You know those good old memes of the past where we used to say "Download more RAM"?

Well, this is as close as it gets to it. Don't let the "playtime" fool you, I use it with almost on every game I have (not so much with FPS games, for obvious reasons), I just have it run on start so it doesn't register on Steam, which is the same for Wallpaper Engine soooo, pretty convenient.

This is simply amazing and I already have a good rig, it just makes everything infinitely smoother. Best tool purchase I have made on Steam thus far! Some troublesome games out there turn into smooth experiences, a few examples I can give from my personal collection would be;

Kingdom Come: Deliverance
Assassin's Creed: Shadows
X4: Foundations
Elden Ring / Elden Ring Nightreign (Essentially an FPS limit remover)
Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice (See above)
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33

I just realized how often the colon mark is used in videogame titles as I was writing this, huh... Anyway, these games were simply silky smooth on my rig with around 1.5x or 2x scaling on the latest model (as of writing this, LSFG 3.1) and I have become addicted.

I have not tried it with my VR set yet, but I am hyping up just thinking about it. Buy it, guys, get it, with that price tag, it is a steal.

All souls-like games out there motivate you to get your character to be stronger, to be better, to get gud...

This timeless and unmatched marvel of a game teaches the player, not your character, to be above yourself. The journey you partake in this game is not of the story of just your character, but also of yours. I doubt anyone who can immerse themselves will come out the same way when they are finally through.

In fact, I dare say that even the final boss itself speaks to the player and not to Sekiro when you hear that famous line.



Is the game good?...
Massively underrated, a masterpiece, unrivaled combat mechanics in any game ever.

Would I recommend it?...
Without a blink, yes!

Will the journey be difficult?...
Hesitation is defeat.

Wow! I get a free ship with my support purchase? Good deal!

Don't let the thumbs up fool you, there is a MASSIVE negative side to this and I really want to criticize it... In fact, nevermind, I am turning it to "thumbs down" because I know that it will gain more attention that way.

The game content is amazing. It delivers the much needed snippets of gameplay in a controlled environment that allows for players to experience tailored experiences. It immersed me a lot, I thoroughly enjoyed it, sat at the top of scoreboards of certain "nodes" even. Well thought out, I cannot deny.

It also helps new players understand the lore-rich universe of X. This series has been going on for well over 2 decades and has amazing lore content and these missions really help to see through the key points in X history. Albeit a little underwhelming because some momentous cases were quite, well, blank. In the encyclopedia entries of the game you feel like you are reading an amazing sci-fi novel that gets your heart pumping. When you get to "play" those in the Timelines, you see that it is downright downscaled criminally and does not give you the sense of epicness at all... These can be overlooked though, because the missions are definitely fun regardless, with the exception of a few of course.

In order not to confuse the 7.0 free update with this DLC, I will not refer to certain aesthetic changes in the game, which are AMAZING by the way. Great job Egosoft, love you guys! The new ships that are added are actually pretty cool, though you can't even use them so much in the Open Universe, which is the bread and butter of the game, and where the real fun is (Also where my 1400+ hours are invested in). This is unfortunate, but I do understand the design choices behind it. It is difficult to make a fine balance to a really large and simulated universe. After all, it is one of a kind in its genre so I can imagine the difficulties.

It seems like I generally have a positive outlook to this right? Well, you are right, it really is good and I mean it. Some other reviews you will see out there will primarily focus on how little it adds to the main aspect of the game (Open Universe). Again, Egosoft tried to go for something different, which is admirable because don't we all just hate it when companies keep doing the same things over and over again? Also, it still added content to the Open Universe, just less so compared to the previous DLCs.

But if all these things are "ups" then why is the thumbs down? Here comes the killer part for me... AI-Generated voice lines? REALLY? I never saw the soul of a videogame so barren and devoid in mere seconds after hearing an NPC talk. It legitimately ruined the "Timelines" Experience for me and I cannot stress this enough. What is worse is that the characters and their dialogues are so well written, they have character, personality, humor! Those with the pen behind this project knew what they were doing, and it is awesome, only for their work to be literally murdered by the poorest execution ever. I... I simply cannot support full AI content. Even though I am a fan of this game and the company, and believe me I am, I cannot abide by this AI nonsense. I am giving it a negative review not purely because the AI voice lines killed the soul of the game, but also I am against the use of AI indiscriminately. Have a professional (or amateur, does not matter!) deliver the voice lines AND THEN use AI to enhance or change it. You will see how quickly it becomes great.

I will gladly change my review if Egosoft would address this AI related industry problem... Relying too much on the AI is bad for you, you should know better because you created the Xenon...

Don't you just love it when the positive recommendations come from accounts with "1 review" and few products on their accounts... Yeah, I most certainly don't.

How is the game? I laughed more than I felt stressed. Animations are very amateur, which can be overlooked since the devs may be learning about game development so no need to be harsh on that, yet the game mechanics are horrendous. By default, most things are similar to the other games in the genre so when you know one game, you more-or-less understand it all but this one's repetition and lack of any originality makes it glaringly sub-par compared to the other games.

Ghosts do not necessarily have an identity, they just don't feel different and it adds to the repetition factor. First few times the game feels alright as you are introduced to novel content, after the 5th or 6th round, you feel like you have seen most of what the game can deliver.


Community is very passive, which is the biggest issue. Honestly, games like these can only survive because of the community as more people equals more entertainment and possible fun social interactions since the game itself is an endless loop, players spice things up... Players, which are few in number for this one.

