Klaustrix
BACKER
2018
As someone who thought Darksiders 2 was a downgrade from the first game, 3 came as even more of a disappointment. At this point the pattern is clear - the developers are more interested in mimicking other games than really finding a voice of their own. They got lucky with 1, overconfident with 2, and 3 proves they're just being lazy.
This time around the gameplay is cribbing Dark Souls - and that's according to the developer. The combat returns to hack and slash mechanics but the souls influence means damage is volatile. The game wants you to make use of evades and counters which do more damage, but enemies also have large HP pools so every fight turns into a slow slog.
If you try to combo enemies block so you're stuck in the position of playing this anger fuelled character who can't be pro-active in combat and you get punished for trying. This also means Fury comes off as strangely weak and fragile, and don't get me started on the contradictions in her development. Speaking of the story, it ends up being even more filler that throws empty twists and needless turns in that make no sense.
As for gameplay there are a few weapons but none of them are better than the whip so expect to use that the entire time. Most of the movement has been stripped out besides swinging with the whip (what a cop out). The power ups are now just 4 elements each of which let you solve one or two types of puzzle and each puzzle is the same every time. Every environment is the same usual brown, green, and grey boring setting from the past game, as all the colour is now in Fury's hair.
I gave up on this one around the time you get to the scar. It's such a boring and slow paced game that I truly lost any interest in the conclusion. The only message at the core of this game is mixed messaging and trying to create something without having to actually put anything unique in themselves. To think this is where it ended up after such a strong start. Disappointing.
This time around the gameplay is cribbing Dark Souls - and that's according to the developer. The combat returns to hack and slash mechanics but the souls influence means damage is volatile. The game wants you to make use of evades and counters which do more damage, but enemies also have large HP pools so every fight turns into a slow slog.
If you try to combo enemies block so you're stuck in the position of playing this anger fuelled character who can't be pro-active in combat and you get punished for trying. This also means Fury comes off as strangely weak and fragile, and don't get me started on the contradictions in her development. Speaking of the story, it ends up being even more filler that throws empty twists and needless turns in that make no sense.
As for gameplay there are a few weapons but none of them are better than the whip so expect to use that the entire time. Most of the movement has been stripped out besides swinging with the whip (what a cop out). The power ups are now just 4 elements each of which let you solve one or two types of puzzle and each puzzle is the same every time. Every environment is the same usual brown, green, and grey boring setting from the past game, as all the colour is now in Fury's hair.
I gave up on this one around the time you get to the scar. It's such a boring and slow paced game that I truly lost any interest in the conclusion. The only message at the core of this game is mixed messaging and trying to create something without having to actually put anything unique in themselves. To think this is where it ended up after such a strong start. Disappointing.
Darksiders set a high bar for 3D puzzle platformers so it's a shame how badly the sequel drops the ball by implementing a lot of features that really didn't need to be here. The game tries to do everything bigger but fails to do anything better.
The story is more cinematic but feels like one gigantic side quest that has nothing to do with the 'trial of the horsemen'. Along the way everyone calls War's actions into question but this is trite as playing the first game gives you all that information so it forever feels like Death is the only one not in on the joke. Not to mention how boring the areas you adventure through are - from desaturated warcraft forest, to dusty undead world, to frosted ice castle - every environment is a high definition snore fest of browns, greys, and greens.
The world is bigger to accommodate the cinematic style which gives it less structure and doesn't utilise the space nearly as well as the previous game. Weapons and armour now drop from enemies with random stats and levels instead of a tightly designed set of equipment. Combat has more focus on extended combos but enemy health pools have been expanded so the fights drag on longer than needed.
Enemies are far more generic, lack any real tactics besides dodging their uninterruptable attacks. There are however big enemies now, because I guess that's playing into the cinematic angle again but don't be fooled, they're just hit point buckets to churn through like everything else.
