izigame.me

Truly the only big issue I have with this game is that it's not longer!
I struggle to keep it brief but to make it simple, the vibes are INSANELY GOOD. The writing for each urban legend/conspiracy you use to spread fear across the masses and bend them to your will... they all fall into one of two extremes: incredibly campy and fun or legitimacy a bit spooky. Once you gain some experience you are able to twist social achievements into incredibly potent nightmares and it's truly EVERYTHING. The presentation is also FANTASTIC. The vintage comic book style adds levity and charm to horrific tales while also somehow elevating some of the simpler scares? 10/10! Even the cutscenes, though sometimes predictable (you get pannels of a comic that progresses the story as you complete objectives) is just good. Everything works together to pack in an intense charm and a shockingly suspenseful atmosphere that make this game so incredibly unique. I don't necessarily love comparing media, but to oversimplify it - if you love the Addams Family, you will find this game endlessly endearing and you really should try this game.
I also love how not-so-subtly political it is. You play as people who are willing to use any system or method they can get their hands on to succeed... no matter the casualties. You use religion as a tool. You use fear to push conservative/fascist policies that only benefit you. You cause true planet destroying disasters to profit. These terrible things wouldn't happen (or wouldn't be even a fraction as bad) if humans were not programmed to respond so strongly to fear, and the powerful weren't so willing to use it to elevate themselves. It's just refreshing especially in a time where... that's just what's happening.
My biggest issue is seriously that the game is just.. shorter than I expected. Still at least 10 hours just going through the story on the standard mode and easily double on the harder difficulty (highly recommend btw) so it's still worth the price but the way the story was structured it felt like there easily could have been two very obvious characters with their own campaigns The Conservative President that you bring help bring to power in Camp. 2 that is "a freind of the Machine" (a pawn or an implied user... with timeline and magic shenanigans (I don't belive two people can control the machine at once and it may need to be operated physically... but maybe not) it might not work but it feels like a good continuation from Camp. 3 to go from dominating a county election to sweeping the country.) and the leader of the mysterious organisation that is trying to destroy The Machine... the only one who was able to escape it- which I NEED to see if there's a sequel. and/or campaigns for each of your mysterious little helpers who are all prior users of The Machine. Going into the past and exploring more ancient/historical legends (some of which would prob. be simpler versions of the modern ones that spun out of control) . While I'm still satisfied and the mechanics and stories we got were still excellent, if just really wanted more especially when Camp. 2 was almost half the length of the others . This is one of the few games I'd argue would only benefit from DLC- I just want more!
Overall, the vibes are immaculate and the gameplay is fun yet challenging (just don't try to exploit grinding and be prepared for it to ramp up deliciously in hard mode). The experience is worth the price and desperately left me wanting more. I highly recommend this to basically anyone who likes some lightly dark, campy humor or is simply looking more a strategy game that is easy to pick up but isn't afraid to challenge you! Try it!