HumanVulture
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Loddlenaut
2023
(Received in Humble Bundle’s May Humble Choice)
Packed with charm and adorable pixel 3D graphics, Loddlenaut is a short-but-sweet aquatic adventure into a contaminated ocean planet. Taking the shoes of a nameless, faceless astronaut, the player is tasked with cleaning up after a megacorporation who had contaminated the planet with their careless and wasteful research. Pick up litter, clear up strange goo, and dispose of microplastics to make the planet a safer place for its native species; vaguely axolotl-shaped creatures named Loddles, who can be fed, played with, petted, and grown into unique “evolutions” which depend on their diet. Along the way, the player will pick up scraps of information about why the corporation left the planet in this state, and what led to the collapse of the research operation.
I had a great time with Loddlenaut. It’s very short – only 6 hours to reach 100% completion – and the perfect kind of game for a cooldown after completing a particularly tough title. I particularly enjoyed turning the litter into resources for upgrades; it was incredibly satisfying to empty out my inventory into the recyclers. The upgrades themselves were paced very well, in my opinion. They’re unlocked at a speed that doesn’t render the latter half of the game too easy, but doesn’t leave you crawling through the first half at a snail’s pace, either. Incredibly well done. I also very much enjoyed the story and grew to love the disgruntled man on the comms system. In a game with so little character interaction, his presence was definitely appreciated; I’ve picked up several aquatic titles this year, so I know all too well the isolating landscape of the ocean. Speaking of the landscape, it got quite tedious moving back and forth between the new biomes and the Home Cove. As fast travel is only unlocked once you complete a biome, inventory management becomes an absolute nightmare in the later biomes, where you have to travel even further to recycle all of your litter. That is pretty much my only complaint when it comes to the game’s mechanics, though.
Overall, Loddlenaut is charming, relaxing, and plunges you into an unfamiliar world with kindness, as opposed to other games with similar settings. The game would definitely benefit from slightly more content – though I know the game is intended to be short. I found myself quite sad to leave the planet at the end, even though there was no more work I could possibly do. Maybe we’ll get a DLC someday, in which we tackle another area of the planet? Who knows, but if we do, I’ll absolutely be first to play it.
6.5/10
Packed with charm and adorable pixel 3D graphics, Loddlenaut is a short-but-sweet aquatic adventure into a contaminated ocean planet. Taking the shoes of a nameless, faceless astronaut, the player is tasked with cleaning up after a megacorporation who had contaminated the planet with their careless and wasteful research. Pick up litter, clear up strange goo, and dispose of microplastics to make the planet a safer place for its native species; vaguely axolotl-shaped creatures named Loddles, who can be fed, played with, petted, and grown into unique “evolutions” which depend on their diet. Along the way, the player will pick up scraps of information about why the corporation left the planet in this state, and what led to the collapse of the research operation.
I had a great time with Loddlenaut. It’s very short – only 6 hours to reach 100% completion – and the perfect kind of game for a cooldown after completing a particularly tough title. I particularly enjoyed turning the litter into resources for upgrades; it was incredibly satisfying to empty out my inventory into the recyclers. The upgrades themselves were paced very well, in my opinion. They’re unlocked at a speed that doesn’t render the latter half of the game too easy, but doesn’t leave you crawling through the first half at a snail’s pace, either. Incredibly well done. I also very much enjoyed the story and grew to love the disgruntled man on the comms system. In a game with so little character interaction, his presence was definitely appreciated; I’ve picked up several aquatic titles this year, so I know all too well the isolating landscape of the ocean. Speaking of the landscape, it got quite tedious moving back and forth between the new biomes and the Home Cove. As fast travel is only unlocked once you complete a biome, inventory management becomes an absolute nightmare in the later biomes, where you have to travel even further to recycle all of your litter. That is pretty much my only complaint when it comes to the game’s mechanics, though.
Overall, Loddlenaut is charming, relaxing, and plunges you into an unfamiliar world with kindness, as opposed to other games with similar settings. The game would definitely benefit from slightly more content – though I know the game is intended to be short. I found myself quite sad to leave the planet at the end, even though there was no more work I could possibly do. Maybe we’ll get a DLC someday, in which we tackle another area of the planet? Who knows, but if we do, I’ll absolutely be first to play it.