Instead of just getting a tightly designed set of abilities, you get drip fed a bunch of upgrades and minor powers via the skill tree. Dungeons are massive lifeless grindy tombs and the extra space means the excess puzzles need to overuse the local gimmick. While there are more boss fights each one is also a lazy and uninspired affair. The bosses were previously given a bit of narrative setup and fanfare but now they appear abruptly and barely matter. Some are even straight up rip offs of the bosses from other games.
The new mobility options of wall running, climbing, and wall jumps are one of the few breaths of fresh air in this game. And Death's faster speed is a welcome change to War's plodding pace that makes the platforming feel fresh and more varied, one of the few things to make proper use of the larger space as the platforming sections can be longer and more interesting.
Overall it feels like this game was made by a team who really wanted to make an MMO - from the huge open areas, ability scores, stated loot, skill trees, dungeons that feel like instances... none of it feels appropriate for a hack and slash action adventure. Between the dwarf race and the fantasy realms it feels like they were trying to live out some kind of Warcraft fantasy.
The game does play fine but so much of this game feels like it was made wrong. An objective downgrade from the previous title and taking the place of serviceable filler.
The story is more cinematic but feels like one gigantic side quest that has nothing to do with the 'trial of the horsemen'. Along the way everyone calls War's actions into question but this is trite as playing the first game gives you all that information so it forever feels like Death is the only one not in on the joke. Not to mention how boring the areas you adventure through are - from desaturated warcraft forest, to dusty undead world, to frosted ice castle - every environment is a high definition snore fest of browns, greys, and greens.
The world is bigger to accommodate the cinematic style which gives it less structure and doesn't utilise the space nearly as well as the previous game. Weapons and armour now drop from enemies with random stats and levels instead of a tightly designed set of equipment. Combat has more focus on extended combos but enemy health pools have been expanded so the fights drag on longer than needed.
Enemies are far more generic, lack any real tactics besides dodging their uninterruptable attacks. There are however big enemies now, because I guess that's playing into the cinematic angle again but don't be fooled, they're just hit point buckets to churn through like everything else.
Instead of just getting a tightly designed set of abilities, you get drip fed a bunch of upgrades and minor powers via the skill tree. Dungeons are massive lifeless grindy tombs and the extra space means the excess puzzles need to overuse the local gimmick. While there are more boss fights each one is also a lazy and uninspired affair. The bosses were previously given a bit of narrative setup and fanfare but now they appear abruptly and barely matter. Some are even straight up rip offs of the bosses from other games.
The new mobility options of wall running, climbing, and wall jumps are one of the few breaths of fresh air in this game. And Death's faster speed is a welcome change to War's plodding pace that makes the platforming feel fresh and more varied, one of the few things to make proper use of the larger space as the platforming sections can be longer and more interesting.
Overall it feels like this game was made by a team who really wanted to make an MMO - from the huge open areas, ability scores, stated loot, skill trees, dungeons that feel like instances... none of it feels appropriate for a hack and slash action adventure. Between the dwarf race and the fantasy realms it feels like they were trying to live out some kind of Warcraft fantasy.
The game does play fine but so much of this game feels like it was made wrong. An objective downgrade from the previous title and taking the place of serviceable filler.
A solidly designed zelda-like that offers robust 3D combat, platforming, and a variety of environmental puzzles. The game has all the trademark gaming tropes of 2010 but stands as a testament to their well rounded implementation creating a rich well-crafted gaming experience that uses the whole cow.
The hack and slash gameplay gives you an interesting variety of weapons and attacks that have a hefty satisfying feel as you pummel enemies and smash up the environment with moves that really emphasise War's bulky strength. There's a ton of enemies to churn through but thankfully the God of War/DMC style combos, dashes, grabs, and finishers don't grow old with the later unlocks add new life to the combat throughout. Enemies are also well designed with a good variety of tactics and defences that force you to make full use of your weapons and attacks.
