OverdosedOnGames
Super Dragon Punch Force 3 is a movie tie-in game with the action movie Boy Kills World. From all the trailers I've seen of Boy Kills World, the movie looks very fun, and very gory, and very over the top, and I'm quite excited to watch it someday.
So, just a few days ago, I learn that there is a tie in game, that is the game the main character in Boy Kills World gets his own inner voice from, and I was intrigued. Because I haven't a movie tie-in game in a while, and this seemed interesting as a fighting game, that works as an in-universe game for that movie.
I download the game, the menu is really cool, the artstyle is looking nice. I go to play the game. There are 3 available characters. I play each of them, all of them aren't fun at all to play as, and I believe there is less than 5 moves per character.
Like I said, each character's bad. One is literally guranteed to win every game, one is the most cheap, annoying character to fight against, and one deals so low damage, there's no reason to pick her. None are fun to play as, or fight.
There are 6 other characters. All of which need 1 of 2 currencies, tickets, or gold. Gold costs real money, this game hasn't been out for a month, and there's a shop, skins, emotes, and you can buy characters for money already. And this is a half baked game, so spending money on a half baked, unfinished game.
For tickets, they can be earned in the actual game, you get 100 tickets per fight. You need 10k tickets per character. That's 100 games to unlock one character. There are 6. That's 600 games to win, to get all the characters in it.
And, when I tried to do PVP, saw there was only one other person playing it. Funny thing is? He was playing PvE, so I couldn't even do the PvP in this game.
It's in Open Beta, so it could get better, realistically, but I don't think so. Since the game is already dead, probably won't be fixed. This game's fucking terrible.
Overall: 2/10
So, just a few days ago, I learn that there is a tie in game, that is the game the main character in Boy Kills World gets his own inner voice from, and I was intrigued. Because I haven't a movie tie-in game in a while, and this seemed interesting as a fighting game, that works as an in-universe game for that movie.
I download the game, the menu is really cool, the artstyle is looking nice. I go to play the game. There are 3 available characters. I play each of them, all of them aren't fun at all to play as, and I believe there is less than 5 moves per character.
Like I said, each character's bad. One is literally guranteed to win every game, one is the most cheap, annoying character to fight against, and one deals so low damage, there's no reason to pick her. None are fun to play as, or fight.
There are 6 other characters. All of which need 1 of 2 currencies, tickets, or gold. Gold costs real money, this game hasn't been out for a month, and there's a shop, skins, emotes, and you can buy characters for money already. And this is a half baked game, so spending money on a half baked, unfinished game.
For tickets, they can be earned in the actual game, you get 100 tickets per fight. You need 10k tickets per character. That's 100 games to unlock one character. There are 6. That's 600 games to win, to get all the characters in it.
And, when I tried to do PVP, saw there was only one other person playing it. Funny thing is? He was playing PvE, so I couldn't even do the PvP in this game.
It's in Open Beta, so it could get better, realistically, but I don't think so. Since the game is already dead, probably won't be fixed. This game's fucking terrible.
Overall: 2/10
TBD
Fake Signals is quite the conflicting game for me, I had picked this up and started playing it because I was hoping it would scratch that Hotline Miami itch that I had.
And at points, it did, but at other points, it really didn't. This game is meant to be played as a ''stealth'' game, but that stealth is basically non-existent in this game, its easier, and better, to just go guns blazing in it.
And, it's very clearly inspired by John Wick. The main character is quite literally a John Wick lookalike, and later in the game, you meet an NPC called ''John Week'', so clearly you can see the developer was inspired by the John Wick movies.
That's fine, you can be inspired by those movies, and I want more games inspired by them, so we can have that great combat like in those movies. Sadly, the combat in this game, is just very mediocre. It's nothing special, it can feel satisfying, but it's also frustrating at points too.
The story is quite barebones, you are just killing to find and save your family, and at the end there are some twists, that are a bit weird, and do get you thinking.
At the end of the day, I don't regret playing this game, but I wouldn't have minded not playing it. It's just an extremely mediocre action game, and I know this is the devs first game, and I hope it gets better from here.
Overall: 5/10
And at points, it did, but at other points, it really didn't. This game is meant to be played as a ''stealth'' game, but that stealth is basically non-existent in this game, its easier, and better, to just go guns blazing in it.
