Unto the End Reviews
I ended up leaning towards the hate it side of the Marmite argument with Unto the End mostly because of its combat system which I really could not get my head around. I guess I’m getting old and my reaction times are slowing. At the same time though I feel the developer does deserve some credit. The art style of this game is simple but beautiful and when things were flowing well I was really in awe of this game. There will be some gamers out there that will adore this game for it’s punishing difficulty and get a sense of grand achievement on completing. For most though I would say approach with caution. What Unto the End has is good hence my rating but it’s just not going to be for everyon
Unto the End is very successful in placing the player in its atmosphere. The movement, the protagonist's breathing , the mysterious scenarios untouched by the man convey the feeling of struggling to survive in a strange place. It is undoubtedly one of the most difficult titles I've ever had the opportunity to play, where the simplest of creatures represents a potential danger.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Even though "Unto the End" turns out to be very fair overall thanks to the numerous save points, the player definitely has to show brains in order to develop the right strategies. The regular flashbacks and nightmare sequences, which provide the player with valuable clues about the background story, also provide the right atmosphere. Visually, "Unto the End" impresses with its simple 2D graphics, which, however, don't lose anything of the game's special atmosphere. All in all, players can look forward to an indie title with "Unto the End", which challenges them in a very special way. Fans of extraordinary survival games will definitely make the right catch with "Unto the End".
Review in German | Read full review
Unto the End is a clear labor of love from 2 Ton Studios and they created something great here. The mix of different styles and systems paired with the unforgiving nature is refreshing.
Look, I’m fine with difficult games. The early Ys titles are some of my favorites, I love the Fire Emblem franchise, and I enjoyed the time I put into titles like Code Vein. In those games, though, at least it feels like you have a fighting chance, that if you screw up and die, it was completely your fault. Unto the End just wants to punish the player. It feels like it went too far off the deep end of “purposefully difficult game” and ended up in kaizo territory. The challenge here isn’t fun, it’s just annoying.
As a cinematic platformer that borrows all the best bits from the Soulslike genre without being too punishing then adds its own unique elements, Unto The End is a triumph. The ‘bleeding out’ feels like it’s not utilised as well as it could have been and there are a few annoying glitches but the core game here is a stiff test and a very satisfying reward.
While the sound design is gripping, the platforming is solid, and the puzzle solving is unique, Unto The End unfortunately suffers from a bloated combat system and harsh checkpoints. This tough-as-nails trial and error gameplay loop ultimately cheapens all of its best qualities.