Vulgamification [Krater Shadows Over Solside]: A rant, short review, and a labor of love

Diablo-style action RPGs are more common than one might think! It’s silly that I classify them that way, but Diablo was one of the games that actually defined the genre for me personally (read: I know it wasn’t the first). There are a lot of classic games out there too with the same style. Some of my favorites include Titan Quest, Sacred, Torchlight II, and Dungeon Siege II.

One of the main staples of the genre is that the player is essentially drowned in loot. It gets so excessive that a lot of the gameplay is defined by inventory management, and that includes buying, selling and swapping out items or equipment. Sometimes you even have to repair items depending on the game. Some people love the mechanic, while others hate it. Personally, I love it.

One of my biggest arguments for game reviews is that you shouldn’t bash a game if you don’t enjoy the particular genre it fits into. Dead Island was a great example of this. After release, it got terrible reviews and one of the arguing points was that there’s so much loot it ruins the pacing of the game. I have two words for those reviews: EPIC FUCKING FAIL (okay that was three words, get over it).

Dead Island had some other flaws too, but the loot system was NOT one of them. It was designed specifically for gamers of my caliber, gamers that enjoy that style of gameplay. Someone like me should have been tasked with reviewing the game, someone that can appreciate the style and mechanics offered.

That’s one reason you’ll never see me review a sports game, I don’t particularly like them.

I digress… it’s Krater time bitches!

Krater is a game with the same type of action RPG elements, and excessive loot system as the Diablo or Torchlight series. Although, it does play a bit differently than the aforementioned titles.

At the rim of an impact site known as the Krater, three factions vie for control over the wound opening up into the world below. Consisting of an endless series of caves and tunnels filled with old world treasures and perils, the Underside stretches into the depths of the fallen Swedish civilization. You arrive at the Krater with your team of freelancers to take part in the gold rush where people come back rich or don’t come back at all.

The environments are beautiful, the ambient sound effects are silly (although sometimes repetitive), and the gameplay is spot on. You lead squads of up to three characters as they explore the countryside surrounding the infamous crater.

One mechanic that I find interesting, is that you can equip characters with boosters and implants which augment their skills. Through the implants, there’s a seemingly endless supply of build possibilites. For example, my Regulator (class) has an AoE skill that slows all enemies down inside the effect field. If I add healing boosters to that skill, then it will also heal any allies within the affected area, but if I add damage boosters it will slowly drain enemy health.

Krater features online co-operative play, in addition to the massive single player campaign. Unlike Diablo III, you’re not required to be connected to the internet while playing, so there are no DRM restrictions (unless you count Steam).

For Diablo or action RPG fans, I certainly recommend giving this one a try. I enjoy it immensely, and every time I say I’m going to play for a short period of time I end up investing hours into the game. It’s reasons like this that I have such a hard time posting on a consistent basis here at Vulgamer.

What can I say, I fucking love video games?