(My 5-star review on Scav prototype)
Dear Orsoniks,
I love this game!
As a Rain World fan, I love games that immerse players in their digital yet lifelike world, and Scav Prototype nails it perfectly. There are many in-depth details regarding the mechanics and effects/Moodles; some are intertwined, and some are catalysts, it's amazing! I love the attention to detail and the grit, the struggle just to survive another day. The suffering you, your Scavenger, or the environment can cause is diabolical and it makes your Scavenger that much more living. That brings me to my next point: The virtues you go through.
As you go through your "Experiment", your Scavenger will suffer from something: a lofty fall, a Bear Trap, a life-threatening infection, starvation/dehydration, you name it. Once you've accumulated optimal knowledge of the game, you'll be able to identify threats and understand how to resolve the problem(s). Although experience won't make these painful instances much easier to deal with, you'll be able to fix it. This combined with how your Scavenger is bristling with life causes a bond to be formed with him, it even makes you behave like any other creature running on pure instinct. (That's another thing: this game doesn't force you to act in such a way; no game mechanics or story that deliberately does.) This bond combined with animalistic behaviours tends to have you scrambling to save your precious boy from death, no matter how bleak and/or depressing their situation is. (Even when death is certain, it is always a slow death, which adds to the brutality of this.)
I will say that there is a lack of biodiversity and ecology in the game's environment; almost all predatory fauna's aggression is reserved specifically for you, the Scavenger, meaning no fight for dominance or territory in the ecosystem. However, the game's version-on-release is simply a proof of concept, not even a beta, so don't go prattling about what and how much is missing because of mere impatience, though this is beside the point. Even with such qualities missing, it hasn't done anything to harm my experience and I love it dearly. You've made a game that, in my opinion, could thwart Shakespeare's work, and this is just on release!
I look forward to seeing whatever you have in store for the game's future and I will cherish this masterpiece 'till the end of my days. Definitely worth playing!
Sincerely,
Tristan Yip
