Sometimes it feels that gaming is a race, and that each contender, is running so fast, they are more liable to fall, Miscreated might be able to pull ahead from the pack, let’s just hope they tied their laces.
As is the trend with many games these days, we often get our first taste of new titles before the game is actually anywhere near finished. Survival games have taken on this tactic with a heavy load to bear. With DayZ, the predecessor and benchmark for the genre, many find any new takes on that style of game to be lacking. In fact, many even find that DayZ is a little too lacking in content.
Miscreated is most definitely one of those games. It is missing key features like in game VOIP, disallowing any kind of truce in most situations as the time it takes to write out the word “friendly” is conveniently just about the right amount of time to lose the upper hand in an axe fight. The map is sort of limited in its current state, with nowhere near the amount of land to explore that DayZ offers. There is a distinct lack of weapons, bar the hammer and axe you will likely find, and when you find one of the scarce means of protection, you will likely find the combat a bit finicky. Over all, it is on the verge of becoming a playable game.
However with all its downfalls, it also paves way for hope of an incredible game. It may be missing flesh, but the skeleton of Miscreated, is by far one of the sturdiest I have seen. Built using the Cry Engine, it certainly has beauty on its side. The foliage not only works as a method of concealment from other survivors, but also sets the scene in a stunning way. The lighting is incredible, with a day/night cycle that acts both as an ode to realism, and a way of changing the game’s atmosphere. Flash lights will shine through windows, shadows will fall appropriate to the light that is cast, and silhouettes will shine through thinner materials.
Buildings you enter will have life, or rather death detailed in its very walls. Whether it is a warning to others, a message scribbled in haste to loved ones, or just anti-propaganda graffiti, there is always a sense that the setting of Miscreated was once a living world. Blood stains and crashed vehicles litter the streets, store windows lay smashed as looters obviously took what they willed, and mutants patrol their territory, as if guarding what was once theirs.
The locations found in the 64km² map all feel unique, whether it is a petrol station at an intersection, a supermarket in a small town or even a crumbling jetty on the beach front. Each location will have its share of loot, with items that make sense found in all kinds of hidey holes. Checking the back of a station wagon may prevent you from starving, checking that drawer in the farmhouse may reveal a much sought after and rare firearm, checking behind the till may lead you to the much needed bandage to stop your gaping mutant wound from killing you.
Finding clothes is just as exciting as finding a hammer, with most pieces of gear offering more item slots. Backpacks, jackets and trousers all offer you more storage, all of which will come in handy when you decide to attempt crafting. Though the crafting system is pretty much non-existent at this point, the base materials for building your own shelters and bases are already in game. Crafting wood logs into lumber and plywood and metal scraps into sheet metal, it is easy to see what sort of stuff could be built with such components.
There is promise of an in depth crafting system, multiple vehicles, a larger map, new enemy A.I, and dynamic events that can occur across the map of Miscreated.
As I mentioned earlier, this game is not really in such a state that it will guarantee all that much fun at present, but with the upcoming features it will easily become a competitor for the crown of Survival Craft games. The problem we the consumer face at the moment, is that there is no complete experience yet. No DayZ inspired game has actually made it to the point where the developers say ”Here you go, this is the finished product”, not even DayZ itself. For this reason, I feel it is entirely unfair to say which game is the best. No one is a winner until they cross that finish line.
Miscreated is one of those games I would say it is worth the investment at an earlier stage. It strikes me as a title that you will want at some point, and will likely only go up in price. Sometimes buying a game early is worth the risk, and if my spidey sense is correct, then this game will go somewhere.
