ConnerW
2023
Very very short, but it was worth a play for some well-written heartfelt moments
2023
There's a great game hidden in here somewhere, but unfortunately, it just doesn't have that one element to make it stand out. Combat? It's pretty satisfying, especially as you unlock new abilities, but it's also a bit sloppy. Traversal? Probably the highlight of the game, it's really damn good, but probably not gonna blow many minds. The world? The idea is there, but the execution leaves something to be desired - none of it truly stands out but it isn't bad either. The story/characters? Unfortunately on the bland side.
Overall, this is a cool game that I had a good time with, but it isn't a must-play. It could have been an excellent game with a stronger story and just a couple gameplay tweaks, but it overall just feels like another "pretty solid" game that I've played - and that's fine
Overall, this is a cool game that I had a good time with, but it isn't a must-play. It could have been an excellent game with a stronger story and just a couple gameplay tweaks, but it overall just feels like another "pretty solid" game that I've played - and that's fine
2016's OXENFREE is one of my favorite games I've ever played. At the time, I hadn't really played much of anything like it, and that game really does live rent-free in my head. The dialogue-driven gameplay (and the ability to impact what happens based on your dialogue choices), the spooky atmosphere, the ending (which put my jaw on the floor at the time), all of it. It's a damn near perfect experience
That being said, I never really thought we'd get a sequel. It's hard to capture lightning in a bottle like that twice - I know that - but when I found out that a second game was coming all these years later, I was incredibly excited. And while this one may not go down as something on that same level of "rent-free in my head," it'll certainly go down as one of the best of 2023.
If you liked the original game, you're in luck, because this gets a lot of the same stuff right. It's got what you want in a follow up - it has the setting, it has a great lead character, it has the music, it has the dialogue and it has the intrigue that the first one had. I did think the ghostly happenings were a bit weaker here, and I did think the ending wasn't as impactful, but the way things start to unfold in the final act was awesome.
Overall, it doesn't quite hit the highs of the first game, and that's okay, because realistically, that's a damn near impossible task. But this is a more than worthy follow up to one of the best "lightning in a bottle" video game experiences I'll ever have, and I am so happy that it exists
That being said, I never really thought we'd get a sequel. It's hard to capture lightning in a bottle like that twice - I know that - but when I found out that a second game was coming all these years later, I was incredibly excited. And while this one may not go down as something on that same level of "rent-free in my head," it'll certainly go down as one of the best of 2023.
If you liked the original game, you're in luck, because this gets a lot of the same stuff right. It's got what you want in a follow up - it has the setting, it has a great lead character, it has the music, it has the dialogue and it has the intrigue that the first one had. I did think the ghostly happenings were a bit weaker here, and I did think the ending wasn't as impactful, but the way things start to unfold in the final act was awesome.
Overall, it doesn't quite hit the highs of the first game, and that's okay, because realistically, that's a damn near impossible task. But this is a more than worthy follow up to one of the best "lightning in a bottle" video game experiences I'll ever have, and I am so happy that it exists
2023
You play as a CUTE MUSHROOM and the dialogue is ZANY
A solid VN. Memorable characters, a fairly good story (though it did feel just a bit rushed and convoluted from time to time) and a cool choice system. Enjoyed the music and overall vibes as well
2023
This game made me feel some shit. Nostalgia for going on summer exploration sessions with my friends is the prevailing emotion here, which made this a perfect game to play in the summer. It's incredibly relaxing, and while some of the gameplay was just a tad tedious, I mainly just found it chill.
Art style is gorgeous and added to the feeling of nostalgia. Watercolor was a perfect choice. The ending was also somewhat predictable, and there are a couple loose ends I would have liked to know more about, but I felt the build up to the reveal was quite effective and kept me engaged. It also had a surprisingly effective and satisfying scrapbook mechanic.
Overall, this game fucks. It pulled on my heartstrings in just the way I like, and it had a fairly effective mystery element. Bravo!
