Man, I thought you are a fan of Berserk, guess I'm wrong then.
https://www.ausgamers.com/games/ruiner/review/
Ruiner Review
Review By KostaAndreadis @ 11:19pm 26/09/17
Momentum. Movement. Words often used to describe the physical. Or in the realm of the digital, specific animation and character flow. Bear with me, this is going somewhere. Probably. When talking about Ruiner, the new stylish isometric action spectacle from Polish indie-studio Reikon Games, the words take on a new meaning. Or, can be applied to the whole experience. The cyberpunk inspired look of the fictional Rengkok in the year 2091 is in a word - sublime. Gritty and bathed in bright red and orange in all the right places, with character design that is both familiar and fresh. Ruiner gets it.
The feel of the combat is equally impressive, the animation is detailed and the freedom and fluidity of switching between melee and ranged attacks for combos represents the peerless pedigree behind the scenes. The Witcher series, Dead Island, and Dying Light make up parts of the resumes filed away within the walls of Reikon Games’ Warsaw studio. The dash move alone, is worthy of an award.
BUT THAT’S NOT IT, NOT ENTIRELY.
The only way to describe the feeling of Ruiner would be to give you a recount of the introductory sequence. That place in an action game, one built on the sort of brutal arcade combat found in Hotline Miami, where the rules are laid out. Buttons explained, abilities hinted at. Ruiner is no different, yet somehow it feels like so much more. And it’s the combination of the solid, intense, and engaging combat mechanics merged with the presentation and the soundtrack that gives Ruiner that nudge into the realm of brilliance.
BEFORE WE BEGIN, CONFESSION TIME.
Cyberpunk visuals filtered through bright lighting. Synth-based electronic music that can go from dark driving techno one minute to ethereal pad-driven soundscapes worthy of Vangelis the next. These are hard for me to resist. Damn hard. After the very first trailer was released for Ruiner, I knew this was a game for me. Even though I’m terrible at Hotline Miami style action titles. And for the most part avoid them. It took me three whole games just to come to grips with the combat in the Batman Arkham series.
This time I’ll make an exception. I’ll start on Normal. That’s what I told myself. And for the most part that’s how I played Ruiner. For the most part.
Back to the introductory sequence. Ruiner begins shrouded in mystery, and on-screen prompts. The music is deep and bass-heavy yet sparse, the driving electronic score is yet to kick in. You learn a few basic moves, and then suddenly you’re screen fills with the text KILL BOSS. With the same words spoken aloud. In your head. In Ruiner you take control over a faceless protagonist. Well, faceless in the sense that he wears a Daft Punk-style robot mask that can contextualise his and your feelings.
KILL BOSS is on screen for maybe half a second. The musical score picks up the scent, adding percussion, creating momentum. Combat follows suit, you begin to take on larger groups of enemies. Melee combat with a pipe. Shooting an automatic. Then the text re-appears, this time feeling a little more pronounced. Again, the music follows suit. As does the momentum of combat, the mystery, animation and gorgeous lighting. All building and playing off each other as a climax is reached.
During the tutorial.
Another voice this time and new bit of text fills the screen. This time friendlier, a female telling you not to do it. KILL BOSS. DON’T DO IT. The music is now well and truly making you move in your seat. Combat now takes on an almost transcendent quality.
Again, this is the introductory sequence.
What happens next is not the sort of payoff that makes it all worth it. Even though getting to explore the streets of Rengkok and soak in the atmosphere and movement is comparable to a relaxing weekend spa when placed next to the combat. I assume, I’ve never actually been to one.
It’s hard to not utter something stupid like that or ‘it’s the journey and not the destination’. For an action experience where combat flow is rewarded and graded and repetition is counted as a plus, then of course it's the journey. All I can really do is let you know how Ruiner helped me better understand a style of game. Turns out that the reason I’ve never really grown attached to pure arcade action is that unless momentum is driven by more than just combat or a new weapon or a surprising boss battle, I zone out.
Ruiner is momentum.
