Tayter
2022
I'm not going to rate this game purely because I don't feel like its target audience.
It feels like an adventure/exploration game with too many text boxes. Too many jokes told too many times until they lose whatever punch and humour they may have initially had. The "challenging" portions of the game are sometimes SHMUP sections, sometimes puzzles, but never enough of either; which means neither is particularly well fleshed-out.
Ultimately I got tired of endless slow, "funny" exchanges between characters getting in the way of any potential fun I was having.
It feels like an adventure/exploration game with too many text boxes. Too many jokes told too many times until they lose whatever punch and humour they may have initially had. The "challenging" portions of the game are sometimes SHMUP sections, sometimes puzzles, but never enough of either; which means neither is particularly well fleshed-out.
Ultimately I got tired of endless slow, "funny" exchanges between characters getting in the way of any potential fun I was having.
2020
I was geared up to give this one 4.5 stars but after the midpoint things started to drag.
Story is charming enough, nothing to write home about but the light Scandinavian folklore aspect is fun.
Puzzles generally revolve around get "Item X from Location Y and use on Puzzle Z" which is fine, most of the challenge is from figuring out how some of the items combine and where they need to go to progress the plot.
Where it lost marks was:
- Occasionally paths were not quite clear enough leading me to think I'd cleared an area that I hadn't; only to have a walkthrough casually mention what I'd missed.
- There are moments that feel like needless padding, getting sidetracked on the way to your goal for no clear reason.
- The final chapter featured two puzzles with clues that did not help at all and also a mechanic that adds a lot of extra busywork to the experience.
All-in-all a reasonable puzzle game with a nice story that could have been 2+ hours shorter without losing anything.
Story is charming enough, nothing to write home about but the light Scandinavian folklore aspect is fun.
Puzzles generally revolve around get "Item X from Location Y and use on Puzzle Z" which is fine, most of the challenge is from figuring out how some of the items combine and where they need to go to progress the plot.
Where it lost marks was:
- Occasionally paths were not quite clear enough leading me to think I'd cleared an area that I hadn't; only to have a walkthrough casually mention what I'd missed.
- There are moments that feel like needless padding, getting sidetracked on the way to your goal for no clear reason.
- The final chapter featured two puzzles with clues that did not help at all and also a mechanic that adds a lot of extra busywork to the experience.
All-in-all a reasonable puzzle game with a nice story that could have been 2+ hours shorter without losing anything.
Goofy, silly humour.
Goofy, silly game.
Combat is serviceable enough; one button to stab, another for dodging (you will never need to use this).
Just short enough to avoid outstaying it's welcome.
Story is exactly what you'd expect from a game called "Turnip Boy Commits Tax Evasion".
Goofy, silly game.
Combat is serviceable enough; one button to stab, another for dodging (you will never need to use this).
Just short enough to avoid outstaying it's welcome.
Story is exactly what you'd expect from a game called "Turnip Boy Commits Tax Evasion".
In Just Cause 3 you blew up a red building and the game said "YES GOD YES DESTRUCTION LET'S GOOOO".
In JC4 it's more like "Hm? Oh yeah uh..good job buddy?"
Somehow managed to remove the cathartic chaos from a franchise that sold itself on cathartic chaos.
Just play JC3 again, trust me.
In JC4 it's more like "Hm? Oh yeah uh..good job buddy?"
Somehow managed to remove the cathartic chaos from a franchise that sold itself on cathartic chaos.
Just play JC3 again, trust me.
2015
Honestly..not strictly a bad game but there's just something not quite there.
The devs clearly acknowledged that the game would benefit from having certain parts cut or altered; yet there were things left in that just aren't great game design. Almost every instance of platforming was kept or even extended for no sensible reason. Especially considering how much poetic license was taken with Xen; so much could have been tweaked throughout the game but was instead repeated verbatim.
All in all a fine remake but it's hard to overlook the repeating of crap 90s design choices in a game made in the 2010s.
