Whimsicalish
2018
It's a simple clicker/idle game. Something I could see as a phone game app. There's 52 tasks to do in game and I did earn all the achievements. It's very laid back, silly, and plain adorable.
You have a farm to raise chickens; you can sell their eggs to buy new stuff in the market. You have a happiness bar to watch over so they don't leave.
It's a really simple, easy game to play. There's different types of chickens to collect and their animations are hilarious.
You have a farm to raise chickens; you can sell their eggs to buy new stuff in the market. You have a happiness bar to watch over so they don't leave.
It's a really simple, easy game to play. There's different types of chickens to collect and their animations are hilarious.
2018
I absolutely love this game. Adorable management game about building your own aquarium. I completed the story mode, all 10 chapters. It can be bit challenging but it wasn't difficult on normal. You can adjust the difficulty settings. There's also a sandbox mode if you rather mess around more creativity than manage money.
Wonderful graphics and detail of color and patterns on each species. There's a small note of information on each animal so I was learning as I played. I grew up on Zoo Tycoon so I'm a huge sucker for animal management games. This was fun, educational, and I wanted nothing more than each animal to be happy. Totally recommend this if you want something chill and relaxing.
Wonderful graphics and detail of color and patterns on each species. There's a small note of information on each animal so I was learning as I played. I grew up on Zoo Tycoon so I'm a huge sucker for animal management games. This was fun, educational, and I wanted nothing more than each animal to be happy. Totally recommend this if you want something chill and relaxing.
2017
An adventure, platform, and puzzle game all in one. I really liked the open world. You're thrown into it after learning the basics. Little push to the direction of your objectives. It really wants you to explore on your own. There's no fighting or fear of fall damage. It made the experience laid back. You can wander around inside caves and old buildings, then outside you transform seamlessly into a bird to fly. It's pretty cool.
It was a short experience. I kind of wish it was a bit longer. But I'm glad none of it felt like filler. The low poly art style is fantastic with the whimsy world and the music/audio is really wonderful. I would recommend it if you want a chill experience.
It was a short experience. I kind of wish it was a bit longer. But I'm glad none of it felt like filler. The low poly art style is fantastic with the whimsy world and the music/audio is really wonderful. I would recommend it if you want a chill experience.
2017
Surreal point and click adventure game. You're objective is to deliver letters to the creatures/spirits. The art style is wonderful and perfectly fits this whimsical, dreamlike environment. The background and the creatures have amazing use of color and textures. The audio and music is another highlight of the game.
You're encouraged to wander around and explore. There is no dialogue but everything was straightforward. It wasn't necessary. (Other than maybe the story and trying to understand what is going on lol.) But the mystery was a nice touch.
It is very short and my time includes collecting all the achievements in Steam. It was a nice short experience. I would recommend.
You're encouraged to wander around and explore. There is no dialogue but everything was straightforward. It wasn't necessary. (Other than maybe the story and trying to understand what is going on lol.) But the mystery was a nice touch.
It is very short and my time includes collecting all the achievements in Steam. It was a nice short experience. I would recommend.
Started the game, watched the opening, and then realized I did not play the first one (oops). I played some hidden object games from this developer and thought I played the first one. I wasn't completely lost on the story since I missed the first. A couple characters were mentioned events from the first but I'm not sure how important it is to play it.
All in all, not a terrible point and click, hidden object game. The highlight was the puzzles themselves. The story leaves you wanting, fairly generic. The characters aren't too interesting. The graphics and voice acting has aged.
But I was still entertained and finished it. I took it less seriously and may have laughed at some of it.
All in all, not a terrible point and click, hidden object game. The highlight was the puzzles themselves. The story leaves you wanting, fairly generic. The characters aren't too interesting. The graphics and voice acting has aged.
But I was still entertained and finished it. I took it less seriously and may have laughed at some of it.
I played the first Nightmares from the Deep last year. Between these two, the first was stronger. This story was lacking. It felt like the creators wanted to mash HP Lovecraft and pirates together for a sea theme. Also weird how it kept mentioning Davy Jones as the BIG BADDIE but he never shows up. He's just mentioned.
