Modkiq
BACKER
A short and sweet visual novel about schizophrenia, anxiety, and the horror that can be experienced even doing simple tasks like going to the store to purchase milk.
You are one of the voices inside the protagonist's head, and you are struggling through this horrifying world, trying to make sense of everything around you.
The game itself is a pretty straightforward visual novel which can be completed in about 15-20 minutes. The game offers horror elements like spooky character designs, but also some more lighthearted jokes. It's pretty good for what it is, and only costs about a dollar. Definitely worth your time and money.
What is it like to see the world with my eyes?
You are one of the voices inside the protagonist's head, and you are struggling through this horrifying world, trying to make sense of everything around you.
The game itself is a pretty straightforward visual novel which can be completed in about 15-20 minutes. The game offers horror elements like spooky character designs, but also some more lighthearted jokes. It's pretty good for what it is, and only costs about a dollar. Definitely worth your time and money.
What is it like to see the world with my eyes?
I have been sitting on this "Review" page for almost an hour. I do not think anything I can type here gives this game justice, so I'll leave it at this:
This is an incredibly heavy story with a lot of suffering. Despite the 40 minute runtime, it manages to portray a lifetime of pain. With all of this trauma in mind, the game almost feels "boring" or "mundane" in its presentation. Something traumatic happens, and the main character says "nothing changed", or "no dramatic music played". Things are still the same as they were before. This is what the character tells themselves, almost refusing to acknowledge the heavy things that are happening to them.
It is heartbreaking to say the least. Overall, I think this game tells an incredibly important story, about life, circumstances, and a messed up society that forces good people to do things they don't want just to get by.
I recommend this game, but will refrain from giving it a "rating" at this time.
This is an incredibly heavy story with a lot of suffering. Despite the 40 minute runtime, it manages to portray a lifetime of pain. With all of this trauma in mind, the game almost feels "boring" or "mundane" in its presentation. Something traumatic happens, and the main character says "nothing changed", or "no dramatic music played". Things are still the same as they were before. This is what the character tells themselves, almost refusing to acknowledge the heavy things that are happening to them.
It is heartbreaking to say the least. Overall, I think this game tells an incredibly important story, about life, circumstances, and a messed up society that forces good people to do things they don't want just to get by.
I recommend this game, but will refrain from giving it a "rating" at this time.
2022
Backpack hero managed to be a masterpiece and a complete mess of a game at the same time, culminating in what is possibly my most frustrated experience in a long time.
Imagine you play a roguelite like Slay the Spire, Enter the Gungeon, Binding of Isaac or Risk of Rain. You start a run, you have fun, you unlock things along the way depending on your actions. It's great, it's a fun time. Now imagine, in-between every run, if you want to unlock anything or even see later levels of the game, you have to run across a huge open field, talk to 10 NPCs randomly scattered along the map (the game won't tell you which one you need or in what order), sit through endless repetitive dialogue that goes nowhere about how your dad thinks it's dangerous to go into the cave over and over and over again. Not only that, but it wants you to build endless buildings, sell loot you've found in the dungeon (the game doesn't tell you if you'll need them for anything or not), and it constantly want you to check in on every single NPC to even receive missions or get the pleasure of going to the next floor in future dungeon runs.
Even if you know what you're doing, it takes forever to get anything done in the main hub.
Every item you ever collect in the dungeon (a lot, this is an inventory manage game after all) is collected in your hub inventory. An NPC may be looking for one specific item, you might even have it, but good luck finding it
* The game does nothing to tell you what is important in the NPC town, so you have to spam every dialogue and every option select for every character just to make sure you don't miss anything.
And to top it all off, the game is insultingly easy. If you have ever played a deckbuilder (roguelite or not) or any form of strategy game, it will be almost impossible to lose as long as you read the effects of what you are using. Heck, even when I completely failed to do that and I accidentally burned my only arrow during my an archer-only "challenge", where every other game would kill you for failing to have any synergy or ways to deal consistent damage, I was able to win because an enemy dropped a rose earlier, letting enemies take very small amounts of damage every time I blocked. I was able to win, including beating a boss, dealing 1 damage at the time. Absolutely ridiculous. After 5+ hours of gameplay, every run feels like this. It is so easy it is almost insulting. There is never any risk, never any challenge, nothing that makes you reconsider your choices, and once you get a powerful weapon or two, never any need to think. Click the same inventory slots every turn, and win for free. Never the need to swap anything out of your inventory, which is a shame because it's one of the main mechanics.
All of this, and I still found myself wanting to play. There is a fantastic game deep down somewhere. Inventory management is fun, and having your inventory slots tied to abilities you can freely use is creative and fun. It is such a shame it is held back by you never needing to engage with its systems due to the absolute lack of difficulty, to the point where I have won games by not adding or removing anything from my inventory. Furthermore, when the game forces you to engage with its systems in the hub world, it strips the game of everything that made it fun, including making the graphics look like Backpack Hero from Wish. It is tedious, stays in the way of what could be a fantastic game, and despite hours of gameplay, you are still stuck with the same starter loadout you begun with. It's a shame.
Imagine you play a roguelite like Slay the Spire, Enter the Gungeon, Binding of Isaac or Risk of Rain. You start a run, you have fun, you unlock things along the way depending on your actions. It's great, it's a fun time. Now imagine, in-between every run, if you want to unlock anything or even see later levels of the game, you have to run across a huge open field, talk to 10 NPCs randomly scattered along the map (the game won't tell you which one you need or in what order), sit through endless repetitive dialogue that goes nowhere about how your dad thinks it's dangerous to go into the cave over and over and over again. Not only that, but it wants you to build endless buildings, sell loot you've found in the dungeon (the game doesn't tell you if you'll need them for anything or not), and it constantly want you to check in on every single NPC to even receive missions or get the pleasure of going to the next floor in future dungeon runs.