And, it's very clearly inspired by John Wick. The main character is quite literally a John Wick lookalike, and later in the game, you meet an NPC called ''John Week'', so clearly you can see the developer was inspired by the John Wick movies.
That's fine, you can be inspired by those movies, and I want more games inspired by them, so we can have that great combat like in those movies. Sadly, the combat in this game, is just very mediocre. It's nothing special, it can feel satisfying, but it's also frustrating at points too.
The story is quite barebones, you are just killing to find and save your family, and at the end there are some twists, that are a bit weird, and do get you thinking.
At the end of the day, I don't regret playing this game, but I wouldn't have minded not playing it. It's just an extremely mediocre action game, and I know this is the devs first game, and I hope it gets better from here.
Overall: 5/10
2016
Firewatch was a game that I had heard about for many years now, and has always been a game that I have wanted to play. I held off on it for a while, but until a sale came up, I saw the game on a deal for 3 dollars, so I just had to buy it, after putting it off for a few more months, I finally have played the game.
The visuals in this game are absolutely stunning, and they mix 3d stylized atmosphere, with drawn backgrounds that just fit in beautifully and perfectly.
The other huge positive of this game is the writing, the writing in this game is absolutely incredible. Every character feels alive, and their interactions actually feel like real interactions you would have with real people.
The game is also not too long, it does drag on a little, but the game is still well paced, and I know many people just find this a walking simulator, but I find this a little more than that. This has more to it than just walking, and I think that really heightens the experience even more.
This is a really good game, and a game that should be checked out, and even if people say the ending is really disappointing, I wouldn't listen to them. It's perfectly fine, and fits a fitting conclusion to the story.
Overall: 8/10
The visuals in this game are absolutely stunning, and they mix 3d stylized atmosphere, with drawn backgrounds that just fit in beautifully and perfectly.
The other huge positive of this game is the writing, the writing in this game is absolutely incredible. Every character feels alive, and their interactions actually feel like real interactions you would have with real people.
The game is also not too long, it does drag on a little, but the game is still well paced, and I know many people just find this a walking simulator, but I find this a little more than that. This has more to it than just walking, and I think that really heightens the experience even more.
This is a really good game, and a game that should be checked out, and even if people say the ending is really disappointing, I wouldn't listen to them. It's perfectly fine, and fits a fitting conclusion to the story.
Overall: 8/10
2024
Rinse and Repeat is a 10 minute long indie horror game, that caught my attention because it had gotten mildly popular on TikTok.
The game is so simple, yet it's actually shockingly intelligent. The way to get one of the endings in this game, shows how us as players are, and how we act on instincts, and how we easily go off of things we don't know for certain, but we act on them because we think it's true.
The game's actually really smart in that way, it got me paranoid, opening my eyes in the game to make sure a monster wasn't near me, I gained a lot of appreciation for this when I did get all the endings for it.
Now I can't say this game is amazing, because it is quite generic, it's just that it is way more smarter than most of these short free indie horror games.
Overall 6/10
The game is so simple, yet it's actually shockingly intelligent. The way to get one of the endings in this game, shows how us as players are, and how we act on instincts, and how we easily go off of things we don't know for certain, but we act on them because we think it's true.
The game's actually really smart in that way, it got me paranoid, opening my eyes in the game to make sure a monster wasn't near me, I gained a lot of appreciation for this when I did get all the endings for it.
Now I can't say this game is amazing, because it is quite generic, it's just that it is way more smarter than most of these short free indie horror games.
Overall 6/10
2018
September 1999 is a game from 2018 that adopts a Found Footage aesthetic, and if to my own recollection, was one of the first bigger games to be purely in the style of Found Footage, now it's mainly Bodycam horror games, but I feel this was the first big example of a game starting this trend.
The game is 5 minutes long, you can't make it shorter, or longer, and most of it you have to interpret for yourself. I believe you are either a serial killer, or someone that has some form of schizophrenia. I do believe this game is a test game almost, for the developer to test his abilities for making a game, and trying things new. This feels like a project, to start a bigger project, at least to me it does.
The game's aesthetics are very cool, and you only have 2 rooms to go through, but how they use these two rooms are very cool, but, there's not too much to this game, maybe if it was expanded upon with more story, being longer, and just an overall expansion in general. I believe this could be quite good, but it is too short to warrant a high rating, at least for me.
