Project Silverfish

Project Silverfish is an ambitious indie survival FPS that vividly captures the essence of the STALKER series while introducing unique elements and a distinctive lizard-folk aesthetic. The game offers a vast, immersive world filled with dynamic faction warfare, supernatural anomalies, and atmospheric exploration. Combat is challenging yet balanced, with a generous time-to-kill that keeps tension high without excessive frustration. Players appreciate the detailed looting system, engaging AI, and the freedom to approach situations tactically or stealthily. The game features a modular character creation system, various difficulty modes including permadeath, and a rich lore that unfolds through exploration and note-taking.

Despite its Early Access state, Project Silverfish impresses with polished mechanics, solid gunplay, and a living, breathing world that reacts to player actions. While some technical and design issues persist, such as RNG-based lockpicking, inventory management quirks, and occasional performance dips, the overall experience is rewarding and promising. Fans of open-world survival shooters and STALKER-style games find it a compelling and fresh take worth investing time in.

Highlights

Players praise the game's engaging and balanced combat mechanics that maintain tension without being overly punishing. The dynamic faction interactions and AI behavior create unpredictable and thrilling encounters. The atmospheric world design, including large maps, dungeons, and environmental storytelling, adds depth and immersion. The varied and satisfying gunplay alongside a wide arsenal of weapons and equipment is highly appreciated. Additionally, the game's unique lizard-folk aesthetic and rich lore offer a fresh perspective within the genre, while the modular character customization and multiple difficulty options cater to diverse playstyles.

Criticisms

Common criticisms include the mechanics and the desire for a skill-based system instead. Inventory management lacks quality-of-life features such as categorized tabs, making organization cumbersome. Some players note the imbalance in economy and loot distribution, leading to excessive early-game wealth or sparse rewards in exploration. The absence of quick save and the harshness of permadeath modes can be punishing and tedious. Performance issues, especially FPS drops in certain areas, and occasional AI quirks like walking into anomalies, are also mentioned. Lastly, the game could benefit from improved tutorialization and polishing of difficulty scaling.