Unexplored Reviews
Unexplored 2 has potential, but right now the adventure's unreliable and storytelling's seriously flawed.
Unexplored is almost certainly going to be one of my favourite games of the year.
While its overly simplistic art style isn't going to linger long in the memory, Unexplored's unusual approach to balancing combat and map generation certainly will. There's very little story here to be had, but like any great dungeon crawler, the real adventure is the one you write yourself. With plenty of scope for weaponsmithing and all plenty of permanent perks to unlock to help negate the sting of its permadeath, Unexplored: Unlocked Edition offers danger and delight in equal measure.
Unexplorer: Unlocked Edition is a roguelike that intends to bring elements found in epic adventrure and RPG games while being light on plot and other devices in order to make its experience quick, simple and immediate. And it works, as the game features all the right elements commonly featured in other games of its kind and also brings additional content that was previously available on purchase. It also features a rather disappointing multiplayer component, as well as too long loading times and a sub-par sound environment, but the right elements are there.
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Unexplored: Unlocked Edition is a pretty fun game. It's a unique twist on a dungeon exploration game. However, there's a lot to learn and the controls aren't always easy making the gameplay frustrating at times.
Fans of dungeon-crawling rogue-likes will most definitely gravitate to this tough top-down trip through the Dungeon of Doom, but others may wish to explore elsewhere.
With gameplay best suited for a mouse and keyboard, a frankly unflattering aesthetic, and truly dreadful presentation, Unexplored: Unlocked Edition comes off mostly unengaging. To put it bluntly, the core gameplay loop simply isn't strong enough to carry a procedurally generated adventure. On top of that, the procedural generation, while fairly extensive and capable of leading to genuinely unique sessions with each playthrough, isn't enough to make up for how lacklustre Unexplored feels overall.
I really liked Unexplored: Unlocked Edition. Its minimalist art style was a refreshing choice for the game. Combat was varied and fun as I tried to always stay one step ahead of my enemies to keep them from overwhelming me. If you like the roguelite/roguelike releases, then you're going to have a lot of fun with this one.
After a few short tries to get a handle on the combat and learning to traverse the dungeon, I began consistently making multi-level runs. The unfortunate part, is that those runs really weren't increasing in enjoyment the further I ventured. With the ever increasing amount of roguelite titles to choose from, I think I would rather just play one with better combat and a better crafted dungeon.
What a bittersweet duality this game has, because when everything clicks, it’s so easy to get completely immersed in adventuring towards the bottom of the dungeons.
Unexplored takes the ‘Rogue’ genre and just about utilises it, the game has a dynamic level generation. One that doesn’t really do it any justice as at times the game feels unfair to the player. The experience feels unfinished, poorly implemented with a truckload of bugs. I really wanted to enjoy Unexplored as at its core it’s not a bad game. It just needs a bit of TLC to get it playable.
The world building in Unexplored is extraordinary. While there can be an occasional moment of lag while the game basically builds the world around you, most of the time it is seamless.
It was kind of fun to play, but after the amount of times I died, it slowly became repetitive and unfortunately, it didn’t win over my heart.
While I have no doubts that the right crowd could be attracted to the theoretical endless potential for variation and the unexpected when put up against a long list of very strong roguelikes on the system it’s hard to find enthusiasm for UnExplored. It may not even be the hardest of the bunch so much as it is the most aggravatingly vague, and between the load times and the struggle with simple things like managing your inventory efficiently there was consistent time being lost that never seemed to pay off with compelling play to justify it. Only likely for the most hardcore roguelike fans who are looking for something with a different feel.
As solid as Unexplored is in its core concept, the performance issues do represent a bit of an issue. Still, it's certainly very much worth your time if you like a good bit of exploration, and especially so if you haven't played a lot of roguelites.
Unexplored truly is challenging to play and to like. For everything it does well, there’s something which gets in the way of it being truly great. However, for those who liked last year’s PC version, the Switch port is the complete bundle featuring the Mithril Run, Ripley Run and The Dark Ritual expansion – if you can get over the technical issues, that is.
Unexplored harnesses quite a bit of random generation and really makes it work for it. The dungeons are fresh and new every time, the puzzles shift and keep you on your toes. It's also worth a mention that aside from the main game, you have the option to play weekly and daily dungeons, which if you're a daily monster like I am, is incredibly fun to have at hand. It keeps it new and addicting, something that I think is a must with this type of game.