Overall: 6/10
The game is 5 minutes long, you can't make it shorter, or longer, and most of it you have to interpret for yourself. I believe you are either a serial killer, or someone that has some form of schizophrenia. I do believe this game is a test game almost, for the developer to test his abilities for making a game, and trying things new. This feels like a project, to start a bigger project, at least to me it does.
The game's aesthetics are very cool, and you only have 2 rooms to go through, but how they use these two rooms are very cool, but, there's not too much to this game, maybe if it was expanded upon with more story, being longer, and just an overall expansion in general. I believe this could be quite good, but it is too short to warrant a high rating, at least for me.
Overall: 6/10
Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number is a step up in most ways from the first Hotline Miami.
The gameplay in Hotline Miami 2 is overwhelmingly improved from Hotline Miami 1's, and Hotline Miami 1 already had amazing gameplay. The new weapons introduced are all great, and all the new levels are the best in the series.
You get to play as way more characters, opposed to just Jacket and Biker in the first game, you probably play around 7-8 different characters, within the span of this entire game, and most of these characters are unique in how they play, that it really makes their own designated sections extremely fun.
The one issue I do have is the story, the story becomes extremely confusing and convoluted, and the first game already had a decently confusing story, this one amplifies the confusion to a new level. While I think I got what the story was, it really didn't need to be as complicated as it was.
This is an amazing game, and is an actually good sequel, that is better than the original game, which is quite rare nowadays.
Overall: 9/10
The gameplay in Hotline Miami 2 is overwhelmingly improved from Hotline Miami 1's, and Hotline Miami 1 already had amazing gameplay. The new weapons introduced are all great, and all the new levels are the best in the series.
You get to play as way more characters, opposed to just Jacket and Biker in the first game, you probably play around 7-8 different characters, within the span of this entire game, and most of these characters are unique in how they play, that it really makes their own designated sections extremely fun.
The one issue I do have is the story, the story becomes extremely confusing and convoluted, and the first game already had a decently confusing story, this one amplifies the confusion to a new level. While I think I got what the story was, it really didn't need to be as complicated as it was.
This is an amazing game, and is an actually good sequel, that is better than the original game, which is quite rare nowadays.
Overall: 9/10
2021
Ann is a free 2021 RPG Maker horror game, that while being free, is entirely solid.
The game really harkens back to old RPG Maker classic games, and same with its artstyle, it really nails that old atmosphere of an old RPG Maker horror. It does have a convoluted story, that really didn't need to be as long as it was.
Lots of the twists in this game weren't really needed, the stuff with the Principal wasn't necessarily needed for a game like this. They should have kept it as a PG-13 ish kiddie horror adventure, which is what it feels like a lot of the time, since its not scary at all, and almost more comedic.
The game's good though, and for being free, it's quite worth it, especially since it is about 2 hours long in length, its a game you should check out.
Overall: 7/10
The game really harkens back to old RPG Maker classic games, and same with its artstyle, it really nails that old atmosphere of an old RPG Maker horror. It does have a convoluted story, that really didn't need to be as long as it was.
Lots of the twists in this game weren't really needed, the stuff with the Principal wasn't necessarily needed for a game like this. They should have kept it as a PG-13 ish kiddie horror adventure, which is what it feels like a lot of the time, since its not scary at all, and almost more comedic.
The game's good though, and for being free, it's quite worth it, especially since it is about 2 hours long in length, its a game you should check out.
Overall: 7/10
2023
Greg's Deadly Draft is an interesting Mascot horror game. It does feel way more comedic and not that serious at all, and that's fine, but lots of the game falls flat.
The game's story I didn't really understand, nor did I pay attention to it. Enemies were really easy to deal with, all the bosses were easy, the standout I guess is the gameplay, because you can actually fight back, and your weapons are also decently different from most horror games.
Everything besides the gameplay is just bad, it's just a very boring, unfun game, that fails as a comedic horror experience. Just not really worth it.
Overall: 4/10
The game's story I didn't really understand, nor did I pay attention to it. Enemies were really easy to deal with, all the bosses were easy, the standout I guess is the gameplay, because you can actually fight back, and your weapons are also decently different from most horror games.
