The Ensign App Reviews

I loved ADR and I feel like I would enjoy this game as well. Unfortunately I can barely make any progress due to the poor save states. Unlike A Dark Room, you can not manually save. I really think this element should be brought back because the auto saving the game has now is flawed, my game almost always reverts to an area I already cleared and I therefore lose progress, taking one step forward and two steps backwards gets old very fast. I think with a little more work this game could be great, but right now it just gets annoying.

Its so fun but I mean its just way to hard, then when you do get far and die its so depressing and ruins the fun!

I dont think I can properly express what ADR and the Ensign has done for me. Not going to spoil it but, dont give up. The game is hard, punishingly so, and it doesnt get any easier, but you get better. Quite possibly the best money Ive ever spent on a game. Its not impossible and nothing about the engine needs to change. The journey these games took me on is like nothing Ive ever experienced before. I dont think Ill ever have an experience like this again but thats what makes it special. Ill admit there were times when the cognitive dissonance was so extreme that I had to put the game down and take a couple deep breaths. There were times where Ill admit that I cried. Thank you Amir for making something that I feel has changed me, possibly for the better. Ive never questioned my morals and beliefs more than this game has pushed me to. Ill treasure this experience for a long time yet.

"One star reviews stating the game is too hard make me enjoy your tears of defeat even more" - Game Developer Hilarious patch notes, great update. Keep em coming!

Not bad, not really anything new though. Dark Room was much better.

The Ensign is the hardest game of all. One wrong move and youve doomed yourself. It may not look like much, but the narratives, the mocking, the passion keeps you going. Dont play this before sleeping. Your guilt is your enemy.

Really good, lots if dying... its part of the fun

This game is extremely challenging (and at times frustrating) but also so satisfying to complete. The tip to not play before bed is a good one - whether because you get sucked in or because you throw your phone across the room. I have replayed the game a few times and continue to enjoy it. Speaking of - have you noticed the defectors get triggered when you go to the Iron Mine? Trying playing through without going there - it is tricky

Beautiful, Challenging and Inspiring. These are the words the game truly deserves. There was not a time, at any point, that I was disappointed at the game when playing it. I am looking forward to see what the makers have for future games. This game is challenging but it most certainly deserves every second of the gamers time, that is put into finishing the game. Thank you for creating The Red Text, It made me push trough the hardest part of the game. Thank you for making this game and the hard work youve put in to it. Looking forward to your future works -S

This was an an awesome game, with a well written plot, interesting mechanics, and above all high in quality. The only reason I put it down was because it was either that or stay up all night playing! This game as a whole was so intriguing even with this invisible leash you put on us. I was even looking forward to the deaths, as that was when more red text would appear and say its unique words. One final though... The cake is no longer a lie :)

The last game has touched my heart and the thing is, I can agree with that it only can be truly experienced once. I have to say Im walking into this blind ( figure of speech). I hope the best for you. Good luck with all you do.

And tell me what it means, please. The Ensign was a brutally difficult game, perhaps made more so by the lack of instruction and my rapid tapping against the input lag. While the latter is my own fault (whoops I missed the outpost) and the former is the games style, it is still a very unforgiving adventure. At least, at the beginning and the end. The narrative and world building was amazing. Everyone praises the red text, with its Spec Ops: The Line-ish themes, presented in a trollier manner, but its the little touches from the moral decisions that hit me. Looting the grave just has the game ellipsis at you. The child starved first was also harsh, and what caused me to rethink my decisions, reread the options given to me. I really should take the bonus clips advice and go replay ADR with a clearer eye, but Ive still some unfinished business here, with my 5.5 hours of gameplay. The dungeon aspect was interesting, retaining some of the random event aspect from The Dusty Path while allowing you to choose the general way the event went. Of course, with the first few scenes always consistently the same, this can be slightly abused for large amounts of goods (namely in caves and cities, as far as Ive seen). And then there was the checklist. Dont accept the food, witness the ritual, locate the obligatory pastry reference. So I started a new runthrough with a foodless beginning. I died right after the tannery, because I was expecting the same first battle as the main game. Thus began the second run, playing much more conservatively, knowing that I would probably need it. But the lack of a compass combined with a turn-based timer in the form of the defectors increasing health leads me to believe that wasnt the greatest idea. Eventually, a bolas missed, and I fell to (I believe) the 9th defector, about ten minutes into combing for the armoury. That was when I learned that refusing the food was actual permadeath. Being limited by the water supply, not being able to know the location of your goal, and being at the whim of the RNG in the later battles (and maybe the map gen, though I assume (hope) that red text was only joking) makes the actual permadeath runs sound ridiculous in theory, especially compared to ADRs villagerless playthroughs. I presume that the fact that the only mention of this mode in the post-game dev notes is to tell you you are worthy and the rest was about the base game implies that it wasnt the best thought out idea. With the rest of the moral decisions mentioned in the sound files I had yet to find, Ill probably spend a few hours on 100% map completion just to find out everything I can do without the skills of manipulating numbers before going off to play ADR instead. The Ensign has its flaws and its bugs, its real permadeath mode probably my least favourite, but it tells an amazing story, letting you further explore the world, the cultures, the post-apocalyptic mess introduced in ADR, all while being told youre an idiot and are terrible at the game, by the game itself. The game is a lie. Er.

Just How Many Times Could It Go Wrong?!

A rogue-like, even in terms of graphics. But the way the narrative develops, the side commentary--just so really hit the spot for me!

Loved A Dark Room - The Ensign requires a lot of patience and a certain amount of stubbornness. Great game!

Dont know about you, but I died twice before realizing that my character wasnt going to"auto-defeat" the enemy (and dont even get me started on the 199 hp defector!). . . I havent played A Dark Room, but The Ensign seemed to be able to stand on its own. I... Died... So many times right away, and the red text felt like it was taunting me... Challenging me to do better... To be better. . . I appreciate the developers comments (secrets). I think it happened after I went into space he first time. Really opened up my eyes for what games should be (instead of offering difficulty levels and IAPs). Thank you, sir. .... 973 minutes. Yep. Beat it, though.

Takes some times to understand how to play it but once youre in, youre HOOKED! Would love to say more but dont want to reveal too much of it. This game really separates the boys from the men. HUGE WOW!!! Let see if you too are strong enough in every sense of the way and face whats in it.

I have died and tried many times and still enjoy the game

Dear Amirali, the dark room was great. And although at first I hated this game because it refused to offer any help. But as I got better it was worth it. Finishing the game was so satisfying. Please make a continuation to the game sometime in the future. Either a sequel or another prequel. Perhaps during the war.

Beat it twice with food and I acheived the impossible I keep finding the other things then dyeing tho..