the church of skinnedteen - Try it Tuesday: December 20, 2022

I usually have a theme going into any given Try it Tuesday, but today… not so much. If I had to choose a theme, it would be “games that I need to get to,” or “games that I’ve been holding on to,” or something of that nature. They’re quite simply some titles that I’ve had my eye on for one reason or another, and I had them ready to go. So without further ado, here’s the menu in order of appearance!

Game links with an asterisk * next to them denote affiliate links.

Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader

I knew going into this one that I was getting into a CRPG; a text-heavy, lore-rich, novel with some gameplay attached to it, more or less. I love those kinds of games, but woefully don’t stream many of them, because of A) the amount of reading and B) the audience engagement. In short, they’re not entirely that exciting to watch, but they’re a blast to play. Furthermore, I’ve been on a WH40K kick lately, what with the release of Darktide, so the mixture of two great things seemed like a win for me checking out Rogue Trader, a title that’s still in closed beta access. I was lucky enough to obtain a copy for review from Owlcat Games, which I’m thankful for. Speaking of Owlcat, they created the Pathfinder games, so it should be no surprise that WH40K: Rogue Trader bares a lot of the same elements as those – which is in no way a bad thing. I didn’t get super far into Rogue Trader for many reasons, however, mostly because of the text-heavy content. I wasn’t prepared for all of the reading, despite knowing that was definitely a part of it. Also, while I’m defintely on a WH40K kick, it should be noted that I’m very new to the universe and the lore – I’ve always been more of a classic Warhammer fan, though I’m still new to that universe as well – therefore, a lot of the things contained within this absolutely incredible pocket of lore that I chose to dove into are almost lost to me at the current moment. Needless to say, Rogue Trader seems great. They start you out in Act 2, after a text-based introduction that I assume will be playable in the full release. This also helps you to get somewhat invested in the character you’re creating essentially. Darktide has a similar character sheet introduction, which I also loved. From here you eventually make your way to Footfall, a settlement where you’re to meet an aristocrat to make dealings under your new inherited title and standing in life – it’s a whole thing, again… the lore is deep. You experience some of the combat soon after arriving, which is mostly a turn-based XCOM style of combat. Rewarding and frustrating all at once. I don’t really have anything negative to say about my time with Rogue Trader – the other reason I didn’t spend much time with it is because it is a closed alpha, and I honestly didn’t want to give away too much, nor did I want to overstay my welcome and go beyond what may have been embargoed. I do look forward to returning to Rogue Trader after its release, which as of now doesn’t seem to have a set in stone date. That’s ok though – if you’re interested in learning more about it, check out some of the links below.

???? out of 5 slabs

Links to the game:

Steam
* GOG

STALCRAFT

* This game was part of a paid promotion. My thoughts and opinions were not a part of the promotion, merely my time spent on the game

For games that absolutely took me by surprise tonight, I’d have to give the award to STALCRAFT, which seems confusing at first, but is actually everything you need to know about the game right in the title. It’s S.T.A.L.K.E.R. but with the look of Minecraft. It’s a PVPVE MMOFPS that puts you in the bleak universe of the Chernobyl exclusion zone, and… well… basically plays out like every S.T.A.L.K.E.R. game that’s ever been made up to this point. I say this only having played Call of Pripyat, but I intend to get to the others, as well as S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2, and likely more of this one. At some point in the last year or two, I became deeply fascinated by the concept of Chernobyl, and that’s when I played S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Call of Pripyat and Chernobylite, two really great games that focus on the same central concept of Chernobyl’s mythological exclusion zone, and the whole horror vibe encapsulated within it. STALCRAFT actually seems to be a really clever mash-up of both S.T.A.L.K.E.R. and Minecraft, while also throwing in the Escape From Tarkov elements of PVPVE, which can make or break any game that tries to do it, I find. Were I to fault STALCRAFT for one thing, it would be that the free to play model could potentially attract the attention of some of the worst kinds of players to its PVP base, which could render it a breeding ground for toxicity if not handled properly. I didn’t encounter players until the end, and by that point I was in a safe zone so they couldn’t hurt me. But they definitely followed me around and tried to. Also, the general chat was a hot mess of “gamer words” that no one in their right mind should ever say, but of course they were flying left and right. I loved everything else about STALCRAFT besides the other players, which made me desperately wish for a single player option for it. While I actually feel there’s a lot of positives a good PVP community can bring to a game like this – the tension that opposing players bring to some of the map crawling situations is absolutely bonkers, and unmatched in PVE alone – I worry about whether or not STALCRAFT will survive a potential onslaught of the worst kinds of players that will ultimately drive off a more positive and supportive playerbase, and overall good experience for your average user. I think STALCRAFT is definitely worth checking out if you’re a fan of S.T.A.L.K.E.R. or Escape From Tarkov, and I definitely intend to give it another chance sooner than later. I definitely worry about its future though, and I would hope that either private server creation would come soon, or some kind of single player variant might surface – if only because a game like this dying is ultimately the saddest thing to me. It has all the ingredients of ST.A.L.K.E.R., Chernobylite, and Escape From Tarkov that I love – atmosphere, mood, engaging loop – perhaps I’m just hungry for the new S.T.A.L.K.E.R. game and this is whetting my whistle. And though not a lot of people would agree with me, the aesthetics of Minecraft are appealing to me in a really nostalgic way, so STALCRAFT also had that going for it. I just hope it can survive its intended model… because I really liked it!

???? out of 5 slabs

Links to the game:

Steam

BLACKTAIL

I would say that Blacktail also surprised me in a really good way, though not as much as STALCRAFT. Well… maybe. Blacktail was a pleasant surprise, and definitely my favorite game of the night. Why? Because I get to be a witch in the woods! Blacktail puts you in the shoes of a young girl named Yaga who is cast out of her home after being labeled a witch. From there, she’s set on a journey through the wilderness to survive and thrive in one of the most engaging and vibrant worlds I’ve ever encountered. From talking mushrooms and larva, to spiders with eyeballs in their backs, to cats and cauldrons, Blacktail had so much of the stuff I am looking for thematically in a game that I almost never feel like I get to experience. Combat was only mildly challenging and mostly archery-based, though it appears as if you level up through exploration. By that I mean that you find spell pages across the landscape, tucked away in little secret alcoves and whatnot, as well as ingredients to craft these upgrades. So you also seem to acquire more attacks with your bow as well as spells that you can cast from your hands. WHICH I LOVE! I only got so far as to fight one big boss, and several little challenges within an area, and I could see where the game would begin to pose challenge as you progressed. However, I’m not so sure it’s going to be for people who crave fast-paced mechanics and exciting, varied difficulties – I think this is going to be for the more casual player. The girls like me who want to also be livin’ that witch in the woods life. Speaking of that, a lot of what Blacktail had to offer reminded me of Wytchwood in its universe and storytelling aspects; both of which, I believe, are loosely following Slavic folklore. I absolutely adore the world that Blacktail begs you to explore, and I can’t wait to jump back in and continue my journey.

????? out of 5 slabs

Links to the game: