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Another great entry. Carries over the high quality of the first GAA with excellent payoff, having the same charm and lovable characters while tying together the mysteries it laid out with some of the better cases in the series and a strong conclusion
Was really good. Late 1800s London as a setting, its presentation, and the orchestral music made this really captivating to me. With characters that have the same level of charm as the original trilogy (like Sholmes).
The cases were good too. They did tend to be a bit drawn out, but were enjoyable overall and I liked how they all connected with each other (though case 4 felt a bit unnecessary). There’s also a few welcome additions to the formula like the jury system.
The cases were good too. They did tend to be a bit drawn out, but were enjoyable overall and I liked how they all connected with each other (though case 4 felt a bit unnecessary). There’s also a few welcome additions to the formula like the jury system.
Cases 1-4 felt pretty consistent with the rest of the series (3 being the weakest again), but the final case caps off the trilogy really strongly. And Godot is the best prosecutor.
This felt like more of a mixed bag than the first, but ended up rating it the same. The first two cases were fine but forgettable, and the third was kinda poor at best. But then the last one was arguably my favorite so far, so does save it for me.
It’s good. The cases are pretty interesting, the writing’s fun, and I really enjoy the expressions all the characters have. Though if there’s one thing I wasn’t a fan of, it was how overlong the fifth case was even if I liked it overall.
2015
This is only an hour and a half long so won’t say anything too specific, but The Beginner’s Guide is not really a game so much as a story about how people interpret art.
In this case, it’s through playing these unfinished Source levels that we try to find some underlying meaning behind their creation. And as short as it is, it ended up being something pretty powerful and hit me much harder than I expected.
In this case, it’s through playing these unfinished Source levels that we try to find some underlying meaning behind their creation. And as short as it is, it ended up being something pretty powerful and hit me much harder than I expected.
2021
This was originally a Skyrim mod that got a remake as its own standalone mystery game, set in a small Roman city. It’s pretty well made, with good writing, a creative time travel mechanic, and various ways to complete objectives.
There’s a few dull combat sections, but I liked that it wasn’t the focus in favor of dialogue and pursuing leads. It does feel a bit janky, but there were little bugs and the visuals are actually not bad at all, aside for the uncanny facial animations.
There’s a few dull combat sections, but I liked that it wasn’t the focus in favor of dialogue and pursuing leads. It does feel a bit janky, but there were little bugs and the visuals are actually not bad at all, aside for the uncanny facial animations.
2021
I was looking forward to this one but wow what happened here. An Annapurna game about uncovering new clues by repeating 12 minute cycles sounded really intriguing, but the execution was much worse than I expected it’d be.
It wasn’t exactly difficult to figure out how to make progress in this, but I had many gripes with its structure. Playing through the same dialogue and animations to spot the little differences you need was interesting, until it got really tedious to replay over and over trying to find the one thing you need to trigger to move on.
This also did not control well. The point and click cursor is sluggish, animations were janky and kept glitching out, and the UI in general seemed much more tailored for a mouse than a controller.
The story I won’t go into, but didn’t like that either. The acting’s fine with a good voice cast (like Dafoe), but the dialogue all felt really contrived. And the ending twist was so bad that it just ruined the whole thing for me.
It’s disappointing cause the concept itself is cool. I liked the top-down perspective and keeping it limited to just a small apartment could’ve been better if the loops had more variation to it, but this wasn’t it.
It wasn’t exactly difficult to figure out how to make progress in this, but I had many gripes with its structure. Playing through the same dialogue and animations to spot the little differences you need was interesting, until it got really tedious to replay over and over trying to find the one thing you need to trigger to move on.
This also did not control well. The point and click cursor is sluggish, animations were janky and kept glitching out, and the UI in general seemed much more tailored for a mouse than a controller.
The story I won’t go into, but didn’t like that either. The acting’s fine with a good voice cast (like Dafoe), but the dialogue all felt really contrived. And the ending twist was so bad that it just ruined the whole thing for me.
It’s disappointing cause the concept itself is cool. I liked the top-down perspective and keeping it limited to just a small apartment could’ve been better if the loops had more variation to it, but this wasn’t it.
2011
A heartfelt game about granting a dying man’s wish to reach the moon. While the gameplay is sparse aside for point and click and a simple puzzle aspect, the story and music are really touching.
2012
This was solid I guess. The scares and puzzles were pretty boring, but short and has nice enough atmosphere
A great game and a strong refinement on Blind Forest. The presentation and art direction are somehow even more stunning, with every area just bursting with gorgeous vistas and vibrant color. This is backed by a lovely soundtrack and excellent sound design
Ori controls perfectly and the fluidity of the platforming is just as amazing as before, with more mechanics to precisely move through its meticulously designed areas. The combat is also greatly improved with the addition of overhauled skills, upgrades, and boss fights
Ori controls perfectly and the fluidity of the platforming is just as amazing as before, with more mechanics to precisely move through its meticulously designed areas. The combat is also greatly improved with the addition of overhauled skills, upgrades, and boss fights
2021
This is technically 3 games in one since it’s combined with 1 and 2’s remastered levels (with an access pass that is) so more of a collective review for all of them, but the new levels for 3 are excellent. Still has the varied objectives with amazing environments to explore, and plenty of interesting opportunities to eliminate targets (my favorite was the manor level where you could also try to solve a murder mystery).
2020
Very clearly inspired by VA-11 Hall-A but isn’t quite as good. The characters are just alright, and while it has a neat reveal at the end it’s not the most memorable. Still, its cozy atmosphere and the chill lo-fi soundtrack make this a pleasant time anyway.
Starting directly after Mask of Deception, Truth quickly sets itself up as more ambitious with its grander scope while still maintaining the improved character writing, especially for Haku. Since it has a lot more going on than Deception the story did feel less focused to me (mainly in its later hours), but if you got this far in the series you'll likely be affected by it and how the trilogy comes together by the end
The production quality is still really good with top-notch voice acting and artwork. But the OST in particular stood out as one of the best I’ve heard in quite a while, and really managed to heighten the more emotional points of the story
There’s definitely more gameplay here than before with some extra changes, and it’s still fine but not really a highlight of the game for me. Though it is a bit more challenging with its later stages which I enjoyed
The production quality is still really good with top-notch voice acting and artwork. But the OST in particular stood out as one of the best I’ve heard in quite a while, and really managed to heighten the more emotional points of the story
There’s definitely more gameplay here than before with some extra changes, and it’s still fine but not really a highlight of the game for me. Though it is a bit more challenging with its later stages which I enjoyed
An improvement over the first, particularly with its characters. The cast in general is more endearing than Prelude, as most of the game is spent just seeing them interact and gradually getting attached to them. This felt more slice of life in comparison, but I was actually more into it. And the new protagonist Haku is especially likable compared to Hakuowlo.
There’s more effort poured into the world-building too, with its very specific details about the setting’s culture, regions, history, etc. It comes together in a way that makes the world feel believable which is impressive.
And production wise it’s really well made. The art style, variety of backgrounds, voice acting, music, and battle scenes are all great. And dialogue flowed very well due to a strong localization. Combat was basically the same aside for some expanded mechanics, but it’s serviceable enough. Great VN.
There’s more effort poured into the world-building too, with its very specific details about the setting’s culture, regions, history, etc. It comes together in a way that makes the world feel believable which is impressive.
And production wise it’s really well made. The art style, variety of backgrounds, voice acting, music, and battle scenes are all great. And dialogue flowed very well due to a strong localization. Combat was basically the same aside for some expanded mechanics, but it’s serviceable enough. Great VN.