The voice acting sucks, the text is all spelled wrong, and needs to be completed. Good things are the color scheme (the black and white with red), Plot, Atmosphere, and gameplay is good. 8/10 worth the price

First of all: I really enjoyed playing Afterfall InSanity (Extended Edition) and the Dirty Arena DLC, these are not perfect AAA games, if you expect exactly this, a fully-optimized AAA title, then I recommend to stay away from the whole Afterfall series.

Thus being said, on to Reconquest: All-in-all it was a pretty funny experience and worth the 6 bucks I invested. Okay, the visuals are good, but now breathtaking, important parts of graphical tweaking are only possible by modifying the .ini files and not ingame. You'll also encounter graphical bugs, artifacts and in-popping textures, but it's, let's say, a solid visual experience.

The voiceacting is quite good in my opinion, though there's not much spoken text in the game at all, the music and SFX are convenient and add to the suspense the game creates more than one time.

Honestly, it's rather a short game, let's say 6 hours for completion, and it's far away from being an open world experience, but that was what I expected from the start and what I paid for - a short and funny shooter experience, straight and almost linear, with guns and gore to the max - And the game delivered exactly that! Don't search any deep storytelling, it's about mutants and tough guys, that's all that matters...

I personally would recommend the game to all those people who loved InSanity and search for a quick, funny and bloody experience without too much (any?) thoughtfullness, all the AAA-only guys here should avoid this game from the start...!!

Great game, keeps you on your toes, not keen on the black and white effect it hurts my old eyes and I can only play for about 30 mins before I have to take a break

(we were told during early access that there would be an improvement to this effect but tbh although initially I thought it had been improved after about half a hour it started to hurt my eyes and it became very difficult to distinguish enemies from the background even at medium distance, bear in mind though that I am old and that could be a contributary factor)

Anyway, great sound especially the moody music, you hear the enemy panting and breathing heavily from a distance you can always tell they're around anyway by the change in music nevertheless I would like to have a mini map or some indication re the direction they are coming from. It has made me jump a few times and got my heart beating a few times partly because of the atmosphere which is great. All in all it's a worthy game for anyones collection despite being in episodes which I'm not a fan off and providing the black and white effect is not a problem for you I would recommend you buy the first episode to see if you like it.

Gameplay difficulty is all over the map. Too easy at times, frustratingly difficult at times and none of the usual ramp-up in difficulty most games do over time as you get used to the mechanics. Enemies that are supposed to be random spawns appear in the game world right in front of you. "Pop," and there's a group of enemies that appear out of thin air, yet other spawn points use the indistry standard of a cave or obvious spawn point. (Think Dead Space and the vents/holes in the walls where necromorphs appear from...only in Reconquest they appear from such spawn points AND thin air.)

The audio recording actually clips on the intros, worse engineering I have ever heard in a game to date. (Terrible mixing...complete lack of equalization/compression/dynamics) not to mention the acting is simply terrible. I hate the persona you play more than the mutants you're fighting.

The black/white effect and the lighting that was originally meant for the colorized version is a step backwards. A pole-vault backwards, in fact. Reconquest had reasonably decent graphical fidelity (considering the small size of the studio) until Intoxicate decided to change it to this terrible black and white effect. Why? (To Intoxicate's credit, the black/white cutscenes with the hand-drawn appearance are spectacular, kudos to the artist(s). However it just doesn't work for the game-play sequences. At all.)

Changing the art design a few months before what is considered a 'final release?' How is this a good decision to throw away your art assets with a shader effect designed to remove it all?

Please bring color back. It is 2015. (Otherwise choose to use such an effect at the BEGINNING of the development process so the game's atmosphere can be built around a two-color or gray-scale pallete.)

While my pre-release review is pretty bad, I still have hopes that Intoxicate will come out with a better product upon release. They owe it to their fans to at least recover the fidelity the game already once had. But until then, I cannot recommend the game or its advertised episodes.

Just got the game in Early Access, and I would like to throw my first impressions and suggestions.