The areas are linear by today's standards but they have an openness that still feels like you have plenty of room for exploration. This is complimented by the movement options which include wall climbing, double jump and glide, horse riding, and later on the portal tool gives you access to distant and hidden corners. This was a time when they were maximising use of the limited space available.
Many of the gadgets you collect are primarily for solving puzzles but they also assist in combat as ranged weapons, or for repositioning adding further depth to the hefty combat system. The puzzles grow in complexity and the first tools remain in use up to the end of the game as mechanics are layered and woven together in later dungeons without feeling like it gets overdesigned.
Gameplay is mixed up between the usual free roaming exploration in the overworld, the interior dungeon levels that grant new tools/weapons ending with a boss fight, on rails shooter sections, and artillery style shooting gallery sections. This kind of gameplay variety wasn't as common and set the standard for a lot of this 3D action platformer style gameplay going forward.
This is one of those games that just implements everything with such fine tuning. It's a best in genre and a rare case of doing Zelda gameplay better than some of the Zelda games did. The combat, dungeons, puzzles, and bosses are fun, interesting, and make use of all the gear. The overworld is littered with its own puzzles and mysteries to unravel. The animation really puts war's heft and weight into every action, and the cartoony art style doesn't distract from the over-the-top spectacles of the angels, demons, and monsters you fight along the way.
A rare case of excellent design, fun setting, and great visuals. The music isn't very memorable however and the story is a bit convoluted, but those are small flaws in a well crafted game.
The hack and slash gameplay gives you an interesting variety of weapons and attacks that have a hefty satisfying feel as you pummel enemies and smash up the environment with moves that really emphasise War's bulky strength. There's a ton of enemies to churn through but thankfully the God of War/DMC style combos, dashes, grabs, and finishers don't grow old with the later unlocks add new life to the combat throughout. Enemies are also well designed with a good variety of tactics and defences that force you to make full use of your weapons and attacks.
The areas are linear by today's standards but they have an openness that still feels like you have plenty of room for exploration. This is complimented by the movement options which include wall climbing, double jump and glide, horse riding, and later on the portal tool gives you access to distant and hidden corners. This was a time when they were maximising use of the limited space available.
Many of the gadgets you collect are primarily for solving puzzles but they also assist in combat as ranged weapons, or for repositioning adding further depth to the hefty combat system. The puzzles grow in complexity and the first tools remain in use up to the end of the game as mechanics are layered and woven together in later dungeons without feeling like it gets overdesigned.
Gameplay is mixed up between the usual free roaming exploration in the overworld, the interior dungeon levels that grant new tools/weapons ending with a boss fight, on rails shooter sections, and artillery style shooting gallery sections. This kind of gameplay variety wasn't as common and set the standard for a lot of this 3D action platformer style gameplay going forward.
This is one of those games that just implements everything with such fine tuning. It's a best in genre and a rare case of doing Zelda gameplay better than some of the Zelda games did. The combat, dungeons, puzzles, and bosses are fun, interesting, and make use of all the gear. The overworld is littered with its own puzzles and mysteries to unravel. The animation really puts war's heft and weight into every action, and the cartoony art style doesn't distract from the over-the-top spectacles of the angels, demons, and monsters you fight along the way.
A rare case of excellent design, fun setting, and great visuals. The music isn't very memorable however and the story is a bit convoluted, but those are small flaws in a well crafted game.
2017
I'm usually a fan of platforming games and roguelikes but flinthook failed to hook me in any way. It has fine artwork and passing music but the majority of this game is a fairly standard old fashioned platformer that sees you roaming around small arenas clearing the rooms and collecting treasure.
The movement gimmick of being able to hook around the screen didn't feel well implemented though as the controls are a bit stiff and given that everything hurts you you're more likely to fling yourself into harms way than away from it. There's not really any motivation to use it aside from adding moving for movements sake or when you need to ascend. It doesn't feel smooth and adds little to the actual game loop which is highly repetitive.
