Microsoft just released their new game, ReCore, which I managed to play a little of during their Xbox showcase. I immediately fell in love with the game then and I am glad I got to play it back at home
ReCore, an action-adventure platform video game, developed by Comcept and Armature Studio, takes place on Far Eden, where you play Joule Adams, one of the first volunteers to terraform the planet after Earth is deemed unlivable. With her corebot companions by her side, Joule explores the semi-open world environment dedicated to the collection of resources and to piece together what exactly happened while she was in cryo-sleep.
Firstly, Recore’s controls are fairly easy to pick up even though they are slightly different from the usual FPS games we all know and love. I usually never tamper with the controls when I play and ReCore’s default control settings make it easy to get around and get stuff done. Personally, I like the fact that the controls are quite intuitive and I use lesser effort to “dash” with my weak fingers.
Recore always you on your feet, ’cause you never really know when an enemy will show up and if any of the robots in the game will attack. I was constantly on high alert. Combat is quite easy though with your standard “lock-on” mechanic and Joule’s weapons are color-coded to inflict damage on different types of enemies. And then you have her adorable corebots, who’re colour-coded as well and support her in battle and puzzle solving.
I was quite taken in by the general storyline. I’ve always loved action adventure games that grip you with the story lines with plot twists and turns, where you really don’t know what will happen next. Recore, was similar in a sense and It was hard to put the controller down sometimes ’cause I just had to know what would happen next.
However, I found it difficult at times to find the objectives. There aren’t clear markers (I like my waypoints big, bright shiny in a ‘GET OVER HERE’ kinda manner – my internal compass isn’t that great) and I found myself on missions a lot longer than I would like to. Sometimes I would spend an hour or more on one mission and that is excluding all the times I fell off a cliff and had to restart the whole process again. Recore is forgiving when it comes to falling from great heights though – you don’t die, but you do start all over again.
https://youtu.be/WnKT9ZCGgBE
Overall, I found Recore great. From design to game play, it was definitely love at first play and I am definitely willing to overlook the slight flaws. I love the corebots and wish I had one of my own… although I wouldn’t want to be the only person on a planet. With a nice blend of exploration and combat, I would say ReCore provides an appealing gameplay for both action and platformer fans.
Recore is available on both the Xbox One and Windows 10. It is also the first title on Xbox Play Anywhere where you buy the game and can play, and continue your game, on both platforms.