Episode 4 review - a triumph. (Spoilers)

[Sherri]

I've finished Episode 4 & I've sat down over a few days to write this review. I think it's important to share our praise and not just our complaints. Anyone who creates anything for the public knows - feedback is often skewed: angry people are motivated to complain more often than satisfied people are motivated to give appreciation.

I am a lifelong gamer & TLD has been a light for me over the pandemic. I bought it on sale 2 summers ago & have never put this many hours into a game. Story mode is my favourite way to play & I've played chapters 1-3 twice so far & many more hours in sandbox. I eagerly awaited the next chapter...

This was my favourite by far. And that is really saying something because playing as Astrid, rescuing people & finding supplies for all those survivors, looting the airplane... wow episode 3 was so very satisfying for me.

But episode 4 feels like it has pulled together the skills that the Hinterland team has developed over the years. As others have said, the map is huge & varied. The locations are interesting. The minimal loading screens. The tense, high volumes of aggressive wildlife. The trees & mountains. The prison & its grounds! Wow!

The new noisemaker adds a use for cans & a non-lethal wolf deterrant that is fun & a bit dangerous to use. It fits very well in the game theme & rounds out our toolkit.

Something is UP with these wolves! For the first time I felt truly hunted. They came through gates to get at me. Multiple times I returned to areas where I forgot to close a door & yikes that was a mistake! A pack of 3 were *waiting for me* up the road & around the corner where the prison entrance is. I had put away my gun thinking I was a few steps from safety - surprise! Whatever was done to the wolf pathfinding was great.

Others have said it already but the story, voice acting & cutscenes were riveting. When the gurney was wheeled out with the warden I audibly gasped & felt actual anger to the characters for killing him after all my efforts to get the medicine! The final scenes were incredible with some satisfying answers & new questions.

The puzzles - steam pipes, gas mines & forest talkers cache & combo lock were head-scratchy enough that following the logic & finally solving them felt so GOOD. And like my actions had meaning & not just puzzles for the sake of puzzles. Of course this ancient facility has a patchwork of frozen pipes (I've seen messes like this in real life!). Of course a mine in an earthquake prone region has a bunch of escaped dangerous gasses. It didn't seem contrived to make me solve these things.

I will add, the gas in the mine had me holding my breath in REAL LIFE! Gasping for air as I dove back down into the mist desperately searching for the next fresh air pocket! Absolutely awesome. Fumbling around as your vision goes fuzzy. The feeling of desperation as you have no clue what to do then slowly piece together the solution! 😍

And the sound effects! Oh my god. The grind of that old elevator. The tinny explosion of the noisemaker. The hiss of the steam. The rush of the river. The voice actors. The chain-link fence gates. Hats off to your foley artists & sound folks. This episode is sooo satisfying to the ears - I've always particularly loved the sound in this game.

Can we also take a minute to appreciate the quality of life settings - harsh language & the eating sounds filters. Things that benefit few players but take extra effort. I remember Raph tweeting a while ago about how to replace certain swear words while keeping the dialog gritty. This team knew the swearing would put off some players & made efforts to accomodate. Even when a vocal minority was screaming at them to hurry up... they took time for these features.

This episode - delivered through the harsh challenges of a pandemic & unknown stress & personal challenges this may have brought to the team - is a real triumph. Most of us know, we have not been our best selves through the last year & a half. Many of us have had kids home from school, arguments with family members, job uncertainty, illness, political stress & more. Of course the Hinterland team & their families have faced the same challenges. No one creates in a vaccuum. And yet, Hinterland pulled this off & placed it in our impatient hands this month & it feels like zero corners were cut.

They delivered it to us knowing that just like with every new update or release... the nitpicking complaints will flow. Sure as the wind in TLD will blow opposite to the direction you need to travel. But most of us - fans of story mode or diehard sandbox players - if we divide the price we paid for the game by the number of hours we've logged, have been entertained for *pennies* per hour. Amazing.

Despite being an avid gamer, I almost never follow a particular game company. But I will watch for whatever Hinterland puts out over the years to come. This has been one of the most enjoyable & satisfying games I have played since Half-Life & definitely the best value for dollar.

Thank you Hinterland. Absolutely, unequivocally worth the wait.
❄️

Edited October 16, 2021 by Sherri

[piddy3825]

Well said, indeed!

I just completed my second play through and was constantly surprised at the details I missed my first time thru.  It began to dawn on me on how absolutely challenging it must have been for the Hinterland team to deliver this fantastic addition to the story, especially under the circumstances of global pandemic.  The sheer magnitude of the project was really brought to light when I sat thru and watched the credits roll from the beginning to the end.  So many people involved from all around the world! 
To me it is and was a tremendous eye-opener as to how Raphael and his team were able to coordinate with so many contacts around the globe, during a global health crisis none the less and still deliver such an excellent story addition to the game.  

as you said @Sherri, "...absolutely, unequivocally worth the wait."

[Luca Loquax]

I  know! Right?

I am starting my second play through now!   I am sure I can do a better job this time.  Thank you Hinterland for taking the time to get it right the first time and caring enough to provide us with the very best. 

[Lumiiyx]

I wholeheartedly agree.  I am going through my second play though and slowing it down.  I want to experience it again.  It was so well thought out and really had me intrigued the entire time.  It's not gonna please everyone, but Kudos to Hinterland for a spectacular episode.