That looks just as incoherent as the first game.
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Hey, how cool was that save room?
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by the way I consider this my best thread title, maybe ever
also I am hell of excited for the second one of this. now that Iāve played it myself and can see itās not as milquetoast as reviewers made it out to be
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Turns out the director of this sequel is responsible for the Kidman-themed expansions, Mikami is producing. It could work, I was surprised at how solidly those two held up despite the stealth focus.
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When the boxart for this game is 15 feet talll it looks really good.
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that new stuff is very decidedly my style dracko thank you for keeping me well abreast of it
does the original get any better after the first hour or so? not hugely into the janky stealth
yes
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Played about first three hours. So far:
- I am not sure if thatās just the beginning parts, but the stages are more hub-like. Thereās āsidequestsā to check out, areas to investigate for supplies and so on. Thereās crafting too, but even though I think itās stupid in most games, I donāt mind it in survival horror games. After all, itās not like thereās a fully functioning economy anyway.
- Art design is gorgeous, some really breath-taking macabre visuals on display here. A little bit too overdesigned maybe in comparison to something like Silent Hill or Siren, maybe, but yeah.
- Mechanically feels pretty much like the first game, no real changes there. Headshots are as satisfying.
- On Nightmare at least, it seems itās pretty much stealth or go home in the beginning. A normal mook in the beginning can take you down in 2-3 hits, and once they get close, it is very hard to keep them from striking 2-3 hits in succession.
- Because of the stealth and open areas, reminds me of Siren games a little bit. Plenty of moments where Iām like āwell, Iād like to check that area out, but seems dangerous, maybe laterā, although I think the generosity of autosaves sort of mitigates that feeling.
- I think the exposition is a bit too much. I guess they took the criticism of the first game into consideration, but I actually liked how disjointed and strange the first game was. Here it seems they are trying to make it more cohesive. Maybe, Iām very early stages of the game, so who knows.
I have an inkling that it wonāt touch the genre classics, but it is pretty good, especially if youāre a fan of horror games.
Over 5 hours in and still in the initial hub area and very slowly working my way through the town, building by building. Iām probably going a little too slow because I was scarred as a child after getting through a survival horror game and not having enough supplies to beat a boss. I know survival horror games are designed to avoid that experience now but the old habits die hard.
Union hasnāt been described as a ātrueā open world but itās large enough in my estimation to count as such. Itās meticulously crafted and random enough to always sustain a level of suspense that these games require. Iām at work now, so I canāt go into too much detail but I think itās sort of a minor masterpiece? I might eat those words later on but itās really impressing me thus far. I kinda thought this would be a game the forum would gather around to discuss but I guess not? Maybe once it goes on sale I guess.
I loved the first one but I didnāt even know this one was out
I think the stealth is also good mainly because thereās no minimap or detective vision, so you have to actually keep observing the surroundings carefully, even though the monsters keep to their patrol routes mostly.
Exploration is really nice. I am also going building by building. I think, on Nightmare itās probably warranted on first playthrough, since never know when you find yourself in a situation where youāre surrounded, and then every bullet counts.
Also not sure if the keyboard is bugged or I have to keep holding down the A and D buttons instead of rapidly pressing them, but enemy grabbing me has resulted in instant death so far.
I should probably be playing on nightmare difficulty as I keep finding various health and ammo pickups that I canāt use because my inventory is limited at this point in the game.
I also like a minimal stealth system without any detective vision or crutches to lean on. It gives the whole experience an organic feel because the only option available is to run and hide in the bushes.
I remember thinking early in the game that It would be truly special if each interior area was some sort of weird set piece, so I was pleased when the game introduced the inexplicable āblueā moments. I usually get frightened and sprint in the opposite direction though when it happens.
Iām going VERY slowly and have only explored maybe 30% of the first area, but so far at least most areas or alleyways have their own mini situation to deal with. I constantly make note of my surroundings so that if anything unexpected happens, I know where to run to or hide at, but I also enjoy visualizing and building expectations in regards to what sort of script will be triggered once I complete a certain action, and prepare (mentally) in advance. On Nightmare itās pretty crucial that you do this because unexpected surprises can end quickly and lethally.
As to blue moments, I think I only had one so far, but if you mean the blue moment in the red train for example,
I got the impression that it was triggered by a trapwire? Or was the camera on a tripod a cue for it? I saw something similar somewhere else, but didnāt feel like crossing it at the time.
There was one moment where my exit path was blocked by two monsters patrolling it, each going in opposite direction but for both one end of their patrol path ended at my exit path. So the best way to deal with it was to wait until they walk in opposite directions. However, I could not see from my location when one of them was at the end point of his patrol, so that Iād be safe if I went around the corner and stealth killed him. However, I noticed that they make more abrupt and louder screeches when they are at the end of their patrol route, so I used the audio cue instead of visual evidence for planning my move. Very cool!