Coming into this game as an FPS PC girlie was definitely difficult if I’m being completely honest. However, after an hour or so of play, I got the hang of it (sort of).
41 Hours by developer Texelworks is a futuristic first-person shooter that delves into the story of Ethan, our main character, trying to rescue his long-lost wife. The game features almost a comic-like way of story-telling which I actually appreciate. It isn’t something seen very often in games. Although it was a point I liked, I was surprised to see the number of typos in the game. Given that the screen is static and you aren’t seeing anything in the background, it’s very easy to find the typos. Additionally, since the game has been out for a while, I would’ve thought they’d be fixed. Obviously, this isn’t a huge complaint as it doesn’t affect gameplay, but just thought I’d add it to the review. I will say it did throw me off going from that version of story-telling to an open-world FPS feeling while immersed in the gameplay, but it was something I quickly got used to. With that being said, I think the storytelling is probably the best part of the game. The futuristic elements as well as the story of love to be told come across very nicely throughout the course of the game.
However, a point of contention for me was the gameplay. Besides the fact that I could barely aim, something about playing the game just felt off. It felt like I could never really see the enemies all that well, and there wasn’t much to do despite the space players were given to explore. The world felt large but empty for me. Even though the game was released in 2021, it felt like I was playing a game from my early childhood with the way that everything looked. Personally, it felt unfinished and honestly a little bit disappointing. When I looked to see what other people were saying about the graphics, I felt relieved hearing similar sentiments. I almost wished they didn’t go for something as ambitious as an open-world game and kept the graphics simple. Even just closing off the world a little bit and making it so there was less to look at and explore would’ve likely helped. Aside from the graphics, I enjoyed the mechanics of the game. Being able to command and detonate Claudia (the companion who is with you at the beginning of the game) as well as using things like telekinesis really adds to the sci-fi feeling and futuristicness of the game. The controls were also relatively easy to learn, given the tutorial at the beginning of the game (though I wish players were able to vault). Surprisingly enough, the game also had some interesting puzzles – something I don’t normally expect from an FPS.
I can’t really say I’m too enthusiastic about 41 Hours. I think the concept is great, but it felt like a really ambitious project that couldn’t be fully executed. Unfortunately, it showed in the game. The story, while having a good basis, didn’t really have much originality to it or anything that really popped out and excited me (even though I still think it’s the best part of the game). The gameplay, despite having good mechanics and concepts, didn’t really pop either. I will say this may be a little biased since I was playing on a console and had a bit of difficulty aiming, but I still saw similar sentiments for the game on Steam. I’m really sad I didn’t enjoy the game because it looks to have a great foundation but falls short in some areas. I wish the developers spent more time on it or taken a slightly different route in presenting the game to players, so it felt more enjoyable (and looked more finished) to play.
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Related: Reviews by Maryanne Fadonougbo
"I've enjoyed gaming since I was little, playing games like Pokémon, Rayman, and Naruto every day. Besides that though, I've always had a love for writing. Now I am combining the two for the best of both worlds! My ultimate goal is to do narrative design for video games."
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