The devs clearly acknowledged that the game would benefit from having certain parts cut or altered; yet there were things left in that just aren't great game design. Almost every instance of platforming was kept or even extended for no sensible reason. Especially considering how much poetic license was taken with Xen; so much could have been tweaked throughout the game but was instead repeated verbatim.
All in all a fine remake but it's hard to overlook the repeating of crap 90s design choices in a game made in the 2010s.
2019
Serviceable if a little on the short side. If you've ever played a point and click flash game then you've played this.
Mostly simple "lock-and-key" puzzles with a dash of "I've seen the answer somewhere" puzzles mixed with a mildly creepy atmosphere and story. Maybe 5 actual jumpscares across the whole trilogy which is reasonable.
Mostly simple "lock-and-key" puzzles with a dash of "I've seen the answer somewhere" puzzles mixed with a mildly creepy atmosphere and story. Maybe 5 actual jumpscares across the whole trilogy which is reasonable.
2019
Played this immediately after the "Deep Sleep Trilogy" and was slightly less enamoured with the premise. Decent enough puzzles but the ability to do something wrong without knowing you'd made a mistake until the end of the game leaves a somewhat bitter taste. The first game of the trilogy is short enough that having to replay it is no big deal but later entries have plenty of useless items/tasks that mainly serve to confuse the player or cause a "Bad Ending" state.
2021
A neat, visually striking puzzle game with a few small action sections. The story might be a turn off for those who think any-and-all references to climate change are "heavy handed wokeism nonsense" because it's alluded to more than once. Solving each section makes you feel reasonably clever without requiring too much mental heavy lifting.
Also squirrels are just funny li'l guys by default so that's nice.
Also squirrels are just funny li'l guys by default so that's nice.
Honestly it's not entirely one-star bad but it is absolutely mired in game breaking bugs. I am literally locked out of leaving a building because the game thinks I am on the phone and there's absolutely no way to make it think otherwise.
A neat puzzle concept that is kind of poorly executed. Design choices that seem to be mostly ugly graphics dressed up as "dream stuff". So many unnecessary bugs with traversal. Also the story? Painfully uninteresting and trying to hit too many notes in too short a time.
A neat puzzle concept that is kind of poorly executed. Design choices that seem to be mostly ugly graphics dressed up as "dream stuff". So many unnecessary bugs with traversal. Also the story? Painfully uninteresting and trying to hit too many notes in too short a time.
2022
Could have been better. The developer clearly tried to go highbrow deep concept but without any real foundation on which to build the concept it felt like a whole buncha words dotted around a spooky house and a climax that felt like "more random stuff to do".
Steam description mentions the "aftermath" of a cult? but there's seemingly no mention of said cult within the game which is bad narrative.
Very walking sim. Very unspooky. Very 30 minutes I won't get back.
Steam description mentions the "aftermath" of a cult? but there's seemingly no mention of said cult within the game which is bad narrative.
Very walking sim. Very unspooky. Very 30 minutes I won't get back.
2022
I found the UI to be overly complex re: zooming and overviewing the levels.
For a game where you are penalised for flubbing shots it is surprisingly ready to trick you into flubbing shots.
There is very little way to know where your ball is going when taking a long shot.
The ball arc just moves too fast..if the whole game followed a one-button design sure; but it doesn't.
It's a fun concept but the shortcomings just made it annoying way before I started having fun.
For a game where you are penalised for flubbing shots it is surprisingly ready to trick you into flubbing shots.
There is very little way to know where your ball is going when taking a long shot.
The ball arc just moves too fast..if the whole game followed a one-button design sure; but it doesn't.
It's a fun concept but the shortcomings just made it annoying way before I started having fun.
2020
I had fun playing this one, mostly. Fighting mechanics are simple without being too limiting, often when a run fails it's not down to RNG and enemy variety is reasonable. The story is nothing to write home about but it doesn't get in the way of gameplay.
However RNG can sometimes make or break a run, especially as you unlock more and more items that can spawn in. You're just as likely to get items in one run that:
- increase/multiply gold
- make gold heal you
- make gold explode enemies and
- magnetise gold to you
as you are to get random items that synergise in no practical way.
