What Is AI Limit?
AI Limit is an upcoming Action RPG from Sense Games, blending elements of Nier Automata and a post-apocalyptic, cyberpunk aesthetic. Set in a world on the brink of collapse, the story follows Arrisa on her quest for hope. The core combat system features familiar mechanics such as light, heavy, and special attacks but, introduces a “Sync Rate” system that replaces traditional stamina. While the world design and combat variety show promise, the game suffers from clunky controls and occasional input latency, which dampen the experience. With a 2024 release slated, AI Limit has potential, but more polish is needed for it to truly stand out. I was able to play the demo on Steam during the Next Fest event. After spending time with it, here is a breakdown of the experience.
A Familiar Fight but…
The base combat system is something that’s been done time and time again. Your core moves are light, heavy and special attacks. Also, you’ll unlock spells and abilities for your left hand such as a rail gun that can be fired from a distance or the ability to counter. It’s clear that the game is going for a deliberate combat system where you need to be intentional with each attack.
Within this, you’ll be able to use a variety of weapons that will allow for different attacks. For example, I eventually settled with a dual blade setup. I decided to do so since I typical gravitate to agile builds within similar games. I really enjoyed the ability to follow up attacks quickly. As the demo progressed is became clear the combat system will have a variety of choices and ways to play.
Another main aspect of the combat is the “Sync Rate” system. This essentially is taking place of a more traditional stamina bar. The player can keep attacking, but certain moves will use some parts of that bar. The lower that bar becomes, the weaker your attacks become. This can be recovered in a few ways such as performing basic attacks on enemies or using items. This system added a little song and dance to the combat that I enjoyed.
Basically Bonfires
One of the main mechanics when it comes to exploring are branches. Essentially, these act as checkpoints and places to level up. Similar to Bonfires in Dark Souls, you will return to the last one discovered branch upon death. The difference though, the player will only lose some of the currency on hand. The amount lost is a fix amount and you do not retrieve it if you head back to where you died.
Dying in AI Limit didn’t feel fair at times. This is because the combat has a bit of a clunky feel to it. Not confirmed anywhere but almost feels like part of the issue is input latency. I played the game with an Xbox controller. Upon the initial boot, it was heavily recommended to use a game pad. Regardless, when a game is going for such an intentional combat design, the last thing you want to feel is like you are sometimes fighting the game itself. A few times, my sword was getting stuck on enemies while fighting on staircases. The frame rate itself felt stable, but the overall flow of movement had this weighted feeling to it which really dampened the experience.
Promising but needs more time
Overall, I enjoyed my time with the AI Limit but it’s clear the game still needs some work. The world aesthetic is some ways was the strongest part of the demo. Even then, a lot of the enemies started to feel a bit generic. Many of the creatures had almost the exact same design just different sizes. Additionally, the combat was fun but at times it was frustrating due to the clunky and lack of responsiveness. On Steam, the game is listed for a 2024 release. I hope the game releases mid 2025 or later to try and improve on some of the issues I discussed.
