I have played through most of
AI LIMIT in about 40 hours the last week.
It is a soulslike with cel shaded graphics and a post apocalyptic setting. It is obviously similar to Code Vein in several ways, but has several strengths and some minor weaknesses compared to that game.
The level design is pretty great for the genre, much better than Code Vein, and it arguably reaches the heights of some of the better From software games. It has been so much fun to pay meticulous attention to small details in the environments to find secrets, to beat many strategically placed non respawning mid boss enemies and to open up neatly placed shortcuts.
The setting and story are good for the genre. The cel shaded graphics are not used to force feed anime style cutscenes to the player like in Code Vein. In fact, there are only sparse cutscenes (mainly introductions for some bosses), but plenty of environmental storytelling and NPC interactions during real time gameplay to drive the world building and story progression. The world building is bleak and oppressive, but also colorful and magnificent in ways that makes sense. I personally found the setting and story to be more engaging than in most other soulslikes I have played, but maybe not on the level of the best From software games.
The gameplay is also good for the genre. Some of the more interesting features are no stamina requirements for actions (and thus no Stamina bar) and a system that rewards aggressive and elegant (not getting hit) combat with higher damage and more frequent spell and special ability uses. Using magic is viable, but either requires some farming to get items that replenish magical energy or a mixed playstyle due to having to go into melee combat to replenish magical energy.
The production values are not as high as in Code Vein or the modern From software games, which shows in some ways. While the level design in individual levels is outstanding, the connections between different parts of the world can be quite confusing, especially due to the frequent use of underground subway lines to bind different areas together. There are no multiplayer features. The music is ambient and subdued, for better or worse. The game was unplayable before the latest patch for me, due to a nasty bug after starting a new game with a persistent black screen. The game has a DLAA setting, but aliasing is worse than it should be, and ghosting is also worse than it should be. If you are not in a hurry to play another great game, it may be beneficial to await further patches.
In conclusion, I would recommend the game broadly to fans of the soulslike genre. Additionally, people who mainly enjoy From software games, but are hesitant to play other soulslikes, would probably enjoy this game if they gave it a chance.
