Chill, short exploration game in the same vein as A Short Hike, with ample customisation/crafting options, although I found it less charming. I also desperately wanted an objective list while I was playing, and found the lack of a bit frustrating.

Honestly think I might be a bit old for this one, the story didn’t resonate with me at all and put me off a bit. Still a pleasant play on a rainy afternoon in regard to the gameplay, but as someone that’s several years out of University and only has an adult sibling, the whole little sibling bonding/difficulties of growing up/starting adulthood story focus does nothing for me. Definitely a good game to give a kid 8+ and I can see adults that are less jaded than me still appreciating the story aspects here, particularly anyone studying at university, with younger siblings or anyone that has kids of their own.

Essentially a video game version of Umberto Eco’s ‘The Name of the Rose’. Really well done, the first in-game day is a bit slow, but after the setup there it gets going and remains enthralling for the rest of the game.

The mysteries in the game are intriguing, but the real fun is getting to know the characters while investigating. The dialogue is very thoughtfully written. All the attention to detail is so impressive, from the font stylisation to the meal times in the game. A wonderful game for anyone who has an interest in the Late Middle Ages and Renaissance period.

There are so many ps1-style indie horror games in recent years that recreate the graphical look well, but don’t actually capture the magic of what made games of that era so great, gameplay-wise. Signalis does, and it does it without feeling derivative or trite.

Enjoyable puzzles that have you thinking and encourage level exploration, but aren’t impossibly hard. Masterful storytelling that unfolds slowly in dribs and drabs, and remains ambiguous, leaving you to continue theorising after the game is over. Player and enemy movement, level design and sound design that come together to create a sense of dread.

The six slot inventory is tedious, and will have you running back and forth many, many times. The cutesy anime girl art in the cutscenes is also amusing and slightly jarring for a game of this style, but I much prefer that over the low-poly psx-style graphics that are popular. The boss fights are also nothing to write home about combat-wise, but they do help develop the story.

Overall, minor nitpicks aside, this game was phenomenal. If you like older silent hill/resident evil games definitely play Signalis - it is more than just a cheap clone of those games, it stands up well on its own, and has its own story to tell.

Looks nice and the idea of mixing roguelike dungeon crawling with a colony sim seems like it would be enjoyable. I found the execution lacking, with the two gameplay mechanics at odds with each other, and overall the gameplay is quite shallow. I found playing to feel more like a chore and that I was just going through the motions after the first couple of hours.

The colony management mechanics need some more depth, I found I maxed out all my development trees by the time I beat the third boss. For the dungeons, I actually like the random weapon mechanic, but found combat to be janky and floaty. It was also quite easy on Normal mode. Also bugs galore as my game would crash about once an hour on xbox series x.

Overall I like the ideas in the game, but shallow gameplay and janky combat meant I stopped playing after the third boss. I might come back just to finish it but I haven’t really enjoyed the 12+ hours I played.

I have really wanted an English release, even a fan translation, of the Boku no Natsuyasumi games, so I was excited when a western release for this Shin-Chan licensed one was announced.

I like Shin-Chan, and enjoy the style of humour, however this is definitely more of a 'Shin-Chan' game than a 'My Summer Vacation' game, which I found disappointing. For me, my interest in this game series was in getting to enjoy a relaxing, grounded summer vacation experience. The inclusion of the Shin-Chan licensing really shifted the tone, and there were a lot of fantastical, unrealistic elements introduced that I found jarring. The game was still sweet, it looked great, and I enjoy Shin-Chan's humour and portrayal of family, but I wish we got an unlicensed Boku no Natsuyasumi game that offers a more realistic and tonally sound summer vacation experience.

It was cute and fun, but I didn't feel particularly moved by the game/story at all, as I know many people are. Some of the character interactions are enjoyable, and others I found to be quite grating.

The battle mechanics are, for me, the best part of the game. While some of the fights in the game are long, they didn't feel like they dragged at all. I loved the turn-based bullet hell mechanics and feeling that the story/narrative was still being develop during combat. The game length overall was perfect too and didn't overstay it's welcome.

A nice game, with an excellent combat system and a fantastic soundtrack, but whose story won't really stick with me afterwards.

Played a bit over 2 hours and didn't really feel engaged at any point. The mechanics felt sub-standard and the game feels like its focus is really just on the mood development, which it does do well if a mood piece is your thing.

I know the gameplay mechanics do develop across the game but the first couple of hours couldn't engage me enough to keep me playing - which is a significant portion given it's only an ~5 hour game. The novelty of playing a cat couldn't really hold my interest. Might pick this up again just to finish it but it really felt like a chore to play.