RANKING:
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AVOID | FLAWED | MAYBE | WORTHWHILE | COMPELLING | UNMISSABLE
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SYNOPSIS:
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WHAT TO EXPECT:[/th]
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The Pit 2 (TP2) follows on from the feature-packed original. A remake of a traditional roguelike, set in the Sword of the Stars universe. With familiar selectable classes, 20x floors to explore and scavenge for a large selection of weapons and inventory. Fight an updated roster of enemies in turn-based combat. Craft numerous items from recipes. Hack terminals to discover lore and better formulate a plan to reach the bottom of The Pit and escape or fail miserably countless times
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STATUS:[/td]
[td]Currently in early access for up to 6 months. Being slowly updated with careful attention paid to game experience
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BEST FIT:[/td]
[td]For fans of very tough roguelikes or those who enjoyed the original but desire different gameplay
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REVIEWED USING:[/td]
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Intel i5 6600 3.3GHz, 8GB RAM, GTX970 @ 4GB 1400x900 windowed, EVO850 SSD
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More info below....https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2835711575
BREAKDOWN:
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GAME WORLD:[/td]
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+ Huge amount of gameplay mechanics allowing character to shoot and reload weapons, craft items and; cook and eat food, disarm traps, pick locks, heal or cure conditions, repair items, upgrade equipment and much more
+ Lots of different rooms to explore Including new bio domes
* Try to complete runs of 20x levels by exploring, surviving and plundering
- Floors are filled with fewer containers to interact with resulting in less opportunities to find items
- Character conditions such as contamination and diseases from enemy attacks almost always occur on the first action of an encounter. Then tend to climb upwards fast, but go down a lot slower
- RNG seems geared against the player even with good stats. Rolls tend to fail a lot
- *NEW* 3D GUI interface feels clunky
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COMBAT:[/td]
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+ *NEW* Hero-class enemies and additional mini-boss encounters increase diversity of encounters
+ *NEW* Ballistic firearms have a burst or single fire selector switch that can be changed on the fly
- Situational overview is less effective because of the combination of new perspective and line-of-sight changes. Sometimes the camera and lack of lighting add to the impact
- *NEW* The use of the shift-key to orient the character's line-of-sight is required to actually see enemies in close proximity
- The combination of enemy numbers and AI can have the character swarmed very quickly
- *NEW* Minor GUI issues: multiple enemies can occupy the same tile affecting targeting, some mouse clicks do not register in windowed mode
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CHARACTER CUSTOMISATION:[/td]
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+ *NEW* Every few levels the choice of three abilities to train in can be chosen, that augment skills or actions
+ *NEW* Stealth skill determines how successful the character is at remaining unheard as they explore
+ *NEW* Small boosts are given to skills used on failed attempts
* The original five starting classes from the original base game are available: Marine, Medic, Engineer, Scout and Sargent (Marine variant)
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CRAFTING & INVENTORY:[/td]
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+ Huge inventory of 150+ items to discover
+ Huge range of items that cannot be picked up can be crafted from many ingredients
+ *NEW* Crafting components can used to create basic items
+ *NEW* Basic recipes can now be crafted without a workbench or tool
+ *NEW* Unwanted Items can be disassembled into components and used to craft new ones
+ *NEW* Stolen inventory is easier to relocate as it is shown on screen next to the thief
- Armour and weapon drops affected by a RNG bias
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MISC:[/td]
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* Better organised GUI, crammed full of a lot more information, with lots of tool-tips
* Steam supports: overlay and cloud saving. Achievements are pencilled in for a future update
* Value for money is fair. There will be a nominal price rise it leaves EA.
- Two crashes happened on an earlier build. None on current version.
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[/table]
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2835695844
OBSERVATIONS:
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THE EXPERIENCE[/td]
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ːfssnipeː Due to the change of visual perspective and some optimisation issues (or my specs), gameplay lacks the feel and flow of the original. There is a slight if noticeable clunkiness to interaction with the GUI.
ːfssnipeː The huge host of tactical actions that made gameplay satisfying are back. This time with many refinements that make playing TP2 better than before. The new stealth skill for instance, expands the challenge and the strategizing needed to progress.
ːfssnipeː Combat does not possess the same level of immersion. Changes to line-of-sight, the GUI and camera zoom/angle detract from the situational overview the original granted. That version allowed for prompt tactical decisions to be made, unlike now where the character is likely to be swarmed and overwhelmed.
ːfssnipeː The same wonderfully vast inventory of the original returns, with its class based drop patterns that restrict what can be found on a run. RNG biased success rolls also favour the failing of opening containers. Making a bit part of the appeal of the run a foregone conclusion. When drops do happen they seem to be the worst possible one; ammo instead of a firearms or bio mods instead of armour. Even with a good foraging skill.
ːfssnipeː The crafting system has been enhanced with some very welcome tweaks, making it more efficient to use. The ability to disassemble items for their ingredients, delivers the freedom to make life-saving items from scratch when in a tight spot. Even without the need for tools or worktops.
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BALANCE vs DIFFICULTY[/td]
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ːfssnipeː TP2 retains the difficulty of a roguelike that favours the restriction of drops and roll failures. Apparent RNG bias casts its shadow over gameplay, tilting the balance of towards hindrance to beef up the challenge. A sign the paradigm remains one of frustrating the player, rather than giving them the pleasure of equipping them to face the challenge ahead.
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REPLAYABILITY vs LONGEVITY[/td]
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ːfssnipeː Just like the original, TP2 is made to be very replayable. While not quite up to the level of the Gold version, the design already demonstrates the scale and scope to play 100s of hours. The variety of enemies and inventory feels deliberately constricted to ensure a steady cone of experience as progress is made through a run. As it was in the original. However, the game world feels somewhat on rails and lacks true dynamicity in its generation.
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[td]For more info on
BREAKDOWNS & OBSERVATIONS check out this link:[/td]
[td]
[/td]
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https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2835698144
VERDICT:
The Pit 2 is a promising sequel that returns to its roots, with many tweaks that increase the scope of gameplay and/or make for a better experience. The changes from 2D to 3D and line-of-sight reduce the situational overview, affecting the experience detrimentally. There also remains significant RNG bias on rolls and drops.
It may lack some of the charm of the original, but even in EA there are signs it will eventually become a tough and
WORTHWHILE roguelike like its predecessor.
Thank you for reading. | Follow my curator here. | Key provided by Turn-Based Tactics
