Recent reviews by The Beast at Tanagra

Very cool conceptually, but could use some content and QOL expansions. For instance, there should be an info menu that shows you when your disruptors expire. Still, it's a fun extrapolation of the old online empire sims where expansion takes a long time over many sessions.

Very cool and interesting, could easily be the next (and more scientifically accurate and intricate) Spore if the devs get more funding. Otherwise progress is super slow. Still, even in its current state it's a neat little microbial evolution sim.

Game's trash. 10/10

Fantastic game. Its visual simplicity belies the game's incredible mechanical depth. If you enjoy grand strategy games with a focus on logistics and interesting post-cataclysmic sci fi backdrops, this is the game for you. Also, the world generation is really neat, simulating everything from the planet's orbital path and climate to its history in the context of the greater narrative.

This isn't the worst game ever made, and it's certainly not Ubisoft's worst game by a long shot. It's a standard Ubisoft open world game with a lot of empty but pretty environment, so if you're into that sort of thing, I guess you know what you're getting into.

However, there are several glaring issues with it that make it not nearly worth the $70 price tag. The main thing that throws me out of the game entirely is the godawful voice acting. It's like the VAs were given direction that said "be as uninterested as possible in what's happening around you". RCA troops can't aim for ♥♥♥♥; I turned both my damage and theirs to the maximum value and I'm rarely going below three quarters health. The only time I did, in fact, was when I stood perfectly still for a good two minutes to test their aim. Who trained these mooks? If they shot at the ground they'd probably miss. Also, it was kind of disappointing to me that there weren't two separate campaigns/game modes ala the Aliens vs. Predators video game where you could play as the Na'vi or the RCA, though that might be asking too much of the modern day AAA game dev.

One personal gripe of mine that most people probably don't care as much about is that for all the money and effort Ubisoft spent on graphical fidelity in this game, there's no damage models on the enemies. You shoot someone with an arrow, and the arrow disappears with nothing to show for it. No satisfying visual of the arrow piercing them and protruding from their back, no hole where the arrow went in or through. Not even a splatter of blood behind them. It's as if your arrow spooked them real bad and gave them a heart attack.

And of course, the macrotransactions which Ubisoft is quickly becoming infamous for. Christ man, release the finished ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ game without holding ♥♥♥♥ for ransom. If it was released with the game, that means it was done when the game was done. The only reason not to have these things in the game is greed.

If you're an avid Avatar fan and are really, really into empty open world games, you might enjoy this. Otherwise, pass over it. Frankly, I kind of wish literally any other company had made the official Avatar game, as this is an IP I enjoy, and anyone else probably could have made it more compelling and entertaining.

After a couple of hours of PvP it's by far the most shallow PvP system I've ever encountered in any game in my entire life. Otherwise, fun game, good story, good PvE with friends and decent difficulty. Just save yourself the annoyance of playing the totally unbalanced and unsatisfying PvP.

Very neat game, lacking a little in content variety but it's early access so I'm sure that'll change. Think XCom meets the aesthetic of the extraction shooter "Marauders", plus roguelike elements. Already worth a buy at full price for a few hours of fun, but if you're looking for a very deep experience, wait until release (or a discount).

I really enjoy this game conceptually, but the RNG can be absolutely infuriating, especially in the early game. Thanks for making me lose my main guys to some idiot with a penknife because I apparently can't hit the broad side of a barn with any of my weapons, game! Still, though, good game, fun premise, hope they make the RNG a little more predictable in their next title.

Grand strategy takes on a whole new meaning with this game. This is by far the grandest scale I've ever seen in a grand strategy game. Very much recommended, especially if you like alien invasion fiction like The Three Body Problem or XCom.

Best true Rogue-like on the market, hands down. Also one of the devs has upwards of 2000 hours in the game so you know they care about their own product. The fact that it's been out so long and they're still updating so often tells you a lot about the dev team's dedication. I've never seen a game that's not considered a finished product that's this stable and has this much content, either. Fantastic game, highly recommend.