6.5/10
Loddlenaut
2023
Could use a bit more content and some quality-of-life changes with managing the loddles, but this was a nice relaxing game.
Loddlenaut
2023
Cute little ocean cleaning game that makes for an enjoyable 3+ hours of relaxation.
+ satisfying trash collection and recycling with well-paced upgrades
+ clean pixel graphics
- shallow gameplay loop that wouldn't support an extended playtime
- somewhat lifeless environments aside from the few adorable animals
+ satisfying trash collection and recycling with well-paced upgrades
+ clean pixel graphics
- shallow gameplay loop that wouldn't support an extended playtime
- somewhat lifeless environments aside from the few adorable animals
Loddlenaut
2023
Fun and cute environmentalist game. I wished that there had been more depth (pun intended) to many of the mechanics though, especially caring for the loddles. Given that they're in the title, I assumed doing things with the loddles would be a central part of the game. However, they often feel like an afterthought. It feels like there isn't any meaningful reason to interact with them after you've cleaned them unless you want to 100% the achievements.
This game is currently in the Humble Choice for May 2024, and this is part of my coverage of the bundle. If you are interested in the game and it's before June 4th, 2024, consider picking up the game as part of the current monthly bundle.
The JRPG edition
This is the sixth title in the Yakuza series on Humble Monthly or Choice, but I’ll repeat it all, this is one of my favorite series. This game has a deadly serious story, with light-hearted side stories, g. Great characters, an interesting city, and great pacing. Every game is entertaining and they all have a ton of content.
Like a Dragon though is a bit different. This time instead of Kiryu Kazuma, we follow Ichiban Kasuga. He is almost a drop-in replacement at times, but that works. However he sees the entire world as an RPG and thus instead of a brawler, the combat is now a turn-based RPG. I wasn’t sure if this would work, but it does.
Still, I feel like this is almost a leftover story from the original game at times. This feels a little longer than the original games, and honestly, I prefer the brawler combat to the RPG, not that I hate this, but if you dislike turn-based RPGs, this probably won’t change your mind, even though everything else is perfect.
Pick this up if you’re a fan of the series or a fan of JRPGs. I do mean that for JRPG fans, outside of Yakuza 0, this is the best game to start with, and if you love JRPGs, this will be excellent. This is truly one of my favorite series, and this was a breath of fresh air for it.
If you enjoyed this review or want to know what I think of other games in the bundle, check out the full review on or subscribe to my Youtube channel: https://youtu.be/jybN_eME28o
The JRPG edition
This is the sixth title in the Yakuza series on Humble Monthly or Choice, but I’ll repeat it all, this is one of my favorite series. This game has a deadly serious story, with light-hearted side stories, g. Great characters, an interesting city, and great pacing. Every game is entertaining and they all have a ton of content.
Like a Dragon though is a bit different. This time instead of Kiryu Kazuma, we follow Ichiban Kasuga. He is almost a drop-in replacement at times, but that works. However he sees the entire world as an RPG and thus instead of a brawler, the combat is now a turn-based RPG. I wasn’t sure if this would work, but it does.
Still, I feel like this is almost a leftover story from the original game at times. This feels a little longer than the original games, and honestly, I prefer the brawler combat to the RPG, not that I hate this, but if you dislike turn-based RPGs, this probably won’t change your mind, even though everything else is perfect.
Pick this up if you’re a fan of the series or a fan of JRPGs. I do mean that for JRPG fans, outside of Yakuza 0, this is the best game to start with, and if you love JRPGs, this will be excellent. This is truly one of my favorite series, and this was a breath of fresh air for it.
If you enjoyed this review or want to know what I think of other games in the bundle, check out the full review on or subscribe to my Youtube channel: https://youtu.be/jybN_eME28o
Hi-Fi Rush
2023
This game is currently in the Humble Choice for May 2024, and this is part of my coverage of the bundle. If you are interested in the game and it's before June 4th, 2024, consider picking up the game as part of the current monthly bundle.
