Gameplay: 5/10
Story: 3/10
Graphics: 7/10
Performance: 6/10

Overall: 5/10

It’s a real bummer that I can’t recommend Precursors, since the idea is something that could seemingly appeal to everyone. An FPS/RPG/Space Sim. It’s basically Star Citizen before Star Citizen was even a thing. So, what’s not to love? It’s a clunky mess. Plain and simple, and before anyone even tries to state it. Yes, I played with the mandatory unofficial fan-made patch. If you do decide to take the plunge and play the game despite this review, you can find the unofficial patch here:
https://www.moddb.com/mods/the-precursors-unofficial-patch/downloads/the-precursors-unofficial-patch-20

Even with the unofficial patch, the game still feels clunky. Best way I can describe the movement is “floaty”. Turning the camera on foot feels unnatural as the slightest movement can have your character thrown into a 90-degree angle upward or downward. I cannot say anything about the driving or space flight because I never made it to that point. In addition to these issues, there are numerous spelling errors and oddities that not even the unofficial patch could address. Now granted, the game is Russian developed, and I may have been able to enjoy the game more in its natural language, but I cannot omit the sloppy English translation. In addition, there are several other Russian games that I have played that are also clunky but still very much playable and without as bad of an English translation (Parkan 2 comes to mind). So, I do not think it is fair to not mention the bad English translation when similar titles have been able to be translated without issue.

This leads me to the next point. Because of the poor English translation, the storyline is incomprehensible. I am sitting here writing this review and trying to recall what happened in the first hour of playing, and I am finding it difficult because of how seemingly nonsensical it is. Let me think. So you’re character crash lands on an alien planet that looks like Felucia out of Star Wars. You have some soldiers with you, but it is difficult to determine if they are on your side or if you are a prisoner. You are given a gun and told to follow them, but also are being ordered around at the same time. The soldiers quickly die to killer plants, and you are left to fend for yourself with only the “ship commander” telling you what to do. Who is the “ship commander”? I have no idea. That is literally who the person is referred to as. Eventually you reach another crashed starship and right before that you end up fighting “Empire soldiers”. Who is the Empire? Again, I have no idea. After you defeat them and a giant robot mech (I must admit, that was pretty cool), you enter a cave and are “stunned” by some weird aliens. As if that should be surprising on a planet teaming with alien life… then you are greeted with a cutscene that even with the English translation through the unofficial patch, makes zero sense. After the cutscene, the real game seems to begin where you are thrown on a totally not Tatooine looking planet in a totally not Mos Eisley looking city and you are basically just told to do whatever. There is a main plot line where you must meet with a “commander” (is that the ship commander?) who also tells you that your father was killed when he walked under a frozen mammoth…I am not actually joking. That is literally the dialogue. I am not sure if the guy was joking or not. But again, because of the lack of English translation, sarcastic humor is a lot more difficult to detect. I am not sure if the guy is being literal or not.

Like I said, it is a shame that I cannot recommend Precursors, because I think the idea is perfect, but the execution is not. I was starting to get into the game after the horrible introduction, but because of the clunky UI and poor English translation, it is just unplayable for me. If you are willing to bear through these issues, then the game looks solid. Graphics are not that bad for an Indie title. Sound design is “meh”. Not the worst I have heard. There are a lot of neat ideas in this game! Crafting, faction relationships, space-sim flight, trading, side-quests, 6 different huge planets to explore apparently, ground vehicles, a few survival aspects like wounds and medicine addiction. If this game received a lot more polish and some tweaks to the storyline to make it more understandable, then it would be a solid game. Unfortunately, I cannot recommend it within its current state.

Gameplay: 5/10 Story: 3/10 Graphics: 7/10 Performance: 6/10 Overall: 5/10 It’s a real bummer that I can’t recommend Precursors, since the idea is something that could seemingly appeal to everyone. An FPS/RPG/Space Sim. It’s basically Star Citizen before Star Citizen was even a thing. So, what’s not to love? It’s a clunky mess. Plain and simple, and before anyone even tries to state it. Yes, I played with the mandatory unofficial fan-made patch. If you do decide to take the plunge and play the game despite this review, you can find the unofficial patch here: https://www.moddb.com/mods/the-precursors-unofficial-patch/downloads/the-precursors-unofficial-patch-20 Even with the unofficial patch, the game still feels clunky. Best way I can describe the movement is “floaty”. Turning the camera on foot feels unnatural as the slightest movement can have your character thrown into a 90-degree angle upward or downward. I cannot say anything about the driving or space flight because I never made it to that point. In addition to these issues, there are numerous spelling errors and oddities that not even the unofficial patch could address. Now granted, the game is Russian developed, and I may have been able to enjoy the game more in its natural language, but I cannot omit the sloppy English translation. In addition, there are several other Russian games that I have played that are also clunky but still very much playable and without as bad of an English translation (Parkan 2 comes to mind). So, I do not think it is fair to not mention the bad English translation when similar titles have been able to be translated without issue. This leads me to the next point. Because of the poor English translation, the storyline is incomprehensible. I am sitting here writing this review and trying to recall what happened in the first hour of playing, and I am finding it difficult because of how seemingly nonsensical it is. Let me think. So you’re character crash lands on an alien planet that looks like Felucia out of Star Wars. You have some soldiers with you, but it is difficult to determine if they are on your side or if you are a prisoner. You are given a gun and told to follow them, but also are being ordered around at the same time. The soldiers quickly die to killer plants, and you are left to fend for yourself with only the “ship commander” telling you what to do. Who is the “ship commander”? I have no idea. That is literally who the person is referred to as. Eventually you reach another crashed starship and right before that you end up fighting “Empire soldiers”. Who is the Empire? Again, I have no idea. After you defeat them and a giant robot mech (I must admit, that was pretty cool), you enter a cave and are “stunned” by some weird aliens. As if that should be surprising on a planet teaming with alien life… then you are greeted with a cutscene that even with the English translation through the unofficial patch, makes zero sense. After the cutscene, the real game seems to begin where you are thrown on a totally not Tatooine looking planet in a totally not Mos Eisley looking city and you are basically just told to do whatever. There is a main plot line where you must meet with a “commander” (is that the ship commander?) who also tells you that your father was killed when he walked under a frozen mammoth…I am not actually joking. That is literally the dialogue. I am not sure if the guy was joking or not. But again, because of the lack of English translation, sarcastic humor is a lot more difficult to detect. I am not sure if the guy is being literal or not. Like I said, it is a shame that I cannot recommend Precursors, because I think the idea is perfect, but the execution is not. I was starting to get into the game after the horrible introduction, but because of the clunky UI and poor English translation, it is just unplayable for me. If you are willing to bear through these issues, then the game looks solid. Graphics are not that bad for an Indie title. Sound design is “meh”. Not the worst I have heard. There are a lot of neat ideas in this game! Crafting, faction relationships, space-sim flight, trading, side-quests, 6 different huge planets to explore apparently, ground vehicles, a few survival aspects like wounds and medicine addiction. If this game received a lot more polish and some tweaks to the storyline to make it more understandable, then it would be a solid game. Unfortunately, I cannot recommend it within its current state.