Sometimes when I buy something, I feel like a prisoner to my own bad decision. I have to get my money’s worth out of something even if it’s a waste of time. “Extinction” is a game that costs $60 and the best thing that can come from playing it is being able to tell people not to buy it.
There’s no point in talking about the story, writing, characters or art style of the game because they don’t matter. They’re not terrible, but they sort of just blend together into a bland mush.
The main attraction that “Extinction” advertises is killing giant, orc-like monsters called ravenii. Whoever designed the combat in this game must have been a big fan of “Attack on Titan.” Not only do the ravenii die from having the back of their necks cut but the player can also swing around just like in the show. Well, not like the show because the show makes it look fun and combat in “Extinction” is sure not fun. Cut a leg, swing up the back, cut the neck. You’re now an expert at “Extinction.” Combat in the game is extremely repetitive and despite the fact that you’re killing giant monsters all the time you never feel powerful in the game. The ravenii constantly swat you away and can kill you in one or two hits.
Aside from slaying ravenii, gameplay also consists of rescuing civilians and protecting buildings from being destroyed. Since the game doesn’t go through the trouble of fleshing out any characters saving a bunch of nameless townspeople and protecting their homes just feels like a chore. There are also smaller enemies to fight, but combat against them boils down to mashing one button over and over until they’re all gone.
That’s all there really is to say about “Extinction.” The weirdest thing about this game is that the developer Iron Galaxy is capable of a lot better than this. Its games were never huge blockbusters but most of them were fun, smaller budget games. This is a game that looks and plays like a budget game but at the full price of a premium product. It’s not terrible, but it is painfully boring and mediocre and it earns two stars.
[Final Score: 2/5]
Ulises Duenas can be reached at [email protected] or @OrionUlisesD on Twitter.
