thundafellow
2017
I'll be honest, I saw PewDiePie play a fan game that Thomas Brush made, and then I heard he had actual original titles and a whole YouTube channel. I decided to watch his channel while learning to develop my own games and heard about Pinstripe and Neversong. I now own them both.
Pinstripe is a short but bittersweet title about a man named Ted and his adventure into Hell to save his daughter from the clutches of the evil Pinstripe. It's a simple puzzle-platformer and collect-a-thon with a pleasant but dark art style and very atmospheric music. Also features the talents of several online personalities. Takes about 4 hours to complete the story, about 6-7 to 100% it. Highly recommend if you've got a free evening!
Only gripe is that given the choice of the voice actors and the overall unique narrative, there was a strange focus on potty humor that kinda didn't sit well with me. Also, achievements didn't work on Steam.
Pinstripe is a short but bittersweet title about a man named Ted and his adventure into Hell to save his daughter from the clutches of the evil Pinstripe. It's a simple puzzle-platformer and collect-a-thon with a pleasant but dark art style and very atmospheric music. Also features the talents of several online personalities. Takes about 4 hours to complete the story, about 6-7 to 100% it. Highly recommend if you've got a free evening!
Only gripe is that given the choice of the voice actors and the overall unique narrative, there was a strange focus on potty humor that kinda didn't sit well with me. Also, achievements didn't work on Steam.
While a departure from the cynical and edgy style of the PS2 titles, Tools of Destruction introduces players to a more cinematic presentation style, reminiscent of a space-opera.
The stakes are higher, there is more melodrama, and the overall vibe is more emotional and grandiose. Clank deals with his true origin story and cosmic beings called the Zoni, and Ratchet begins to deal with being the last of his race, and why.
Emperor Tachyon is this entry's villain, and he's basically a smaller, creepier, but just as maniacal version of Doctor Nefarious. Talwyn Apogee is introduced as Ratchet's female counterpart for this series, but seems to completely retcon Angela from Going Commando. Despite this, Talwyn ends up being quite a good character, and as an NPC, ends up being pretty helpful.
The game is slightly more linear than previous entries (bar Deadlocked) but still retains the multiple pathway design from 1 and 2. It also goes back to basics with more platforming than 3 and Deadlocked.
The graphics are improved, Ratchet's design is altered slightly to appear more "cuddly" but still retains the personality he's developed over past titles. The same is done with Clank, minus the visual redesign.
The story itself is great. Moving on from the cynical nature into the cinematic style narrative felt natural, and I personally enjoyed it. There were also space pirate sections with a Pirates of the Caribbean style theme to go with them, which I also personally enjoyed (David Bergeaud is still the composer for this title, that wonderful genius).
Gameplay itself was fantastic. New weapons, updated mechanics, more chaos and spectacle. The works. I felt even the Clank sections got better (minus some tedious checkpoints).
The only other minor gripes that I have are that towards the end, enemies turn into bullet sponges, even with end-game fully upgraded weapons. There are also a fair amount of technical issues with the game, such as cutscenes where the audio desyncs and small things like character animations freezing akwardly mid-frame when running into a hitbox. Swinging the wrench tends to spin Ratchet in the opposite direction sometimes, too, and some enemies, when knocked back, glitch out and freeze in place, refusing to die or get back up. Other audio issues include weirdly placed audio in the stereo spectrum, and some sounds disappearing completely amid the chaos.
If it weren't for the immersion-breaking technical issues, this game would've gotten a 4 from me, but it was disappointing to see the gameplay lack the technical polish the narrative demanded. But all in all, it still felt like Ratchet and Clank, but with more cinematic flair.
The stakes are higher, there is more melodrama, and the overall vibe is more emotional and grandiose. Clank deals with his true origin story and cosmic beings called the Zoni, and Ratchet begins to deal with being the last of his race, and why.
Emperor Tachyon is this entry's villain, and he's basically a smaller, creepier, but just as maniacal version of Doctor Nefarious. Talwyn Apogee is introduced as Ratchet's female counterpart for this series, but seems to completely retcon Angela from Going Commando. Despite this, Talwyn ends up being quite a good character, and as an NPC, ends up being pretty helpful.
