In the gaming industry, we often come across titles that promise a groundbreaking experience but fall short of delivering on that potential. It’s a tough pill to swallow when a game fails to live up to its initial hype. No Man’s Sky is a classic example of this. While today it’s a fantastic game, my feelings were quite different on its release day. I joined the early hype train and faced quite a letdown. To Hello Games’ credit, they turned things around impressively. Their work deserves all the recognition it gets. But that’s a rare success story, and it makes me wary of other developers that have yet to live up to their promises. This leads me to Mists of Noyah, a title I recently tried out on the PlayStation 5. On paper, it seemed like it could redefine the genre but unfortunately, it doesn’t quite meet those lofty expectations.
Imagine a game combining crafting elements reminiscent of Terraria with the roguelike and exploration features of a Metroidvania. It’s what Mists of Noyah sets out to be. Sounds too good to pass up, right? Yet, even with such an enticing concept, the game feels somewhat neglected. A few minutes into character selection, my initial excitement started to wane. You embark on a quest to save your village from nightly terrors while building defenses during daylight. But, instead of diving into the strategic dilemmas of balancing time, I found myself unceremoniously dropped into a forest.
Remarkably, Mists of Noyah skips any semblance of a tutorial. Games sometimes benefit from a sink-or-swim approach, letting you learn by doing. A simple guide to the controls and goals would have been enough. However, here, it felt more like an oversight than a deliberate design choice. The absence of guidance left me rummaging through menus, clumsily trying to decipher the game mechanics. Despite the frustration, I eventually figured out how to gather resources and even crafted a set of wooden armor—proud achievements after lots of trial and error. Alas, when I met my fate, I found myself right back at the start, none the wiser.
At night, the game ramps up the difficulty, with formidable foes that outmatched my meager equipment. Instead of exploring, I found myself just dodging threats, desperately searching for the village beginning. After several attempts, I stumbled onto what should be the hub of gameplay—the village. But the welcome was anything but inviting. Vendors offered no dialogue, leaving me guessing at their wares. This made it nearly impossible to spend my gold wisely, further muddling my already confusing journey. Feeling adventurous, I tried a dungeon run, only to be devoured in one swift strike by the first enemy.
Exploring the game’s various biomes felt more like a superficial skin swap than a change in setting. Whether in the woods, tundra, or desert, the environments lacked a distinct identity. This randomness diminished the immersive experience they attempted to create. Even the day-night cycle, while conceptually intriguing, became an obstacle. The relentless timer mocked my inability to understand my objectives and manage my in-game tasks.
A clock in the corner, counting down to your village’s impending doom, maintains constant pressure. Yet, its unyielding presence is an oversight, especially in a game that requires thoughtful menu navigation and decision-making. The need to find and decipher elements of the storyline should create intrigue, but with the clock ticking, my patience wore thin. It seemed less like a conscious design choice and more like an unfinished thought that begged for an auto-pause feature.
Mists of Noyah feels unfinished. It’s as if the developers abandoned it mid-development. The world is a vague entity, lacking the depth or clarity needed to draw players in. It leaves me questioning whether the developers rushed its release to focus on new projects. The lack of polish begs the question: if they can’t put in the effort to finish the game, why should we invest time and money into playing it? Visually, there’s potential. Unfortunately, it’s skin deep—what we have is a polished veneer over an unrefined core. With proper development and depth, this review might’ve sung a different tune.
If Mists of Noyah had released in Early Access, it would have been a different story. Unfortunately, asking players to part with £8.00 (and more on Steam) for a seemingly in-progress game feels inappropriate. The apparent cash grab is disheartening. There’s a considerable gap between the Steam release and current console ports without much improvement.
In summary, Mists of Noyah isn’t worth your time or money. This game had the potential to be great, but hopes fail to connect with reality. Until it receives the attention it needs, it remains a confusing heap of ideas, lacking a coherent direction. That £8 would be much better spent elsewhere.
