So, I backed on Patreon when I saw the concept as it checks about every box for me. However, the future is looking bleak. The concept is 19/10 (not a typo). The implementation leaves a lot to be desired.
Combat
The combat is a mismash of enemies from a looter shooter with the player being in a tactical shooter. It reminds me of Breakpoint and Ready or Not. Neither of those are a compliment. Devs: Pick one or the other. I'd like a more tactical shooter type experience where a 7.62mm round is pretty much a death sentence to a guy in a t-shirt and jeans. Not running after him mag-dumping him unless that's how it affects the player (after all she's meant to be a cyborg...)
Enemies shrug off a LOT of rounds and can zero you in about a second. Pinning you with an effect that is blurs the almost the entire screen in seconds AND fucks with your controls. Seriously whomever thought that's great game design has a promising future with Ubisoft and EA. As soon as you're pinned they will sprint at you and insta-grab you. Seemingly no resistance allowed, despite there being the mechanics to fight off a tentacle. The pinning effect is supposed to affect the enemy, which is half true, as they aren't pinned to the same extent that you are and run away without impediment. The other point is that pinning the enemy doesn't work without a suppressor, add one to your gun ASAP (first purchase) as without it you get swamped.
The stealth mechanic is a joke. Low, still, and in a bush? Yeah they can see you perfectly.
Cyberware is handy but rapidly becomes too expensive to use due to the cost of battery packs.
The game economy is trash. That instant grab attack? In the same instant they take pretty much all of your stuff. If you actually get taken out? Well you're really fucked then as you just lost all your armour and your weapon... Weapons are built with around 12 parts, and while lovingly designed it rapidly becomes impossible to get your footing back. Especially as it's all down to RNG as to the quality and type of stuff you get.
NSFW content.
This stuff is very well crafted, and well thought out barring the odd things like not being able to fight off human attackers. The eggs you can wind up pushing out are incredibly detailed, seriously I want to be able to pick one up and look at it closely. The designer who did them looks to have some talent! The character is likewise finely detailed (you can see a modeled cervix when gaped...) and if a tentacle hatches you can see it writhing around inside. However this is then pushed back by Ivy's customisation being tied to the broken economy and is a random unlock per body part costing 150e per piece. As 99% of what little you can haul out will spent recreating a gun or buying things to prevent tentacle pregnancy; you can see where it will drag out.
While there's only a couple of animations for each attacker, that's totally acceptable at this stage of development and shouldn't be held against it.
On a note about the hatched tentacles: how about a mini-game or something to fish the tentacles out of yourself instead of having to pay 500e to get them removed mid-raid. Or having a benefit to paying the cash out . Say self-removal might injure you due to the critter fighting to stay inside.
Mr Dev. If you read this please go back to the drawing board and start fresh on the economy and mechanics now while you're at early stages. Particularly the pinning mechanic. You're really on to something and it could be amazing but it's current iteration is frustrating and the antithesis of fun due to seemingly eclectic design decisions. I'll back on patron for another month or two to see if there's any improvement or changes but after that I'll stop.
Atm, I can't really recommend the game. I'm really hoping that that will change though.
**Edit**
I've cancelled my backing, as I went through it again and the instant suppression leading to visual blurring and loss of controls was far too irritating to continue backing. I may check back in a year to see if the devs have realised that it's ruining the game.
Combat
The combat is a mismash of enemies from a looter shooter with the player being in a tactical shooter. It reminds me of Breakpoint and Ready or Not. Neither of those are a compliment. Devs: Pick one or the other. I'd like a more tactical shooter type experience where a 7.62mm round is pretty much a death sentence to a guy in a t-shirt and jeans. Not running after him mag-dumping him unless that's how it affects the player (after all she's meant to be a cyborg...)
Enemies shrug off a LOT of rounds and can zero you in about a second. Pinning you with an effect that is blurs the almost the entire screen in seconds AND fucks with your controls. Seriously whomever thought that's great game design has a promising future with Ubisoft and EA. As soon as you're pinned they will sprint at you and insta-grab you. Seemingly no resistance allowed, despite there being the mechanics to fight off a tentacle. The pinning effect is supposed to affect the enemy, which is half true, as they aren't pinned to the same extent that you are and run away without impediment. The other point is that pinning the enemy doesn't work without a suppressor, add one to your gun ASAP (first purchase) as without it you get swamped.
The stealth mechanic is a joke. Low, still, and in a bush? Yeah they can see you perfectly.
Cyberware is handy but rapidly becomes too expensive to use due to the cost of battery packs.
The game economy is trash. That instant grab attack? In the same instant they take pretty much all of your stuff. If you actually get taken out? Well you're really fucked then as you just lost all your armour and your weapon... Weapons are built with around 12 parts, and while lovingly designed it rapidly becomes impossible to get your footing back. Especially as it's all down to RNG as to the quality and type of stuff you get.
NSFW content.
This stuff is very well crafted, and well thought out barring the odd things like not being able to fight off human attackers. The eggs you can wind up pushing out are incredibly detailed, seriously I want to be able to pick one up and look at it closely. The designer who did them looks to have some talent! The character is likewise finely detailed (you can see a modeled cervix when gaped...) and if a tentacle hatches you can see it writhing around inside. However this is then pushed back by Ivy's customisation being tied to the broken economy and is a random unlock per body part costing 150e per piece. As 99% of what little you can haul out will spent recreating a gun or buying things to prevent tentacle pregnancy; you can see where it will drag out.
While there's only a couple of animations for each attacker, that's totally acceptable at this stage of development and shouldn't be held against it.
On a note about the hatched tentacles: how about a mini-game or something to fish the tentacles out of yourself instead of having to pay 500e to get them removed mid-raid. Or having a benefit to paying the cash out . Say self-removal might injure you due to the critter fighting to stay inside.
Mr Dev. If you read this please go back to the drawing board and start fresh on the economy and mechanics now while you're at early stages. Particularly the pinning mechanic. You're really on to something and it could be amazing but it's current iteration is frustrating and the antithesis of fun due to seemingly eclectic design decisions. I'll back on patron for another month or two to see if there's any improvement or changes but after that I'll stop.
Atm, I can't really recommend the game. I'm really hoping that that will change though.
**Edit**
I've cancelled my backing, as I went through it again and the instant suppression leading to visual blurring and loss of controls was far too irritating to continue backing. I may check back in a year to see if the devs have realised that it's ruining the game.