Minispark2929
BACKER
Very nice game with lots to do. Surprisingly hard as well! The game forces you to either strategize or grind, with the former being preferred. The story does what it can, but the real reason to play is systematically discovering and exploiting the systems it gives you.
2022
Nice, short, dense game. Movement is simple but very fluid, and overall the controls are great for getting into a flow. The writing is good, and then the ending makes it all great. Just make sure to read some lore entries to not get completely sidewinded by the ending. Also notable is that it doesn't waste your time. All the characters dotted around have a couple lines of dialogue or a quest, but you don't have to talk to a single one to finish the game. Play how you want.
A classic that blew me away with how much effort went into accommodating your existence in its world. Every time I took action that might have resulted in a failed mission, the game's storyline shifted to adapt to whatever shenanigans you just pulled. The controls take a little getting used to, as it uses most of the keys on your keyboard, in strange keybindings. Don't let this get you down, the storyline and gameplay are great and require critical thinking. I highly recommend Deus Ex to anyone willing to put 20-30 hours into an immersive experience.
The best written main character of potentially all of media, I think.
2016
QB isn't without flaws. The entire game is very slow, from the story to the gameplay, and to the fact that to get the whole picture you need to watch videos with no speed playback options. There are quite a few moments where you might just want to jump into action but the game uses everything save for direct force to get you to slow down, which I felt was annoying. Difficulty wise, the game is a joke, but that's pretty intentional, I believe. You are a time-wielding demigod, and the game does its best to get that across with its sound design and visuals, similar to Control. However, the more bullet spongy enemies late game tend to take away that feeling once you know that three mags won't take them down.
In terms of story, I was surprised at how competently written it was. This being time travel we're dealing with, there was restraint and logic used accordingly to tie up threads as needed. The characters were more hit or miss. Some of the voice lines at times just felt off, but at other times they felt completely believable. Other times, it was up to you whether a character made a decision that made sense for them, but whatever choice you made, the consequences rippled down nonetheless.
Play it if you really like the idea of time powers, but don't expect anything ground shaking. Also, if you're having trouble with the final fight, don't be afraid to turn the difficulty down. That fight can be some real BS.
In terms of story, I was surprised at how competently written it was. This being time travel we're dealing with, there was restraint and logic used accordingly to tie up threads as needed. The characters were more hit or miss. Some of the voice lines at times just felt off, but at other times they felt completely believable. Other times, it was up to you whether a character made a decision that made sense for them, but whatever choice you made, the consequences rippled down nonetheless.
Play it if you really like the idea of time powers, but don't expect anything ground shaking. Also, if you're having trouble with the final fight, don't be afraid to turn the difficulty down. That fight can be some real BS.
2017
What a strange game. What begins as survival as a necessity... actually, never really leaves that part behind, really!
Rain World is gruelingly punishing. It has a fairly long play time, not because the content available is massive, (although it is considerable in size)but because you will die MANY times. By the end of my playthrough I was encroaching on 110 deaths. Still, the breadth of things to do and discover in the game result in a rewarding experience I have not seen replicated elsewhere. Entire regions are simulated at a time, leading to complex emergent behavior that you must identify and potentially exploit if you are to trick your assailants and progress. It's an expertly crafted game that does a good job at always pointing you in the correct direction, and does a terrible job at letting you know it is doing so. I got "lost" and looked up a guide many times, only to discover I was 2 rooms away from my destination and if I had just persevered, I would have made it just fine.
Be quick, be witty, stay determined, stay alive.
Rain World is gruelingly punishing. It has a fairly long play time, not because the content available is massive, (although it is considerable in size)but because you will die MANY times. By the end of my playthrough I was encroaching on 110 deaths. Still, the breadth of things to do and discover in the game result in a rewarding experience I have not seen replicated elsewhere. Entire regions are simulated at a time, leading to complex emergent behavior that you must identify and potentially exploit if you are to trick your assailants and progress. It's an expertly crafted game that does a good job at always pointing you in the correct direction, and does a terrible job at letting you know it is doing so. I got "lost" and looked up a guide many times, only to discover I was 2 rooms away from my destination and if I had just persevered, I would have made it just fine.
