Ghostship Aftermath Reviews

So... I started the game and found the menu options and set up to be confusing. When I was trying to set up the graphics and resolution it was causing the game to do some weird things. I couldn't customise the settings in game which meant I had to exit the game just to see what the changes made looked like. Game play is another thing. Glitchy is an understatement. Game play was terrible and the actual aiming on the guns was rediculous. Trying to kill the first enemy causes you to empty your gun of bullets and it takes maybe 3 hits from the weakest (from what I've seen) enemy. Good points. I played 3 times and it took 0.6hours. That's 20 minutes per game. 15 of which were getting off the initial ship onto the "ghost ship" and 5 mins of running away from something I can't kill. This game was pants. Luckily I payed a few quid for it. The end

NO MANUAL SAVE; auto-save only, game auto-saves upon death which basically makes this an iron-man mode game

I think people are attrociously biased and wholly unreasonable with their expectations for this game. Yes, the game has flaws. The game is clunky in areas, a little loading screen heavy, some of the choices are questionable (totally silent enemies bum rushing you from behind with the only warning being a big chunk of your arse missing), moving around can be a little difficult. No, this game isn't going to be Deadspace or System Shock 2. It was cobbled together by a single person who had nothing but fumes for funding, and holy shit is it impressive for that. Not just impressive, but ambitious. I feel that most of the negative opinions are falling prey to two things. Firstly the game's rather odd graphics, it's designed for VR, and holy hell does it look good in that https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h9twokPQuFQ - but it looks a little blocky in a traditional display. Secondly, the absolutely brutal difficulty curve. This game starts off at 9 and ramps things upto 11 pretty quickly, and doesn't bother to explain anything along the way. If you're looking for something which will scare you but not even remotely challenge you along the way, this is definitely not the game. My opinion in this regard is backed up by the fact that most (not all) negative reviews have very little playtime. An hour, tops. Anyway, in short I feel people are walking into this game with the wrong expectations. The guy who made this game (solo) could have made a godly 2d / side scroller / what have you with how dedicated and driven he is, but he didn't sell himself short and went for the gold instead and made the game he wanted to make. The result is spectacular but not without flaws, though given the origins it's extraordinary. .. Honestly though, your partner's V.O. is god awful. There's absolutely no justification for how badly delivered the lines are. I feel that improving that would be one of the best things that could be done. But like I said, not perfect!

Why does steam allow game developers to begin projects, sell them on steam, and simply abandon the projects if they don't ALSO make enough on kickstart? Can I do this? I have a few blank unity projects I'd love to fuck people over with. "Game will be ARK, mixed with PUBG mixed with DOOM for onlu $39.99.....oh wait after I've sold 30,000 copies I'm done trying, have fun with my half made model with no animations."

I don't know if I can reccommend this one. The atmosphere and graphics are really kewl, but game play is lousy. It's hard to manuver, its hard to pick things up, it's hard to aim, and you run out of ammo too quickly. I had a horrible time just getting the game to load; I "played" 78 minutes of the game (according to steam) before I ever saw anything past the loading screen. I'm going to give it a "thumbs down" because of the difficulties. If the gameplay and controls can be smoothed out, I'll change that.

