Encased

75%
Game Brain Score Based on 2,178 reviews
  • story
  • gameplay
  • graphics
Encased Game Cover
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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.

  • Mac OS
  • PC
  • Windows
  • Linux
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

75%
Audience ScoreBased on 2,178 reviews
story387 positive mentions
grinding69 negative mentions
  • Encased offers a rich and immersive world with strong exploration elements, reminiscent of classic Fallout games.
  • The character creation system is diverse, allowing for unique builds and playstyles, including a humorous low-intelligence option.
  • The writing and voice acting are generally well done, with interesting NPCs and a compelling story in the early acts.
  • The game suffers from pacing issues, with a strong start that quickly devolves into tedious fetch quests and a lack of meaningful content in later acts.
  • Combat mechanics are unbalanced and can feel repetitive, with many abilities being underwhelming compared to basic attacks.
  • The quest log is cumbersome and often unclear, making it difficult to track objectives and leading to frustrating backtracking.
  • story1,403 mentions

    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, particularly in the later acts, where it devolves into repetitive fetch quests and lacks depth in character interactions. While the initial chapters are engaging and well-written, many players feel that the story loses momentum and coherence as the game progresses, leading to a sense of dissatisfaction with the overall narrative experience.

    • “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.”
    • “This game takes you into a richly crafted post-apocalyptic world filled with intriguing characters, complex storylines, and deep tactical combat.”
    • “The story is interesting and exciting and won't let you fall asleep; it's also very detailed and lets you think about it a bit.”
    • “The story and writing feels flat.”
    • “The prologue part of it was pretty appealing and I thought they may go somewhere with it, but it devolves into just another 'save the world' run-of-the-mill story filled with a bunch of clichés, cookie-cutter characters, and a bunch of typos in the tons of uninteresting, uninspired text the game vomits at you.”
    • “The story tries to play with the vagueness of unknowable alien forces but it just ends up walling the player out of the plot.”
  • gameplay439 mentions

    The gameplay of "Encased" has received mixed reviews, with many players appreciating its homage to classic RPGs like Fallout 1 and 2, citing enjoyable mechanics and a rich world. However, criticisms focus on the game's tedious combat, unbalanced mechanics, and a lack of polish, leading to a repetitive experience that can feel like a chore. While some players find the depth of character customization and various gameplay systems engaging, others feel that the execution falls short, resulting in a game that struggles to maintain interest over time.

    • “In my opinion, they absolutely nailed it with the gameplay in every way.”
    • “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.”
    • “Gameplay-wise, it is very much uneven and unpolished.”
    • “It has a good story and a great world, but it did not catch me for long because of rather boring gameplay.”
    • “The gameplay is 100% fallout which hey why reinvent turn based when it's doing just fine.”
    • “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.”
  • graphics182 mentions

    The graphics of the game have received generally positive feedback, with many players appreciating the retro-inspired art style and the atmospheric visuals that evoke a nostalgic feel reminiscent of classic RPGs like Fallout. While some noted that the graphics are not groundbreaking, they are considered adequate and well-suited for the game's isometric perspective, with particular praise for the unique 2D artwork and detailed environments. However, a few reviews pointed out inconsistencies in quality and areas that could benefit from further polish, indicating that while the graphics are a strong point, they are not without their flaws.

    • “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.”
    • “Beautiful graphics, nice atmosphere and story (quite similar to Fallout or Stalker), detailed environment, interesting wasteland encounters, nice animations, witty and funny dialogues and much more.”
    • “The graphics are nothing special, but the design is great.”
    • “The graphics you will see from the photos, and there's little more to say, really.”
    • “Graphics are okay, but the fps drops to dismal levels whenever anything moves, and causes massive screen tearing and jerking.”
  • atmosphere80 mentions

    The atmosphere in the game is widely praised for its immersive and detailed world-building, capturing a captivating post-apocalyptic vibe reminiscent of classics like Fallout. While the initial experience is rich with roleplay options and engaging environments, some players note a decline in atmospheric density in the latter stages, with vast areas feeling empty and lacking interaction. Overall, the game's art, soundtrack, and narrative contribute significantly to its unique and engaging atmosphere, making it a standout feature despite some inconsistencies.

    • “The environment is beautifully detailed, capturing the desolate yet strangely captivating atmosphere of a world gone awry.”
    • “With striking artwork and visuals contributing to the atmospheric ambiance, it captures the essence of the genres it draws inspiration.”
    • “Brilliantly executed world building and atmosphere setting.”
    • “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.”
  • music75 mentions

    The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with some praising its ability to create atmosphere and fit the sci-fi theme, while others find it repetitive, forgettable, or lacking in variety. Many players appreciate the quality of the voice acting and the soundtrack's potential, but feel it often fails to enhance the gameplay experience, leading to moments of silence or distraction. Overall, while there are highlights, such as the intro music, the general consensus suggests that the soundtrack could benefit from more inspiration and variety.

