I know game development is challenging. I really do. I thought I wanted to be a game developer for the majority of my childhood until I realized I?d much rather play, analyze and criticize things in my favorite medium. During the early years before my epiphany, I put together one unfinished amateur project after another ? and without even programming, using tools like Multimedia Fusion and Construct 2, it dawned on me just how long and difficult a process development is. That?s why I always strive to avoid being too harsh in my reviews, even when a game has pissed me off with terrible design, and why you?ll basically never see me refer to any developer as ?lazy.? I?ve read the nightmarish stories about crunch and its effects on people?s mental health and family lives. I?ve witnessed great game ideas utterly fail in their execution due to corporate intervention, budget cuts and other development disruption. And while I don?t know what exactly happened with Three One Zero?s ?First Person Experience,? ADR1FT, I?m incredibly bummed out by how little enjoyment I got from it. This one?s a crushing disappointment, and what?s most baffling is that many of its biggest flaws seem to come right at the basic design level.
Only the Lonely
ADR1FT does one thing absolutely well, so let?s get that out of the way first. Other games like Metroid Prime and Dead Space have been lauded by players for the way they create an atmosphere of tension and loneliness among the stars, and this game ab...