Namirrha
2024
An unexpected title for me. I got it despite some misgivings - I am not at all wild about the art style or character designs, but I heard pretty glowing things about the gameplay. I was delighted to find that the things I'd heard about the gameplay were true, and the art style conceals a surprisingly funny and- at times - dark story.
Gameplay is the real star here though - I had no idea deckbuilding and tactics could play together so well. You have up to 4 characters in your party, each with their own deck. Characters also have items which can create really cool card synergies. One of the deepest deckbuilders I've seen in a while, and somehow still a very competent TRPG.
It's cheap, so if you like deckbuilding and/or tactics a la FFT, pick it up.
Gameplay is the real star here though - I had no idea deckbuilding and tactics could play together so well. You have up to 4 characters in your party, each with their own deck. Characters also have items which can create really cool card synergies. One of the deepest deckbuilders I've seen in a while, and somehow still a very competent TRPG.
It's cheap, so if you like deckbuilding and/or tactics a la FFT, pick it up.
2024
Oh man... I wanted to love this game. I still liked it, but I wanted to love it.
The concept and art are phenomenal. The setting is well researched. But the gameplay and dialogue are really subpar. The detective bits are incredibly handholdy, and the combat bits are too shallow to draw one in. the major story cutscenes are unforgivably stilted, and many lines of dialogue should have been read aloud before recording.
Overall, I enjoyed the game. I want to see what the devs can do next, so I'm happy I bought at full price. But still, I can only recommend it to CRPG fans who are REALLY interested in games set in well-researched historical settings.
The concept and art are phenomenal. The setting is well researched. But the gameplay and dialogue are really subpar. The detective bits are incredibly handholdy, and the combat bits are too shallow to draw one in. the major story cutscenes are unforgivably stilted, and many lines of dialogue should have been read aloud before recording.
Overall, I enjoyed the game. I want to see what the devs can do next, so I'm happy I bought at full price. But still, I can only recommend it to CRPG fans who are REALLY interested in games set in well-researched historical settings.
2023
A really faithful feeling throwback to N64 collectathons. The worlds were fun and varied, and the movement interesting. I did have some frustrations with the controls, but in a way isn't that the most faithful it could be to an N64 classic?
One big surprise for me is that I found myself kind of interested in the lore. There's not a ton of it, but the cute-with-dark-undertones feeling almost reminded me of N64 Zeldas.
One big surprise for me is that I found myself kind of interested in the lore. There's not a ton of it, but the cute-with-dark-undertones feeling almost reminded me of N64 Zeldas.
2024
A really good game that stops frustratingly short of great.
The graphics? PS3 quality. The mechanics? Needlessly complicated.
But the combat? Phenomenal. Like Nioh and GoT had a baby. The writing? Surprisingly decent, especially for a big fan of Nioh 1 & 2. The open world? More engaging than most reviews give it credit for.
The main story missions are lots of fun, the customization of your character and combat styles is great, and the open world is full of bite-sized battles and quests. It's easy to jump in for 15 minutes or 3 hours.
I can honestly heartily recommend this game, despite the flaws.
The graphics? PS3 quality. The mechanics? Needlessly complicated.
But the combat? Phenomenal. Like Nioh and GoT had a baby. The writing? Surprisingly decent, especially for a big fan of Nioh 1 & 2. The open world? More engaging than most reviews give it credit for.
The main story missions are lots of fun, the customization of your character and combat styles is great, and the open world is full of bite-sized battles and quests. It's easy to jump in for 15 minutes or 3 hours.
I can honestly heartily recommend this game, despite the flaws.
2002
I just replayed this after many nostalgia-drenched years away, and you know what? I expected to be disappointed, and walked away surprisingly entertained.
For a single player RTS, this game did a fair amount right - the setting was fun, the maps varied, and the unit grunts were entertaining, and creature building is still a grand old time. Sure it's not perfect, and the user experience is incredibly dated, but this one was surprisingly satisfying to go back to. In fact, I think even a modern RTS fan looking for something fun and unique could have a good time here.
