Despite the mixed reviews of the game I decided to give it a try anyway. Here's my take after 9.2 hours of play at the time of writing this review. Performance: This is a hard one to do because I run a 4070 super in my rig, so that being said, the game runs awesome for me with quick loading times, and 120 FPS even on max settings. I cannot speak for those with lower end builds, but I imagine you don't need anything as extreme as a series 40 card to get good performance out of this game. Gameplay/Mechanics: Mechanics are super simple and easy to learn. Very basic in terms of keybinds and game rules, but also complex enough with gameplay to keep it fresh. The game for me feels ultra realistic which is obviously what these young, talented devs are going for. However, I can honestly say I didn't expect to go into this game feeling like im actually playing irl airsoft with friends in an abandoned building or house. This game is a breath of fresh air to me in the First Person Shooter genre. Something as simple as 1V1 deathmatch with a friend doesn't get old quick. The level of detail to the combat and aiming system is incredibly impressive. Watching videos of gameplay for this or "Unrecord" is one thing, playing it is a totally different experience. Every turn, bend, and corner feels like you're in a horror survival, racked with anxiety and ready to shoot anything that moves. The gunplay in this game also feels incredibly unique yet also realistic, every gun so far is very well done, all the way down to the recoil. (This is especially familiar if you've fired weapons irl) Honestly, I have a blast even when all im doing each round is eating the enemy's lead and shotgun shells. Graphics: Graphics in my opinion are as advertised; Ultra realistic/ Photo realism. The game not only feels good, but looks fantastic at the same time. To the unsuspecting eye, this game could potentially be mistaken for irl bodycam footage of a shootout. Again, this is based entirely on my experience as im running a higher end build then some, im sure not everybody will have the same experience or opinion for that matter. Here's all the things about this game at the moment that leave a bad taste in my mouth for lack of a better way of putting it: The guns are LOUD, I mean loud enough to make your ears bleed. By default the gun volumes set at 100, mines set to 15-20 and still feels loud asf. Honestly I support the idea of a game so realistic that you have to wear ear protection just to play, but a warning would have been nice. First game was a thunderclap headache of an experience, but also a blast. (No pun intended) Camera film or camera grain filter: So this is an effect or filter from you're point of view to really give it that authentic camera feel, not a bad idea really, adds realism to the realism. The issue I have with it is at certain times the filter will shift certain colors, makes it seem like you're looking through 3D glasses around the edges of the screen either from being shot at, injured, or killed entirely, I find this visual effect to be a little headache inducing, especially if you end up playing the game for a while at a time. Could be just me having too much screen time. This may not be a real issue to most. Last thing is the music. It's a bit out of place for a game like this, also kinda intrusive. You can pause all you want but there doesn't seem to be a real way to keep it paused after every game, and there doesn't seem to be a way to mute the music in the audio settings. Maybe this will get changed in the future? All in all, for what the game is right this second, the devs did a really awesome job. I look forward to seeing what the future holds for this game. I totally recommend anyone giving it a try. Worth the $30, worst case scenario, you don't like it for whatever reason you choose, and you request a refund. Take this review however you'd like. Edit after another 9ish hours of gameplay: Micro-transactions: The only form of micro-transactions at the moment are the "R Points" which is just the in-game currency used to buy cosmetics. (These cosmetics seem to give no tactical advantage) Mind you, you can obviously just play the game and be rewarded "R points" after each match. This being said, I don't find the system to be overly intrusive, but rather an alternative option for those that do not have as much time to spare to make the points, or an option to simply support these devs further. I have not explored how much "R points" are, only seen in-game through the cosmetics shop that it's an option. Balancing: I have seen a lot of mixed opinions about this one, so I figured I'd throw it in this edit for you guys down the road that check out this game. As of the time of this edited review, the only real balancing issue is on occasion you'll start a match with an odd number of teammates. This is a simple fix however as there's an option in-game to switch teams, this mechanic also pauses the match so it doesn't waste you're play time each round. Each round every team starts with a randomized weapon that's currently in the game's armory with the possibility of having a sight and also the possibility of iron sights. The exception is every weapon has a flashlight on it so you can combat those pesky shadow demons as well as the enemy team in the shadows. Additionally every member of every team will have the exact same loadout which imo is a neat balancing feature in itself. You don't need to worry about making loadouts or dealing with someone that has created a "meta build". The exception to this system is the "Deathmatch" gamemode. This is just free-for-all respectively. You respawn with a different loadout after each death, but not everyone will have the same weapon as you at that time. Think of it like Gun Game from COD but its a race to 30 kills and not a race to the final weapon. In-game weather and time: Another thing I originally forgot to mention before this edit is, that weather and in-game time changes realistically in-match. Every single match I've played could be snowy, rainy, thunderstormish, or all of the above. Eventually the sun goes down and you're match just became a night opp, and a horror game especially if you're playing on the map "Russian Building". The dev's of this game were like "here have a realistic FPS but also have a panic attack, you've earned it." Loving it so far.
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