Have a Nice Death Review (Mankomancer)
I "finished" the game with two successful runs, binging it over two days. Did all runs on the default difficulty setting—EXCEPT the final run (which I did on easy, partially to get an achievement, partially because I didn’t want to spend 2–3 hours hoping for good RNG on gear). Didn’t bother trying to defeat the FINAL SECRET BOSS.
Pros:
+ Charming graphics
+ Funny, interesting dialogue between NPCs
+ Just enough build variety to keep things engaging
+ Tight controls
+ The more runs you do, the more small power boosts you get
+ The more things you do (kill enemies, bosses, etc.), the cheaper some upgrades become (so you decide—buy now for 300 or kill a boss two more times and buy for 50)
+ Zone and enemy variety feel satisfying
+ Simple mini-quests just by talking with NPCs
Cons:
- RNG with weapons/powers—sometimes synergy just doesn’t work in your favor
- Couldn’t find where to disable weapons/powers I didn’t like after unlocking them
- Runs can feel too long
-Some enemies can melt you in seconds
+/- You start in one zone, then choose between two different zones, then again between two more. Each zone contains two mini-bosses and a main boss. Most likely, you’ll die ~60% of the time when facing a mini-boss for the first time (or they’ll drain enough resources that the main boss finishes you off). Not sure what could be done to make it feel less sucky—wasting a 20–30 minute run isn’t fun. BUT it also feels great once you get used to them. Also, one of the zones has damaging terrain, so you basically never want to visit it.
Summary:
I liked this game more than I expected. My biggest gripe—some runs feel like a waste of time, ESPECIALLY when facing new bosses/zones. This is also why I didn’t bother going for the FINAL SECRET BOSS. There are shortcuts you can unlock that save a few minutes before the boss, BUT you don’t get resources (so you decide—save 5 minutes but gimp yourself on upgrades OR do a full run).
Most bosses’ attack patterns were readable and understandable. If I wanted to reach the FINAL ending, I’d probably need another 3–5 hours. So, depending on your skill level and completionist tendencies, expect 8–20 hours of content.
Fair buy at full price, a steal on discount.
Rating:
Employees getting what they want from a strike / 10