The game is slightly more linear than previous entries (bar Deadlocked) but still retains the multiple pathway design from 1 and 2. It also goes back to basics with more platforming than 3 and Deadlocked.
The graphics are improved, Ratchet's design is altered slightly to appear more "cuddly" but still retains the personality he's developed over past titles. The same is done with Clank, minus the visual redesign.
The story itself is great. Moving on from the cynical nature into the cinematic style narrative felt natural, and I personally enjoyed it. There were also space pirate sections with a Pirates of the Caribbean style theme to go with them, which I also personally enjoyed (David Bergeaud is still the composer for this title, that wonderful genius).
Gameplay itself was fantastic. New weapons, updated mechanics, more chaos and spectacle. The works. I felt even the Clank sections got better (minus some tedious checkpoints).
The only other minor gripes that I have are that towards the end, enemies turn into bullet sponges, even with end-game fully upgraded weapons. There are also a fair amount of technical issues with the game, such as cutscenes where the audio desyncs and small things like character animations freezing akwardly mid-frame when running into a hitbox. Swinging the wrench tends to spin Ratchet in the opposite direction sometimes, too, and some enemies, when knocked back, glitch out and freeze in place, refusing to die or get back up. Other audio issues include weirdly placed audio in the stereo spectrum, and some sounds disappearing completely amid the chaos.
If it weren't for the immersion-breaking technical issues, this game would've gotten a 4 from me, but it was disappointing to see the gameplay lack the technical polish the narrative demanded. But all in all, it still felt like Ratchet and Clank, but with more cinematic flair.
Quest for Booty is a short transition title between Tools of Destruction and A Crack in Time that focuses mostly on the space pirate aspect of ToD and wraps up that story arc. It takes place on a single planet, but in-between islands in the aforementioned pirate-y manner. The first half is very platform-puzzle-centric, which is quite fun. The action ramps up in the second half when Ratchet and Talwyn begin facing off against the undead crew. I played this on hard mode because I knew it was a shorter game going in. This made it so the enemies are HUGE bullet-sponges and Ratchet can only take a couple hits before dying.
This uses the same engine as ToD and reuses a lot of animations and assets, so technically, it's still a bit buggy. The story is unremarkable. Main character needs to find friend, and to find said friend, he needs a specific artifact that is buried with a notorious space pirate. Que swashbuckling adventure where you use map to sail the seas to find said buried treasure and fight undead crew mates along the way due to an undead curse. (Curse of the Black Pearl, anyone?)
The final boss is long and tedious and features some really weird hitboxes, making it a giant difficulty spike (granted I was playing on hard, but it was still very sudden). The design itself is not bad, though.
Very linear, but it serves its purpose. I don't think I'd do another playthrough.
This uses the same engine as ToD and reuses a lot of animations and assets, so technically, it's still a bit buggy. The story is unremarkable. Main character needs to find friend, and to find said friend, he needs a specific artifact that is buried with a notorious space pirate. Que swashbuckling adventure where you use map to sail the seas to find said buried treasure and fight undead crew mates along the way due to an undead curse. (Curse of the Black Pearl, anyone?)
The final boss is long and tedious and features some really weird hitboxes, making it a giant difficulty spike (granted I was playing on hard, but it was still very sudden). The design itself is not bad, though.
Very linear, but it serves its purpose. I don't think I'd do another playthrough.
2008
Crysis: Warhead takes place during the exact timeline of Crysis, but focuses on Pshycho's side of the story instead of Nomad's. Gameplay is basically the exact same as Crysis, the only change is that you get a few different weapons. It uses the same engine, so it looks just as good and plays just as good.
It's a great companion piece to Crysis plot-wise, and gives players another chance to revisit the island. Just don't expect much of a difference in gameplay between the two.
It's a great companion piece to Crysis plot-wise, and gives players another chance to revisit the island. Just don't expect much of a difference in gameplay between the two.
"A Crack in Time" is easily the strongest entry to the Future saga. Ratchet's design looks better, the cinematics are gorgeous and don't have any audio lags like ToD and QfB, the narrative is solid, and the gameplay is fantastic.
