A very charming throwback that includes some fun world design and puzzles. I'll admit it mostly runs off of nostalgia from the era it was inspired by, but it's a good passion project that will entertain for an hour or less. I wish the problem solving had just a little more complexity.
2023
It has a lot of cool concepts but fails to evolve them. After the first hour you've experienced everything the game has to offer as it sadly steers away from needed complexity. There's still some fun to be had with Pikmin style base raids, but that's about as far as the novelty goes.
A simple and clever puzzle game that does a great job at teaching players tools to solve. Having both full reset and undo options is very helpful for cognitive learning. I was left wanting more personality and charm but the raw gameplay is worth playing for.
2021
An incredibly satisfying game with so much incentive to keep playing and leveling up. The feeling of becoming more powerful is strong enough to retain attention, but the many achievements add to that with desirable unlocks. My only issues with the game are the lack of inspiration in level design/variety and random bugs/crashes. Overall it's a great experience on both PC and mobile.
A 2D platformer that's overall decent, but lacks novelty for standing out. While there's fun to be had with its ballistic approach, the chaos also makes it difficult to visually navigate the screen. The rules of attacking feel almost inconsistent, as only sometimes colliding with enemies will hurt them. There are some interesting boss fights but beyond that, this is a pretty bland 2D platformer.
Definitely a stunning visual upgrade from the original and the graphics are as good as you could hope for from the Switch. It would have been nice to have some quality of life changes from the original, but other than more control options it carries the same frustrations. There are also some small baffling changes like removing dynamic light from beams, longer to charge shots, doors looking less dynamic, and the thermal visor straight up looking bad. I also feel the controls aren't as fluid as the Wii versions. But these are ultimately nitpicks that won't impact first time players and the stunning views are worth experiencing by veterans.
2017
This is one of the best 'non-game' games I've played, as it's more of an interactive movie experience. Being a fly on the wall for dynamic character interactions is very engaging thanks to the efficient control in investigation and level of detail. The voice acting and character dynamics is AAA effort, despite the small studio behind the game. You'll want to go to every room, read through desktops, and unlock gym lockers for the sake of experiencing everything this narrative has to offer.
2017
A game worth playing purely based on how unique it is. It has lots of clever ideas for object orientation that bring high satisfaction, even when the discovery is accidental. A surprising amount of puzzle solving is interlaced between objects, but it can be tedious to switch objects to figure it out. Having a level select would help the frustration of re-manipulating the objects to get back to a point. The music and background interacts nicely with the gameplay which yields a very complete theme. The heavy contrasting colors is a cool aesthetic but it also can be unappealing to look at for long periods of time.
Gotta love Lego's storytelling without the use of dialogue. The atmospheric music pairs nicely with the simplicity of Lego and visual tone. However, the gameplay itself is a little too simplistic and repetitive. The controls feel off and sluggish.
2016
An aesthetically pleasing spin on a simplistic platform shooter that makes you think of every move. The random terrain generation mixed with illuminous platforms forces you to tackle one problem at a time. Sometimes it's wise to wait and think, while others you have to act quickly and get rewarded for doing so. The loadout system is simple but allows enough choice for strategizing while also being a good pick-me-up upon death. Using currency as both respawns and purchases allows you to really value the worth of a run. It could use more substance in enemy/item variety but ultimately a great game to pick up when in need of instant engagement.
A fantastic Zelda game and one of the most clever titles in the lineup. The dungeons stand out having some of the best and diverse challenges, all with equipment largely unique from the series. The only hinderance is wait time that accumulates quickly. The most notable offender is the shrink/grow time, but even smaller things like kinstones, item switching, and Ezlo can really slow down the pace. Other than that, it's a near-flawless Zelda title that's worth picking up.
2022
Not really a game but more of a tech demo. Impressive to be made on GB emulator but hard to recommend a tech demo.
2019
A charming game with a great simplistic humor, but a little too simplistic in every other aspect. The platforming, puzzle solving, and world exploration all feel like they could've been pushed more. There are promising tidbits/mechanics that would stand out amongst other puzzle platformers if fleshed out. Very good graphic design though, and baskick could really be it's own game.
2020
While I'm not usually into horror games, I still enjoyed my time with this. It shines in presentation by giving creepy post effects to spice up the pixel art style. I also like the choices you have in how you deal with enemies, such as hiding, attacking, maneuvering, or trapping. The issue comes in later in the game when things start slowing down. This is because of slow movement on bigger areas, more defeated enemies, and back tracking for key objects. But if you like horror games, this is a fun way to mix in various horror elements with pretty smooth gameplay.
2021
A platformer FPS that will keep you engaged 100% of the time you're playing. It's like the inverted version of Super Hot with some Mirror's Edge mixed in and all the concepts work very well together. I love how powerful you can feel without skimping on difficulty and you're rewarded for better execution. While the gameplay isn't repetitive, some of the utilities become so, such as weaponry and types of movement. The levels also some times feel clostrophobic and limit your want to utilize parkour, but the "Red Faction style" terrain explosion gives more traversing enjoyment. It's great fun and I highly recommend trying it.