Be quick, be witty, stay determined, stay alive.
2020
Moment to moment gameplay is unmatched speed and adrenaline. Why are the puzzles here.
2020
The game is incredible, obviously, and I will always be thankful for the physical comedy of shoving an end-of-act boss into a pit on the first turn, thus completely nullifying all tension.
2022
Please play the first game first, but Changing Tides is more of the same, with tighter and more polished everything. Very nice.
Very cute, and it's obvious a ton of creative effort went into it, with tons of variety present, but hidden behind the supposed unpredictability presented by the fact that it's supposed to be a game made by a 10 year old lies the fact that this is a game MADE for a 10 year old, and it's quite boring.
2023
This is a meditation training tool. I must destroy the rage inside me each and every time it arises. I will only take 10 min to get back.
Would absolutely recommend this for some light interior design practice and the satisfaction of slowly cleaning an area. The game is very well put together, with small frame hiccups that happen every 20 min or so for about two seconds. Not a problem at all. The levels are surprisingly varied, with new mechanics being implemented with nearly every one. Overall, I was very pleased with the purchase and 100% completed each level.
I get why people might not think this game is the best, but it really gets flow down well. The only issue I might find is its length, as it drags on about 10 levels too long. Each level is about 2-5 min long, so not too bad. Combat really makes you feel like a badass as long as you're on normal though. It has great charm too, with lots of references to other games everywhere AND you can pet the dog.
2021
This game is so worth the price. Go in blind and you'll experience every emotion under the sun in five hours or less. Again, goddamn this game is incredible with how much it does with so little. Cannot recommend more, it doesn't matter if you aren't used to games or if you're an absolute pro, the devs have you covered 100% of the journey.
2018
I will never beat this game. Not legitimately anyway. As I set this down at 2:30 AM, content that I have exhausted the limits of my waking mind, I smile. This shit is ridiculous. The puzzles are so SO SO easy at the start that its cute. It hypes you up, puts some pep in your step. I found myself wagging my finger at the screen. "Oh dev, you sly dog :)", I would say, as I spotted the half hidden small dot that was the key to the puzzle. But my god. Chamber three feels hard? Chambers one through six are absolute fucking HELL. And they are so fun as well. I don't think you will ever experience as soul crushing a moment while playing video games as when you try to look up little additional hints online for a puzzle, and finally wring the last ounce of brain power out of your head and into the massively overcrowded paper in front of you; only for the solution of the puzzle to be a cheeky little pun. I refuse to gamer rage, so I broke down instead.
Setting both you and I's inevitable ineptitudes aside, it was always refreshing to step into a new topic of Cryptography and see that Mr. Brown had tidied up a little space for learning some new facts about my new passion that he had introduced me to. It's clear to see the dev loves all this with all his heart.
Now, one last thing. The challenge puzzles. I don't think a video game puzzle has ever smacked me in the face harder as when I looked up the solution to the first puzzle after a good 20 minutes of thinking. It all clicked in my head within a split second and I was left feeling guiltier than a dog that pissed on the rug. Please stay away from all guides online except for the ones that advertise exclusively hints. Those ones are good.
Oh yeah, I forgot to mention not to play this if you like Claire De Lune because after 10 min you will despise it.
Setting both you and I's inevitable ineptitudes aside, it was always refreshing to step into a new topic of Cryptography and see that Mr. Brown had tidied up a little space for learning some new facts about my new passion that he had introduced me to. It's clear to see the dev loves all this with all his heart.
Now, one last thing. The challenge puzzles. I don't think a video game puzzle has ever smacked me in the face harder as when I looked up the solution to the first puzzle after a good 20 minutes of thinking. It all clicked in my head within a split second and I was left feeling guiltier than a dog that pissed on the rug. Please stay away from all guides online except for the ones that advertise exclusively hints. Those ones are good.
Oh yeah, I forgot to mention not to play this if you like Claire De Lune because after 10 min you will despise it.