Minispark2929
BACKER
2021
A great game overall, feels just like a 2D zelda with some minor changes. Ocean's heart rewards long side quests with suitably unique feeling items, which really makes you feel good about solving cross-map puzzles.
HOWEVER.
If you plan to play this game, please save very frequently! The game has no auto-save feature, which doesn't sit well with me. I played on a lower end pc, playing the entire latter half of this game in one sitting up to a point close to the end before experiencing a crash. I had not saved the entire session. I since have not returned to the game, nor intend to, but my experience was great up until that point. I recommend this if you want a familiar adventure experience with a couple small twists.
HOWEVER.
If you plan to play this game, please save very frequently! The game has no auto-save feature, which doesn't sit well with me. I played on a lower end pc, playing the entire latter half of this game in one sitting up to a point close to the end before experiencing a crash. I had not saved the entire session. I since have not returned to the game, nor intend to, but my experience was great up until that point. I recommend this if you want a familiar adventure experience with a couple small twists.
2019
Horace has lovely visuals, a good blend of classical and digital soundtrack, and a fairly good concept for a story. But it lacks that indescribable essence that's behind all good games, the "game feel".
Horace doesn't value your time. At least 50% of the game is unskippable cutscenes. Not a single cutscene is skippable. Horace's voice, which is a synthetic, unchanging voice used for every voice in the game, is cute and humorous only for the briefest of moments, before you realize that you are going to be hearing the exact same tones in different combinations for the next significant portion of your life. He commentates over every cutscene, speaking in quote format for other characters, and speaks quite a lot outside of cutscenes as well. I never want to hear this golden sod speak again.
The story seems to take some interesting twists in the time that I played, (up to chapter 8 out of 22) but it's such a slog to get through each chapter. Gameplay seems to be slotted in whenever the developer wanted, with dream sequences that don't advance the story taking up whole chapters appearing from nowhere and scarcely being mentioned again.
Overall, Horace's individual components are great, better than passing. But some very big issues crop up in the design of the game that really just make it not fun to play.
Horace doesn't value your time. At least 50% of the game is unskippable cutscenes. Not a single cutscene is skippable. Horace's voice, which is a synthetic, unchanging voice used for every voice in the game, is cute and humorous only for the briefest of moments, before you realize that you are going to be hearing the exact same tones in different combinations for the next significant portion of your life. He commentates over every cutscene, speaking in quote format for other characters, and speaks quite a lot outside of cutscenes as well. I never want to hear this golden sod speak again.
The story seems to take some interesting twists in the time that I played, (up to chapter 8 out of 22) but it's such a slog to get through each chapter. Gameplay seems to be slotted in whenever the developer wanted, with dream sequences that don't advance the story taking up whole chapters appearing from nowhere and scarcely being mentioned again.
Overall, Horace's individual components are great, better than passing. But some very big issues crop up in the design of the game that really just make it not fun to play.
2020
A great game with some free DLC to top it off. The game's action packed, but requires light strategizing if you don't want to be torn apart by bullets. Progression happens at a good pace, and the puzzles are only necessary if you want to 100% the game.
2012
A very nice and short psuedo-metroidvania. You gain abilities and can come back to get stuff you missed, as is par for the course, but there is essentially only one path that you are heavily recommended to follow, lest you stop making headway. Main concept is fun, a paint the world type gimmick. It took me maybe three hours to beat 100%. Definitely worth the 5 bucks, but if you can get it on sale, even better.
2017
Short fun game, beat it in a little over an hour. Puzzles are more or less intuitive with two instances sticking out where I felt railroaded (pun intended) into doing the puzzle the exact right way. Otherwise a good way to kill some time and unravel a brief story where you start with no information and must work out what's going on.
2018
Genuinely an absolutely fabulous game. Every part is cheeky and cute to the bone, and all the puzzles left me scratching my head, but not to the point that I ever looked anything up. Great art, puzzles, and story all around.
2013
The game is quite good. Basic gameplay loop is satisfying, resulting in almost trancelike gameplay. It's not a particularly long game at all, even hunting secrets and achievements. I would recommend it I suppose, if only for the setup for the sequel.
2018
Movement and combat felt great all around, and the story had some great key moments, although I'm not sure what the overall message of the story was in the end(not that it had to have one!). The metroidvania elements were light, consisting mostly of backtracking to get optional collectibles.
Very good game, I fully recommend.
Very good game, I fully recommend.
2019
The game is quite good, and relatively open ended. Your decisions have consequences and all, but in the end the story is the mostly the same. The language part is what I would say is the most important, because the game can theoretically be completed without a complete understanding of the history of the game. The language is very well crafted, with symbols meaning simple ideas combining to form complex ones, almost reminiscent of kanji? Good game overall, give it a try!
2020
Chill game. In the story mode there are no time limits and it plays more like a visual novel, clicking through dialogue. This is interrupted maybe thrice or so a day by drink orders, which pulls up a relatively easy minigame, so long as you have a teeny bit of prior knowledge about drink making. Overall, very nice story exploring a cool world, all with a cozy vibe.
2020
Ikenfell is the gayest game you're going to find in a long time, and if you can't handle that, then you might want to try a different game. Moving past that, I'd say its an extremely polished and competent turn based game, with little secrets and optional things to do sprinkled everywhere. The accessibility options are also great, and surprised me with an option to just skip the battle if I so chose. I can understand that now however, after playing the game.
This game is a challenge the whole way through, with a difficulty so fine tuned that it nearly completely eliminated my hoarders mentality that I had developed from other games. You will NEED to use items to survive some battles. This, combined with the game's interesting and varied combat range system, makes for very good gameplay. I was repeatedly challenged throughout my playthrough despite finding many secrets.
In regards to the story, my feelings are a little more mixed. The reasons the characters have for doing things are always explained eventually, but sometimes the explanation can be a little lacking and shoehorned IMO. Despite this, the overarching story (when not getting sidetracked) is good. The ending is satisfying, and when paired with everything else the game has to offer, no one should really be complaining about the story. It does its job just fine.
This game is a challenge the whole way through, with a difficulty so fine tuned that it nearly completely eliminated my hoarders mentality that I had developed from other games. You will NEED to use items to survive some battles. This, combined with the game's interesting and varied combat range system, makes for very good gameplay. I was repeatedly challenged throughout my playthrough despite finding many secrets.
In regards to the story, my feelings are a little more mixed. The reasons the characters have for doing things are always explained eventually, but sometimes the explanation can be a little lacking and shoehorned IMO. Despite this, the overarching story (when not getting sidetracked) is good. The ending is satisfying, and when paired with everything else the game has to offer, no one should really be complaining about the story. It does its job just fine.
2013
Worth the price. Took me an hour to beat the main game + the bonus level. Even after that there's a bit more content. It feels very nice, with tight controls and a bangin soundtrack. Don't be put off by the minimalist art-style. Give it a go, worst case refund it.
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.
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.
2021
The branches and rocks that were once scenery are now all pathways branching out from my arms in real time. I am gorilla.
The community is nice enough as long as you aren't too toxic or tryhard, and if you want to be then there are designated competitive servers for you. If at any point you aren't vibing with the people you are with, the server switching is intuitive and takes a split second. Absolutely give this a try, and if you stick with it, it may just become your aerobics/upper body workout for the day.
The community is nice enough as long as you aren't too toxic or tryhard, and if you want to be then there are designated competitive servers for you. If at any point you aren't vibing with the people you are with, the server switching is intuitive and takes a split second. Absolutely give this a try, and if you stick with it, it may just become your aerobics/upper body workout for the day.