Art style is gorgeous and added to the feeling of nostalgia. Watercolor was a perfect choice. The ending was also somewhat predictable, and there are a couple loose ends I would have liked to know more about, but I felt the build up to the reveal was quite effective and kept me engaged. It also had a surprisingly effective and satisfying scrapbook mechanic.
Overall, this game fucks. It pulled on my heartstrings in just the way I like, and it had a fairly effective mystery element. Bravo!
2023
This is a visually incredible game with plenty of cool moments and nice (though under developed) characters. I don't normally go for puzzle platformers all that often, but this one worked well for me, as neither the puzzles nor the platforming were too difficult. It felt nice and chill and not overly complicated, which made it a relaxing experience for me. Good game!
Well, this thing is pretty bad. The platforming is mediocre, the stealth is uhhhh not good at all, the story is meh, the visuals...holy cow. The lighting? My GOD. It does start to look better when you get to the elf portion of the game, and the story gets a little more interesting when Mell is introduced, but the orc portion in the first half of the game is something else.
I will say, it was honestly so bad at times that it was actually enjoyable. Like a terrible b-movie, it got some genuine laughs out of me at times. Unfortunately, I couldn't finish the game because at the end of the second to last chapter, my game crashed and wouldn't reopen. I uninstalled, reinstalled, didn't work. I backtracked, got to that point again, and the same thing happened. I think like every single game I've ever played that was released with "massive technical issues" was COMPLETELY overblown, but unfortunately, this one literally broke. If I actually got to finish it, I probably would have granted it an absolutely stellar score of 2/5, otherwise known as a 40%, which is still an F
I for some reason wanted to complete this game, which makes me have a slightly higher opinion of it than a couple other things I tried this year. Whether that's because it's Lord of the Rings, or because "so bad it's good" at times, or because I'm a masochist, I'm not sure. What a weird experience this was but I'm glad I was a part of it I guess
I will say, it was honestly so bad at times that it was actually enjoyable. Like a terrible b-movie, it got some genuine laughs out of me at times. Unfortunately, I couldn't finish the game because at the end of the second to last chapter, my game crashed and wouldn't reopen. I uninstalled, reinstalled, didn't work. I backtracked, got to that point again, and the same thing happened. I think like every single game I've ever played that was released with "massive technical issues" was COMPLETELY overblown, but unfortunately, this one literally broke. If I actually got to finish it, I probably would have granted it an absolutely stellar score of 2/5, otherwise known as a 40%, which is still an F
I for some reason wanted to complete this game, which makes me have a slightly higher opinion of it than a couple other things I tried this year. Whether that's because it's Lord of the Rings, or because "so bad it's good" at times, or because I'm a masochist, I'm not sure. What a weird experience this was but I'm glad I was a part of it I guess
I got about halfway through the game, which felt like enough to warrant a review. Unfortunately, it just didn't do it for me.
The art style is genuinely outstanding and easily the best part of the game. Finding new items/clues and completing puzzles felt satisfying. Unfortunately, it just wasn't enough to make up for everything else. The navigation didn't feel right and was often frustrating, combat is god awful, and the story just didn't do enough to pull me in. Also, the extra voice in your head was really annoying
The art style is genuinely outstanding and easily the best part of the game. Finding new items/clues and completing puzzles felt satisfying. Unfortunately, it just wasn't enough to make up for everything else. The navigation didn't feel right and was often frustrating, combat is god awful, and the story just didn't do enough to pull me in. Also, the extra voice in your head was really annoying
2023
This game slaps tbh. Its very short, but it makes the most of it's time. Kinda reminds me of something like Lil Gator Game, which I also adored.
The art style is absolute gorgeous, the story is simple but it gets the job done, the bosses were pretty cool too. Combat isn't gonna knock your socks off, but I honestly thought it was pretty good.
I absolutely love the overall vibe and the nice lil characters :') definitely had a blast with this game. It's something that really felt made for me!