Again, the story isn't it's best point. It's the puzzles. The animations and graphics are dated but damn, did I have a good time laughing at the character flailing around to walk across the screen. No harsh feelings towards the animators because I can't animate. I had a good time; don't take them seriously.
Again, the story isn't it's best point. It's the puzzles. The animations and graphics are dated but damn, did I have a good time laughing at the character flailing around to walk across the screen. No harsh feelings towards the animators because I can't animate. I had a good time; don't take them seriously.
I liked this third installment better than the second. Finally we meet Davy Jones and he's the big baddie pirate.The animation seemed a bit better, less jarring walking animations. They had an original spin on the story rather than trying to stick Lovecraftian in it.
The length was good for a puzzle, point and click.This wasn't my favorite series by Artifex Mundi. Maybe I'm biased since I'm not huge into pirates. I really enjoyed the puzzles best of all. There were a variety of puzzles and the collectables were different. However the story wasn't the strong suit overall.
This could be working title, "pirates are bad and my daughter won't stop getting kidnapped."
We're going against and later helping pirates in all three games. (Again maybe I'm biased) but when I think of a pirate, I think of someone that is murdering, thieving, pillaging, etc. They're either doing this in the game or it's mentioned. When you later help some of these pirates, I didn't really want to...they suck as people. They're literally torturing and kidnapping people, why would I want to help them? That sucks.
The length was good for a puzzle, point and click.This wasn't my favorite series by Artifex Mundi. Maybe I'm biased since I'm not huge into pirates. I really enjoyed the puzzles best of all. There were a variety of puzzles and the collectables were different. However the story wasn't the strong suit overall.
This could be working title, "pirates are bad and my daughter won't stop getting kidnapped."
We're going against and later helping pirates in all three games. (Again maybe I'm biased) but when I think of a pirate, I think of someone that is murdering, thieving, pillaging, etc. They're either doing this in the game or it's mentioned. When you later help some of these pirates, I didn't really want to...they suck as people. They're literally torturing and kidnapping people, why would I want to help them? That sucks.
2017
Cute adventure RPG game. You're a cat trying to rescue your sister with weapons and magic. You can follow the main story line with side quests and travel into small dungeons for XP, gold, and equipment. The graphics are cheery and bright; reminds me of some cartoons. It's fairly simplistic to learn but not necessarily in a bad way. It's not challenging, more laid-back play style. I do appreciate you can save at inns at almost any time in the game.
It's not a long game. My play time includes 60+ side quests and exploring dungeons. Once I beat the story, I unlocked New Game+ but I didn't feel to replay just for achievements. The ending of the story was a bit of a letdown, like I was missing a lot. Maybe I would have seen more if I replayed it? It ended abruptly. It didn't feel concrete. Otherwise, cute lil game.
It's not a long game. My play time includes 60+ side quests and exploring dungeons. Once I beat the story, I unlocked New Game+ but I didn't feel to replay just for achievements. The ending of the story was a bit of a letdown, like I was missing a lot. Maybe I would have seen more if I replayed it? It ended abruptly. It didn't feel concrete. Otherwise, cute lil game.
This game really came out at the perfect time. Wonderfully laid back and peaceful game. I have only played some of AC: New Leaf before this addition in the series. I did enjoy that game too. There were some changes made that made the game easier to flow, like clothing shopping.
I do wish there was a bit more: seeing where your villagers are on the island and more of a reason to visit islands after getting ten villagers. But all in all, I'm enjoying it. I have earned my credit screen.
I do wish there was a bit more: seeing where your villagers are on the island and more of a reason to visit islands after getting ten villagers. But all in all, I'm enjoying it. I have earned my credit screen.
2019
This is definitely a game that's not completely "done" for me; I could create more in sandbox mode for HOURS. Plus I'm biased because I grew up on Zoo Tycoon. Those games were chefs kiss.
But I did complete some of the challenges and I completed my first sandbox zoo which was all the African animals. I love the creativity to build unique exhibits and decor across your zoo.
Hats off to the creators because the animals look and sound amazing! Their eyes look so lifelike it's beautiful. I love making the exhibits and just watch the animals. My lion would flick her ears like flies were bothering her. My hippo would swim under water. I built a ride through my Springbok exhibit...and then watched them sleep on the rail tracks to trap the ride.
