Review for ruiner. Game for PlayStation Network, PC, Mac, PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Linux, the video game was released on 25/09/2017 The version for PC came out on 26/09/2017 The version for PlayStation 4 came out on 26/09/2017
Devolver Digital it is certainly not the latest addition to the publication of video games, just think of the various Serious Sam and Shadow Warrior or the brilliant Enter the Gungeon and Hatoful Boyfriend; different speech for Reikon Games, an independent studio made up of professionals engaged in projects such as The Witcher series and Dying Light, but whose debut title is, in fact, ruiner.
After about two and a half years of development, Ruiner was released to the market in multi-platform format; this is an isometric shooter, extremely frenetic, but able to offer a good variety of approaches in each battle. Set in a dystopian 2091, Ruiner's style is there quintessence of cyberpunk a la Blade Runner: gloomy, dark, smoky, with red and yellowish neon colors and dirty and decadent environments, with the combination of man and machine that led to moral dehumanization and a general loss of respect for one's own and other people's bodies.
The protagonist of Ruiner is a silent figure, whose brain has been hacked in order to exploit it for the elimination of Boss, a key character of the story but whose true identity will be revealed only in the last moments of the story. Saved in extremis by Her, the young and mysterious hacker will help the player and the avatar in the search for the missing brother of the latter, apparently kidnapped by the "bad guys" of the Heaven organization for unclear purposes.
Ruiner's plot is extremely simple and accompanied by a well done character design, but that doesn't scream at originality. Overall, the result is completely satisfactory, although it is really difficult for the supporting characters of the story to be memorable.
The core of the game, however, is the gameplay. Ruiner combines immediacy and variety, allowing you to gradually select skills and related upgrades without these being definitive; you can switch between them freely, as long as you have enough skill points to activate them. These are achieved by leveling up and defeating specific enemies, and once assigned they can really mean the difference between victory and defeat.
The player is free to aim for maximizing attack or defense, adding protective barriers and HP, or increasing the number of possible dodges and the offensive ability of the protagonist. It also exists a hacking skill, to temporarily make enemies our allies, and the ability to request weapons and ammunition during clashes via support drone.
There is no "right way" to complete the game, but it is undeniable that only the most savvy will be able to think of completely ignoring the defensive power ups, especially during the final stages of Ruiner, which will overflow with hordes of furious enemies and rays of death. Apart from that though, the work of balancing the various skills is excellent and integrates perfectly with the varied arsenal available.
Even technically, the work of Reikon Games has been taken care of: the graphics are not the best and are present some frame-drops too many - also considering the frenetic nature of the title which makes every slowdown even more annoying - but even in the most excited battles the player manages to keep his position clear thanks to a careful presence of on-screen effects, never too invasive. The polygonal and animation poverty of the in-game models is offset by great settings, certainly not so varied in aesthetics, but obviously with attention to every detail and accompanied by the already discussed design of pleasant workmanship.
The difficulty of the game is certainly above average, with battles that require concentration even in the simplest mode. Fortunately, the trial and error approach rewards and not a little and by memorizing the various waves of enemies and the attacks of the bosses at the end of the stage it is very feasible to complete each level without suffering the minimum damage.
There are small ones collectibles to complete side missions, but in principle the key component of Ruiner remains the stark gameplay and therefore the player's adaptability to exploit the best weapon and skill in every situation: the replayability of the title is limited to repeating the story with a higher difficulty level and given the duration of around 6 hours of the campaign, those interested in buying must take into account the reduced amount of content present, in case they are aiming for a "one shot" experience.
Honorable mention for the audio sector, which even if without dubbing has one OST in techno style always fits perfectly for the situation and mood and which is also catchy for those not fond of the genre.
Ruiner is an excellent first step for Reikon Games in the videogame market: the experience of the staff is evident, as well as the care that has been put into a product that is certainly not without defects, but which is worth its price for every passionate about the genre looking for a new challenge.
► Ruiner is an Action-indie type game developed by Reikon Games and published by Devolver Digital for PlayStation Network, PC, Mac, PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Linux, the game was released on 25/09/2017 The version for PC came out on 26/09/2017 The version for PlayStation 4 came out on 26/09/2017