That leaves the roguelite gameplay and the label feels like an exaggeration. You have randomly tiled assortments of screens dotted around and you clear the enemies on each until you find the treasure. Maybe I just didn't get deep enough to see more than that but the first 10 minutes seems representative of the next 3 hours so I think I got the gist.
An indie darling I just couldn't vibe with. Didn't feel innovative or seem to be doing anything fresh beyond the title feature that didn't impress me with its implementation.
The movement gimmick of being able to hook around the screen didn't feel well implemented though as the controls are a bit stiff and given that everything hurts you you're more likely to fling yourself into harms way than away from it. There's not really any motivation to use it aside from adding moving for movements sake or when you need to ascend. It doesn't feel smooth and adds little to the actual game loop which is highly repetitive.
That leaves the roguelite gameplay and the label feels like an exaggeration. You have randomly tiled assortments of screens dotted around and you clear the enemies on each until you find the treasure. Maybe I just didn't get deep enough to see more than that but the first 10 minutes seems representative of the next 3 hours so I think I got the gist.
An indie darling I just couldn't vibe with. Didn't feel innovative or seem to be doing anything fresh beyond the title feature that didn't impress me with its implementation.
2018
If you were waiting for an HD remake of Theme Hospital, then maybe keep waiting. This is a bare minimum hospital management sim that under delivers on gameplay to over deliver decoration.
Building the hospital is a tedious affair as you divide up the space and place the basic equipment, then you're introduced to the clutter - items the game categorises as 'decorations', most of which just exist to raise the hospitals 'attractiveness' and 'prestige' bars. They are largely gated behind a special currency that exists to drip feed you more clutter. Some of them give tiny bonuses to things but this is the only area any of the developer's innovation can be found as the rest of the game is pretty much identical to the 1997 release.
Gameplay gets old fast as you run into the usual management sim mechanics: balance your budget and wait to earn enough cash to expand your facilities to do more of the same. The game is littered with the same dad joke humour Bullfrog games were famous for which becomes tired by the 2nd of 15 levels, each of which follows the same formula of setting up the hospital and earning more than you spend.
Nothing special here sadly. The only substantive addition to this game is the aforementioned clutter system and when the developer's only innovation is on cosmetics that's a red flag. If you need proof look no further than the slew of cash grab DLC which can be sorted into three types: more of the same, reskins, and cosmetics. Sad to see another project with potential get phoned in and dumbed down.
Building the hospital is a tedious affair as you divide up the space and place the basic equipment, then you're introduced to the clutter - items the game categorises as 'decorations', most of which just exist to raise the hospitals 'attractiveness' and 'prestige' bars. They are largely gated behind a special currency that exists to drip feed you more clutter. Some of them give tiny bonuses to things but this is the only area any of the developer's innovation can be found as the rest of the game is pretty much identical to the 1997 release.
Gameplay gets old fast as you run into the usual management sim mechanics: balance your budget and wait to earn enough cash to expand your facilities to do more of the same. The game is littered with the same dad joke humour Bullfrog games were famous for which becomes tired by the 2nd of 15 levels, each of which follows the same formula of setting up the hospital and earning more than you spend.
Nothing special here sadly. The only substantive addition to this game is the aforementioned clutter system and when the developer's only innovation is on cosmetics that's a red flag. If you need proof look no further than the slew of cash grab DLC which can be sorted into three types: more of the same, reskins, and cosmetics. Sad to see another project with potential get phoned in and dumbed down.
2018
A retro style RPG that explores the life of a young girl who is part of a secretive clan who have time control magic. Things have been peaceful for a long time but the rise of a new power hungry nation means your friends and family are in danger and you are destined to have to protect time or something.
The game is going for a metroidvania feel (emphasis on the 'vania') but the story takes itself too seriously. The fantasy setting has a lot going on with lore, factions, and politics at play but it uses obtuse fantasy names like 'Varndagroth' that no one but the D&D player taking notes will remember making everything as forgettable as it is overdeveloped.
