Encased

Review

Encased is a brand spanking new turn-based, tactical RPG set in an alt-distressing time. Developed by Dark Crystal Games studios, this is their very first take on a full-scale development project. Usually, first-timer projects don’t get much limelight, but Encased seems to be pulling a good number of people in daily and a store page full of positive dialogue so I had to check it out.

Encased starts off slow, with a brief Character selection menu and a very unnecessarily extensive tutorial and familiarization process. The game gives out instructions and tips via NPC interactions, meaning you are kinda forced to interact with every single NPC at the starting area/habitat.

Which is all fine since every single NPC is a bunch of good characters, each with their own unique identity, way of talking, and overall vibe.

With each interaction comes more insight into the game; your purpose, your mission, ways to survive both inside and out. And oh yeah, picking up a trick or two along with it.

Plot: The year is 1976, just about five years after a mysterious turn of events shocked the world. A giant dome spanning 30,000km of landmass, appears out of nowhere in a remote desert location. 

The world is in standstill. As days pass with no clear answers in sight, the global population starts to get anxious. The only clear solution to get some answers is to go inside the dome.

But humanity soon realized that once you enter, there’s no going back. You’re stuck in the dome forever. But that wasn’t good enough, answers were still required.

A new power emerged, ‘’CRONUS’’, a multinational company created to study the dome and its otherworldly potential. CRONUS was quick to form and gather up an army of workers to enter the dome. Thousands left never to come back.

As the volunteer army mounts up, you tag along with them to the unknown.

Gameplay: As mentioned earlier the game starts off super slow by introducing you to some important characters and NPCs who in turn will help you with some important insights into the game and its world.

Depending on your preference you might love or hate this tutorial/intro period. Which comes along with all of your much-needed early items and weapons. And some side quests to get you warmed up for the outside.

You essentially work for CRONUS a multinational company aiming to study, explore and harvest the dome, but due to over-complicated bureaucracy and utter incompetence. Everything is mismanaged and slow-moving.

You will need to overcome and bypass these issues and start your personal exploration. Before you do so, you will need to go through quite a few of these bureaucratic nut jobs.

Lucky for you, the game comes with a surprisingly good dialogue set for each interaction, and Voiceover? I’m really surprised to see voiceover work of this caliber in a new game by a brand new studio; Bravo!

Quests and missions: There are mainly two types of missions for you; firstly the important ones (which in turn will impact your character, NPCs, and the world in general), and then there are these side-ish missions that can range from clearing areas of hustles, cleaning up toilets and fixing household items.

The simple side quests/missions start right for the bat, these are mostly simple but need some getting used to. Since the tutorials are a bit shotty in this game.

But by the time you find some important sites, relics and start some important missions, you are well prepared with the controls, weapons, and gear that you might need.

Your main focus on this game will be towards exploration and getting intimate with the relics.

Combat: Encased features a super straightforward RTS combat, fueled by reaction points and power-ups. After being introduced to some amazing dialogue and voice-over stuff. I was a bit let down, but at least the combat system is well and functional.

As I was saying, the usual RTS stuff – As you start you can either sneak up closer or start blasting, I chose the latter. You get a grid for each combat zone and you get turns to shot and reposition.

The map layout/structures are placed in such a way, you can easily get some advantage in gunfights. Forcing your opponent out in the open.

Two major downsides to this whole RTS system 1. This is a slow process, needs to be speedup, 2. The gunplay needs to improve, from the animations to sound effects. There’s a lot left to be desired.  

UI/inventory management: Another set of features that kinda blow me away! I wasn’t expecting such an extensive UI and inventory system from a new indie game.

Encased kinda outdid itself, the UI is a bit too overwhelming for someone totally new to the game. But after a hour or so of tinkering. The UI seems straightforward and kinda handy for putting all the useful and most used features controllable via mouse pointer.

And sub important stuff via keyboard binds. The same goes for the inventory management, the items turned out great. Each comes with its own important info, value, and stats. Everything can be traded and valued. 

There is a crafting system in place as well; it’s functional but I’m not too impressed by it.

World design: Encased’s world revolves in a dome that contains a lot of biomes, from cyberpunk-ish rusty human habitat that screams corporate jargon and bureaucracy to another worldly desert valley full of mountain ranges, mines, abandoned hunting sites and structures, and so much more.

Music and sound effects: Encased features a pretty unique-sounding techno keyboard with some saxophone mixed into it.

On the sound effects side of things, although there’s nothing special about it, it gets the job done.

Review written by BiteMexD for Zeepond.com!

Encased Steam Store Page