NeutronRock
2021
If the deckbuilder and card-based combat were stronger Black Book would be a stunning game. The folklore inspired fantasy world and general vibes and aesthetic are where this game shines - but I needed more from that central deckbuilding element to really keep me going with it.
A wonderful story told through quality voice acting, artistic floating text, and a creative range of gameplay mechanics and styles that play out the lives of every Finch of Finch house.
Echoes of the Eye is a work of genius, just as Outer Wilds was before it. The locations, ideas, designs, and reveals are just incredible. Some as stunning as those from the original game.
It took me a while to even accept the DLC. The first time I tried to play it I stopped before making any discoveries, because it simply felt wrong to add any further story to one that was already so beautiful and complete. This feeling lingered for some time, but ultimately Echoes of the Eye does a good job of not stepping on the toes of the base game's story - and I think works by being more puzzley, while not oversaturating the compassion and empathy of the original story.
Echoes of the Eye dials up the intensity in some areas - especially the spooky - but dials up some frustrating elements in equal measure. As the DLC involves mostly one new location, you will repeatedly have to travel back in the same direction over and over and over and over.. and the nature of your experimentation will see you restarting loops very frequently towards the end.
It's not as good as Outer Wilds - although realistically almost nothing is - but the genuine magic of the exploration and reveals makes Echoes of the Eye are on equally as high a level, and it is a worthy extension to the game.
It took me a while to even accept the DLC. The first time I tried to play it I stopped before making any discoveries, because it simply felt wrong to add any further story to one that was already so beautiful and complete. This feeling lingered for some time, but ultimately Echoes of the Eye does a good job of not stepping on the toes of the base game's story - and I think works by being more puzzley, while not oversaturating the compassion and empathy of the original story.
Echoes of the Eye dials up the intensity in some areas - especially the spooky - but dials up some frustrating elements in equal measure. As the DLC involves mostly one new location, you will repeatedly have to travel back in the same direction over and over and over and over.. and the nature of your experimentation will see you restarting loops very frequently towards the end.
It's not as good as Outer Wilds - although realistically almost nothing is - but the genuine magic of the exploration and reveals makes Echoes of the Eye are on equally as high a level, and it is a worthy extension to the game.
2021
Unpacking is a neat little game. It's been highly praised for its environmental storytelling in how your possessions either follow you (or don't) as you grow between Unpacking's various scenes. The gameplay has some satisfying moments to it of placing everything into a room or home with either logic or general feeling of where things belong. I enjoyed it, I didn't love it, but for a few hours (especially if you're already paying for GamePass) it's worth taking a look at.
2023
A deckbuilder crossed with a slot machine and loosely (very loosely) themed around paying rent to an ever more greedy capitalist.
Purchase icons to go on your slot machine, pull to play, and if related symbols appear next to one another then they combine for various bonusses to give you more coins to buy more icons and eventually pay rent.
It's exceptionally simple, and addictively fun for short time - but ultimately I wouldn't recommend it because beyond the initial dopamine hits of something fun and a bit weird there isn't much substantial behind it.
Purchase icons to go on your slot machine, pull to play, and if related symbols appear next to one another then they combine for various bonusses to give you more coins to buy more icons and eventually pay rent.
It's exceptionally simple, and addictively fun for short time - but ultimately I wouldn't recommend it because beyond the initial dopamine hits of something fun and a bit weird there isn't much substantial behind it.
You might enjoy this if you like slow, puzzly point and clicks. It's certainly a pretty game, but point & click gameplay always has a risk of slipping into "tedious" and that just happened a few too many times with Luna (especially given how slowly the character moves!!)
2021
I'm enjoying Yugo Puzzle, it's amazing how deceptively simple every puzzle appears. It is fun to play, the puzzles are good - but unfortunately the moments of revelation were always diluted by slightly unclear game mechanics and animations. Slightly too frequently I was left with the impression that I'd have solved a puzzle in a tenth of the time if only was aware of how a specific interaction would play out, rather than accidentally stumbling across it.
2008
"Wow, an army combat game! I sure haven't played one of those in a while." said absolutely noone at the time. A bit generic in it's theme, but not the worst game to play if you wanted something co-op with a friend or sibling.
I think Offworld Trading Company is a really clever strategy game. I don't know that it is, because like so many other people I simply could not develop any decent level of skill. Did I lose to clever strategy? Or did I lose to very basic ideas that are obfuscated to newer players? I will simply never know.
2021
Turns out that one way to make the overplayed indie-survival-crafting game enjoyable is to simplify it down into something that plays almost like a co-op speedrun.
There is nothing special about Muck. At all. Yet it pushes all the right buttons for a few hours with a friend and is satisfying to complete.
There is nothing special about Muck. At all. Yet it pushes all the right buttons for a few hours with a friend and is satisfying to complete.
2017
I liked the idea of Death Squared, a co-op puzzle game with deliberate friction and frustration that makes for funny moments - but unfortunately it ran into the ultimate sin for puzzle games, the solutions were just.. boring. This button raises a platform, this one activates a trap. Death Squared's levels demonstrated its mechanics like an endless series of tutorials but never sparked joy with a truly clever or satisfying idea.
It's silly and quite fun, but not incredible. Turns out you can judge some games by their cover.
2023
Arcade roguelite where you skate left and right around the inside of a circle, bonking enemy frogs with swords and bowling balls while jumping and dashing away from other attacks. Not overly deep or complicated, but simple satisfying fun.
2022
An incredibly immersive sci-fi, narrative RPG. The world of Citizen Sleeper is harsh and cold, but filled with hope and mystery. The RPG mechanics and dice-based elements have you pulling on all sort of wonderfully written threads, revealing life aboard the Eye and the possibilities of your place within it.
The FM I enjoyed the most by far.