Off the Shelf Media

About a month ago, the indie game Misery was removed off of Steam after receiving a DMCA strike from GSC Game World, the developer of S.T.A.L.K.E.R., only seven days after launching.

However, it was once again available after a brief hiatus period and is currently being sold on Steam for $9.99.

After all the public attention, is the game even worth playing?

Gameplay: 2

Do not expect anything groundbreaking. It has a familiar loot system compared to other survival crafting games, reminding me a lot of DayZ. The combat is also simplistic but has each iteration feel heavy with how much damage you take as well as dish out. The gameplay loop is also straightforward, that is, after a few expeditions. 

You will find yourself and your friends scavenging for weapons, food, and resources to develop your base and prepare yourself for threats of radiation, combat, thirst, and hunger. Those familiar with the genre will feel right at home and enjoy the streamlined nature. Most survival crafting games begin to feel burdened with the constant need to build just to maintain your core stats, but Misery makes wandering out into the randomly generated landscape as simple as walking through two doors. 

The changing landscapes and the search for anomalies make each venture feel rewarding, even if the loot you come up with is lackluster; the excitement to go and discover something new is a strong pull. You can also find value in selling items in Sirez, an apartment filled with vendors for each category of loot. 

What Misery does well is near-perfection of the systems it has incorporated. It will not leave you in awe of the mechanics it has but you won’t be frustrated with a broken system either. It thrives in the genre because it lacks much of the tedium while making exploration easy and rewarding from the beginning. Crafting is very present as a mechanism, but the hunt for loot with a constant fear of life makes it one of the most exciting titles in survival crafting I have come across. The only advice I would add is that it is a much better experience with friends.

Story: 1

There is nothing but discovery. It is a very thin setting, but the device used does exactly what it needs to keep you moving. Perhaps in future updates, there will be more of a story, but the gameplay loop keeps you playing, and the atmosphere tells the only story as you explore.

Atmosphere: 2

The design of the game makes me think of GoldenEye 007. The rough graphics, much like Hrot, the rough texture plays well into the unsettling nature of the enemies and brutalism style of design that lends itself to that time and (fictional) place. It also means your computer does not have a chance of overheating for turning the view distance on max. Even the faint change in angle your character points weapons as you move is reminiscent of a time that prized gameplay above all else. 

The unique design of the anomalies you encounter sends the design over the edge. They are not as detailed as the texture allows, while each leaves you with theories. The twisted trees and rising leaves show gravity being distorted, while indistinguishable soldiers firing on unknown crowds show time distorted. Combined with the discomfort of these map layouts changing each time you venture out, the eerie sense of the familiar, in design and mechanics, is at constant odds with your environment. 

Value: 2

I can think of a few things as fun and cost under $10 that are out there. When I purchased it the game was on sale for $8.99 and had only been on the market for a few days. It has also had constant updates since its release, which bodes well for any early access single dev game. The Discord is also lively, and hopefully, even more content updates will make the game even more worth it

Duration: 1

I have not had a chance to play it as much as I like but I think it will suffer the same fate most survival crafting games encounter. Typically, reaching the endgame leaves little to nothing to do. Even getting close can make a game feel boring as a player’s supremacy goes unmatched in the environment that used to torment them. The positive note for Misery is that the time spent playing is often more exciting than other games of the genre. It is also important to note the constant addition of content that has been put out since the games release.

Total Score: 8/10

I am looking forward to getting back into the game. Those we were curious to play but saw it removed from the store will be happy to know that with the recent success in their favor over a DMCA strike,  it will make a great addition for a group of friends to play, especially with how you can choose to make each expedition as short as you want. The gameplay loop is really what sets it apart and keeps players eager to hop.