Encased is a single-player, science fiction RPG with a wonderful story, phenomenal gameplay, and sensational visuals. Set in a dystopian world, you'll fight enemies, explore the wasteland, and level up your character. With various factions, crafting, combat, and negotiation, you'll need wits and skills to survive in this rich, dangerous open world. Despite some bugs, its dense atmosphere and excellent replayability make for a hilarious and immersive experience.
Encased offers a nostalgic experience reminiscent of classic Fallout games, particularly Fallout 1 and 2, with a unique 1970s sci-fi twist.
The game features a rich character creation system with diverse builds and meaningful choices that impact the story and gameplay.
The world is filled with interesting lore, engaging side quests, and a variety of NPCs, making exploration rewarding and immersive.
The game suffers from pacing issues, particularly in the second half, where quests become repetitive fetch tasks and the story loses its momentum.
Combat mechanics can feel unbalanced and tedious, with many players experiencing frustration due to missed attacks and ineffective abilities.
The quest log and navigation can be confusing, leading to unnecessary backtracking and a lack of clear objectives, which detracts from the overall experience.
story
2,806 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
28%
67%
5%
The story of *Encased* has received mixed reviews, with many players appreciating its intriguing premise and rich world-building reminiscent of classic RPGs like *Fallout*. However, criticisms often focus on the execution, noting that the narrative can become convoluted and repetitive, particularly in the later acts, where quests frequently devolve into tedious fetch tasks. While some players find the character interactions and choices engaging, others feel that the story lacks depth and coherence, leading to a sense of disconnection from the plot and its characters. Overall, the game shows potential for a compelling narrative but suffers from pacing issues and a lack of polish in quest design.
“The game ticked almost every box in my wishlist for a modern isometric RPG: variability, freedom of actions, perks and advancement of your characters, rich open world and an interesting story.”
“I wish developers issue the second part of the story, especially given that its ending offers freedom to turn the story in every imaginable direction.”
“This game takes you into a richly crafted post-apocalyptic world filled with intriguing characters, complex storylines, and deep tactical combat.”
“But the biggest downside is the story.”
“The story and writing feels flat.”
“The story tries to play with the vagueness of unknowable alien forces but it just ends up walling the player out of the plot.”
gameplay
878 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
26%
68%
6%
The gameplay of "Encased" has received mixed reviews, with many players appreciating its nostalgic turn-based mechanics reminiscent of classic RPGs like Fallout, while others criticize it for being tedious and unpolished. Some mechanics, such as crafting and survival elements, are seen as underdeveloped or overly complex, leading to a lack of engagement during gameplay. Overall, while the game offers a rich narrative and interesting world, its gameplay often feels repetitive and lacking in depth, leaving players wanting more from the experience.
“In my opinion, they absolutely nailed it with the gameplay in every way.”
“You've got some neat game mechanics.”
“The combination of immersive world-building, deep character development, and challenging gameplay make for an unforgettable gaming experience that you won't want to miss.”
“It has a good story and a great world, but it did not catch me for long because of rather boring gameplay.”
“Progress and gameplay is slow and laborious especially if committed to combat avoidance.”
“Aside from those positives, however, encased’s gameplay quickly goes downhill with underwhelming combat, a largely empty open world, uninformative descriptions and barebone mechanics that simply don’t give you enough to play around with to get excited.”
graphics
364 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
45%
53%
2%
The graphics of "Encased" have received generally positive feedback, with many players appreciating its retro-inspired 3D art style and vibrant 2D images that enhance the game's aesthetic. While some noted that the graphics are not groundbreaking, they effectively capture the nostalgic feel of classic RPGs like Fallout, complemented by a unique 1970s vibe. However, there are mentions of inconsistencies in quality, with certain areas and animations lacking polish, yet overall, the visuals contribute significantly to the game's immersive atmosphere.
“The graphics in this game are simply stunning, bringing to life a fully-realized post-apocalyptic world that is both beautiful and haunting.”
“With striking artwork and visuals contributing to the atmospheric ambiance, it captures the essence of the genres it draws inspiration.”
“The graphics have a solid throwback quality to them and coupled with the iso-gameplay give a real throwback feel (Fallout 1-2 and Wasteland comes to mind).”