What to do in that situation? Mothball the run? Persevere knowing you could be having more fun? It's a tough choice and not conducive to an enjoyable experience.
Also post-game content is extremely grind-heavy and adds very little in the way of fresh new experiences.
However RNG can sometimes make or break a run, especially as you unlock more and more items that can spawn in. You're just as likely to get items in one run that:
- increase/multiply gold
- make gold heal you
- make gold explode enemies and
- magnetise gold to you
as you are to get random items that synergise in no practical way.
What to do in that situation? Mothball the run? Persevere knowing you could be having more fun? It's a tough choice and not conducive to an enjoyable experience.
Also post-game content is extremely grind-heavy and adds very little in the way of fresh new experiences.
TBD
Okay so you’re a criminal who’s in space prison for a very long time and the way you reduce your sentence is by solving a space mystery. But honestly that’s just a framing device for what is essentially a horror/puzzle game with an interesting mechanic.
You start every level “blind”, in that the screen is almost completely black, and you see the world around you by firing your LiDAR Gun at your environment which covers it in white or coloured dots, depending on the function of the thing you’re aiming at. It’s surprisingly not as disorienting or sickness inducing as you would expect.
The atmosphere is extremely claustrophobic à la Iron Lung or Capsule, limited visual input means you hear every single little sound the environment makes which makes for an incredibly unnerving experience.
What drags the game down is the latter stages, long treks across the environment following a yellow cable or daisy-chaining wires while avoiding turrets does not increase tension; rather it settles you down into a boredom that is never really broken. Oh and there’s chase sequences later on that really do not flatter the methodical approach this game forces on you from the start.
You start every level “blind”, in that the screen is almost completely black, and you see the world around you by firing your LiDAR Gun at your environment which covers it in white or coloured dots, depending on the function of the thing you’re aiming at. It’s surprisingly not as disorienting or sickness inducing as you would expect.
The atmosphere is extremely claustrophobic à la Iron Lung or Capsule, limited visual input means you hear every single little sound the environment makes which makes for an incredibly unnerving experience.
What drags the game down is the latter stages, long treks across the environment following a yellow cable or daisy-chaining wires while avoiding turrets does not increase tension; rather it settles you down into a boredom that is never really broken. Oh and there’s chase sequences later on that really do not flatter the methodical approach this game forces on you from the start.
2021
Voidigo feels like a labour of love. One of those games that “didn’t come out til it was ready” and definitely reaps the benefits. Combat is fluid, there’s enough variety in environments and enemies to prevent the experience getting stale, there’s a wide range of weapons and powerups.
Which leads me to my only (minor) criticism: there’s too many weapons and powerups. By the time I finished the game (beaten all bosses, completed a run with every character and upgraded/used enough powerups/weapons), I’d only scratched the surface of the range of powerups and weapons on offer; and the lack of significant postgame/NG+ content doesn’t inspire me to push for that 100% completion.
That being said, this is an extremely accomplished roguelike in the vein of Nuclear Throne, the main content of which kept me interested for 30 hours of which I enjoyed almost every minute.
Which leads me to my only (minor) criticism: there’s too many weapons and powerups. By the time I finished the game (beaten all bosses, completed a run with every character and upgraded/used enough powerups/weapons), I’d only scratched the surface of the range of powerups and weapons on offer; and the lack of significant postgame/NG+ content doesn’t inspire me to push for that 100% completion.
That being said, this is an extremely accomplished roguelike in the vein of Nuclear Throne, the main content of which kept me interested for 30 hours of which I enjoyed almost every minute.
2024
2 AM - Olympic Exclusion Zone - Outer Zone
I kill the engine, close my eyes and sit back in my car seat. The wind and rain batters the protective outer shell of my car, threatening to lift it off the ground and toss it down a ravine at any moment.
“There’s no such thing as a ‘Cursed Wheel’” I tell myself; and I believe it, I really do. It must have been my judicious use of the handbrake or driving a little too fast over a small pile of stones or a little too close to the Hot Dust 200 yards back. That’s why my front left wheel is loose for the fourth time on this excursion. It’s not Cursed.
