Freedomfighter
What a game. A whirlwind of adventure and old school inspired Star Wars story with some gameplay tweaks for quality of life. My two biggest complaints would be the obvious performance issues(5 hard crashes across 22 hours) and that the party button didn’t feel as responsive in comparison to other games. Level design was great and there was super fun platforming elements that did not go unnoticed. Def a contender for top ten lists of 2023
A very simple mobile RTS that doesn’t go out of its way to push boundaries or ideas. However it’s a satisfying enough loop for the gameplay. Played in Apple Arcade for a bit and didn’t regret it.
2023
Too many systems are thrown at the player and the game is too simple for a compelling game to get in nongacha fans. I will say the humor was way better than expected and production values on mobile are great. Simply not good enough to cross the aisle.
2023
I can’t help compare the game to last years Moonglow Bay. Where as that game had several bugs but had a heartwarming and cozy tale, Dredge is a weird tale that feels both unsettling and cozy at the same time. It had a wonderful world, simple clean art style, addicting game loop that doesn’t overstay its welcome, and one of the most hauntingly beautiful game soundtracks I can remember. Chocking in for me at 11 hours it’s a near perfect little slice of Lovecraft. Biggest criticism I can give at this time that one of the biomes that you have as a “Chapter” is an area that is very difficult to drive in at any speed above a crawl without hitting objects.
At the moment this is “The” Indie game of 2023.
At the moment this is “The” Indie game of 2023.
2019
Played this game on IOS via Apple Arcade. Overall it’s a fun time waster that feels half strategy and half puzzle based. The pleasant loop of building roads, to get more traffic, to get more roads is certainly addicting. Simple art style and music are not super memorable. Game comes with a number of maps that are similar in scope, but have some challengers associated with it. Definitely will come back in to play from time to time
2020
Man this game is almost one of the best visual novel type experiences I can remember. Fully voice acted and written with a wonderful script, South of the Circle comes across like a mini series or long movie. A duel timeline story, one taking place in Antarctica and one in the UK, take you to interesting setting. The performances and score hard carry this story, I can’t think of a single character who acted pooorly. While the art is fairly straightforward it’s still a strong point. Two things stood out to me as a negative, first being the gameplay is extremely minimal, second being the ending is going to be very divisive. Overall one of the best story’s I’ve played in 2023. Great addition for Apple Arcade
2021
This is the way the Oregon Trail was made to be played. A text adventure/management sim on its surface with enough content to keep you going back for more. Runtime for base content is about 3 hours but is easily consumed in bite sized chunks. Wonderful art updates and music will guide you to Oregon(or elsewhere on bonus journeys provided) . Take from someone who got a fever, snakebite, gun shot wound, broken limbs, and last but not least Dysentery, this is a trail well worth the Travel
2015
Abandoned this one, not due to lack of not liking it but I think I hit a bug and can no longer advance the story. I’ve gone back 6-7 times to rewind the stories making new decisions but keep running into an issue where Taylor no longer sends messages.
Game itself is a fun twist on the old text adventure formula. A lonely astronaut is stranded on the moon and you’re the only one they can speak to. Interesting enough atmosphere and story to keep it going. I’d estimate 3ish hours of playtime if you have a nearly perfect playthrough
Game itself is a fun twist on the old text adventure formula. A lonely astronaut is stranded on the moon and you’re the only one they can speak to. Interesting enough atmosphere and story to keep it going. I’d estimate 3ish hours of playtime if you have a nearly perfect playthrough
2021
For the moment I’m pausing my playthrough on this game. I can see why some people might enjoy this one for its rogue line tendencies but ultimately it’s my least favorite Arkane game so far. Cool enough world and gimmick but can get frustrating quick.
2023
This was truly a wild surprise of a game.
From what was the developer's essentially first shot at a AAA game I have to say they had alot of strong points. The art/environmental design of the game is phenominal. The world is truely a joy to explore for fans of the Wizarding World Universe. The surprisingly fun combat was an unexpected plus as well.
Performance wise the game does struggle at times when there are alot of particle effects or loading in new areas in the castle. But I'd have to say it's fairly stable for the majority of the game.
Wild the main storyline isn't necessarily anything to write home about it does have one or two moments that left me smiling(one part in particular throws the art style on it's head in an amazing way). The side quests in this game are where some of the strongest writing occurs, clearly there was some type of companion system that they were working on at somepoint and it fell to the sideline. This is a shame as some of the games most memorable moments happen in these ultimately optional sidequests.
The last thing I'll point out is that it does very much feel like the devs attempted to create a diverse world of representation into the game that feels very much like WB attempting to push the Wizarding World past the original material in a way that's more open for everyone. Similar to other pop culture works when they transition from original creator to a corporate IP. Make of that what you will.
Overall this game mixes both some of the good and the bad of the likes of The Witcher and the open world Assassins Creed RPG entries and coats it with a Hogwarts skin, made with care and detail to source material.
From what was the developer's essentially first shot at a AAA game I have to say they had alot of strong points. The art/environmental design of the game is phenominal. The world is truely a joy to explore for fans of the Wizarding World Universe. The surprisingly fun combat was an unexpected plus as well.
Performance wise the game does struggle at times when there are alot of particle effects or loading in new areas in the castle. But I'd have to say it's fairly stable for the majority of the game.