Everything besides the gameplay is just bad, it's just a very boring, unfun game, that fails as a comedic horror experience. Just not really worth it.
Overall: 4/10
2023
Cannibal Abduction is a PSX styled Survival Horror game published by Puppet Combo. I am a personal huge fan of Puppet Combo's work, and find his games innovative and very unique. Sadly, this game is just okay.
This game really has nothing special to write home about, it just feels like a worse version of Murder House. The house is eerily similar to Murder House's layout, though it also does take some inspiration from Texas Chain Saw Massacre's house layout too.
The killer really isn't that scary. He's trying to kill you to feed his family, but there also is a weird creature in the basement you can find that they are feeding, and it's not really touched upon why there's a monster in the basement.
The entire game was grounded in reality until you get that secret ending, which totally invalidates most things in it.
The puzzles are very easy, and it really wears off after a few minutes. The killer is extremely slow, which is the same for Murder House, but Murder House made up with that, with the Easter Ripper being a scary villain in what he did to his victims.
This game's just okay, it's just another PSX survival horror game that is very generic, but was worth playing in the end.
Overall: 6/10
This game really has nothing special to write home about, it just feels like a worse version of Murder House. The house is eerily similar to Murder House's layout, though it also does take some inspiration from Texas Chain Saw Massacre's house layout too.
The killer really isn't that scary. He's trying to kill you to feed his family, but there also is a weird creature in the basement you can find that they are feeding, and it's not really touched upon why there's a monster in the basement.
The entire game was grounded in reality until you get that secret ending, which totally invalidates most things in it.
The puzzles are very easy, and it really wears off after a few minutes. The killer is extremely slow, which is the same for Murder House, but Murder House made up with that, with the Easter Ripper being a scary villain in what he did to his victims.
This game's just okay, it's just another PSX survival horror game that is very generic, but was worth playing in the end.
Overall: 6/10
Doki Doki Literature Club! is a indie horror game, originally disguised as a ordinary dating simulator. As the game unfolds, more of the horror elements are reveled.
Personally, I believe that this game is a masterpiece of storytelling. The story in this game is absolutely told amazingly, and is very creative, especially for 2017, it's not as ''innovative'' or ''unique'' compared to some of the meta-horror games we have now, and it might not do as many ''out there'' or ''shocking'' things in its 4th wall breaks.
Back when this released, a lot of what it did, was very new at the time, and I believe after Doki Doki released, lots of other developers started to take note of Meta-Horror, and used it to their advantage.
Speaking of horror, the horror in this game is unique, but it's not necessarily scary. Besides one scene in the mid way point of the game involving Sayori, a lot of the game doesn't hit that peak of ''fear'', though that scene isn't really scary, it just really catches you off guard. Even if the scares aren't too scary, they should still be applauded for being immensely creative.
Where this game shines the most, is in its characters. Which makes sense, because this game entirely relies on it having good characters, since it is a visual novel. Every single character in this game, is fleshed out, and feels like a real human being that actually would exist in the world.
Each character also has a depressing side to them, that I believe, depending on the player, could affect them with how it's presented. There's a monologue with Sayori about her depression, and how they wrote that monologue is unlike any other game I have ever seen handle a topic like that.
All the characters are amazing. And, the first half of this game, which is a traditional dating simulator, actually isn't even that bad. I don't play dating simulators, because it's not my type of game, but, being honest, as a dating simulator, the first half was still quite good, and well written.
In the end, this game is truly special, and deeply emotional at times, way more than I expected, and for being a free game, this is an absolutely must play. There is no excuses to not playing this game at all.
Overall: 10/10
Personally, I believe that this game is a masterpiece of storytelling. The story in this game is absolutely told amazingly, and is very creative, especially for 2017, it's not as ''innovative'' or ''unique'' compared to some of the meta-horror games we have now, and it might not do as many ''out there'' or ''shocking'' things in its 4th wall breaks.
Back when this released, a lot of what it did, was very new at the time, and I believe after Doki Doki released, lots of other developers started to take note of Meta-Horror, and used it to their advantage.