I believe this despite being frequently pursued by semi-sentient balls of possessed trash and flying robots that want to steal my car. I believe this despite the existence of the Friendly Dumpster and the enigmatic-but-useful Pacemaker. I believe this despite every single piece of evidence to the contrary. There is no such thing as a Cursed Wheel.
Leaving it is an option. I can drive for miles without tending to it, I might even make it home if the conditions are perfect. Conditions are never perfect. A rogue squall could drift across at any moment and I could be left trying to repair so many more issues under a battering of acid rain or a confusing storm of Bollards and Shakers throwing my car and my self around like toys. Best to deal with it while the weather is only pre-apocalyptic.
I slide out into the maelstrom and tighten the wheel. It’s literally a moment’s work, even with my tools haphazardly thrown into a side-storage container. I even check around the car for any signs of weakness in the vehicles doors and panels, it’s the kind of thing that can save your life in the Olympic Exclusion Zone. All good, I slide back into the driver’s seat, soaked but satisfied. It’s time to head home.
I pick an exit point (why do they have to be so far away?) and all hell breaks loose. The real storm is coming and I am going. Fast. Tearing across the terrain in the near pitch-black at 100, 120, 140 km/h, squinting through the pouring rain. While my back was turned, exploding Tourists have drifted into the road causing me to veer into a ditch and mow down two dozen saplings before colliding with a tree. I check the dashboard console, no serious damage but the hold-up means that the initial storm has overtaken me and the worst is still to come.
Pulling back onto the road and flooring it, I can feel the true nightmare breathing down my neck, my exit point so near and yet not-near-enough. It’s a damn good job I dealt with that wheel.
An alert chimes on my dashboard.
There is No Such Thing as a Cursed Wheel
I kill the engine, close my eyes and sit back in my car seat. The wind and rain batters the protective outer shell of my car, threatening to lift it off the ground and toss it down a ravine at any moment.
“There’s no such thing as a ‘Cursed Wheel’” I tell myself; and I believe it, I really do. It must have been my judicious use of the handbrake or driving a little too fast over a small pile of stones or a little too close to the Hot Dust 200 yards back. That’s why my front left wheel is loose for the fourth time on this excursion. It’s not Cursed.
I believe this despite being frequently pursued by semi-sentient balls of possessed trash and flying robots that want to steal my car. I believe this despite the existence of the Friendly Dumpster and the enigmatic-but-useful Pacemaker. I believe this despite every single piece of evidence to the contrary. There is no such thing as a Cursed Wheel.
Leaving it is an option. I can drive for miles without tending to it, I might even make it home if the conditions are perfect. Conditions are never perfect. A rogue squall could drift across at any moment and I could be left trying to repair so many more issues under a battering of acid rain or a confusing storm of Bollards and Shakers throwing my car and my self around like toys. Best to deal with it while the weather is only pre-apocalyptic.
I slide out into the maelstrom and tighten the wheel. It’s literally a moment’s work, even with my tools haphazardly thrown into a side-storage container. I even check around the car for any signs of weakness in the vehicles doors and panels, it’s the kind of thing that can save your life in the Olympic Exclusion Zone. All good, I slide back into the driver’s seat, soaked but satisfied. It’s time to head home.
I pick an exit point (why do they have to be so far away?) and all hell breaks loose. The real storm is coming and I am going. Fast. Tearing across the terrain in the near pitch-black at 100, 120, 140 km/h, squinting through the pouring rain. While my back was turned, exploding Tourists have drifted into the road causing me to veer into a ditch and mow down two dozen saplings before colliding with a tree. I check the dashboard console, no serious damage but the hold-up means that the initial storm has overtaken me and the worst is still to come.
Pulling back onto the road and flooring it, I can feel the true nightmare breathing down my neck, my exit point so near and yet not-near-enough. It’s a damn good job I dealt with that wheel.
An alert chimes on my dashboard.
There is No Such Thing as a Cursed Wheel