PlatypusDude
62 Reviews liked by PlatypusDude
Fashion Police Squad
2022
There's a gamer boss that you defeat by shooting him with soapy water
Indika
2024
Indika's philosophical, theological conversations around good and evil won't win any awards for originality. But it's such a potent blast of dark humor, we couldn't help falling in love. If you can stomach a feel-bad narrative that gets pretty dark at times, you really ought to check it out.
Stray
2022
this game is bad but hides behind cats to make everyone like it
This game definitely has alot of flaws:
- bad camera
- extremely buggy
- inconsistent platforming
- lack of enemy/weapon variety
but goddammit if it doesnt have alot of charm and whimsy that kept me pushing through the bullshit. The one weapon you're unfortunately locked into is pretty fun, esp when you can stick it into some trash and it turns into a hammer. So many little things add up to create a game thats greater than the sum of its parts in so many ways. Also, alot of those issues are fixable. This game has a fantastic setting, and its story and characters are fun and kept me hooked....get it? Buy in a few months once all the bugs are fixed.
- bad camera
- extremely buggy
- inconsistent platforming
- lack of enemy/weapon variety
but goddammit if it doesnt have alot of charm and whimsy that kept me pushing through the bullshit. The one weapon you're unfortunately locked into is pretty fun, esp when you can stick it into some trash and it turns into a hammer. So many little things add up to create a game thats greater than the sum of its parts in so many ways. Also, alot of those issues are fixable. This game has a fantastic setting, and its story and characters are fun and kept me hooked....get it? Buy in a few months once all the bugs are fixed.
Slay the Princess
2023
Having to make my own decisions was a terrifying experience. I will never do it again. And before anyone asks, I did it, everyone! I fixed her! (I got the good ending)
It was one of the best visual novels I have ever played. Great voice acting, great story, and the voices in my head are accurate. It's impressive that they are still updating the game, and a big update that'll extend the game by 25% is on its way. It's also not a very long game; I finished it in 5 hours because I took my sweet time and wandered around.
There was a sequence where I refused to continue doing what I was told, and the game shut down after the entity told me, "I will be here when you are ready" or something. I was flabbergasted. Next time I opened the game, that same entity welcomed me, and I continued where I left off.
I just wished that the Voice of the Hero and the Narrator's voice wasn't so identical.
It is truly a unique experience and a must-play.
It was one of the best visual novels I have ever played. Great voice acting, great story, and the voices in my head are accurate. It's impressive that they are still updating the game, and a big update that'll extend the game by 25% is on its way. It's also not a very long game; I finished it in 5 hours because I took my sweet time and wandered around.
There was a sequence where I refused to continue doing what I was told, and the game shut down after the entity told me, "I will be here when you are ready" or something. I was flabbergasted. Next time I opened the game, that same entity welcomed me, and I continued where I left off.
I just wished that the Voice of the Hero and the Narrator's voice wasn't so identical.
It is truly a unique experience and a must-play.
Another Crab's Treasure is quite the sophomore project from Aggro Crab. To go from a top-down 3D dungeon crawler with a relatively simplistic art style (by design) to an expansive, soulslike set in a world filled with character and detail is an incredible leap.
But does Another Crab's Treasure match the fun and charm of its premise and gameplay trailers? For the most part, yes, it does indeed.
You play as Kril, a small hermit crab who just wants to be left alone in his shell, away from others. His relative peace is harshly disrupted, however, when a (literal) loan shark robs him of his home and sells it off. Now, he must embark on an underwater soulsborne adventure to buy his home back. From there, one thing leads to another and his secondary quest just happens to become "also, save the entire ocean while you're at it."
It's a fun story with fun, compelling characters and fun, witty writing from beginning to end. Honestly, going by these two projects of theirs that I've played consecutively now, these are things that Aggro Crab really seems to thrive at, and they're really in full force throughout Another Crab's Treasure, even more so than Going Under.
That being said, a decidedly less fun part of all that comes in the form of ACT's ending. Without treading into spoilers, I wouldn't go so far as to call it a bad ending—at least, not in that sense. Hypothetically, it's more like they picked the bad ending in a game with multiple choices and decided to make that the canon one. In fact, after I finished, I had to look online and check if that might be the case. It wasn't.