“The pathfinding isn't great and the graphics are blah.”
“The fact that the graphics are mostly static pictures was another huge miss, so I'm getting this game refunded!”
“Graphically, the game has come forward, but when you mix all the difficulties with the attempted improvements, it becomes more annoying than enjoyable.”
atmosphere
160 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
64%
31%
5%
The atmosphere in "Encased" is widely praised for its immersive and detailed world-building, capturing a captivating post-apocalyptic vibe reminiscent of classic RPGs like Fallout. Players appreciate the original art assets, engaging storytelling, and the depth of role-playing options, although some note that the atmosphere diminishes in the latter part of the game due to vast, empty locations. Overall, while the game excels in creating a rich atmosphere, there are criticisms regarding its consistency and the potential for improvement in ambient details.
“The environment is beautifully detailed, capturing the desolate yet strangely captivating atmosphere of a world gone awry.”
“With its deep narrative and immersive atmosphere, Encased is a must-play for RPG fans.”
“The setting and atmosphere catch you early on and keep you hooked.”
“For whatever reason, it lacks the atmosphere and ambiance of other games that have done this better.”
“The story is unfortunately held back by the lack of atmosphere and the barren and personality-deprived areas.”
“The atmosphere does the job, but currently isn’t anything that would make it stand out.”
music
150 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
28%
63%
9%
The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with some praising its ability to create atmosphere and enhance immersion, while others find it repetitive and forgettable. Many players appreciate the soundtrack's fitting sci-fi themes, but note a lack of variety and memorable tracks, leading to moments of silence or distraction. Overall, while the music contributes positively to the game's ambiance, it often fails to leave a lasting impression.
“I absolutely love the intro music; I think I played 15 hours because it got me in the mood every time I launched.”
“The music is great and suits the theme perfectly.”
“With very nice and detailed scenery, good music, and genuinely interesting writing, this is one of the games I cannot wait to follow as the developers continue to work on it.”
“Not a lot of music or much variety in it.”
“Some of the music or sound effects in general are bland and repetitive to the point which sometimes I would just turn off the music completely.”
“The music rarely ever sets the mood.”
grinding
142 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
1%
2%
97%
The grinding aspect of the game has been widely criticized for being tedious and unenjoyable, with players noting excessive time spent on repetitive tasks such as looting, inventory management, and backtracking. Many reviewers found the combat and exploration mechanics to be slow and frustrating, leading to a sense of boredom as quests became chores rather than engaging experiences. Overall, the game suffers from a lack of meaningful content and clarity, making the grinding feel more like a burden than a rewarding part of gameplay.
“At no point was I in a situation where I couldn't tediously open up my backpack and eat some food or pop some pills.”
“Really tedious and unenjoyable experience to have endless interaction points to deal with.”
“The constant going back and forth from locations ruined the joy I had at the start of the game and just made it incredibly boring and tedious that I was barely paying attention to the story when I reached the middle part of Act 2.”
“Unfortunately, the game incentivizes you to do tedious activities to level up.”
humor
128 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is widely praised for its cleverness and variety, blending dark, satirical, and quirky elements reminiscent of classic titles like Fallout. Players appreciate the witty dialogue, amusing character interactions, and the ability to engage with the world in humorous ways, often leading to unexpected and funny outcomes. While some critiques mention inconsistencies in quest writing and character relatability, the overall comedic tone and engaging narrative contribute significantly to the game's appeal.
“I loved the dark humor, challenging combat, and fascinating story that isn't what you expect at all - and to say more would be to spoil it.”
“Bwahahahahahahahahahahaha my god the things that are said in this game are hilarious.”
“The story and the world strike an excellent balance of bizarre, funny, and meaningful.”
replayability
98 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
27%
70%
3%
The game offers significant replayability due to its diverse character builds, multiple factions, and unique dialogue options based on player choices. While some players note that the main quest's linearity may limit replay value, many appreciate the variety of playstyles and the depth of customization available, making it engaging for multiple playthroughs. Overall, the replayability is considered strong, with potential for varied experiences depending on the chosen "wing" and character decisions.
“This is a fantastic game, with such an array of character customizations that replayability is guaranteed.”