There were some small annoyances like an animal would escape but it actually wasn't out of its exhibit. It happened every so often and wouldn't stop. I wasn't quite sure what the issue was either. There's an entire mode I haven't touched; there's so much to do and it's constantly being updated by the devs. You can tell love is put in the game.
But I did complete some of the challenges and I completed my first sandbox zoo which was all the African animals. I love the creativity to build unique exhibits and decor across your zoo.
Hats off to the creators because the animals look and sound amazing! Their eyes look so lifelike it's beautiful. I love making the exhibits and just watch the animals. My lion would flick her ears like flies were bothering her. My hippo would swim under water. I built a ride through my Springbok exhibit...and then watched them sleep on the rail tracks to trap the ride.
There were some small annoyances like an animal would escape but it actually wasn't out of its exhibit. It happened every so often and wouldn't stop. I wasn't quite sure what the issue was either. There's an entire mode I haven't touched; there's so much to do and it's constantly being updated by the devs. You can tell love is put in the game.
Let me start off by saying I have never played any of the Xenoblade games until this one. I heard good things about it but it wasn't for me after this experience. I played the game up until the final boss. I could not beat it with it's setup and I do not have it in my heart to grind for level, gear, or blades.
The environment:
The best thing I will remember about this game is the vast, gorgeous world. All lifeforms live on titans. Each titan is considered a continent and has it's own climate, government, creatures, etc. One titan resembles snowy mountains. Another is full of forests. You can go out into the world on a titan's back and actually see their bodies. One titan you can see their MASSIVE wings keeping you afloat. It's an awe inspiring sight in a video game.
Then that awe inspiring view gets destroyed because an enemy twice your level one shots you.
My MAIN point of frustration in this game has been OHKO enemies. I cannot stand those in games. It ruins my experience and leaves me feeling frustrated. Most of the times I have died because of a one or two hit from an enemy that was completely nonsensical. The first titan continent you arrive for the story has a GIANT bird that will just fly in and hit you. Some of these enemies are beautiful and really cool to see because of their scale. However, some are so large they won't even fit on screen. I have been killed multiple times by enemies I accidentally aggro'ed and couldn't see right away what killed me.
One area I was doing a side story at level at level 35. The land was surrounded by water and in the water were fish at level 74. I had to swim past them just fast enough to not get hit ONCE to fight the enemy I was supposed to kill. I died multiple times because of those fish. It was awful.
The random enemies can one shot you. Named, special enemies will one shot you. Hell, bosses will one shot you. It's not enjoyable for me. At all.
The story/characters:
The story is a bit convoluted. But I appreciated that is seemed to be more creative and not just a typical good vs bad trope. I do like how you can have interactions with your blades and have a heart to heart. I was disappointed in the final boss. I mean I knew it was coming. You know the game is setting it up. But the main villain is one dimensional compared to others you fought previously.
Random other thoughts
Pros: fast travel, auto heal outside fights, complex combat
Cons: no load on menu, constant talking during fights (holy s**t), textures disappear after fighting or salvaging, stat checks during main story (yikes)
I could really talk more about this game but honestly, I'm ready to move on.
The environment:
The best thing I will remember about this game is the vast, gorgeous world. All lifeforms live on titans. Each titan is considered a continent and has it's own climate, government, creatures, etc. One titan resembles snowy mountains. Another is full of forests. You can go out into the world on a titan's back and actually see their bodies. One titan you can see their MASSIVE wings keeping you afloat. It's an awe inspiring sight in a video game.
Then that awe inspiring view gets destroyed because an enemy twice your level one shots you.
My MAIN point of frustration in this game has been OHKO enemies. I cannot stand those in games. It ruins my experience and leaves me feeling frustrated. Most of the times I have died because of a one or two hit from an enemy that was completely nonsensical. The first titan continent you arrive for the story has a GIANT bird that will just fly in and hit you. Some of these enemies are beautiful and really cool to see because of their scale. However, some are so large they won't even fit on screen. I have been killed multiple times by enemies I accidentally aggro'ed and couldn't see right away what killed me.
