Shardpunk: Verminfall Review (Steam)

by Jim Smale · May 3, 2023

For this Shardpunk: Verminfall Review, Where The war is lost, the Capital lies in ruins, and you’re on the run! Shardpunk: Verminfall mixes turn-based tactical strategy with RPG, survival, and resource management as you gather your team, scavenge for resources, fight enemy hordes, and seek shelter to live another day.

Shardpunk: Verminfall Review Pros:

Pixel art graphics.
2.17GB Download size.
Steam achievements.
Steam Deck compatible.
Own in game achievements.
Controller support.
Display settings – resolution, fullscreen and lock mouse to screen.
Controller settings – set icons to PlayStation 4 or Xbox buttons.
Can rebind controls for mouse and keyboard.
Ten characters with four available initially.
Every run you create a party of 3 characters and an automatons.
Three difficulties – Easy, normal and hard.
Tutorial levels – enabled/disabled.
Cool pixel art cutscenes.
Decent soundtrack.
Codex fills in as you play.
A tile-based game world where every tile is a move or location.
Green and blue tiles are Interactive points for loot.
The inventory shows at the top of the screen.
Hi tech weapons overheat so venting allows them to cool down, when hot the chance of a misfire is higher.
Turn-based combat and movement.
The cover is a big deal with partial, full, low, and high cover variants.
Shot/damage/crit percentage chances show before you perform the action.
If the percentage chance shows in yellow then you are flanking and get a slight advantage.
Influenced and borrows from the X Com Series of games.
Enemy fast movement button.
AP (action points) determine what you can and cannot do in a turn.
The codex has all the info on enemies, locations, mechanics, and more. Presented with cool video pop-ups.
Stress is a huge deal and you accrue it as you play, when maxed you start having it affect your stats and traits. Stress is in need of constant management.
The game can be played a lot with just the mouse but the keyboard houses shortcuts.
Swap items/weapons with other characters by standing by them.
Character turn order is always up to you.
Play how you want.
The goal of the game is to survive and escape, not kill everyone.
Can see how far a character can move and how far they can run (go further).
Earn medals from feats and achievements to buy new characters, skills, and upgrades permanently.
Combat tactics are earned after you discovered them, you get the name but no description on how to unlock it.
Supply crates have upgrade parts you use out of the mission to upgrade weapons. Only Automatons can open them.
Upgrade stations are for your Automaton.
Speech bubbles serve as dialogue and instructions in the game.
Fusion cores are powerful and deal massive damage, revive characters, and speed up bunker openings.
If your Automaton dies then it’s game over.
The exit requires X amount of party members, a fusion core opens the door quickly or you do it manually which takes longer but you get to keep the fusion core.
Every surviving character gets exp and levels up after a mission.
Team skill point rewards unlock team-wide upgrades.
The shelter is where you go in between missions, you have an overall amount of AP and use it to craft, rest, eat, and deal with inventory management.
Save and exit options to go back to the menu or shut the game down.
Survival aspects as you need to have enough supplies for everyone.
World map level select.
The goal is to get to the end of the chapter.
Distribute any grenades and stimpaks you have before setting out on a new mission.

Shardpunk: Verminfall Review Cons:

Had the tutorial big out a few times and not show the next objective or let me move but a full reboot fixed it most of the time.
Slow starter.
Can be hard to see cover and enemies.
Controls get very clunky and are not as straightforward.
The overwatch feels weird for some reason.
A lot of the time the interactive points are empty.

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