Isn't there anything positive!? You ask... Well yes, the developers know exactly where to put their precious effort, time and resources into very strategic strengths of the game... Jiggly breast physics... Oh yeah, they're there.

Sadly, 5 hours of gameplay only gave me this much insight into the matter so this is the extent of my knowledge thus far... It is very unlikely for me to go back to this game honestly, but on the off chance this one goes popular, I will most certainly give the new updates a try and see if there will be a need to edit my review and hopefully change it to recommended.

Edit: Fixed a typo.

NO SPOILERS

I feared that I would never be able to get the same satisfaction as I once had while playing Divinity: Original Sin 2... This game very closely captivated in a very immersive manner, the same way Divinity once did.

For those who are on edge or unsure, a couple of pointers that may help you to make up your mind.

POSITIVES

1- Very immersive setting, highly inspired (but not wholly accurate) from events in history. Remember, it is a game of fiction where certain details are purposefully detached from reality. But on the whole, this game will make you feel as a Roman like never before. Huge plus for enthusiasts of the era.

2- Decent challenge along the way. The game manages to find things interesting, even after 30 hours, I felt that I was under some pressure to make the best of the bad decisions I had made earlier on, and I am a veteran XCOM and Divinity player... Punishment is real, but forgiving (except in some serious cases). Customization allows for the game to play out in the way that you prefer.

3- Integrity of the events, well this is a personal favorite of mine. Some actions and decisions taken hours ago may lead to unexpected outcomes, but more importantly, the dialogue is very deep and you sometimes really need to listen to what people are saying to get the significant hints out there.

4- Cleopatra...

5- Base, legion, morale, item, resource management... Though not deep, it adds a certain flavor to the game that other RPGs in the same category do not present.

6- Soundtrack. All real gamers out there know that the soundtracks are important as they are the best way to enhance the atmosphere and the sensation a game is offering. This one hits the spot just right, having played games for well over 20 years, I have grown resistant to such tricks. Yet, this game broke through my guard and actually touched my soul with the timing and quality of its soundtracks... I am looking at you Awjila


7- Characters... Personally, I somehow got connected to a few characters without realizing... When you actually take a pause in the game and stare at the wall blank for 5 minutes straight, you understand that the game already made a good impression on you with its characters.

8- Opening up: This one is a very, very welcome feature. After playing the game for 10 hours, I thought I saw all the game had to offer, alas, I was mistaken. 15 hours in, a new feature pops up, 20 hours, an expanded game mechanic presents itself, 30 hours, things get slightly chaotic and you realize you are not as safe as you once thought due to certain dynamics changing... The game does a decent job at spicing things up and prevents itself from getting stale quickly.

9- The plot. As of writing this comment, I am far from completing the game, I am probably at around 40-50% mark and I am totally engrossed in the story and I am seriously looking forward to see what happens and how I can affect/change/partake/witness it.

10- Cleopatra...

11- A tiny detail, but I loved the studio behind this work. They are quite open to criticism and they even mock their own past mistakes and choices in their previous installments. They listen to their audience and shape their game based on the gamer profile. This is a magnificent game compared to their previous ones, which are also decent but far from being as good as this one. This already shows that the devs can be reliable and worthy of support.

NEGATIVES
This part has to be clarified as well... As with any game, there HAS TO BE certain drawbacks, anyone who denies it is lying. As much as I love this game, I still find certain parts in need of some polishing.

1 - Overwhelming introduction of mechanics early on. The game has a strong filter early on and tests how willing you are to play the game. In mere minutes, while you are trying to get used to something, game gives you something else to consider straight away. And this happens a bit too rapidly early on and can indeed feel like it is becoming heavy. If you can persist, the waves die down and you can sail in peace as you get familiar with all of them as hours pass away. Still, a bit daunting at first.

2- Certain key properties are not practically accessible... This can be my biggest complaint, something trivial, but with constant repetition that the game includes, it can slowly become tedious. You will want to access a particular component of the game, but you need to make a transition and go through a loading screen to access that one small thing that will probably take a few seconds of your time. You then have to go through the same loading screen again to back at what you were doing... Not a big deal, but stings after awhile.

3- Speaking of repetition... Things will get repetitive, this is probably true for all games out there, but you get to feel it in this game a bit stronger somehow. They are amazing and interesting the first few times, challenging even, yet after awhile, you will feel not that into that particular event and may not wish to participate... Though the rewards are generally satisfying, the amount of time it takes puts it off. Luckily, the game does not bombard you with those, though you will still probably go through a few of them.

4- Refund unlikely due to the amount of hours the game needs for it to totally open up and show you what it has to offer in full detail. This game might not be to the liking of everybody, obviously, so a refund feels like a safe bet. But in this particular case, it may not be a valid option to rely on since the game will still need a lot of your time to expand more and more to give you an even better sense of satisfaction and challenge.

CONSENSUS
It is good. Get it... If still on doubt, wait for sale, then definitely get it, and try to persist through the early game. Although it may be tempting, try to refrain from watching streams or YT videos about the game as it may contain spoilers. You may not wish to ruin the setting for yourself as even some dialogue can give important information regarding the plot and events. Well, I recommend seeing how it unfolds and gets you grasped in its story. If not, well, you can always ignore me and see how the game is from a few sources and decide for yourself of course.

Edit: Corrected typos

I will keep the comments open in case anyone wants to ask a specific detail (I fear I cannot go into much detail if it has to include spoilers from the game) so that I can answer to the best of my abilities.

I did not even think twice when I bought the game. I had enough of the pesky developers that basically rob people of their enthusiasm (and money, of course) followed by little to no support and a toxic attitude to their paying supporters.