Sci_Karate
BACKER
2018
Lumines Remastered slams open the original's fridge and fills it with a dozen frozen TV-dinners. Every new gamemode is enjoyable, but feels a little slight in comparison the Main Gourmet Entree: the Basic Challenge speedrun.
A true feast for the senses and the mind. "Tetris for Intellectuals" or something equally snippy
A true feast for the senses and the mind. "Tetris for Intellectuals" or something equally snippy
2004
Lumines is a true masterclass in puzzle game design. Every element is so finely tuned, so excellently thought out, so clearly communicated, that it rivals even Tetris in its virtuosity.
It's not nearly as "clean" as Tetris is - but I'd rather play the quirky block game with the wacky timeline and danceable music than the old-man tetromino placer with classical compositions.
It's not nearly as "clean" as Tetris is - but I'd rather play the quirky block game with the wacky timeline and danceable music than the old-man tetromino placer with classical compositions.
The combat has kiddie-pool depth, but the movement is excellent, and the Vibes are off-the-charts. It feels like a mid-2000s Playstation game in the best possible way. A real "beloved cult classic 7/10" sort of videogame.
Despite the quirky theming and sprite design, this is a surprisingly robust endless runner. The music goes mind-bogglingly hard.
2023
I was really hoping for a climbing mechanic with more friction, and more consequence. I expected a really robust and juicy climbing system, but if you hold up on the analog stick and wiggle the triggers in a pumping motion, you can ascend most of this game's rock faces.
That said - Jusant is gorgeous, and really narratively beautiful. Then again, I didn't read any of the text in this game beyond chapter 1, and neither should you! Having to stop for a paragraph every five minutes is a pacing error of severe nightmareulousness.
To be clear - I don't mind reading in games! I love rpgs, I get along great with visual novels, I read all the little emails in my immersive sims, and I know how to read books! It just really messed up my flow in this one.
Still really liked it though!
That said - Jusant is gorgeous, and really narratively beautiful. Then again, I didn't read any of the text in this game beyond chapter 1, and neither should you! Having to stop for a paragraph every five minutes is a pacing error of severe nightmareulousness.
To be clear - I don't mind reading in games! I love rpgs, I get along great with visual novels, I read all the little emails in my immersive sims, and I know how to read books! It just really messed up my flow in this one.
Still really liked it though!
2023
Cosmic Collapse lacks some of Suika's hyper-delicious Friction, but the smoothing of those edges results in a very chill and enjoyable snack-sized puzzle game.
2000
The Bouncer is a fun OVA tied to an un-fun 3D brawler.
However: the game is easy, full of checkpoints, and incredibly short, so I can completely forgive the gameplay while I enjoy The Vibes. Loved my time with this one.
However: the game is easy, full of checkpoints, and incredibly short, so I can completely forgive the gameplay while I enjoy The Vibes. Loved my time with this one.
2024
Go Mecha Ball's gamefeel is so delicious it should be used to teach classes on character controllers.
It's an instant game of the year contender.
It's a love letter to screenshake.
It's a PhD-level dissertation on "juice".
It's the best core loop I've ever felt in a roguelite.
It's an instant game of the year contender.
It's a love letter to screenshake.
It's a PhD-level dissertation on "juice".
It's the best core loop I've ever felt in a roguelite.
2023
Playing a visual novel with a group of friends, debating choices and narrating silly character voices, is immense fun.
Taking that social experience and fleshing it out into a full game is a genuine stroke of genius. The strategy layer here has depth, giving an experience closer to a large-group boardgame than the more traditional visual novel group-read.
Highly recommend if you can get a group of 7 or more people together in a discord call or a living room.
Taking that social experience and fleshing it out into a full game is a genuine stroke of genius. The strategy layer here has depth, giving an experience closer to a large-group boardgame than the more traditional visual novel group-read.
Highly recommend if you can get a group of 7 or more people together in a discord call or a living room.
2019
I am a silly baby and get too scared with more traditional horror games (e.g. Amnesia, Alien: Isolation), but RE2R perfectly straddles the fence dividing "too scary" and "not scary at all". It exists in the twilight space of "spooky", and I love it for that.
2020
An enjoyable 30-minute sci-fi pokemon-snap-like.
The movement handling is a little wonky, and the creature detection is overly finicky, but I find those faults forgivable in a lunch-break-sized game.
The movement handling is a little wonky, and the creature detection is overly finicky, but I find those faults forgivable in a lunch-break-sized game.
2022
I love this game for its creativity, but wish it was either shorter, or had more going on in the front half. I felt like I was doing chores by the twenty minute mark, and then slogged through til the ending.
2012
Vidiot Game is the perfect, apicular distillation of early-2010s Newgrounds comedy games. It is a nostalgic return to that time for those who remember it, and an excitingly esoteric gem for those who do not. You can complete a successful playthrough in under half an hour, and you should.
2023
Typecast is a beautiful three-axis chimera born from Nuclear Throne, Vampire Survivors, and Typing of the Dead (or, if you prefer a more comedic choice, "Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing").
Toying with the keyboard as an input mechanism is genius. Fast-moving enemies frequently require reaching far-away keys. Boss enemies require you to type the entire alphabet in order while fending off smaller foes.
Shooters were designed for the mouse, but few videogames have ever truly been designed for the keyboard, let alone both the keyboard and the mouse. I'm glad to see Typecast take another seat in that miniature pantheon.
Toying with the keyboard as an input mechanism is genius. Fast-moving enemies frequently require reaching far-away keys. Boss enemies require you to type the entire alphabet in order while fending off smaller foes.
Shooters were designed for the mouse, but few videogames have ever truly been designed for the keyboard, let alone both the keyboard and the mouse. I'm glad to see Typecast take another seat in that miniature pantheon.
The most monkey's-paw-core videogame I've ever played.
The color tube gametype is pretty fun, but the rest are varying degrees of nightmarish.
The color tube gametype is pretty fun, but the rest are varying degrees of nightmarish.