When I started playing I found the black/white aesthetic good, I believe it's intended as part of the post-apocalyptic setting and story telling, other than that I don't understand very well the reason of this approach. But, as the time went by I think it started "hurting my eyes" and got a bit of headache, I had to stop. The black/white aesthetic idea is nice, but I think it could be optional, specially for those who are more sensitive to this kind of graphics. I also believe the game has potential to be aesthetically good with a "colorful" scheme, because the ambient looks too much the same with the black/white scheme, and I can see there are a lot of objects, landscape, the ruined buildings, etc so the black/white graphics don't seem to make justice to the work of art put in the game.

I enjoyed the art of the loading screens, and in game menu, also the intro video. I think the black/white aesthetic is perfect at those times, but not during the entire game. But speaking of loading screens, I'm not a big fan of them when they get in the middle of the gameplay, I think while I was in the first area I before I got to the survivor I got 2-3 loading screens (switching map areas?) although they were fast, it kind of breaks the immersion/continuity of the gameplay. If the loading screens can't be avoided, maybe add a little something to those screens as part of the story telling.

I felt the "tutorial" part lacking, as the only advices I got were how to drain health from dead enemies and press space to sprint. I had to look in the options menu which were the controls and find out I had "reaper" abilities, but got no description what those would do and how they worked. I felt I was thrown in the game without some guidance of the basic mechanics.

As for the animation the character seemed too "rigid" in his movement, when going to left/right it would "flow better" and look more natural if the character also leaned a bit to the sides, specially when sprinting. Also the melee animation only has one type (front kick with left leg), I would like to see more variation like punches, hitting the enemies with the back of the gun, kicking with the other leg, etc.

Speaking of the combat system I got to the point that I found it lacking because I was just expecting the action music when an enemy was near and "camp" from a distance using my first reaper skill that shoots (whatever it is called) or "kiting" the enemies, because at close range death seemed almost certain. Also, I would like to see a difficult setting when starting the new game, not just in the options menu, and a brief description to what the difficulty affects and who should pick which difficulty.

As I'm not a native english speaking person, and this would also be beneficial to the hearing impaired, I would like to see more subtitles, even during the video. There was some dialog between characters that had only text, I would love to see those lines voiced as well. Also, game and subtitles in serveral languages would be awesome.

I think the game has potential if it lives up to a good story and decent gameplay. With some improvements it can get only better. Only thing that did upset me was the headache, and I would have to blame the black/white color scheme. I'll resume gameplay and play some more, but I'm afraid that my game sessions can't last long.

The game looked promising, a post-apocalyptic shooter with nervous action and RPG-style dialogs. Sounds nice.
The environments look like a mix between Borderlands and Stalker, it is kinda gorgeous for a small team.

But for me, the black and white filter is really a problem. I guess they tried to make something like Mad World on Wii, with comic-style black and white with some red elements. The idea is nice, in fact the intro movie and all the artworks on the menu and loading screens look AMAZING.
But the filter in game is not a good idea. Everything is hard to see and it hurts the eyes. Mad World was made with stylized texture from the beginning, but in this game, it's clear that they just put a filter on a normal 3D game. It really ruins the gameplay.
Apart of that, it's an average shooter game, not terrible but nothing special.

I also noticed some grounds with no collisions, invisible walls etc... But the game is still in development.

I hope the development team will remove this filter, or at least make it an option. I'll probably remove this evalution if things get better, but right now I can't recommand this.

"Afterfall: Reconquest is a story driven TPP action shooter, set in the post-apocalyptic Afterfall universe".

A:R is in Early access (due to be released in coming weeks) and has gone from strength to strength. When I purchased A:R, the game visuals were in colour, however this has since been changed to b&w artwork and shading..the b&w did hurt my eyes, and some other EA adopters also found this as well. But as the colour/b&w can be switched between, via an .ini file setting, this allowed me to fully enjoy this great EA title. I would say that A:R is wedged between a Metro 2033/S.T.A.L.K.E.R/Fallout in it's storyline, with the main character having quite unique abilities (that were challenging for me to pick up - but once I got used to them, I was blasting the bloody scary monsters all over the corrugated iron and pathways.) It is going to be released in 9 episodes, with episodes 1-3 out soon.