Even if you know what you're doing, it takes forever to get anything done in the main hub.
Every item you ever collect in the dungeon (a lot, this is an inventory manage game after all) is collected in your hub inventory. An NPC may be looking for one specific item, you might even have it, but good luck finding it
* The game does nothing to tell you what is important in the NPC town, so you have to spam every dialogue and every option select for every character just to make sure you don't miss anything.
And to top it all off, the game is insultingly easy. If you have ever played a deckbuilder (roguelite or not) or any form of strategy game, it will be almost impossible to lose as long as you read the effects of what you are using. Heck, even when I completely failed to do that and I accidentally burned my only arrow during my an archer-only "challenge", where every other game would kill you for failing to have any synergy or ways to deal consistent damage, I was able to win because an enemy dropped a rose earlier, letting enemies take very small amounts of damage every time I blocked. I was able to win, including beating a boss, dealing 1 damage at the time. Absolutely ridiculous. After 5+ hours of gameplay, every run feels like this. It is so easy it is almost insulting. There is never any risk, never any challenge, nothing that makes you reconsider your choices, and once you get a powerful weapon or two, never any need to think. Click the same inventory slots every turn, and win for free. Never the need to swap anything out of your inventory, which is a shame because it's one of the main mechanics.
All of this, and I still found myself wanting to play. There is a fantastic game deep down somewhere. Inventory management is fun, and having your inventory slots tied to abilities you can freely use is creative and fun. It is such a shame it is held back by you never needing to engage with its systems due to the absolute lack of difficulty, to the point where I have won games by not adding or removing anything from my inventory. Furthermore, when the game forces you to engage with its systems in the hub world, it strips the game of everything that made it fun, including making the graphics look like Backpack Hero from Wish. It is tedious, stays in the way of what could be a fantastic game, and despite hours of gameplay, you are still stuck with the same starter loadout you begun with. It's a shame.
2013
Definitely my favorite Telltale game by a mile. It takes beloved fairytales and flip them on their head. Everyone is living in a harsh world mixed among humans, and they have to keep a low profile to hide their existence. You play as The Big Bad Wolf, who is now trying to solve a murder mystery, filled with twists, turns and drama.
I love it, and am very excited for the The Wolf Among Us 2.
I love it, and am very excited for the The Wolf Among Us 2.
2018
Sea of thieves feels like a "nothing-game" to me. It is kind of like hanging out in a park. The park in itself may be pretty, there may be some activities you can do there, but overall the park itself has no objective to complete. Going to the park alone offers not much else than a nice break from whatever you were doing, but you can't describe it as "fun". The fun comes when you bring your friends and you start messing around.
The fun doesn't come from the game, it comes from your friends. While Sea of Thieves is charming and has started to introduce storylines, it overall feels pointless. After playing the game for 30 minutes you have seen everything it has to offer. It is one person steering the boat, the others jumping around, emoting or randomly shooting around until you reach your objective, at which point you run to the chest, maybe do some mediocre combat, and return with the treasure which is honestly a pain to drag from your boat to the store.
It's not really fun, and you are not rewarded for your time. There is no progression. Your boat won't change, you cannot find new weapons, there are no upgrades, no nothing. What you spawn in with is what you get. You do all of this to get currency to buy skins. This sounds cool, until you realize most of these same skins can just be bought for real cash. So there is nothing to gain by playing the game.
The fun doesn't come from the game, it comes from your friends. While Sea of Thieves is charming and has started to introduce storylines, it overall feels pointless. After playing the game for 30 minutes you have seen everything it has to offer. It is one person steering the boat, the others jumping around, emoting or randomly shooting around until you reach your objective, at which point you run to the chest, maybe do some mediocre combat, and return with the treasure which is honestly a pain to drag from your boat to the store.
It's not really fun, and you are not rewarded for your time. There is no progression. Your boat won't change, you cannot find new weapons, there are no upgrades, no nothing. What you spawn in with is what you get. You do all of this to get currency to buy skins. This sounds cool, until you realize most of these same skins can just be bought for real cash. So there is nothing to gain by playing the game.
2023
What a fantastic experience. A very meta game in a somewhat similar way The Stanley Parable is. There is a narrator, he tells you what to do, and you try every combination of options to change the outcome. I think the best way to describe this game is that it is exactly how you image, while also not being how you imagine it at all. You know things are going to get messy, you know it will be meta, but you can never quite predict how the game does it. It makes for a game that keeps you engaged, keeps you guessing, and holds your curiosity throughout your entire playthrough.
It is well executed, the writing is witty, funny, horrifying, and sometimes thought provoking. The voice acting is great, and the different personalities in your head make for some great dialogue. Despite the somewhat simple looking sketchbook artstyle, the game manages to do a lot with it. Your mind kind of fills in the blanks, and it overall works very well.
This is one of those games where you think you're just gonna play for a short session, and before you know it 3 hours have passed and you cannot fathom how it happened this quickly.
What holds this game back, is that it's somewhat slow on repeat playthroughs. It is kind of annoying to walk through the forest every time and go into the cabin before a real choice begins, and even then you kind of just wanna rush through the first few options to get to the new stuff. It gets somewhat old, especially when you have tried a good amount of choices and need to try different things on day 3. It can sometimes feel like a chore, and some sort of shortcut system would go a long way, instead of relying on the player to make multiple saves.