This game felt more like the "classic" RaC I grew up with. There was a lot to do, the worlds were diverse and interesting, the voice acting was great, and the gladiator arena challenges were fun and rewarding. The ship sections were improved and felt like a nice "open-world" addition to space travel, and the little moons you landed on had clever puzzles and were great for farming bolts and XP.
Speaking of XP, the weapons leveling system in this game was done very well. Each one could max out at V5, and the Constructo weapons' mod slots were fun to mess around with. In NG+, they could reach up to V10. The arsenal itself is very strong. Only a couple weapons felt like they never got any use. The RYNO V, as the ultimate weapon, is disappointing at first, but gets better as you level it up.
The music I'd say was the weakest part of the game, but it still holds up pretty well, carrying a recognizable leitmotif throughout.
Clank sections were amazingly good. The time puzzles were some of my favorite puzzles to solve in any RaC game to date. Very clever and creative.
The narrative was great. Characters had motivations from the get-go, the voice acting was superb, each character had their own arcs that wrapped up nicely in the end, and there was even a twist for the final boss. More dramatic and emotional than other RaC games, but definitely more epic and grand in scale.
All in all, it prompted two complete playthroughs from me, back-to-back, so I guess you could say I enjoyed it!
This game felt more like the "classic" RaC I grew up with. There was a lot to do, the worlds were diverse and interesting, the voice acting was great, and the gladiator arena challenges were fun and rewarding. The ship sections were improved and felt like a nice "open-world" addition to space travel, and the little moons you landed on had clever puzzles and were great for farming bolts and XP.
Speaking of XP, the weapons leveling system in this game was done very well. Each one could max out at V5, and the Constructo weapons' mod slots were fun to mess around with. In NG+, they could reach up to V10. The arsenal itself is very strong. Only a couple weapons felt like they never got any use. The RYNO V, as the ultimate weapon, is disappointing at first, but gets better as you level it up.
The music I'd say was the weakest part of the game, but it still holds up pretty well, carrying a recognizable leitmotif throughout.
Clank sections were amazingly good. The time puzzles were some of my favorite puzzles to solve in any RaC game to date. Very clever and creative.
The narrative was great. Characters had motivations from the get-go, the voice acting was superb, each character had their own arcs that wrapped up nicely in the end, and there was even a twist for the final boss. More dramatic and emotional than other RaC games, but definitely more epic and grand in scale.
All in all, it prompted two complete playthroughs from me, back-to-back, so I guess you could say I enjoyed it!
After playing through "A Crack in Time", "Into the Nexus" feels like a bit of a downgrade. Ratchet's design was changed yet again, and this time to make him look more "cute", which doesn't really fit his character.
The gameplay was kinda wonky, too. Instead of the mainstay third-person free-cam type of feel, this was more locked down and played more like a twin-stick shooter. The new grav-boot mechanics was a neat addition though. The game also ran rough. The improved graphics along with the fact that ItN is a very explosive game made for pretty severe frame drops in many areas. That being said, the game DID look beautiful. My poor PS3 just couldn't handle it.
In terms of plot, it was weird. It picked up from where ACiT left off and delved more into the quantum physics plot points. We get alternate, evil dimensions and the looming threat of an interdimensional eldritch abomination. It was fun and entertaining, but not nearly as interesting as ACiT. However, the new villains were cool, and I enjoyed their redemption arc.
The weapons are pretty different from ACiT. They're a lot more powerful, too. Given the short length of the game, I suppose the developers decided to spice things up by letting the player have power trips with weapons that, when leveled, did SIGNIFICANTLY more damage. Almost made the game a cakewalk.
Going back to the fact that this game is short, there's also not much extra content aside from the main plot. The Thugs-4-Less gladiator arena was only two cups long, and each challenge was relatively easy. I've yet to re-experience the rush that was the Impossible Challenge from GC.
One of my favorite things, however, was the museum level. Usually museum content is hidden behind NG+ and some form of completion, but this time it was an actual area in-game. It was cool to see callbacks to the PS2 era.
Finally, the clank sections here were far different than anything ever done with him. His sections were side-scrolling 2.5D sections with gravity manipulation. Not as likable as his Great Clock time puzzles, but still better than the Gadge-bots.
