Loopbound

This is a very preliminary review as the game is in early access and I have only played a couple of hours so far. However, I am currently very excited about this game and looking forward to see more of it and what it grows into.

If you have played and enjoyed games like Increlution or Terraformental this game is right up your alley. It has similar mechanics but with a bit more polish and (so far) a very interesting story.

I find the automation system to be just about perfect. In other similar games (Increlution for example) you had to do too many steps manually before you could automate the process. This caused the repeated early game to turn into a slog at times. So far Loopbound has done an excellent job of pacing the automation upgrades so that I feel involved in the game but not bogged down.

I am also very intrigued by the non-linear exploration opportunities. This is very exciting as it allows for a genuine sense of discovery as well as opportunities for optimization later once more of the game has been revealed.

Since this is a preliminary review I plan to update it as I spend more time with the game.

Currently, I only have 1 criticism of the game. I am playing on a widescreen monitor with a lot of unused space. It would be nice if the Tasks screen and the Chronicles screen could be displayed at the same time. However, this is a minor nitpick.

Any time you go to a new area, you start over from scratch. It doesn't feel like a game, but a bunch of completely disjointed copies of the same game. Absolutely 100% the most frustrating and unsatisfying game I have ever played.

1/5 - Please, just stop. The games don't need to be prolonged unnecessarily. They need to be fun. You know, a GAME.

I'm a lot further into it. It does get better, but it takes a good while to reach that point, and even then it is too little too late. Giving this game a +1 point boost. I still don't recommend it as it is, but it is in early access and has potential.