That aside, I think this is an incredibly unique yet well executed game that is worth playing for everyone. This game deserves to be one of those games everyone picks up for their steam libraries.
It is well executed, the writing is witty, funny, horrifying, and sometimes thought provoking. The voice acting is great, and the different personalities in your head make for some great dialogue. Despite the somewhat simple looking sketchbook artstyle, the game manages to do a lot with it. Your mind kind of fills in the blanks, and it overall works very well.
This is one of those games where you think you're just gonna play for a short session, and before you know it 3 hours have passed and you cannot fathom how it happened this quickly.
What holds this game back, is that it's somewhat slow on repeat playthroughs. It is kind of annoying to walk through the forest every time and go into the cabin before a real choice begins, and even then you kind of just wanna rush through the first few options to get to the new stuff. It gets somewhat old, especially when you have tried a good amount of choices and need to try different things on day 3. It can sometimes feel like a chore, and some sort of shortcut system would go a long way, instead of relying on the player to make multiple saves.
That aside, I think this is an incredibly unique yet well executed game that is worth playing for everyone. This game deserves to be one of those games everyone picks up for their steam libraries.
2023
Mosa Lina does one thing, and while is does that thing well. While the game itself is fun, it does not take long before the game starts feeling repetitive.
The game, as it describes itself is "a hostile interpretation of the immersive sim, where nothing is planned, and everything works". It does this very well, and captures a lot of what makes immersive sims greats, the only issue is that it lacks a lot of the nuance and depth that make immersive sims interesting.
While it is clear that this game is a commentary on the state of immersive sims, whereas the genre used to be about creating systems and tools for the player to use in a sandbox environment tied together with missions, nowadays the missions are designed around a very specific problem. You use the "break the cracked wall" skill to break the wall before they can proceed with the mission, or you use the grappling skill to enter the top of the building and sneak in. The player never had much of a choice, the mission was never designed around letting the player figure it out in their own way. This is not really what immersive sims are about. The player should be given the agency to use their game knowledge, tools and tricks to come up with unique solutions to their problem. Two players should be able to play the mission and come up with completely unique solutions, many of which even the developer had not seen coming.
Meanwhile Mosa Lina flips it all on its head. You are given a set of skills, the dev has no idea what skills you are given, and a random stage is selected. With all of this randomness the dev ensures even they have no idea what challenges you will be given. There is no way for the dev to test every combination, so chances are you are playing something even they have not seen before. You have to figure it out, because the dev certainly can't.
This is fun, and is more in line with what an immersive sim should be. The devs hould not decide what the solution to a problem is, you should figure it out on your own using the tools and systems available to you in the game. This is great stuff. Devs of immersive sims should look to this design philosophy when creating their games.
If you play this game, you will certainly feel creative, and you certainly feel like you are overcoming seemingly impossible challenges. But despite this, the game struggles to keep me interested. Even after just a couple of hours I feel like "I get it". The gimmick of the random lvls with random items has kind of run its course, and I don't feel motivated to keep playing. There is no end to the game, no unlocks, no skins, high scores or stats. Playing the game, while it's fun enough, is kind of like solving today's Sudoku. It's fun for a little while but ultimately not something I see myself spending a lot of time on. I probably would not have done it if I wasn't bored in the first place.
I like what the game stands for, and I like the idea, but ultimately I fail to get into it.
The game, as it describes itself is "a hostile interpretation of the immersive sim, where nothing is planned, and everything works". It does this very well, and captures a lot of what makes immersive sims greats, the only issue is that it lacks a lot of the nuance and depth that make immersive sims interesting.
While it is clear that this game is a commentary on the state of immersive sims, whereas the genre used to be about creating systems and tools for the player to use in a sandbox environment tied together with missions, nowadays the missions are designed around a very specific problem. You use the "break the cracked wall" skill to break the wall before they can proceed with the mission, or you use the grappling skill to enter the top of the building and sneak in. The player never had much of a choice, the mission was never designed around letting the player figure it out in their own way. This is not really what immersive sims are about. The player should be given the agency to use their game knowledge, tools and tricks to come up with unique solutions to their problem. Two players should be able to play the mission and come up with completely unique solutions, many of which even the developer had not seen coming.
Meanwhile Mosa Lina flips it all on its head. You are given a set of skills, the dev has no idea what skills you are given, and a random stage is selected. With all of this randomness the dev ensures even they have no idea what challenges you will be given. There is no way for the dev to test every combination, so chances are you are playing something even they have not seen before. You have to figure it out, because the dev certainly can't.
This is fun, and is more in line with what an immersive sim should be. The devs hould not decide what the solution to a problem is, you should figure it out on your own using the tools and systems available to you in the game. This is great stuff. Devs of immersive sims should look to this design philosophy when creating their games.
If you play this game, you will certainly feel creative, and you certainly feel like you are overcoming seemingly impossible challenges. But despite this, the game struggles to keep me interested. Even after just a couple of hours I feel like "I get it". The gimmick of the random lvls with random items has kind of run its course, and I don't feel motivated to keep playing. There is no end to the game, no unlocks, no skins, high scores or stats. Playing the game, while it's fun enough, is kind of like solving today's Sudoku. It's fun for a little while but ultimately not something I see myself spending a lot of time on. I probably would not have done it if I wasn't bored in the first place.
I like what the game stands for, and I like the idea, but ultimately I fail to get into it.
2021
This review contains spoilers
The medium is a great horror walking sim that mixes up the gameplay with puzzles, stealth, exploration and chase sequences.
While the exploration part is the most enjoyable, especially with the main mechanic allowing you to explore both the physical and spirit world at once, it is great that the game mixes it up a bit sometimes. The visuals are great, and exploring the haunted resort is incredibly tense.
