V Rising Review (e V ɘ)
Speaking from playing both On My Own, and With Friends, here is my review:
I have clocked in roughly 15 hours in PvE solo (I found a server that had rules set up to protect against griefing), and I personally found it enjoyable, even without the presence of others. None of my friends had the game during this time frame.
During this time, I figured out the mechanics of the game alone and found a great deal of pleasure figuring out things on my own and exploring the world. Though the world is not infinite, it is still rather vast compared to you walking, sprinting, or shapeshifting into a wolf and traversing by those means. As I have seen some other reviews say, it is true: the map is littered with many bandit camps and things of the like, so it never feels empty or lifeless while you are traveling. Though I must say, flame archers do hurt. A lot.
I finally settled on a spot to make a castle after a lot of exploring in areas I wasn't meant to as a noob, and finally I was able to get the ball rolling in terms of getting new recipes, crafting new armor, etc, etc. I met a player by chance whose name is Marioul who was about level ~50 when I was around ~20, and he asked if I could help him take on a boss he was having struggles with: Tristan the Vampire Hunter (level 46). Obviously, I died when trying to help him but a friendship was formed and Marioul gave me some unsullied hearts for later on down the road. Our castles were and and still are next to each other, so I like to think of him as my friendly neighbor. I still run into him from time to time, so it's quite nice, especially since I was playing solo at the time. Also, Marioul, if you see this, you're a chad. - Eros
After creating my castle, I started leveling up and got more means of productions and was able to take on bosses by myself, and still have not needed assistance even now. The fighting seemed a tad stale at first with basic slashes and abilities, but the more abilities and perks you obtain via boss fights, the more the fights become enjoyable and more.. fluid. Visually and mechanically, it looks and feels nice fighting as you progress.
After making a decent chunk of progress, I bought the DLC and gifted my boyfriend the game so that we could play together and boy was that a hoot. He joined the PvE server that I had been playing in and I was able to show him some of the ropes I had learned while still also learning beside him. Some of our friends also ended up getting the game, too. We all play in the same server and are part of a clan now, but we still are going our own individual paths. This may be due in part to the fact that we are playing in a PvE server, so there's no need for aggression and valiantly protecting our castle(s), but we occasionally help one another if we are lacking in materials. In short, the server I have been playing in has been a pleasant one.
. . .
I saw someone say that if you are playing solo, to avoid this game, but I firmly disagree.
I believe this is purely up to personal taste, and one can definitely have fun in this game, even solo. I have done so, and I found great amusement in this game during that time. If you have friends to play this with, that's great! But fun can also be had alone with this title.
Tl;dr: An early access game with a lot of promise. If you're playing with friends, you can have fun. If you're playing solo, you can still have fun. If you want to test the waters, try the game; if it doesn't suit your fancy within the 2 hour refund period, refund it. Though keep in mind, things really start picking up and getting exciting after making your castle.