Review: Mists of Noyah on PS5

There’s a frustrating trend in the gaming industry: a game has a great concept, but when it comes to actually playing it, the execution falls short. It’s like a movie trailer that promises everything but delivers none. You’d think by now, developers would have learned to manage expectations better. We’ve all been burned by a studio or two in the past, promising the moon and stars only to deliver a dim flicker. Remember when “No Man’s Sky” launched? Sure, it’s a fantastic game now, but at its release? Not so much. My aim isn’t to criticize Hello Games, because they turned it around spectacularly and deserve their kudos. But let’s talk about those games that don’t redeem themselves, shall we? Diving into “Mists of Noyah” on the PS5 seemed like one of those cautionary tales.

Imagine blending crafting mechanics from games like “Terraria” with a roguelike Metroidvania style that offers something unique with each playthrough. Sounds amazing, right? A world waiting to be explored, where crafting is as integral as the next battle. “Mists of Noyah,” on paper, promises just that. Unfortunately, what we have feels like an unfinished painting — beautiful in concept but lacking in delivery.

Booting up “Mists of Noyah” and selecting my warrior, I was ready for an adventure. A game about defending a village from nighttime monsters, where daylight is your precious time to gather resources and build defenses. A game where stretching your exploration too thin could mean disaster for your villagers. Yet, it quickly became evident that the experience was lacking in detail.

Straight out of the gate, there’s no tutorial. The game throws you into the wilderness, expecting you to fend for yourself. Some might enjoy the trial-by-fire approach, piecing together the story from scattered clues. However, this felt more like oversight than intentional challenge.

I muddled through, mastering the simplest of controls—jumping around, chopping trees, mining rocks, and crafting my armor. It wasn’t straightforward; it was akin to blindly pressing buttons in hope of the right outcome. Before long, I found myself back at the start, battling through nighttime creatures that my gear wasn’t prepared for.

With each restart, I managed to stumble onto the village. Here, it felt even more half-baked. Vendors stood silent with goods I couldn’t decipher, and my hard-earned gold felt unusable. I ventured into a dungeon with zero preparation — a swift demise awaited. Despite this, I tried different biomes, hoping to uncover something more compelling.

The diverse landscapes were merely superficial changes — deserts and tundras with a woodland tint. Navigation felt abrupt and disjointed, and without a clear purpose, I was wandering aimlessly. My drive to continue waned as the cyclical day and night mechanic added stress rather than excitement.

A timer constantly counted down, marking your time till darkness brought danger. In theory, this adds tension, but not when you’re left scrambling through menus trying to piece the game together. Absorbing the story through a scroll, I realized too late that time continued ticking. The lack of auto-pause was a missed opportunity, creating unnecessary frustration.

“Mists of Noyah” appears as an incomplete sketch of what ought to be a captivating adventure. The visuals suggest a world of depth and intrigue, but without the foundation, it’s all surface. It feels rushed into release without the finish it needed. Paying a full price for this rough cut is disheartening.

For a game priced at £8.00 on consoles, nearly double on Steam, it feels like a bait-and-switch. This is compounded by the two-year gap between its PC debut and console port, which sadly didn’t result in any polish. If it were labeled Early Access, this would be a different discussion.

In summary, “Mists of Noyah” is one to skip. It’s a hollow shell of potential, offering an experience that’s more puzzling than entertaining. Your hard-earned cash is better spent elsewhere, on a game that feels complete and rewarding. The rating speaks volumes:

– Look and Feel: 7/10
– Story: 3/10
– UI: 4/10
– Value for Money: 3/10
– Overall: 4.3/10

Unfortunately, the game squanders its potential, leaving players lost in the mists of an adventure that remains unfinished.