I bought this game back in 2014 (having followed its development for a long time) but it ended up being sat in my library for several years, having only 'checked it out' when it launched, but I never really gave it the time of day (no idea why). Today, I sat down and played it for several hours, and possibly around five restarts (once you die, that's it, game over). This is the first game by MAG studios, but I believe takes place after the events of their second game, CDF Ghostship, which is an indie FPS involving the soldiers of the starship dreadnought CDF Goliath. However Ghostship Aftermath is survival horror with guns, through and through. Contact has been lost with the Goliath and you've been sent to investigate what went wrong. A cheesy scenario, but a classic sci-fi horror setting which is influenced by Aliens, Dead Space and Event Horizon. Survival horror has always been at its finest when you're trapped in a labyrinthine environment with dark corridors, jump scares, minimal ammo and the need to think fast and plot your route between 'breaks'. Ghostship Aftermath utilises this to the fullest extent, with enemies taking advantage of the bloodstained, shadowy walkways, ambushing you at the most inopportune moments, keeping you on edge at all times, with your only respite being when you're waiting for airlocks to cycle. The music is used perfectly - its not too ambient so that you don't notice it, but it's not blockbuster either, and the jump scares are aligned perfectly to the score as well. What makes it truly interesting is the roguelike nature of the game. First up, in the story mode, if you die, you die. There's no handholding, so you're forced to learn the mechanics off the bat, and given that the ship is primarily 'open world' you can get lost easily, stumbling from room to room trying to reach your next objective. This isn't a bad thing as the game invites exploration as there are lots of achievements for doing specific things and lots of weapons to find on the ship. Secondly, it's got a random narrative. The ship's layout remains the same, but the events in different areas are randomised to create a unique story each time you play it. This is most notable in the personality of your partner (who stays comfortably in the ship you arrived on, talking to you remotely) and the ship's AI, ASMI. On top of that, there are multiple endings as well (that I've yet to see, mind you), so all in all, it offers hours of replayability - dying isn't a chore, it's a step towards learning the game and its many, many different encounters. Possibly my favourite spoiler-free moment so far was trying to reach an objective via the ship's very-long sub-corridor. A bloodstained warning told me that the corridor was ridden with horrors so when I entered the corridor all was quiet. Then as I was halfway down, I was overwhelmed by zombies that came lumbering out of the shadows, forcing me to waste valuable oxygen sprinting as fast as I could to the airlock, then waiting for it to open whilst the zombies got closer and closer... tense moments like that can really make a gaming experience. It's not without its flaws, of course - it's possible to get stuck on scenery, and walking over debris can cause camera-stutter. Enemy movement is overly-quick and erratic, and the graphics are somewhat old-school. But these just don't detract from what is a wonderfully tense and detailed game which stands out in a world of linear games that spoonfeed you on how to play. If you want to find your way around, you need to look at maps on the ship's walls. Emptying a magazine into an enemy might have little effect unless you work out its weakness (e.g. plasma shotgun vs. zombie heads), so you can learn the mechanics, and I'm still learning the game. I have to say, I'm seriously impressed and I think that if you're looking for a solid indie survival horror with great atmosphere, solid voice acting, mechanics you need to work out for yourself, a good challenge and bags of replayability, this won't disappoint. 8/10 - Redfield.blog

[h1]GHOSTSHIP AFTERMATH[/h1] So what is Ghostship Aftermath? It is basically somekind of a mix between the good old System Shock 2 and Dead Space. You play as some "dude" that has to board a ship where something "good"? has happened. Oh I meant bad! Its always something bad happening! So once you do board, you gotta follow some directives from you partner and not long after, you get cutoff from him and some A.I. takes over the coms and directs you to a list of objectives. It all seems cool doesn't? I'll sum up the pros and cons so you can get a better overview and decide for yourself whether or not to get this game. [h1]POSITIVES:[/h1] [b]+Solid Atmosphere (ships noise reminiscent of System Shock 2) +Cool Design concept (This is where the game shines the most: Every playthrough is different. At one pt, the A.I. can be helpful, the next pt it hinders your progress and on another pt, it can even be dead so you're all alone trying to figure out what to do). +Infinity ammo for weapons but takes time to recharge +Story is predictable but serviceable nonetheless. Some elements do change between each playthrough which keeps things interesting. +Price drop of the game. Kudos to the devs 'cause when I got this game, it was very overpriced.[/b] [h1]NEGATIVES:[/h1] [b]-Technical glitches (it says on the game page that this game release many patches concerning the plethora of bugs and glitches but it is still infested by them. On instances, I kept getting stuck on items and couldn't move. I saw enemies going through walls also. -Truly bad controls and aiming mechanism is very flawed (THIS IS MY MAIN GRIPE OVER THIS GAME: The aiming is very pathetic. Even when an enemy is right in front of you and aim at the head, you're missing the target anyway). -False controller support (It's mentioned that the is controller compatible, but they kind of lie. The controller works, sure, but sometimes it won't sprint on controller anymore after certain scripted event). -Weak graphical settings (Little to no graphical options. Only two resolutions available. No eye candy as you are used to in any modern games. Can't even change game settings when in-game. Also the visuals are quite bad, even on their alleged graphical patch. I know this is an indie game and its easy to pick negatively at the graphics. But honestly, the graphics could have really been more improved. At least, the game was playable on my end, compared to other gamers that seemed to have difficulty running the game). -Auto save only. Can't save the game manually. -Zombie sound glitch that can still be heard after you killed the zombie. Only way to make it stop was to quit and reload the game. -Same enemies throughout the whole game. Same twitchy movements and even walk/crawl through walls. -Mostly average and at times, terrible voice acting. (Granted this is an indie game but whoa, at times, it was really awful; especially the voice of your ally. The A.I. is quite fine by me though. It actually sounds like a computerized AI voice! Surely doesn't sound like SHODAN but it is decent!).[/b] [h1]OVERALL:[/h1] [b]This game has a good concept and some very good ideas. Sadly, many things hold it back. It is still a commendable work the developers did on this project and hopefully you guys can only improve on a potential sequel. I truly wish you up your game next time, especially on the glitches, bugs, voice acting and my biggest irritant, the poor aiming mechanism. The graphics can always get better and hopefully on a potential sequel, they'll be more optimized and up-to-date to modern gaming standards.[/b] [h1]RECOMMENDATION:[/h1] [b]I can't recommend this game at this time. Cool concept but marred with inconsistencies, bugs and glitches. I did read on the reviews section of this game store page that Ghostship Aftermath did improved on the glitches and bugs so that is something to keep in mind. The devs are working on their project and that is noteworthy. Sadly, the game lost my attention with all the numerous cons I've mentioned earlier. The game did got a price drop recently but even so, I still wouldn't advise anyone to get this game. Wait up for a potential sequel when aspects of this game should (hopefully) be fixed by then.[/b]

