Gman! My dude. My fav reviewer 🇦🇺 you should be reviewing more current releases to get that view count up, even though I prefer your nostalgia reviews.
I appreciate you being honest despite the sponsor. This level of transparency is pretty rare on youtube and is one of the reasons your channel remains one of my favorites
Just a quick shoutout again to Zortch, a cheap oldschool shooter that ticks all the right boxes and genuinely feels like it came directly from late 90s/early 2000s! Not just the graphics, but gameplay and gamedesign as well. It's just 5$ and is really worth your money. I absolutely love it and it definitely needs more coverage, it's really, really good. If any of you is a fan of this kind of games, try it, it's absolutely worth your time.
I like Graven and Wrath, and am playing both concurrently. I still get stuck in Graven sometimes but ah well, I'll look online if that happens. I go in fully understanding it plays more Diablo-like, with an inventory and 'belt' for your on-hand weapons (and health).
Why. I dont get it, ppl just keep quote that "eraly access as a bad thing", but they just never played good games that have had released after, subnautica for example
I played the game back in it's demo form, and it's unfortunate that they haven't touched up the combat or level design. It felt like the game tried to be both Dark Messiah: Might and Magic and Heretic, while not quite getting right either. I instantly noticed problems with the spells, their limited amount, and being ONLY used for puzzles. They should've given players more creative choices in handling problems and enemies alike, instead of giving you so many versions of a crossbow. Kudos to whoever did the art direction though, cause the game looks fantastic and really captures the vibe of a cursed swamp backwater with gothic elements.
I wish it was an immersive sim. Back when it was announced it really looked like an immersive sim to me. Instead, you just get a few generic puzzsles and bad combat
That thimbnail upset me highly. It looked just like Soul Reaver and made me excited for a split second beleiving there was a new sequel finally after 2 decades.
Was this review made using the post-EA build of the game? Hopefully if it is they'll take your criticisms on board and put out a combat rebalance, seems to be the biggest issue so far aside from the maps being a bit too expansive.
@@cyborgparrot1996 wrath went through devlopment hell with a part of the team leaving and new devs aboard so I really don't expect anything from it either
Thank you so much for making an honest review even though it is sponsored. This is why you are one of my top favorite game review channels! Keep up the great work Jarek!
I don't comment much but 13:27 I wholeheartedly agree with this. Its one of the main reasons I've quit my LP Project on this game its very very annoying having to start at the HUB every single time you stop to take a break from recording and all that progress gone. Hexen never had this problem. honestly its the first time in years that I felt very annoyed.
As someone who got it on release, the mixed is most likely from its first Early Access version. That was, bluntly started, rather crap. The complaints you have? They were there, but almost everything in it was busted. This 1.0 version sounds like it has still has a bunch of bugs. The big swamp zombie boss was not like that when I battled it, so something sounds amiss. I'm going to guess give it a month or so for the devs to iron out the bugs that are still in the game. Well, provided they can fix the bugs if Embracer don't close them down.
I think I could look past the flaws? Dunno, I'd prefer to wait in case they'd fix them eventually. So far, looks like they've wasted (again, not forever) a perfectly fine setting and fantastic visuals on several poorly implemented or outright bad ideas. Thanks a lot, Jarek! You told me exactly what I wanted to know.
This sounds almost entirely like Hexen 2, the good and the bad, mostly. Might check it out after a few patches since I love Hexen 2. Also, a huge thanks for telling about Betrayer I did wonder where that game went.
I'm surprised you covered this game (I know you explain why you did), fantasy FPSs didn't seem like the kind of games you would normally check out, since to my knowledge you haven't covered Amid Evil which is actually amazing, the game I mean, not the fact that you haven't reviewed it :P
After playing it I think you give a pretty fair review. I personally enjoyed the game immensely but understand the criticism of some of the design flaws/choices. My Biggest complaint is the lack of support fixing major bugs post launch and according to the Devs on Discord it sounds like there isn't much of as plan to do that. I suffered the Mystic bug and could only do a work around to proceed further.
