Unto the End Critic Reviews

Unto the End is a fascinating look at the lengths that someone will go to in order to survive and make their way home. Combat encounters are harsh and challenging, but each failure teaches the player more about the mechanics and how the world operates, and the result is an immensely satisfying experience.

Unto The End is a challenging game, but not overwhelmingly so. Each combat scenario is unique which keeps things fresh, while the world itself looks nice and hints at a wider world that cares little of your character's adventure. A handful of fights are frustrating and will hold you up, but Unto The End does not overstay its welcome and is easy to recommend to those who enjoy tough fighting challenges.

Unto the End is a relatively short game that I completed in approximately six hours. Despite a few blemishes, it’s one that made me want to continually dig into, and when I finished it, I wanted more. So, I immediately played it through a second time. I don’t know if I can express how much I love having a bite-sized experience that isn’t a walking-simulator a roguelike. And I think I finally understand what fans of Soulslikes mean when they talk about rewarding those games are. Despite its minute size and minimalist appearance, Unto the End is a beautiful and substantive experience that rewards perseverance, calm nerves, and is absolutely worth your time.

Unto the End is an amazing game. It does miss a few marks when communicating information to the player, and some integrated systems can come off as more tedious than fun. Nonetheless its rich combat, gorgeous visuals, and well-implemented sound effects nail all of the most important aspects. In the end, an individual's experience with the game will most likely come to their view on its extreme difficulty.

As a cinematic platformer that borrows all the best bits from the Soulslike genre without being too punishing then adds its own unique elements, Unto The End is a triumph. The ‘bleeding out’ feels like it’s not utilised as well as it could have been and there are a few annoying glitches but the core game here is a stiff test and a very satisfying reward.

This adventure revolves around survival and game dynamics inherited from souls-like games. It’s attractive and appealing, but also extremely challenging and, sometimes, frustrating.

If you can get past the unrelenting darkness and harsh combat, Unto The End is probably right up your street. For us though, it sometimes feels like a misery simulator. Despite that, we feel compelled to battle on.

Carrying you through this arduous journey are the minimalist story and art style – both of which are just detailed enough to remind you what you’re fighting for. Unto The End’s brand of intelligent combat makes for a demanding challenge that isn’t for everyone, yet its unpretentious nature results in a refreshing, if brief, melee-based adventure.

Unto The End is a mix of the things that you love and the things that you hate, but it's an entertaining journey nonetheless. The developers managed to create an entertaining yet challenging game, although the balance between the two is not always there.

You can dissect this game into a million pieces and completely lose all the magic its has. Or you can look at it as a whole, and find yourself a beautiful tale of war, life, and death.

Unto the End has a wonderfully minimalistic style and while I enjoyed much of my time exploring its world the combat did eventually start to drag. It’s unforgiving action can start to get tiresome even with the generous checkpoint system. If you’re a button mashing kind of gamer then it’s probably best to give this one a miss.

Unto the End first appears to be an attractive cinematic platformer that gets a lot right with rich atmosphere and simple graphics. However, it’s ultimately let down by the darkness of its environments, irritating trial-and-error gameplay and an overcomplicated combat system.

While there’s some fun to be had with the sword fighting, the stressful difficulty and lack of volume make Unto the End difficult to recommend.

What I will say is that the game’s uncompromising sensibility shines brightly at its conclusion. I won’t spoil the exact details but it’s a masterclass in unceremonious restraint which lands harder than any grandstanding finish. Unto The End understands that terrible things happen and the world often just keeps moving. This doesn’t necessarily undermine the tribulations of its bearded character—his body will carry the violence of this passage for a long time to come—nor does it diminish my own frustrations. After everything, I’m left with the sound of his heavy exhales in the fading light of this harsh and snowy setting; foregoing any kind of traditional pay-off feels like the perfect way to end this story, almost making the gruelling journey worth it.