Deadstone
- November 12, 2014
- Timeslip Softworks
While the game lets you customize your character a lot and the base gunplay is great, the gameplay will turn stale quickly. The visuals and presentation don't add much, and the game will appeal to those who love the genre, and want to do the best in concurrent runs.
Get on Steam"Deadstone is a Sci-Fi Role Playing game where players assume the role of a private security operative, Blake, stranded near the Mars colony of Deadstone during an outbreak. The game features both single-player and local multi-player modes for up to 2 players in co-op, with a split screen option. In the story-driven Campaign, players must defend against an unrelenting enemy and save the colonists, or test their survival skills in the Survival Mode."
Mac OS
PC
Windows
Linux
Reviews
- The game combines top-down shooter, tower defense, and RPG elements effectively, providing a fun and engaging experience.
- The RPG mechanics allow for character customization and progression, making gameplay feel rewarding despite some repetitiveness.
- The story is well-written with decent voice acting, adding depth to the gameplay and enhancing player engagement.
- The graphics are subpar, resembling outdated designs that detract from the overall experience.
- Gameplay can become repetitive due to a limited variety of enemy types and mission structures, leading to a lack of long-term engagement.
- Controls are clunky and the menu navigation is slow, which can frustrate players during gameplay.
- story94 mentions
- 17 % positive mentions
- 77 % neutral mentions
- 6 % negative mentions
The game's story is generally described as engaging and well-written, with a mix of cliches and interesting characters that contribute to the overall experience. However, many reviewers noted that the narrative feels stretched and incomplete, often resembling the first act of a larger arc without significant twists or developments. While the dialogue and cutscenes are praised, the repetitive gameplay and lack of variety in missions detract from the story's impact, leading to mixed feelings about its overall execution.
“The story is well done, very well done even.”
“The excellent flow of gameplay, strategic planning before the action in each mission, the interesting story and dialogue, and the abundant choices in gear/upgrades and options for difficulty (& even choice of which story: serious or tongue in cheek!) and relatively lengthy campaign is what makes this game stand out from the rest of the tower defense market.”
“The story is enjoyable, the quality of dialogues was a pleasant surprise.”
“Additionally, the story ended up falling a little flat as you realize it's more a first act of an arc than a complete story, and I kept waiting for a twist that never appeared.”
“The cutscene art and voice acting are fantastic, and the RPG elements are solid, but gameplay is repetitive and dull, and the story is stretched out far too thin to make me recommend this game to anyone.”
“The game mechanics are boring, the graphics are terrible, the story is pathetic.”
- gameplay53 mentions
- 17 % positive mentions
- 60 % neutral mentions
- 23 % negative mentions
The gameplay features a blend of twin-stick shooting and RPG mechanics, allowing for character customization and strategic planning through an extensive upgrade system. However, many players find the missions repetitive and lacking in variety, leading to a sense of monotony despite the potential for tactical depth. Overall, while the core mechanics can be enjoyable, the gameplay often feels dull and uninspired over time.
“The gameplay is well balanced and there are a number of ways to succeed depending on how you develop your character and the gear you choose to bring into battle.”
“The excellent flow of gameplay, strategic planning before the action in each mission, the interesting story and dialogue, and the abundant choices in gear/upgrades and options for difficulty (and even choice of which story: serious or tongue-in-cheek!) and relatively lengthy campaign is what makes this game stand out from the rest of the tower defense market.”
“If you like twin-stick shooters with a pretty heavy RPG component (both in leveling mechanics and having a character-driven story), this game will scratch that itch quite well.”
“The missions are boring and repetitive, the artwork is downright horrible, and the gameplay just plain sucks.”
“There is a super extensive upgrade system that would be great for another game, but with the lackluster gameplay here, it is hard to imagine playing enough to explore many of the upgrade tree branches.”
“The cutscene art and voice acting are fantastic, and the RPG elements are solid, but gameplay is repetitive and dull, and the story is stretched out far too thin to make me recommend this game to anyone.”
- graphics13 mentions
- 8 % positive mentions
- 46 % neutral mentions
- 46 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game have been widely criticized as crude and lackluster, often compared unfavorably to a grade-school comic book. Reviewers noted that both the sprites and menu graphics are disappointing, contributing to an overall poor visual presentation that detracts from the gameplay experience. Despite the game's decent mix of genres, the subpar graphics are a significant drawback.
“The visuals and presentation don't add much, and the game will appeal to those who love the genre and want to do their best in concurrent runs.”
“The graphics are worse than a grade-school comic book drawn by a kid.”
“Unfortunately, the sprites and the menu graphics look quite lackluster.”
“The game mechanics are boring, the graphics are terrible, the story is pathetic.”
- grinding4 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and repetitive, with minimal impact from additional features like shops and weapon choices. Despite the game's initial promise of fast-paced gameplay, it ultimately feels slow and cumbersome, detracting from the overall experience.
“The few extra features with the shop, some weapon choices, and some items change nothing to the result; it's tedious and repetitive.”
“The video gameplay seems to suggest a fast-paced, multi-layered tower defense game, but slow down the videos by about 50%, slowly and tediously add in the upgrades, and ignore the general rules of tower defense games (like walls to funnel enemies), and you've got this.”
- replayability4 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The game offers significant replayability through its "side B" story, which parodies the main narrative, as well as a campaign and survival mode that provide additional content even after completing the normal campaign.
“It even has a 'Side B' story that's a parody of the main story for added replay value.”
“There is a campaign and survival mode, and a lot of replayability even once you complete the normal campaign.”
“It even has a 'side B' story that's a parody of the main story for added replay value.”
- stability2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Users have reported issues with controller glitches, indicating a need for improvements in stability. Overall, the game's stability is seen as lacking, with calls for the developers to address these technical problems.
“I do wish the dev would fix a few of the controller glitches.”
