I'm not sure if anyone's heard of this. Might be something of a hidden gem.

Bullshit aside, just beat it, and I really liked it, more than I was expecting. I just ranked it as my 51st favorite game and I wouldn't be shocked to see it go higher after a replay that'll go smoother since I won't do so much wandering around to figure out how to proceed.

Although there's cover shooting and stealth, it feels like a survival horror game at heart, more than Resident Evil 4 or some of the later Silent Hills. It's not just constant action, there's actually a lot of down time, which is refreshing, even if they go a touch overboard with long stretches of walking around. There's a nice variety of ways to take out or get past the enemies, and which types you're facing can change your strategy. I spent too much of the game looking around for my next objective, but the game nicely informs where to go next after a while, eliminating the need for walkthroughs. Even with that though, I was impressed with the amount of content. One doesn't expect a linear shooter which looks this good to take sixteen hours, which is how long it was for me, though I might not have minded if they'd shaved off a couple hours, it's a bit slow. And there are lots of hidden items rewarding exploration, some of which are helpful for improving yourself and your arsenal, which makes just looking around feel like progression. The game felt kind of easy on Normal mode, because though I died 60 times, checkpoints are very generous. I'm looking forward to playing on the higher difficulties.

The graphics are impressively realistic and full of detail. I have to stop and admire the work put in. Some areas are very large even if they don't have much in the way of items, just so that people wandering around won't find themselves unimpressed. I tend to prefer games that have their own art style and don't try to look like real life, but this one does it well.

The story isn't my style. Post apocalyptic, zombie-ish infection type stories are overpopulated right now. It works though because of the creative and twisted ending, the light banter throughout (it's surprising how toned down and humble this game can feel), and Ellie's swearing (kids in games don't swear much, do they?).