It's a nice little epilogue to the franchise for the time being. However, with Rift Apart coming out soon, and not knowing whether it'll be a direct sequel to this entry, or a continuation of the reboot, it's at least nice to know our dynamic duo has not been left behind like Jak and Sly. Their story and legacy continues.
The gameplay was kinda wonky, too. Instead of the mainstay third-person free-cam type of feel, this was more locked down and played more like a twin-stick shooter. The new grav-boot mechanics was a neat addition though. The game also ran rough. The improved graphics along with the fact that ItN is a very explosive game made for pretty severe frame drops in many areas. That being said, the game DID look beautiful. My poor PS3 just couldn't handle it.
In terms of plot, it was weird. It picked up from where ACiT left off and delved more into the quantum physics plot points. We get alternate, evil dimensions and the looming threat of an interdimensional eldritch abomination. It was fun and entertaining, but not nearly as interesting as ACiT. However, the new villains were cool, and I enjoyed their redemption arc.
The weapons are pretty different from ACiT. They're a lot more powerful, too. Given the short length of the game, I suppose the developers decided to spice things up by letting the player have power trips with weapons that, when leveled, did SIGNIFICANTLY more damage. Almost made the game a cakewalk.
Going back to the fact that this game is short, there's also not much extra content aside from the main plot. The Thugs-4-Less gladiator arena was only two cups long, and each challenge was relatively easy. I've yet to re-experience the rush that was the Impossible Challenge from GC.
One of my favorite things, however, was the museum level. Usually museum content is hidden behind NG+ and some form of completion, but this time it was an actual area in-game. It was cool to see callbacks to the PS2 era.
Finally, the clank sections here were far different than anything ever done with him. His sections were side-scrolling 2.5D sections with gravity manipulation. Not as likable as his Great Clock time puzzles, but still better than the Gadge-bots.
It's a nice little epilogue to the franchise for the time being. However, with Rift Apart coming out soon, and not knowing whether it'll be a direct sequel to this entry, or a continuation of the reboot, it's at least nice to know our dynamic duo has not been left behind like Jak and Sly. Their story and legacy continues.
Going in, I had the game's pivotal moment spoiled for me. I was fed the reactionary news that blew up in the days following the leaks. I got angry, and unnecessarily so.
But after taking the time to think about it, I decided to buy the deluxe version anyway and give it a shot. Since finishing it, it has made it into my top ten games of all time.
The Last of Us Part II is a visceral, brutal, and highly emotional journey. Its central theme is the idea of a cycle of revenge. Following the central characters through this cycle gives you a profound look at how far hatred will make you stray from your true self.
The tragedy that strikes at the beginning of the game makes you learn to hate Abby with a passion. You want to make her suffer. The rest of the story carries out, and at this point there's been so much violence, anguish, and hatred that you just want it all to stop.
This game does a phenomenal job at making you look inward. What would you do in each of their situations? What if you had played through Abby's story before Ellie and Joel's? What does your reaction to the events in the game say about you?
This taught me something about myself much like Undertale did, but in a much darker context. And, like Undertale, I found myself extremely invested in the characters and deeply caring for them. There hasn't been a game that has done that to me like this since Undertale.
Phenomenal is the word I'd use to describe this game. In addition to the narrative and themes, the gameplay itself is really engaging. It's very similar to the first game, but with some added functionality and new skills, specific to the character you're playing. The level design is incredible, the graphics are mind-blowingly good. There's new infected, too. The soundtrack is still composed by the genius that is Gustavo Santaolalla. There's intricate detail in nearly every part in this game, even down to where Ellie places her fingers on the guitar when you play it.
It runs a little long, but other than that, if you want to invest yourself in an incredible journey, play this game. Just also be prepared for the fact that it's emotionally draining and very uncomfortable, but it will likely teach you something about yourself if you let it.
But after taking the time to think about it, I decided to buy the deluxe version anyway and give it a shot. Since finishing it, it has made it into my top ten games of all time.
The Last of Us Part II is a visceral, brutal, and highly emotional journey. Its central theme is the idea of a cycle of revenge. Following the central characters through this cycle gives you a profound look at how far hatred will make you stray from your true self.
The tragedy that strikes at the beginning of the game makes you learn to hate Abby with a passion. You want to make her suffer. The rest of the story carries out, and at this point there's been so much violence, anguish, and hatred that you just want it all to stop.