The voice acting, and especially visuals inspired by Beksiński's gorgeous art is absolutely fantastic. The story is interesting throughout, and generally the game gives you just enough information about characters, events and stories to keep you intrigued through the whole game. You always have a sense of "I wonder what will happen next".
While the game does make it to the finishline, it very much stumbles its way there. The further into the game you make it, and the more characters and threads are introduced, the more clear it becomes that the game is not prepared to answer all the questions it brings forward.
- Everything we play through did not need to happen. Seriously. If the demon can only survive if it catches a strong enough medium, why would you invite the strong medium? The creature would just die given enough time, and the story would conclude.
- How come Sadness, the child part of Lili can be outside of her body, when it is established earlier that bodies do not work without their child version? Is it because Sadness didn't "move on"?
- If Lili has to die before the demon can be hurt, why can't she just use the gun herself? "The Demon won't allow it" she says, but the demon never controlled her body, and she is allowed to carry a gun so she can give it to someone else who would presumably shoot her. The monster is also not by her side most of the time, so there would be plenty of chances for Lili to solve the issue herself. If not Lili, then why not Thomas?
- There is one sequence in the game where you find Jack's (the person who died in the beginning of the game) tie and pin in the physical world. The monster also teases you saying that Jack was sent to them. You can also hear Jack speak, and even see his spirit. While clearly a fakeout, this implies someone went to the funeral home, got his belonging, and drove back to the resort with them. They would also have to know his voice, and what he looked like. This frankly makes no sense. You find a picture of Jack and yourself, where Jack fades out as you look at it. Who would do it? Even if Jack's spirit is sent there, how would the demon know to find Jack's tie and clip when the demon cannot see the physical world? Do you not really make the spirits move on? Have you been sending countless spirits there throughout your life? What about the spirits you help move on that are already in the resort? Why would they thank you if you just send them to a different part of the resort? The demon is likely lying, and you are actually helping them move on, but if that is the case, how would the demon know Jack?
-The agent that tortures Thomas' spirit version also has a demon. This demon escapes into the normal spirit world after the agent dies during the house fire. How come Thomas' spirit is still trapped? Trapped inside the demon? Wouldn't Thomas' spirit be able to banish the demon after the host dies? Also, how come the agent with seemingly no supernatural powers was prepared to trap Thomas in his mind?
The game also brings up some heavy themes. While I think telling stories about heavy themes like children being molested is incredibly important, I question if this is the right way to do it.
We all have our demons, and our demons can make us do horrible things. Victims of abuse are more likely to become abusers in the future, and this is really the story this game is telling.
However, I can't help but be critical of the way the abusers are portrayed. After the child molester is discovered, you go into his mind and live through his traumatic events. You then find a child version of the molester, scared and innocent. You delete this part of them. It is a great contrast to the adult person, ready to molest a child. However, I do not get the purpose of this. You don't delete the evil part of them, the shame and regret, you delete the innocent child version that suffered in the past. Doing this gives the person brain damage and they can no longer move.
The same goes for Lili. She is abused, and her demons break free, killing everyone. The abused becomes the abuser once more, and the only solution to fix this is to shoot her in the head so her demons can't hurt anybody else? This strikes me as odd. The horror setting of the game may not allow for a happy ending, but surely there is a better way to approach this.
In conclusion, The Medium is a good game, filled with great voice acting, gorgeous visuals, a unique split-world mechanic that is a joy to explore, and a story that is great at building intrigue and mystery, but kind of falls flat near the end.
While the exploration part is the most enjoyable, especially with the main mechanic allowing you to explore both the physical and spirit world at once, it is great that the game mixes it up a bit sometimes. The visuals are great, and exploring the haunted resort is incredibly tense.
The voice acting, and especially visuals inspired by Beksiński's gorgeous art is absolutely fantastic. The story is interesting throughout, and generally the game gives you just enough information about characters, events and stories to keep you intrigued through the whole game. You always have a sense of "I wonder what will happen next".
While the game does make it to the finishline, it very much stumbles its way there. The further into the game you make it, and the more characters and threads are introduced, the more clear it becomes that the game is not prepared to answer all the questions it brings forward.
- Everything we play through did not need to happen. Seriously. If the demon can only survive if it catches a strong enough medium, why would you invite the strong medium? The creature would just die given enough time, and the story would conclude.
- How come Sadness, the child part of Lili can be outside of her body, when it is established earlier that bodies do not work without their child version? Is it because Sadness didn't "move on"?
- If Lili has to die before the demon can be hurt, why can't she just use the gun herself? "The Demon won't allow it" she says, but the demon never controlled her body, and she is allowed to carry a gun so she can give it to someone else who would presumably shoot her. The monster is also not by her side most of the time, so there would be plenty of chances for Lili to solve the issue herself. If not Lili, then why not Thomas?
- There is one sequence in the game where you find Jack's (the person who died in the beginning of the game) tie and pin in the physical world. The monster also teases you saying that Jack was sent to them. You can also hear Jack speak, and even see his spirit. While clearly a fakeout, this implies someone went to the funeral home, got his belonging, and drove back to the resort with them. They would also have to know his voice, and what he looked like. This frankly makes no sense. You find a picture of Jack and yourself, where Jack fades out as you look at it. Who would do it? Even if Jack's spirit is sent there, how would the demon know to find Jack's tie and clip when the demon cannot see the physical world? Do you not really make the spirits move on? Have you been sending countless spirits there throughout your life? What about the spirits you help move on that are already in the resort? Why would they thank you if you just send them to a different part of the resort? The demon is likely lying, and you are actually helping them move on, but if that is the case, how would the demon know Jack?
