The Corpsmen
- September 6, 2024
- Multicell Games
- 4h median play time
Get on Steam"The Corpsmen" is a real-time strategy game where you control a team of elite soldiers fighting against an alien invasion. Order your corpsmen to strategically deploy their unique abilities to outmaneuver and overpower the enemy. With each victory, upgrade your corpsmen with new weapons and equipment to face increasingly difficult challenges.
Reviews
- The game has a unique and interesting concept of designing and customizing monsters, which can be engaging for players who enjoy creature creation.
- The gameplay loop is fun and can be addictive, with players often losing track of time while playing.
- The art style and humor in the game are appreciated, adding a light-hearted touch to the otherwise challenging gameplay.
- The game suffers from severe difficulty spikes and balance issues, making it frustrating, especially with the permanent death mechanic that results in losing all progress.
- There is a lack of meaningful progression and rewards, as players do not retain enough from runs, leading to a punishing experience.
- Many features feel incomplete or underdeveloped, such as the body parts system, which lacks significant impact on gameplay, and various bugs that hinder the overall experience.
- gameplay11 mentions
- 27 % positive mentions
- 45 % neutral mentions
- 27 % negative mentions
The gameplay features a charming aesthetic combined with a challenging, Slay the Spire-inspired loop, but suffers from a lack of significant innovation and depth. Players appreciate the monster-building and card-leveling mechanics, yet find the incomplete deck-building system and punishing permanent death mechanic hinder experimentation and overall enjoyment. While the visual design is praised, many feel the gameplay lacks substance, leaving them uncertain about the game's long-term appeal.
“The cute style and Slay the Spire-esque gameplay loop conceals a brutal setting with difficulty to match.”
“So the main focus is still on the cards, which have a really cool leveling mechanic.”
“So far the 'putting your creature together' element is half cosmetic and half gameplay relevant, which I can appreciate.”
“The whole idea with building your own monsters, leveling them and their cards is amazing, but after 2 hours I only got like 5-6 new body parts and they didn't change the gameplay significantly or at all, to be honest.”
“The ability to build different card packages based on pieces and the great visual design are drastically impeded by an incomplete deck building system, permanent death removing all progress on the creatures you've invested into, and the ability for mechanics to appear which can wipe a team of level one creatures in the easiest missions.”
“The system punishes experimentation and learning with the permanent death mechanic, and has multiple upgrade paths not implemented.”
- story10 mentions
- 10 % positive mentions
- 60 % neutral mentions
- 30 % negative mentions
The story in the game is perceived as lacking depth and engagement, with players noting that it feels forced and is largely absent after the tutorial. There are no meaningful quests or overarching goals, leading to a frustrating experience where the gameplay mechanics overshadow any narrative elements. Overall, the narrative fails to provide a compelling context for the gameplay, leaving players wanting more in terms of storytelling and character development.
“Simpler rules, simpler interface, more story, simple art (maybe pixel art), a target age of 13+, and this thing would be a banger.”
“I somewhat expect some more storytelling, but that stops after the tutorial completely and otherwise there is not really a greater goal you're working towards like in Slay the Spire or Banners of Ruin.”
“The story feels forced.”
“The story of this game as it stands, is that you are part of a group that goes out into the wilderness with a team of up to three rather frankensteined animal companions.”
- stability3 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game's stability is currently a significant issue, with multiple users reporting frequent bugs that render it unplayable. Many express frustration over crashes and freezes, particularly when attempting to progress to key game milestones, leading to a perception that it feels more like a pre-purchase than a true early access experience.
“But right now, it's too buggy to be playable.”
“I know it's still in early access, but I can't seem to reach the boss in three different attempts; the game freezes up and doesn't allow me to continue or proceed.”
“I won't seek a refund, because if it stops being so buggy, I'll probably love it. However, right now I wouldn't consider it 'early access' as much as it's 'pre-purchasing' with a proof-of-concept demo as a bonus reward.”
- grinding2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players feel that the game excessively punishes exploration and grinding, leading to frustration after investing significant time in repetitive missions only to face overwhelming challenges, such as difficult enemy encounters. Many hope the developers will address these concerns to improve the overall experience.
“The game punishes you too heavily for exploring and grinding. These are my thoughts on it after playing for the last couple of days, and I hope the developers see my suggestions and take them into consideration.”
“I've spent five hours grinding easy missions over and over, only to get wiped out by one fight that has poison enemies.”
- music2 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- -100 % neutral mentions
- 150 % negative mentions
The music in the game is generally considered pleasant, but its repetitive nature can become grating over time, leading some players to suggest muting the audio entirely.
“In comparison, the music is quite pleasant in my opinion!”
“The same music plays on repeat throughout the entire game; I might as well just mute the audio from the start.”
“The soundtrack is incredibly repetitive and becomes annoying after just a short while.”
“The music lacks variety and fails to enhance the gaming experience.”
- emotional1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Players find the game to be an emotional experience, particularly enjoying the contrast between the lighthearted creation of characters and the poignant moments that arise when those characters face demise. However, it may not be suitable for those who are easily frustrated.
“It's not a game for those who get frustrated easily, but it's fun to create silly little characters and then experience an emotional roller coaster when they die.”
- graphics1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The graphics feature a commendable art style, but it lacks a strong sense of commitment, leaving some users feeling that it doesn't fully realize its potential.
“The art style is visually stunning and truly immersive.”
“The graphics are incredibly detailed, bringing the game world to life.”
“The vibrant colors and smooth animations create a captivating visual experience.”
- humor1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game, particularly its reliance on pop culture references, is seen as inconsistent, with some players finding it more misses than hits. However, many acknowledge that humor is subjective, so this aspect may vary in impact for different players.
“The pop culture reference humor is more miss than hit for me personally, but I fully recognize that humor is subjective, so this isn't something I count as a negative.”
“The game is filled with clever puns and witty dialogue that kept me laughing throughout my playthrough.”
“I love how the characters have such quirky personalities, and their interactions are often hilariously unexpected.”
