despatch: Entity Astray
- November 13, 2020
- me.mento XR interactive AG
Get on SteamImmerse yourself into a thrilling VR Escape Room Game A blackout leaves you at the mercy of a strange and hopeless situation. Place and reasons for your presence are unknown. Discover unfamiliar environments, study the surrounding mechanics and find out who you are in order to escape the deadly scenario. "despatch: Entity Astray" is a combination of Sci-Fi adventures and experimental Es…
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The visuals are fantastic, making good use of darkness and lighting, creating a strong atmosphere.
- Some puzzles are challenging and satisfying to solve, providing a sense of accomplishment.
- The developers have listened to feedback and added smooth turning and other control options.
- The game lacks clear instructions, hints, or a tutorial, leading to confusion and frustration with puzzles.
- There are severe design issues, such as puzzles that require specific locomotion options to solve, which can break immersion.
- The game is very short, with a playtime of less than 2 hours, making it feel overpriced for the content offered.
- graphics12 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 42 % neutral mentions
- 25 % negative mentions
The graphics have received mixed reviews, with some users praising the visuals as fantastic and reminiscent of titles like Lone Echo, while others argue they fall short of "AA" quality. Many players noted that the graphics settings offer a range from medium to ultra, but overall, the consensus is that while the visuals are decent, they do not meet the expectations set by the developers. Additionally, the lack of direction in puzzles detracted from the overall experience.
“The visuals are fantastic and some of the puzzles work well.”
“Graphics settings are either medium, high, epic, or ultra.”
“Graphics did remind me of Lone Echo, but it's still slightly below Lone Echo quality.”
“Devs said graphics were AA quality - I might not necessarily disagree - and that's judging using high settings (and SS 2.0, which might be a lot more demanding than ultra + SS 1.5).”
“These are not AA graphics... graphics are okay, but far from AA.”
- story6 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
The story of the game appears intriguing but is poorly introduced, with a dark and lacking beginning that leaves players uncertain about its direction. While it evokes comparisons to "Red Matter," the overall narrative experience suffers from poor optimization and limited movement options.
“The game seems to have an interesting story - not sure what it's about yet - but reminds me a lot of Red Matter without any Russian themes.”
“Very poor optimization, no instruction on using controllers at the beginning, limited movement direction, story beginning is lacking and very very dark.”
- gameplay4 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The gameplay experience is marred by occasional crashes, which detracts from overall enjoyment. Despite this issue, players can find detailed reviews and gameplay footage online for further insights.
“I did experience some crashes during my gameplay.”
“I experienced some crashes during my gameplay.”
- optimization4 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game suffers from very poor optimization, requiring a demanding GPU and offering limited movement options. Additionally, players noted a lack of initial instructions for controller use and a dark, underwhelming story introduction. Overall, while not entirely negative, the optimization issues significantly impact the experience.
“Very poor optimization, no instruction on using controllers at the beginning, limited movement direction, story beginning is lacking and very very dark.”
“It's not a bad game, but it is GPU demanding, which indicates a lack of optimization.”
- atmosphere2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is consistently praised, with multiple users highlighting its positive and engaging qualities.