    • “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, while okay, was repetitive and I eventually just turned it down to 10%.”
  • grinding71 mentions

    The grinding aspect of the game is widely criticized for being tedious and unengaging, with players noting excessive backtracking, slow combat, and uninspired quests that often feel like chores rather than enjoyable activities. Many reviews highlight the frustration of inventory management and the lack of meaningful rewards for exploration, leading to a sense of monotony that detracts from the overall experience. While some players appreciate the RPG elements and story potential, the overwhelming consensus is that the game suffers from a significant amount of unnecessary grinding.

    • “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.”
  • humor64 mentions

    The humor in the game is widely praised for its cleverness and variety, blending dark satire with absurdity, reminiscent of classic titles like Fallout. Players appreciate the witty dialogue, character interactions, and the comedic elements woven into the gameplay, which often lead to unexpected and funny moments. While some critiques mention inconsistencies in writing and NPC responses, the overall consensus is that the humor significantly enhances the game's appeal and enjoyment.

    • “Great story, well voiced, and great humor injected throughout.”
    • “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.”
    • “The story and the world strike an excellent balance of bizarre, funny, and meaningful.”
  • replayability49 mentions

    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 story remains relatively linear, the variety of gameplay styles and character customizations provide ample motivation for multiple playthroughs. Overall, many reviewers highlight the game's potential for replayability as a key strength, making it appealing for fans of narrative-driven RPGs.

    • “This is a fantastic game, with such an array of character customizations that replayability is guaranteed.”
    • “The replay value is very good, considering the ample variety of builds and choices available.”
    • “Replayability of this game is impressive; all the world and its NPCs react differently depending on your wing, which makes for different play styles and dialogue choices in every walkthrough.”
    • “But it's not heavy on replay value; the main quest is 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.”
    • “This further limits replayability.”
  • stability44 mentions

    The stability of the game has received mixed reviews, with some players reporting significant technical issues such as crashes, glitches, and buggy mechanics, while others have experienced smooth gameplay with minimal bugs. Many users noted that the developers are actively releasing patches to address these issues, indicating a commitment to improving stability over time. Overall, while some players find the game largely bug-free, others highlight persistent problems that detract from the experience.

    • “The game runs smoothly and stable; almost 70 hours in and no glitches or crashes so far.”
    • “In terms of technical aspects, the game is a real masterpiece - no freezes or 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 it's execution is buggy as shit.”
  • character development28 mentions

    Character development in the game is highlighted as a strong aspect, featuring a classless system that allows for extensive customization and a variety of skills and abilities. While companions have distinct personalities and combat styles, some players feel their development is limited and lacks depth, with minimal endgame interactions. Overall, the character development system is praised for its complexity and options, though some find it overly intricate and not entirely organic.

    • “The companions have personalities, character development, their own combat styles (auto-level up - it is not possible to turn a medic into a heavy-weapons specialist), and unique equipment, while their approval depends on the protagonist’s regular actions, be it crafting, exploration, or trespassing.”
    • “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.”
    • “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.”
  • optimization20 mentions

    The optimization of the game has received mixed reviews, with some players experiencing significant performance issues, including bugs, crashes, and UI problems, while others report smooth gameplay with stable performance even on older hardware. Overall, there are concerns about optimization, particularly in combat and certain areas, but some users have had a positive experience with no major issues.

    • “The game feels tight in terms of performance, and I encountered no bugs.”
    • “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).”
    • “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.”
    • “However, it is a bit of a mixed bag so far, with some questionable design choices, a few performance issues, and some worrying monetary tactics.”
  • emotional4 mentions

    Users find the emotional aspect of games like Atom RPG 1&2 and Shadowrun Returns to be significantly more impactful and wholesome, often evoking strong feelings and nostalgia. One reviewer expressed disbelief at the emotional depth of another game, highlighting the ability of these titles to resonate deeply and fill an emotional void.

    • “I can sum it up pretty easily with some familiar words that'll likely trigger some emotional memories.”
    • “This will fill that void wholesomely.”
    • “Forgive my incredulity, but 'bull!' I cried.”
  • monetization2 mentions

    The monetization model is well-received, as it enhances the game's depth without intrusive advertisements, making it feel worthwhile for players.

Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

Buy Encased

Play time

24hMedian play time
33hAverage play time
7-61hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 30 analyzed playthroughs

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