Developer: Eastasiasoft Limited
Publisher: Eastasiasoft Limited
Platform: PC, PS4, PS5, Switch
Tested on: PC
Overpowered 2 – Crux of Fate – Review
We have reviewed our fair share of Survivors-like titles over the last few years, and it seems that the genre is still as popular as ever. It feels like every week, a few new titles are released, many of them simple cash grabs. It’s a bit of a shame, really, as a lot of these titles can offer a fun and relaxing experience, and there is still a lot to be done with the genre to present gamers with an engaging gameplay loop. Sadly, a lot of developers put in the bare minimum of effort and just stick to the basics, offering a fairly bland experience as a result. This is also the case for Overpowered 2 – Crux of Fate. This newly released title sticks to the foundation of the genre, but offers no original mechanics, hardly has any content, and fails to impress from an audiovisual point of view.
Story
There is absolutely no story present in Overpowered 2 – Crux of Fate, which is a shame, as the cover picture really lured us in. There is hardly any content to be found in Overpowered 2; in fact, as the game only has one stage to play through, with hardly any enemies that spawn. We were disappointed that this game didn’t really have something to make itself stand out from the 100s, if not 1000s, of other Survivors-like games out there.
Graphics
Graphically, the game doesn’t look too bad if you’re into old-school pixel art. The character looks like a demake of ‘DOOM guy’, and the enemies have fairly decent designs as well. Sadly, the presentation falls flat if you only have a handful of enemies that spawn constantly, a few weapon effects, and only one stage you’ll be able to play through. We feel the game could have been made in roughly an evening or two, from a design point of view.
Sound
The sound design is probably as generic as can be. You’ll have one track playing on loop with some basic SFX supporting the onscreen action. That’s pretty much it. No track variety; no voice acting, nothing that truly stands out, which feels like yet another missed opportunity. With already so many other similar titles out there, doing the bare minimum feels like this was just a simple cash grab.
Gameplay
Overpowered 2 – Crux of Fate is a generic Survivors-like experience, where you have to survive 20 waves, kill enemies, gather experience, and level up to become stronger. Each time you level up, you’ll be offered several different buffs or weapons you can choose from. Rinse and repeat. You simply pick a starting weapon, and you’re pretty much good to go. If you have already played similar titles, you’ll get the hang of things in mere seconds, and you’ll also notice how barebones this game is in that same timeframe.
As stated above, if you’re used to these games, you can beat the game in less than half an hour if you are successful after your first attempt. Then you will unlock a few new weapons to try, depending on which ones you used in said run, but there is simply nothing for you to return for. The game will not offer you any new content at that point, and you’ll just play the same run over and over again. If you’re somebody who loves titles like this where it’s easy to unlock everything, you might be able to squeeze out a few more runs out of this one, but that’s already stretching it. There is absolutely no reason this should be a full game, as it should have been a demo for something bigger instead.
Conclusion
Overpowered 2 – Crux of Fate feels like a useless entry for the genre. The game hardly has any content, and the few unlockable weapons are simply not worth it. There is no real goal to work towards, no additional characters to unlock, no story, and nothing of importance. While the core mechanics work, that’s pretty much all there is to say here. Even though the game will set you back only the price of a cheap drink, it’s still not worth picking up with other amazing options out there that cost only a tiny bit more. If you’re looking for a good Survivors-like, stick the titles such as Nordic Ashes or Deep Rock Galactic: Survivor.
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