by Hey, let me ask you something. Do you think you know Fallout? *ahem* You heard me. Fallout. Do you think. You know it? Hey! Yeah, you with the fedora. I’m talking to you. Don’t you walk away from me. FALLOUT MOTHER$%*#@$. DO YOU SPEAK IT. Because I don’t think you do. I. DON’T. THINK. YOU. DO. Because you think Fallout is the original Fallout? Don’t make me laugh. It’s Wasteland. Yes, Wasteland–a DOS game–was the original OG which would inspire people to go on and make Fallout. And I’m here to tell you, that Wasteland is garbage. What does that make Fallout? Extra garbage. What does that make Neo Scavenger? Are you even worthy of uttering its name mortal? Neo Scavenger is freaking amazing, and is the best damn Fallout game you’ll ever play.
Oh what? Ah, sorry. *steps off high horse*
Wait, what now? Oh right. *steps off high horse that was on high horse*
–Spoiler Warning–
Okay, so now that the air isn’t so thin, here’s the rub. Neo Scavenger delivers strong, hard and consistent in the roguelike, role play and post-apocalyptic survival fronts. I’ve been playing this game off-and-on for the past two years, buffering up through the harsh learning curve and meticulous nature of survival. Two years ago, my playthroughs generally consisted of breaking out of cryostasis, jumping out a window and standing in the freezing cold with nothing but a hospital gown on, waiting for a dog to rend my nethers so I could create a new character and do it again. However, over the years, the experience of survival was slowly granted, piece by piece, until eventually, lasting more than a day or two was no longer a matter of luck, but a constant. I am proud to say, that after 126 hours, I have managed to pilot Philip Kindred safely through one of the game’s endings.
If you like survival, inventory management, role-playing, and roguelikes, I can’t think of a better game to fit that mold. This one really is at the top. There are no levels here–no super powered abilities that break the game once you know where to find them. There’s no power armor that makes you invincible once you do the stupid paladin quest to get it. There truly is, at each and every step of this game, (1.) You (2.) Any gear within reach (3.) The wilds around you. I’m not trying to sound elitist here–it’s just that truly, victory or failure is almost entirely in your hands from the moment the game begins and every action you take has meaning.
I say “almost” because there are a couple nuances that are a bit abstract that you will need to learn. For instance–I spent most of my time pitching tarp shelters and camping in the woods–for protection and visibility reasons. I also built several noise traps to alert me to things trying to sneak up on me while I slept. However, there are things (mostly Dogmen or angry cultists with shotguns) that will spawn in combat right next to you, immediately open fire upon you, and you’ll die of cardiac arrest or brain trauma before you can even respond. That–is pretty frustrating. The solution is a bit off-kilter; you want to never build tarp shelters, but instead just sleep with nothing on open fields. Mechanically, the noise traps will trigger just as before, but because you’re in a field, the enemies spawn 20 to 30 paces away (don’t ask me how your noise traps were able to alert you at that distance, but whatever). This is probably the only part of the game that feels… off. I thought I was being thrifty before with my tarpaulin tents and cozy forests, but it’s a great way to die.
Otherwise, you’ll be finding creative uses for rocks and pebbles, broken glass, Brittney Spears (*ahem* sorry, Bridgett Lance) DVD cases and just so much more. I’m guessing I really only fully used about half the game’s content–I spent a lot of my time hacking electronic devices, sifting through data files (and an endless supply of cat GIFs) while desperately crafting arrows to keep the looters at bay. One playthrough, I became a Wendigo. On another, I found an insane man who gave me a robotic doll. I found a forest nymph after getting wrecked by the equivalent of an Umber Hulk. I found a tribe of something similar to Native Americans and an evil spirit that tried to kill me. I found a haunted shack with hanging corpses and a mask that compelled me to “quiet the rasping things” around me, otherwise it would strangle me to death. And I’m honestly going to tell you, I didn’t fully explore any of these instances. I know there’s more to their mystery that went unsolved, or pieces of their quest that were completely untouched. Some part of me wants to try a playthrough where I wear that mask through the entire game… I’m not sure how you could do it though.
In the end, I sided with an NPC named Hatter, and I planted a virus in a military base after being chased by spider-bots (reminiscent of the end of Wasteland). After escaping in a military air-drone, I landed in– !!! Indiana. Hey, this game takes place in Michigan, what did you expect? Hatter presumably is now filthy rich but with the toxic swamp to Philip’s north, the chances of him making it back to Detroit to claim his big reward seem slim. Alas, he must continue on his path of survival, akin to the ending of every Mad Max film.
Like many rogeulikes, this game is pretty darn rough to get into. I can tell you though, it’s completely worth it. What really shocked me is how well the game works without any kind of leveling or stat system whatsoever. True, you pick a few skills at the beginning of the game, but none of them are necessary, and each has their own little perk that make them useful. Arguably, some may be better for certain playstyles, but just because you didn’t take the melee trait, doesn’t mean that you can’t fight in close-quarters. A crowbar to the head will knock out most people regardless of the strength of who swung it, as long as it connects. This game remains even after so many hours, a strong Tier 1 choice–an amazing feat, considering it’s mostly been created by a single indie-developer. And hey! He’s working on a new project–something in space, although he’s wrestling with the design for the time being. Check it out if you’re interested. Regardless, if you give Neo Scavenger a shot, just remember to sterilize your water, and say “hi” to the dogmen for me.
Neo Scavenger First Impression
