I’m going to start this preview off with a spoiler warning: I love this game. After being given a review copy and jumping into Superfuse, I quickly realized that I had found a new favorite. Between the art, the score, the interesting game mechanics and the story, Superfuse is an all-around heavy-hitter that I could see being a lot of player’s game of the year.
This take actually might seem controversial to some. If you view the Steam Store, the reviews are pretty mixed, and I’m not going to say the game is without flaws. However, all of these flaws, in my opinion, can be fixed with nothing more than a few number adjustments to drop rates and damage, and for a game in early access I’m not super pressed about the current state of balance in the game.
The rest of this preview is going to be me gushing about this game, so I recommend you save yourself some time and just go pick up Superfuse on the Steam store. It’s modestly priced at $24.99, and though the game is still in early access I think it has a ton to offer already.
To start off the actual preview of the game, let’s discuss the story. Superfuse takes place in the far future, where humanity has left the Earth inhospitable and barren. The so-called Super-Rich (who are to blame for the destruction of the Earth in the first place,) “graciously” helped humanity get off the planet and colonize the stars, only to turn around and establish a stranglehold on all of society. Who could have guessed?
The Super-Rich then, with the help of advanced technology, achieved immortality and became known as the Gods. Just as humanity began to protest their place in the Corporatocracy, an army of shambling monsters known as “The Corrupted” began to plague the galaxy.
The Gods once again “saved” humanity with the creation of the Enforcers, once human people granted superpowers to serve the will of the gods. In predictable fashion, these so-called saviors were immediately turned into weapons of the Corporatocracy, basically serving as super-powered, well.. enforcers.
The story of Superfuse is simple, sweet, and eerily realistic. I especially liked the way the game made a point of emphasizing that every time these so-called saviors helped humanity, it was only to achieve more power in the aftermath.
In Superfuse, you play as one of the aforementioned Enforcers, sent to the asteroid Eros to fight off a recent surge of Corruption. Along the way you discover more about the state of society on Eros and the Gods who created you, through environmental storytelling and talking with the diverse cast of characters
The gameplay in Superfuse is simple and addicting. It is a so-called ARPG akin to Diablo and Path of Exile. You level up by completing quests and fighting the corruption and get most (if not all) of your gear from a random drop system in the world itself.
Where Superfuse really sets itself apart from other ARPGs is with the Fuse system. Like any other rpg, your character’s class has a number of skills available through progression. However, as you complete quests and defeat enemies, you will discover Fuses — special modifications that can be added to your abilities to mutate how they function.
This feature creates a bit of a Rogue-Like feeling in the game, allowing you to customize your build in fun ways. The only complaint I have about this feature is that you are limited, by level, in the number of fuses you can have on your abilities. I think this handicap should be removed entirely, but seeing as your abilities level up and grow stronger when you equip more Fuses to them I can see why this might be a bit game-breaking.
The game also features a miss percentage on basic attacks, and it seems to trigger more on enemy attacks than the player’s own. I would also prefer if this feature wasn’t in the game, but I didn’t mind it.
Another way Superfuse sets itself apart from your typical ARPG is with the setting, art and music design. Likely due to the success of the Diablo series, many ARPG games take place in a dark fantasy setting. Superfuse’s sci-fi setting and comic-book art style is super unique, and the closest thing I can compare it to is Borderlands. I’ve always been a huge Borderlands fan, so finding a game with a similar yet unique style was a big plus for me.
The soundtrack in Superfuse is, without a doubt, a huge strongpoint too. I love the music and sound design in this game — From droning, eerie sci-fi sounds to hype techno beats, Superfuse’s OST is not only super complimenting of the game’s setting but something I legitimately found myself jamming to while playing.
My biggest complaint about the game is the lack of direction it gives you. Quests don’t really have a waypoint, and you have to sort of wander your way around each zone’s map to get your objectives complete. The only indicator that I even had most quests was a little objective popping up on the right side of the screen when I entered a location.
Your quests are given by npcs around Ero’s hub town, and most of the details of the quest are shared through talking to them. The big problem with this is that their text boxes are small and you can walk away from them as they are talking, meaning you can completely miss that you picked up a quest and if you weren’t paying attention.
Quest and objective visibility is something that I really hope gets expanded on before the game’s launch. For now, you just have to pay a little extra attention while playing.
All in all, Superfuse is a great game that could use a little TLC, which I fully expect it to get before the game’s full launch. Many problems that existed before I wrote this preview were patched out of the game yesterday, which really shows the love and attention the Dev team are giving this title.
Pick up Superfuse on the Steam Store, and I promise that you’ll be in for a fun, unique ARPG with a bright and exciting future ahead of it.
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