izigame.me

I... *want* to like this game. I *want* to recommend this game.
But I don't, and I can't.
Perhaps someone else might genuinely find this game very good. I could definitely see that. For me, SCUM is, essentially, a study in just how important the tuning of the gameplay experience is. No one tuning is good for everybody - and, as I said, I could definitely see the hypothetical player SCUM's tuning is perfect for.
That player just isn't me. Which, is honestly fair, but the process of *finding that out* was long and, at times, a little painful.
+ SCUM's UI is generally top-notch. This might sound small, but I personally find this nearly always a good litmus test for how much effort the devs have put into polishing the game. If the UI looks like it was assembled slapdash out of placeholder elements, nine times out of ten, the game plays like it was, too.
+ The game's legitimately quite pretty. All of the pictures on display are legitimately extremely accurate to what the game looks like during play. I mean, it *does* require a lot of horsepower to run like that, which makes my fan very loud, but that's far from unique, and at least this game doing it isn't a surprise, unlike some poorly optimized titles.
- The game's soundscape is just... Quiet. Main menu is honestly just fine, but ingame... Creature sounds are generally fairly well balanced, but if there's any environmental noises, any footstep sounds, any... honestly just moment-to-moment audio immersion, I can't hear it. My hearing's not *great*, but I don't have notable hearing loss. The game just feels *way* too quiet, personally.
+ The crafting. By and large, it's fairly intuitive. Need to cut something? Just about any cutting tool will do. Need to chop something? Any axe. Axes will, in fact, do both. Need to hammer something? Any wrench, pipe, blunt object or hammer will work. Want to know what you can craft with an item? Just right click on it and hit Examine. The game will tell you every recipe it can be used in. Don't have the exact requirement for an item? Sometimes - not all the time - a substitute will work.
- The looting. My God, but it feels awful. Search an interactable? Almost always empty. When it's not, good odds that whatever it is will be useless to you. But sometimes, just sometimes, it's not. And rarely, it'll be *amazing.* At least, if you didn't already have it.
But *God forbid* you have any specific items you need. Want feathers to make better arrows or any crossbow bolt? Better find one of the three ways they can spawn, because you're not getting them otherwise. Want nails, which are required to build by and large every base structure? Too bad, so sad, go look for them. They're capable of spawning just about anywhere, but I've never found anything like a *probable* spawn.
- The information feedback. Feeling like upgrading from a stone axe? Well, you could craft the Makeshift Hatchet, or the Iron Axe - both of which use tools, iron, and one particular kind of fastener. The latter, however, is more expensive and requires a little bit more valuable resources overall. Which do you think is better?
Trick question, they're not even close to the same. The Makeshift Hatchet matches up pretty well with the Stone Axe, sure - but good luck crafting it with any durability, because it might just be nearly broken when you get it. Is that because of skill? Is that because of what parts you used? No idea. Maybe it's RNG. There's no feedback letting me know. The Iron Axe, on the other hand, is a big battleaxe type deal. Thought you were getting a tool? Not really! It'll still function as one, but good luck putting it in any bags.
Want to know what that upgraded item actually *does* better? Nahh, not feeling it. All you get is Condition as a percentage, Cleanliness (which doesn't seem to matter for tools?), size, and weight. Not how durable it is relative to another item, not how much damage it does, not how quickly it completes tasks, nothing about reach... and you won't even get weight and size until it's already crafted and you can't take it back.
- Durability. Oh my God, do things break. At least, not your clothes - unless you die, in which case they'll be in pretty poor condition. The worst *by far* though is anything with charges. Want to craft anything with your tools? Better not get attached to that toolbox, because as soon as you repair something basic or craft even a few things, they'll be almost all gone. And that's only made worse by the fact that crafting them requires resources that're quite uncommon. Damaged your clothes? Need a sewing kit. Hope you can find *any* thread! You're going to be ripping through sewing kits. And tool kits. And soap.
Generally, I would recommend this game if all of that sounds fine to you. I don't think it *should*, but tastes vary.
Personally, my problems come down to:
- Limited Inventory Space
- Usually looting nothing or useless stuff
- 'Teching Up' requiring oodles of resources without a clear path. Be prepared to be lost, gameplay-wise.
- Poor explanation of and therefore understanding of various game mechanics. Digestion, cooking, spoiling, filth, respawning, skills, stats, temperature...
- Limited inventory space. You are going to be running out of space a *lot* in this game.
- Stamina and stagger management. One puppet is pretty easy to stunlock with minimal or even no damage. Two puppets is just about impossible - at least, without a gun.
- Poor information display. What does it mean if something is 'slightly off'? When will this spoil? How do you cook? Where do you spend money? What does that trader sell - and what do they buy? At what distance does your loot slapped on the ground because you don't have enough nails to build even basic storage despawn? Or is it time based? How do you speed up stamina regen (crouch or prone both work, the latter much better). What do interactable rocks look like on the ground versus the non-interactable ones? Where does one interactable end and the next begin? How much insulation, defense, or armor does a given piece of equipment provide? How water-resistant is it?
- Overall needs tuning. Hunger and water are both constant nags. Be prepared to be always looking for forage. Hope you know what that looks like in your area. Temperature is sensitive - an article of clothing too much, and you will be slowly drifting into hyperthermia until you pass out. Too little, and your screen frosts up.Staying inside the comfortable band will be a battle - especially if you want to have inventory slots. This also effects stamina and damage. Just about every system feels just a *little* off from comfortable, personally.