The art drives the story, the story drives the setting, the setting drives the music, and the music drives the combat. Which in and of itself, needs none of the above. There are other very cool elements to be found, from the versatile progression system to the way in which the boss battles evolve and really put your skills to the test. There are also stretches where the momentum lags and cues are repeated. But with the sound turned up, the lights drawn, and your eyes firmly watching each enemy movement and background detail come to life there’s nothing better. Ruiner gets it. And I love it.
BUY GAME.
What we liked
What we didn't like
- Art, animation, and style like this rarely comes along
- A soundtrack to match the power and beauty of the visuals
- Fluid combat that encourages switching things up
- Next level pacing where the music, setting, story and on-screen action all come together
More
- The difference between difficulty levels is basic
- Normal means more hits with a pipe needed to take out a Creep. Hard means even more.
- One of the missions, the one in the factory underbelly, is 5 minutes or so too long.
- Can at times feel relentlessly dark.
We gave it:
9.2
OUT OF 10
http://wccftech.com/review/ruiner-you-played-yourself/
RUINER Review – You Played Yourself
By Christian Vaz
GAME INFO
RUINER
September 26th 2017
Platform PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One
Publisher Devolver Digital
Developer REIKON GAMES
It must be difficult for a new developer to make a name for themselves without having their game be directly compared to other titles in the same genre. This is precisely what Polish developers, REIKON GAMES, have been going through with RUINER. Just looking at RUINER from a basic level, it’s a top-down action shooter with a unique visual style, it features an incredible amount of violence and is being published by Devolver Digital… okay, maybe I understand where some of the comparisons are coming from.
Taking place in the cyber metropolis known as Rengkok in the year 2091, you play as a seemingly unnamed man. At points, he is referred to as ‘Puppy’ by his hacker friend, Her/She, but for the most part, characters in this game don’t tend to use formal names. Virtuality is a big deal in 2091, and HEAVEN happen to be the leading providers of it in the Rengkok region. HEAVEN’s most popular product gives people the ability to feel real sensations in virtual worlds, but this feeling is created using human hosts. Your goal is to help Her take down the Virtuality dealers at HEAVEN. Oh, and to make matters worse, the creators of HEAVEN have captured your brother, forcing you to track him down and rescue him.
Rengkok is a fascinating, albeit small city, filled with minor details at every corner. The amount of time you spend in the city is completely up to you. In this hub world, you will find bits of information that help you piece together what type of world RUINER takes place in. You’ll also find several side quests here that encourage you to explore each of the levels in search for numerous collectibles. Though there isn’t that much to do in Rengkok, it’s certainly nice to slow down the pace and explore the city after going on a murderous rampage.
RUINER is a skill-based game and a very difficult one at that! I died countless times throughout the first half of the game, so much so that I decided to turn the game’s difficulty down to Easy. RUINER never feels unfair when you die because you know it’s completely your fault. At the beginning of the game, you are given the multi-dash ability and an Energy Shield to defend against bullets. These two abilities are incredibly powerful, and they need to be, considering how merciless the enemies are.
As the game progresses, your character has access to even more abilities, thirteen in total, with each ability having a number of upgrades. Unsurprisingly, as you grow in strength so do your enemies. You may think you understand the game after playing it for an hour, but just wait until every enemy has their own energy shield and they can teleport around the level. I promise you, this game gets very difficult!
You can upgrade your abilities as you level up throughout the game. You’ll also need to collect the currency in Rengkok, known as Karma. You can add and remove your skill points at any time, so if you feel like you’d rather have a Kinetic Barrier rather than an Energy Shield then you can swap them out. I believe it is possible to upgrade every ability in the game, though I’d imagine it would take a few playthroughs to do so. Thankfully each subsequent playthrough of the game is made significantly easier as your abilities stay with you. There’s also a level select if you need to go back to a specific stage for any of the side quests.
RUINER’s storyline is complex and, in all honesty, quite confusing. I never truly understood what was going on until the game ended, and even then it took me a while to realize what exactly was happening. This is an aspect of the game that I came to appreciate. There is obviously an emphasis on the story, but at no point does it ever spoil or interrupt the gameplay. Players looking to repeat levels won’t be bogged down by any of the story elements. While the story is interesting, sometimes you just want to play the game and that’s exactly what you are able to do.
