Vortex: The Gateway Reviews

Alright at first thought this may be just another survival game with lizards but this one totally caught me by suprise. Here is what I am loving about this game so far: Performance- Running maxed out and getting about an average of 40 fps (gtx780, 16 gigs ram, i7, etc.). No crashes or bugs as of this posting. While good probably will continue to need optimization as it develops. Visuals- Game looks fantastic and very atmospheric (great work on the skybox as well). Sound- This is where the game is a 10/10 already! The sounds in this game will have you on the seat of your pants especially at night. Not to much and not too little just enough to get your imagination running wild. Environment- Plenty of area to explore, great foliage, various animals to hunt, creatures that hunt you (very scary at night), Resources are available but you do have to venture out and explore. Hope to see island/landmass increase over time as indicated. Crafting- Works well but UI could use some fine tuning and current carrying capacity should/could be either increased or allow for additional containers to be crafted. You can craft a storage container out of bamboo but doesn't seem to currently offer option to store extra items (bug?). Resource (water/food)- Food seems to be plentiful but the water is currently hard to find and limited. I do think the water consumption rate needs to be looked at as it depleates too fast in my opinion. Will be nice to see more animals added that you can hunt (really fun). Story- Yes there is actually a story/plot! While limited now I hope to see this expanded upon...where are we? Why are we here? Can we escape back to Earth? etc. etc. Here are two videos from my livestreams that will give you a good sense of how the game is as of this posting: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_clRwKGyXY4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sgG_HCkJ9_U https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3pyMR-G7XVU

OK so this is a first impression as you will see I don't have that many hours in gameplay. However I have got to say that this game keeps you on your toes. There is no time to chill out and have a picnic. Provided you have the right strategy you should be able to survive. People say they die too quickly, that is just because their strategy sucks. Keep getting thirsty? Then build your base where you know there is a water fruit node nearby! Keep getting hungry? Pull your finger out and do some hunting! Keep getting killed by dragon? Stop prancing around like julie andrews all over the hills and be a bit more stealthy! Everything else killing you? Stop swinging your machete like it's the only weapon you can get and make yourself some spears which are sooooo easy to make! It takes some getting used to I am not going to lie but how boring it would be if there wasn't a challenge! Something I will say is that while there are a few hours gameplay here and some nice areas to explore it would be so much more fun with a friend, but watch this space because 2 player co-op is planned! Well done devs! Make it happen! There are downsides too but they seem to be far out-weighed by the positives. This game has the potential to make you jump with some heart-pounding sounds and an atmosphere that a lot of people will feel on edge in. Again this is where people get stressed...it's like trying to teach a kid to sit on the toilet. They flip out because they have to stop have everything done for them and do it themselves. All in all not a bad game AT ALL. Performance could be better get around 25-30 fps but there are no lags and although the creatures can look a bit strange and not as attractive as some games the atmosphere combined with these is spot on.

A game that will never leave early access even though it has. It looks awful, the mechanics are janky and it just isnt any fun. Go play The Forest if you want a great open world survival game. Sorry to the devs, i really wanted to like this but when you released it in its current form as "finished" i had to give a bad review.

This game has been in development for long enough for me to forget that I had it on my wishlist. Why does it still feel so incomplete? The character models need some serious work, and crafting is rather awkward. It's like they took The Forest and cross-bred it with a cheap korean F2P MMO. I'm not a fan. As of right now, it's not worth the half price. The visuals need to be replaced and it's not obvious where you get most of the materials.

Abandoned game that had potential, devs wanted to grab the money and run.During early access, seemed like it was building up to be a fun game. Played it on and off, enjoying them building a world and story.Then, either they figured it was too much work, lost interest, I don't know, they stopped working on it. Claimed it was out of early access while still glitchy and buggy. Ran off to the next game.If you are looking for a crafting survival, wait until it pops up on some bulk side like indiegala or whatever. Do not give them your direct money.

The Island: -- The island really is very well done. I'm running a 780Ti and have absolutely no problem pulling 60 frames per second. Its well designed and gives a lot of attention to lighting. There are numerous locations on the map to explore and discover, each with its own set of challenges, creatures, and resources to tackle. In fact, if you're going to build out everything in the game, you're going to have to do some exploring. Survival: -- To me, survival isn't vastly different than most games in this genre. There is hunger and thirst. Hunt for food (at least five different types discovered so far) and collect water. Yes, the game advertises other survival metrics, but they don't seem to play a huge role. Stamina is really only about how fast you can cut things down or throw a spear. You're able to sprint indefinitely. Hot vs Cold (at least in story mode) only seems to apply when walking in fire or in a couple of "cold" locations that you can quickly dip into, get what you need and get out. Audio: -- Aside from the voice acting (which could use some work) the audio is really solid. The island makes so many different noises from regular ambient noise to the various creatures on the island. In fact, early on, until you've learned the noises each critter makes, the audio can really keep you on the seat of your pants. Weapons: -- So far, I've found six weapons, I believe, which really helps in survival. So far, I haven't felt the need to build many traps. Story: -- The story is pretty basic, so far, but it has provided a really nice motivation to the game. Everytime I think I'm about to escape the island, I find I need to solve one more "puzzle". How do i get in here? How do I get one of those? Etc. Its given me reason to explore the island without making things seem easy. Overall: -- If they keep developing the game it will really shine but, as it is, its a good spend for $15ish. I think I'm about 10 hours in and can see myself spending a few more (I really want to figure out how to get off the island). Multiplayer would be a nice touch, but maybe just for survival mode, not the story.

