EXTREMELY mixed feelings
I genuinely can’t tell what I think of this game. The gameplay/mechanics are good, but they can get way too difficult. Since every time you kill a monster, two more appear, there’s generally no consistent way to get rid of enemies. You just have to hope that not too many spawn in the first place. Then it just seems like the game is more based off luck than skill. I just think that there should be a more balanced combat system. Make it so they take longer to burrow up, or something like that.
My second complaint is the story. It just doesn’t have any explanations or reasoning. I usually find things like environmental storytelling, and making the players fill n the gaps, but… there’s NO storytelling. All it says is that the creatures are aliens that came from meteors. But then EVERYTHING else is just left completely blank. There’s no explanation for the reef, no explanation for the colossus, nothing. Even the view points, which I thought would reveal the story, did… pretty much nothing. The characters just said things like “That’s incredible.” Or “is that even the same landscape?”
So like I said, I have VERY mixed feelings.
My second complaint is the story. It just doesn’t have any explanations or reasoning. I usually find things like environmental storytelling, and making the players fill n the gaps, but… there’s NO storytelling. All it says is that the creatures are aliens that came from meteors. But then EVERYTHING else is just left completely blank. There’s no explanation for the reef, no explanation for the colossus, nothing. Even the view points, which I thought would reveal the story, did… pretty much nothing. The characters just said things like “That’s incredible.” Or “is that even the same landscape?”
So like I said, I have VERY mixed feelings.
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My favorite game - still is, a year later!
I originally downloaded this game a year ago and i loved it. Its a perfect mix of adventure, puzzles, ethical dilemmas and strategy, along with an oddly melancholic dystopian mystery that kind of always feels open ended. I have honestly spent a year looking for another game that ticks all my boxes the way this one does and never found it. So i came back to this, its just as enjoyable now as it was then. Its hard enough without being frustrating, but what gets me most is the “survival” mindset it puts you in. Does the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few? Will you sacrifice someone to survive? How about your dog? Will you steal? Will you kill? And i love that the choices you make have effects down the line…if you make it that far. Ugh, i love this game so much. The aesthetics and sound design are also just peak excellence. On top of everything the mentions of Mad Cap and Squibb in the credits makes me think the devs live in my hometown, what could be cooler?? Just download this game and dive in, you wont regret it.
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ITS GREAT with some problems
I came in this game with an open mind. I like this game so much and have played a little too much of it lol. I saw a lot of complaining about the game not having a lot of directions but the game is very self explanatory and also very complex, you can always find something new and when you die it has you rushing back to create a new game. I wish there were more weapons and maybe even some other things but the game is still fun. I did run into some problems with the game crashing alot but it would save progress so it wasn’t too bad just a little annoying. I finished the game with all dogs and all humans and with a little of both, they all have their perks and it’s a interesting concept. The game might take a little getting used to but I feel when you get used to it the game becomes very easy. Adding more items or more looting spots/ cars would spice the game up and might bring more attention to it but it’s a great game and the enemy’s are well thought of.
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Phenomenal game
When I started playing this game it was very strange to me. I thought it wouldn’t spark the interest it did. But now that I have played it, my love for this game will never die. It had me in tears at the end. The game does include a little luck, but that can be overcome by restarting and knowing what is in its place. The game runs well, the graphics are well done, and the gameplay is controlable. I am no video game critic but this game, this story has sparked my love for stuff like this. Thank you so much for letting me enjoy this. Even if it is a game in my imagination I would have never given up. Much love and keep up the good work.
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Part 2?
I believe that this game was phenomenal and is being overlooked more than it deserves. It has wonderful procedural generation, good problem solving issues, and really teaches you to learn with different strategies for different creatures. The ending was great, with cool terrain, and it gave you time to reflect on all the adventuring your team had done. Only suggestion? Make a part two or add more vehicles or vehicle parts with unique traits, such as adding a seat to the car for more passengers. I would love to see my squad of dogs traveling across the ocean seeing new creatures along the way and finding unique islands. It would really spark my interest further into this game. Another thing I loved was absolute sadness of realizing you can’t fit more dogs into your vehicle. I wish this game could let me travel more with the dogs I had in my group or allow me to save other dogs, but not force the option “leave them or replace another dog with them”. 10/10 awesome game!