“The wings are an interesting concept and they give a playthrough unique dialogue options and ways to solve things depending on the wing you choose: character identity and not limiting your skills based on what you pick (you get some bonuses to some skills depending on what you choose) is great and adds a lot of replay value.”
“What’s already here is immense and replayable, a steal even at full price that’s sure to provide many long hours of deep gameplay.”
“But it's not heavy on replay value; the main quest consists of singular points in the story that all roads lead to, no matter which ones you picked to get there.”
“I'm not sure the replayability would be worth starting up several games as the story would not change very much.”
“Since the game is designed with replayability in mind, I think the second half quests must be fixed because it was really painful for me to run the errands the second time.”
stability
88 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
16%
2%
82%
The game's stability has received mixed reviews, with some players reporting a smooth experience free of major bugs or crashes, while others have encountered frequent glitches, crashes, and technical issues. Many users noted that the game is still somewhat buggy, particularly in early access, but appreciated the developers' efforts to release regular patches. Overall, while some players found the game stable and enjoyable, others expressed frustration with its ongoing technical problems.
“The game runs smoothly and stable, almost 70 hours and no glitches or crashes so far.”
“In terms of technical aspects, the game is a real masterpiece - no freezes nor stutters.”
“This game is pretty damn good - it looks and runs great, and I'm impressed by how slick the game engine is.”
“Game is broken in so many ways, including glitches and mission errors.”
“Too many, and too frequent glitches and bugs from sound cutting out, to guns randomly disappearing from inventory, freezing and invisible enemies during combat.”
“But now it freezes up on the load-up (was working fine) and I cannot play it at all.”
character development
56 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
36%
59%
5%
Character development in *Encased* is a standout feature, offering a classless system that allows for extensive customization and a variety of playstyles. While the game presents a rich world with unique companions and engaging dialogue, some players feel that the depth of character development, particularly for companions, is lacking, with limited meaningful interactions and progression. Overall, the character development system is praised for its complexity and strategic options, though some find it overly intricate and inorganic.
“One of the highlights of this game is the character development system, which allows you to create a fully-customized character with a wide range of skills and abilities.”
“The combination of immersive world-building, deep character development, and challenging gameplay make for an unforgettable gaming experience that you won't want to miss.”
“Encased has a fantastic world full of colorful and unique characters and a dialogue system with a depth that is unmatched with this game style along with a character development system that is fantastic for the most part.”
“Too protracted character development, hence - long, challenging, but extremely boring fights.”
“The way the character development system works is entirely inorganic.”
“There is no real meaningful character development for either you, the voiceless protagonist, or your companions, who aren't even mentioned in the epilogue, and have no meaningful endgame dialogue with the player depending on their choices.”
optimization
40 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
30%
60%
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The optimization of the game presents a mixed experience among players. While some report smooth performance and stability on various hardware configurations, others encounter significant issues such as UI-related performance drops, bugs, and crashes, leading to overheating problems on certain systems. Overall, the game's optimization appears to vary widely, with some players enjoying a seamless experience while others face frustrating technical challenges.
“The game runs smoothly and stable, almost 70 hours and no glitches or crashes so far.”
“Performance seems to sit stable at 60 on high settings even on older hardware (1050ti, i5 6600k).”
“A pretty accessible CRPG experience that still has a decent amount of depth in mechanics if you like getting fiddly with your optimization.”
“On top of all that, expect bugs, major and minor, crashes, and an unexplainable bad performance.”
“I wish so much that this game was better optimized, because the first time I played, it overheated and shut down my PC.”
“See Battletech for another example of what could have been a great game if it wasn't for the terrible performance and instability Unity brings.”
emotional
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the emotional depth of games like Atom RPG 1&2 and Shadowrun Returns to be significantly more impactful and wholesome compared to others, often evoking strong feelings and nostalgic memories. The emotional resonance in these titles is highlighted as a key aspect that enhances the overall gaming experience.
“This will fill that void wholesomely.”
“I can sum it up pretty easily with some familiar words that'll likely trigger some emotional memories.”
“Forgive my incredulity, but 'bull!' I cried.”
monetization
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The monetization strategy is well-received, as it enhances the game's depth without intrusive advertisements, making players feel that the investment is justified.