A rhythm game where every department understood the assignment.
Hi-Fi Rush is a visual pleasure, even without the sound you should be able to follow along, and that’s because everything in this game works off the beat. The art, the music, the design, the combat. Even the enemy attacks are all timed well. Yet while that means it’s a rhythm game, you don’t need a great sense of rhythm to play through it. Easy and Normal won’t require it, but if people are fans of rhythm games, they can go far deeper, with scoring systems like Devil May Cry, or Bayonetta.
What’s not as good. Hmmm, that’s a hard one. I guess the graphical style might not be to everyone's taste. The music is pre-selected, so you can’t choose your tracks. The humor, which is well done, might upset people who don’t like to laugh. Honestly, not much, this was an excellent game.
Pick this up… No qualifiers, people should check this game out. It was my favorite game of last year. This is that fresh new game with a real budget behind it that everyone is looking for but no one can find. It’s right here.
If you enjoyed this review or want to know what I think of other games in the bundle, check out the full review on or subscribe to my Youtube channel: https://youtu.be/jybN_eME28o
A rhythm game where every department understood the assignment.
Hi-Fi Rush is a visual pleasure, even without the sound you should be able to follow along, and that’s because everything in this game works off the beat. The art, the music, the design, the combat. Even the enemy attacks are all timed well. Yet while that means it’s a rhythm game, you don’t need a great sense of rhythm to play through it. Easy and Normal won’t require it, but if people are fans of rhythm games, they can go far deeper, with scoring systems like Devil May Cry, or Bayonetta.
What’s not as good. Hmmm, that’s a hard one. I guess the graphical style might not be to everyone's taste. The music is pre-selected, so you can’t choose your tracks. The humor, which is well done, might upset people who don’t like to laugh. Honestly, not much, this was an excellent game.
Pick this up… No qualifiers, people should check this game out. It was my favorite game of last year. This is that fresh new game with a real budget behind it that everyone is looking for but no one can find. It’s right here.
If you enjoyed this review or want to know what I think of other games in the bundle, check out the full review on or subscribe to my Youtube channel: https://youtu.be/jybN_eME28o
Steelrising
2022
This game is currently in the Humble Choice for May 2024, and this is part of my coverage of the bundle. If you are interested in the game and it's before June 4th, 2024, consider picking up the game as part of the current monthly bundle.
Dark Souls with Marie Antionette
Steelrising has some interesting thoughts. Marie Antoinette is decrying the French Revolution. Though in this universe King Louie has created automats, basically clockwork robots. Marie has her own loyal version, Aeris, controlled by the player. Steelrising starts with this interesting concept, however, once you choose your archetype and start the game there are French influences, but so far it’s another Dark Souls Game. There are great choices for the Art Design and the combat feels fluid.
Well mostly, the dodge is more of a side step that never feels as good as a full tumble. Overall this is a game trying to not be like other Souls-Likes so you have stuff like a massive jump but lack the weight and feeling of a Souls-like Combat, it’s being different but different isn’t exactly better in this case.
Pick this up if you’re a fan of Souls-like and want a B-Tier entry. You can also look at the other games Spiders, the studio behind this, has made. That includes games like Greedfall and Of Orcs and Men. They’re interesting concepts but overall I don’t think they are the top-tier games people will be raving about. Still, it’s a Souls-like.
If you enjoyed this review or want to know what I think of other games in the bundle, check out the full review on or subscribe to my Youtube channel: https://youtu.be/jybN_eME28o
Dark Souls with Marie Antionette
Steelrising has some interesting thoughts. Marie Antoinette is decrying the French Revolution. Though in this universe King Louie has created automats, basically clockwork robots. Marie has her own loyal version, Aeris, controlled by the player. Steelrising starts with this interesting concept, however, once you choose your archetype and start the game there are French influences, but so far it’s another Dark Souls Game. There are great choices for the Art Design and the combat feels fluid.
Well mostly, the dodge is more of a side step that never feels as good as a full tumble. Overall this is a game trying to not be like other Souls-Likes so you have stuff like a massive jump but lack the weight and feeling of a Souls-like Combat, it’s being different but different isn’t exactly better in this case.
