Encased Previews, Gameplay Trailer
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With Dark Crystal Games' Fallout-inspired RPG Encased scheduled to leave early access in September, we're treated to a new gameplay trailer that can give you a decent idea for what to expect from this upcoming project. Check it out:
And since this here is a "preview" trailer, you might want to follow it up with a couple of hands-on previews. Here they are:
Encased may not be trying to reinvent the wheel in any significant way, but the huge amount of freedom it offers is sure to make more than a few RPG enthusiasts happy. The combat system may not be particularly exciting, but every other feature and mechanics is so nicely put together that most fans are likely to look past its straightforwardness.
My experience so far with Encased has been a good one, and I do believe that this game is worth keeping your eye on if you are an RPG fan, but I can't shake the feeling that it could be a little easier to grasp and understand. It falls into the typical RPG trap of throwing a heaving mass of information at you very early on, and expects you to just understand it all after a brief tutorial. It's the sort of design that essentially makes your first experience of Encased a mere reflection of what the game is supposed to be, that is unless you take time to study up and rigorously pick apart what you're given before getting too deep into the story.
Encased uses nine types of attributes (i.e., Muscle, Deftness, and Psyche), as well as over a dozen abilities (i.e., Light Weapons, Heavy Weapons, Science, Criminal, and Survival). Your chosen wing provides boosts to your character, such as the Silver Wing adding +1 Charisma, +20 Psionics, +20 Speech, and +2 skill points whenever you level up. Likewise, certain dialogue options only become available depending on the branch that you belong to.
At present, even after almost three years in early access, Encased still has a way to go. A lot of its systems feel a little outdated already, such as the convoluted character creation and clumsy combat. There’s potential for a deep and enthralling narrative, but I can see that being let down by an over-reliance on combat that should quicken the pace but actually hinders it. Despite my reservations I’m intrigued by the premise and looking forward to finding out more about the mysterious dome and the sinister CRONUS. I just hope I don’t have to fight my way through too much of it.
While I’ve definitely had mixed feelings about Encased, its newest update has gotten me excited again. Years ago I thought it had the potential to be a great CRPG in the style of Fallout, and while it’s taking a little while, it’s finally reaching that potential. Hopefully we won’t have to wait years longer to get the third and final act, but if we do and it turns out great, it might just be worth it: Encased could very well be something special. It has interesting character, intriguing lore, and each update is more polished than the next.