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I cried a little
At the start of the game I didn't know what I was doing
I was forced to leave someone behind, and it wasn't a happy feeling. But it only got worse. A few hundred miles later and a car appears- my friend who I'd left so long ago! But we were no longer friends, he went crazy, smashing his car, then mine- and in the end the only way to survive was to kill him. And the game never let me forget this. I would be forced to fight so many more, with so much blood on my hands. My band became killers, known throughout the land. But in the end- it didn't matter. Killers, pacifists, if you make it to the end it all goes just the same. All that blood. For nothing.
I was forced to leave someone behind, and it wasn't a happy feeling. But it only got worse. A few hundred miles later and a car appears- my friend who I'd left so long ago! But we were no longer friends, he went crazy, smashing his car, then mine- and in the end the only way to survive was to kill him. And the game never let me forget this. I would be forced to fight so many more, with so much blood on my hands. My band became killers, known throughout the land. But in the end- it didn't matter. Killers, pacifists, if you make it to the end it all goes just the same. All that blood. For nothing.
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My new favorite hyper-focus
I’ll echo several others and say the buttons and general UI can be difficult, even on my iPad. The escape button frequently pops up 75% off screen, and I have to tap the buttons multiple times to work. So one star off. That being said, Overland is challenging but not impossible and rewarding enough to keep me playing. The art is *chef’s kiss*, hearty praise to the art directors.
Edit: after my 5th or 6th play through, I still love the game, but find the ending so anti-climactic… I’ve begun quitting at the last blockade and starting a new game because the last biome is so tedious. Also, very confused by the orb.
Edit: after my 5th or 6th play through, I still love the game, but find the ending so anti-climactic… I’ve begun quitting at the last blockade and starting a new game because the last biome is so tedious. Also, very confused by the orb.
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Beautiful and haunting
Facts (for players): this game plays like a puzzle game: you have to get your characters through various scenarios without running out of gas or weapons, or smashing your car to pieces. The game controls were almost 100% intuitive, except the character-switcher mechanic (it makes sense, but even in the last chapter I was trying to tap the 'real' version of the character I wanted to select). It has various challenge levels - normal lets you restart levels, which makes play almost relaxing. This is especially useful on a first play through, since the world slowly changes and introduces you to new dangers. The game rewards experimenting, which adds both to the fun and the realism.
Impressions (for the developers): I had somehow gotten the impression that this game was going to have zombies, but thankfully there were no zombies. Just strange, eerie monsters slowing infesting the planet with an alien beauty. As the game went on I grew kind of attached to my motley crew, and more and more curious about the environment. The last few maps had me puzzled and excited; awed and apprehensive. I hadn't expected the story of the game to matter so much, to build like an ache into that final scene ....... thank you finji, this was a well executed production.
Impressions (for the developers): I had somehow gotten the impression that this game was going to have zombies, but thankfully there were no zombies. Just strange, eerie monsters slowing infesting the planet with an alien beauty. As the game went on I grew kind of attached to my motley crew, and more and more curious about the environment. The last few maps had me puzzled and excited; awed and apprehensive. I hadn't expected the story of the game to matter so much, to build like an ache into that final scene ....... thank you finji, this was a well executed production.
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It’s ALMOST something
This game has a great concept, the art direction, and sound design are amazing. It just comes up short everywhere else. For one, the controls are a MESS. I have to hit undo 4 times every time I try to search an object because the touch detection is so bad. Why is there no way for me to preview where my character is going to go? The first touch is the final one? There should be a way to preview and then confirm your action to minimize the amount of undoing. New enemies just show up out of the blue and the game does not explain them or ANYTHING for that matter. Another drawback this game has is what are and aren’t free actions. Why is healing not a free action? You can not heal characters on the road or in a car. Which means that if I have a character who needs to be healed who is in a car, I have to use 1 turn to get them out of the car and then wait another turn to actually heal them. And there are even more steps if a different character has the med kit. Putting 10 steps in between healing is not strategic depth. It’s just tedious…I feel like this game could be great but it’s just so unnecessarily convoluted. Disappointed
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Check it out if you like turn-based strategy!
I am really enjoying this game! It is difficult but fair; it asks the player to figure out the rules without the info being handed to them. There are several “hidden” mechanics that are satisfying to find (for instance, learning to to turn an empty bottle into a Molotov cocktail!). The art is also really nice in my opinion and doesn’t have that kitschy “mobile game” aesthetic which even many Apple Arcade games can have. In terms of design it is definitely among the best games on the Arcade!
