CORPUS EDAX
- September 5, 2024
- Luis Guilherme Bento
- 1h median play time
Get on Steam
Get on itch.io Store"Corpus Edax" is a first-person-melee RPG set in a retro-futuristic city on the brink of revolution. The game features a unique Skills and A.G.N.I.S. system, allowing for various combat styles and problem-solving approaches. With physically-based characters, immersive dialogue, and the ability to manipulate the environment, players can shape their character's reputation and engage in a dynamic world.
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Reviews
- The melee combat is fun and satisfying, allowing for creative interactions with the environment and enemies.
- The game offers a unique blend of immersive sim elements, allowing players to approach situations with stealth, combat, or dialogue.
- The developer is responsive to feedback and actively working on fixing bugs and improving the game.
- The game feels unfinished and lacks depth in its systems, with many mechanics underutilized or not functioning as intended.
- Level design is often linear and empty, leading to a lack of exploration rewards and immersion.
- The narrative is underdeveloped, with pacing issues and a lack of meaningful choices affecting the player's experience.
- story60 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 67 % neutral mentions
- 8 % negative mentions
The story in the game is characterized by its ambitious premise of a revolution against corporate oppression, but it suffers from rushed pacing and a lack of depth, leading to a linear experience that often overlooks character development and world-building. While some players find the initial missions engaging, the narrative quickly becomes a series of straightforward objectives with minimal exploration or meaningful choices, resulting in a plot that feels incomplete and underdeveloped. Overall, the game is better appreciated for its gameplay mechanics rather than its storytelling, which many reviewers deem unsatisfactory.
“The story was interesting enough; it felt a little bit rushed at times, but I still enjoyed watching things unfold and wanted to see what happened next!”
“Corpus Edax definitely conjures the dystopian stealth/exploration feel of old-school Deus Ex and Thief games with large levels to explore, hidden shortcuts to uncover, and a story centered around resistance against a large corporation run by nefarious leaders.”
“The story is great, the world is enjoyable, combat is cool as hell (even if it took some time getting used to).”
“The story is so obviously ambitious that it introduces characters and plot twists and resolves them within minutes of introducing them without much depth at all.”
“It's far too general a plot (a whole revolution of an entire society) for a game like this and for the developer to handle, and it feels written as such.”
“The story isn't complete; it's like a general outline, but it's missing details and has frequent typos.”
- gameplay29 mentions
- 14 % positive mentions
- 76 % neutral mentions
- 10 % negative mentions
The gameplay is described as a mixed experience, featuring engaging mechanics and a satisfying core loop, but marred by clunky execution, bugs, and a lack of depth. While the combat and movement are praised for their fluidity and creativity, many players feel that the game suffers from a lack of variety in enemies and gameplay options, leading to a repetitive experience. Overall, it presents a flawed yet intriguing gameplay experience that may appeal to those who prioritize mechanics over narrative depth.
“This game is a very flawed gem, but a gem nonetheless, thanks to its dense atmosphere, immersive elements, and moment-to-moment gameplay.”
“While the playthrough was brief, I found myself genuinely enjoying the experience—especially when considering the fluidity and variety of the gameplay.”
“The movement isn't that bad and the focus on melee combat is great; there are plenty of neat mechanics like hacking or using objects to find alternative ways (the extendable rod is a great and creative tool!).”
“Now that I think about it, there are mechanics that just stop existing halfway through the game.”
“Skill points barely affect gameplay after the 30 mark on most skills, and almost every option is unrewarding and broken in some way.”
“The gameplay itself gets boring pretty fast; the story is your typical 'you're the chosen one!!!' I wouldn't recommend.”
- stability14 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game is widely described as "buggy" and "clunky," with numerous glitches affecting gameplay, reminiscent of older titles like "Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines." Despite these issues, many players find the core gameplay engaging and fun, with developers actively releasing patches to address stability concerns. Overall, while the game shows promise, its current state may deter some players due to its unfinished feel and persistent bugs.
“Everything else though... god it reminds me of how buggy Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines looks and feels, at least, that's what the NPC walk animations remind me of.”
“I really want to like this game but it is so buggy and feels incomplete.”
“It's very buggy for sure, but even beyond the bugs it just doesn't feel like there is much actually going on here.”
- optimization10 mentions
- 30 % positive mentions
- 40 % neutral mentions
- 30 % negative mentions
The optimization of Mortal Sin has received mixed reviews, with players noting significant performance issues, particularly in larger areas and during saving/loading, which can lead to frame drops and bugs. While the melee combat system is praised for its depth, the overall performance is considered subpar, especially on platforms like the Steam Deck, leaving many hoping for future optimizations.
“Mortal Sin has a deep and rewarding melee combat system that rewards experimentation with multipliers and buffs while featuring parries, limb targeting, more weapon variety, enemy variety, and smoother performance.”
“Performance isn’t great and the movement can be a little clunky, but if you’re a fan of immersive sims, it’s worth a shot.”
“Hoping to see some performance optimization at some point.”
“Performance consistently dipped below 60 in larger areas with more NPCs.”
