the Line

I really wanted to like this game. It has quite a unique look and atmosphere. It is very buggy however. The biggest issue is that when you try to explore the game crashes. Since you need to explore to get ahead in the game, it is virtually unplayable.

This is a weird turn-based RPG, but that much is probably obvious. You have a few attack options, and combat is relatively quick. You can increase your abilities in between fights, but that costs your sanity, so be careful how you spend the points. I boosted my attack and defense, and after that, didn't really need anything else, and I coasted through the rest of the game. What's interesting is that you're in line, and while it does advance automatically, you can save a lot of time by fighting or trading items to certain people in the queue. It's all about balancing your options to form the right strategy, and it works pretty well. The game is also creepy and surreal; it's never really sure what's actually going on. The artstyle complements this pretty well, and is what drew me to the game in the first place. The enemy attacks are weird, and so are the noises they all make. Some are groans of agony, and some are just... nonsense. Like one of those cartoons where you expect an action to sound a certain way, but the sound that actually happens is something entirely different? It's like that. If you like the artstyle, I'd definitely give this one a go.

"The Line" has great audio and exceptional art being collaged with deformed-dystopian renaissance assets, which make for a great atmosphere (probably the best selling point). You play a female protagonist with a mutated pet, being forced by executives to resettle to another part of a grim urban environment, ultimatively standing in a long line of refugees and attacking, pursuing or bargaining your way forward (or simply by waiting). Some elements are randomised (item drop and enemies) and these aspects could lead to a great experience, unfortunately it is quite buggy: (This was mentioned by the community before) The scavenge-minigames work sometimes, sometimes they just freeze your game, the trap mechanics in Act II don't seem to work at all, your battle animation can lock into your movement and sometimes you cannot interact with NPC's although everything feels like you should. I mean, I don't mind obscure, hidden and crude in terms of presentation or mechanics, but this clearly seems unintentional or at worst unfinished. I managed to force myself to one ending (while being completely overpowered at the start of the second chapter which seem to be a balance problem), but it didn't…

the mini games keep freezing if you enter as the dog which you don't know beforehand and it's a rather confusing bizarre art project instead of an actual game overall but some people might enjoy this. everyone has a different taste. as of now because of the freeze bug this game is unplayable. check for patches clarifying that this bug has been dealt with before buying this game.

[b] Вкратце: [/b] рекомендую эту игру любителям оригинального стиля, интересных идей и простого затягивающего геймплея. Не рекомендую тем, кто не готов мириться с багами и разбираться в том, как вообще играть. [b] Плюсы: [/b] + Очень интересный визуальный ряд в стиле коллажей дадаистов + Разные персонажи в разных районах города, с уникальными и неожиданными анимациями атаки ([spoiler] беременная женщина, за которую дерется ее ребенок из живота — это что-то [/spoiler]) + Поначалу сложный, но ближе к концу простой геймплей, в какой-то момент затягивающий с головой + Атмосферная музыка + Необычный лор [b] Минусы: [/b] - Очень много багов. Не со всеми персонажами выходит взаимодействовать, хотя это самое интересное. Миниигра с собакой зависает, если играть в неё слишком быстро. Хотелось пройти игру на все концовки, чтобы узнать, что еще она ещё может дать, но это сделать не удалось, все ответвления после первого прохождения куда-то пропали или не работали, и так далее - Несколько опечаток Хотелось бы, чтобы игру довели до более играбельного состояния. Она уже сейчас может быть очень интересна, особенно с точки зрения визуала и идей, однако ей действительно не хватает полировки. Наде…

Bought because the art and concept interested me. It's an unplayable mess. Not going to waste my time.