Unreal Engine 4 typically works well for many games, RUINER being no exception to this. The game runs perfectly on my computer (6700k, GTX 1080), though this doesn’t really come as a surprise to me. I was surprised to see the game ran at 144HZ as that’s always a nice surprise when it comes to games that aren’t first person shooters. The PC version of RUINER also has the option of running at 4K resolution, which is certainly nice if you have an expensive TV or monitor.
Reviewed on PC (code provided by the publisher). RUINER is also available on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.
8
For only £15/$20, you really are getting your money’s worth with RUINER. I finished my first playthrough of the game in just over four hours. It’s important to remember half of this playthrough was on Easy (meaning I rarely died) and I didn’t attempt any of the side quests. My second playthrough on Normal was much slower and I’d argue it was better thanks to the New Game Plus aspect. Even if you don’t go back to the game after finishing it once, there’s plenty in that four-hour experience for you to enjoy. RUINER is a no brainer if you are interested in fast-paced action games that require real skill to truly perfect.
Pros
Cons
- Great game at a low price
- Amazing art direction
- Soundtrack suits RUINER perfectly
- Some of the boss fights were annoying
- The story is confusing at first
http://cultureofgaming.com/ruiner-review/
RUINER Review
Be First!
by Mohammad Tabari September 26, 2017
Release Date: September 26th, 2017
Platforms: PC, PS4, Xbox One
Publisher: Devolver Digital
Developer: Reikon Games
Genre: Action, Shooter
ESRB Rating: Mature 17+
MSRP: $19.99
Calling RUINER a pleasant surprise is an understatement. Even though the trailers looked appealing, I had my doubts since the game seemed like a Hotline Miami clone. However, RUINER turned out to be a fluid, exciting, atmospheric and frustrating gem of a game. Even though I have some problems with it, the gameplay is incredible. The practical use of upgrades that actually change your play style, the fast and fluid combat system matched with gorgeous visuals and a rocking soundtrack makes this game shine beyond all expectations. Reikon Games has created something that will be recognized as a classic by many, and even with its shortcomings, it’s an astounding experience.
Story
In the story of RUINER, you play a silent protagonist searching for his brother’s whereabouts in the streets of a cyberpunk city called Rengkok. You’re being helped by a mysterious hacker referred to as “her,” and together you plan to unravel the mystery of his disappearance.
The story isn’t revolutionary or genius but it is likable especially when it comes to certain characters. It doesn’t focus heavily on the plot points but what we’re told works well with what’s going on. My big problem here is the way certain things are written. Mainly with the use of foul language, similar to when a child learns a swear word for the first time and continues to use it in poor taste. Certain conversations seem like they were written by a kid because of how suddenly a character might drop the f-bomb.
I also appreciate that there’s barely any voice acting. I can imagine how bad certain characters might sound if they had voices, so it’s a relief that there is little to none. It’s also pretty interesting how often this game makes light of what’s going on, with “her” referring to you as a puppy hunting its prey, and using a random emoji every time she speaks with you. The game also seems to take place in what might be futuristic Japan, perhaps China? I’m not particularly sure, since Rengkok is fictional.
Frustrating, Unforgiving, Novel
When clicking “play” in the main menu of RUINER, the most important decision you’ll make is choosing the game difficulty. When hovering over hard mode, it warns you of how much hell you’ll go through with it, but it also states that it’s what the studio has recommended. Reikon Games doesn’t shove the titles challenge down our throats. They want this game to be hard as hell but they know that this is not for everyone, and they’re okay with people defying their vision. When compared to similar titles that just force you to suffer, this is surprisingly relieving. Even though I ended up playing it on hard anyway, knowing that this was MY choice changes how you experience the frustration.
This is especially evident when you consider how much else there is to this game. Not everyone will see value in the difficulty, especially with a game that’s meant to be as hard as RUINER turned out to be. This game is monumentally tough, and there is so much more to it than the difficulty that others might be interested in.