The gameplay is a platformer that employs the 'floating orbs' style of magic you may recognise from Sindra in LoL or the Phantasm horror films. You can throw the orbs to deal damage, cast magic spells, and stop time. The time stop mechanic is in constant use to turn enemies into platforms, interrupt enemy attacks, and solve puzzles but otherwise the game plays a lot like a castlevania as you explore each setting and zip through different time periods as the story requires.
I played a ways into this but grew bored fairly fast. The story is a bit over the top, the main characters don't have much personality beyond their sexuality, and the writing is all very melodramatic. It feels more like I'm playing through someone's AO3 Chrono Trigger fan fiction. That said the artwork is very pretty and the music is passing. It just seems to assume I should be invested rather than actually working to make any of the characters or setting likeable. I can see there's effort here and maybe I'm being a bit harsh, but I just wasn't hooked at all.
The game is going for a metroidvania feel (emphasis on the 'vania') but the story takes itself too seriously. The fantasy setting has a lot going on with lore, factions, and politics at play but it uses obtuse fantasy names like 'Varndagroth' that no one but the D&D player taking notes will remember making everything as forgettable as it is overdeveloped.
The gameplay is a platformer that employs the 'floating orbs' style of magic you may recognise from Sindra in LoL or the Phantasm horror films. You can throw the orbs to deal damage, cast magic spells, and stop time. The time stop mechanic is in constant use to turn enemies into platforms, interrupt enemy attacks, and solve puzzles but otherwise the game plays a lot like a castlevania as you explore each setting and zip through different time periods as the story requires.
I played a ways into this but grew bored fairly fast. The story is a bit over the top, the main characters don't have much personality beyond their sexuality, and the writing is all very melodramatic. It feels more like I'm playing through someone's AO3 Chrono Trigger fan fiction. That said the artwork is very pretty and the music is passing. It just seems to assume I should be invested rather than actually working to make any of the characters or setting likeable. I can see there's effort here and maybe I'm being a bit harsh, but I just wasn't hooked at all.
2017
Mainlining is a police investigation drama that plays out through the retro style Windows XP desktop of your cyber crimes computer. You pursue criminals and hackers by following leads to websites, hacking into computers, and collecting evidence to make arrests.
The gameplay has you using a faux desktop complete with web browser, downloading files, and using the police instant messenger to coordinate with the other agents (all scripted of course). Arresting a criminal requires several key pieces of information which you can gather through hacking websites and investigating the contents. The game can be a little buggy but has some interesting ideas and the usual twists as you follow the investigation with the stakes constantly getting raised. The story isn't doing anything new and follows the usual tropes but it's a fun ride.
I'm a fan of these hacking simulator games, and playing as a 'good guy' was a nice change of pace. Plus the episode to episode gameplay loop is fun with the desktop graphics and art being a nice change of pace compared to the command line gimmicks every other hacking game wants to employ.
Overall a fun game that doesn't really push the envelope, but its good for one play through if you're into the hacking puzzle genre.
The gameplay has you using a faux desktop complete with web browser, downloading files, and using the police instant messenger to coordinate with the other agents (all scripted of course). Arresting a criminal requires several key pieces of information which you can gather through hacking websites and investigating the contents. The game can be a little buggy but has some interesting ideas and the usual twists as you follow the investigation with the stakes constantly getting raised. The story isn't doing anything new and follows the usual tropes but it's a fun ride.
I'm a fan of these hacking simulator games, and playing as a 'good guy' was a nice change of pace. Plus the episode to episode gameplay loop is fun with the desktop graphics and art being a nice change of pace compared to the command line gimmicks every other hacking game wants to employ.
Overall a fun game that doesn't really push the envelope, but its good for one play through if you're into the hacking puzzle genre.
2016
An ambitious game with some very interesting ideas. The project was an attempt to combine a live action show with a video game where the decisions you make in the game alter the direction the tv show goes in.