Yeah... doesn't look like something I'd enjoy. But if you are looking for some change of pace, I'd recommend checking out No One Lives Forever 1 and 2. They're abandonware, and their modernizer patches work pretty well, so it's an accessible experience. I played them both last week, and they're such forgotten gems!
@@admanwhitmer ???? It's a tanking year. Did you expect them to do any thing else? This year is no where near as bad as the last 3 or so given the context. I'm glad they're finally rebuilding.
@@Jarekthegamingdragon nah I’m just joking haha scoot will be better once he has guys around him. As a suns fan I do feel bad that y’all have to deal with Aytons lack of consistent effort
I feel this needs the Quake 2 remastered compass, or something like it. Maybe some kind of navigation tome that gives you a general direction to go in.
I enjoyed the early access version but I do think the game is confused between whether it wants to be Doom or Dark Souls/King’s Field and Embracer fired everyone who could fix it.
Nice vid, had this game on my radar for quite some time, will definitely wait some more but I already really really love the setting, the vibes & the atmosphere it delivers. It was also a great pleasure to leave the 666th Like on this video, mwahahaha! 😈😈😈
Woah, I didn't even notice Betrayer being removed from steam, that game was so much fun, FEAR 1 devs did a great job on it. Thank you for mentioning it's free on GOG, I and countless other people can play it again :)
I love this channel, please do review for these unofficial commercial Quake 1 and 2 addons.: Malice for Quake (1997) Shrak for Quake (1997) Quake 2 Zaero (1999) Quake 2 Unseen ( This was a cancelled third party commercial add-on for Quake II later released online as a free mod) Juggernaut: The New Story for Quake II (1998) Nobody did youtube review for Quake 2 addons, you could be first one
I saw someone review this without using any critical thinking skills and just tried to say its good, Thank you for being up the points of criticism about the game lmao.
Hello again Jarek! I have another FPS game in alpha for you to review: Astro, a COD Infinite warfare-inspired multiplayer-only game. Will you review it?
I mainly only cover single player games with a few exceptions. I also REALLY didn't like the advanced movement cods and tuned out of cod entirely until MW19 when old cod came back so I'm probably not the best person to cover it.
I played this game months ago and for me all the bad heavily outweighed the good. It's a game with an identity crisis - they need to pick a direction and lean into it 100% along with still fixing a ton of bugs and bad design.
The game looks pretty good but the combat balance and save system is a major turn off for me so I'll give it a pass for now. BtW, another slower paced shooter worth checking out is Blood West which seems much better balanced than this game. You should review it given the opportunity.
I got this game when it first entered early access. Back then, the steam reviews were positive almost across the board. First few updates and devblogs came out in fairly quick succession, and the devs were seemingly very eager to keep the playerbase in the loop and up to date on what was happening and when new things would be released. But it didn't take long before they started missing deadlines, and taking longer and longer between updates and community posts. People started getting worried, cause the devs seemed to get really reluctant to to let people know.. anything. The longest lull in updates was over a year, during which time there was complete and utter radio silence from the devs. Not even any words from them in the steam discussions board. Around this time, people (me included) started to think this game was some sort of elaborate scam, that the studio had taken the money and effed off. The positive ratings on the steam store dipped into the negatives during this time, and the devs still kept quiet, as if nobody was there any more. My initial steam review was positive, and i flipped it to negative during the year of deafening silence. Although I flipped my review back to positive after, I see the ratings haven't improved much since then. This debaucle aside, I loved this game since it entered early access. And every content drop since then has been phenomenal. It looks fantastic, it sounds fantastic, and for the most part, it plays pretty well. At least up until the final update, which I haven't played yet. (The only problem I ever had in the library was that ghost boss thing that chases you around the place. There was no feedback on whether or not I did any damage to it, so I assumed it was invincible, until I got pissed at it and unloaded nearly all my ammo into it, at which point it actually died. Be nice if they made that boss fight more obvious.)
Ah glad to see I wasn't the only one having problems with that library ghost. And I'm sad that the devs didn't learn from that boss' problems, and seemingly made the swamp boss even more annoying. Fun.
