First and foremost I would like to point out that this review is based on Update 0.5.3.5 Alpha released February 21st, 2015 on Steam. That being said, I have a lot of good things to say about this game, I as well would like to point out some things that I hope help the development team along their way should they read this.
I have clocked 5.6 hours - SO FAR - into the game by the way so I haven't experienced everything yet. Here is my review on what I have seen so far - warning, it is lengthy as I have comments for the Devs too - also, I couldn't find anywhere in the forum to post this so I placed it here, I hope this is alright. Nearly the exact same review can be found on the games Store Page in Steam, found here:
Rising world is a Survival game but in its current condition it is more of a Creative play - which that by the way has been promised to be added later on as a playable game, I look forward to this (so for those of you that do not want to worry about monsters chasing after you, right now, there are none - made me REAL happy to see for now).
*To save space in the forum, I placed everything in Spoilers to allow for simpler viewing*
Graphics
+ Positives: They feel rustic, they allow players to use Modern Day graphics pre-built into the game itself to allow for a more modern-day game play and there are the fantasy graphics available to allow players who wish to go back to Ye ol merry times in ol' Camelot to have some fun as well. *The grass is beautiful*, the trees have a very nicely thought out animation when chopped down and the sounds they make are just incredible!
- Negatives: As I said, they are rustic. I am expecting this to get slightly better as more funding becomes available. *The grass in this game - though beautiful as previously stated - will quickly get on your last nerve. Reason being: objects are hidden in the grass and you have no way to cut it until you establish yourself a base of operations basically. It is too tall, Devs, make it just slightly shorter and I think we would be good. If you can't even see the melons you are standing directly next to, we have a problem here (and I'm not going to talk about the apples disappearing issue).
Lighting
+ Positives: It is fantastic, that's really understating it too! Torches are beautiful looking, lamps are smooth and light 'just' the right amount of area. These were all done very well - great job guys
- Negatives: Though nice it has its drawbacks as well... Environmental drawbacks. At one point you could be standing next to a torch placed on the ground and turned to your right where two trees (or even that tall grass again) is at that and each tree will be affected by the torch differently (weird, not annoying, just weird). The grass could have some grass directly next to your campfire not lit up at all, but take some steps further into the grass and you will find orange light lighting up the grass a bit further back. I am certain this is just a calculation issue with the light mapping that will be cleared up at a later date, but it is still worth mentioning here for the Devs.
Overall Mining
+Positives: This is a beautifully done digging process, and the sounds along with this were incredible just as much as the trees or torches are. The graphical side to the digging is nicely done, as the pick hits the rock cracks a little more with each smack. The wholes created make sense as the player beats on the rocks, they are small and rough not smooth and round (or square) causing you to actually make bigger holes to get your large body through. The endless ravines under the ground are incredible - some paths lead to dead ends, others lead to very deep holes you do NOT want to fall down. Well done Devs!
- Negatives: There are a few things to mention here for this. Though the mining is done nicely, it takes a while to break the rocks - but this is a fine balance between taking too long and way to quick, so it’s really just a preference to each person playing. The holes created are very nice, as mentioned above, but can also be very annoying if you do not hit the rock wall just right. I understand you were aiming for a not-so-perfect feeling, but something isn't right there as the ground will crack and form and then you have a sudden dip in your floor that you were not trying to make just because you broke down a large stalagmite in your way. You might want to look at the calculations for this or something... ORE! Ore was nowhere to be found. Now, I'm not sure if this is just because it is still in the process of being worked on or what, but some people could find ore some could find iron - I played 3 different tester worlds and found nothing but dirt and stone, and I dug. A LOT. The ratio here is WAY off... you might want to look into that Devs.
Crafting/Building
+ Positives: There is NOTHING negative to say here at all. Only positives. The Building is done extremely well! The options you are given are limitless it feels. I am seriously impressed with this... You can twist, turn, enlarging, shrink and even mass-place objects into the world - all while either free-handing the placement, or using a customizable grid to assist with snapping things together. Above all things needing to be worked on, THIS needs nothing done to it (except maybe allowing for smaller or large sizes on things - but I digress).
*Oh! I do have one thing to point out Devs... The Glass Panes. They are annoying as all out to try and see in the world. I would love to suggest maybe some kind of outline on it or something to assist in viewing it, just makes seeing what size it is or where exactly you placing it a lot easier.
Animals
- Animals: I really don't have a lot of positives here for the animals. They are almost all currently empty as they are still in development, minus the pigs and I believe it was the cow. They make for some good grilled meat meals I assure you! But the SPEED of the animals is ridiculous... I was at a flat out run while chasing a sheep and (I think) an antelope and they were out running me. Not nice when I cannot find any food and the only thing around me is livestock with food and I cannot catch it to survive. The pigs are relatively easy to kill, but forget the sheep at the moment.
*Hint for you guys... I got up behind the animals and with my pick I dug a fairly deep hole under the animal to cause it to fall down into it then slaughtered them in there that way, only way I could finally catch the antelope.
Multiplayer
This really doesn't get a Positive or Negative to it as I really couldn't get involved with any servers that had people on them or was English (or at least not English enough to ask detailed questions). But I DID need to make sure and thank those that allowed me to use their servers to test the Multiplayer function out on:
Thank you Neue Welt PVE and Thank You Hessenstrolche eXz-Hosting Server! Anemon was extremely kind and very helpful in all ways that he/she could be, then Pinky on her server was extremely kind and answered what she could for me as well. BOTH individuals shared their massive worlds with me and allowed me to look around on them to see the many different ways this game permitted you to build. I was greatly impressed and HIGHLY encouraged to keep on building (many ideas were formed thanks to these two servers).
Once more: THANK YOU EVERYONE ON BOTH SERVERS!
General Game overview:
I LIKE IT! It is highly entertaining in such an early stage and is on the fast track to (sadly) beat Minecraft in entertainment. Yes, it is a little expensive at $15 for an Alpha-based game, but think of it this way... You are now involved in a game where you can voice your opinion on how the development of the game should/might turn out. YOU have the voice to help make changes in the game. It is fun, entertaining and once you figure out all the little tricks (you know, like the Light button and such) then you will find the game very hard to walk away from.
Well done JIW Games, you are doing splendidly so far!
And that is my very first game review (ever, so I hope it was ok), I hope it helps someone out (be it the creators of the game or a potential buyer/player/addict) - Keep on crafting, fellow Risers!