The result was a bit too abstract for its time. Personally I ended up enjoying it - it has a fantastic cast of actors and I think the premise of the game is interesting. It's also by the folks behind Alan Wake and Control at Remedy and features the same actress who plays Jessie as Beth in this game.
The level to level gameplay has you following Jack who gets caught up in his scientist friend's time travel experiment gone wrong and ends up with time powers, then promptly ends up getting hunted down by a shady organisation and hijinks ensue. The story ends up doing the usual temporal gymnastics with you travelling to the past and the future while trying to understand what became of your friend and trying to prevent a future where time is completely broken.
Sadly the story itself is far more interesting than the gameplay. The time travel powers make for pretty lacklustre combat designed to intermingle with the middling gun-play and is at its most interesting during the puzzle platforming sections.
If you can put up with the pretty repetitive and dull gameplay sections the story is quite good. I appreciate that they went all out with this and while it didn't end up going as Remedy would like the result is something completely unique that explores a multimedia game to provide an experience no other game has (for better or worse).
The result was a bit too abstract for its time. Personally I ended up enjoying it - it has a fantastic cast of actors and I think the premise of the game is interesting. It's also by the folks behind Alan Wake and Control at Remedy and features the same actress who plays Jessie as Beth in this game.
The level to level gameplay has you following Jack who gets caught up in his scientist friend's time travel experiment gone wrong and ends up with time powers, then promptly ends up getting hunted down by a shady organisation and hijinks ensue. The story ends up doing the usual temporal gymnastics with you travelling to the past and the future while trying to understand what became of your friend and trying to prevent a future where time is completely broken.
Sadly the story itself is far more interesting than the gameplay. The time travel powers make for pretty lacklustre combat designed to intermingle with the middling gun-play and is at its most interesting during the puzzle platforming sections.
If you can put up with the pretty repetitive and dull gameplay sections the story is quite good. I appreciate that they went all out with this and while it didn't end up going as Remedy would like the result is something completely unique that explores a multimedia game to provide an experience no other game has (for better or worse).
2016
While there's obviously been a lot of controversy around the promises made by the developers vs what was delivered, I waited for some time until I'd heard the game was in a decent state before finally dipping my toes in while this was on sale. In spite of trying to go in with a neutral opinion though what I was greeted with was a pretty lacklustre game loop.
Touch down, harvest stuff to make oxygen, harvest stuff to maintain suit, create more fuel, repeat. Along the way you can scan stuff on each planet to fill in the x number of blanks for your wikipedia but personally I don't have much wanderlust so it seemed a bit pointless to me.
There were a couple of planets which had some interesting stuff on them to kinda investigate and upgrade my ship but the whole element system seems needlessly detailed and results in such an obtuse way to gather materials to craft new things and the loop around deconstructing the environment to craft things didn't seem very inspired or fun to execute.
Ultimately just not an engaging premise for me, and the dullness of the planet to planet gameplay overshadowed any amount of interest the rest of the game or its mysteries could possibly hold.
Touch down, harvest stuff to make oxygen, harvest stuff to maintain suit, create more fuel, repeat. Along the way you can scan stuff on each planet to fill in the x number of blanks for your wikipedia but personally I don't have much wanderlust so it seemed a bit pointless to me.
There were a couple of planets which had some interesting stuff on them to kinda investigate and upgrade my ship but the whole element system seems needlessly detailed and results in such an obtuse way to gather materials to craft new things and the loop around deconstructing the environment to craft things didn't seem very inspired or fun to execute.
Ultimately just not an engaging premise for me, and the dullness of the planet to planet gameplay overshadowed any amount of interest the rest of the game or its mysteries could possibly hold.
2017
A beautiful and abstract puzzle game that uses animated pictures within animated pictures to create a surreal and interwoven world.
While the ideas presented are very clever and some of the puzzle solutions quickly make sense as you explore and play, sometimes it can get a little messy and obtuse so it's tough to understand exactly how things are intended to line up.