Don't get me wrong, it's a bold choice and to a certain degree, it's effective and I totally get what they were going for and what they were trying to say with it but it still doesn't feel satisfying or earned. I suppose that's more or less the point, and in some ways, it mirrors the endings of FromSoft's soulslikes, but in this game's case, it seemed far more bitter than sweet.
Still, the rest of the game remains a great time despite all of that. I can see people proficient in soulslikes not getting much out of this game since it doesn't use too many of the conventions one may be used to with them. For instance, you only have one weapon in the whole game. You can upgrade that weapon of course and gain certain abilities for it, but the bulk of your offensive capabilities come in the form of 'shell spells' (a special attack that uses up a meter) and the unique abilities of the shells you inherit (which also doubles as your defense).
Still, even if you aren't adept or overly fond of these kinds of games, ACT comes with a nifty 'assist mode' menu with heaps of options to fine-tune the experience to your liking. There's even one that lets you give Kril a gun for those who really wanna dispatch their enemies without any hassle, and fair enough to them at that!
Once again, though, there's a caveat. Besides my qualms with the game's ending, there were certain qualms with regards to platforming too. Overall, it's decent and gets the job done just enough to provide some respite from the combat encounters; however, it's all too easy to get caught in the geometry and miss certain jumps, even with the correct timing.
Part of the reason for this seems to be because Kril doesn't really have a proper double jump. Instead, he floats for a few seconds, much like Yoshi, which can provide you with some airtime to get where you need to go. This is relatively okay; however, there are several occasions where even that is not quite enough. Really, to get the most out of these segments, Aggro Crab could (and should) add a double jump while still keeping the floating, and make it so that you can climb up ledges if you just fall short of the jump. With these additions, the platforming would be well on its way to feeling more satisfying.
Overall, Another Crab's Treasure is a grand undersea adventure with heaps of charm and fun in its sharp, surprisingly crass dialogue and characters. Qualms with the ending and platforming segments keep it from surpassing Going Under but with certain tweaks and potential post-launch content (as they've hinted at), this can easily be achieved.
8/10
But does Another Crab's Treasure match the fun and charm of its premise and gameplay trailers? For the most part, yes, it does indeed.
You play as Kril, a small hermit crab who just wants to be left alone in his shell, away from others. His relative peace is harshly disrupted, however, when a (literal) loan shark robs him of his home and sells it off. Now, he must embark on an underwater soulsborne adventure to buy his home back. From there, one thing leads to another and his secondary quest just happens to become "also, save the entire ocean while you're at it."
It's a fun story with fun, compelling characters and fun, witty writing from beginning to end. Honestly, going by these two projects of theirs that I've played consecutively now, these are things that Aggro Crab really seems to thrive at, and they're really in full force throughout Another Crab's Treasure, even more so than Going Under.
That being said, a decidedly less fun part of all that comes in the form of ACT's ending. Without treading into spoilers, I wouldn't go so far as to call it a bad ending—at least, not in that sense. Hypothetically, it's more like they picked the bad ending in a game with multiple choices and decided to make that the canon one. In fact, after I finished, I had to look online and check if that might be the case. It wasn't.
Don't get me wrong, it's a bold choice and to a certain degree, it's effective and I totally get what they were going for and what they were trying to say with it but it still doesn't feel satisfying or earned. I suppose that's more or less the point, and in some ways, it mirrors the endings of FromSoft's soulslikes, but in this game's case, it seemed far more bitter than sweet.
Still, the rest of the game remains a great time despite all of that. I can see people proficient in soulslikes not getting much out of this game since it doesn't use too many of the conventions one may be used to with them. For instance, you only have one weapon in the whole game. You can upgrade that weapon of course and gain certain abilities for it, but the bulk of your offensive capabilities come in the form of 'shell spells' (a special attack that uses up a meter) and the unique abilities of the shells you inherit (which also doubles as your defense).
Still, even if you aren't adept or overly fond of these kinds of games, ACT comes with a nifty 'assist mode' menu with heaps of options to fine-tune the experience to your liking. There's even one that lets you give Kril a gun for those who really wanna dispatch their enemies without any hassle, and fair enough to them at that!
