‘Fallen Earth’ Game Review

The year in the game is 2156 and future has failed to bring a glittery utopia or flying cars. The fragments of the survived humanity overcame nuclear attacks and a dangerous virus and now, they are hanging on the Grand Canyon’s edges with the hope of awakening the civilization or making sure that it never gets up anymore.

While walking over the sandy plateaus to the heavy strumming of a guitar that is lonely, you can imagine the ‘Six-String Samurai’ or the ‘Mad Max’ strolling some feet away and then halting to search in the mound of garbage which is a decade old. The visuals are excellent in creating the right mood and also in repelling it. The wrinkles of the ‘Fallen Earth’ are difficult to hide.

The quality is good overall. The screenshots of the next upgrade appear superb but the spoiler and the addition of hot rod flames are not nice. The animations that are antiquated can be easily seen. The characters jump with the fat bowlers’ grace. Swords have suitable arcs but if you swing the lead pipe, it appears like playing with a pool-noodle of foam. The scene looks very comical when matched against a NPC’s gang, shouting, ‘Hey!’ like a group of constipated Fonzies.

The character creation initially has sufficient piercings, tattoos and hairstyles to don a unique avatar. But all the men have the same demeanor of an ape. Almost 50% of the women appear fresh after working. The game, ‘Fallen Earth’ is for loyal MMO players. You don’t have upgraded statistics and options for quick-travel. Vehicles which include ATVs, horses, motorcycles and dune buggies need maintenance and fuel.

An expedition from a town to another town is a huge journey through the barren landscapes. You may have to travel for about 45 minutes to meet your friend. The game is just another post-apocalyptic simulator. The game offers you the choice of crafting, supporting or combat roles to determine the various types of rewards and quests ahead. If you are playing with your partner, then he/she may finish the quest of learning to use a bulky pistol while you will be learning to make the ammunition.

You may also proceed to the other roles, but you have to compensate for the abilities instead of questing. The game has one of the best rewarding and involved crafting systems till now. Ten trade skills are present right from the Ballistics and Armorcraft to the confusing Geology and Nature. You may try some of them or all of them. Pair of red leather pants, your ATV and a makeshift sword made of the lawn mower’s blade are some of the features.

You can line your closet with threads that are stylish and turn a profit. Crafting is itself progression’s self-contained path. The finished items will earn you experience for leveling up and you can also craft instructions of your own for the next set of recipes as you enhance a trade skill. As your complete abilities in trade skills are related to the statistics, dedicated players are only capable of designing the most enhanced items.

Leveling is a big, complicated process. But if you increase the statistics, AP is awarded in fragments in the entire single level. Here, you start feeling a bit confused but you can modify your character exactly the way you want to. Eight statistics are available, where some of them are Intelligence and Strength which will affect your competency directly with 9 skills namely Dodge, Rifle and Melee which can be increased with AP.

Even though the menu offers guidance in designing archetypes, the entire impact of some skills and stats are felt only till the high teens and ahead, from the 45 levels. You have the choice of joining one of the 6 factions when you reach the wooded areas which are thin, in the second section. Factions are operated by ideologies in place of bad/good differences. The Enforcers have the belief that with military power, the brutal CHOTA may wish to burn the civilization’s tiniest hint.

The Travelers are not worried as long as they get money. The Faction-balance operation is similar to a color wheel. Two of the neighbors are your associates while the remaining people are your enemies who will shoot you immediately if you go near their towns. Before you play this game, you have to throw a glance to the factions’ synopsis because your ability of using the gear which is faction-specific will be seriously affected by the stats.

The combat is a blend of stat-based results and reflex-based attacks. Whatever you assume, the pistols and rifles cannot beat the melee attacks always. Some wise players may hide and then sneak through the bush during close combat and mutations will surprise even the best combatant. PVP is restricted to only some locations, where you will find the crafting components’ best caches and it can be utilized for raiding towns at higher levels for the faction.

Combat is functional but is not precise and seems fractured because of the animations. The game has failed to display the polish noticed in the latest MMOs. There are too many bugs and the visuals are inadequate. But the rich crafting system and the character aggression which is complex is superb and the original essence of post-apocalypse is wonderfully captured.