
A stunning aesthetic and perfectly complementary soundtrack are the icing on the cake, only occasionally marred by unfortunate technical difficulties. Sacrificing warriors to boost the stats of other units proves a compelling and flexible mechanic, while the combat encounters ramp up in difficulty at mostly the right pace. While they share plenty of the same DNA, Othercide is much more than simply XCOM in eyeliner. Push Square - John Cal McCormick - 8 / 10 Othercide is far more than just a striking art style and everyone should give one of the most unique games of the year a shot. Its haunting world and grotesque creature design cement themselves as some of the best in gothic horror, whilst the unique, timeline-based combat provides a twist on traditional tactical games. Othercide is the most pristine AA game I have played. PlayStation Universe - Joe Apsey - 8.5 / 10 The game's roguelite concepts are more than welcome, though repetition and restarts, combined with the genre's slower progression and mission system, will make playthroughs feel like time-consuming affairs. Unfortunately, it's also got a ridiculous degree of difficulty that you normally don't associate with the turn-based strategy genre. Othercide has a number of interesting quirks and its art design, with gothic and noir elements, creates a uniquely forboding atmosphere.

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Othercide is a tactical roguelike with a flair for the dramatic, full of satisfying combat, careful planning, and sometimes heart-rending decisions.Īn impressively original take on XCOM style turn-based strategy that gains in depth and versatility what it loses in accessibility, with some of the best boss encounters of the year. Othercide blends beloved elements of turn-based strategy with its own unique brand of style and gameplay. Othercide deserves more respect than that. Whatever you do, don't go in expecting to play a straightforward XCOM-clone. Othercide is damn hard, but if you can push through and find your feet, it's also an incredibly satisfying and atmospheric experience. Lightbulb Crew have crafted a gem that will shine brightly as one of the genre’s most innovative and addictive exponents. I wanted to like Othercide much more than I did. The voiceover work will quickly annoy you and the difficulty is unfair, but there is still a bit to enjoy here, assuming you can ignore some of Othercide's shortcomings. Its art style may be beautiful, but it doesn’t make playing the game any more enjoyable.Ī combat system that's deeper than it first appears is the real star here, but you'll likely also stick around for the perverse and disturbing universe and the story that plays out within it.

Ultimately, Othercide has its moments but its core gameplay is so repetitive that, even with its turn-pushing twist, you’ll have to fight the grind to get any fun out of it. Othercide does not skimp on the hours it will take to complete, and the interruption mechanics are rewarding, but without any characters, hook or impetus to work through the difficulty, it became little more than a sequence of creepy battles, that are going to be far too hard for most people to progress through. So much potential that's regrettably not well utilised. The presentation and atmosphere on offer are fantastic, but Othercide's gameplay sadly cannot match.