Nonetheless it is a fun experience and a very interesting challenge for those who enjoy more abstract puzzlers. Good marks for being interesting, trying new things, and providing a unique experience, just a shame it's short - though I appreciate a lot of work must have gone into the creation of the piece.
While the ideas presented are very clever and some of the puzzle solutions quickly make sense as you explore and play, sometimes it can get a little messy and obtuse so it's tough to understand exactly how things are intended to line up.
Nonetheless it is a fun experience and a very interesting challenge for those who enjoy more abstract puzzlers. Good marks for being interesting, trying new things, and providing a unique experience, just a shame it's short - though I appreciate a lot of work must have gone into the creation of the piece.
2018
A super minimalist style roguelite that has you wandering around very dimly lit caves and ruins guided by your tiny light. It's a cute visual but not very engaging and a very slow burn. I think in the first hour I only explored a couple of places and nothing of note really stuck out to me.
If this game gets good it takes its time starting. I lost interest before then. Sad to think the unique art style may be the only interesting thing about this one.
If this game gets good it takes its time starting. I lost interest before then. Sad to think the unique art style may be the only interesting thing about this one.
2018
Another zachtronics classic. This time you are programming little robots to go inside computers and carry out instructions. It's a fun premise and the idea gets explored in some very interesting directions given the rebellious cyberpunk setting.
The puzzles involve programming individual units to begin with but then eventually programming multiple units to act in sync. I was actually having a good time with this one until I got to a mission where my code seemed flawless and was confirmed to work online, but just wouldn't work in the game for some reason so I was stuck.
Unfortunately that was all it took for me to lose interest. I would like to go back some day and see it through but the idea of having to start over again just seems like such a mountain to climb now. Unlikely I will. A solid entry that scratches the programming itch though.
The puzzles involve programming individual units to begin with but then eventually programming multiple units to act in sync. I was actually having a good time with this one until I got to a mission where my code seemed flawless and was confirmed to work online, but just wouldn't work in the game for some reason so I was stuck.
Unfortunately that was all it took for me to lose interest. I would like to go back some day and see it through but the idea of having to start over again just seems like such a mountain to climb now. Unlikely I will. A solid entry that scratches the programming itch though.
2020
A fun reverse horror experience. Getting to play as the monster and going on a metroidvania adventure to collect alien DNA and evolve new nightmarish abilities - absolute recipe for success.
The game lives up to its premise as you crawl your way around the walls of each level, slowly expand your biomass by consuming scientists and civilians, learning to navigate by the sewers and vents in order to evade defences and use your many tendrils to grab, slam, throw, and consume your mortal prey.
It's a fun ride with some interesting puzzles along the way, but there is very little variation in enemies and as much fun as it is to terrorise the humans it can get repetitive fast. The upgrades you get are mostly just functionality upgrades like extra energy, larger size, more strength, while the few more 'monstrous' abilities you gain end up being very circumstantial and directly get used to bypass literal progress gates.
The art style is great, very detailed for the pixelated look it goes with, but the music is pretty forgettable atmospheric horror stock. It gets points for uniqueness and ingenuity but there's a much better game that's been narrowly missed and that's disappointing to see. A good proof of concept, here's hoping they expand on what's been established in a more extensive follow up.
The game lives up to its premise as you crawl your way around the walls of each level, slowly expand your biomass by consuming scientists and civilians, learning to navigate by the sewers and vents in order to evade defences and use your many tendrils to grab, slam, throw, and consume your mortal prey.
It's a fun ride with some interesting puzzles along the way, but there is very little variation in enemies and as much fun as it is to terrorise the humans it can get repetitive fast. The upgrades you get are mostly just functionality upgrades like extra energy, larger size, more strength, while the few more 'monstrous' abilities you gain end up being very circumstantial and directly get used to bypass literal progress gates.
