Even in the slow-paced flights, the high frame rate animations of the falcon and the waves below are captivating in their graceful smoothness. Letting the player choose between either a 60fps or 120fps mode, combat can be fast yet clear, so you can maintain a line of sight on enemy combatants no matter how many barrel rolls, hairpin turns, and dive bombs are required. Sure, the simplistic visuals don't do much to stress the components of the next-gen hardware of Xbox Series S & X, but that leads to a crisp experience that lends well to the genre. Performance-wise, The Falconeer runs beautifully. Long-distance skill shots are simply nonviable. Once you unlock the various upgrades, you can take down enemies more quickly, but you'll never escape the reliance upon the auto-aim. It's up to you to figure out how and where to go for falcon upgrades. As with many other aspects of the game, this also isn't explained clearly to the player. As you dive deeper into The Falconeer, you'll unlock new weapons and ammo types for your falcon. Some of these combat pain points get resolved in the later hours of the game. That seems to be the only "strategy" that works. Unaware as to why my shots weren't landing, I was ready to give up on the combat until I realized that utilizing the auto-aim system when you're inches away from a nearby enemy was the only way to excel in battles. The combat system desperately craves additional depth, but I didn't experience moments of exhilaration where a distant shot demanded skill or dexterity. You can lock on to your target from a distance, and there's a reticle on enemies to lead your shots, but none of these mechanics amount to anything. It took a long time for me to figure out the range at which my weapons were effective. You'll learn how to fire weapons, lock on to enemies, target sections of larger enemy airships, and drop bombs on fortifications, but it takes a while for any of it to click. The Falconeer offers a prologue chapter that serves as a tutorial, but it doesn't do enough to familiarize the player with the combat mechanics. While these can all be overcome by leveling up your falcons or unlocking new falcons by racing, it takes some time before you unlock a falcon that's capable of those exhilarating flights. Your starting falcon has little to no energy, slow speeds, and hardly any health or regenerative capabilities. There is some monotony to those moments, though - particularly in the early hours of the game, when the progression is slow. In those moments, it's easy to get lost in the soothing, almost melancholy atmosphere. Your falcon's wings flap gracefully, and its feathers flutter from the wind in a syncopated fashion all while the rolling waves below crash against nearby rocks. With smooth controls and gorgeous animations, flying through the world was by far my favorite part of the game. At any point, you can take on a side-quest or fly over the ocean for as long as you'd like. Other islands will be discovered through side-quests or free roaming. Some of the lore won't be discoverable via the mainline quests. All of it makes for a disorganized narrative that doesn't hit as well as if it had been more streamlined.Įxploration is perhaps the most distinctive element of The Falconeer, as the Ursee is yours to explore as you see fit. Some of it may be divulged while you hover over a location in the overworld map, other pieces may be a dialogue cue that triggers when you land the falcon. You can piece together bits of world lore from different areas of the game. ![]() I want to know more about the Maw - a vast sinkhole that stretches the length of the Ursee ocean - but the delivery of the narrative doesn't do the job. I want to know about the Ursee, its vast ocean, and the warring factions. ![]() Sala has clearly done his best to craft an interesting world with tons of lore. The voice acting is cartoonish yet serviceable, but it wasn't engaging enough for a game that so desperately deserves it.
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