Cosmo D Cosmo Delivers once again. the aesthetic of their work is at least to me outwardly charming, and the experimentation with different formulas each game always continues to get me interested. betrayal at club low is probably my favorite at this point just due to the absolute fun of how a dice rolling game is adapted.
first run: i didn't like it, the dice rolls added wayyy too much uncertainty to the run, and i wanted it to be a more puzzle-y adventure thing than a micro rpg thing
second run: kept going cause the run was short enough, this time did 4am and iron pizza mode together and beelined the same ending i got before because it was easy enough
third run: noticed the laid-back checkbox! all rolls easier?! yes please! suddenly, the game opened up! through laid-back mode and the usage of liberal save states to experiment and find some other endings, before looking up a guide for the last few, i found the game a loooot more fun, and so the third run became all subsequent simultaneously basically
i still don't like the dice battle mechanic - i think it works against the experimental nature of the game to also tie those experiments to heavy rng, BUT! because laid-back mode existed, it gave me a lot more leeway than i originally expected, so i was able to get past that hurdle
it's a bizarre, surreal experience, and i do like it overall, but i dunno if i really have much to say about the actual writing and presentation beyond "it's a flavor of weird that you'll either like or hate"
i would maybe like it more if it weren't so ugly to look at, but i know that's a very deliberate choice, so whatever, i guess
second run: kept going cause the run was short enough, this time did 4am and iron pizza mode together and beelined the same ending i got before because it was easy enough
third run: noticed the laid-back checkbox! all rolls easier?! yes please! suddenly, the game opened up! through laid-back mode and the usage of liberal save states to experiment and find some other endings, before looking up a guide for the last few, i found the game a loooot more fun, and so the third run became all subsequent simultaneously basically
i still don't like the dice battle mechanic - i think it works against the experimental nature of the game to also tie those experiments to heavy rng, BUT! because laid-back mode existed, it gave me a lot more leeway than i originally expected, so i was able to get past that hurdle
it's a bizarre, surreal experience, and i do like it overall, but i dunno if i really have much to say about the actual writing and presentation beyond "it's a flavor of weird that you'll either like or hate"
i would maybe like it more if it weren't so ugly to look at, but i know that's a very deliberate choice, so whatever, i guess