One area I was doing a side story at level at level 35. The land was surrounded by water and in the water were fish at level 74. I had to swim past them just fast enough to not get hit ONCE to fight the enemy I was supposed to kill. I died multiple times because of those fish. It was awful.
The random enemies can one shot you. Named, special enemies will one shot you. Hell, bosses will one shot you. It's not enjoyable for me. At all.
The story/characters:
The story is a bit convoluted. But I appreciated that is seemed to be more creative and not just a typical good vs bad trope. I do like how you can have interactions with your blades and have a heart to heart. I was disappointed in the final boss. I mean I knew it was coming. You know the game is setting it up. But the main villain is one dimensional compared to others you fought previously.
Random other thoughts
Pros: fast travel, auto heal outside fights, complex combat
Cons: no load on menu, constant talking during fights (holy s**t), textures disappear after fighting or salvaging, stat checks during main story (yikes)
I could really talk more about this game but honestly, I'm ready to move on.
2016
A free to play Visual Novel on Steam; I figured because it was free it was going to be a generic romance VN. I didn't read much through the comments so I wasn't spoiled on anything. This game DOES have warnings for content when you hit play for the first time and yes, it's necessary. Although there was an option for me to play the game with mature settings off.
A very dark, twisted story with mature themes. There are illustrations that show blood, suicide, and erotic scenes. Story mentions self-harm, physical/verbal abuse, and dubious consent. Definitely the most mature VN I have ever experienced.
The audio features beautiful melodies and sounds that fit the story and era. No voice acting but not necessary.
The story has a theme of abuse and the character's perceptions of love. It was totally not what I expected; surprised me in a good way. I was expecting something similar to a simplified version of an "otome" game.
Once I finished my first ending (there's five), I was left with the feeling of WTF did I just see; so I jumped back in for the other endings!
It's free but do be mindful of the warnings.
A very dark, twisted story with mature themes. There are illustrations that show blood, suicide, and erotic scenes. Story mentions self-harm, physical/verbal abuse, and dubious consent. Definitely the most mature VN I have ever experienced.
The audio features beautiful melodies and sounds that fit the story and era. No voice acting but not necessary.
The story has a theme of abuse and the character's perceptions of love. It was totally not what I expected; surprised me in a good way. I was expecting something similar to a simplified version of an "otome" game.
Once I finished my first ending (there's five), I was left with the feeling of WTF did I just see; so I jumped back in for the other endings!
It's free but do be mindful of the warnings.
You're tasked with mopping, sweeping, and incinerating human remains from a bloody aftermath. Also, collect the cash laying around because a janitor has to eat.
I played a solo game but I imagine it's even more fun with a friend. Not too much to say. It's meant to be silly. Only two achievements and they weren't difficult to collect.
I played a solo game but I imagine it's even more fun with a friend. Not too much to say. It's meant to be silly. Only two achievements and they weren't difficult to collect.
This review contains spoilers
I'm going to be harsh on the game. I have played Amnesia: The Dark Descent years ago before starting AMFP. I did start this game back in 2014, but it bored me and I stopped. I tried again and made it to the ending. I wasn't super impressed.
The audio was generally good. The voice acting was decent and didn't feel aged. The protag's monologues were well delivered. The sound cues in the beginning were terrific in the mansion. Floorboards creaking, house settling, and other subtle noises. It made you feel unsafe in the house. You eventually leave the house and are surrounded by machinery. The audio from the machines were good, realistic and believable. Just...incredibly loud at times. It sadly lost the subtle, eerie feeling and replaced it with loud banging right in your poor ears which was annoying.
The house was spooky, more than areas further in the game. It was the paralyzing feeling of darkness and knowing you weren't alone. But at this point you don't see the monster yet. You eventually go outside, which I thought was really cool. The story takes place in London and it was neat actually being outside and seeing the factories and trucks from the century. Then you go underground...and everything looks the same. For like three to four hours of the game. Pipes, metal railings, steam...it was repetitive and felt less frightening. Being surrounded by the machinery, again the sometimes overwhelming audio drowned you in beeps and moans.