Pick this up if you’re a fan of Souls-like and want a B-Tier entry. You can also look at the other games Spiders, the studio behind this, has made. That includes games like Greedfall and Of Orcs and Men. They’re interesting concepts but overall I don’t think they are the top-tier games people will be raving about. Still, it’s a Souls-like.
If you enjoyed this review or want to know what I think of other games in the bundle, check out the full review on or subscribe to my Youtube channel: https://youtu.be/jybN_eME28o
Loddlenaut
2023
This game is currently in the Humble Choice for May 2024, and this is part of my coverage of the bundle. If you are interested in the game and it's before June 4th, 2024, consider picking up the game as part of the current monthly bundle.
I wish cleaning the ocean was this fun.
Loddlenauts is just a chill game. You swim in the ocean, blast away pollutants, clean up microplastics, and find Loddle, essentially a cute fish friend who you can help out. There’s a large world with sunken ships, large reefs, and interesting locations to find, as well as challenges and a ton of stuff to clean up.
However there’s not a lot of danger or challenge from what I have seen, it’s overall a pretty chill game. Even when I went the wrong way, the game pretty much says “Your goal is not that way, but go explore if you want”. The cleaning will be repetitive to some, but there are a lot of games like this that work in the same way. Think Powerwash simulator for something similar but this is far cuter.
Pick this up if you want to just enjoy swimming in the water or exploring the deep. This will work great with young children, but even adults need a game to unwind with. Not everything can be about shooting baddies, sometimes just picking up a little plastic and turning it into a new device you’ve been needing is what works, and that’s what Loddlenauts has.
If you enjoyed this review or want to know what I think of other games in the bundle, check out the full review on or subscribe to my Youtube channel: https://youtu.be/jybN_eME28o
I wish cleaning the ocean was this fun.
Loddlenauts is just a chill game. You swim in the ocean, blast away pollutants, clean up microplastics, and find Loddle, essentially a cute fish friend who you can help out. There’s a large world with sunken ships, large reefs, and interesting locations to find, as well as challenges and a ton of stuff to clean up.
However there’s not a lot of danger or challenge from what I have seen, it’s overall a pretty chill game. Even when I went the wrong way, the game pretty much says “Your goal is not that way, but go explore if you want”. The cleaning will be repetitive to some, but there are a lot of games like this that work in the same way. Think Powerwash simulator for something similar but this is far cuter.
Pick this up if you want to just enjoy swimming in the water or exploring the deep. This will work great with young children, but even adults need a game to unwind with. Not everything can be about shooting baddies, sometimes just picking up a little plastic and turning it into a new device you’ve been needing is what works, and that’s what Loddlenauts has.
If you enjoyed this review or want to know what I think of other games in the bundle, check out the full review on or subscribe to my Youtube channel: https://youtu.be/jybN_eME28o
King of the Castle
2023
This game is currently in the Humble Choice for May 2024, and this is part of my coverage of the bundle. If you are interested in the game and it's before June 4th, 2024, consider picking up the game as part of the current monthly bundle.
It’s good to be the King.
King of the Castle is a good social party game. The main player is the Monarch, and everyone else is randomly assigned to three factions, I believe it evens off the numbers. From there the goal for each faction is to take out the king, and the king to hold off the factions until his heir is secured to take the throne next.
All of this is done through rounds and each team has several goals they need to accomplish to advance their schemes or push for a rebellion. Almost everything is done through voting, though only one copy of the game is needed. Twitch chat, or a website is used for players who want to play along, and it allows people to join in the middle of the game.
On the other hand, I was lucky that I was playing this on stream, because this requires four players, and we ended up with 7, the larger the better. Because only one game is needed, this is probably something you can just check out on Twitch to get a better feel of the game. The games are a bit long and involved. Players will probably need two or three games to feel comfortable about what they’re doing.
I will say though I had fun with it, our story ended up with one of the players, Selvage, being killed, I as the monarch married one of their female family members, and then we killed off the second version of Selvage’s character. I almost feel bad about it, but it was an entertaining storyline, and organic.
