Do green herbs work for trench foot?
Take me back to the soft blue light,Conscript.
Its safe there, in the save room.
No body-armoured heavies with trench raiding clubs.
No tunnels choked with sickly, mushy-pea green gas.
No rats feasting on my ankles, occasionally inflicting a disease that halves my health bar.
Christ, theyre sending runners now?
I suppose spending so long in hell means gradual adjustments in temperature dont really register.
I could really use that blue light.
Set in 1916 during the battle of Verdun, comforts are few and far between.
It leaves a few mainstays on the table, sure.
Puzzles run simple, and persistent despair replaces overt scares, but all the better for pacing and atmosphere.
Its Spencer Mansion-esque interlocking environments run denser and larger than most, too.
Again, for the better.
Not quite threadless, granted.
Youll find maps - good ones at that - marking not just locked doors but specifics.
Heres a minor heresy for purists: you cant really avoid the vast majority of combat encounters here.
you’re able to sometimes, slipping into designated spots to wait out a passing patrol.
I fought off said patrols with a controller.
Left trigger to aim, right to fire, with crosshairs that focus the longer you steady your shot.
Melee works similarly to guns, aim and swing, with a few odd quirks.
Also, have fun cracking barrels.
I know, I know.
Theres a war on, etc.
Those stagger inconsistencies were a bit of a sticking point for me, though.
I say treasure - its mostly cigarettes, but occasionally you find a massive ruby or other precious gem.
The description tells me these were probably unearthed by artillery.
Elsewhere, though, Conscript makes this stuff work for it.
Youll be called to the frontline at intervals.
Im not sure Ive ever had a turret section feel less like a power fantasy.
The crosshair shakes and shudders violently.
In much horror, hell is a place we descend to through decreasingly mundane thresholds.
Here, its where we start.
Terse, gallows-humour fortified conversations and opportunities to help your comrades by giving away precious items.
Also included are mainstays like playthrough ranks and unlockable costumes.
- an honest-to-god digital manual, complete with a blank notes page.
Check for rats first though, innit.
This review is based on a review build of the game provided by the developer.
