Time Played: 22 Hours, mostly as the
Gunner
I have never purchased a Steam Early
Access game as a general precaution. Though I recognize a finished
game is no guarantee of quality, buying a game which advertises
itself as incomplete seems like an unnecessary risk. Yet, early this
year I was convinced by my friends to abandon this position, just
once, to purchase Deep Rock Galactic.
One reason for not purchasing an Early
Access games is possibility they will never be refined and finalized.
Deep Rock Galactic did not have this problem, as it resembled
a finished product even when I purchased it back in February of 2019.
Already packed with glowing reviews, the developers continued to
polish their produce, and plan to continue work on DRG through
mid-2020. Upon releasing Version 1.0 the developer plans to increase
the price. The quality already displayed and the forth coming price
increase incentive interested players purchasing the game now.
In Deep Rock Galactic, the first
game by developer Ghost
Ship Games, the player controls a space dwarf
employed to mine the deadly and diverse planet Hoxxes IV. A coop
game at its core, DRG allows one to four players to venture
out on missions from their home orbital base. Successful missions
last thirty to sixty minutes, and feature five different objectives.
Most missions involve collecting different types of minerals by
digging them out with pick axes, though one requires locating and
squashing a particularly dangerous enemy, called the Dreadnought.
Each assignment offers the opportunity to choose from one of five
different difficulties, and includes random anomalies to benefit the
player, and enemy mutations to make them tougher.
The player selects from one of the four
different classes. Each member offers a unique style of play. Each
wields a pickaxe, main weapon, sidearm, deployable tool, a distinct
means of travel (power drill, grappling gun, platform gun, and
zipline gun), armor, and a selection of grenades. Each class
performs a different role in a mission, and though playing with fewer
than a full squad is fine, the versatility of a complete team
provides a more enjoyable experience.
For example, while all four dwarves
contribute in exploring the tunnels and large caverns that compose
each commission, the Scout and Engineer combo are the most efficient
for exploring and reaching difficult to mine minerals. The Driller
digs short cuts from one large chamber to another, while the Gunner
installs ziplines.
The Gunner's main focus is combat.
Which isn't to say that the other classes lack in firepower. An
insect race, called the Glyphid, attack the dwarves as they search
for pretty gems. The Glyphid love nothing better than rending the
beards of greedy, industrious dwarves. They appear naturally as the
team explores the procedurally generated levels, but every so often,
the game announces the imminent arrival of a swarm. For a few
minutes Glyphids mercilessly assault the dwarves, whose only hope is
to defend the best location they can find. Deep Rock Galactic
is reminiscent of Left 4 Dead, especially when the players
struggle desperately to clear the mob of enemies, while staying
together and alive. Like L4D, DRG includes hordes of
weak enemies (though there is quite a variety of these), with
stronger boss enemies scattered throughout.
Once company has mined the minerals,
they summon the Escape Pod. It can appear anywhere within the
caverns the dwarves have explored, but its location is marked on the
player's map. The party must arrive a the pod within five minutes,
while fighting off a relentless swarm of Glyphids. Any who fall, or
fail to return in time are left behind. The escape is the most
frantic part of DRG, and a real blast, though losing at this
point is disappointing.
Surviving players receive experience
and resources to spend at the Space Rig. Players who didn't return
to the Escape Pod receive no gold, but as long as one team-member
survives they don't suffer a penalty to experience. Experience is
spent to purchase perks and abilities, while cash and resources are
expended to unlock upgrades to weapons and new costumes. Deep
Rock Galactic offers numerous perks and items to upgrade that
even after 22 hours the amount of content to remaining to unlock
boggles the mind. Simultaneously, I have access to the full game,
and don't feel as if I'm locked out of content, or that I have to
grind to unlock something fun. The unlocks are interesting, but DRG
is enjoyable, whether one plays as a level one dwarf, or a hardened
veteran of hundreds of missions.
It would be remiss to not comment
briefly on the terrain itself. Deep Rock Galactic includes a
variety of biomes, each with their own hazards and styles. The
depictions of the caves, their treasures, and defenders, are
glittering, haunting, and delightful. Each area contributes its own
feel to whatever quest the dwarves are engaged in.
In conclusion, Deep Rock Galactic
offers abundant replayability with different classes, missions,
biomes, difficulties, weapons, mutations, and enemies. It's goofy
but deadly, frantic in the midst of a battle, tense when separated
from one's companions, but relaxing when exploring vast glittering
caves and mining them for treasure. It's hectic when fleeing
to the Escape Pod, but immensely rewarding when
rescuing a friend and aiding them as you both climb aboard the Pod
with ten seconds to spare. It can be frustrating when a
level five difficulty swarm wipes the floor with the remains of your
glorious beards, but hey, you choose to put yourself in that level of
danger. And every failure is just a minor impediment to venturing
underground again in search of more loot.
Recent:
Relevant:
Comments
Post a Comment