This game does a phenomenal job at making you look inward. What would you do in each of their situations? What if you had played through Abby's story before Ellie and Joel's? What does your reaction to the events in the game say about you?
This taught me something about myself much like Undertale did, but in a much darker context. And, like Undertale, I found myself extremely invested in the characters and deeply caring for them. There hasn't been a game that has done that to me like this since Undertale.
Phenomenal is the word I'd use to describe this game. In addition to the narrative and themes, the gameplay itself is really engaging. It's very similar to the first game, but with some added functionality and new skills, specific to the character you're playing. The level design is incredible, the graphics are mind-blowingly good. There's new infected, too. The soundtrack is still composed by the genius that is Gustavo Santaolalla. There's intricate detail in nearly every part in this game, even down to where Ellie places her fingers on the guitar when you play it.
It runs a little long, but other than that, if you want to invest yourself in an incredible journey, play this game. Just also be prepared for the fact that it's emotionally draining and very uncomfortable, but it will likely teach you something about yourself if you let it.
2007
One of the best puzzle games I've played. Simple, yet clever. Succinct yet far from empty. Excellent worldbuilding, graphics still hold up, great atmostpheric synth music, and darkly humorous dialogue. If you haven't played it, do it. It's a classic for a reason!
2018
Artistically stunning, musically moving, and emotionally raw, GRIS stands as another triumph for the indie scene's short-form game library. At only 3 hours, this game offers visuals that look like a gorgeous watercolor painting has come to life, paired with simple yet clever platforming mechanics, a vibrant, stylized world, and beneath it all, tells a story about grief and loss. Easily one of my favorite games of the year.
2011
I get that it was basically the first of its kind with the whole pixel art 2d platformer indie game trend, and I know its iconic for that, but I just couldn't bring myself to really enjoy it that much. Sure, the characters were decently charming and the music was nice, but the art style didn't do it for me.
What really soured the experience for me were the controls. It was a hassle to figure out how to use a controller (I don't like playing platformers with a keyboard), and the player character is really slippery and floaty, making precision platforming a pain in the ass. The save system and checkpoints were terrible, and the insane difficulty spike towards the end of the game completely threw me off and made me more angry at the game than anything. And I was playing on easy mode. I'm no stranger to difficult games either, my favorite games of all time are Hollow Knight and the Dark Souls games. Sure, they have their fair share of bullshit too, but at least they had something more to them that actually drew me in and had me replaying them. Cave Story almost felt like a rage game at points. The only thing I got to say I enjoyed really was when the combat was fair. Combat was really fun when I knew the mistakes were my fault and not the result of artificial difficulty like spammy projectiles and the slippery controls having a mind of their own.
Overall, it was a meh game for me. Not my thing, and I don't even wanna think about attempting the true ending. I've seen what Bloodstained Sanctuary looks like. No thanks.
What really soured the experience for me were the controls. It was a hassle to figure out how to use a controller (I don't like playing platformers with a keyboard), and the player character is really slippery and floaty, making precision platforming a pain in the ass. The save system and checkpoints were terrible, and the insane difficulty spike towards the end of the game completely threw me off and made me more angry at the game than anything. And I was playing on easy mode. I'm no stranger to difficult games either, my favorite games of all time are Hollow Knight and the Dark Souls games. Sure, they have their fair share of bullshit too, but at least they had something more to them that actually drew me in and had me replaying them. Cave Story almost felt like a rage game at points. The only thing I got to say I enjoyed really was when the combat was fair. Combat was really fun when I knew the mistakes were my fault and not the result of artificial difficulty like spammy projectiles and the slippery controls having a mind of their own.
Overall, it was a meh game for me. Not my thing, and I don't even wanna think about attempting the true ending. I've seen what Bloodstained Sanctuary looks like. No thanks.
2017
Like the lovechild of Dead Space and BioShock (but more similar to System Shock if we're being really specific), Prey is an immersive sim that takes place in space, aboard Talos I, where you play as Morgan Yu, a scientist and the vice president and Director of Research of TranStar Industries.
You're given a variety of tools and weapons to use at your disposal, including mind powers inherited from the alien race you fight against in-game. Your arsenal allows for open-ended gameplay and gives the player opportunities to be creative in the ways they approach the challenges within.
