frustration primarily due to pervasive technical issues, including frequent crashes, poor optimization leading to low FPS and stuttering, and unskippable cutscenes. Additionally, clunky controls, repetitive combat, difficulty spikes, and poor writing contributed to a generally unplayable or unenjoyable experience for many.
Satisfaction stemmed from the game's overall quality, including engaging combat, impressive visuals, and a compelling story. Players also appreciated the world-building, character development, and technical stability, especially when performance issues were absent or resolved.
Disappointment arose from the game's failure to meet expectations, largely due to an uninspired story, poor character writing, and significant technical issues like optimization problems and crashes. Players felt the game had unrealized potential, with bland gameplay, repetitive content, and a lack of depth contributing to a sense of wasted money and time.
Enjoyment was derived from the game's fun core gameplay, particularly its magical combat and engaging story. Players also appreciated the appealing visuals, well-developed characters, and effective level design, which contributed to a positive overall experience.
Excitement was generated by the game's unique concept, innovative gameplay, and stunning visuals. Players were also thrilled by the immersive world-building, gripping action, and the overall high quality of the game, often exceeding initial expectations.
Verdict
Mixed
Summary
Positive 57% · Negative 43%. Score: 43 / 100
Positives:
- The core gameplay, particularly the combat, is consistently praised for being fun, fluid, and engaging. Reviewers highlight the fast-paced action and satisfying feel of the combat system.
- The game's visuals and graphics receive high praise. Reviewers consistently describe them as gorgeous, stunning, and beautiful, noting the vibrant environments, detailed models, and impressive special effects.
- The game's humor, particularly the witty dialogue and character banter, is a significant positive. Reviewers found the comedic elements amusing and appreciated the lighthearted tone, which contributed to the overall enjoyable atmosphere.
- The game's world-building and setting are well-received. Reviewers appreciate the unique ideas, the absence of a bloated open world, and the intriguing and beautiful environments that encourage exploration.
- The game is consistently praised as a solid and enjoyable single-player experience. Reviewers appreciate its focused, story-driven nature and consider it a strong new IP from a new studio.
Negatives:
- The game's narrative, characters, and dialogue are consistently criticized for being generic, predictable, and poorly written. Many reviewers found the humor forced and the characters unlikable, often comparing the dialogue negatively to Marvel movies.
- A major recurring issue is the game's poor optimization, leading to significant FPS drops, stuttering, and high hardware demands even on high-end PCs. This severely impacts the gameplay experience and makes the game unplayable for many.
- Frequent and persistent game crashes are a significant problem, often occurring during loading screens, cutscenes, or after extended play. The inability to skip long, unskippable cutscenes exacerbates the frustration when crashes force players to rewatch them.
- The game's controls are often described as clunky, inconvenient, and poorly mapped, particularly for weapon switching and ability activation. This leads to frustration and a lack of fluidity in combat and movement.
- Reviewers found the core gameplay loop repetitive and lacking depth, with combat becoming boring and unexciting over time. The overall design felt generic, and many mechanics, including puzzles and exploration, were uninspired.
Gameplay:
- The core combat system is a first-person shooter (FPS) with a magic twist, replacing traditional guns with three distinct magic colors (red, green, blue). Each color functions like a different weapon type (shotgun, rifle, SMG) and is strategically used against color-coded enemies to exploit weaknesses.
- The game features a mix of linear progression with open-level exploration, incorporating Metroidvania elements. Players are encouraged to revisit areas with new abilities to solve puzzles, find hidden loot, and unlock upgrades, adding depth to the exploration.
- The gameplay is generally described as fast-paced, engaging, and fun, offering a satisfying combat experience. While easy to learn, mastering the mechanics and higher difficulties presents a significant challenge, requiring strategic use of abilities.
- The game offers a single-player campaign that is primarily linear, with an average completion time of 12-20 hours. There is additional optional content, such as puzzles and bosses, that can extend playtime beyond the main story.
- The game's combat and movement mechanics are frequently compared to other popular FPS titles like Doom, Halo, and Titanfall 2, but with a unique magic-based system. It blends classic fantasy with modern shooter elements, creating a distinct gameplay feel.
Performance:
- The game frequently experiences stutters and frame drops, often attributed to the Unreal Engine 5. These issues occur randomly, during cutscenes, level transitions, and combat, impacting overall gameplay smoothness.
- DLSS and FSR, especially with frame generation, are crucial for achieving playable frame rates and smoother performance. Many users find these upscaling technologies essential, as playing without them often results in significant performance issues and crashes.
- Despite widespread performance issues, some players report a smooth and crash-free experience, even on older or mid-range systems. This suggests that performance can vary significantly between different hardware configurations.
- Some users have found that adjusting specific in-game settings, such as V-Sync, mouse smoothing, or Nvidia Reflex, can help alleviate stuttering and improve overall performance.
- The recent removal of Denuvo, a digital rights management software, has been noted by some players as a factor that has contributed to a slight improvement in game performance.
Recommendations:
- Many players recommend purchasing the game only when it's on sale, often suggesting a significant discount (50% or more) or through subscription services like EA Play. They generally agree it's not worth the full price.
- The game receives generally positive, though often mixed, ratings from players, typically falling in the 6.5-8/10 range. Many describe it as a 'good' or 'decent' experience, suggesting it's enjoyable but not a masterpiece.
- The game is highly recommended for players who enjoy first-person magic shooters, especially those looking for a unique take on the genre with dynamic combat and a fantasy setting. It appeals to fans of action-packed, story-driven single-player experiences.
- Many players express a desire for a sequel or additional content (DLC/expansion) set in the game's universe. They believe the world and gameplay have potential for further development.
- Players recommend trying the game's demo, which typically lasts about two hours, to assess system compatibility and determine if the gameplay style is enjoyable before committing to a purchase.
Miscellaneous:
- The game is considered an underrated hidden gem that did not receive the attention it deserved, partly due to its release in a packed year for games and lack of advertising. Many reviewers expressed disappointment over its commercial failure and the studio's subsequent layoffs.
- Opinions on the story are mixed, ranging from excellent and surprisingly interesting to average, predictable, and uninspired. Some found the plot to have potential but ultimately fall short, with obvious twists.
- The game features deep and extensive lore, often found in scattered notes, which many reviewers found to be the most interesting part of the story. However, some felt too much information was dumped on the player, and the world felt small despite its rich lore.
- The protagonist, Jak, is often described as annoying, clichéd, and treated poorly by other characters. Some reviewers found other narrative characters to be superficial or unnecessary, and character faces were sometimes described as mundane or ugly, which might be a sign of review bombing.
- The game's tone is inconsistent, with occasional F-bombs feeling out of place and some forced slapstick moments. Reviewers noted its linear design despite attempts at an open feel and some perceived 'identity politics' that jarred immersion.