The biggest differentiator here for me, is the style of artwork and graphical presentation. The gameplay is very engaging, and had me popping up in my seat as I get hit from behind, or fired at whilst I am battling the "monsters". The atmosphere is eerie and had me in suspense. I plugged the pacemaker into the mains, just to ensure I didn't run out of power, cause that sucker was working overtime. Even though there have been quite a few bug fixes, enhancements and the change of direction with the graphics - the dev's have been very engaging with the community, and kept us up to date with what was going on. I personally hate the b/w shading, it really hurts my eyes, others are reporting this too. You can change to colour shading by changing the ini file, but a slider needs to be added to allow the user to choose the effect they want. I repeat, black and white shading sucks.

This is a title I recommend. It's worth the dollars - if you change the shading to your liking (http://steamcommunity.com/app/299640/discussions/2/618453594745663304/#c618453594745765290). Also just ensure you have a mains socket or generator handy, just incase you need an few volts to start the ticker again.

Early Access Score: 8.0/10

Having bought the first game I thought this would be a good addition to my games library, I had seen YouTube video gameplay of it and it was in colour, but the version I bought was Black and White, hated it from the start, first of all after downloading, it refused to start, the game icon placed during the D/L on my desktop was connecting to the 64bit .exe file, I am running a 64bit OS and it would not work, but I found another .exe game file in the 32bit folder, this worked and I was able to start the game, then this awful B/W effect kicked in, so I decided to follow advice from others and make a couple of changes to the .ini file and now the game is a delight to play in full colour, I now recommend this game for all those who cannot play it in B/W.

So far im enjoying this game, but I think if they didnt use the black and white it would be better. I understand the black and white kinda sets the tone/mood of the story, but it gives me headaches and i sometimes dont know where im going b/c of the black and white feature :P

Super awesome game :) good fun action shooter, and i like the black and white of it, always been a fan of that kind of artstyle.
everyone that want a cheap nice little shooter should get this.
http://youtu.be/bzV5EpVPEwc

Frustratingly difficult, but ultimately rewarding - Afterfall Reconquest Ep1 hits the sweet spot for hour long sessions of mutant slaying carnage. Recommended to TPS lovers who don't mind a challenge.

Overall, Afterfall: Reconquest Episode 1, has a great story, punctuated with engaging TPP shooter action. The small issues with the enemy AI, and the sometime clumsy camera are forgivable, and don't stop the player from having a great time. I will be eagerly awaiting the next instalment in Afterfall: Reconquest, and give this episode 8.5 out of 10.

For my full review and other delicious content see Glitch

Afterfall is the sole IP of Intoxicate Studios, an indie developer, who as a response to the success of Fallout created the Afterfall universe. Published by Nicolas Entertainment Group, Afterfall: Reconquest is the third entry in this franchise. Reconquest kicks off with a quick cut scene explaining that the waring of humanity has lay waste to the world. During this war, genetic manipulation was used as a way to speed up evolution. The failures of this genetic tampering, known as mutants, are now overrunning what is left of the world and could spell the end of mankind.

Afterfall: Reconquest is an episodic, action, adventure, third person perspective shooter with a focus on compelling story telling. Episode 1 follows the story of Reaper, a genetically enhanced soldier, with a painful past. The story in Ep 1, is told through, a recounting voice over by Reaper, and fleshed out through discussions with the characters of the world. I won't go into any story detail in this review, as this is the centre point of the game, but I will say this episode is a great entry to the universe and I found the story to be well delivered and enthralling.

When you're not enjoying the great NPC conversations and well delivered voice over, Reconquest is putting you under pressure with its TPP shooter action. There are two types of guns for use in Reconquest, pistols and rifles, both with limited ammunition. Reaper also has some interesting abilities that the player can level up, through finding gear and completing quests.

Reaper has a cybernetic lower arm, that allows him to generate a shield while using a pistol, shoot high velocity shrapnel at enemies and drain the life out of fallen foes. These abilities use an energy bar that replenishes when not in use, and allow the player to customise their approach to each battle. My only issue with the TPP shooting mechanics in this title, is the camera. On a few too many occasions I found that the camera would get stuck behind Reaper, with his head blocking my vision of oncoming enemies.

Having said that, I still had a great time with the TPP shooter action, and died just the right amount to keep me coming back but without causing frustration. There is also a good mix of melee, ranged and tank enemies, that help to keep the battles feeling fresh. My only criticism of the enemies is that the AI isn't the best, and quite often enemies will stand out of cover for no reason. This isn’t a major flaw however, as the volume of enemies is enough to ensure the game isn't too easy.