Wild the main storyline isn't necessarily anything to write home about it does have one or two moments that left me smiling(one part in particular throws the art style on it's head in an amazing way). The side quests in this game are where some of the strongest writing occurs, clearly there was some type of companion system that they were working on at somepoint and it fell to the sideline. This is a shame as some of the games most memorable moments happen in these ultimately optional sidequests.
The last thing I'll point out is that it does very much feel like the devs attempted to create a diverse world of representation into the game that feels very much like WB attempting to push the Wizarding World past the original material in a way that's more open for everyone. Similar to other pop culture works when they transition from original creator to a corporate IP. Make of that what you will.
Overall this game mixes both some of the good and the bad of the likes of The Witcher and the open world Assassins Creed RPG entries and coats it with a Hogwarts skin, made with care and detail to source material.
2019
This choose your own adventure type game is the definition of cozy. At a brisk pace of 4 hours you can finish it in a sitting if you like(with a good chance of wanting to replay the story for different branch paths).
Best way to play it is cozying up next to a loved one next to the fire in some blankets. Definition of “Cozy” Genre
Best way to play it is cozying up next to a loved one next to the fire in some blankets. Definition of “Cozy” Genre
2023
Scott Pilgrim meets Guardians of the Galaxy with some Devil May Cry sprinkles is the best way to describe Hi-Fi Rush. This Action game oozes style in a way that I can't remember in a game sense Persona 5.
With a action gameplay focused around maintaining a rhythm is truely a wonderful surprise. Combat feels responsive and grows over the course of the game. Combos are straightforward swapping specials in and out is neat and tidy. The Boss Battles presented are wonderful and for the most part feel epic and unique each time.
This says nothing of the art direction which consistently held my attention throughout with the well written dialogue.
Tango came out of left field to deliver this fantastic addition to the Xbox Family. I'd say it's a must play for anyone with Gamepass at this point.
A single playthrough should run you 9-12 hours with replayability beyond that.
With a action gameplay focused around maintaining a rhythm is truely a wonderful surprise. Combat feels responsive and grows over the course of the game. Combos are straightforward swapping specials in and out is neat and tidy. The Boss Battles presented are wonderful and for the most part feel epic and unique each time.
This says nothing of the art direction which consistently held my attention throughout with the well written dialogue.
Tango came out of left field to deliver this fantastic addition to the Xbox Family. I'd say it's a must play for anyone with Gamepass at this point.
A single playthrough should run you 9-12 hours with replayability beyond that.
Man this is a game of ups and downs. Very cool ideas that are not implemented really well. Arguably one of the more unique mechanics in the series with the “disguise” mechanic and a unique setting that is never really explored upon again is ultimately wasted. Characters are largely uninteresting(more so because of performances, especially compared to Haythem in 3). Combat and movement mechanics are 95% identical to what you see in 3 but feel much less smooth.
Ultimately I’d have loved to see this team get the resources to make a full fledged game but I came out of the ending thinking this was mainly wasted potential.
Ultimately I’d have loved to see this team get the resources to make a full fledged game but I came out of the ending thinking this was mainly wasted potential.
2018
Playing this game on a mobile device almost feels like cheating. Bite sized battles with big sized gameplay loop addiction. Battles last 5 minutes in general and the rogue lite nature keeps you coming back to start other runs. One of the best games you can play on a mobile device.
If you have a netflix sub you get it as a free add on which is nice but I’d be willing to pay like 10 dollars for this game outside of that. Spending money on a game to play primarily on a phone is the biggest honor I can give it
If you have a netflix sub you get it as a free add on which is nice but I’d be willing to pay like 10 dollars for this game outside of that. Spending money on a game to play primarily on a phone is the biggest honor I can give it
Man this game is one that could have been something so special if it got a bit more time in the oven to bake. Presentation wise they have rebuilt this game up from the ground up with great cut scene performances and a beautiful art direction that really makes it feel like the 1930's that it should be. If you enjoy and type of Mafia based fiction you're going to enjoy the story, i'd say that in general the main three characters voice actors carry the performance(Namely Tommy and Paulie). I actually very much enjoyed the linear nature of the game where you have a mode to go freestyle in if you want but can otherwise knock through plot at your own pace.
The biggest issue I have with the game is usually around the control schemes when on foot. Shooting and movement feel clunky and imprecise. I avoided using half the available weapons in the game because they simply were not fun to utilize.
Which makes it all the more odd that driving for the most part felt great. Given these are older cars I gave them some leeway with the tightness of the handling on most of them but I had the most fun in this case when I was behind the wheel of a car.
Soundtrack was pleasant but didn't offer anything that will likely stick with me past this weekend of play.
Playthough via golden path was around 10-12 hours.
Only other piece of note is the game runs at 30FPS.
The biggest issue I have with the game is usually around the control schemes when on foot. Shooting and movement feel clunky and imprecise. I avoided using half the available weapons in the game because they simply were not fun to utilize.
Which makes it all the more odd that driving for the most part felt great. Given these are older cars I gave them some leeway with the tightness of the handling on most of them but I had the most fun in this case when I was behind the wheel of a car.
Soundtrack was pleasant but didn't offer anything that will likely stick with me past this weekend of play.
Playthough via golden path was around 10-12 hours.
Only other piece of note is the game runs at 30FPS.