-The agent that tortures Thomas' spirit version also has a demon. This demon escapes into the normal spirit world after the agent dies during the house fire. How come Thomas' spirit is still trapped? Trapped inside the demon? Wouldn't Thomas' spirit be able to banish the demon after the host dies? Also, how come the agent with seemingly no supernatural powers was prepared to trap Thomas in his mind?
The game also brings up some heavy themes. While I think telling stories about heavy themes like children being molested is incredibly important, I question if this is the right way to do it.
We all have our demons, and our demons can make us do horrible things. Victims of abuse are more likely to become abusers in the future, and this is really the story this game is telling.
However, I can't help but be critical of the way the abusers are portrayed. After the child molester is discovered, you go into his mind and live through his traumatic events. You then find a child version of the molester, scared and innocent. You delete this part of them. It is a great contrast to the adult person, ready to molest a child. However, I do not get the purpose of this. You don't delete the evil part of them, the shame and regret, you delete the innocent child version that suffered in the past. Doing this gives the person brain damage and they can no longer move.
The same goes for Lili. She is abused, and her demons break free, killing everyone. The abused becomes the abuser once more, and the only solution to fix this is to shoot her in the head so her demons can't hurt anybody else? This strikes me as odd. The horror setting of the game may not allow for a happy ending, but surely there is a better way to approach this.
In conclusion, The Medium is a good game, filled with great voice acting, gorgeous visuals, a unique split-world mechanic that is a joy to explore, and a story that is great at building intrigue and mystery, but kind of falls flat near the end.
Traditionally when you write a story, you want to set the scene, slowly raise tension until your plot climaxes, and you can slowly build down to an ending.
Metal Gear Rising does not care, and starts the story at its peak, and never lets go for a single second. It is always do or die, and when you think the game can't reach new heights, it does. The game is extremely over the top and funny, while also having deep and nuanced political commentary. You'll laugh at how absurd it is, and cry at how accurate it is at the same time.
This is probably one of the most fucked up games I have ever played, and is one I will remember for a very, very, very long time. Highly recommend.
"Memes. The DNA of the soul."
Metal Gear Rising does not care, and starts the story at its peak, and never lets go for a single second. It is always do or die, and when you think the game can't reach new heights, it does. The game is extremely over the top and funny, while also having deep and nuanced political commentary. You'll laugh at how absurd it is, and cry at how accurate it is at the same time.
This is probably one of the most fucked up games I have ever played, and is one I will remember for a very, very, very long time. Highly recommend.
"Memes. The DNA of the soul."
I am... the X slayer.
I purchased this game when it first released in June. The game features incredibly cursed (in the best way) cutscenes, a hilarious yet catching soundtrack, and constant one liners. All of this makes for a funny story great cutscenes and amazing characters, like Zane's mom.
That said, despite its short length, it was difficult for me to finish this game. I just kept losing interest. The game doesn't really mix up anything during the time you play. I played it in June, but just finished it now in October after feeling the need to force myself to go back.
While I overall enjoyed the game, I would only recommend it to people who specifically want something like this. If the trailer appeals to you, you'll probably find it funny. If not, I'd skip.
I purchased this game when it first released in June. The game features incredibly cursed (in the best way) cutscenes, a hilarious yet catching soundtrack, and constant one liners. All of this makes for a funny story great cutscenes and amazing characters, like Zane's mom.
That said, despite its short length, it was difficult for me to finish this game. I just kept losing interest. The game doesn't really mix up anything during the time you play. I played it in June, but just finished it now in October after feeling the need to force myself to go back.
While I overall enjoyed the game, I would only recommend it to people who specifically want something like this. If the trailer appeals to you, you'll probably find it funny. If not, I'd skip.
2020
This review contains spoilers
If only I had more time. We all go through time, not really thinking about it before it's already too late. Eventually, your time will run out, and it will all be lost.
You walk through same-looking offices with a sledgehammer, tasked with exterminating all vermin. These vermin take the shape of office furniture, but "out of place".
As you go on, the office twists, it no longer functions normally. No matter how many vermin you exterminate, their numbers keep increasing. Your job was impossible from the start.
The office is the body of the main character, and you are fighting cancer. A lifetime of cigarettes have finally caught up to you. No matter how well you do, you're too slow. Nothing is good enough, because your time has already run out.
The main character's desperation gets more and more clear as time moves on, and you see his body decaying in front of you. He is holding on for dear life. The "No Smoking" signs scattered around the office halls increase in numbers for every level, despite your ashtray only collecting more and more ash, to the point where it overflows near the end. You keep smoking, despite trying to fight the cancer.
You know what it is doing to you, but you keep going. The host makes jokes about how he knew this would happen, his mother died the same way. It is a gruesome experience seeing the character go from somewhat hopeful, to angry nothing is working, to eventually giving up and accepting the gravity of the situation. By the time you're at the end, you have twisted so much you are no longer human.
This is the type of storytelling that can only be done through a video game. This wouldn't work in any other medium, whether it is a movie or a book. There is something special about letting the player discover things by doing, not necessarily by showing and telling.
In the end, it tells a very human story. We all have habits that are slowly killing us, whether it is cigarettes or something else. We know deep down that if we stop, we can live a healthier life, a better life. But there is something so good about our bad habit, so we keep going. We go through time, not thinking about it. We feel immortal, but suddenly it is too late. You've run out of time. It's over.
You walk through same-looking offices with a sledgehammer, tasked with exterminating all vermin. These vermin take the shape of office furniture, but "out of place".
