FORECLOSED Reviews
Finishing the game was difficult, not because it had punishing encounters, but because the experience it provides is far from enjoyable. If I didn’t have to review the game, I would have put it down during the first hour. It brought me no enjoyment despite the interesting premise it stands on. As a comic book fan, even its visuals, which is the best part of the game, ultimately failed to engage me because of its terrible gameplay loop. Games are enjoyed for their stimulating gameplay, or their enticing tales, or in the best cases, for both. Foreclosed has neither of those things.
The cyberpunk genre is in the midst of a resurgence lately, and you'd be better off looking just about anywhere else for your genre fix.
Foreclosed feels like its on a swinging pendulum where the extremes are “Frustrating” and “Mediocre” and it constantly swings in these directions within minutes of each play session. It’s all style and no substance, unfortunately. If the aiming was so haphazardly programmed and maybe an extra animation or two to make it feel like I wasn’t shooting the same person over and over, or maybe if the cover in the cover-based shooter would actually work, then maybe I could give it a pass, but the way Foreclosed is currently, I would say pass on this one. Even at deep discount, you’re just going to end up frustrated or bored.
I wouldn’t go as far as to say that Foreclosed is a complete waste of effort to play. It’s clear the developers were trying to make something cool here, but whether you’re looking for a third person shooter, a cyberpunk game, or a story-heavy game, your time would almost assuredly be better spent elsewhere. Every system presented to the player works on a functional level, but their implementation simply isn’t up to par with what’s required to make an engaging video game—even one that’s only about four hours long—and this culminates in an experience that ends up being more half-baked than hard-boiled.
Based on its premise, Foreclosed should be a lot more interesting, but it doesn’t have the balanced gameplay or nuanced story to even crack that conversation.
Unfortunately for Foreclosed, the glitches, confusing systems, and undercooked game mechanics overwhelmed my experience with the game. On the surface, Antab Studio present an exciting and engaging future-noir thriller, but look much further and you will see a cyberpunk-by-the-numbers experience that falls flat. Even taking into consideration the well-realised cyberpunk world, and the clever use of comic book aesthetics to present the game’s narrative, Foreclosed fails to impress on most fronts. Gameplay is key, and unfortunately Foreclosed presents and feels like a middling shooter from decades past.
A small range of unlockable augments do make things a touch more bearable, but Evan can barely activate a single skill before his implants start overheating and you're forced to stop what you're doing. We think Foreclosed is meant to be played like a run-and-gun, ability-popping shooter — but the execution misses the mark almost completely.
Antab Studio provides living proof that style should not come before substance in an eye-catching albeit below average shooter which would've felt at home on the PlayStation 2.
This game has some enjoyable parts, like the art, story potential, and cyberpunk aesthetics, but it is ultimately underwhelming.
A beautiful comic book aesthetic can't save Foreclosed from its mindlessly repetitive combat, poor story and characters, and overly linear levels.
Props to the devs for the slick aesthetic and cool comic strip ideas, but one can’t help but feel this game is in need of some serious work to elevate it above mediocrity.
I also wish some narrative sections played out to their end and the choices mattered a bit more, but Foreclosed tells its story and gets out. I can’t fault it for not overstaying. If you want a snappy cyberpunk adventure it might be worth seeing how the story of Evan Kapnos and his fight for his own identity play out. Just be prepared to deal with some average and occasionally frustrating gameplay all along the way.
Foreclosed is a reminder of the adage to not judge a book by its cover as despite its singular, eye-catching comic-book-meets-cyberpunk aesthetic and some promising mechanics, the execution is a botched one.
Foreclosed is a classic case of style over substance, as the lacklustre gunplay and narrative leave much to be desired. The futuristic comic book presentation does look pretty decent, although it can’t mask the mediocre voice-acting, gameplay flaws and extraordinarily average story and characters.
Foreclosed does as much wrong as it does right, but overall I found myself intrigued enough by the world, story and unique design choices that I wanted to see it through. How much you value gameplay is likely to reflect your opinion on this one.
There are glimmers of an interesting, entertaining game here; the comic stylings and panels are reminiscent of Comix Zone and Framed, and the characters and world are decently interesting. That’s a double-edged sword, however. When I spent another 4 hours replaying the game from the beginning to get the secret ending only for it to end up being a couple of lines that have little to do with anything, the only reaction I could muster was frustrated fury. In a way, though, this is representative of the way Foreclosed consistently refuses to offer commensurate payoff for your troubles.
If you haven't experienced Control, Foreclosed is extremely fun but if you're looking for a similar experience to Control, it's not easy to suggest moving towards Foreclosed.
Review in Persian | Read full review
Foreclosed features a masterful comic book art style and pumping sci-fi soundtrack, but its average action and failure to capitalise on its cyberpunk themes make it a hard sell.
Despite it's issues and archaic mechanics, FORECLOSED manages to deliver a pretty solid narrative that's carried on the back of its comic book styled presentation.