Like the cover issue, these are things that can potentially be fixed and doing so would certainly elevate Encased. Another idiot used a flamethrower on a foe that was surrounded by his fellow settlement guards, setting fire to them all. I witnessed a gun-toting, allied NPC walk right up to six cockroaches, blasting them at close range, then getting gnawed to death on the next round. Could I shoot at them? Nope, I didn’t have line of fire.Īnd while your foes are pleasingly challenging, every now and then you’ll be fighting alongside NPCs you don’t control and their battle tactics need a little work.
But on several occasions I had my line of fire blocked by an item I could clearly see over one ridiculous fight saw me stand on one side of a car bonnet, an enemy on the other. Developer Dark Crystal Games confirmed to me it should take object height into account (and it does factor in ground height). The cover system, however, can be a little flaky. I also appreciate being able to swap weapons without being charged action points for it.
#Encased a sci fi post apocalyptic rpg series
Encased doesn’t coddle you like the Fallout series you can end up seriously outclassed and that’s fine. The foes you face range from mutated cockroaches through to people who’ve been mentally and/or physically warped by the dome’s anomalies. Yes, you’ll die horribly, but a lot of that is down to getting to fights you’re not prepared for. It’s not that there’s anything awful about the turn-based combat system 75% of the time it feels entirely fair. And that’s where Encased could do with more polish.
The wealth of skills available to you, including a neat stealth system, means you can tackle encounters in your own way, but you’re going to get into a brawl eventually. It’s one thing to watch your words, it’s another to consider just how your failures as a leader will impact them. But I found Encased‘s unfolding story so engaging that I decided I’d rather talk to live people than plunder the corpses of dead ones.Įncased‘s faction system means you’re bound to piss someone off, but what really stands out is how companions (you can have up to two at a time) will get disgruntled each time they “die” in combat. Naturally, a lot of people you meet will end up being shot in the face but the character creation system is flexible enough that you can minimise that and, if you’re willing to spend a ridiculous amount of credits on sleeping darts, avoid murder entirely.Īt the other end of the spectrum, you can murder everyone you encounter, a la Fallout New Vegas, which I was sorely tempted by. A significant chunk of Encased‘s entertainment factor is seeing how individual characters handle it – whether they’re chasing riches, turning to religion, trying to save the world or simply not giving a toss.Įncased is set during the 1970s but the dome is very much its own world, so it has its own aesthetic and an uncharacteristic lack of racism. There’s a massive event which ravages the world beneath the dome, but it doesn’t just wind down there’s the very real possibility it’ll expand to obliterate everything. It’s not post-apocalyptic, it’s mid-apocalyptic.
#Encased a sci fi post apocalyptic rpg full
In fact, Encased is full of similar food-for-thought. The opening chapter lets you put forward a reason for your character’s decision, but I found myself dwelling on what really made them commit to dying under the dome. Sure, the area that Encased takes place in is 30 miles across, but that’s still a small world to end your days in. So your protagonist, and the employees working for the artefact-gathering Cronos corporation, entered knowing they’d spend the rest of their lives in there. What really stands out is that once someone has entered Encased‘s huge dome, they can never leave. The premise alone is hugely intriguing, and I’m not just talking about the existence of a massive desert-spanning dome or the strange anomalous artefacts discovered within. Perhaps it could benefit from some extra polish, but there’s still an awful lot to love in Embraced, a sci-fi turn-based RPG that’s just about to release out of early access on PC. The secret lovechild of Under the Dome and Roadside Picnic, Encased is a flawed gem.
0 kommentar(er)
