![]() There's no terror, tension or psychologically unnerving content. Exit stage right and begin the process anew. ![]() You engage them in standard beat 'em up style, or just plug a few bullets into them and call it a day. You enter an area and a fresh batch of baddies rush you from the darkness. Because of its simplicity, foes perish without much trouble and lose the viciousness that would have been required in order to maintain Afterfall's scare factor.Įnemy hordes also crop up in predictable, orderly fashion. I'll admit that severing heads is a cathartic activity, but the game's reliance on mouse mashing represents a missed opportunity. It's not broken, per se, but it's only mildly entertaining. Where bludgeons merely bruise enemies, axes and sickles decapitate the competition after a few strikes, killing them with ease.Īfterfall's melee combat is pretty much what you would expect: a lot of mindless clicking and the occasional evasive maneuver. This leaves bladed instruments, which are overpowered in comparison. Massive sledgehammers and pipe wrenches look brutal, but are a liability because your foes can absorb numerous thumps and thuds before falling. ![]() However, a vast portion of them are melee-based, and half of those aren't worth your consideration. Thankfully, Tokaj is a skilled combatant and has a fair number of weapons at his disposal. Upon entering the pit, Tokaj discovers that a mysterious illness has made its way into the air supply, changing mild-mannered engies into murder-thirsty madmen, similar to those seen in movies like "28 Days Later" and "The Crazies." The colonel sends him into the depths of the shelter, where some engineers reported signs of psychopathy among their rank. Tokaj eventually finds a true reason to despise his line of work. Afterfall doesn't paint the colonel as a menace, instead portraying him as an accidental comic relief. His superior, the colonel, ridiculously over-emphasizes half the words he speaks. Sadly, his actor isn't the only one missing the mark. During this scene, Tokaj describes the man's passing as if it's a bad day at the office. Tokaj's emotions don't always jibe with the current situation, as seen in one instance where a key character dies. Wooden voice acting doesn't do the character any favors, either. In other words, Afterfall wants us to care about Tokaj because he can't locate his girlfriend. The best the game manages is separation from Karolina, following a major story event that sends them both into the forbidding world above the shelter. ![]() Even so, Albert should exhibit more than abhorrence for his job and a lackadaisical love interest. Prolonged confinement has instilled jaded attitudes in everyone living within the shelter, Tokaj included. You see, Afterfall is a post-apocalyptic tale, and Tokaj and company dwell within a radiation resistant domicile called a vault shelter. ![]() You could easily write off Tokaj's angst as just another day in a nuclear war bunker. There is no reason for players to invest in him, and thus to fear for his safety when horror elements finally arrive. He exudes the qualities of a typical video game hero, but doesn't employ them in any meaningful way. However, Afterfall fails to flesh out Tokaj as a likable protagonist, even during the game's overlong introductory sequence. Their anticlimactic meeting hints at possible future development for Tokaj, perhaps even a transformation. They unceremoniously part ways after a few minutes of chatter, and Tokaj returning to work with a harrumph. They stand side by side while Tokaj groans about how he fell asleep during a consultation and expresses his animosity towards his superior, the colonel. Tokaj also seems less than enthused during the scene, as if he is hanging out with an acquaintance and not his partner. You'd expect the man to light up at the sight of his love, and for the pair to embrace and commence small talk. Early on, Tokaj meets with his girlfriend Karolina at a bar. I know this because he makes his distaste bloody apparent throughout Afterfall: Insanity's campaign. ![]()
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