It's mechanically ingenious, and the gameplay loop is very satisfying. The graphics are beautiful, seeing as the game was made in CryEngine. The world is well crafted and the narrative is solid. Characters are well-written and have exceptional voice acting. Enemies are diverse and require a varied array of tactics to kill or incapacitate each one. The music, done by Mick Gordon (the genius behind the iconic Doom soundtracks), is very atmospheric and does a good job setting the mood. Overall, it's a very good game.
However, where it falls short is in its polish. Sometimes after exiting a menu, I would try sprinting and it would instead open up the Steam overlay. Enemy AI would sometimes stop being intelligent and just break during encounters. The game crashed a handful of times. The end of the game seemed especially buggy, as I had two questlines bug out on me, and during Alex's cutscene where he gives you the fabrication plan for the Prototype Nullwave Transmitter, his character model freaked out and started trying to walk in all directions at once. Saving Dahl was a pain, as he kept dying for no reason, and I left him for dead several times until at one point, randomly, the quest worked and I saved him. Afterward, I had to reload the game a few times to get a fabricator to work properly so I could craft said Nullwave Transmitter.
Aside from that, most other frustrating situations mainly were due to me failing to properly prepare myself or just being unlucky and ending up in the wrong place at the wrong time, or even just trying to rush things and ending up paying the price.
There is a difficulty setting, so if you feel like it's too hard, you can tone it down, or crank it up if you want maximum punishment.
Length wise, I feel it can overstay its welcome, but only by a bit. I did some extra quests, so my playtime was at an inflated 22 hours compared to the standard 17 on HowLongToBeat.
If you like BioShock/System Shock, Thief, Deus Ex, or other immersive sims, it's very likely you'll thoroughly enjoy this one.
You're given a variety of tools and weapons to use at your disposal, including mind powers inherited from the alien race you fight against in-game. Your arsenal allows for open-ended gameplay and gives the player opportunities to be creative in the ways they approach the challenges within.
It's mechanically ingenious, and the gameplay loop is very satisfying. The graphics are beautiful, seeing as the game was made in CryEngine. The world is well crafted and the narrative is solid. Characters are well-written and have exceptional voice acting. Enemies are diverse and require a varied array of tactics to kill or incapacitate each one. The music, done by Mick Gordon (the genius behind the iconic Doom soundtracks), is very atmospheric and does a good job setting the mood. Overall, it's a very good game.
However, where it falls short is in its polish. Sometimes after exiting a menu, I would try sprinting and it would instead open up the Steam overlay. Enemy AI would sometimes stop being intelligent and just break during encounters. The game crashed a handful of times. The end of the game seemed especially buggy, as I had two questlines bug out on me, and during Alex's cutscene where he gives you the fabrication plan for the Prototype Nullwave Transmitter, his character model freaked out and started trying to walk in all directions at once. Saving Dahl was a pain, as he kept dying for no reason, and I left him for dead several times until at one point, randomly, the quest worked and I saved him. Afterward, I had to reload the game a few times to get a fabricator to work properly so I could craft said Nullwave Transmitter.
Aside from that, most other frustrating situations mainly were due to me failing to properly prepare myself or just being unlucky and ending up in the wrong place at the wrong time, or even just trying to rush things and ending up paying the price.
There is a difficulty setting, so if you feel like it's too hard, you can tone it down, or crank it up if you want maximum punishment.
Length wise, I feel it can overstay its welcome, but only by a bit. I did some extra quests, so my playtime was at an inflated 22 hours compared to the standard 17 on HowLongToBeat.
If you like BioShock/System Shock, Thief, Deus Ex, or other immersive sims, it's very likely you'll thoroughly enjoy this one.
2019
A combination of bullet-hell and metroidvania, TouHou Luna Nights is a fast-paced thrill ride with bangin tunes and challenging bossfights, all wrapped up into a nice, concise 5-6 hours of total playtime.
Whereas I'm not very keen on pixel-art indie titles (especially those with an anime theme), this one broke the mold by having a really slick and fluid animation style that made the game fun to look at.
The story wasn't amazing by any stretch, but it was at least intriguing, and the dialogue was quite charming. The focus obviously lies on the gameplay, which was handled very well.
