Satellite Reign Review (Dark Protector)
I usually try to wait, until i finished a game, but since it's very rough and grindy, i am not assured when/can not be assured, that i will finish the game.
Right now, district 1 has been completed and at least 2 more lie ahead.
I can not recommend the game...but not, because it is not good.
Got it myself on discount or in a bundle with indie-games, if i recall correctly and to that price back then, it seems totally worth it.
Gametrailer 1 on my end is a bit misleading (showing closeups of models/animations, which you barely will see like this ingame) but trailer 2 shows pretty much, how the game looks and works.
PROs:
- nice graphics and atmosphere for a "dusty", isometric RPG (not recommended for people with seizure though);
- very positive are the low hardware requirements, you halfway can play it on your toaster...well, if it's smart enough;
- innovative mechanisms and controls, which take a while, to get used to, but after some practice, work out;
- rts-battle with 4 standard and some (depending on "Hacker"'s perk up tp 5, i think) "converted" units in single-player;
CONTRAs:
- hard, to learn the ropes - or - not very newbie-friendly mechanisms (rather try Fallout Tactics, Diablo, Starcraft, C&C first);
- some bugs/glitches only can be bypassed by committing suicide (Ctrl + LShift + K) and resurrect with degraded stats;
- imbalance between enemy-difficulty and player's char's levels/abilities;
- felt "rigged" on my end - or - sometimes 1 weak enemy could take out all my 4, stronger units and even converted ones, or call an unrealistic high ammount of reinforcements, after not having died from gunfire from 4 to 8 barrels of guns, even when one stood around him, turning the game into a massacre instead of a challenging and joyfull experience;
- when not preset (LShift + LMB) sometimes own troops split up, leaving 1 of them running into enemy fire and dying with arms wide open...unpleasant;
- savegames not always keep all aspects, that would be desired, e.g. continuing/loading removes all converted units (even tough ones with high perks), if you did not turn them into "sacrifices" before saving and ending the game;
- sometimes game-mechanisms (abilities/attacks/moving) don't apply, no matter, how often you press a button, leaving your trooper(s) defenseless;
- without discount, quite pricy, even 9 years after release;
Some of the CONTRAs are bearable in my opinion, but some are extremely game-breaking.
Apart from the bugs/glitches/rigging, i though could not find any greater flaws, meaning by now the game itself is solid and creative work, with just unfortunate flaws on very decisive edges.
So, if you don't care about being treated unfairly in dicy situations, where 30 to 80 minutes of clever and exhausting stealth-gameplay go to shreds, due to "rigged" mechanisms (you can't save in "dangerzones", not as long any of your units is in such or hunted by the authorities), this is just the game, you've been looking for.
Even the most simpliest Steam-achievements have not been obtained by barely 10% of players, owning this game on Steam.
Either way, you'll have to learn, to like the game, that's for sure...but if you do, you'll enjoy it.