Critical scores for ReCore, an Xbox console exclusive platformer by Armature Games, have seen a wide range from 4s to 8s, with our own reviewer Keri Honea giving the game a middling 3 out of 5 stars. Putting the criticisms of the game's design aside, one barb remains consistent: the egregious loading times which can last upwards of 2 minutes.
Armature Studios has finally responded, revealing in a blog post that they've "been listening closely" to fan feedback:
…the number one thing you’ve mentioned you’d like to see improvements on is load times. We heard you, we appreciate your patience, and we have good news!An update will be released this week for Xbox One and Xbox One S that will improve load times on those platforms. Keep in mind, some areas may continue to take more time than expected to load because they are larger zones, but we hope this update improves your overall experience traveling through Far Eden.
While long loading times may not have been the major factor in the mixed review spread, it's a technical flaw that's difficult to sweep under the rug of subjectivity. Unfortunately, even with the upcoming fix, whose effectiveness at diminishing the loading times is uncertain, that won't change the scores.
It's times like these that would justify a short delay by the developers to polish their game, despite pressure from publishers, retailers, and the public. Not to the extent of The Last Guardian, of course, but a few weeks is reasonable… if a day-one patch isn't ready by then.