However, before going onto those others things, let’s talk about the actual difficulty here. Nothing is more satisfying than finally beating a boss after fifty tries and RUINER capitalizes on this feeling of accomplishment expertly. This is one of those games where each and every boss will only go down after you hit them a hundred times, yet they can kill you in two. Even encounters with regular enemies poses a giant threat to your life. I’ve had so many moments where I had beaten down a huge wave of enemies only to be taken out by a lower level one due to my growing cockiness. It’s deceptive how weak some enemies might seem yet they have the ability to take out half of your health with a single swipe. This game is a huge challenge when it comes to the actual combat, but thankfully, the checkpoint system is fair.
This game works in waves, you continue to one area, get locked in that area, and fight twenty enemies at once. These battles are pretty tough, but once you do clear a wave, you get a checkpoint and even if you die a second after it’s over, you’ve got nothing to worry about. I absolutely love this design, as it allows you to keep going with the difficulty more based on your ability to do well rather than the games ability to screw you over.
It’s also quite amazing how each encounter feels fresh. There isn’t one wonderful strategy that can beat every enemy. Every other battle I had to respec my skill tree as the enemies constantly change, and the game expects you to adapt to these changes. This is especially evident when it comes to the bosses. After a while, I started to learn that each boss has their own weakness, and even though they might seem impossible at first, it slowly seems more and more possible once you figure out their soft spots. It’ll still be tough to execute, but with a lot of patience you’ll get there.
Practical Abilities
An uninspired trait that plagues certain video games is the gimmicky skill tree, typically used as an attempt to keep the player invested. If you can’t keep someone playing because your gameplay is engaging, you keep them playing with the expectation of another level up or a skill point they can spend to further “progress” their character, even if it only increases their health by 2%. These systems are dull, and I was worried RUINER would implement something similar.
Thankfully, every available ability is practical. There are a few things in here that resemble these gimmicky upgrades, but for the most part, a lot of these things actually help. When you defeat enemies, open chests, or complete a side mission, you’ll get Karma, which is this game’s version of experience points. You can unlock a stun grenade which will keep a boss at bay for a few seconds, a shield that will make certain bosses impossible to fight without, the ability to slow down time so you can think strategically, an incredible power boost in times of desperate need, and/or the power to heal yourself in exchange for energy. All of these abilities saved my life, every single one of them. I genuinely think that without some of these things, I would not have been able to beat this game.
It’s also great that you can just exchange these abilities for new ones whenever you want. You don’t have to go through some complex method to respec. You can just do it on the spot, at any time.
Fast & Engaging
Even without these insane upgrades, RUINER has an awesome combat system. The game has you dashing around, swiping at enemies, dashing back, dodging what looks like bullet hell and swiping at enemies some more. This series of events occurs within a few seconds, and how quickly these enemies come at you is horrifying. You need to focus on so many things at once to keep yourself alive. The game very subtly prompts you when things happen, so you have to keep an eye out. In the early stages of the game, I had trouble realizing when I had taken damage. Later on I learned to always keep an eye on my health bar.
You also have to focus on shooting at certain bosses while paying close attention to when they shoot you. This may not seem like a big deal, since a lot of us are used to our games prompting us when this happens, but RUINER is so subtle about these prompts that you have to pay close attention. Because you’re so focused on other things, like when a boss might laser you, when a specific enemy is preparing his swipe, or when a big machine will drop down to suck your energy, it’s very easy to die to something you didn’t have your eye on. This is very frustrating, but it is exciting. You need to put all of your heart into this game, and you can’t have your focus elsewhere or you will die.
Atmospheric Excellence
Something that really stands out about RUINER is how immersive it is. This is thanks to the incredible cyberpunk world that tells us a great deal from the visuals alone. The way police lights shine on you from above, the way the machines go through their motions in certain parts of the game, and the way a music track perfectly compliments what’s going in the story is incredible. The soundtrack adds a great deal of tension to every encounter, and makes walking in a straight line feel bad ass. I’m not a professional when it comes to music, but I can say that it fits this game very well.
Lackluster Hub World
There is an over world in RUINER, and although it’s visually gorgeous like the rest of the game, it’s quite bland in terms of its relevance to the gameplay. You can talk to residents of the city, accept side quests from certain people, and freely explore what the small zone has to offer. Some of these missions are pretty funny too, one rewarding you if you die 100+ times, and one provided by a girl dressed up as a cat, claiming that the cats in the city are spying on the citizens.