The ONLY reason I am giving 4/5 stars is, as others have said, the UI is a bit difficult to use. I am on an iPhone 7+ so perhaps it is not optimized for “older” machines, but I find that I have to be very slow and deliberate with my button presses for them to register. This along with the relatively small buttons on the UI make navigation of the various systems more cumbersome than I think they ought to be. (It can also be draining on the battery, but at least for me, that is par for the course with mobile games)
Overall it’s a very good game and worth your time if you like turn based strategy games. It’s something that would feel at home on a PC just as well as it (almost) does on mobile!
The ONLY reason I am giving 4/5 stars is, as others have said, the UI is a bit difficult to use. I am on an iPhone 7+ so perhaps it is not optimized for “older” machines, but I find that I have to be very slow and deliberate with my button presses for them to register. This along with the relatively small buttons on the UI make navigation of the various systems more cumbersome than I think they ought to be. (It can also be draining on the battery, but at least for me, that is par for the course with mobile games)
Overall it’s a very good game and worth your time if you like turn based strategy games. It’s something that would feel at home on a PC just as well as it (almost) does on mobile!
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Eerie, challenging, addicting
After overlooking this game for a few years after reading a few mixed reviews, I finally checked Overland out for myself. I’m so glad that I gave it a chance. Over the last few days, I found myself completely hooked on its difficult (but not unfair!) gameplay, its memorable creatures and characters, its unsettling sound design, and its colorful, haunting visuals. This is a vibrant, mysterious, fun game that deserves a big audience.
I saw a few reviews frustrated by the difficulty, but the game never punishes you or shames you for starting a stage over. If anything, this is a game with meaningful failures, teaching you how to play it as you go. When I finally lost a party member at the end of the second to last area, I understood exactly why she had died. It still broke my heart.
Play this game! For what its worth, it seems like this is a studio with many women in prominent positions, which is exciting to see and still all too rare.
I saw a few reviews frustrated by the difficulty, but the game never punishes you or shames you for starting a stage over. If anything, this is a game with meaningful failures, teaching you how to play it as you go. When I finally lost a party member at the end of the second to last area, I understood exactly why she had died. It still broke my heart.
Play this game! For what its worth, it seems like this is a studio with many women in prominent positions, which is exciting to see and still all too rare.
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Phenomenal
This game is amazing. Not only are the graphics and artsyle beautiful to look at, but the game itself is insanely fun. I've seen a lot of reviews complaining about difficulty, RNG, etc., but really you have to fail a few times to get the hang of things. For example, as you advance in the game they add new alien types. You have no idea what the new ones do until you make a move, and I love that because it makes one pay attention to their environment instead of just looking at a bestiary that explains how the enemies behave. Also, the fact that killing a barterer early game doesn't allow you barter with anyone else in a run is a nice touch.
[Spoilers Ahead!]
After making it across the US and finally to the west coast, the game blesses you with a peaceful but sad ending. Multiple stages where you just advance to the next room. No enemies, no supplies, no car. Just you and the peaceful slug aliens that let you pet them (I didnt know they were peaceful until recently do I had been killing them but now I feel bad knowing they're harmless). The final scene where your party sits around the fire and reminisces about the things they missed pre-apocalypse and if youve lost a party member before theyll mention them, is great. Even though there's not a ton of dialogue in the game, its still very easy to get attached to the characters.
Thank you for an amazing game :)
[Spoilers Ahead!]
After making it across the US and finally to the west coast, the game blesses you with a peaceful but sad ending. Multiple stages where you just advance to the next room. No enemies, no supplies, no car. Just you and the peaceful slug aliens that let you pet them (I didnt know they were peaceful until recently do I had been killing them but now I feel bad knowing they're harmless). The final scene where your party sits around the fire and reminisces about the things they missed pre-apocalypse and if youve lost a party member before theyll mention them, is great. Even though there's not a ton of dialogue in the game, its still very easy to get attached to the characters.
Thank you for an amazing game :)
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Great Game But...
