Recent reviews by Northern Epsilon

Speaking as someone who isn't super familiar with classic survival horror, I thoroughly enjoyed Conscript.

The artwork is hauntingly beautiful. One of the stated inspirations for the environmental art is paintings about the war made by those who fought in it, and it certainly feels like I'm walking in one of them. It all contributes, with the sound design, to a particularly oppressive atmosphere, especially later in the game. So does the combat in my opinion; though perhaps cumbersome, which might be a turn-off for some, fights get messy and desperate, thematically appropriate for the setting. The game's horror begins to surface once it sinks in that everything you see really happened not too long ago in the grand scheme of things.

I understand backtracking is a common issue people have with the game but I'm a sucker for exploration, taking in the world, and planning out routes, so this wasn't an issue for me. Certainly since the change to the rats, which happened before I played. I've still been meaning to replay, though haven't quite found the time yet.