Like a classic metroivania, you start off with little abilities aside from basic movement, a jump, and your basic attack (throwing daggers). As you explore and progress throughout the map, you find more abilites that allow you to progress even further and become more powerful.
Combat is tight and precise, and the integration of time stop/slow mechanics in combination with both the combat and the platforming made overcoming obstacles really rewarding. Regaining MP, HP, and Time was fun too as it involved needing to "graze" incoming attacks (narrowly dodge).
Some gripes include the inability to look up/down, making some platforming challenges a bit of a gamble if you weren't already familiar with them. This game also includes enemies who can move and attack through walls, which is a pet peeve of mine, especially when they aren't ghosts or something that makes sense, and they just don't have hitboxes that collide with walls. In my opinion, those kinds of enemies are just artificial difficulty and lazy enemy design. Additionally, I felt the difficulty of some rooms was cheap and lazy as well, being packed with enemies who target you directly alongside little fireballs that can dodge your attacks, so that by the time you get through a certain room, it feels like luck more than skill.
All of this considered, this would've been a 3-star were it not for the awesome bossfights. Those weren't lazy at all, and were super fun to fight, especially once you got into the rhythm.
Overall, a fun little game that you can probably beat in a weekend if you're a seasoned gamer with experience in either bullet-hell or metroidvanias, or just titles that are known to be difficult. This game would be hard to get into for a newcomer, as the entry bar is pretty high in terms of difficulty.
I recommend.
Whereas I'm not very keen on pixel-art indie titles (especially those with an anime theme), this one broke the mold by having a really slick and fluid animation style that made the game fun to look at.
The story wasn't amazing by any stretch, but it was at least intriguing, and the dialogue was quite charming. The focus obviously lies on the gameplay, which was handled very well.
Like a classic metroivania, you start off with little abilities aside from basic movement, a jump, and your basic attack (throwing daggers). As you explore and progress throughout the map, you find more abilites that allow you to progress even further and become more powerful.
Combat is tight and precise, and the integration of time stop/slow mechanics in combination with both the combat and the platforming made overcoming obstacles really rewarding. Regaining MP, HP, and Time was fun too as it involved needing to "graze" incoming attacks (narrowly dodge).
Some gripes include the inability to look up/down, making some platforming challenges a bit of a gamble if you weren't already familiar with them. This game also includes enemies who can move and attack through walls, which is a pet peeve of mine, especially when they aren't ghosts or something that makes sense, and they just don't have hitboxes that collide with walls. In my opinion, those kinds of enemies are just artificial difficulty and lazy enemy design. Additionally, I felt the difficulty of some rooms was cheap and lazy as well, being packed with enemies who target you directly alongside little fireballs that can dodge your attacks, so that by the time you get through a certain room, it feels like luck more than skill.
All of this considered, this would've been a 3-star were it not for the awesome bossfights. Those weren't lazy at all, and were super fun to fight, especially once you got into the rhythm.
Overall, a fun little game that you can probably beat in a weekend if you're a seasoned gamer with experience in either bullet-hell or metroidvanias, or just titles that are known to be difficult. This game would be hard to get into for a newcomer, as the entry bar is pretty high in terms of difficulty.
I recommend.
2016
Radios, ghosts, and coming-of-age. Oxenfree is a narrative indie title with elements of a walking simulator, a puzzle game, and a choose-your-own-adventure that follows a group of high school friends and acquaintances as they take a ferry to an island for a weekend party, and end up uncovering the island's mysterious secrets.
Dialogue is a near constant throughout the game, as much of the primary narrative - and backstory - is given to us through the many conversations the characters have. One of the primary gameplay elements is the option to choose what Alex, the protagonist, says during these conversations. The other element is the radio.
The radio-scanning mechanic is something pretty unique to this game. It's used to progress the plot, unlock doors, and gather bits of optional lore scattered throughout the game. Sometimes finding the key points on the scanner can be a bit tedious, especially when you feel like you're supposed to be in a high-stakes situation. For me, I had a bug that caused my controller to vibrate constantly unless I re-opened the scanner and turned through a few channels, and then put it away.