“You have 1 file, and an autosave, and saving and loading causes huge performance hindrance and can occasionally break the collision.”
“There's much to be said about other features too: the odd stamina system (does it even work?), the apparent lack of meaningful alternative solutions (sometimes there, sometimes not), the unusual level design (often linear with a side vent in an immsim), just completely awful performance (unusual load times and weird bugs surrounding quicksaves in general).”
- humor10 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is primarily derived from its chaotic combat mechanics and physics-based interactions, which often result in hilarious moments, such as ragdoll effects and unexpected outcomes during fights. While players appreciate the comedic elements, particularly in the absurdity of certain situations and dialogue, some feel that the overall gameplay experience is hindered by its janky mechanics. Ultimately, the humor serves as a highlight, but it may not be enough to elevate the game beyond its flaws.
“I found it especially hilarious when Jacquie completely ruins his plan by literally just waking you up.”
“Kicking people around, hitting them with flying uppercuts, roundhouse kicks to the cranium, all while funny ragdolls hit the scene.”
“The fights and physics are plenty of fun and create a hilarious spectacle more often than not.”
- music10 mentions
- 40 % positive mentions
- 30 % neutral mentions
- 30 % negative mentions
The music in the game is generally praised for its atmospheric quality and suitability to the graphics, enhancing the overall experience and immersion. While some tracks are noted for their effectiveness, particularly in the early levels, there are criticisms regarding the limited number of songs and their forgettable nature, especially during key moments like boss fights. Overall, the soundtrack is seen as a strong point, particularly for a first release by a solo developer.
“The well-crafted ambiance, complemented by the soundtrack, enriches the entire experience.”
“Music: the music is really good in the game overall and really fits the setting.”
“The parts where it could be improved was having some music in important moments of the game, like boss fights and the final area.”
“There are about 5 songs in the game, and they are all very forgettable and barely used; sound design in this game is frankly nonexistent.”
“The music, in particular, adds a layer of immersion that greatly enhances the mood and tone of the game.”
- graphics8 mentions
- 38 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 38 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game have been criticized for their low fidelity and uninspired art style, drawing comparisons to titles like Deus Ex and Prey. While some players appreciate the music and open level design, many feel the visuals appear unfinished and lack the polish seen in other contemporary games. There are calls for a more vibrant representation of the cyberpunk aesthetic to enhance the overall experience.
“Good music and suitable graphics.”
“Once I hit the later levels, I was more impressed, but I'd love to see more advertisements, propaganda posters, varieties of graffiti, and general representations of depravity and exploitative hypercapitalism that a cyberpunk aesthetic can feature.”
“Mix the melee combat from Lugaru/Overgrowth with the immersive sim part of Deus Ex, some of the dialogue options from Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines, and the gritty run-down neon aesthetic from Dogtown in Cyberpunk 2077, and you've got Corpus Edax.”
“Low graphical fidelity overall with an uninspired art style that clearly takes influence from games like Deus Ex and Prey.”
“The visuals feel unfinished, and even if there is an attempt at creating a cohesive look with limited resources, it just looks really awful.”
“While the graphics look 'lo-fi sci-fi', the performance is worse than a high chunk of games that look stunning.”
- atmosphere8 mentions
- 63 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 13 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is a significant highlight, characterized by its immersive elements, atmospheric music, and effective storytelling through environmental cues. While some users note a lack of sound and atmosphere in certain areas, many appreciate the dense and engaging atmosphere that enhances the overall gameplay experience.
“This game is a very flawed gem, but a gem nonetheless, thanks to its dense atmosphere, immersive elements, and moment-to-moment gameplay.”
“Additionally, the game's atmosphere plays a huge role in its appeal.”
“I love the atmosphere as it reminds me of Deus Ex: Invisible War.”
“Sound and atmosphere is mostly nonexistent.”
- replayability3 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 67 % negative mentions
Overall, the game offers high replayability due to its engaging combat and physics system that encourages experimentation. However, some players note a lack of story-driven replayability, suggesting that while the gameplay is enjoyable, the narrative may not compel multiple playthroughs.
“The combat and physics system make this game very addicting, leading to a lot of experimentation and replayability.”
“The only thing I can possibly think of is that there really isn't a lot of replayability story-wise.”
“There's almost no replayability, but it's fun, so I will play it through another time.”
- grinding1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players generally find the grinding aspect of the game tedious and frustrating, often resorting to avoiding combat altogether to bypass the repetitive encounters.
“I found this very tedious and frustrating to fight, and I started just tanking the damage and running past them when I encountered them.”
- character development1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
The character development system is perceived as confusing and unclear, leaving players struggling to understand how it functions.
“I never figured out the character development system.”
“The character development feels shallow and uninspired.”
“There are too few choices for character growth, making it hard to feel invested.”
- monetization1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players appreciate the later levels of the game but express a desire for more diverse representations of hypercapitalism, such as advertisements and graffiti, to enhance the cyberpunk aesthetic.
“Once I hit the later levels, I was more impressed, but I'd love to see more advertisements, propaganda posters, varieties of graffiti, and general representations of depravity and exploitative hypercapitalism that a cyberpunk aesthetic can feature.”
