Hard Truck Apocalypse: Rise Of Clans / Ex Machina: Meridian 113
- March 14, 2014
- Targem Games
Get on SteamIn Hard Truck Apocalypse: Rise of Clans, also known as Ex Machina: Meridian 1
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The game offers a nostalgic experience for fans of the original Hard Truck Apocalypse, bringing back childhood memories.
- Despite its bugs and glitches, many players find the gameplay enjoyable and engaging, especially for fans of vehicular combat and RPG elements.
- The game features a variety of trucks and customization options, allowing players to personalize their vehicles and enhance gameplay.
- The game is plagued by numerous technical issues, including crashes, unhandled exceptions, and poor compatibility with modern systems, making it unplayable for many users.
- The story is considered weak and linear compared to the original, with many players feeling it lacks depth and replayability.
- Localization and voice acting are poorly executed, leading to awkward dialogue and a distracting experience for non-Russian speakers.
- story84 mentions
- 7 % positive mentions
- 81 % neutral mentions
- 12 % negative mentions
The story in the game has received mixed reviews, with many players noting it is significantly shorter and less fulfilling than its predecessor, often feeling rushed and poorly explained. While some appreciate the eccentric protagonist and dynamic elements, others criticize the convoluted mission structure and lack of depth, leading to a disjointed narrative experience. Overall, the game is seen as a less engaging continuation of the original's storyline, with many preferring the richer, more expansive plot of the earlier title.
“Moral of the story: you never know what life has in store for you, and if I had given up when all odds were against me, I wouldn't be where I am today.”
“As for me, a great game with a great story.”
“Rise of clans have you, 'the vagrant', on a quest to reach 'Edmonton' in 'le Canada'.”
“Although some of the bugs were fixed, the story was entirely changed and we have a different (very eccentric) protagonist. It is still the same vibe and premise as the original Ex Machina.”
“Unpolished, with a rushed story and poorly explained. The game overall feels rushed and feels more like a DLC to the first game. I would replay the first game many times, but this one, probably won't replay it again.”
“Worse story than the previous game.”
- graphics26 mentions
- 15 % positive mentions
- 73 % neutral mentions
- 12 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are generally considered modern and visually appealing, with some users noting that it has aged well. However, there are significant technical issues, including crashes when adjusting certain graphical settings and persistent glitches. While some players appreciate the visuals for the price, others express disappointment, suggesting that the graphics could be improved further.
“Aged well graphically.”
“Very good game, a nice sequel to hta, I like the graphics and controls. Runs on Windows 10 normally since the recent update that lets you play on Vista/7/8/8.1/10.”
“Amazing, I say, graphics good, music good, gameplay good.”
“There are technical problems, as enabling anisotropic filtering causes the game to crash on load in combination with some configuration options, and some graphical glitches.”
“The graphics could be better, also the physics, but for $2 it's more than okay!”
“There were options to improve the graphics, but the game would refuse to load after I upped them from 'medium' (the default).”
- stability16 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game is plagued by numerous bugs, glitches, and crashes, making stability a significant issue, especially for new players unfamiliar with the series. Users report technical problems, particularly with graphical settings and performance drops in certain areas, which can lead to frustrating gameplay experiences. Despite these challenges, some players find enjoyment in the game, suggesting that those willing to overlook the instability may still find it rewarding.
“Check it out if you're familiar with the first installment; if not, then I don't know how to tell you this, but you most probably won't enjoy the lovely buggy mess these games are.”
“There are technical problems, as enabling anisotropic filtering causes the game to crash on load in combination with some configuration options, and some graphical glitches.”
“But then there are areas (mostly in the jungle regions) where FPS was dropping significantly, and an attempt to change the resolution or tweak the options caused some atrocious glitches that forced me to kill the game and load it anew.”
- gameplay16 mentions
- 13 % positive mentions
- 69 % neutral mentions
- 19 % negative mentions
The gameplay features a mix of enjoyable truck-based exploration and combat in a post-apocalyptic setting, though it suffers from significant difficulty spikes and occasional monotony. While the game introduces more enemy spawns and tougher encounters, it also includes mini-games for added variety. Overall, improvements in physics and graphics enhance the experience, despite some rough translations and short length.
“The occasional mini-games bring some variation to the gameplay.”
“The translation from Russian is a bit rough, but overall, the gameplay of driving around and shooting all sorts of things is compelling.”
“Significantly more difficult gameplay with each truck having less health and there being more enemy spawns and more frequent enemy spawns.”
“The gameplay has odd difficulty fluxes: it is mostly very easy, but at one point you will be one-shotted in encounters as there will be stronger weapons than the given trucks can handle.”
“On the plus side, the main gameplay of roaming a post-apocalyptic world with a truck, shooting things, and collecting gear in an RPG manner is mostly fun, if not somewhat monotonous if you are not so inclined.”
- music14 mentions
- 43 % positive mentions
- 36 % neutral mentions
- 21 % negative mentions
The music in the game receives mixed reviews; while some players appreciate the cool soundtrack and find it relaxing, others criticize its repetitiveness, particularly a guitar-heavy track that became grating over time. Additionally, technical issues such as crashes during music loading detract from the overall experience. Comparisons to the original game highlight a preference for its richer and more enjoyable soundtrack.
“All in all I prefer the original due to the fact that it's a game from my childhood, but also the fact that the story was longer and more enjoyable, there was a much bigger world to explore and the soundtrack was richer.”
“This game has a cool soundtrack.”
“Amazing I say, graphics good, music good, gameplay good.”
“(I was stuck for 4 hours with only the guitar-heavy song in this game and it gave me a migraine)”
“The game starts but it crashes while loading video and music files.”
“Ok soundtrack.”
- optimization10 mentions
- 40 % positive mentions
- 30 % neutral mentions
- 30 % negative mentions
The game's optimization is a mixed bag; while it runs smoothly for some players, it lacks support for modern display resolutions and hasn't been updated for contemporary gaming PCs. This results in a disappointing experience for those expecting better performance and compatibility, despite the overall enjoyable gameplay for fans of the series.
“Overall, the performance of the game was great, and it runs smoothly.”
“It's still a good time for the fans of the series (if we ignore the possible performance issues), so if you bought it already, why not buy this one too?”
“Before we can move on to the cons, I must address an issue of performance.”
“Albeit an interesting idea, it is still disappointing in performance.”
“It's still a good time for the fans of the series (if we ignore the possible performance issues), so if you bought the previous title already, why not buy this one too?”
- replayability4 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The game is generally perceived as having low replayability, with many reviewers noting that it lacks the engaging story elements of its predecessor. While it may provide a brief distraction, it does not encourage repeated playthroughs.
“It offers less replayability and the story is much less fulfilling than the original.”
“It offers less replayability and the story is much less fulfilling than the original.”
- humor2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is noted to be present but often overshadowed by frustrating elements, suggesting that players may need to tolerate some irritation to fully appreciate the comedic aspects.
- atmosphere2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game has been criticized for lacking style and cohesion, with elements that detract from the overall experience.
“Needless to say, all of this doesn't exactly add to the style and atmosphere of the game.”
