scoons
I prefer the less segmented maps of something like SotN or Aria of Sorrow, but Dracula's castle made up for a lot.
[Early Access] Missing a poorly telegraphed encounter near the beginning of the game led to 14 hours of aimless exploration that was meant to be punctuated by dialogue, exposition and character development. Instead that plot advancement was crammed into the last two hours as I revisited areas I'd already fully explored, just now with a brief bit of dialogue and magically unlocked doors. The plot threads, however, were intriguing and tied into the first game in interesting ways.
While Below Zero maintained the same sense of mechanical progression from the original, the biomes felt less varied, and the world was significantly smaller. Large enemies were more of a mild annoyance than an interesting challenge.
While Below Zero maintained the same sense of mechanical progression from the original, the biomes felt less varied, and the world was significantly smaller. Large enemies were more of a mild annoyance than an interesting challenge.
2021
A solid, if not exceptional sequel to the 1999 original. Plays out like a rube goldberg puzzle diorama, though some of the interactions can be a little too obtuse, leading to frustration. The pacing at which new courses and equipment is doled out (and the unintuitive means of unlocking them) can sour the experience, but overall this is an enjoyable expansion of the Pokémon Snap concept.
Inventive movement and traversal makes this game a blast to play. The developers are probably a little overconfident in how much I care about the world and story, but the lore is cool enough that I wish I understood it.
Bowser's Fury is a brief but enjoyable exploration of what the next generation of open-world platforming might look like in the Mushroom Kingdom.
Super Mario 3D World is jam-packed with creative ideas in bite sized levels that explore new mechanics without ever letting them overstay their welcome. It packs plenty of challenge into some of its post-game and optional content with a true trial of a final stage.
Super Mario 3D World is jam-packed with creative ideas in bite sized levels that explore new mechanics without ever letting them overstay their welcome. It packs plenty of challenge into some of its post-game and optional content with a true trial of a final stage.
The primary draw here is the compelling narrative with some standout story moments, but frequent bugs can break narrative immersion. Action gameplay is serviceable, though it never evolves far beyond its relatively basic beginnings. In the end, the compelling characters carry this through to the end, managing to stand apart from their MCU counterparts.
2019
Just a bucket of charming. Some of the minigames aren't exactly groundbreaking, but it doesn't matter. The writing and animation is the star of the show.
2020
This cozy management sim features beautiful art and music and deceptively deep ruminations on life, death, and the liminal space between. In keeping with genre conventions, Spiritfarer can occasionally become tedious as you realize you need to yet another (and another...) iron ingot, but the constant feeling of progression and the endearing characters more than make up for it.
2020
Picross seems like it would be a good fit for a detective adventure, though Murder by Numbers could have introduced a little more creativity into its strictly vanilla puzzles. As a result, the game hits it's upper limit on puzzle difficulty relatively early. From there the puzzles mainly serve to disrupt the pacing, bringing things to a dead halt at climactic moments. Presumably the armed antagonists wait politely while SCOUT fiddles with checkmarks and grids to his little robot heart's content. I guess this also gives protagonist Honor plenty of time to think up witty rejoinders.
The characters are charming enough, but the narrative can be a little heavy handed and the tone tends to careen wildly from goofy robot antics to domestic abuse in the blink of an eye. As a mash-up of visual novels and picross, this game is ok, but there are far better examples of both you could play instead.
The characters are charming enough, but the narrative can be a little heavy handed and the tone tends to careen wildly from goofy robot antics to domestic abuse in the blink of an eye. As a mash-up of visual novels and picross, this game is ok, but there are far better examples of both you could play instead.
2020
Clever puzzle mechanics that expand in subtle, creative ways throughout the game's relatively brief runtime. Complex puzzles occasionally bordered on tedious, but always provided a feeling of satisfaction when the solution clicked into place. Two special highlights: 1. The music created an atmosphere of tranquil wonder as day became night in the city. 2. The finale was inventive and unexpected, adding an additional dimension to the sign-based puzzling.
If you like this game, try: The Swapper
If you like this game, try: The Swapper
2015
Unfortunately more frustrating than fun. The large barren open world adds more tedium than atmosphere, and most boss fights are simple trial and error. More time is spent traversing back to the boss chambers than actually fighting.
A remarkably creative game (fittingly). Chicory's gentle charm belies it's thematic depth, conjuring compelling, relatable characters and asking complex questions about the intersection of art and self. The painting mechanics are constantly remixed and reimagined, providing new avenues of interacting with the world. Also, my character was named Pasta which is adorable.
2021
Charming and slight, TOEM never quite soars, though it is consistently pleasant throughout. By design the puzzles never evolve beyond simple, pleasing diversions, small pitstops on your journey up the mountain. With thin characters and relatively shallow interactions it never quite reaches the heights of something like A Simple Hike, but it's an amusing enough way to spend a few hours.
If you like this, try: A Simple Hike
If you like this, try: A Simple Hike
Short, pleasant SOTN clone. First though: what a terrible title. Sadly the writing in the rest of the game doesn't fare much better. I'm unfamiliar with the original IP, but RoLW:DiWL (lol) seems to have virtually no interest in bringing newcomers up to speed on its world and lore. None of the characters introduced seem to have discernible motivations, though they all apparently know our main character and want to fight her.
Fortunately these perfunctory character moments are only a brief interruption in the otherwise enjoyable exploration gameplay. Movement and combat feel great, with Deedlit gliding effortlessly through her environment. The ability to alternate between elements adds an additional layer to combat, though this has the added effect of occasionally making bosses too easy, providing near-infinite healing during battles. Overall, the enjoyable core gameplay carries the experience's brief runtime.
Fortunately these perfunctory character moments are only a brief interruption in the otherwise enjoyable exploration gameplay. Movement and combat feel great, with Deedlit gliding effortlessly through her environment. The ability to alternate between elements adds an additional layer to combat, though this has the added effect of occasionally making bosses too easy, providing near-infinite healing during battles. Overall, the enjoyable core gameplay carries the experience's brief runtime.
2017
A surprisingly moving game that doesn't overstay its welcome. Enigmatic and beautiful. Early on I'd stumble upon solutions, but later puzzles transcend simple trial and error and require some satisfying lateral thinking to solve. Nothing totally mind blowing here, but definitely a unique game worth experiencing.