I love this game, I could play it for hours, the rng adds that little bit of mystery and randomness I like in games but I have a few issues with it:
1. Sometimes it’s near impossible to click an action and it will take me sometimes 2 minutes before the game realizes I’ve been clicking it, but maybe that’s cause I have big fingers
2. I wish the undo option would undo actions that had a large impact, one time I accidentally blew up my dog because I thought I was the dog and was going to howl but was actually someone near him with a lighter...you can see what happened there
But those are my only quarrels, great game otherwise, a game anyone could enjoy, in my opinion I just like starting the game over again for the rng
1. Sometimes it’s near impossible to click an action and it will take me sometimes 2 minutes before the game realizes I’ve been clicking it, but maybe that’s cause I have big fingers
2. I wish the undo option would undo actions that had a large impact, one time I accidentally blew up my dog because I thought I was the dog and was going to howl but was actually someone near him with a lighter...you can see what happened there
But those are my only quarrels, great game otherwise, a game anyone could enjoy, in my opinion I just like starting the game over again for the rng
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Perfect game for me
Yes I love this it’s the best but I have one thing can you add guns to the game so we don’t have to run and hit them cease like i will like a pistol or something to protect yourself my ideas with the pistol is
The ideas:kill the monster after you are almost dead and you shoot em and you feel guilty after you do that and more with the guns is like you can shoot them or if you break your gun if it’s like a assault rifle and your about to die you hit the monster with the rifle and walk back and you say my gun!!
And the other guys say what’s wrong and you say my gun and the other guys say get a new one only if you have someone with you or if you only have a dog a voice will just pop up behind you it might be some guy and the guy will have a mask and you will have to stay with him or reject him and leave him dead but that’s all the ideas well maybe that’s not it and wow I can’t believe your reading this and so now you can have houses on a thing called online mode but you can text friends and dance in online mode and stuff and here’s my 4 suggestion you can be friends or you can push or not or you can get bad guys away from you buy saying it will look like a bad word but it’s really not it’s just a insult and the guy that might be a stranger will back up and then you get a thing to throw stuff at them and the run and say I’ll come back! So that’s all the suggestions that
Sincerely
Curious player
The ideas:kill the monster after you are almost dead and you shoot em and you feel guilty after you do that and more with the guns is like you can shoot them or if you break your gun if it’s like a assault rifle and your about to die you hit the monster with the rifle and walk back and you say my gun!!
And the other guys say what’s wrong and you say my gun and the other guys say get a new one only if you have someone with you or if you only have a dog a voice will just pop up behind you it might be some guy and the guy will have a mask and you will have to stay with him or reject him and leave him dead but that’s all the ideas well maybe that’s not it and wow I can’t believe your reading this and so now you can have houses on a thing called online mode but you can text friends and dance in online mode and stuff and here’s my 4 suggestion you can be friends or you can push or not or you can get bad guys away from you buy saying it will look like a bad word but it’s really not it’s just a insult and the guy that might be a stranger will back up and then you get a thing to throw stuff at them and the run and say I’ll come back! So that’s all the suggestions that
Sincerely
Curious player
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Even now in Feb 2021 it simply doesn’t work...
Visually and conceptually this game is beautiful. There is a sparseness to the design that fits the desolate atmosphere with impeccable attention to detail in all the right places. However, despite the fact that it’s been a year or maybe more since it’s come out, the game play is still completely buggy and downright unplayable. You can tap all you want and more often than not nothing will happen. Even with an Apple Pencil more often than not tapping commands, trying to tap through your roster, attempting to tap to enter/start vehicles results in the app registering you tapping somewhere random on the screen. This is frustrating and downright unplayable even with the most recent update. I had thought that I would be able to wait a year and hopefully the bugs would be ironed out to make it playable. Nope! Basic functionality and working hitboxes on UI commands is still essentially nonexistent for this game... such a shame because it really does look promising.
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A bit of learning curve and confusing ending
The touch controls on the iPhone and iPad are a little weird. Discovery of controls weren’t great, and the interface seems to highlight buttons when they aren’t actually selected. Most actions can be taken back with undo, luckily. And tapping your party repeatedly to switch your party members wasn’t very clear. It was much more intuitive with a controller on the Apple TV as there were hints on which buttons to use.
Overall, I enjoyed the game and gameplay. I had fun and enjoyed being able to road trip with strangers and dogs. The difficulty and challenge and feeling the weight of your choices in moments you have to figure out how to survive or maybe even abandon a party member felt heart wrenching. The enemies felt very unique, and I enjoyed the mystery of them.
What really killed the narrative for me was the ending. Without spoiling it, I will just say I didn’t understand it, and it felt meaningless. I was thinking about another play though, but I can’t justify it after that ending.