As you go on, the office twists, it no longer functions normally. No matter how many vermin you exterminate, their numbers keep increasing. Your job was impossible from the start.
The office is the body of the main character, and you are fighting cancer. A lifetime of cigarettes have finally caught up to you. No matter how well you do, you're too slow. Nothing is good enough, because your time has already run out.
The main character's desperation gets more and more clear as time moves on, and you see his body decaying in front of you. He is holding on for dear life. The "No Smoking" signs scattered around the office halls increase in numbers for every level, despite your ashtray only collecting more and more ash, to the point where it overflows near the end. You keep smoking, despite trying to fight the cancer.
You know what it is doing to you, but you keep going. The host makes jokes about how he knew this would happen, his mother died the same way. It is a gruesome experience seeing the character go from somewhat hopeful, to angry nothing is working, to eventually giving up and accepting the gravity of the situation. By the time you're at the end, you have twisted so much you are no longer human.
This is the type of storytelling that can only be done through a video game. This wouldn't work in any other medium, whether it is a movie or a book. There is something special about letting the player discover things by doing, not necessarily by showing and telling.
In the end, it tells a very human story. We all have habits that are slowly killing us, whether it is cigarettes or something else. We know deep down that if we stop, we can live a healthier life, a better life. But there is something so good about our bad habit, so we keep going. We go through time, not thinking about it. We feel immortal, but suddenly it is too late. You've run out of time. It's over.
The Cosmic Wheel Sisterhood manages to tell a beautiful story with unique and diverse characters, full of friendship, memories, drama, love and magic. Despite the short time you spend with each character, the writer is able to prop them full of believable personality, background, hopes, dreams and nightmares.
The game hooks you throughout the entire game. You always want to see who the next character is, what happens next, and what the next tarot reading will predict. You really get the feeling of not being able to put this down until you see the end.
While this is definitely one of the best written, and therefore most enjoyable experiences of 2023, it is far from perfect. The game has several issues which I will get into, but know that despite these issues, you feel like you can look past them while playing because of how enjoyable the game is overall.
-There are a lot of characters. This isn't bad in itself, but this makes it hard to write detailed about everyone. There were multiple times I wanted to learn more about a character, only for me to never see them again once their issue has been resolved.
-The game brushes over you getting into a romantic relationship. They kind of just show up through your window, say "I love you", and boom, you're in the same bed together. While it was predicted using magic that you would find love, it doesn't feel authentic. It kind of just happened, OK I guess.
-The game does little to explain certain large events. For example, you get the option to essentially become as powerful as a God. The game never explains what this means, and there is seemingly no change after you accomplish that goal. It felt like you accomplished your goal, so now the game is kind of over.
-Generally, what happened after the game ends? You get a sentence or two regarding the important characters, but the game does not show you what came of the sisterhood, how the new leadership really affects the cosmos.
Looking at these flaws of the game, one thing is clear. The game leaves you wanting more. Which is really the biggest compliment you can give a game after finishing it. You get invested in the story, you want to know more about everything, and the game does not necessarily always give this to you.
That said, everything that is there is great. The music by fingerspit is an absolute joy to listen to, and it fits seamlessly into every situation in the game.
I should note that I am not the target demographic for this game. It is a very progressive game that explores a lot of struggles and ideas I cannot personally relate to, like coming out of the closet. I am as boring as they come, a heterosexual white male. Despite me not being able to directly relate to these characters, I found myself liking them a lot. They are written in a way that make them believable, and while you may not be able to relate to everyone's problems and thought directly, their thoughts, feelings, and internal struggles is something I think anyone can relate to.
Overall, I enjoyed this game a lot, and this is definitely a game that will live in my head for a long time.
The game hooks you throughout the entire game. You always want to see who the next character is, what happens next, and what the next tarot reading will predict. You really get the feeling of not being able to put this down until you see the end.
While this is definitely one of the best written, and therefore most enjoyable experiences of 2023, it is far from perfect. The game has several issues which I will get into, but know that despite these issues, you feel like you can look past them while playing because of how enjoyable the game is overall.
-There are a lot of characters. This isn't bad in itself, but this makes it hard to write detailed about everyone. There were multiple times I wanted to learn more about a character, only for me to never see them again once their issue has been resolved.
-The game brushes over you getting into a romantic relationship. They kind of just show up through your window, say "I love you", and boom, you're in the same bed together. While it was predicted using magic that you would find love, it doesn't feel authentic. It kind of just happened, OK I guess.
-The game does little to explain certain large events. For example, you get the option to essentially become as powerful as a God. The game never explains what this means, and there is seemingly no change after you accomplish that goal. It felt like you accomplished your goal, so now the game is kind of over.
-Generally, what happened after the game ends? You get a sentence or two regarding the important characters, but the game does not show you what came of the sisterhood, how the new leadership really affects the cosmos.
Looking at these flaws of the game, one thing is clear. The game leaves you wanting more. Which is really the biggest compliment you can give a game after finishing it. You get invested in the story, you want to know more about everything, and the game does not necessarily always give this to you.
That said, everything that is there is great. The music by fingerspit is an absolute joy to listen to, and it fits seamlessly into every situation in the game.
I should note that I am not the target demographic for this game. It is a very progressive game that explores a lot of struggles and ideas I cannot personally relate to, like coming out of the closet. I am as boring as they come, a heterosexual white male. Despite me not being able to directly relate to these characters, I found myself liking them a lot. They are written in a way that make them believable, and while you may not be able to relate to everyone's problems and thought directly, their thoughts, feelings, and internal struggles is something I think anyone can relate to.