The art style is absolute gorgeous, the story is simple but it gets the job done, the bosses were pretty cool too. Combat isn't gonna knock your socks off, but I honestly thought it was pretty good.
I absolutely love the overall vibe and the nice lil characters :') definitely had a blast with this game. It's something that really felt made for me!
If BD-1 has a million fans, then I am one of them. If BD-1 has ten fans, then I am one of them. If BD-1 has only one fan then that is me. If BD-1 has no fans, then that means I am no longer on Earth. If the world is against BD-1, then I am against the world.
A nice upgrade from its predecessor. The only thing I liked better in the original was the setting, and one moment that is too spoiler-y to mention. But this game is an upgrade in story, character, combat and traversal. Not quite enough to bump it up to a 4.5, but it was darn close. Looking forward to seeing how they cap this story off in the future!
A nice upgrade from its predecessor. The only thing I liked better in the original was the setting, and one moment that is too spoiler-y to mention. But this game is an upgrade in story, character, combat and traversal. Not quite enough to bump it up to a 4.5, but it was darn close. Looking forward to seeing how they cap this story off in the future!
2011
I can understand some of the gripes with this game, but god DAMN this is the one for me.
The only real negative I have is the visuals. While they aren't awful, a lot of it is a little on the bland side, although Kirkwall itself is pretty neat. The biggest issue is the reused assets - a lot of the caves/dungeons look very similar, as do the houses. But that's my only negative and it's a pretty minor gripe.
For starters, the combat in this game is the best in the series. While it is a little different, it allows you to take a more active role, which I appreciated. But where this game shines is the CHARACTERS. The companions in this game were absolutely top tier and I was invested in all of them. I thought the story was really great too, as it showed Hawke's rise through the ranks and all of his achievements that made him a hero to Kirkwall. Hawke himself is also a fucking FANTASTIC character.
This is a character-driven RPG above all else, and when you write characters that connect with me as well as these did, you have something unbelievably special
The only real negative I have is the visuals. While they aren't awful, a lot of it is a little on the bland side, although Kirkwall itself is pretty neat. The biggest issue is the reused assets - a lot of the caves/dungeons look very similar, as do the houses. But that's my only negative and it's a pretty minor gripe.
For starters, the combat in this game is the best in the series. While it is a little different, it allows you to take a more active role, which I appreciated. But where this game shines is the CHARACTERS. The companions in this game were absolutely top tier and I was invested in all of them. I thought the story was really great too, as it showed Hawke's rise through the ranks and all of his achievements that made him a hero to Kirkwall. Hawke himself is also a fucking FANTASTIC character.
This is a character-driven RPG above all else, and when you write characters that connect with me as well as these did, you have something unbelievably special
This review contains spoilers
I truly don't know if I'll ever play a game that gives me more mixed thoughts than this one. Obviously, given the 4/5 rating, the positives do outweigh the negatives. BUT, the negatives are enough to keep this game from being elite.
Let's start with the positives. The game is visually unbelievable. Not only the world itself, but the characters, and ESPECIALLY the facial expressions. LA Noire walked so TLOU 2 could SPRINT. Additionally, the level design is absolutely impeccable. It was really on another level in this game. Not only aesthetically, but the pathing as well. It wasn't overly difficult, but it felt satisfying and most importantly, natural. And the moments with the infected?? My goodness. A huge step up from the first game in every way in that department. Ellie is also fantastic in this game, her character is so easy to love and to root for. Finally, a lot of the story beats really do work on an emotional level.