Despite that, I think it’s absolutely worth at least one play through. The controls take a little getting used to. Others may finding this to be a pretty challenging game, but I found it appropriate and really fit into the survival theme.
Overall, I enjoyed the game and gameplay. I had fun and enjoyed being able to road trip with strangers and dogs. The difficulty and challenge and feeling the weight of your choices in moments you have to figure out how to survive or maybe even abandon a party member felt heart wrenching. The enemies felt very unique, and I enjoyed the mystery of them.
What really killed the narrative for me was the ending. Without spoiling it, I will just say I didn’t understand it, and it felt meaningless. I was thinking about another play though, but I can’t justify it after that ending.
Despite that, I think it’s absolutely worth at least one play through. The controls take a little getting used to. Others may finding this to be a pretty challenging game, but I found it appropriate and really fit into the survival theme.
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All Dogs Go To Heaven
I see this game’s been out for at least a year, so I’m just coming into it and my experience probably reflects on the progress that’s been made based on feedback. I thought the art style was minimal and fun. My first run, it was difficult and I constantly ran out of gas while trying to keep my 2 person team alive. My second run, with all dogs (which was boss), went way better since I learned a few tricks. You’re safe in while in the car, except for the lightning creature in later levels. Once I learned this, I could strategize around it, I’d keep injured people in the car at all times, drive the car to use as a barrier between monsters and my other homies. Then, I basically committed to finding an SUV and getting the expanded gas tank, I actually fully customized this beast with the lights, bumper and roof rack too. I was never able to fill this gas tank, but it made a huge difference being able to get up to 7/8 and then basically cruising halfway through each map at a time. Wood palettes are key because they act as a passive shield. Fuel is absolutely the most important resource though, always get as much as possible. I didn’t experience any glitches or issues, but I will say I crave more depth and variety. I didn’t fully grasp the story and perhaps you’re not supposed to, but I think it’d make it better. All in all, fun game, worth an afternoon or 2 of your time.
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Improvements
This is a really fun and interesting game compared to others but I feel like there should be some certain things that should be worked on. For example it gets frustrating when I try to press an action or try to move an item and it just backs me out or accidentally moves my character two spaces. I feel like it would be a big help if there was some sort of an option that could make the options bigger or smaller to help people with big fingers and small phones. Also adding an option so it’s harder to accidentally move a character which causes you to have to restart. Another thing is that I understand it’s a strategy game but most areas are incredibly difficult to move around when there are monsters all over the map boxing you in. It would be nice if it could be tweaked a little so you can have more space to move and not get boxed in by two monsters. The last thing is that my phone tends to overheat a lot while playing this game. I’m not sure if that’s cause of the game or my phone but is there anyway that can be improved to help out?
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Response from developer
Thank you for your review! UI and control responsiveness has been a big focus of our updates since this review. If you have the time, we'd love for you to hop back in and see how things have changed. Cheers!
Great game
This is one of the best games on Apple Arcade. I’ve gone through several play through a and likely will go through several more. The mix of randomly generate maps and strategy required to complete them make the game always challenging and unique without feeling unfair. I would highly recommend you give this game a shot. I had a lot of fun learning what each item did and how to use them effectively. The game has incredible replay value. Other reviews mentioned the game having a lot of bugs, but apart from the occasional crash I haven’t had any problems with the game. Since the game auto saves after every turn, you don’t even lose progress if the game crashes. What I’m trying to say is that Overland is an almost flawless masterpiece which your should definitely check out. I would recommend first playing with “restart level” enabled so that you can get a grasp on the mechanics of the game without the permanent consequences that come with regular gameplay.
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Masterpiece
This game is amazing. By far the best Apple Arcade game so far and definitely the most challenging. Don’t let the bad ratings stop you from playing this game. The challenge is part of the fun, and all the bugs have been fixed. There’s a reason that there’s no tutorial, because if the game told you all that, there would be no surprise when your car gets blown up by a walker (which is what I call the big guys introduced in the basin) even once you reach the end, the puzzle is still there, when you try to make the campfire. The game is meant to be hard, and not to give you a win. I’ve replayed the game 3 times now, and am still amazed by the sheer quality of this game. You can’t describe that feeling you get when you make a Molotov, or learn what a noisy dog should be used for. You have a feeling of wonder, like, “how much else did I not know how to use?” And it gives the game infinite replayability. I don’t want to tell you everything in the game, but trust me, you don’t understand the level of depth this game goes into. Do yourself a favor and play this game.
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