Confederate Express
- August 31, 2017
- Kilobite
Set in dystopian future, you assume a role of a brutal exterminator trying to deliver a mysterious package. Navigate through 50 seemingly impossible scenarios, obliterating your enemies into an explosive waterfall of blood and gore, all while your skills are constantly being challenged by an increasing number of vicious enemies using deadly tactics. Featuring MOBA-like tactical gameplay mechani…
Reviews
- The pixel art and graphics are visually appealing and well-executed.
- The game offers a unique challenge that can be satisfying once players improve their skills.
- Some players appreciate the simplicity of the controls, making it easy to learn the mechanics.
- The game is not at all what was promised during the Kickstarter campaign, lacking the tactical RPG elements that were initially advertised.
- Gameplay is overly simplistic and repetitive, often described as a shallow experience with minimal depth.
- Many backers feel scammed, citing poor controls, lack of story, and a general sense of disappointment with the final product.
- gameplay24 mentions
- 13 % positive mentions
- 75 % neutral mentions
- 13 % negative mentions
The gameplay of "Confederate Express" is characterized by its easy-to-learn mechanics and a simplistic control scheme that combines elements of 2D shooters and MOBA/RTS games. While some players appreciate the challenge and puzzle-like depth added by certain constraints, many criticize the overall lack of depth, variety, and engaging content, describing it as mindless and overly simplistic. Overall, the gameplay experience is polarizing, with some finding it enjoyable and challenging, while others deem it lacking and frustrating.
“Easy to learn mechanics.”
“I have several thousands of hours played in high-skill MOBA environments, so the control scheme and general mechanics of Confederate Express came intuitively.”
“The thing about Confederate Express is that despite its very simplistic, almost mobile-feeling single-click movement and attack mechanic, the game is pretty challenging.”
“There's no depth, no RPG elements and the gameplay is woefully simple.”
“Most of the gameplay consists of clicking around to move while the character randomly shoots things in front of him until the next area is available.”
“The gameplay consists of you mindlessly killing everything in a scenario, and then walking to the exit.”
- story12 mentions
- 17 % positive mentions
- 42 % neutral mentions
- 42 % negative mentions
The game's story is largely criticized for its absence, with players noting a lack of narrative structure, character development, and meaningful context. Many reviews highlight that the gameplay consists of repetitive missions with randomly generated maps, devoid of any engaging storyline or RPG elements. Overall, the consensus is that the game fails to deliver on the narrative promises made during its Kickstarter campaign.
“To the developer: after reading all the other reviews, and looking online about the story, you could have created an amazing game here (to rival most AAA titles) if you had actually designed the game you promised in the first place.”
“As a Kickstarter backer, I will be biased, so if you want the full story, you can Google it.”
“No story, no depth, no explanation whatsoever; the game itself is just a succession of scenes populated with zombies and guys shooting at you.”
“5 years from kick-starting it, and in the interim the game has shed almost all of the promised features: no story, team, upgrades, choices, locales, or fun.”
“Story - absent (you'll find more on the Kickstarter page than in this game).”
- graphics9 mentions
- 44 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 22 % negative mentions
Overall, the graphics received mixed reviews, with some praising the gorgeous visuals and interesting enemy designs, while others criticized the "false2D" engine and minimalistic approach. The pixel art style was noted as good, but not enough to elevate the overall experience for some players.
“The graphics are gorgeous, the controls are responsive, and there's definitely replay potential.”
“On enemies - other than the slow-moving zombies, enemy design is interesting and varied, both in terms of aesthetics and abilities.”
“The graphics are good (pixel art) and the sound in general is also good, but that doesn't save it for me.”
“I reduced the graphics to a bare minimum, but it was to no avail.”
“The whole 'false 2D' engine thing gets pretty obnoxious, as I don't really see anything it does differently, other than maybe adding some blur to the graphics.”
- music6 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 17 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The music in the game is generally described as minimalistic, with only a few tracks that often blend into ambient sounds rather than stand out as memorable compositions. While some players find the ambient music effective and haunting during key moments, others criticize the lack of variety and engagement, feeling that it detracts from the overall experience.
“During a particularly memorable encounter, the normally ambient background music crescendoed into an uproar as a lightfooted caped cyborg wielding a sword cleaved through a crowd of civilians.”
“The music enhances the atmosphere, creating a memorable experience during intense moments.”
“I didn't care for the simple level layouts, the majority of the music, or the first quarter of the game.”
“Not much to speak of; it seems there's about 3-4 tracks in the game, and most of them are just the same kind of droning electrical sounds that seem to be ambience more than actual music.”
“There's also a very minimal amount of music in Confederate Express, but it's effective, it's ambient, it's haunting, it works.”
- atmosphere2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is characterized by a limited but effective soundtrack that enhances the chilling, post-apocalyptic setting, creating an engaging experience through its attractive pixel art and genuine horror elements. While the game may not be extensive, it offers a captivating ambiance that keeps players invested throughout the campaign.
“There are only a handful of tracks, which is fine since they serve more as chilling atmospherics than anything, and are played at random throughout the post-apocalyptic journey to keep things mixed up and unpredictable.”
“It might not be a very meaty game, but from retrying alone, the 50-level campaign will keep you busy for a good few hours, and its engaging few hours thanks to some incredibly attractive pixel art and genuine horror atmospherics.”
- replayability1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Many users express disappointment in the game's replayability, citing a lack of depth that undermines its overall value, especially considering the price.
- humor1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Players appreciate the humor in the game, particularly highlighting the unexpectedly funny and abrupt ending, which adds to the overall enjoyment alongside the graphics and gameplay.
“Overall, I enjoyed the graphics, gameplay, difficulty progression in the mid-late game, and the hilariously abrupt ending.”