Hello from the Othercide.....
Strap in, this is a long one!
Othercide is a tactical turn based strategy rogue-like.
I'm not a fan of the strat genre, but I could very well be on the turn!
There is a lot to unpack with this game and this was a genuinely quite a difficult review to approach, but for all the right reasons.
My decision, to make this a written review rather than a video, was because, quite honestly video footage doesn't generally do justice to isometric games and certainly not the RTS genre.
As with most Strat/Tact games, everything is over-complicated from the get go.
However in this instance "over-complicated" just means Stylized (and I mean stylish as a very positive trait here!).
Once you actually get to grips with the game and distill its elements and mechanics down to their core functions, it's actually quite accessible and feels very familiar to many features from other popular entries to the genre.
Its like if you took a 1983 GMC Vandura van, a reliable, tried and tested starting point.
Then paint it black (this game is entirely black, white and red) with a red stripe leading to a rooftop spoiler and add red turbine mag wheels. It becomes infinitely more stylish and dare I say, iconic.
Developers, Lightbulb Crew, loved it when this plan came together (sorry).
So whats it all about?
The game begins with a short tutorial that also sets the scene.
You play the part of "Mother" a kind of Bayonetta styled, one woman army, who is all that stands between humanity and the beings from the Othercide.
Then you are killed, but not really, by an almighty explosion as the "chosen one" attempts to hatch "Suffering" into our world.
We then next catch up with Mother she's a sort of ethereal spirit (like Jedi force ghost but red) in a place called the inner void. Here we find that you have the power to "germinate" Daughters.
The Daughters are in effect disposable clones of the Mother with each class being gifted a certain aspect of Mothers' overall Skill arsenal.
Shieldbearer: Tanky defensive skills, taunts, crowd control
Souldslinger: Pistols, ranged DPS
Blademaster: Sword, agile melee dps
Scythedancer: unlockable later ...shhhh!
After you germinate your first Daughter, you have the option to name her.
Don't bother, she will die, they all die!
This is the heart of the gameplay loop and what gives it the unique rogue-like element.
Your Daughters will fight and learn skills, abilities and traits as they level up. Some of these can in turn, be passed on to subsequent cloned Daughters after they eventually and inevitably die.
New Skills will be learned, these in turn can modified by memories and each daughter also gains traits from their combat experiences.
For example: my first Blademaster "Selena" got through an encounter unscathed, she earned the trait "arrogant". (After receiving no damage in the encounter, you feel you have nothing more to learn -10% XP gains, +10% damage).
Selena died a couple of days later...
So each playthrough is called a recollection, each day within the recollection is basically one or more skirmishes. Once a recollection is over you gain a remembrance which is some kind of boon to make you more powerful for the next recollection. That's pretty much the gameplay loop and it works really well.
Its a refreshing take on the genre and something that definitely held my attention and kept me coming back for more punishment.
This game has a lot of elements, a lot of rules and quite a steep learning curve, especially for a strategy n00b such as myself. Yet its handles all of this admirably and after it's short introductory skirmish I felt suitably equipped to dive in.
It's direct, to the point and effective, no hand holding, just enough information to prepare yourself for the first recollection on the first day.
The rest of the mechanics and character management tips are trickle fed as you progress, and progress you do.
The game never at any point, feels like you are stagnating or at a dead end. There will always be an upgrade, or a bestiary entry that will push you through onto the next part.
But it's not just great core gameplay, it really is stylish. The aesthetics are wonderful, the use of monochrome with accents of red works so well to purvey the overwhelming sense of hopelessness.
The voice acting is top notch, complimenting both the art style and the setting perfectly.
The soundtrack is also a winner, instantly grabbing your attention and pulling you in from the very title screen.
The game has a whiff of the ecumenical, a dash of warhammer 40K, a smidge of Bayonetta all served up by a My Chemical Romance video. Yet it comes out the "Othercide" with its own unique identity and take on a genre that might not have otherwise ordinarily appealed to many.
My recommendation would be to give this game a try, even if at first glance it doesn't seem like something that would initially pique your interest. Scratch the surface and you will be rewarded with a stylish game that is challenging, rewarding and suitably different.
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