Review: Mists of Noyah on PS5

Many games capture our initial interest with a promising premise but then let us down with less-than-stellar execution. We’ve all heard the saying, “Don’t judge a book by its cover,” but in gaming, keeping promises is king. We’ve been burned countless times by developers who build up sky-high expectations only to deliver something underwhelming. Take No Man’s Sky for instance. Now, before you get defensive, I agree it’s a fantastic game today. But I played it on launch and, swept up by the pre-release hype, found myself sorely disappointed. This isn’t a knock against Hello Games; their commitment to improving the game is commendable. But it serves as a warning to other developers—don’t make promises you can’t keep, or you risk being just another example of when great ideas go awry. Speaking of which, that brings us to our latest venture on PS5: Mists of Noyah. On paper, it sounds like it should redefine the genre, but sadly, as we’ll see, it falls short.

Imagine blending crafting elements from games like Terraria with a roguelike Metroidvania experience. A game where exploration is key, offering a unique experience every time you play, and an impressive crafting system—you’d think most of us would be itching to dive in. If only Mists of Noyah felt complete, it could’ve hit the mark. Unfortunately, it feels like an unfinished project.

When I first launched Mists of Noyah, I was eager to test my chosen warrior’s mettle in defending a village from nightmarish creatures. I envisioned a game where strategic daylight foraging and building would provide the only safeguard against the horrors lurking in shadows. Imagine the anticipation as the clock ticks, pushing the limits of exploration and resource gathering. And then, imagine my surprise when I found myself unceremoniously plopped into a forest.

Mists of Noyah offers no tutorial and seems to expect players to figure things out as they go. In theory, that’s not always a bad approach. Many games become more engaging when players learn by doing, so long as there’s a basic control scheme and a general idea of what’s going on. Discovering story elements along your journey can certainly build intrigue and suspense. Unfortunately, here it seems more like someone forgot—or couldn’t be bothered—to include guidance.

I quickly deciphered the basic controls, hopping from platform to platform, taking down enemies, and gathering materials. I realized I needed to chop wood and mine resources, managed to complete a quest for wooden armor, but did so through trial and error. I found myself randomly pressing buttons in menus, which isn’t how a game should work. When I died and was dumped back at the start of the level, left guessing the same things, there was frustration—especially as dusk fell.

As night descended, foes grew stronger, and my fragile little bow was no match for them. Quickly, I resorted to dodging enemies and running, figuring I should’ve started at a village I hadn’t yet located. A couple of retries later, I finally stumbled upon the village, where confusion deepened.

The village felt as unfinished as the earlier parts of the game. Vendors stood around silently, and I had to guess what each peddled. Many of their wares made no sense as I didn’t understand their functions, making any gold spent feel like a gamble. Then, a fairy offered a dungeon run. Opting for an “easy” variant, I jumped in, and promptly got demolished by the first creature I encountered.

I pushed on, venturing into the different biomes. Initially, they seemed like mere reskins of the woodland area with desert and icy twists. Navigation was puzzling; after traversing several woodlands, I’d find myself on a snowy tundra, then suddenly in the desert—all without grasping my true objective. Combat and level design were passable, but without clear goals, the desire to persevere was sorely lacking. Day-night cycles—while an intriguing idea—only complicated matters when the task wasn’t clear.

A clock ticking in the corner was meant to remind players of the encroaching night and village raids. Ideally, a sense of danger escalates as time passes. Here, though, the clock mercilessly continued, even as I sifted through lengthy menus trying to understand what items did. Purchasing a scroll that began revealing the story was a blunder—the clock still ticked on. The lengthy narrative meant browsing those pages while enemies closed in seemed inevitable. Though likely an unintentional oversight, the lack of an auto-pause only added inconvenience.

Mists of Noyah comes across as an unfinished shell. The story is virtually non-existent, and players aren’t driven to care because they’re too busy figuring out what they’re supposed to do. It feels like the developers released the game prematurely, eager to move on to other projects. This lack of polish and passion leaves one questioning why they should invest money and time in it. It’s quite disheartening, considering that visually, the game holds promise. In more British terms, it’s all style and no substance. If they had nailed the basics and added real depth, this review could have been a glowing endorsement.

If Mists of Noyah was in Early Access, the unfinished nature might make more sense. However, expecting players to fork out £8.00 for an incomplete experience feels like a disservice—a sentiment doubled upon discovering the two-year gap between this console release and its Steam variant. The lack of significant improvements makes it feel more like a cash grab than a polished product.

Overall, Mists of Noyah is easy to pass up. It had the potential to thrive if only its developers had seen it through. Instead, players are left navigating a confusing framework, which, despite flairs of promise, fails to make the mark. It doesn’t seem ready for full-release status—not on any platform, let alone as a port from an already-dated PC version. You’d be better off saving your money for something truly worthwhile.