I also quite like the way these characters are written, typically just providing small bits of information that tell you more about this world. The big problem for me is that the rewards you get from these missions are insignificant. It took me a while to even notice I was getting rewards in the first place, but when I eventually realized it, it was such a tiny bonus that I felt like I had just wasted my time. The only reward that I appreciate is the weapon lockers, which even then, they rarely helped, but at least I had something to show for it.
Smaller Notes
The Weapon Grinder is quite the cool mechanic. When you defeat a wave of enemies, the Weapon Grinder comes down and allows you to destroy the dropped weapons near you in exchange for Karma and a very powerful weapon. By having you wonder what crazy gun you’ll get next, the mechanic adds an extra layer of excitement.
I’m not exactly sure why you can make choices in the dialogue, as all of these choices just lead to the same answers regardless of what you pick. I’m not a big fan of this design, they might as well just have removed this feature entirely.
There’s also a point in the game where you need something to unlock certain gates, and going through these motions feels pointless. You just have to hold E for five seconds and then wait another ten seconds while it unlocks the door. There’s a point in the game where you go through this three times without a single enemy in between. What’s this mechanics purpose? Is it just to waste our time?
Conclusion
RUINER is an incredible game with an awesome combat system, a practical ability tree, compelling visuals, a fantastic soundtrack, and an impressive understanding of how to make a video game hard as hell. Reikon Games has done a wonderful job with it, and I highly anticipate their next title.
THE GOOD
Exciting Combat System
Practical Ability Tree
Fantastic Audio/Visuals
Hard As Hell
THE BAD
Subpar Hub World
8
Great
Review Summary
RUINER is a frustrating gem, and for its ten hours of non-stop action, it’s well worth the twenty bucks it’ll cost you.
http://wegotthiscovered.com/gaming/ruiner-review/
RUINER Review
By Jordan Hurst 1 hour ago
Devolver Digital is one of my favourite publishers, because even if their output isn’t 100% gold, you can always be sure that any game that bears their logo will at least be interesting. So it is with RUINER, a heavily flawed game that’s a certain brand of compelling nonetheless. The elevator pitch is basically Hotline Miami with a noise soundtrack instead of synthwave and cyberpunk imagery supplanting 80s nostalgia. And at a surface level, it’s exactly that: a self-consciously violent, uncontrollably paced top-down shooter built on top of an overwhelming musical backdrop. The main character even strongly resembles Biker, Hotline Miami’s deuteragonist. From there, however, the game incorporates several outside influences, few of which have a positive impact on the entire experience.
In particular, RUINER furiously channels the 2011 FPS Hard Reset, which may seem oddly specific until you remember that developer Reikon Games was partially formed by members of Flying Wild Hog – Hard Reset’s creators. Both titles showcase a grimy gunmetal-and-primary-color palette, a poorly balanced upgrade system, a nearly impenetrable plot, and most importantly, an unfair difficulty level stemming from the lack of a reliable way to avoid damage. I knew I’d have a fragile relationship with this game’s design philosophy as soon as I saw ‘normal’ difficulty described as “for those who know what real fun is,” but I was still surprised at how quickly any benefit of the doubt was shattered. The very first boss contains an arbitrarily restrictive time limit, and after dropping dead several times because a countdown timer reached zero, I concluded that “real fun” doesn’t live up to its name.
It definitely gets better from there, but it’s in fits and starts. The engagement curve here is so jagged it should come with a tetanus warning. Early on, it’s the smaller fights that shine, as they let the brutal action take the spotlight away from the struggle to survive. The second half of the game is more regularly enjoyable as, well, by that point, you’ve accumulated enough upgrade points to really start tinkering with the combinations and creating specialized loadouts. Several of the available abilities blend together very neatly; combining the shield and dash into a high-speed battering ram leads to some great fun, the weapon proficiency upgrades mesh well with the ability to airdrop in specific firearms, and the ability to convert opponents to your cause is just cool all on its own.