The art style is great, very detailed for the pixelated look it goes with, but the music is pretty forgettable atmospheric horror stock. It gets points for uniqueness and ingenuity but there's a much better game that's been narrowly missed and that's disappointing to see. A good proof of concept, here's hoping they expand on what's been established in a more extensive follow up.
I first started playing Phantasy Star back on the gamecube when it was such a small and compact game. Over the years it grew bit by bit and I was still with it during the Phantasy Star Portable days on PSP. Now we're at PSO2 and the game has just spread out into this weird hard to decipher mess. I'm starting to think the limitations were what made this game reign itself in and stay so on-point.
There's a small variety of weapons, races, classes, and sub systems that I can recall from the PSP games. Mags are back but not as fun and the missions feel like an endless parade of pointlessly short skirmishes that are over as soon as they've begun. That doesn't stop them being endlessly repeated though as you go back to the same map numerous times for the same experience over and over.
The combat has the classic stiff timing for attack combos that it's known for but in HD it's lost a lot of its charm as the larger levels feel poorly utilised. The minimal combat, highly repetitive rooms, and repeating monsters just smack of laziness by the developers. Back on the gamecube this felt charming but now days it just seems crude. Combine that with bad UI and poorly signposted NPC's and it's just not worth the time expenditure learning how to do the basics.
I couldn't get into it and doubt I'll return. Whatever curiosity I had coming into it was lost very quickly.
There's a small variety of weapons, races, classes, and sub systems that I can recall from the PSP games. Mags are back but not as fun and the missions feel like an endless parade of pointlessly short skirmishes that are over as soon as they've begun. That doesn't stop them being endlessly repeated though as you go back to the same map numerous times for the same experience over and over.
The combat has the classic stiff timing for attack combos that it's known for but in HD it's lost a lot of its charm as the larger levels feel poorly utilised. The minimal combat, highly repetitive rooms, and repeating monsters just smack of laziness by the developers. Back on the gamecube this felt charming but now days it just seems crude. Combine that with bad UI and poorly signposted NPC's and it's just not worth the time expenditure learning how to do the basics.
I couldn't get into it and doubt I'll return. Whatever curiosity I had coming into it was lost very quickly.
2013
A short but sweet indie darling that puts you in the shoes of a girl returning home from college to an empty house. The next 3 hours will see you rummaging through the house and reminiscing about the family's story up to this point in their lives.
It's a walking sim so there's no real challenges involved, there's no big shocks or surprises, and it can be a little spooky at points but that's just the atmosphere of walking around an empty house. The game masterfully captures the warmth of a family home and the personal nostalgia of looking at old pictures, going through old possessions, and seeing the story they tell. There's a strange intimacy seeing the growth of a person and all the awkward painful lessons they learned along the way to becoming who they are.
I think that's the word that best describes this experience - intimate. If you're engaged and following along the final moments actually carry a surprising emotional weight. I was fully bought in and found it very humanising and relatable. It feels like it captures an analogue time in history that may end up an alien and foreign experience to the smartphone generations.
Just a very simple, solidly executed idea and a unique experience. Not something I can really re-experience, not a game for everyone, but high marks for the atmospheric setting and story delivery.
It's a walking sim so there's no real challenges involved, there's no big shocks or surprises, and it can be a little spooky at points but that's just the atmosphere of walking around an empty house. The game masterfully captures the warmth of a family home and the personal nostalgia of looking at old pictures, going through old possessions, and seeing the story they tell. There's a strange intimacy seeing the growth of a person and all the awkward painful lessons they learned along the way to becoming who they are.
I think that's the word that best describes this experience - intimate. If you're engaged and following along the final moments actually carry a surprising emotional weight. I was fully bought in and found it very humanising and relatable. It feels like it captures an analogue time in history that may end up an alien and foreign experience to the smartphone generations.
Just a very simple, solidly executed idea and a unique experience. Not something I can really re-experience, not a game for everyone, but high marks for the atmospheric setting and story delivery.