The game needs to be user tested. Not just taking the community feedback, which taken literally will take development to extreme and sometimes opposite directions even, but actually invite people to play it while watching over the shoulder and asking the player to think aloud. Because it reminds me a lot of mods, which are done in a limited way and resources, so usually the devs can only infer how players are going to interact based on their own experience of their own levels and systems (meaning if you don’t match their mental model as a player you’ll probably struggle to find the puzzle solutions or navigate the levels).
Buy Graven Here! bit.ly/Jarek_GRAVEN_Steam
I have a lot of fun streaming, if you want to hang out, follow my twitch! www.twitch.tv/jarek4gamingdragon
I love how we both had the exact same experience with the library ghost haha
So many people have told me the same thing haha
Gman! My dude. My fav reviewer 🇦🇺 you should be reviewing more current releases to get that view count up, even though I prefer your nostalgia reviews.
I appreciate you being honest despite the sponsor.
This level of transparency is pretty rare on youtube and is one of the reasons your channel remains one of my favorites
Just a quick shoutout again to Zortch, a cheap oldschool shooter that ticks all the right boxes and genuinely feels like it came directly from late 90s/early 2000s! Not just the graphics, but gameplay and gamedesign as well. It's just 5$ and is really worth your money. I absolutely love it and it definitely needs more coverage, it's really, really good. If any of you is a fan of this kind of games, try it, it's absolutely worth your time.
I enjoyed what I played of it but dropped it to play Cultic which I liked a lot.
Zortch is brilliant.
Fun fact about Betrayer: It was made by some of the FEAR devs.
I actually really like that game, its unique, its wierd and at some moments - scary
@@8AIGHT8 Uhm
Why is this individual having what appears to be a full on mental breakdown in my reply section?
Everything alright?
I like Graven and Wrath, and am playing both concurrently. I still get stuck in Graven sometimes but ah well, I'll look online if that happens. I go in fully understanding it plays more Diablo-like, with an inventory and 'belt' for your on-hand weapons (and health).
I appreciate how transparent you are about the sponsorship
"Graven is a game that's been in early access for quite a while"
And maybe it should still be there.
Why. I dont get it, ppl just keep quote that "eraly access as a bad thing", but they just never played good games that have had released after, subnautica for example
I played the game back in it's demo form, and it's unfortunate that they haven't touched up the combat or level design. It felt like the game tried to be both Dark Messiah: Might and Magic and Heretic, while not quite getting right either. I instantly noticed problems with the spells, their limited amount, and being ONLY used for puzzles. They should've given players more creative choices in handling problems and enemies alike, instead of giving you so many versions of a crossbow. Kudos to whoever did the art direction though, cause the game looks fantastic and really captures the vibe of a cursed swamp backwater with gothic elements.
I would say give Blood West a shot if you want something like Betrayer. That is the closest game I've seen to that.
I wish it was an immersive sim. Back when it was announced it really looked like an immersive sim to me. Instead, you just get a few generic puzzsles and bad combat
Maybe check out Blood West if you haven't.
Oh I have been eyeing this for years.
Had no idea it was close to release.
Hope the issues get fixed and will buy the game when they do.
That thimbnail upset me highly. It looked just like Soul Reaver and made me excited for a split second beleiving there was a new sequel finally after 2 decades.
I don't trust them at all to deliver a good LoK game
I REALLY hope the devs patch these issues. I've been waiting to buy this game for years, but in this state it's unplayable.
Was this review made using the post-EA build of the game? Hopefully if it is they'll take your criticisms on board and put out a combat rebalance, seems to be the biggest issue so far aside from the maps being a bit too expansive.
I'll pick this up AFTER I finish Wrath.
I hope Wrath will be good.
@@cyborgparrot1996 If the 1st hub is the baseline, then I'm sure it will be fine.
@@cyborgparrot1996 wrath went through devlopment hell with a part of the team leaving and new devs aboard so I really don't expect anything from it either
Thank you so much for making an honest review even though it is sponsored. This is why you are one of my top favorite game review channels! Keep up the great work Jarek!
I don't comment much but 13:27 I wholeheartedly agree with this. Its one of the main reasons I've quit my LP Project on this game its very very annoying having to start at the HUB every single time you stop to take a break from recording and all that progress gone. Hexen never had this problem. honestly its the first time in years that I felt very annoyed.