Once again, though, there's a caveat. Besides my qualms with the game's ending, there were certain qualms with regards to platforming too. Overall, it's decent and gets the job done just enough to provide some respite from the combat encounters; however, it's all too easy to get caught in the geometry and miss certain jumps, even with the correct timing.
Part of the reason for this seems to be because Kril doesn't really have a proper double jump. Instead, he floats for a few seconds, much like Yoshi, which can provide you with some airtime to get where you need to go. This is relatively okay; however, there are several occasions where even that is not quite enough. Really, to get the most out of these segments, Aggro Crab could (and should) add a double jump while still keeping the floating, and make it so that you can climb up ledges if you just fall short of the jump. With these additions, the platforming would be well on its way to feeling more satisfying.
Overall, Another Crab's Treasure is a grand undersea adventure with heaps of charm and fun in its sharp, surprisingly crass dialogue and characters. Qualms with the ending and platforming segments keep it from surpassing Going Under but with certain tweaks and potential post-launch content (as they've hinted at), this can easily be achieved.
8/10
Wanted: Dead
2023
A playable B movie
Obviously the core appeal of this is nostalgia for the weird cultural zeitgeist the CDi games have become but I have this deranged reading that the way it blends together the weird design choices of two infamously bad games (namely the fetch-quest style of progression) and the more conventional design choices of contemporary Metroidvanias was done as a parody of/way of taking the piss out of the latter
Arzette is short, but it's so enjoyable and charming. It had me laughing so much. The voice acting and cutscene animation is spot on for what they are parodying. Also it plays so much better than any of the cdi games it's taken inspiration from. I never once felt frustrated playing it.
Also some of the characters are legitimately designed so well. And even the boss fights can be hilarious at how you beat them.
Very very good and unique little game.
Also some of the characters are legitimately designed so well. And even the boss fights can be hilarious at how you beat them.
Very very good and unique little game.
as someone who does not really enjoy metroidvanias I actually really enjoyed this gameplay wise. it's definitely a great palate cleanser since there's no other game that is like this and it's short at about 4 hours. the cutscenes alone are worth the purchase.
This review contains spoilers
One of the best Like A Dragon/Yakuza gameplay experiences yet that's sadly hampered by some very strange plot decisions.
Combat is improved in almost every way from Yakuza: Like A Dragon, the side content is consistently excellent, and there's a ton of throwbacks to reward series veterans. Looking purely from a gameplay perspective, this is the best Like A Dragon title yet - apart from maybe Yakuza 0.
All of which makes the issues with its plot even more disappointing. The ending is particularly deflating and left me legitimately thinking, "oh, that's it?" For better and for worse, these issues aren't apparent until the latter half of the game, making for an excellent first impression but leaving you feeling like much of the story's intrigue was wasted towards the end.
Combat is improved in almost every way from Yakuza: Like A Dragon, the side content is consistently excellent, and there's a ton of throwbacks to reward series veterans. Looking purely from a gameplay perspective, this is the best Like A Dragon title yet - apart from maybe Yakuza 0.
All of which makes the issues with its plot even more disappointing. The ending is particularly deflating and left me legitimately thinking, "oh, that's it?" For better and for worse, these issues aren't apparent until the latter half of the game, making for an excellent first impression but leaving you feeling like much of the story's intrigue was wasted towards the end.
During the best of times this played like Rogue Squadron 1 but in the prequel era. At the worst of times, most of the time, you were on the ground controlling boring vehicles no one cares about busting unforgettable characters like Captain Panaka out of robot jail.
This DLC is clearly the worst of the bunch. I don't feel there was anything new or interesting brought forward in this DLC. Other scenarios had some really neat overall puzzle to solve, this felt disjointed, like i was missing certain screens. The final act is awful, it basically gives you an entire story to piece together from a few scenes, no real puzzle to solve, its just like trying to figure out a story with ripped out pages.
Been a fan of this series for a decade and even if this was just a rerelease, I still had so much fun playing it. But the minor issue I had was wishing more on the newer material the King prequel mission wasn't doing much for me and some lacked luster levels. Which created a unique approach to previous levels and did something on its own. But yeah, the game is good, wish we got a new game, but a man can dream.
Alan Wake II
2023
initiation 4 and return 7 need i say more