Every other mechanic in this game isn't as interesting. In fact, the movement often seems sluggish and cumbersome, which makes some sections a bore.
Narratively, this game is solid. It's not the greatest narrative I've been told through a video game, but it was intriguing, and the writing and voice acting was done well enough that I got invested in the characters and what they were going through. It's a thoughtful coming-of-age story with elements of mystery and the supernatural, which is a mixture I really want to explore more of.
The music was atmospheric at most, and didn't stand out to me too much, though I did enjoy what I heard.
Overall, Oxenfree was a middling game for me. It wasn't great, but it also wasn't bad. If you have a weekend with not much to do, give this game a shot. It's definitely worth trying!
Dialogue is a near constant throughout the game, as much of the primary narrative - and backstory - is given to us through the many conversations the characters have. One of the primary gameplay elements is the option to choose what Alex, the protagonist, says during these conversations. The other element is the radio.
The radio-scanning mechanic is something pretty unique to this game. It's used to progress the plot, unlock doors, and gather bits of optional lore scattered throughout the game. Sometimes finding the key points on the scanner can be a bit tedious, especially when you feel like you're supposed to be in a high-stakes situation. For me, I had a bug that caused my controller to vibrate constantly unless I re-opened the scanner and turned through a few channels, and then put it away.
Every other mechanic in this game isn't as interesting. In fact, the movement often seems sluggish and cumbersome, which makes some sections a bore.
Narratively, this game is solid. It's not the greatest narrative I've been told through a video game, but it was intriguing, and the writing and voice acting was done well enough that I got invested in the characters and what they were going through. It's a thoughtful coming-of-age story with elements of mystery and the supernatural, which is a mixture I really want to explore more of.
The music was atmospheric at most, and didn't stand out to me too much, though I did enjoy what I heard.
Overall, Oxenfree was a middling game for me. It wasn't great, but it also wasn't bad. If you have a weekend with not much to do, give this game a shot. It's definitely worth trying!
2016
DOOM is one of the most exhilerating games I've played to date. The killer soundtrack, the absolutely bonkers gunplay paired with the quick movement, the visuals, everything. This game makes me feel like a badass and I don't know why I didn't log this here earlier.
If you're new to the DOOM series, jump in here. It's aged beautifully and the over-the-top, gratuitious violence as you rip and tear through the hordes of demons of Hell itself while angry synth-metal music hypes you up in the background is a feeling like no other.
If you're new to the DOOM series, jump in here. It's aged beautifully and the over-the-top, gratuitious violence as you rip and tear through the hordes of demons of Hell itself while angry synth-metal music hypes you up in the background is a feeling like no other.
I know this game is praised by many, but I just didn't get it. The game doesn't even know what it wants to be half the time, the mechanics are so out of left field and the dialogue is so ham-fisted that it feels like it's way up its own pretentious ass. Character designs are okay, and the overall concept is interesting...as a concept and not much more. As a disclaimer, I normally don't enjoy anime games, but I gave this one a chance and played through the first chapter.
It's pulled in so many directions at once. It wants to be dark and serious but also wants to be satirical and goofy. It wants to be a point-and-click mystery game while also wanting to be an on-the-rails shooter and moonlights as an Ace Attorney wannabe.
The over-explaining and needless flashbacks feel like they're trying to tell us how clever they are and show off their writing skills. It's a try-hard "big brain" game that leaves nothing up to the imagination or creativity of the player, and makes it impossible to lose, so there are very little stakes once you realize the story is set and there's not much you can do about it in the way of choices. Lazy and artifically high-brow. I only got through the first chapter because my friends and I decided to voice-act the characters ourselves.
It's pulled in so many directions at once. It wants to be dark and serious but also wants to be satirical and goofy. It wants to be a point-and-click mystery game while also wanting to be an on-the-rails shooter and moonlights as an Ace Attorney wannabe.
The over-explaining and needless flashbacks feel like they're trying to tell us how clever they are and show off their writing skills. It's a try-hard "big brain" game that leaves nothing up to the imagination or creativity of the player, and makes it impossible to lose, so there are very little stakes once you realize the story is set and there's not much you can do about it in the way of choices. Lazy and artifically high-brow. I only got through the first chapter because my friends and I decided to voice-act the characters ourselves.