Project Aftermath
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Project Aftermath
Project Aftermath is a squad based Real Time Strategy game from a very small (three man team) indie developer called Games Faction. It is not very often that a small indie company can take on a game in this genre and deliver something new and down right fun.
Project Aftermath tells it is a little cliché but very good and actually compelling story through a comic style panel system. The story is simple, the big evil, called the New Order, has been out and about across the galaxy and conquering systems. The Morphid attacked and defeated the New Order, but in the ruins of their defeat the New Order sent their best and brightest to the Morphid home world and destroyed it. The few survivors of the Morphid have ventured out among the stars to take revenge and that is where you come in.
Project Aftermath is a great squad based real time strategy game which actually offers something new and improved to the genre. You will command up to four heroes who each control a squad of men and, each of the heroes have unique abilities who also level up as they win battles. You can equip the heroes any way you want and this allows you to work off your strengths and weaknesses and destroy the enemy how you want. Over or under equip your enemy to make it as easy or as hard as you want to.
The gameplay of Project Aftermath is quick and easy to pick up and learn, but it does take some patience and forward thinking during gameplay to keep your self alive and in good shape. Project Aftermaths gameplay is fast, in an almost action RTS manner, but there is some depth with the need to switch weapons, knowing when you need to use certain key people and the like. The simple point and click style is well done, and almost too easy and basic compared to the odd hardcore RTS out there. You can use WASD plus QE for camera movement and rotate control and the middle mouse for zooming in and out.
During the game you capture obelisks, kill all the enemies with various attacks, and rescue hostages using a varied range of attacks which are physical, energy biological and Morphid field. Depending on how much damage you deliver and take all depends on the type of armor and the counter point. Energy does more to you if you wear Physical armor. There are various ways to boost your attacks and defense such as weapons and different armor types and I found trial and error worked best depending on your play style.
Project Aftermath is based on a system called G.O.O.P. (great name, seriously) which means Genetic Outfitting Operational Plasma. You increase G.O.O.P. by killing enemies, finding G.O.O.P. pick ups and completing objectives and you lose it by resurrecting your hero and using field attacks. If your G.O.O.P. level drops into the red when you finish the mission it is an instant fail, so managing it and always keeping an eye on the level of G.O.O.P. you have is very important. By doing well on your missions, you will gain Bronze, Silver and Gold and unlock the next mission and if you get enough points you can boost your heroes’ health, speed and armor.
Not all the gameplay is solid though, because you can not modify the controls, something that would be handy for many players. This is ok for most players who are right handed but those who are left handed or those who like to tweak their controls must grin and bear it.
Graphically the game is decent, with a nice style and some very good level design which allows for multiple ways to play through the game. The environments are done well, but they could be a little better looking for such things as the terrain with sharp edges on almost all of the terrain, some actual smoothing would have been nice. But the buildings, ships and other man made structures are all well done and fit well within the environment, even if they serve no actual purpose. The actual best aspect to the graphics are the characters and vehicles in the game which are all well designed and animated well. Even with the zoom pulled way back it is easy to see who you are controlling which allows you to quickly perform actions when you need to.
Disappointingly the overall audio is limited on the sound effects and music side of things with only the most basic of sounds for everything from the gameplay to the User Interface and the music is basically non-existent. Surprisingly though the voice over work is some of the best we have heard in an indie title and while the voice work will not compare to the best AAA work, it is done well enough that listening to it is not a chore, but actually worthwhile.
Unfortunately Project Aftermath has one big issue and that is the lack of multiplayer support. This will turn off some players but it is something that could be added in the future and the lack of this feature now should not turn off potential buyers. The developers are adding new features and play modes soon to increase the value, but what you get right now for the low price of $20.00 is an excellent single player title.
Project Aftermath is one of the best examples of why independent games are the true soul of PC gaming and worth your time exploring and while no multiplayer support is hurting the long term value of the game, the future updates, price and multiple ways to replay the game and make it a must buy for RTS fans.Pros
+ Play through the game several times
+ Clean and nice graphics, but environments could be a bit better
+ Fun level design
+ Good controls
+ Voice work is very good for an indie title
Cons
- Could be longer
- Audio is not very good
- Can not edit your controls
- No multiplayer
Final Verdict
Here's a small guide to help you understand our evaluation of games.
PRESENTATION GRADE
Can be from the game's box to the contents of the booklet, and even the game introduction. (Intro, menus, options, etc)
GRAPHIC GRADE
Up to what point the graphics have been worked on my the developper. The design type, the effort used for textures and environments, as well as animations and framerate.
AUDIO GRADE
Is the soundtrack a good match to the game's style, he ambient sounds keeping with the gameplay and the sound effects clear and convincing?
GAMEPLAY GRADE
Placement of the controls and the inferface that the player with be using during the game.
REPLAY VALUE GRADE
The most important factor in the evaluation of a game. It identifies the lifespan of the game and the fun of coming back again and again.
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