The unique mechanics of crafting a potion in this game are what I love the most and what leaves such a strong impression for me. Seeing the path each ingredient traces over the alchemy map, the discovery of new effects, it is something truly special and for that alone I think it is worth to check out this game. But then you add everything else and it is just not quite there.

It feels like even though they released 1.0 the game is not quite ready, and the extensive roadmap they published shortly after release kind of reinforces the sentiment. Haggling with merchants and clients becomes more annoying than fun very early and getting ingredients rely a lot on RNG.

The Alchemy Machine is an idea that has potential, but right now it just feels like a time/resource sink that isn't fun. It starts by already taking a long time until the merchant decides to sell you parts and recipes for it, and then it requires a good number of crazy potions that while adding challenge to figure out how to brew, it also introduces problems by requiring you to waste so many ingredients and time to ever use again. It feels exaggerated to the point you don't want to interact with it.

As I opened the review with, I love the act of crafting the potion, but then the game starts to demand a lot of time and it just feels like you are spinning your wheels and not making meaningful progress, there is a constant feeling that you are ready for the next thing and the game holds you into the same place for some time. I'll definitely be checking out further updates and I think it is very much worth it to put a few hours into it just because the crafting is so unique, but right now it demands too much to see everything it has to offer.

Great roguelikes know your best weapon to advance is knowledge and Stacklands very much uses the element of discovery in its favor. Each new idea on how to mix and match the resource cards at your disposal makes things you struggled with at the start become merely a simple step towards a bigger and more complex future.

Even though I enjoy the build up of knowledge, I get a lot of friction from how some things progress. For example building a huge stack of sheds to increase the card limit, it isn't hard but it feels annoying.

Discovering how Stacklands works is great and I enjoyed exploring some of the first steps, unlocking all the packs and many ideas, but sometimes the chaotic nature of creatures and some more repetitive chores to keep the board in working condition do exhaust me a bit, so I'm moving on.

One of those games where there is nothing really wrong, but there is this feeling something isn't quite right and you end up with a shallow and unrewarding experience.

I feel like the puzzles are simplistic to the point in which you can see the solution at a glance, but then the game can't hide the chore of actually executing the solution, feels like a lot of walking for something you figured out instantly.

One of the things it has going for it is the attempt to be a musical. It feels like it could shine more if the gameplay actually supported it more. Musically and visually the game is in general very pleasant, it just can't carry the whole experience.

I had played most of the variants while playing Zachtronics games, but there were still a few games I skipped and there was a brand new one so I had to try this.

Fortune's Foundation which is the new variant is ruthless, very very hard, but extremely satisfying to get a win. Sawayama (from Last Call BBS) and Shenzhen (from Shenzhen I/O) are among my other most liked, they are similar to the usual "Windows" patience, but they work really well.

I enjoyed Sigmar's Garden (from Opus Magnum) more in the past, here it doesn't compare too favorably I think, but it is the most unique one. Cribbage (from Möbius Front) is one I didn't play, and I didn't really vibe with it, but it is also one of the more unique takes.

Kabufuda (from Eliza), Cluj (from Molek-Syntez) and Proletariat (from Exapunks) are all fun too, if a bit similar to each other, they still have their own twists.

Even if you played all the past games, Fortune's Foundation is very much worth it, and having all the options in the same package also feels good when you can take a break and relax on the easier ones, instead of diving into an intense round of harder variants.

Trying to organize my thoughts about the game is harder than organizing the puzzles in it.

In general I think the puzzles are fun to solve, and there are some good highlights around chapter 3, but it also has some big lows with puzzles with pixel perfect positioning (I'm looking at the tomato sauce cans) and just weird stuff when divining the developers intent becomes the bigger puzzle.

I could live without almost everything in chapter 5. But I guess if you really like cats the last sections works best, didn't do much for me though.

You could say the perfectionist inside me loves the concept of A Little to the Left, but then it also has trouble fitting everything neatly when there are some rough edges and extra bits that don't feel like they belong here.

Psychonauts 2 follows the adventure and platforming mix of the first game, but while in the first I consider the adventure roots stronger, in the new entry I'd say the platforming is a lot more robust and the adventure portion is brought back in the strong narrative and less in the gameplay.

Basically everything in your moveset is better this time around and the levels have a much more fluid pacing even with a lot of narrative going on. You can notice how they wanted to interrupt you less when even the emotional baggage animation was reduced for the sequel.

And even though it feels like the game interrupts you less, the narrative is still such a strong part of this experience, that I think playing the first game is a must to fully enjoy what is happening here. Also, I love how they kept the clairvoyance skill showing how people see you, because it is one of my favorite "hidden storytelling" points.

After so many years it is easy to imagine expectations for a sequel are insurmountable, but with levels that are a joy to play and a narrative that weaves such a big number of threads, Psychonauts 2 delivers a masterpiece that absolutely stuck the landing.

