An interesting game let down by questionable design choices, Miasmata's worth a peek but not a complete. The high point would be the amazing weather system which still looks impressive ten years on, the lowest being the Creature's AI which quickly crosses over from fearful to an irritant which eventually killed my interest in the game.

I was excited when I won this on SG, I've been entering giveaways for Miasmata for years. Sadly after the third day in-game when the Creature comes out to play it all started going downhill. I'm not sure what they were going for but being perturbed rather than horrified probably wasn't it. As time goes on the Creature will come near more often, unfortunately this can also mean the silly thing spawns right behind you for a swift death...over and over. Hiding from it's not easy, and bapping it on the nose with a banana amusing only so many times. The story quickly goes by the wayside as you try and avoid stepping on noisy rocks and other detritus rather than actively search for journal entries and other paper evidence of those who came before you. Finding a new plant is great fun...until "It" attacks you halfway back to the nearest save point. I forgot to mention how sporadic those save points become after the tutorial area's over, didn't I? Yes, this type of "difficulty" irritates me.

But there are some good things, not just the weather system. Miasmata has easily the best "find where you are" mapping system of any game. You never forget your character starts and stays weak, a series of slight slopes can kill you if approached wrong - having to watch where you walk really adds a sense of possible doom to a simple stroll. Swimming an average distance can and probably will kill you. Identifying samples and turning them into assorted medicines is pretty neat. The music is amazing and cuts out at the spookiest of times.

Completionists, note some achievements in Miasmata are still bugged. Upon consuming my first created medicine I unlocked the achievement for it as well as the one for unlocking all of the medicines.

I'd suggest trying this for something a little different if you acquire it via a bundle, but I wouldn't suggest buying it otherwise. There was a lot of potential here but something went wrong.