Conglomerate 451: Video Game Overview

We have already seen the game in the Spirit Wizardry And Eye of the Beholder (that is, Oldskul Dungeon Crawler), but on modern way, without elves and orcs – for example, action Vaporum Deployed in the world width. The authors Conglomerate 451 Let’s go further – here we have a distant future and cyberpunk, and we manage not by one detachment, but a whole agency where such detachments can be cloned with packs. What came out of this?

Wizardry plus XCOM?

So, we are led by a special government agency entrusted to return control over the sector 451 in the city of Conglomerate, where the war is coming between corporations. To do this, you need to perform missions, the victory in which reduces the influence of the “corporates”, and the defeat, on the contrary, increases or return to the previous level.

Much in this scheme reminds XCOM. On the basis of the agency, we not only recruit, equip and pump fighters, but also treat them in the medical center, as well as research technologies in the Scientific Department. There are many technologies – there are military, cybernetic, medical and others. True, they arrange enough primitively – open a new one, we reduce the cost of study, increase efficiency. However, here we do not Civilization. There is also the office of the director, the archive and even a cybercladbishche where you can remember the dead fighters.

War of clones

As I said, we do not recruit, but cloning the wards of different classes. Soldier, engineer, hunter, genetics, chemist, lazutchik – what these and other specialists will be depends on the player. When creating a clone, we ourselves choose a set of skills and even (after complying with a number of conditions and study of the relevant technologies) edit DNA – you can add not ordinary, and mutating cells that give certain bonuses.

That is, the same soldier or engineer may have different abilities and mutations. Add here the need to modify the weapons, insert upgrades into the equipment, and in the head, the hands-legs and the body of fighters – cyberprothesis and implants of different levels of quality (again you have to study technologies to access the coolest), and you will get a fairly large space for experiments.How in such a game without neon?
In addition, as it participates in battles, the clone independently acquires some features – both positive and negative. Or he will receive an injury that will not be able to cure in the medical center – after each of such an injury there is a certain chance to completely avoid consequences.

However, it is not necessary to overestimate the role of the same mutations, cyberprothesis and upgrades of equipment – no abilities do not change dramatically, but simply add a little percent to damage, protection, initiative, and so on (depending on type), and some parameters can slightly reduce.

Cloned boredom

This, however, are little things – as well as a rustic technological tree in its essence. Much worse what Conglomerate 451 – Very boring and monotonous game. Naturally, no strategic depth, comparable to what we have seen on a global map in XCOM, and speech can not. And it is also not scary – it is clear that in front of us “Rogalik” with elements of the strategy, and not the opposite.

Another thing is that with this situation it was necessary to make a more intelligible, staged and intriguing plot. In Iksky, it was also particularly not particularly, but there it was more than compensated by fascinating strategic exercises on a global map and tactical – on rough terrain.Sometimes you need to do something for allocated time.
Here all the missions are the same (kill them all, find a subject or information), they pass in the same areas, and the pumping of fighters and the accumulation of resources go so slowly that returning to the same scenery (procedural generation does not change them seriously) It is necessary very, very often.

At the same time, the movement and battles decorated in the classic “Vizard” style (walking on hexam, eye view, each of the three members of the party uses the skills when we click on enemies or allies), go so slowly, and our wards canso often smearing, having done in one or another part of the body that after some time I want to be just walked. The battles seem to go according to the rules of the genre, but they are too sluggish and boring – both in the enemies, and we have very slow shields, the pain and intoxication will dig up before you begin to fall. But example THE BARD’S TALE IV proved that the old school combat mechanics can be revived by interesting ideas.

Grind, Grind and again Grind

Yes, there are hacker mini-games on hacking some doors and terminals (though they are always repeated). Periodically, we charge a special secret mission you need to perform for allocated time. Or shown in news, as people gather on rallies in support of the idea that governments do not really exist, – this is naturally worried about the bosses and seem to support any story-in. There are random events – for example, we are reported that witches came to the agency with meters, ready for the fee to curse our enemies. Funny, although falls out of the general style and happens on big holidays. With us, it is still constantly chatting (and sometimes something scans something) AI, but her jokes are frankly unsuccessful and stretched.

That is, all this can slightly revive what is happening, but not able to seriously reduce the overall level of monotony. In addition, opponents after some time (the whole game is broken on weeks) sharply and unreasonably become stronger – in view of the same in the same missions of the same level of complexity. It seems to be good – stimulates more actively to make a party, play with implants / upgrades / classes. But in fact, there are no special flexibility here and you do not care, no matter how cool, I am waiting for Grind, Grind and once again Grind. It is necessary to start the mission not closer to the main goal, and on the outskirts to collect resources and experience – and this only strengthens the monotony and routine.

Effects in battles a lot, but the graph is medium.
***
In vain authors Conglomerate 451 started playing with mechanics XCOM. And in vain at all did “Rogalik”. It would be better to give us the story RPG in the Spirit Wizardry, only with modern graphics and the world cyberpunk. That is, would go along the way Legend of Grimrock – Remember her the second part, where there were unique locations, unexpected situations, riddles and traps. And here instead of solid grind and monotony.

Pros: Well-worked Cyberpunk Setting;Many different mechanics and possibilities for pumping, improving and setting fighters and their equipment.

Minuses: The plot is only the background;Very dull and monotonous gameplay, focused on permanent grind;annoying, repeating music.