ReCore Reviews
Smart, simple, but doesn't play to its own strengths
A charming, fun old-school-style action-platformer that's about twice as long as it should have been.
With some polish and better character and story development ReCore could have easily passed as a $60
If it wasn't for the extreme bugs and flaws that shroud ReCore this would be one of the best games I've played so far this generation. The good outweighs the bad. I hope for its success because this new IP deserves to be an ongoing franchise for everything new it brought to the table.
There's a good game buried somewhere in ReCore, but it's lost in the massive inconveniences the game throws at you. From constantly refusing to let the player move on until they complete side content (even in the middle of dungeons) to loading times that put Sonic 2006 to shame. This ensures that ReCore starts off interestingly and ends up horrid.
ReCore features adorable robot companions and snappy platforming, but a chore of an end-game, bugs, and terrible load times make it a hard sell.
Despite its problems, it's not hard to envision a world in which a few changes along the way could have turned ReCore into a cult hit.
ReCore isn't weighed down with baggage but that might leave it feeling a little thin around the edges. Lasers and robot friends!
Despite a surprisingly promising start, ReCore is its own worst enemy with its horrendous loading times, tiresome progression system and poor design choices hindering its full potential
ReCore is a game that has two great strengths, solid insights behind the game mechanics and captivating art-design, which together hold the bar of interest high throughout the course of the adventure. That Keiji Inafune and his Comcept are recovering the hand after a really subdued Mighty N9 is evident, but unfortunately, even this time they are not enough to really raise the fortunes of this game.
Review in Italian | Read full review
A smart action game with bags of personality and a few unique twists of its own, ReCore is most definitely worth investing in. It's big, sometimes difficult, fairly engrossing, and fun while it lasts.
If I were to sum up ReCore in one word it would be 'fun' -- it's absolutely worth playing, especially at the low MSRP of $40.
When I first sat down with ReCore there was one burning question that I wanted to answer. Was it a budget game? Was the $49.95AU price point indicative of the game’s quality? For the most part, I’m inclined to answer no.
Yet despite its issues, I'm still playing ReCore. Its narrative, while no great work of prose, is intriguing enough to draw me through. Combat is varied enough to keep me coming back — even when I'm forced to replay the same encounter on occasion due to gang-up attacks. The ability to craft upgrades and collect loot throughout the world scratches that Metroid-style itch that Nintendo itself refuses to do anything about. Hopefully loading dramas will be addressed via-post launch optimisation patches, but for now it's solid enough to draw me through a little while longer.
Despite all of its flaws, ReCore isn't inherently bad, it's just not gripping or polished. The combat, while dull, is enjoyable in that you can zone out and still succeed. You're not going to get frustrated by not being able to perform, or annoyed if you lack a certain level of skill. Any area you're struggling with will quickly become easy after your Corebot levels up enough to drag you through. Overall, the narrative is predictable while set in an interesting world, and the movement is slick and enjoyable, but the constant back-tracking to collect more keys weighs down the experience. It's unfortunate that the game couldn't be tightened up under Microsoft's tutelage, because ReCore has nuggets of good ideas buried beneath the monotony and tedium of its primary activities.
ReCore is an interesting robotic Frankenstein of various game parts. They don't always work well together, but when they do the collective whole is a rather wonderful creation. However as not all parts were created equal expect some frustration and the occasional fumble.
ReCore is a title that, ultimately, rises and falls in crafting an experience that we don't normally see too often on Xbox (and frankly, in this generation of gaming). Harkening back to platformers like Jak and Daxter with a little bit of the flavor from Metroid titles, ReCore's strong aesthetic and style give way to some technical flaws and repetitive design. Much like the design of Joule's band of Corebots, the exterior of ReCore and its gameplay show signs of age and may not be the most appealing from a first glance, but inside there's still a core of unique qualities to make it stand out as one of Microsoft's most interesting (though flawed) exclusives.
Victories in ReCore, whether they were rooted in platforming or combat skill always felt satisfyingly earned, and that for me was enough to balance all the frustration along the way. But if I hadn't enjoyed the Disney-like tone of ReCore's story and had not genuinely liked the game's characters, my patience for ReCore's shortcomings would probably have strained to the breaking point.
There's a lot to love about ReCore. It's charming, has character and a spark of creativity that hasn't been seen in decades. But the more you play it, the more you'll despise it when yet another technical blunder ruins the experience. After all, you only hurt the ones you love.
These are moments of impressive beauty and joy, moments blessedly unsullied by ReCore's technical lethargy.