For a single player RTS, this game did a fair amount right - the setting was fun, the maps varied, and the unit grunts were entertaining, and creature building is still a grand old time. Sure it's not perfect, and the user experience is incredibly dated, but this one was surprisingly satisfying to go back to. In fact, I think even a modern RTS fan looking for something fun and unique could have a good time here.
2019
I really desperately wanted to love this game. I love most of Obsidian's other work, but this didn't land for me. The humor was hit or miss, every gameplay system had me thinking fondly of another game that did that system better, and the setting (sorry to say it) struck me as bland.
I'll play almost anything Obsidian puts out... but I don't think I'll play the sequel to this. That's not to say it's a bad game, and if the humor lands for you you might like it! It's just not for me.
I'll play almost anything Obsidian puts out... but I don't think I'll play the sequel to this. That's not to say it's a bad game, and if the humor lands for you you might like it! It's just not for me.
2024
This game makes me fear for my time.
2022
God damn does it feel like they made this game with me in mind. The setting is beautifully realized, and the combination of history, art, and theology that underlies everything is somehow both beautifully researched and well communicated to the player. Beyond that though, the thoughtful narrative (with a surprising number of player choices) really managed to suck me in and titillate me through the entire runtime of the game. It's been a while since I've played a game that made me want to know what happens next as much as Pentiment that did. All that said, there were some flaws here. The UI was attractive but clunky, and running back and forth did start to wear on me. These complaints are minor though, and the things I praised are major. Pentiment is a huge accomplishment.
2024
Pacific Drive - I wanted to love you, but at the end of the road I just liked you.
First, the good - the atmosphere, story, and music are all top notch. I enjoyed learning the lore of the Zone and figuring out how the characters were related to what was going on. The sense of place was unparalleled, and while I played there were moments I really felt like I was driving around the woods of my home state. The music, largely performed by local WA artists, was great and reasonably varied.
However, the good was somewhat undercut by the bad. There came times when the story "paused" because I needed to do a few drives to gather materials in previously-visited zones, and during these times I found it much easier to notice little annoyances in the gameplay and graphics. I found that some, maybe even many, of the gameplay systems became tiresome when I had to grind resources to engage with them. The music, while great, was limited to only 15 tracks. Because of this, at the end of my 22-hour run I had heard every song numerous times, and I'd grown tired of most of them. The performance was only consistent in its inconsistency, and the fluctuating frame rate negatively impacted my immersion in an otherwise deeply atmospheric game.
Overall, the initial impression was strong. After the first hour I would have rated this game 5 stars. After 22 hours, the magic had faded (but not vanished!). I still loved the story (despite a slightly lackluster conclusion) and the immersion this game offered was great, but undercooked gameplay elements and lack of variety eventually dragged the game down for me.
I'd recommend this game to any Washington local, or to people who enjoy exploration-driven games and can forgive some clunkiness.
First, the good - the atmosphere, story, and music are all top notch. I enjoyed learning the lore of the Zone and figuring out how the characters were related to what was going on. The sense of place was unparalleled, and while I played there were moments I really felt like I was driving around the woods of my home state. The music, largely performed by local WA artists, was great and reasonably varied.
However, the good was somewhat undercut by the bad. There came times when the story "paused" because I needed to do a few drives to gather materials in previously-visited zones, and during these times I found it much easier to notice little annoyances in the gameplay and graphics. I found that some, maybe even many, of the gameplay systems became tiresome when I had to grind resources to engage with them. The music, while great, was limited to only 15 tracks. Because of this, at the end of my 22-hour run I had heard every song numerous times, and I'd grown tired of most of them. The performance was only consistent in its inconsistency, and the fluctuating frame rate negatively impacted my immersion in an otherwise deeply atmospheric game.
Overall, the initial impression was strong. After the first hour I would have rated this game 5 stars. After 22 hours, the magic had faded (but not vanished!). I still loved the story (despite a slightly lackluster conclusion) and the immersion this game offered was great, but undercooked gameplay elements and lack of variety eventually dragged the game down for me.
I'd recommend this game to any Washington local, or to people who enjoy exploration-driven games and can forgive some clunkiness.