Pick this up if you’re a streamer, or have a large group of people that want to play something. However, this game does take a long time. I would say you could burn through multiple games of different Jack Box games before one game of this was over, and since this requires a larger number of players, Jack Box might be preferable.
If you enjoyed this review or want to know what I think of other games in the bundle, check out the full review on or subscribe to my Youtube channel: https://youtu.be/jybN_eME28o
It’s good to be the King.
King of the Castle is a good social party game. The main player is the Monarch, and everyone else is randomly assigned to three factions, I believe it evens off the numbers. From there the goal for each faction is to take out the king, and the king to hold off the factions until his heir is secured to take the throne next.
All of this is done through rounds and each team has several goals they need to accomplish to advance their schemes or push for a rebellion. Almost everything is done through voting, though only one copy of the game is needed. Twitch chat, or a website is used for players who want to play along, and it allows people to join in the middle of the game.
On the other hand, I was lucky that I was playing this on stream, because this requires four players, and we ended up with 7, the larger the better. Because only one game is needed, this is probably something you can just check out on Twitch to get a better feel of the game. The games are a bit long and involved. Players will probably need two or three games to feel comfortable about what they’re doing.
I will say though I had fun with it, our story ended up with one of the players, Selvage, being killed, I as the monarch married one of their female family members, and then we killed off the second version of Selvage’s character. I almost feel bad about it, but it was an entertaining storyline, and organic.
Pick this up if you’re a streamer, or have a large group of people that want to play something. However, this game does take a long time. I would say you could burn through multiple games of different Jack Box games before one game of this was over, and since this requires a larger number of players, Jack Box might be preferable.
If you enjoyed this review or want to know what I think of other games in the bundle, check out the full review on or subscribe to my Youtube channel: https://youtu.be/jybN_eME28o
Bravery and Greed
2022
This game is currently in the Humble Choice for May 2024, and this is part of my coverage of the bundle. If you are interested in the game and it's before June 4th, 2024, consider picking up the game as part of the current monthly bundle.
This is great as long as you don’t know one fact.
Bravery and Greed feels like a Beat ‘Em Up. It allows up to four players to play couch co-op or online and players will fight through five levels exploring randomly generated areas, and beating four bosses, to earn gems that unlock the fifth level promising a Dwarven treasure horde. I was able to run through the game in an hour, and it worked.
The missing fact however is this is intended to be a rogue-lite, and I’ve always wondered how it feels if someone beats a rogue-lite on the first playthrough. Now that I have done that I know It’s not a good thing. This game is extremely easy, and maybe I had the luckiest gear ever, but ultimately, I beat the game in an hour. While I unlocked additional items in the game and potentially some modifiers, I beat the game. I don’t see a reason to return.
Pick this up if you want to play a beat ‘em up rogue-lite with several friends. It was entertaining for the hour but I was also shocked at how easy I found it. There are other classes, so maybe there’s more challenge but I honestly don’t see a reason to return.
If you enjoyed this review or want to know what I think of other games in the bundle, check out the full review on or subscribe to my Youtube channel: https://youtu.be/jybN_eME28o
This is great as long as you don’t know one fact.
Bravery and Greed feels like a Beat ‘Em Up. It allows up to four players to play couch co-op or online and players will fight through five levels exploring randomly generated areas, and beating four bosses, to earn gems that unlock the fifth level promising a Dwarven treasure horde. I was able to run through the game in an hour, and it worked.
The missing fact however is this is intended to be a rogue-lite, and I’ve always wondered how it feels if someone beats a rogue-lite on the first playthrough. Now that I have done that I know It’s not a good thing. This game is extremely easy, and maybe I had the luckiest gear ever, but ultimately, I beat the game in an hour. While I unlocked additional items in the game and potentially some modifiers, I beat the game. I don’t see a reason to return.
Pick this up if you want to play a beat ‘em up rogue-lite with several friends. It was entertaining for the hour but I was also shocked at how easy I found it. There are other classes, so maybe there’s more challenge but I honestly don’t see a reason to return.
If you enjoyed this review or want to know what I think of other games in the bundle, check out the full review on or subscribe to my Youtube channel: https://youtu.be/jybN_eME28o