u/billystein25

Hello everyone! After 108 hours according to steam I have finished almost everything the game has to offer, only excluding some scans and cosmetics. So I have finished the story, gotten all the achievements, finished level 20 in the expeditions, and I'm writing this right after finishing the DLC.

Honestly? This game is a gem. The environments are pretty to look at and vary enough to keep me engaged even after over 100 hours. The different anomalies and terrains make every junction a challenge to navigate that actually rewards you for planning ahead and reacting accordingly. The car feels great to control and honestly you grow quite attached to your remnant. The story isn't anything special but it is still enjoyable to follow and I think the conclusion was satisfying enough. However this isn't a game I'd recommend for the story, it's the gameplay that makes this all special. And of course the music, both the ost and the licensed tracks are amazing.

I genuinely believe that the expeditions are the best part about the game. Base game on the default difficulty is frankly really easy; and I don't see how changing some numbers would make the game more challenging without just making it a chore. This gamemode actually forced me to think differently about how I approach each junction. The unrestricted parts are a necessity that made me consider risking staying in the zone longer to get the payloads. The liberator went from a tool I never used to something I brought always with me in the mid game to get offroad tires early since I could only afford spare tires. My only gripe is I wish it had a bit of a story. Not in the same caliber as the main game or the DLC, just an excuse to keep tackling higher and higher levels, other than the love of the game.

Going into the DLC I was quite skeptical due to the mixed reviews. At first I could not tell what everyone was talking about. The aesthetics are phenomenal, the new anomalies look super cool, the new mechanics are fun to adapt to, the storm replacement is much more engaging than the regular one. I read a review saying that on tape 6 is when the game gets super grindy and honestly... I can see where they were coming from, but I disagree. I didn't have a lot of rippling quartz for the build I had in mind and it only took be a couple of runs to gather enough, which was a bit over an hour. I would never call this grindy. And sure, I couldn't get a full harmonic build and I still don't have the resources for that but also I didn't need to and the game didn't force me to. The story of the DLC is cool, though I was actually more engaged in the main story, which I think is the opposite of most people.

However, despite my praises I do have my gripes with the DLC. I'm not a huge fan of the way the refinery works. If it was the only time based mechanic in the game I'd honestly be cool with it, but the base game already has the matter regenerator, which I think does a much better job of implementing such a mechanic. Just going through a short trip guarantees that the regenerator has done its job, but with the refinery it's honestly a toss up how many resources you will have generated while you were away. My second gripe is the fact that the artifact nullifier doesn't work in the tape routes. Usually the game does a really good job of rewarding you for planning your trips and being prepared. Realizing that the nullifier doesn't work on tape routes, honestly just feels like the game punishes you for trying to use the mechanics it provided you. And lastly, bugs. Well, one bug. The game already had a small bug that would cause the car to sink in on itself and the get jump back up. If there was a mechanic in the zone I would like to have my suspension checked. This rarely caused any issues and honestly it's a bit funny when it happens. But for some reason, in the DLC and only in the DLC there was a bug where whenever I would try to use the warping functionality of the car, it would teleport, and then it'd immediately get launched into the air and land 100 or so meters away. And that's if it didn't roll off a hill next to the 3 Maws that were chasing me, after which I somehow got stuck next to a tree and couldn't move (thankfully reloading fixed that and I was able to recover). Incredible design by the way, the Maw. Seeing that thing for the first time, I genuinely froze like a deer in headlights.

Overall? Yeah, I love this game. It honestly makes it to my list of top 10 games of all time. It definitely isn't a game for everyone, but it's unlike anything I've played before. To the devs, congratulations, you made something amazing, all be it with a few rough edges.

Also yes, this is a full olympium car.

Show me your OCs and I will draw some of my favorites

After 108 hours I have done everything the game has to offer and I'd like to share my thoughts.