It all builds to a surprisingly gripping climax and a reasonably satisfying epilogue where the power fantasy expected of a game this aggressive finally comes into play. Still, a large chunk of the experience prior to that is soured by a handful of huge design faults. For one thing, Hotline Miami’s gameplay was designed for a setting where everything dies in one hit. The gunmen in that game are notorious for being able to slaughter players with pinpoint accuracy, but that was somewhat balanced by the player’s ability to a) hide, and b) smash enemy faces in before they could pull the trigger. RUINER doesn’t offer either of those advantages. The protagonist also being extra durable here doesn’t help either, because another thing the game doesn’t offer is mercy invincibility, so automatic weapons can obliterate you after just one mistake.
On top of that, the boss battles are an absolute nightmare. Most of them are mirror-style – able to do most of the things you can, which in most games feels very climactic – except they have about thirty times as much health. Also, “things you can do” include bouncing bullets off walls, creating reflective energy shields, and dashing at super speed, all without warning. And then there are the ones who can teleport and/or fill the screen with grenades, again, without warning. Combined with the fact that the player’s energy supply doesn’t regenerate except from pickups and other more specific circumstances, and you have a combat system that’s often reduced to hoping you do the right thing at the right time in the right place. At least there are occasional puzzle bosses, that, in addition to being surprisingly sophisticated, are a lot more humane.
Obviously, jumping between disastrous and somewhat enjoyable for 10 hours doesn’t add up to “a certain brand of compelling,” so where RUINER really makes its mark is in its presentation. Firstly, that noise soundtrack is a hell of a soundtrack. Taking on a variety of moods but excelling at confusion and anger – especially with its discombobulating vocal segments – it’s sure to introduce its listeners to a whole new stable of artists. Additionally, the visual design is astonishingly effective despite its limited range. Ditto for the main character’s appearance, which has the potential to become instantly iconic if there’s enough of an audience. If you’re looking for an explanation for why he’s a mute cyborg wearing a helmet with a digital display full of belligerent non-sequiturs, however, you’re going to be disappointed.
On that note: what is going on with cyberpunk video game plots these days? Deus Ex seems to be the only one willing to concretely define the source of its dystopian setting; the rest just blame it on some nebulous technology. The actual story premise here is dead simple: someone hacked your cybernetic brain to make you an assassin and kidnapped your brother for good measure, but a more benevolent hacker saved you, so you can take revenge and rescue said brother. There are about a dozen hints throughout the game that would have made the presence of a big twist obvious even if the tagline wasn’t “You are being played,” but the specifics of that twist and especially the direction the plot goes in afterward are genuinely interesting. I just wish the details made more sense.
A character in the finale specifically offers answers if you follow their instructions, only for the credits to roll before this revelation happens. It’s a pretty extreme cop-out, and it highlights a recurring phrase I used while playing: “What was the point of that?” The way a third of the upgrades are clearly outclassed by others of equal cost is the most bewildering, but there’s also an overworld where you can talk to useless characters. There are bounties presented as side quests that are actually mandatory boss battles. There are vehicles and a support character in the later levels, both of which could be replaced with an “Advance Plot” button. In one of several half-baked attempts to merge the gameplay and narrative, there are even a few things suggesting your deaths are somehow actually happening, except that it never amounts to anything.
RUINER is a passionate game. It seems to have been designed the way it needs to be played: recklessly, with a lot of faith in blind luck. It’s certainly not bland, or even badly constructed – it controls better than Hotline Miami ever did. What it is is punishing, and that leads to different things from different perspectives. Punishing aesthetics lead to a memorable identity, a punishing narrative leads to a mix of confusion and curiosity, and punishing gameplay, unfortunately, leads to frustration and boredom.
This review is based on the PC version of the game, which we were provided with by Devolver Digital.
Middling - 5/10
RUINER ruins its own explosive presentation and promising combat with poorly thought-out difficulty and incomplete narrative and gameplay concepts.
that's intentional, time slows down when you kill a bunch of enemies in a row and whenever you pick up a new weapon
There's no such thing as tank controls in Ruiner, the skewed perspective merely makes pressing up not exactly correspond with going directly up and so on, it controls like your usual twin-stick shooter beyond that