I'm about to say some mean things about a game that I feel is still very good, but I can't help but feel disappointed because I expected something different.

A lot of complaints about the second game point to the mission structure, and while here you don't have a mission select menu I feel like each floor feels even more segmented as a mission and disconnected from the whole. With the second game there was still a sense of discovery at the new areas you got to explore in each mission, and a progression that felt connected. In this game you barely get to feel any sense of exploration as each floor plays mostly as a linear mission to the boss and you don't experience anything else in that space again, just taking the elevator to the next set of rooms (Don't even try to bring up the Polterkitty).

Also in the pursuit of a bigger, more complex game Luigi's moveset is expanded with too many similar possibilities. Let's suppose there is an object you need to break or open, you'll have five moves that could potentially be the solution:

1 - Interact directly with it with the X button
2 - Use the Poltergust to vacuum it and open
3 - Use the Suction Shot and pull it open
4 - Use the Burst and send an air wave to break it
5 - Throw something bigger/harder at it to break

Sometimes puzzles need one of these specific moves and nothing else works, some trial and error ends up happening and you can get somewhat stuck for things that just lack a visual clarity in what it requires.

I feel both prior games achieve better results being simpler games, but it is hard to be a big budget game and not just be bigger to justify the price or even it's existence. Luigi's Mansion 3 is a gorgeous game, it has many unique bosses and many environments to see, but if I ever decide to replay any games in the series, I'll certainly favor the first two.

While still as fun to drive in as any additional map would be, I feel there is something missing to really complete the package, and it would mostly be more LEGO.

Not every new car is LEGO, they already add very few new cars with each expansion, and even unlocking some of the few choices requires playing a lot of the expansion, which limits your possibilities if you just want play with LEGO cars.

In general the map and races feel uninspired (a lot of mirror A to B, B to A races), and collectables that appear only at night or when raining AND are only unlocked deep into the expansion make for an uneven experience, that is still good, but could be much better.

Two new mechanics were introduced with this expansion. The first, Trailblazers, are a new activity which makes real good use of the open world nature in Horizon, you have a start and finish, but how you drive between them is completely up to you. The second, Treasure Hunts, are forgettable, but fun. In the end, both went on to become main features in the sequel.

The rough map is interesting but I feel that aside from trailblazers it doesn't play a large role. Dirt racing still feels like it could use more emphasis, some areas feel underexplored just because there are no roads.

The expansion delivers an extension of what the base game did with some added wilderness, and left an impact with substantial new experiences that went on to become the norm. In retrospect, Fortune Island is an important step in the Forza Horizon franchise.

You just turned on this game and you are thrown into the best video game intro of all time, an intro that absolutely sets the tone: amazing, high action racing with wild stuff all around, this is the Horizon Festival.

The intro presents what is probably the best new feature, the seasons, and gives you a taste of road and dirt racing, and you can already feel how good it is to actually play, it really encapsulates the game, a game that also delivers on all the hype the intro creates.

I'm writing this after already playing Forza Horizon 5, so I feel it would be unfair to write all the stuff that is better in the sequel, I just want to highlight how it is even today a very fun game that stands on its own.

Battle Chasers is a game I would probably like at a different point in time. It has a lot of systems that reward exploring every place, fighting a lot of enemies and even replaying dungeons, but the problem is being willing to spend the time.

One of the systems I love is the bestiary, aside from recording the monsters you defeat, it grants bonuses for defeating many of them. The systems I don't like generally revolve around items, it tries to be Diablo without going all the way and ends up being unrewarding and sometimes even pointless.

The art is beautiful, the character designs are cool, and the world map in particular is quite nice to look at and navigate, if anything the art makes me want to play the game more than the actual gameplay.

I wish the game moved more quickly, benched party members don't get XP, item progression feels bad, and after playing for 18 hours I feel like I got what I came for, I don't need to see the finish line.

I can't help but feel drawn by the fact the protagonist gets a music player as his heart, I feel like that is the spirit of the game and it pulls off a fantastic rhythmic experience.

Hi-Fi Rush is a fairly traditional character action game, you get your light and heavy attack and multiple combos, but it then adds the rhythm layer that truly changes how you feel it. Timing your combos to the beat, seeing everything around move at the same tempo, you become entranced in the action and when you pull off incredible moves it feels immensely satisfying.

This is also further energized by the art style and animations that are vibrant and extremely polished. Cutscenes also match the beat and pump you up even more for the fight that is about to come.

Sometimes there can be a feeling of "too much noise" and it is hard to judge attacks from enemies off screen, and lengthy stages can be a bit exhausting to play, but these are very minor annoyances for me compared to the overall package.

If you, as the protagonist, also have a heart that beats with rhythm, you'll get the rush.