pissedoff
6 reviews liked by pissedoff
Very addicting and hard to put down. If you're into turn-based tactics, you should play this.
It's also perfect for the Steam Deck; I won't be uninstalling it from mine any time soon.
Update, 80 hours after writing my initial review: this game is phenomenal. Very rarely does it feel like the game's rogue-lite randomization causes me to lose a run or take a lot of grid damage; and even in those cases it's most likely my own fault for not sufficiently planning ahead. The combat puzzle is brilliantly designed and deceptively complex. Allow the game to welcome you into the rules on Easy mode, finish a few runs, then bump up the difficulty to Normal and watch the magic happen - both with the game itself and within your own mind as you gradually reshape the way you play (by necessity).
Marking it as Shelved here, because I definitely plan on returning to it at some point in the future.
It's also perfect for the Steam Deck; I won't be uninstalling it from mine any time soon.
Update, 80 hours after writing my initial review: this game is phenomenal. Very rarely does it feel like the game's rogue-lite randomization causes me to lose a run or take a lot of grid damage; and even in those cases it's most likely my own fault for not sufficiently planning ahead. The combat puzzle is brilliantly designed and deceptively complex. Allow the game to welcome you into the rules on Easy mode, finish a few runs, then bump up the difficulty to Normal and watch the magic happen - both with the game itself and within your own mind as you gradually reshape the way you play (by necessity).
Marking it as Shelved here, because I definitely plan on returning to it at some point in the future.
Dead to Rights
2002
the great Slate boys and the best dog "Shadow"
Twelve Minutes
2021
A very weird game considering the budget and the people they got to act in this. It's definitely interesting, but eventually just gets frustrating near the end without a guide.
Twelve Minutes
2021
I am a huge fan of time loop games, but this one really didn't deliver. The gameplay was sluggish, the mystery was broadly uninteresting, the puzzles were easy, the ending was a disappointment. Very not worth it.
Kentucky Route Zero
2013
Genuinely one of the most beautiful pieces of media I have ever experienced, with the most painfully human cast of characters. It's more akin to a theatre production than a mere game, both in good and bad. If you have the patience for its unhurried pace and lack of traditional "gameplay," I highly recommend.
Before the Storm trades the first game's supernatural mystery for a more intimate, personal story with fewer catastrophic stakes and an equally compelling, complex central romance/friendship driving it. For these reasons and more, it avoids being a rehash of the first Life is Strange and stands tall as its own thing. Is it superior? That's up for debate, but I certainly think it's on the same level.
I was worried about how much mileage the narrative could get that hasn't already been explored with these characters in the first game, but there are still plenty of both pleasant and unpleasant surprises to be found here. I especially appreciate this game for giving me a newfound appreciation for Chloe after previously having mixed feelings about her. The way Before the Storm explores her trauma and grief is incredibly mature, and it adds a lot of context and depth to her actions and behaviors in the first game. While this was always there, to see just how tortured she is really adds to the narrative as she lets new people into her life, both willingly and unwillingly.
Unfortunately, the remastering job is still incredibly lackluster. While visually it's superior to the first game's remaster, I had two hard crashes and a bizarre (yet funny) Chloe eyeballs bug in the bonus episode.
Still, it doesn't stop Before the Storm from being a great prequel follow-up to the original with yet another catchy soundtrack.
7.5/10
I was worried about how much mileage the narrative could get that hasn't already been explored with these characters in the first game, but there are still plenty of both pleasant and unpleasant surprises to be found here. I especially appreciate this game for giving me a newfound appreciation for Chloe after previously having mixed feelings about her. The way Before the Storm explores her trauma and grief is incredibly mature, and it adds a lot of context and depth to her actions and behaviors in the first game. While this was always there, to see just how tortured she is really adds to the narrative as she lets new people into her life, both willingly and unwillingly.
Unfortunately, the remastering job is still incredibly lackluster. While visually it's superior to the first game's remaster, I had two hard crashes and a bizarre (yet funny) Chloe eyeballs bug in the bonus episode.
Still, it doesn't stop Before the Storm from being a great prequel follow-up to the original with yet another catchy soundtrack.
7.5/10