Developer: CCCP
Publisher: Playdius, Plug In DigitalRelease
Date: August 27, 2015
Genre: Survival Management
Find the game here: http://store.steampowered.com/app/384310/Dead_In_Bermuda/
Dead in Bermuda.
It’s one of those games that you’ve probably never heard of. However, those of us who have been fortunate enough to play it have been blessed with this survival management game that is peppered with RPG elements along with a side of adventure.
If I was asked to describe this game to you in one word, I’d pull out a megaphone, flick the switch into the on position and crank the volume projection up to maximum and yell ‘HARD!’ Rarely have I ever found myself as frustrated with a game as I am with Dead in Bermuda. The unforgiving and grueling nature of this game leave you longing for more and desperate to improve on your mistakes from the previous play through.
Although this game utilises those monotonous survival horror elements, such as the overused plane crash scenario as well as basic crafting and exploration, it does it in a way that really connected with me more than I have felt with similar games of the same genre. It’s when you are left in charge of your marooned squad that you feel this game come into its own, the pressure is on and their fate is in your hands.
The game is unforgiving, that’s a given. You can and will be put in positions that you have to choose who to sacrifice (Sorry Bob) for the greater good. Sounds pretty morbid right? Well it is, but thankfully the character development for a game of this scale is fantastic. There are countless hilarious conversations between the group, from flirtatious and creepy to downright life-threatening, this is, for me, the single greatest selling point for this game.
Every character requires you to carefully monitor their vast array of meters, including hunger, depression, fatigue, sickness and more. As well as frantically trying to keep the peace within the squad, you have also got to wisely choose who and which skills to level up and therefore, increase your chances of survival. These factors include stealth, crafting, scavenging, hunting, cooking and more. Balancing these factors can be a pain, making this game leaving you exhausted.
However, in an attempt to combat the rage inducing juggling of characters positioning and skills the devs have treated us to an enchanting and somniferous soundtrack which is a sharp contrast from the frantic decisions you are forced to make. The calming waves crashing onto the shore and the calming tones are just pure brilliance.
The exploration system is based on a simple grid. Each square offers a single interaction whether that be a person with a range of dialogue options, mysteries or puzzles, an enemy encounter which is based off your character’s stealth skill level or it could simply be an intractable object which can help or hinder your survival chances. First time around it feels like an awful lot to take in, which can lead you into some sticky situations, such as the time where I only had enough fish for 7 out of the 8 survivors, leaving poor big boy bob to pass
The art style is gorgeous and the gameplay mechanics are very solid, these factors alone are easily enough to outweigh the similarities it shares with other survival titles. The game is only let down by the frustrating and sometimes harsh random events as well as the multitude of elements you are asked to juggle. But these days, tough games can be hard to come by, therefore I appreciate the unforgiving nature and replayability that Dead in Bermuda has to offer.
After just shy of 10 hours of gameplay, I will score Dead in Bermuda 7.0 out of 10
Thank you for reading my review, this was my first ever attempt and I only hope to improve, please feel free to leave thoughts and comments below!
- Scorpio
Comentários