As someone who got it on release, the mixed is most likely from its first Early Access version. That was, bluntly started, rather crap. The complaints you have? They were there, but almost everything in it was busted.
This 1.0 version sounds like it has still has a bunch of bugs. The big swamp zombie boss was not like that when I battled it, so something sounds amiss.
I'm going to guess give it a month or so for the devs to iron out the bugs that are still in the game. Well, provided they can fix the bugs if Embracer don't close them down.
I think I could look past the flaws? Dunno, I'd prefer to wait in case they'd fix them eventually. So far, looks like they've wasted (again, not forever) a perfectly fine setting and fantastic visuals on several poorly implemented or outright bad ideas. Thanks a lot, Jarek! You told me exactly what I wanted to know.
This sounds almost entirely like Hexen 2, the good and the bad, mostly.
Might check it out after a few patches since I love Hexen 2.
Also, a huge thanks for telling about Betrayer I did wonder where that game went.
I'm surprised you covered this game (I know you explain why you did), fantasy FPSs didn't seem like the kind of games you would normally check out, since to my knowledge you haven't covered Amid Evil which is actually amazing, the game I mean, not the fact that you haven't reviewed it :P
Good to hear, I bought a friend Cultic so he got me Amid Evil for Xmas. Haven't played it yet.
@@Gatorade69 it's awesome believe me, if you got it for this Xmas, that means it also includes the Expansion Pack, which is also great :)
@@agbrenv If you haven't checked out Cultic I would also highly recommend Cultic. Like Blood meets Resident Evil 4. And yeah, it has the expansion.
I got the turtle key and couldnt find what ever what to open it with and gave up.
the physics actually look more painkiller than halflife 2
Definitely a game I will sit and wait to be patched as a patientgamer. Good video.
After playing it I think you give a pretty fair review. I personally enjoyed the game immensely but understand the criticism of some of the design flaws/choices. My Biggest complaint is the lack of support fixing major bugs post launch and according to the Devs on Discord it sounds like there isn't much of as plan to do that. I suffered the Mystic bug and could only do a work around to proceed further.
Yeah... doesn't look like something I'd enjoy. But if you are looking for some change of pace, I'd recommend checking out No One Lives Forever 1 and 2. They're abandonware, and their modernizer patches work pretty well, so it's an accessible experience.
I played them both last week, and they're such forgotten gems!
Oh ? I owned the first game and I think I torrented the second game but didn't get far into it. Always enjoyed the first one.
Jarek is the vtuber model your new way of presenting now or more something you might switch between I am just curious if you care to answer
Full vtube. Was the plan for years. Struggled to find a good 3d artist til recently.
@@Jarekthegamingdragon finally living up to your name
@@JarekthegamingdragonI think it’s to hide your trailblazers gear after this awful season
@@admanwhitmer ???? It's a tanking year. Did you expect them to do any thing else? This year is no where near as bad as the last 3 or so given the context. I'm glad they're finally rebuilding.
@@Jarekthegamingdragon nah I’m just joking haha scoot will be better once he has guys around him. As a suns fan I do feel bad that y’all have to deal with Aytons lack of consistent effort
I feel this needs the Quake 2 remastered compass, or something like it. Maybe some kind of navigation tome that gives you a general direction to go in.
I enjoyed the early access version but I do think the game is confused between whether it wants to be Doom or Dark Souls/King’s Field and Embracer fired everyone who could fix it.
Let me embrace you... With the hug of death.
The game looks good at least. Thanks for covering it
It's feel like the dev had a change of heart and add the skeleton (frost zombies) from serious sam on late game.
Nice vid, had this game on my radar for quite some time, will definitely wait some more but I already really really love the setting, the vibes & the atmosphere it delivers.
It was also a great pleasure to leave the 666th Like on this video, mwahahaha! 😈😈😈
3:10 -- i laughed probably more than i should have.
got it in early access for pretty cheap and for what it is i think its fine but the overly troubled development behind the scenes definitely hurt it.
I own Betrayer on Steam! Good to hear it still is available.
