I played up to the Free Fire Zone on my friend's laptop (who has a better graphics card than me). The game ran better but still didn't run particularly well so I think I'll wait until the Xbox One version so I can appreciate the visuals at a full resolution.
Here are my thoughts from having played that far.
Note: Most of this will be nitpicks with the game, it's a lot easier to pick out what seemed 'off', but I hope it comes across as good natured feedback if anyone from JAW reads it.
I really like the voice acting in the game, particularly the new Glukkon voices. I'm not married to the original Abe voice and I really like Lorne's current take on the character. It may seem weird once or twice but that I chalk up to hearing a new take on classic dialogue we've heard hundreds of time in the past. I'm sure the same will happen with the Exoddus remake even though the voice is a lot close to the current one. The cutscenes, although not CG, seems to be pretty well lit, animated and with solid character models. The lighting is brighter and more stylised than the original but whatever - it still looks pretty good and works well on its own merits.
As I stated above the brightness in the opening cutscene seems dialed up too high. Something doesn't seem right when we get our first big glimpse of the New n Tasty poster and the only colour that comes through is bright white. But since the cutscenes in the Movie Player Extras aren't as bright I get the feeling this wasn't intended.
What I'm not really a fan of is that dirty camera filter. Both in cutscenes and ingame. Personally it seems to take away from the visuals that JAW and Monkey Brain Studios have worked hard to create. It's distracting and sort of broke my engagement with the game whenever I noticed it. Unlike, say, the noise filter in The Lost and the Damned (which players could toggle) this filter doesn't seem to really add anything to the aesthetic or atmosphere of the game.
To a much lesser extent I guess the bloom could be turned down in some of the few places I visited. Maybe it's used as a way to hide imperfections? Anyway, I feel like the guys at JAW should have more confidence in their ability to create stunning visuals without these effects. I mean that little moment where Abe's shadow is cast across the RF barrels in Zulag 1, the atmosphere and shadow work in the furnance room - and from what I've seen of Monsaic Lines and Paramonia in videos and screenshots - JAW have created a very impressive visual experience. They should be proud of that and they should let it shine through more in certain areas. I mean I think JAW's Free Fire Zone could look great without relying on that bloomy sky too much.
Now that they have Steam Zones instead of Shadow Zones perhaps they could focus on stronger shadow work moving forward? I don't know.
The character models are great and it fulfills that childhood fantasy of seeing the ingame character models match the same quality in cutscenes.
From what I've seen animations, for the most part, give Abe and his cohorts a breath of life. The animations between states of walking and running seem very smooth and natural. However, as has been discussed in the past (and I imagine JAW are getting sick of hearing these criticisms repeated) some of the animations feel like they've been sped up to keep the gameplay and animation speed in line with the original. I imagine due to budget, time, and game development's unforgiving mistress of compromise they weren't reanimated to compensate for the increased speed. This, unfortunately, makes it more obvious since a lot of the animations are very smooth.
A minor thing I noticed, and I don't know if it has to do with what's above, but when changing direction as a Slig or as Abe (whilst running) there's a little jolt between the turning animation and the running cycle animation.
I think Sligs beating down Mudokons feels relatively tame. JAW created a great cowering animation, where Mudokons actually shake with fear, but it's only used when your Slig shouts "Look out". It seems like a missed opportunity to use it when a Slig hits a worker. I also think that, perhaps, the sound effect could feel a bit more painful. In AO & AE it really felt like the Sligs were laying into those poor Mudokons. From a sadistic POV it also means it's less fun to beat on Mudokons yourself
The range of voice commands is something I really love - as is the range of Mudokon voices. Some of the Idle dialogue is quite funny although it does get a bit irritating hearing the same Mudokon groan over and over again. I think idle dialogue should be less frequent - or perhaps in specific areas (although one runs the risk of hearing the exact same dialogue over and over again when they restart the same checkpoint) - it means the lines retain their intended impact yet the player won't get sick of hearing them by the time they leave Zulag 1 (although, I imagine, not everyone has a problem with this). I also guess, coupled with the cowering beat downs, Mudokons would feel a bit more oppressed? I don't know.
As mentioned with the Slig beatdowns, from what I've played, there's a couple of sound effects that I felt could feel more visceral. Getting shot seems a lot less brutal this time around. I'm not saying Oddworld needs to become Gears of War but the very penetrating "splat" sound effect coupled with Abe's short, painful cry really sold how nasty getting shot is. It seems like a great moment where the brutality of the game takes you aback considering the goofy characters. Simiarly it feels like JAW could get more mileage from the sound effects of meat saws grinding our beloved characters and mines blowing them up. I suppose the possession sound effect could have a stronger presence in the game, too.
Anyway, I don't expect any of this to be considered for a future patch. The game is the game and it seems to be doing well critically and among audiences. I'd love if JAW or OWI considered some of this for the potential Exoddus remake and, considering most of this isn't new, I imagine they've already thought about which criticisms they may or may not take on board.
I'd like to say a lot more about the backgrounds and the re-design of the levels but I'll wait until I experience the full game. From what I've seen, though, it does a great job at making Rupture Farms feel like a running factory and I've liked a lot of the visual choices I've seen so far.
New n Tasty PC impressions
The attention to detail is really good, and I love how some of the new transitions worked. Visually it's better than I was expecting, to be honest. I'm glad I avoided any media relating to the PS version, so this is all totally new to me. From the start of Monsaic lines I'm so ready to see the rest.