Speaking of horror, the horror in this game is unique, but it's not necessarily scary. Besides one scene in the mid way point of the game involving Sayori, a lot of the game doesn't hit that peak of ''fear'', though that scene isn't really scary, it just really catches you off guard. Even if the scares aren't too scary, they should still be applauded for being immensely creative.
Where this game shines the most, is in its characters. Which makes sense, because this game entirely relies on it having good characters, since it is a visual novel. Every single character in this game, is fleshed out, and feels like a real human being that actually would exist in the world.
Each character also has a depressing side to them, that I believe, depending on the player, could affect them with how it's presented. There's a monologue with Sayori about her depression, and how they wrote that monologue is unlike any other game I have ever seen handle a topic like that.
All the characters are amazing. And, the first half of this game, which is a traditional dating simulator, actually isn't even that bad. I don't play dating simulators, because it's not my type of game, but, being honest, as a dating simulator, the first half was still quite good, and well written.
In the end, this game is truly special, and deeply emotional at times, way more than I expected, and for being a free game, this is an absolutely must play. There is no excuses to not playing this game at all.
Overall: 10/10
2023
Last Seen Online is a really good short form Indie Horror game that really got a reaction out of me. The game does have a few scares, and it does have a creepy atmosphere, especially when you get into the Other World.
But, where this game really shines is it story, that is very emotionally driven, and very well thought out, and very well written. The story fits well within the concept of the game, and it is quite powerful with the messages it has about living forever, and depressive thoughts.
Very good game, and one I think should be played by most people, especially since its free.
Overall: 9/10
But, where this game really shines is it story, that is very emotionally driven, and very well thought out, and very well written. The story fits well within the concept of the game, and it is quite powerful with the messages it has about living forever, and depressive thoughts.
Very good game, and one I think should be played by most people, especially since its free.
Overall: 9/10
Fears to Fathom: Carson House is the 3rd installment in the Fears to Fathom series. And, though this might be a unpopular opinion, its by far my favorite of the 3 games I have played so far.
The story to me, is the best here, and really feels like a revamped Home Alone, where it has a better build up, and it hits a lot of the same beats, but I think Carson House hits those beats, significantly better.
We also are bringing the series back to a house, which to me is scary when a situation like an intruder is breaking in, because we can all relate to being in a house, late at night. When you start to do concepts of being in totally abstract places, we lose that realism factor, and we can't really relate to the fear that much.
This game is just really good, and really bumped this series up for me, where I am really interested in Ironbark Lookout to play, because I was very impressed by this. All the games so far have improved upon themselves, so if Ironbark is an improvement, then I'm sure I will quite like it.
Overall: 8/10
The story to me, is the best here, and really feels like a revamped Home Alone, where it has a better build up, and it hits a lot of the same beats, but I think Carson House hits those beats, significantly better.
We also are bringing the series back to a house, which to me is scary when a situation like an intruder is breaking in, because we can all relate to being in a house, late at night. When you start to do concepts of being in totally abstract places, we lose that realism factor, and we can't really relate to the fear that much.
This game is just really good, and really bumped this series up for me, where I am really interested in Ironbark Lookout to play, because I was very impressed by this. All the games so far have improved upon themselves, so if Ironbark is an improvement, then I'm sure I will quite like it.
Overall: 8/10
Fears to Fathom: Norwood Hitchhike is a improvement over Home Alone, it has a better story, better narrative, better characters, and it is longer, and it is more fleshed out, and they build out the scenario a bit more.
Even though it is an improvement over Home Alone, Norwood Hitchhike still didn't click to me. The atmosphere, and the setting isn't as scary as Home Alone, and because of that, it does greatly lose its scare factor for me.
It's a sure improvement, but it's still a game I just find to be okay. I do hear the series does continuously get better, so I hope the following installments are better, because this was an improvement, at the very least.
Overall: 6/10
Even though it is an improvement over Home Alone, Norwood Hitchhike still didn't click to me. The atmosphere, and the setting isn't as scary as Home Alone, and because of that, it does greatly lose its scare factor for me.
It's a sure improvement, but it's still a game I just find to be okay. I do hear the series does continuously get better, so I hope the following installments are better, because this was an improvement, at the very least.
Overall: 6/10
Fears to Fathom: Home Alone is the first game by solo indie dev Rayll, in his attempt to create an indie horror game based on ''real'' stories submitted to his email.