The game could have been good for an indie release lots of potential but it was quickly hindered when encountering enemies :( they suck and the AI sucks both need MAJOR work maybe even would been better left out of the game completely. The game is riddled with bugs, glitches, poor audio, lack of options, and things that just plain dont make sense. ~Update on patch 1.2 This has been the most frustration biggest pile of ♥♥♥♥ game iv ever had the misfortune of wasting my time, money and hope on. For real from the opening horrible audio dialog from your copilot to the non stop glitches getting stuck on everything. The textures are horrible the lighting is garbage, the menu and options are next to non existent. Seriously its as if the devs dont even play real games to have some real inspiration from and compare to the standered we as gamers expect in 2014. Last time i was this let down and ticked off was WarZ we all remember that game and the road it went down. Iv been patient waiting for fixes and updates but its to little to late this game should be taken off Steam or lowered to a price of $1.99. ~Update Got into it with the devs, they don't like criticism they lock, edit, delete comments and threads that go against there game. You have an issue with the bugs and glitches? Well that's your own fault not the game it self you need to read the manual according to the devs. They are actively trying to sway reviewers opinions and block people who tell the truth about the game. http://steamcommunity.com/app/280890/discussions/1/34094415787543676/#c34094415796867709 My advice do not support this game or MAG studios!