Similar to DD, there's not a ton of different types of enemies. They build upon the first monster you see with different variations. The monster isn't that scary. It just isn't as far as design. The sounds, the footsteps, and it's appearances. It didn't do it for me. The base design did make sense for the story plot but the last couple variations towards the end of the game did not work. One enemy is literally a copy of an enemy in DD. That's not creative at all; just a letdown. The..boss? towards the end (if you could even call it that) was not frightening. It was goofy.
This is really what killed the game for me. The story line. I read other players' opinions about the story on the Steam discussion page and I just cannot see the praise. Maybe I don't understand it and there's more subtly I give it credit for? Like turn of the century fear? A man fearing the world he's raising his children in? Perhaps.
AMFP adds the lovely trope of a family man gone crazy. It's a trope that I hate.
Let's just say I saw exactly where the story was heading in chapter one. There's five chapters and I knew what was going to happen in the end. It was disappointing. It made me feel like I was racing the game just to get to the end, to hope it wasn't going in that direction. Sadly, it wasn't anything new. I'm not saying it need twists or turns. But stop relying on cliches or tropes in stories. It was bland and unoriginal.
Everything is pigs. So many pig analogies and pig idioms. This dude hated pigs, okay? Your neighbor sucks? Call them swine. The government? PIGS. Your Lord and Savior? The biggest pig lie of them all. LOL. It was almost humorous how the writing was NOT SUBTLE at all with that. The game is called Machine for Pigs. Get it? Do you get it? It really wanted you to remember P I G S. (I had fun writing this.)
The audio was generally good. The voice acting was decent and didn't feel aged. The protag's monologues were well delivered. The sound cues in the beginning were terrific in the mansion. Floorboards creaking, house settling, and other subtle noises. It made you feel unsafe in the house. You eventually leave the house and are surrounded by machinery. The audio from the machines were good, realistic and believable. Just...incredibly loud at times. It sadly lost the subtle, eerie feeling and replaced it with loud banging right in your poor ears which was annoying.
The house was spooky, more than areas further in the game. It was the paralyzing feeling of darkness and knowing you weren't alone. But at this point you don't see the monster yet. You eventually go outside, which I thought was really cool. The story takes place in London and it was neat actually being outside and seeing the factories and trucks from the century. Then you go underground...and everything looks the same. For like three to four hours of the game. Pipes, metal railings, steam...it was repetitive and felt less frightening. Being surrounded by the machinery, again the sometimes overwhelming audio drowned you in beeps and moans.
Similar to DD, there's not a ton of different types of enemies. They build upon the first monster you see with different variations. The monster isn't that scary. It just isn't as far as design. The sounds, the footsteps, and it's appearances. It didn't do it for me. The base design did make sense for the story plot but the last couple variations towards the end of the game did not work. One enemy is literally a copy of an enemy in DD. That's not creative at all; just a letdown. The..boss? towards the end (if you could even call it that) was not frightening. It was goofy.
This is really what killed the game for me. The story line. I read other players' opinions about the story on the Steam discussion page and I just cannot see the praise. Maybe I don't understand it and there's more subtly I give it credit for? Like turn of the century fear? A man fearing the world he's raising his children in? Perhaps.
AMFP adds the lovely trope of a family man gone crazy. It's a trope that I hate.
Let's just say I saw exactly where the story was heading in chapter one. There's five chapters and I knew what was going to happen in the end. It was disappointing. It made me feel like I was racing the game just to get to the end, to hope it wasn't going in that direction. Sadly, it wasn't anything new. I'm not saying it need twists or turns. But stop relying on cliches or tropes in stories. It was bland and unoriginal.
Everything is pigs. So many pig analogies and pig idioms. This dude hated pigs, okay? Your neighbor sucks? Call them swine. The government? PIGS. Your Lord and Savior? The biggest pig lie of them all. LOL. It was almost humorous how the writing was NOT SUBTLE at all with that. The game is called Machine for Pigs. Get it? Do you get it? It really wanted you to remember P I G S. (I had fun writing this.)
2018
The game can be played in an hour; there's no save options since it encourages you to play it in one sitting. There's voice acting which is pretty decent for a free game.
I do like the art style and "illustrations" that tie into a character's journal/diary. It reminds me of the game, Life is Strange.
I do like the art style and "illustrations" that tie into a character's journal/diary. It reminds me of the game, Life is Strange.