All that being said, this clearly has the makings of a 5/5 game...except, the writing room fumbled the bag HARD on multiple occasions and that sadly holds it back. First of all, Joel. Killing Joel isn't a problem whatsoever, and in fact, I like the idea for the story. But the way they did it couldn't have been a lot worse to be honest. They went for shock value for the simple sake of shock value - that's it. They didn't leave enough to develop it. A lot of the flashback scenes should have happened BEFORE we saw him die as it would have added heaps of emotional impact to the moment. Unfortunately, we were completely robbed of that in favor of nothing but shock value. And then, we have the Abby problem. Her entire arc is way too long and I didn't care about her "rescue mission" whatsoever. It was extremely uninteresting. Some of her companions were likable, but I never had any care for Abby and the game forces you to play as her for damn near half the game. Protagonist switching is generally a pretty shitty writing trope imo, and it only has worked in SUPER rare cases. But it was especially bad in this case. I spent way too long playing as a character that I didn't care about at all. The ending confrontation between her and Ellie was also extremely unsatisfying.
This game will always frustrate the hell out of me. They got so much right, almost everything in fact, but a couple of completely BRAINDEAD choices from the writing crew kept it from being one of the best games ever made. The story is the most important thing and when you totally botch a couple major elements like that, it hurts ya
Let's start with the positives. The game is visually unbelievable. Not only the world itself, but the characters, and ESPECIALLY the facial expressions. LA Noire walked so TLOU 2 could SPRINT. Additionally, the level design is absolutely impeccable. It was really on another level in this game. Not only aesthetically, but the pathing as well. It wasn't overly difficult, but it felt satisfying and most importantly, natural. And the moments with the infected?? My goodness. A huge step up from the first game in every way in that department. Ellie is also fantastic in this game, her character is so easy to love and to root for. Finally, a lot of the story beats really do work on an emotional level.
All that being said, this clearly has the makings of a 5/5 game...except, the writing room fumbled the bag HARD on multiple occasions and that sadly holds it back. First of all, Joel. Killing Joel isn't a problem whatsoever, and in fact, I like the idea for the story. But the way they did it couldn't have been a lot worse to be honest. They went for shock value for the simple sake of shock value - that's it. They didn't leave enough to develop it. A lot of the flashback scenes should have happened BEFORE we saw him die as it would have added heaps of emotional impact to the moment. Unfortunately, we were completely robbed of that in favor of nothing but shock value. And then, we have the Abby problem. Her entire arc is way too long and I didn't care about her "rescue mission" whatsoever. It was extremely uninteresting. Some of her companions were likable, but I never had any care for Abby and the game forces you to play as her for damn near half the game. Protagonist switching is generally a pretty shitty writing trope imo, and it only has worked in SUPER rare cases. But it was especially bad in this case. I spent way too long playing as a character that I didn't care about at all. The ending confrontation between her and Ellie was also extremely unsatisfying.
This game will always frustrate the hell out of me. They got so much right, almost everything in fact, but a couple of completely BRAINDEAD choices from the writing crew kept it from being one of the best games ever made. The story is the most important thing and when you totally botch a couple major elements like that, it hurts ya
2005
Never forget what they took from us
I really wanted to dig this game, but unfortunately, it let me down majorly.
While the combat itself feels pretty dang satisfying, the game overall feels extremely lackluster. The art direction and level design is extremely bland. The enemies aren't interesting. The story isn't interesting either. The morale system kinda just gets in the way. The bosses lack spectacle - I didn't find myself WANTING to fight them, I just wanted to get through them so I could move on to the next thing.
I didn't get very far in to this game before realizing that it wasn't for me at all, and that's okay. That right there is the beauty of GamePass.
I think there's enough here for it to resonate with a lot of people - I'm just not one of them.
While the combat itself feels pretty dang satisfying, the game overall feels extremely lackluster. The art direction and level design is extremely bland. The enemies aren't interesting. The story isn't interesting either. The morale system kinda just gets in the way. The bosses lack spectacle - I didn't find myself WANTING to fight them, I just wanted to get through them so I could move on to the next thing.
I didn't get very far in to this game before realizing that it wasn't for me at all, and that's okay. That right there is the beauty of GamePass.
I think there's enough here for it to resonate with a lot of people - I'm just not one of them.