Been playing this game a decent amount this week while I stayed home for condo repairs. It's really good. I think the general writing and acting quality in this game has been undersold. I really like Deacon in particular. Yes, I care about a character named Deacon St. John, who sounds like a villain in
Decker or a character in Michael Scott's
Threat Level Midnight. There's already been a crew of interesting characters introduced, and the incidental and contextual dialogue you get out in the open world is a lot of fun.
I also really like how the game combines gameplay and lore in fun ways. One example is the motorcycle. It's your A to B throughout this game, but there's this whole sort of metagame of feathering to gas to save fuel, and coasting downhill to avoid attracting freakers. It imbues the basic traversal with frequent reminders of the world's dwindling supplies and ever-present threats.
Speaking of threats: I'm enjoying how dangerous freakers feel. Even one or two catching you slipping can be a wrap for Deacon. Flushing out their nests, then running like hell toward some human opponents and watching the fireworks never gets old.
So glad I picked this up during the sale last week.
