Review by John Hellier
So, UnExplored -Unlocked Edition, I sense you and I are not
going to be friends. I think it’s a conflict of interests and opinions, namely
what our opinion is of a good game. Now from that opening I’m pretty sure you
can guess my opinion of UnExplored from the get go, but let me go in to the
reasons why once I get past the typical reviewer fluff. UnExplored is a top
down fantasy RPG/Roguelike from Ludomotion. There, that’s enough of that, time
to get to work.
First let me say that I appear to be in the minority, as other reviewers seem to like this game, but unfortunately this is my review and I definitely don’t. Like I said it’s probably me, if you’ve seen my past reviews you know what I like, and if you haven’t then go catch up, I will wait.
Back? Good, let’s continue. First, on the block are the menus. UnExplored (that’s it game, that’s the last time I go with your silly capital E) has a massive enthusiasm for menus. From the very start of the game, the devs seem to have picked the tiniest, most squint-inducing font to use, which wouldn’t have been so bad if there weren’t a million things to convey. This goes for in-game options too, trying to figure out how to check items and equipment is an unannounced eye test. Which brings us neatly on to my next gripe, controls.
Image not recovered: UnExplored. Archived image reference
I’m sure, like with every control system, that with enough
repetition you get used to it. However, the need for all the unnecessary button
pushes to navigate your inventory seems designed to cause an aneurism. This
combined with the tiny font of the explanation
prompts at the bottom of the screen means I had no inclination to play
for the hypothetical amount of time to adjust. On more occasions then I can
count did I randomly drop items while trying to get out of a menu. This is
counteracted somewhat by the gameplay itself however, which uses no buttons.
Combat is a strange affair, where you don’t so much swing
swords one such, you joust with them. This being a twin stick stabber of sorts,
one stick controlling your movement, the other which way you are facing. OK
technically you can do a slightly more damaging attack with a lunge, but this
is often more of a hindrance than a help. After each successful poke your
weapon has a weird cooldown so if said attack didn’t kill the enemy in question
you get to stand around dumbstruck for a second whilst you… You know what, I
can’t even think of a logical reason for that cooldown. You can also get the
standard fantasy range of weapons, all of which handle about as well as you
would expect. Why does the axe attack spin me around in a circle? What possible
situation would a pirouette make sense in combat?
Graphically the game is quite interesting (hah! Bet you didn’t see a compliment coming) in so much as it has a craft paper, d&d style vibe going on. No high-end textures and cutting edge modelling here, which to the game’s credit it pulls of reasonably well. I say reasonably because a little more effort could have gone into it, having weapons be represented by diamonds is more than a little lazy. Enemies too have this cutout look to them, all flat and monotone with limited animation. This, of course, is a double-edged sword, as half the time you can’t really tell what it is you are trying to poke out of existence.
Image not recovered: UnExplored. Archived image reference
Now on the topic of graphics, I’d like to ask the creators a
serious question. When designing a shape to represent your character, you made
a blob to resemble the top of a head of hair, and some accompanying shoulders.
Fine, but whose idea was it to put an eyeball on the top of the head, and have
they since been sectioned? Honestly, this goes beyond immersion breaking and
straight to stupid central. With the limited visuals you paint in details for
yourself, which is immediately shattered when the thing on your head, which
your brain filled in as a hat, blinks!
Now I could go on some more, about how the roguelike element
is completely unexplained, or how every potion and magic spell you pick up
needs to be identified, so you never wish to try them in case what you hoped
was a healing draught turned out to be a poison, or worse the spell you
randomly cast turned out to be a one use identify scroll. But I think you get
the picture by now, and my legs getting tired from the constant kicking.
So should you buy Unexplored? Well if you are me then no,
but then again I have strange tastes. If you like d&d and fantasy, and you
have a patience span long enough to get in to the game, then go for it, and God
bless you for being a stronger gamer than I.
Overall Score – 3/10
Aesthetically intriguing, but let down by being harder to
get in to than a nuns knickers
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