--Update for v0.1019--3 JAN 16 Current build is fairly the same with an added alien speeder you can make out of twigs and alien tech. [u]Here are some newer points of interest:[/u] *Over time the alien sniffing is more annoying than it is scary. *Storage bins are not classical bags/boxes but rather bins used to throw the items in, which end up being the same as throwing them on the ground and more difficult to pick up. *Spawn rate of the monsters has gone way up which is contradictory to what, at least I, wanted. By night 3 you are being completely over run. --Previous Review; All points are valid--13 DEC 15 I fully recommend this game—conditionally for v0.987. My only other survival game experience is ARK and Forsaken Fortress. Thus, my survival game experience is limited to those games, so please keep that in mind. [U]PROS/Subjective (My Opinion)[/U] -Scary as hell--monsters can freak the living crap out of you. I spent one of my nights on top of a rock surrounded by zombies and other aliens. Sniff* Sniff* Shriek*; is all I heard for the entire night…while trying to figure out what I was going to do in the morning. -Great Sound Effects -Good Graphics -Good storyline -Well thought out overall game design/foundation -Structure plotting -Entertaining resource hunting -Fairly easy to get the hang of -Finding Water is not as hard as people think it is, but not being able to drink or even collect beach water and filter it later is wierd to me [U]CON/Objective (Fact)[/U] -Still fairly buggy because it is [B]early access[/B], just something buyers should to consider and be aware of. --I have only experienced three to four blaring bugs that need fixed, sooner rather than later. [U]CON/Subjective (My opinion)[/U] -No player customization -No player skills/talents/progression of any sort -No structure customization, just base design (*all structures are pre-designed and only require X amount of resources to build. Player made structure/plotting designs would be awesome and fix this CON for me) -Very limited weapons choices -Limited resource selection/variety -Only one save file -Currently no multiplayer -Alien spawn rate needs to be adjustable on "new game" or within an options menu. Possibly an ability to disable it completely for those who want to just “build a base” and get to know the game for a few hours.

soooooo, barely played it, but ive played enough to know that it needs alot more work. its not a bad concept. graphics are ok. but its dead DEAD! last update was june 2016. last year. its safe to say that this has been abandoned

When you look at this.. Think The Forest** without crazed, mutant tree jumping cannibals. Think instead.. somewhat crazed, strange aliens, some who live here anyway.. and some sucked here like you and your companions via a vortex. Dont get used to the companions.. they dont hang around long.. as in just long enough to get you started.. then.. well things happen. Unless your playing in Survival Mode, which is you tending to a wounded comrade and trying to survive.. the only difference between the two is that instead of looking out for yourself.. your looking out for him also. I advise you dont start in that mode. I did and it does not include the helpful advice that Story Mode does. Graphics wise.. Not bad at all.. I have seen better.. but I ve seen worse.. and its not system taxing. It is a survival game. You save via your base house ( like a lot of them do these days ) Crafting is easy, minus the part that you have no idea where or how to get a few things you need.. but that makes it better. You are on an alien planet, you have no idea what is what. Of course you can just look it up via the information on forum etc.. But my advice.. Dont. Enjoy the not knowing at first. It is not hard to figure any of it out. Normally in the form of pick something up and then you know. The control setup seemed confusing at first.. as the listed controls are for controler and PC both.. and I could not get them to change. But it didnt really matter because they are all standard setup anyway for KB / M One thing I have not made up my mind about yet.. you cant sleep time. IE.. I built my house. Trust me.. night is scary right now.. like the Forest when your getting started.. but no way to fast time it. So I spent my first two nights hunkering in fear at the sounds around me, hiding behind my fire.. which thankfully seems to scare off a few critters that came running full tilt at me.. keeping my back to my hut wall. Its not a bad play at all so far. I am even scared that my next day will be my last.. again. BTW. Happy Birthday. http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=687727843 http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=687727910 ** I refer to the Forest, which could be considered a competitor to this game, or vice versa simply to get the idea accross. When I say its like the Forest.. I mean it. If you recall the Forest about midway of it's EA life.. This is that, only the things that want to eat you are different. It is also a bit slower paced here, yes.. easy to die early if you have no clue.. but the enemies are not so unforgiving. Consider this a bit more low stress. My daughter is scared to death of the cannibals. Aliens she enjoys.

Dont get me wrong, i'm not usually the grumpy old guy within reviews, but i'm starting to notice alot of Early access games in my library, that i used to praise so highly for their cheap prices and ability to be able to 'be there' when the game first started....This Game seems no different from titles that others moan about becuase they dont feel theyve gotten their moneys worth/ feel lured in and screwed over by the developers. Another survival game with potential, but currently looking like a rip off. Dont be fooled by sales tactics and low prices. currently you're better off throwing the cash out of window as the chances of the money turning into a beanstalk are just as likely as the game being finished or even updated. Massive shame. This game came out March 2016 and since then there has been a few small updates and the last was june 2016. The devs have said there are no plans to update this sloppy attempt at making a game, and havent seemed to explain themselves nor let us know officially, nor written so on store page. Most consider it to be abandoned without notice nor apology as far as i'm aware. The other two games that they have on Steam are negatively rated, it would seem like theres only one Developer or small amount of them, trying to spread their time across 3 games that everyones moaning about. Way to go Stormcube games, you've killed your company before it even had chance to take off. Watch out for this company carefully in the future. I will update/ edit review if anything happens.