The art style of Reconquest is a stand out for me. The whole game has a graphic novel feel, with the visuals being black and white, with the odd bit of red. I love these visuals, and they complement the story telling well.

The game seems fun. but the black and white will just ruin it. you cant see anything. Couldnt stand it for more than a few minutes it hurts the eyes and just adds a very unpleasant feel to the game. if there was an option for colour that would be great.

This game is not easy on the eyes at all. I've played twice for 20 minutes only because my eyes needed rest.

Aside from this, the game itself plays fine, smooth, as if its final. The character seems weak, at first, but once you get the hang of using your reaper weapon and shield instead of your gun the game becomes a bit easier. The character is still weak, so one swipe from the mutant looking humans and you're dead. 4-5 bullets and you're dead. The way to gain health is by draining vitality out of dead corpses, which is quick and seamless. When you drain life, the dead body remains for you to go back and drain more life if necessary. I found myself killing one enemy, then draining its life, one after the other. In a situation of multiple enemies, I'd kill one enemy, then I'd have them chase me away from the dead body, then I'd run back to the dead body to quickly drain life for full health so I'd be ready to face the rest of the enemies. I've already faced one enemy that seems typical and fighting it drained all my ammo, plus it took countless shots from my reaper weapon, and still it did not die. I died because of other enemies around. Once again, one swipe = dead. In other words, this game is quite challenging and tough at first, and truly requires getting to know--not just defeating enemies, but how to dodge them or block them (you also have a shield, but you are not able to use the reaper weapon when you have it active, and vice versa).

I recommend this game for its gameplay, its challenge, and its uniqueness, but I do not recommend this game if your eyes are sensitive, such as mine are. I'll continue to play this game, but only in 10-20 minute blocks of time. If you can handle the eye strain, definitely give this one a try.

Great game!! Try to find a better one in that price range.. good gameplay, nice character skills, not to easy.
I'm not a big fan of the 'white world' setting, game gets a lot better when you switch it off. And its not only because of the problem with the eyes - its also harder to spot enemies when its in B&W.
Really hope that in the final game there will be a proper switch so you can decided which one you prefer.

Other then that, well recommended game!

If you like apocalyptic games, you will love this. The black and white adds a nice style to the game, I played it when it wasn't B&W and the ambient just feels like more of it's own. Anyway the combat in the game is pretty nice, and once you beat this episode you won't be able to wait for the next episodes to come!

Really cool concept of a game, i truly enjoy the cell shader style of art they use, and it greatly reminds me of mad world.
but sadly i find the story kinda iffy and slow
but over all a great game and i intend to play it through to the end

This is a very, very first impression based review. As you can see, I have very little time on the title, however already I can easily redommend it. First off I'd like to say that if you do not like balck and white filter games, then why the ♥♥♥♥ did you buy this in the first place. It seems a large amount of the negative reviews revolve around the fact that the black and white filter of the game is unpleasing to them. Well then. I'm not sure why you bought a game unpleasing to your eyes. That's not the dev's fault you bought their game completely ignorant on how their specific artstyle would affect you. To me, it's absolutely beautiful. The gameplay is somewhat lacking, but it is overall made up for. Would recommend for everyone willing to at least look at SCREENSHOTS of a game before buying it. I seriously don't know how people buy games without even knowing how it looks. If you don't like black and white games, then don't buy a black and white game, then proceed to give it a negative review because it's black and white.

Beautiful art. I have never felt the need for more in a new gen game, but this one is truly a masterpiece.
Marvellous game. Fell in love with it.

I've only played for a short while since when it comes to games like this I like to have more of a complete story and in terms of Early Access more of a complete game.

As a fan of the original Afterfall I was happy to hear a sequel was being made However I'm not a fan of the betrayer style black, white and red art scheme I Know post apocolypse Is supposed to be bleak e.g Fallout but I'm sure it would have more than 3 colours in its spectrum.

Gameplay wise its tight and a good control system I did however find using the F button to Sap energy from enemies slightly unresponsive which was annoying in the middle of firefights.

I probably shouldn't recommend this game after such a short period of time and considering the first episode isn't 100% complete but I have faith in the devs and want the project to succeed so the more possitive publicity it recieves the better!

For now its a thumbs up and I hope with future updates and Episodes it stays that way!