This first story covers a intruder trying to get into your home, the thing most notable about this game is the atmosphere that is creates, which is by far the best part of this game, the concept is also eerie too.
Sadly, the game just falls short, they could have built up the suspense more, and built up to this invasion, but it basically just happens in the span of a few minutes, with no build up at all. If it took my time fleshing things out, I'm sure it would have been much better. Though, it is a free game, so I shouldn't expect much out of it.
Overall: 6/10
This first story covers a intruder trying to get into your home, the thing most notable about this game is the atmosphere that is creates, which is by far the best part of this game, the concept is also eerie too.
Sadly, the game just falls short, they could have built up the suspense more, and built up to this invasion, but it basically just happens in the span of a few minutes, with no build up at all. If it took my time fleshing things out, I'm sure it would have been much better. Though, it is a free game, so I shouldn't expect much out of it.
Overall: 6/10
2024
Shipwrecked 64 is a indie/mascot horror game that I was following its development on for a long time. I remember playing the original version of the game a year or so ago, and being very blown away, and very impressed by what I was playing, so when I found out Shipwrecked 64 was becoming a full fledged game, I was extremely excited.
And then, the game came out. It was everything I wanted, and more. Visually, it was significantly better, character models looked better, environments looked better, the movement was better, everything was better from a technical standpoint.
The story is also really good, it's very interesting, and there's many layers to it, and many different ideas that it presents that you could theorize on, and have different ideas and theories on what really happened.
And, even though its a horror game, it's actually quite fun. The movement is just so fun in this game, that just going around your hub area, jumping around, going fast, is just extremely fun in its own right. The parkouring is also really good, and adds to the fun factor.
So, the only tiny issues I have is that the game is not that scary, the first time you get to the Plaza/Layer 3 it's quite scary. But after a while it really does wear off, and does not remain as scary as how it started.
The game is also a bit too easy, they give you lots of second chances, and ways to climb back to where you were, which makes the game much easier, there really is no ''death'' in this game, you dont lose any progress when you are captured, so it does take away from wanting to stay alive, because if you are caught nothing changes and you can get back to where you were in a few minutes.
But this is genuinely a masterpiece, the 4th wall breaks are amazing as well. How it interacts with your PC is groundbreaking, and I hope what Shipwrecked 64 did now, will inspire a developer to improve upon, and go a step further with the meta-horror in the future. As it stands now, this is one of the best indie horror games ever made, both from a playing standpoint, and an actual technical/objective standpoint.
Also, this game was primarily made by an 18 year old, let that sink in. The amount of creativity in this is crazy, and how expansive it is, is also crazy. Knowing an 18 year old made this is actually mind blowing, this developer really has something going for the future.
Overall: 10/10
And then, the game came out. It was everything I wanted, and more. Visually, it was significantly better, character models looked better, environments looked better, the movement was better, everything was better from a technical standpoint.
The story is also really good, it's very interesting, and there's many layers to it, and many different ideas that it presents that you could theorize on, and have different ideas and theories on what really happened.
And, even though its a horror game, it's actually quite fun. The movement is just so fun in this game, that just going around your hub area, jumping around, going fast, is just extremely fun in its own right. The parkouring is also really good, and adds to the fun factor.
So, the only tiny issues I have is that the game is not that scary, the first time you get to the Plaza/Layer 3 it's quite scary. But after a while it really does wear off, and does not remain as scary as how it started.
The game is also a bit too easy, they give you lots of second chances, and ways to climb back to where you were, which makes the game much easier, there really is no ''death'' in this game, you dont lose any progress when you are captured, so it does take away from wanting to stay alive, because if you are caught nothing changes and you can get back to where you were in a few minutes.
But this is genuinely a masterpiece, the 4th wall breaks are amazing as well. How it interacts with your PC is groundbreaking, and I hope what Shipwrecked 64 did now, will inspire a developer to improve upon, and go a step further with the meta-horror in the future. As it stands now, this is one of the best indie horror games ever made, both from a playing standpoint, and an actual technical/objective standpoint.
Also, this game was primarily made by an 18 year old, let that sink in. The amount of creativity in this is crazy, and how expansive it is, is also crazy. Knowing an 18 year old made this is actually mind blowing, this developer really has something going for the future.
Overall: 10/10