Encased: a sci-fi post-apocalyptic RPG

If you like early Fallouts and other traditional 2D RPGs, if you think X-COM games from the 90s were awesome, if you enjoy reading sci-fi classics – this game was made for you. The story set in the alternative 1970s is not perfect and it’s obvious that the developers had to work with a tight budget, but Encased makes up for it with sheer fun. Actually, I think I haven’t enjoyed a game so much since Wasteland 3 was released. [11/2021, p.48]

A quality cRPG in the footsteps of classic Fallout that will satisfy fans of the genre. Some flaws do not allow it to reach the top scoring levels but in any case it is clearly a worthwhile purchase.

A rich, original-Fallout-inspired RPG with a brilliant story. You can play it in any way you want and it’s the good kind of gaming freedom. But the sound design could have been so much better.

Dark Crystal Games’ passion for this type of game shines through in every facet. They have made every attempt to make the game as accessible to a wide range of players as possible. The game feels tight in terms of performance and I encountered no bugs. How much one will enjoy the game really depends on how much one will put into it.

Encased: A Sci-Fi Post-Apocalyptic RPG is finally emerging from its nearly two year Early Access period and is all the better for its time spent in player-engaged development. Fans of Fallout 1 and 2 and Shadowrun are going to immediately fall in love with what Encased: A Sci-Fi Post-Apocalyptic RPG has to offer them, from its impressive character creation to vast world-building, from its ambient aesthetics to its divergent storytelling, and every nook and cranny worth exploring in between. You may be stuck underneath this Dome for the rest of your life, but rest assured you’ll be far too busy living your best post-apocalyptic life to care about anything outside of it anyway.

Encased: A Sci-Fi Post-Apocalyptic RPG is a worthy purchase for all fans of classic Fallout games, thanks to a well-crafted post-apocalyptic setting, great worldbuilding, reactive world, and solid overall gameplay. The clunky interface, basic combat, verbose writing, and overwhelming amount of status conditions to keep track of damage the experience a bit, however, making Encased a game that only the most die-hard RPG fans will enjoy right from the start.

It doesn't quite manage to reach Fallout's brilliance and quality, but Encased is still a fun experience, capable of providing lots of meaningful possibilities and an interesting new post-apocalyptic world to explore.

Multi-layered role-playing game for exploration and stealth enthusiasts and also everyone who doesn't care about exciting combat.

Encased is a decent RPG with extraordinary worldbuilding. It might not reinvent the wheel, but it certainly brings a worthwhile adventure that deserves to be experienced.

Encased is an old school RPG with lots of content and an exciting story. However, it is perhaps a little bit too faithful to the classics.

Encased is a very classic isometric RPG that harks back to early Fallout. There is great care taken in the game world and fans of the genre will get lost in it. It's a shame that the combat system isn't particularly layered.

Very responsive, fairly faithful to its inspirations, Encased knows how to offer a complete RPG, which intelligently responds to the decisions you make. Unfortunately, the title stumbles on its combat portion, rather failed and too anchored in the past, and is sometimes confused in the follow-up of the objectives to be accomplished. A pleasant experience, but not unforgettable, therefore, reserved for fans of old-school C-RPG.

I will say the amount of art, voice overs, and unique environments is really impressive. You’ll still have to do plenty of reading but they do a good job of making the world look, feel, and sound unique. Everything feels handmade and it almost makes me think if this developer team remade Fallout I just might make time for that trip back to the wasteland.

Encased can suck you into it for dozens of hours for exploration and complex, difficult battles with various tactics but also leave you frustrated with the way it approaches the story and characters.

If hard sci-fi sends you to sleep, you might want to give this a miss, because every now and then, the story be can a little dry. But for everyone else, if you’re prepared to give Encased your time and attention, and overlook what are mostly fixable flaws, you’ll discover an engaging, compelling and pleasingly deep RPG.

Encased is an interesting CRPG set in a dystopian alternative past that pays tribute to the original Fallout 1 & 2 for gameplay and core mechanics. Good storytelling and visuals. The combat lacks a bit of depth and strategy, but overall a good gaming experience.

Encased: a Sci-Fi, Post-Apocalyptic RPG seeks to recreate the best moments of the first Fallout games. Unfortunately, it also brought with it a lot of outdated mechanics and repetitive designs. Along with this, technical problems, bugs, and unreliable localization ruin the experience.

Encased has plenty of polish, but not enough substance beneath it. The game never goes anywhere with its 70’s setting, and, despite the “sci-fi” part of the name, doesn’t even try to consider the scientific implications of the premise. [Issue#255, p.60]

"A very decent clone of Fallout." That's at the same time the biggest compliment, as well as the strongest criticism for Encased: A Sci-Fi Post-Apocalyptic RPG. It is a labour of love that is almost as fun as the one it passionately pays homage to, and is thus easy to forgive its lack of fine-tuning. Unfortunately, it also lacks what made Interplay's gem the legend it is, which is, of course, the writing. You see, the key word in the phrase "a very decent clone of Fallout," is the word 'decent.' This otherwise entertaining piece of software is definitely that, but decent just won't do for most people.