If life were a video game, here's my in-progress review
“Rumor has it that the entire game was built from the ground up by a single developer, though that hasn’t been confirmed.”
Overview
Real life is an open world, choice-driven MMORPG roguelite with strong story elements, a diverse range of interesting characters, challenging boss fights and a profound endgame that will leave you both wanting - and never wanting - to play it all over again.
There are a few considerations that may deter some gamers from wanting to try it, but those who can stomach the grind, the challenging quests and the (sometimes) toxic lobbies are in for an unforgettable gaming experience with an unprecedented level of depth in both story and presentation.
Where the game really shines (the details)
Presentation and performance
Rumor has it that the entire game was built from the ground up by a single developer, though that hasn’t been confirmed. We haven’t had much of a behind-the-scenes look.
Either way, the developer(s) are using a proprietary engine here and what they’ve accomplished is nothing short of spectacular. From the graphics and level design to the lighting, dynamic weather, day/night cycles, changing seasons, memorable characters with their own backstories, and interesting POIs - there’s no other game out there with this level of detail. And it’s here, in the little things, where the player experience shines the most.
The sound design also boasts the same level of intricacy. Even without headphones, the sounds are layered in a way that make each element come across as distinct, while blending together naturally into a cohesive soundscape (albeit a sometimes loud one). The customizable soundtrack is also a nice touch, allowing you to choose from an endless library of music to accompany your adventures at virtually any time. During my playthrough, I’ve had a few moments where just the right song played at just the right time, and these moments were genuinely enhanced because of it.
And it all runs smoothly, for the most part. With over 354,780 hours played thus far on a serviceable rig, I’ve seen a handful of minor glitches and bugs, but none that disrupt the gameplay in any meaningful way. Frames are smooth and there’s virtually no pop-in even when moving through some of the map’s densest areas.
However, they did release a massive update in 2012, discontinuing physical copies and forcing players online even when in single-player mode. This completely broke the game for some, while enabling a whole new wave of problems unique to the now completely-online environment (unofficial mods, cheating, hackers, toxic lobbies, unstable connections, etc). They’ve since won back the community with several free DLC releases, but us old heads can’t help but feel like it’s just not quite the same.
Gameplay
Once your player is created and you go through the (rather long) tutorial, the map opens up and the real game loop begins. Overall, you’re in for a nice balance between platforming, exploration, choice dialogue, side quests, some combat and survival horror, with dramatic cut scenes sprinkled in across the bigger story moments.
Customization options are limitless and the RPG elements offer a dynamic but amazingly consistent skill tree structure. It can be a little confusing at first in terms of where to invest the XP you earn, but the more you play the more you start to understand which skills to upgrade based on how you want to approach the game.
The role-playing itself is deeply layered, allowing you to take on almost any role within the living and breathing world. Just be careful, as the choices you make, including the skills you choose to level up, come with lengthy grind sessions and meaningful consequences through the game’s punishing, micro-managerial reputation system. Every choice matters, and the fact that Permadeath is the only game mode offered might make the game overwhelming for many, even with the thorough tutorial.
While the nearly-infinite, procedurally-generated map operates as an open world, there are tons of diverse and highly-detailed levels and dungeons to explore therein. By land, air or sea, you are free to explore pretty much anywhere given you’ve leveled up the right skills, have the right access and have the appropriate gear equipped.
There are many POIs on the map that are some of the most beautiful you’ll ever see. It’s worth exploring as much of it as you can. There’s almost always good loot, a rewarding story moment and/or at the very least, the chance to soak in something new.
Story and characters
With such depth in the dialogue trees and choice-driven outcomes, it’s difficult to dive into a story that 1) will be different for everyone and 2) is still unfolding for me. Plus, I don’t want to spoil anything. I can say that it gets better as it goes on and that it’s worth sticking around to see how it unfolds for your character.
The NPCs you’ll run into along the way are diverse and interesting, each with their own backstories and routines that play out in real-time just as you play. Interactions can be approached in a number of ways, and each choice you make, each line of dialogue matters in how the overall story plays out.
Some interactions will unlock quests for you to take on, some may have romance storylines, some chance encounters can end up being the most memorable, some you may want to stay away from altogether (more on that later). All in all, for the most part, they each offer something unique and net positive for the overall experience.
Where the game kinda sucks (the games within the game)
Given the dynamism of the gameplay, each player is going to have their own take on this, but there are a few clear areas that may detract some players from wanting to try it.
The commitment
This isn’t some 20-hour single-player adventure. Getting the most out of the game requires a serious time and effort commitment (almost all of it). Even with how rewarding the game can be, casual gamers may be hesitant to jump in. But trust, once the hooks are in, you’ll be grinding non-stop and loving every level-up along the way.
Side quests and tasking
The reward system isn’t as instantaneous as we’ve come to expect from other open-world adventures. Here the main story quests are broken up into several side quests, which are broken up into several tasks, which often leaves the player confused about what the main objectives even are in the first place.
Players expecting to find a legendary Greatsword by chance in an early-stage dungeon should recalibrate expectations. Sure, the Greatsword can be obtained, but only through completing a long string of seemingly disparate and often arduous tasks. For some, the juice may not be worth the squeeze, and thus they’ll end up missing out on the endgame where the real rewards lie.
Menus and inventory management
Menus inside menus inside menus. Everything’s intuitive for the most part, but between the skill tree, gear upgrades/customization, base-building, social settings, the map, quest tracking and everything else - simply put: it’s a lot to manage, and it’s often difficult to find what you’re looking for when you need it.
Pay to play
The game is technically free to play, but you’ll be bombarded with constant microtransaction pop-ups and intrusive ads around nearly every corner. The only way to remove them is with a paid subscription.
And many of those microtransactions do provide a real advantage over other players. It often seems like the best-equipped players are simply the ones whose parents have the most coins to spend.
It’s nice that the game is constantly adding new content, and you can earn currency through quests and XP. Still, it’s hard not to roll your eyes when you run into an obnoxious player sporting high-tier loot they clearly didn’t earn.
Toxic player community
There are countless ways to interact with the community, including proximity chat. That can be a good thing, but it can also come with serious social baggage.
The system they use to report and ban players is inconsistent at best, so you’re left with lots of lurking cheaters (aim assist, wall-hacking, you name it), toxic players looking for clips/attention and players with nothing better to do than to troll other players.
And the game’s official Discord server is even more monstrous. Don’t even bother trying to find squad mates or walkthrough guides here. I can’t tell what’s worse, the content or the moderation of the content.
This isn’t necessarily the game’s fault, but for a game based on choices and consequences, this is a real deterrent for players who are looking for a more chill experience.
Now, you can choose to appear offline and virtually play the entire game solo, but that comes with its own drawbacks and you won’t make much progress through the story playing this way.
In-progress verdict
All of the aforementioned positives that this game brings to the table combine to facilitate the most consistently immersive and memorable gaming experience that’s ever been created. That’s not an overstatement. There are story moments throughout that will make you cry, scream, belly laugh, jump for joy and everything in between.
The developer(s) clearly put a lot of time and effort into making a living, breathing world that is as deep and detailed as it is wide and sprawling. For better or worse, you will be fully immersed in even the smallest of tasks to the point of it almost being too overwhelming.
You could argue that it’s not for everyone, that the player community is toxic and that the investment isn’t worth the payoff. But in my opinion, if it’s between this and GTA VI, you’ll get much more for your $80 playing this instead.
Admittedly, I’ll be playing both.
8/10.
I’ll give you a final verdict one I finish the main story. Well, a little before.
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