Woah, I didn't even notice Betrayer being removed from steam, that game was so much fun, FEAR 1 devs did a great job on it. Thank you for mentioning it's free on GOG, I and countless other people can play it again :)
I love this channel, please do review for these unofficial commercial Quake 1 and 2 addons.:
Malice for Quake (1997)
Shrak for Quake (1997)
Quake 2 Zaero (1999)
Quake 2 Unseen ( This was a cancelled third party commercial add-on for Quake II later released online as a free mod)
Juggernaut: The New Story for Quake II (1998)
Nobody did youtube review for Quake 2 addons, you could be first one
I saw someone review this without using any critical thinking skills and just tried to say its good, Thank you for being up the points of criticism about the game lmao.
Hello again Jarek! I have another FPS game in alpha for you to review: Astro, a COD Infinite warfare-inspired multiplayer-only game. Will you review it?
I mainly only cover single player games with a few exceptions. I also REALLY didn't like the advanced movement cods and tuned out of cod entirely until MW19 when old cod came back so I'm probably not the best person to cover it.
"The game's not supposed to be fast."
Give it a week or so, Oyff will somehow make Graven as fastpaced as Ultrakill and make a montage about it.
One day, Jarek will cover Clive Barkers Undying. It has been foretold. (It's a $1.49 on gog)
Blood west 👀👀
Hi my brother granville here amazing video
I played this game months ago and for me all the bad heavily outweighed the good. It's a game with an identity crisis - they need to pick a direction and lean into it 100% along with still fixing a ton of bugs and bad design.
The game looks pretty good but the combat balance and save system is a major turn off for me so I'll give it a pass for now.
BtW, another slower paced shooter worth checking out is Blood West which seems much better balanced than this game.
You should review it given the opportunity.
Well, even bad publicity is still publicity, am I right? 😅
Yo, this video came out at the same time that Gman lives posted his video on the same game. Did you two coordinate that?
Ever hear of review embargos ?
Doesn't look bad. But for me this doesn't look like a 25 euro game unfortunately.
hello jarek
I got this game when it first entered early access. Back then, the steam reviews were positive almost across the board.
First few updates and devblogs came out in fairly quick succession, and the devs were seemingly very eager to keep the playerbase in the loop and up to date on what was happening and when new things would be released.
But it didn't take long before they started missing deadlines, and taking longer and longer between updates and community posts. People started getting worried, cause the devs seemed to get really reluctant to to let people know.. anything.
The longest lull in updates was over a year, during which time there was complete and utter radio silence from the devs. Not even any words from them in the steam discussions board. Around this time, people (me included) started to think this game was some sort of elaborate scam, that the studio had taken the money and effed off. The positive ratings on the steam store dipped into the negatives during this time, and the devs still kept quiet, as if nobody was there any more.
My initial steam review was positive, and i flipped it to negative during the year of deafening silence. Although I flipped my review back to positive after, I see the ratings haven't improved much since then.
This debaucle aside, I loved this game since it entered early access. And every content drop since then has been phenomenal. It looks fantastic, it sounds fantastic, and for the most part, it plays pretty well. At least up until the final update, which I haven't played yet.
(The only problem I ever had in the library was that ghost boss thing that chases you around the place. There was no feedback on whether or not I did any damage to it, so I assumed it was invincible, until I got pissed at it and unloaded nearly all my ammo into it, at which point it actually died. Be nice if they made that boss fight more obvious.)
Ah glad to see I wasn't the only one having problems with that library ghost.
And I'm sad that the devs didn't learn from that boss' problems, and seemingly made the swamp boss even more annoying. Fun.
The game needs to be user tested. Not just taking the community feedback, which taken literally will take development to extreme and sometimes opposite directions even, but actually invite people to play it while watching over the shoulder and asking the player to think aloud.
Because it reminds me a lot of mods, which are done in a limited way and resources, so usually the devs can only infer how players are going to interact based on their own experience of their own levels and systems (meaning if you don’t match their mental model as a player you’ll probably struggle to find the puzzle solutions or navigate the levels).
after fast paced boomer shooter sometimes soul wants slow paced shooter for example Graven or Sniper