UPDATE: I played the game again and to see if there were any changes and was killed twice in utterly nonsense ways. Once by a noclipping stiffy mode zombie and another time because aliens and zombies dropped through a solid ceiling to land on top of me and swarmed me Pros: *Solid Atmosphere The sounds of metal creaking and the quiet breathing of your character as he runs is very intense and can give you a deep sense of immersion when nothing else is going on. You find yourself checking corners and worrying when the next enemy will pop up. Sounds will echo throughout the ship and have you looking around wondering what could possibly be doing that. Sometimes the ship will make no sounds and the silence itself then becomes eerie. Very well done. *Innovative Design The whole "No playthrough is the same" concept is really really cool. My first playthrough the ship's AI was very helpful and gave me weapons, warnings, and helped me detect enemies. My second playthrough the ship's AI was deranged and crazy and barred my way. My third playthrough the AI was completely dead and I had to go through the whole ship with no backup power or systems and many areas were closed off. That is just one storyline aspect that changes the game. There are hundreds of those kinds of things that make each playthrough unique and throw you curveballs as to what you expect. *Interesting Weapons Okay so you have your standard rifles, pistols, and submachine guns. But with the fact that some weapons can replenish their ammo supply infinitely but take a long time to charge, and some weapons can reload fast, but magazines are limited, really changes the game. If you get down to a laser rifle and no other weapon you can probably do okay against a small group, but a large group could easily kill you because it only holds 80 shots and then it takes about 2 minutes to recharge. Minutes you really don't have. This really ramps up the difficulty and intensity of the game when the going gets rough and can make you have to strategize on the fly. *Decent Story Okay so I know the story changes based on how the playthrough goes, but I really got into it when I started finding out why the ship was infested. Knowing what I know in one storyline adds a huge sidelight to the others, and makes the storyline fairly intriguing. Alright now time for the cons. =( Cons: *Erratic Controls They say it is controller compatible, but they kind of lie. The controller works, sure, but sometimes it won't sprint on controller anymore after certain storyline events. Sometimes your aim gets twitchy and wierd and you can't really lock on an enemy because your gun sight aims too far right if you even slightly tap right and too far left if you even slightly tap left basically forcing you to use the mouse and keyboard. Even after I switched I found it clunky and difficult to hit enemies even when they were right in front of me. Not good guys. This is 90% of the reason I died every time I did. Oh yeah and invert Y turns on when it wants. You don't get a choice in the matter. *Little to no Graphics settings Its okay to make a polished game and all and I've got a decent computer, but I'm the type that will turn down the graphics even if I CAN run it on the best just so I can crank out a little bit more FPS. Thats kind of important to me, and I'm certain it would be more important to someone who is using a potato computer. The fact that you only have 2 resolutions, little to no particle effects options, and absolutely no bloom or dynamic lighting options really limits how people can customize their graphics to suit the game. Which leads me to my next point *NEEDS to be optimized Alright, they are trying to make it look pretty but fact is that the graphics in this game are decent at best. But hey, its an indie game. Whatever gets the job done works you know? But come on guys, I can run Planetside 2 on high graphics with no lag and the same deal with Bioshock Infinite, Rage, Far Cry, ect. So I can play some games with high graphics and have little to no lag. Yet your game with meh graphics lags like a tired horse in a caravan the moment a large group of enemies shows up. This is rather irritating and can easily get you killed as that is the WORST time for the game to lag. I don't need pretty, I need playable. That is what is MOST important about a game and needs to be put on a higher priority. *Enemies move in glitchy movements, sometimes slide on surfaces. I was fighting some aliens and I jumped over some boxes and kept running. What does the alien do? It flips sideways in the air and slides THROUGH me to land in front of me and kill me. Um. What? Yeah that kind of garbage shouldn't happen. Its one thing if an alien crawls on the roof all scary like to jump in front or something like that. However, unless the alien is also a ghost, it shouldn't be phasing through objects and people. Many times aliens would appear out of an area I just cleared through the floor or something and attack and left me wondering wtf just happened. I died early game my first run because of that floor effect. Very frustrating I assure you. Especially when the enemies get trapped in the floor and run around underneath the map freaking you out by making attack sounds, which leads me to my next point. *Wierd glitched sound FX I killed some zombies and expected the sounds of them attacking to end. Nope. Kept hearing moaning all throughout Deck 4 until I left which made it hard to detect when other zombies attempted to attack me because I couldn't hear them. Sometimes enemies will make no noise and instead just soundlessly attack me while I shoot at them. Sometimes my guns would make no noise. Occasionally both gun and enemy sounds would be delayed and would happen all at once after I killed the last one. Yeah it was wierd and kinda broke the immersion. A game based on atmosphere needs sound to be top notch in order to really keep the player into the game. *Terrible, TERRIBLE voice acting Look, I know this is an indie title but there are plenty of talented voice actors out there. I've done voice acting work before, as have many of the people on newgrounds who are hurting for recognition and I'm absolutely certain you could find a guy who would be willing to work for free just to have his name out there. This guy you hired to be the foil for the main character is not an actor. As a matter of fact I'm going to go out on a limb here and assume he is a programmer who just is doing it because you guys needed one. When you first enter the ship he laughs this awful fake laugh like a million times that reminds me of Tommy Wiseau from The Room (Nothing should EVER remind me of that) and his line reading is both annoying and without much emotion or tone. The character he plays isn't much better considering he makes fun of you being in danger constantly and it made me want to hit him. I'm always happy when he shuts up even when he is giving me pertinent information because his false emotion and wooden acting hurt my ears to listen to. However, I will concede you this. I don't know if the AI is a programmed voice or a real person simulating one, but she is actually okay. She seems as robotic as she is supposed to be. Thats good. She isn't bad to listen to and whenever she gave me orders I was okay with listening to them, mostly because I didn't want to roll my eyes whenever her vocals played. _-_-_-_-_-_ So overall this game has some very good ideas and would have potential if there weren't so many things that hold it back. I wish you guys spent a lot more time fixing bugs on this game and making it playable, reducing clunkiness, and making the game have more actual gameplay to give you. If someone is looking to purchase this game, I'd reccomend they wait until version 2.0+ is out and then see where the game stands. Until then, this isn't really worth 12 bucks.