final cloud
I loved the first version of Found Footage and there were things it had that didn't make it into the current version of Found Footage. The same was expected in Expedition. But I really have to start this review with what I believe to be an important factor- the game has less levels than it did before. And it has less features- more on those later.
The levels being less would not be so bad except many places were not put in the game- and I mean some of the best locations, not just some throwaway section. The OG Level 0 area was very cool and I felt while that style is not my favorite level 0, having it as a level again in this game would have been nice. I think it was a fitting tribute to the OG level 0 4chan image and even if it would have meant making a smaller level to accommodate it in the new version, it should have remained. Kind of a slap in the face to those who really prefer that style of Level 0 too. I think having both versions as separate levels would have been fine. I also was not a fan of the sort of orange sherbet colored level not being included at all. The Hotel was a disappointment to me too, because I remember more hotel rooms and they were bigger in the previous version. If these levels would have been recreated again or mixed with current levels somehow I would have appreciated this game a bit more than I did.
I also feel like I did not learn quite as much about lore as I was hoping to. More about magwave and why it exists or more about where the entity came from would have been nice- and I don't mean rayray I mean the bacteria.
As far as gameplay features I am of the opinion if it is in the previous version keep it in the game if it adds interactivity. The flashlight was removed in FF though after that update so I guess this type of thing is not unprecedented. The ability to turn lights on was very immersive to me and I loved it. I also know of features I won't mention that were in the playtest that basically were environment interactivity enhancers. These never made it into the game and I am disappointed about that most of all. Another significant disappointment is the fact that while I CAN skip the beginning part, I CANNOT select each individual level or at the very least, select different tapes like in the EA version.
The price being increased seems like a bad move to me since all the above is true. If there were MORE levels and MORE interactivity with the environment and add that to more endings, yes absolutely it is worth the new price! But as is, making level 0 extremely massive and adding 2 endings does not make up for removed features and levels and areas. It doesn't affect me but I can see why so many people are pissed about it on steam.
That being said there are many positives about this game- more endings, more ray ray encounters more often, new places, better visuals, better / more diverse ambience than before. The game looks more photorealistic. The replay ability has been improved with more spawns for level 0 and the rover is a cool feature- though being able to explore more with it would have been nice.
I loved a lot of the new places - the tall ceiling area in Level 0 being my favorite because its very much like an area in Found Footage. I love the Gap level and the fact you can make a choice at the end. The 'old' ending seems a bit stranger than before so I would say I prefer the old version of that one but the new ending added was very cool.
I think if I rated the old version it would be an 8 and the current one would be an 8.5, only because the NEW places added were very cool but honestly that is the only thing keeping me from downgrading this rating to a 7. I don't think the game is necessarily worse, I just think that removing not just one but SEVERAL features really hurts the player's experience, and adding levels that did not exist before does not fully make up for that. Overall a positive review but again I liked the new stuff more than removing old was annoying, barely.
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