mordwywr
2015
I found the best way to play Hook is sparingly in sessions lasting from 10 to 20 minutes, consisting of 1-3 puzzles. It had great therapeutic effect on me tbh. Tinkering with devices in no rush, calm and unassuming music. I felt at peace and my mind switched off its usual "frantic" mode every time I booted the game.
Steam deck run: OK.
Steam deck run: OK.
2021
To be honest, I enjoyed this game more when it was just a demo. The anticipation for the full release was great after a couple of levels that were presented in the demo, but when I got to play the entirety of them I found myself a bit bored. Sometimes less IS better.
The puzzles are easy, the objectives are clear and the story is almost non-existent. It’s satisfying when the gears click into place and the scene gets into motion, but that's it.
The puzzles are easy, the objectives are clear and the story is almost non-existent. It’s satisfying when the gears click into place and the scene gets into motion, but that's it.
2022
Sudoku with cats. Cute, but my brain couldn't keep up with the expanding number of cats of all shapes and colours, so I switched to "normal" 1-9 mode pretty quickly ( 〃▽〃)
Getting 100% could be tedious, there's not much variety except the difficulty levels.
Getting 100% could be tedious, there's not much variety except the difficulty levels.
2015
It was fun. I still have recurring dreams of pushing stuff from the shelves in a frenzy.
+ cats of all shapes and sizes
- a bit grindy when it comes to achievement hunting
+ cats of all shapes and sizes
- a bit grindy when it comes to achievement hunting
2020
When you think the Fox is the trickster, but the real mastermind is the Bag.
Cute and short. Also free of charge. Would gladly pay full price for an extended version with more characters.
Cute and short. Also free of charge. Would gladly pay full price for an extended version with more characters.
2023
Stylized art and sound design make this forest quite pleasant to explore for a minute or two. But then you realize that all the assets are copy-paste, the border of the map is glitchy and there's literally no reason to stay in this game. Sure, there's a list of "goals" (objects you need to find), but with no background information as to why are you running through the forest looking for giant mushrooms and bone fields this list looks like just an excuse for prolonging the mindless wandering. I managed to stumble upon 4 of them (out of 6) and won't even bother with the rest since there's no in-game map to guide me through the repetitive landscape.
I've explored a few of "100 hidden…" titles so I didn't expect much from this casual HOG game with cats, but I was pleasantly surprised. Instead of the white canvas there are 10+ colourful levels with various art styles and accompanying soundtrack. There was never a sense of repetition and I found myself constantly mesmerized by the backgrounds. Couple of them have no right to be so gorgeous (￣З￣)
It's a freebie, but now I'm lured into buying other 11 titles in the "I commissioned some cats" series. Not complaining though, since it's peak casual gameplay.
It's a freebie, but now I'm lured into buying other 11 titles in the "I commissioned some cats" series. Not complaining though, since it's peak casual gameplay.
2023
It's a short FMV viking game.
I'm not a fan of graphic violence, so I had to skip some scenes, there's only so much blood and gore my eyes can withstand. The story is a plain bloodshed survival quest that never gained my interest. And it became a real chore when I somehow managed to make ALL the wrong decisions…
Honestly, when there's only one correct answer that lets you continue the journey, the "choice" mechanic feels excessive. 30-40 minutes of playtime could be easily condensed into a short movie, since the production value is good and the narrative is straightforward.
I'm not a fan of graphic violence, so I had to skip some scenes, there's only so much blood and gore my eyes can withstand. The story is a plain bloodshed survival quest that never gained my interest. And it became a real chore when I somehow managed to make ALL the wrong decisions…
Honestly, when there's only one correct answer that lets you continue the journey, the "choice" mechanic feels excessive. 30-40 minutes of playtime could be easily condensed into a short movie, since the production value is good and the narrative is straightforward.