Overall, I enjoyed this game a lot, and this is definitely a game that will live in my head for a long time.
2023
What an incredible journey this game is. Your Ex is the Lord of the Vampires, and she is about to destroy the world. You go on a pill infused journey to stop her.
The storytelling and soundtrack especially are world class. There were so many times I couldn't put the game down, as I felt a strong need to see what happened next. You learn about how you were with Draculae, how you'd speak to each other, past dramas, your inner struggles as you are faced with a decaying body, and wanting to go back to a simpler time, while still feeling the need to keep going to stop the world from ending. It's enthralling. The cutscenes are shot perfectly, the voice acting feels very real, and the soundtrack lifts the entire experience to the next lvl. Despite the game's indie budget, it feels incredibly AAA (in a good way) in these departments.
The gameplay itself has you running around, shooting monsters. You have a full arsenal of guns, a dodge-roll, and a slow motion mechanic (that I forgot to use throughout the entire game, oops). You can also dive, which I also forgot to use. Oops.
Despite the simple premise, the game is quite satisfying to play. The enemies are placed in ways that make you really have to think about who you want to prioritize. Shooting werewolves in front isn't going to be of much use when you re being sniped by energy-balls from the back.
That said, what is holding this game back from being a full 5/5 stars, is its pacing in the gameplay lvls. While the story pacing is great, you can often feel like the game drags on. The game spends a very long time between introducing new enemies, so you are stuck fighting just a basic enemy that runs towards you for a good hour or so. Then they'll introduce one more enemy, and it once again takes forever before you see anything new. After everything has been introduced, the same issue persists, it takes too long before something special happens. That's not to say the gameplay isn't fun, I think more the issue is that the devs did not have enough resources to make everything they wanted to.
A side-complaint I also wanted to mention is that for most of the game it is simply too easy. Out of all the levels, I think I only died on 3 of them, one of which being the first boss, and one of my deaths was because I got stuck in the geometry and was unable to move. While not a huge issue, I would have loved to see a difficulty mode where they don't necessarily boost any numbers, but make resources and ammo a bit more scarce, forcing you to use your whole arsenal while not having instant access to healing, and without the slow-motion bar. While I played the entire game without using the slow-motion, if I were to use it it would completely invalidate any challenge in this game if I were to use it.
Usually when a game offers a slow-motion mechanic, the enemies and world design is balanced around it. For example, the enemies that charge energy-balls are very easy to locate and take out, even with full-speed gameplay, before they ever get to shoot. They could have made it a lot more interesting if the player was forced to use the slow-motion to deal with situations like these.
It feels like there should have been more enemy types, it feels like there should have been at least one more environment to explore, and it feels like there should have been more secrets. Because of what I can only assume is budget constraints, they had to do the best with what they had. They wanted the story to have this length, and they wanted you to have this amount of time between the hard hitting story beats, so instead of making something new, they remixed what they had. While not a big issue, it can sometimes feel like the game drags on a little too long before new things are introduced. It does get repetitive.
Personally, with this many levels in the game, there should have been more enemy variety. Once you overcome the challenge of one enemy, and how they are combined with other enemies, throwing more of the same at the player is ultimately pointless. They should either have added more variety, or cut down on the repetitiveness.
That said, the game is full of awesome moments, unique setpieces during the lvls, and the main character's monologues never get old. In the end, "I wanted more game" is probably not the worst critique a dev can get.
I really hope this game does well so they can make a sequel. I need to know what happens next.
The storytelling and soundtrack especially are world class. There were so many times I couldn't put the game down, as I felt a strong need to see what happened next. You learn about how you were with Draculae, how you'd speak to each other, past dramas, your inner struggles as you are faced with a decaying body, and wanting to go back to a simpler time, while still feeling the need to keep going to stop the world from ending. It's enthralling. The cutscenes are shot perfectly, the voice acting feels very real, and the soundtrack lifts the entire experience to the next lvl. Despite the game's indie budget, it feels incredibly AAA (in a good way) in these departments.
The gameplay itself has you running around, shooting monsters. You have a full arsenal of guns, a dodge-roll, and a slow motion mechanic (that I forgot to use throughout the entire game, oops). You can also dive, which I also forgot to use. Oops.
Despite the simple premise, the game is quite satisfying to play. The enemies are placed in ways that make you really have to think about who you want to prioritize. Shooting werewolves in front isn't going to be of much use when you re being sniped by energy-balls from the back.
That said, what is holding this game back from being a full 5/5 stars, is its pacing in the gameplay lvls. While the story pacing is great, you can often feel like the game drags on. The game spends a very long time between introducing new enemies, so you are stuck fighting just a basic enemy that runs towards you for a good hour or so. Then they'll introduce one more enemy, and it once again takes forever before you see anything new. After everything has been introduced, the same issue persists, it takes too long before something special happens. That's not to say the gameplay isn't fun, I think more the issue is that the devs did not have enough resources to make everything they wanted to.
A side-complaint I also wanted to mention is that for most of the game it is simply too easy. Out of all the levels, I think I only died on 3 of them, one of which being the first boss, and one of my deaths was because I got stuck in the geometry and was unable to move. While not a huge issue, I would have loved to see a difficulty mode where they don't necessarily boost any numbers, but make resources and ammo a bit more scarce, forcing you to use your whole arsenal while not having instant access to healing, and without the slow-motion bar. While I played the entire game without using the slow-motion, if I were to use it it would completely invalidate any challenge in this game if I were to use it.
Usually when a game offers a slow-motion mechanic, the enemies and world design is balanced around it. For example, the enemies that charge energy-balls are very easy to locate and take out, even with full-speed gameplay, before they ever get to shoot. They could have made it a lot more interesting if the player was forced to use the slow-motion to deal with situations like these.
