Decay of Logos

I give up. I don't think I'm going to be able to complete Decay of Logos. I've spent the last two weeks trying my hardest to fight my way to the end in order to give you a review, but there are simply too many technical problems standing in my way. Every time I feel like I've overcome or even squashed one of the numerous bugs, something even more game-breaking gets in the way and stops me dead in my tracks. And that's a shame, because there's a lot to like about this debut release from Amplify Creations. But there's never a moment where you can enjoy the cool and interesting elements the developers bring to the table, because this world is held together by duct tape and will come crashing down if you look at it wrong. Keep all this in mind as I attempt to review the broken mess that is Decay of Logos.

In its most reductive form, Decay of Logos is a cross between Dark Souls and Breath of the Wild. It's a game for people who want to get into the types of products that From Software makes, but don't like the punishing difficulty and dark, dreary world. It's a slightly more linear and straight-forward adventure game that scratches at the intrigue, mystery and challenge of the Dark Souls games without fully committing.

You play a young girl named Ada, who goes on an epic adventure after her village is burned to the ground. She, along with her mystical elk companion, manage to escape the destruction, but what they discover is a dangerous world filled with evil creatures and perilous paths. It's up to Ada to explore this strange world and help the friendly faces she runs into, all in an effort to get revenge on the people that destroyed her village.

Clichés aside, I immediately wanted to explore the world of Decay of Logos. It's bright, colorful and filled with mysteries. One thing I've learned about myself is that I love the sense of discovery that comes with being tossed in a strange world with little to no information. That's what happens here, so your only option is to investigate every path and overlook in an attempt to figure out where to go and what is expected of you. I like the sense of wonder that comes from putting the pieces together and learning the ins and outs of this fantasy world all on your own.

Fans of this type of adventure game won't be all that surprised by Ada's journey. She quickly discovers that the open field hides cave entrances, mountain paths and seemingly abandoned castles, all of which leads to different parts of the kingdom. By unlocking doors and starting up engines, Ada makes the interconnected world a lot more accessible for her and the friendly elk companion. And as she connects these paths and defeats the bosses, she'll uncover even bigger areas with new mysteries and characters to meet.

This is all the stuff I like about Decay of Logos. I'm already a fan of the Dark Souls franchise, so it didn't take much for me to get into what is supposed to be a slightly more accessible version. I like the quick combat, the colorful world and the feeling you get when you remember that you don't have to run back and collect all that loot every time you die. All this should have led to a great alternative to the dark and depressing world we normally get from this type of game.

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But Decay of Logos is not a good alternative, at least not in its present state. I was initially concerned when the developer rushed out an email begging critics not to review their game before the day one patch was released. That's inconvenient, but having seen how broken it was before it launched, I was ready to give them the benefit of the doubt. I shouldn't have, because the updated version feels just as buggy and broken as the previous version.

This is the type of game where you quickly learn not to pause. Why? Because the frame rate chugs to single digits if you wait around too long. There were times when it took close to a minute for the game to slowly get back to the proper frame rate, which is always a little suspect. This is far from the worst problem in Decay of Logos, but it gives you a good idea of just how busted this game actually is.

I ran into problems where I got stuck in the environment, fell through the floors and had the game literally gobble up some of my best weapons. Decay of Logos also crashes all the time, to the point where my television turned off. I didn't even think that could happen. And don't forget that huge parts of the map will forget to load, making it impossible to safely travel through certain areas.

Believe it or not, none of that was a deal-breaker. Even when my TV turned off, I wasn't ready to give up on Ada's journey. But then I hit a point where the already questionable frame rate disintegrated into permanent slow motion. And not just for a minute or two, but until I turned off the PlayStation 4. And even when I logged back in, I still couldn't get through that section without slowing down to 10% of the speed. This is where I gave up for good.

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But even without the technical problems, there were signs that Decay of Logos had cut a lot of corners. The world is gorgeous and filled with mystery, but too often we end up walking through similar looking caves to uncover the exact same boss fight. And it's not just the bosses, but every enemy. It only takes an hour or two before you realize that everything about this game repeats. The setup hints at an epic adventure full of excitement, but what ends up happening is that we just do the same thing over and over and over. There's no variety here.

If I had to choose, I'm probably more frustrated by the squandered potential than the technical problems. Sure, the bugs ultimately kept me from completing the game, but based on the hours I put into Decay of Logos, I'm not sure I'm missing out. And that's a shame, because there's so much about this game I want to like. There's nothing I want more than to enjoy exploring this beautiful yet dangerous world and uncover its mysteries, but what awaits on the other side isn't worth the trouble.