It's weird and quirky just the right amount and I enjoyed it much more than expected. Short and easy too, but still engaging. My favourite part would be the dance party. Every game from now on should have a dance party with some cool moves or else (⌐■_■)
It's a short hidden object game with cats. My gameplay consisted mostly of clicking on everything that looked even remotely clickable, bc I decided to go full-on petting every cat in the vicinity. Money and time well spent.
P.S. The devs added the bunker floor after I finished the game. Not a fan of these kind of decisions since they're easy to miss.
P.S. The devs added the bunker floor after I finished the game. Not a fan of these kind of decisions since they're easy to miss.
2023
I do enjoy these cute "hidden object" games, especially when my mind is occupied with some heavy processing and I'm not ready to invest myself into serious gameplay. But this particular one is a disappointment.
- Clicking is often not registered properly. It's more annoying than you might think… when clicking essentially IS the gameplay.
- It's small and forgettable. It does entice you to buy level 2 to find another batch of 100 cats (paid DLC), even redirecting you to your shopping cart with the said DLC already added (without your consent). I wouldn't mind paying for DLC if I'd enjoyed the core content, but the said content consists of 1 low-res picture that I spent 10 minutes staring at.
- 2 out of 7 achievements are locked behind paid DLC. I find the practice of locking achievements behind paywall kinda foul, no matter the price.
If there's some competition in the "100 hidden…" subgenre, it's to be expected that someone would try to recreate the success in the lazy, low effort manner.
- Clicking is often not registered properly. It's more annoying than you might think… when clicking essentially IS the gameplay.
- It's small and forgettable. It does entice you to buy level 2 to find another batch of 100 cats (paid DLC), even redirecting you to your shopping cart with the said DLC already added (without your consent). I wouldn't mind paying for DLC if I'd enjoyed the core content, but the said content consists of 1 low-res picture that I spent 10 minutes staring at.
- 2 out of 7 achievements are locked behind paid DLC. I find the practice of locking achievements behind paywall kinda foul, no matter the price.
If there's some competition in the "100 hidden…" subgenre, it's to be expected that someone would try to recreate the success in the lazy, low effort manner.
I played this title alongside "I commissioned some cats", and expected the same amount of joy from gameplay, but missed an important point. In the battle of cats vs. bees the winner is predetermined. Cats are superior, and that's the undeniable truth of the world we live in today.
Artwork is still great. The bees are much smaller and therefore sneakier, so I had to use the hint system repeatedly. And their bzzzzs could never reach the heights of meows. So I had fun with this title, but still prefer the cats version.
Artwork is still great. The bees are much smaller and therefore sneakier, so I had to use the hint system repeatedly. And their bzzzzs could never reach the heights of meows. So I had fun with this title, but still prefer the cats version.
2021
I managed to get stuck in a game where the player has to move the bricks to free the path for cat to escape. That's the only mechanic found in this game. I just don't have the patience for moving bricks ig (//▽//)
Cat movements are limited to forward and backward (no left or right. why?), and feel clunky on PC. Overall, not very engaging experience, as I kept wondering what's keeping the cat from jumping over the bricks (since they're the same size).
Cat movements are limited to forward and backward (no left or right. why?), and feel clunky on PC. Overall, not very engaging experience, as I kept wondering what's keeping the cat from jumping over the bricks (since they're the same size).
2014
Came here for the letter achievements, stayed for the puzzles.
Challenging, but in a subtle way that makes you motivated to master it rather than rage quit.
Challenging, but in a subtle way that makes you motivated to master it rather than rage quit.
2019
Short aery adventure, full of light and subtle hints.
Puzzles seem to be complementary to the atmosphere and solvable in several tries.
I also found the music quite refreshing, which prompted me to further look for OST. Only 2 tracks, but a year later I still remember how otherworldly they weaved themselves into gameplay at the time.
Puzzles seem to be complementary to the atmosphere and solvable in several tries.
I also found the music quite refreshing, which prompted me to further look for OST. Only 2 tracks, but a year later I still remember how otherworldly they weaved themselves into gameplay at the time.