It feels like there should have been more enemy types, it feels like there should have been at least one more environment to explore, and it feels like there should have been more secrets. Because of what I can only assume is budget constraints, they had to do the best with what they had. They wanted the story to have this length, and they wanted you to have this amount of time between the hard hitting story beats, so instead of making something new, they remixed what they had. While not a big issue, it can sometimes feel like the game drags on a little too long before new things are introduced. It does get repetitive.
Personally, with this many levels in the game, there should have been more enemy variety. Once you overcome the challenge of one enemy, and how they are combined with other enemies, throwing more of the same at the player is ultimately pointless. They should either have added more variety, or cut down on the repetitiveness.
That said, the game is full of awesome moments, unique setpieces during the lvls, and the main character's monologues never get old. In the end, "I wanted more game" is probably not the worst critique a dev can get.
I really hope this game does well so they can make a sequel. I need to know what happens next.
2023
Certainly an interesting game, as would be expected from David Szymanski. That said, I am not sure this is going to be a game for everyone. It is a mix of comedy and horror. Despite the happy looking visuals, it managed to be legitimately creepy. The small but unsettling changes make you feel on edge, and you always have a sense of "wtf is going on". The segment before God comes is genuinely paranoia inducing.
The notes you find are horror stories often so bad that you can't help but laugh at them. Finding a secret building only for you to be greeted by a low rez picture of a squirrel while it says "committing sins". It's hilarious.
That said, I kind of wish the game went further. Why is all of this happening? Why squirrels? What even is this place you live in? Poison grass? The person you are stapling squirrels to? How are they moving around? What's the deal with God?
This will be enjoyable or a certain type of player, and you probably already know before you delve into the game. I enjoyed it, but I wish it did more. I am sure there is more to uncover, and I am sure a youtuber will make a 90 minute video explaining this game's excellence. I will probably watch the video and agree, but based on the player experience, I can't give it more than an "ok".
The notes you find are horror stories often so bad that you can't help but laugh at them. Finding a secret building only for you to be greeted by a low rez picture of a squirrel while it says "committing sins". It's hilarious.
That said, I kind of wish the game went further. Why is all of this happening? Why squirrels? What even is this place you live in? Poison grass? The person you are stapling squirrels to? How are they moving around? What's the deal with God?
This will be enjoyable or a certain type of player, and you probably already know before you delve into the game. I enjoyed it, but I wish it did more. I am sure there is more to uncover, and I am sure a youtuber will make a 90 minute video explaining this game's excellence. I will probably watch the video and agree, but based on the player experience, I can't give it more than an "ok".
2016
Dead by daylight is a fantastic mess of a game. The game is somewhat similar to the children's game "kick the can", but with some more added objectives for the survivors to do.
As is with Kick The Can, this game is also a lot of fun, but it depends a lot on the play environment. The Killer can often feel like the survivor has wronged them, and decides their new goal is to make the game as miserable as possible for everybody else. This can be because a survivor saved their friend too quickly, or escaped for long enough the Killer deems the game unwinnable for them.
Imagine Kick The Can, but the Killer just stands on top of the can all game, ensuring that no one can win. Not exactly a fun experience. This is the average Dead by Daylight player's mindset.
The devs are in an endless fight with the community. For every "lame" playstyle they try to patch, a new one arises. Can't stand on the box anymore? Fine, I'll stand on the captured player so no one can rescue. That's being patched? Fine, I will just refuse to capture players and leave them in the "downed" state unable to play forever. Ohh, can't do that anymore? No worries, I will locate the 3 closest generators in proximity and defend these for so long the server literally closes (which results in a default win for the killer).
Kick the can is overall a fantastic game, but there's a reason adults don't play it as a competitive sport. There are too many ways to "play lame" and stalemate the game.
If you do play it with likeminded players, though, this game is beautiful. Killers from any popular horror franchise, hundreds of perks that change the game way you play, and an incredibly satisfying gameplay loop.
Be weary though, this game is incredibly good for 3 months, then the devs run out of ideas and ruin everything for 6 months, then it gets good again for another 3 months. This game is best played in waves. Please also play other games if you embark on this journey.
As is with Kick The Can, this game is also a lot of fun, but it depends a lot on the play environment. The Killer can often feel like the survivor has wronged them, and decides their new goal is to make the game as miserable as possible for everybody else. This can be because a survivor saved their friend too quickly, or escaped for long enough the Killer deems the game unwinnable for them.
Imagine Kick The Can, but the Killer just stands on top of the can all game, ensuring that no one can win. Not exactly a fun experience. This is the average Dead by Daylight player's mindset.
The devs are in an endless fight with the community. For every "lame" playstyle they try to patch, a new one arises. Can't stand on the box anymore? Fine, I'll stand on the captured player so no one can rescue. That's being patched? Fine, I will just refuse to capture players and leave them in the "downed" state unable to play forever. Ohh, can't do that anymore? No worries, I will locate the 3 closest generators in proximity and defend these for so long the server literally closes (which results in a default win for the killer).
Kick the can is overall a fantastic game, but there's a reason adults don't play it as a competitive sport. There are too many ways to "play lame" and stalemate the game.
If you do play it with likeminded players, though, this game is beautiful. Killers from any popular horror franchise, hundreds of perks that change the game way you play, and an incredibly satisfying gameplay loop.
Be weary though, this game is incredibly good for 3 months, then the devs run out of ideas and ruin everything for 6 months, then it gets good again for another 3 months. This game is best played in waves. Please also play other games if you embark on this journey.