Beexact
2020
It was part of the "Missing Calm" Bundle (the publisher) that contained the game "Milk inside a bag of milk inside a bag of milk" that I really wanted to play. The bundle was around 5 dollars. I thought I'd give it a shot since it was in it.
Brief Description
This game is a short visual novel based around the day of a light house keeper. He is dealing with some emotions in regards to his obsession with the lighthouse. There are two puzzles that lead to two different endings. The art style of this game pulled me in as well.
Pros
-I really like the scenic shots. The visuals in my opinion really make this game nice looking and unique.
-I like the writing quite a bit; very interesting. Having the reader agreeing with such an unhinged protagonist is very neat.
-Cool ambiance and sound usage; I enjoyed it.
-I like the theme of the game and the endings. I think it is very interesting seeing a protagonist written like this-- where he is obsessed with the lighthouse and is engulfed in selfishness. It really makes for cool endings that leave you feeling a bit disturbed.
-I love how you can skip/click past text you have already seen. Playing "My name is You and it's the only unusual thing in my life" really made me appreciate that feature so much more.
Cons
-The narration was not bad in my opinion. I think the dude did a good job. However, him mispronouncing words in English was a tad bit distracting. But overall, I enjoyed the emotion he put into it; but the slip ups took me out a little of the immersion.
-Some scenes are used a lot more than once on one playthrough. Can be a bit repetitive.
-Not too much too it content-wise, but considering the price that's what I expected.
Neat visual novel. I probably would not play it again, but I think its a good short story, especially considering the very fair price.
Brief Description
This game is a short visual novel based around the day of a light house keeper. He is dealing with some emotions in regards to his obsession with the lighthouse. There are two puzzles that lead to two different endings. The art style of this game pulled me in as well.
Pros
-I really like the scenic shots. The visuals in my opinion really make this game nice looking and unique.
-I like the writing quite a bit; very interesting. Having the reader agreeing with such an unhinged protagonist is very neat.
-Cool ambiance and sound usage; I enjoyed it.
-I like the theme of the game and the endings. I think it is very interesting seeing a protagonist written like this-- where he is obsessed with the lighthouse and is engulfed in selfishness. It really makes for cool endings that leave you feeling a bit disturbed.
-I love how you can skip/click past text you have already seen. Playing "My name is You and it's the only unusual thing in my life" really made me appreciate that feature so much more.
Cons
-The narration was not bad in my opinion. I think the dude did a good job. However, him mispronouncing words in English was a tad bit distracting. But overall, I enjoyed the emotion he put into it; but the slip ups took me out a little of the immersion.
-Some scenes are used a lot more than once on one playthrough. Can be a bit repetitive.
-Not too much too it content-wise, but considering the price that's what I expected.
Neat visual novel. I probably would not play it again, but I think its a good short story, especially considering the very fair price.
2020
It was part of the "Missing Calm" Bundle (the publisher) that contained the game "Milk inside a bag of milk inside a bag of milk" that I really wanted to play. The bundle was around 5 dollars. I thought I'd give it a shot since it was in it.
Brief Description
The main point of the game is to randomly type letters on your actual keyboard and the in game computer will then write a story with each keystrokes. Let me tell you-- you will have to type A LOT for 10-15 minutes to finish the game. Be careful of like cramping ur hands or forearm or wrist or something from going too fast. Mine hurt after, haha.
The entire game takes place in a small room with about 5 interactable objects. There is a poster of John Lennon, some incense, a religious statue, a light switch, a door, and an unmade bed. There is also a window that had emitted some good ambient sounds throughout the game. The focus of the game, however, as prefaced before is the desk with a computer turned on.
Well, in the first 2 minutes I was being goofy, and I reset the computer on the desktop tower about 20 times in the span of 5 seconds and laughed. I then tried to click on the monitor to actually start the story, and the game crashed. I was scared it was hacking me or something because a weird popup with the application icon appeared for a second, but it's just a harmless unity game. I restarted the game and it was fine (also scanned my computer and it was fine). I'm pretty sure it's because I clicked the computer tower in game 20 times too fast.
I then began to type away. Loudly. Into my IRL desktop microphone so my friends that I was streaming it to could hear every chaotic button press for 10 minutes without noise suppression on.
Pros
-I really liked the ambiance and sound usage. Kinda creeped me out midway through the story, which was a plus.
-The pixel graphics are cool.
-I like some of the details in the story and the ending.
Cons
-It is really cool that this small indie game is in English, Dutch, and Russian. However, as I read this in English, I did not like the writing all that much. You can tell the author had a very extended vocabulary, but every sentence was wayyyyy too wordy, and on top of that, the author jumped from topic to topic every other sentence. It was extremely hard to follow because of those two things, and on top of that, you manually typing for 15 minutes what felt like thousands of letters just made it so distracting. I was more focused on my fingers than the story right in front of me. I still read, or tried to. I think I got the gist of the plot like completely though, it was just drowning in unnecessary descriptions and details.
-You know... I do not think any other game utilizes the gameplay mechanic of "type random letter and it'll type something completely different on the in-game computer monitor" as much as this game. The only other time I've seen something like this is in other games where you type randomly and it inputs the correct password to login. That being said, I think this game is an example of why you cannot use that gameplay mechanic for lengthy paragraphs and words. It just is uncomfortable and monotonous for the player.
-The story was okay. I do not think it was all that worth it, the physical strain of my arm, haha.
It was an okay experience. I do not heavily regret playing this, but I would not actively recommend others to.
Brief Description
The main point of the game is to randomly type letters on your actual keyboard and the in game computer will then write a story with each keystrokes. Let me tell you-- you will have to type A LOT for 10-15 minutes to finish the game. Be careful of like cramping ur hands or forearm or wrist or something from going too fast. Mine hurt after, haha.
The entire game takes place in a small room with about 5 interactable objects. There is a poster of John Lennon, some incense, a religious statue, a light switch, a door, and an unmade bed. There is also a window that had emitted some good ambient sounds throughout the game. The focus of the game, however, as prefaced before is the desk with a computer turned on.
Well, in the first 2 minutes I was being goofy, and I reset the computer on the desktop tower about 20 times in the span of 5 seconds and laughed. I then tried to click on the monitor to actually start the story, and the game crashed. I was scared it was hacking me or something because a weird popup with the application icon appeared for a second, but it's just a harmless unity game. I restarted the game and it was fine (also scanned my computer and it was fine). I'm pretty sure it's because I clicked the computer tower in game 20 times too fast.
I then began to type away. Loudly. Into my IRL desktop microphone so my friends that I was streaming it to could hear every chaotic button press for 10 minutes without noise suppression on.
Pros
-I really liked the ambiance and sound usage. Kinda creeped me out midway through the story, which was a plus.
-The pixel graphics are cool.
-I like some of the details in the story and the ending.
Cons
-It is really cool that this small indie game is in English, Dutch, and Russian. However, as I read this in English, I did not like the writing all that much. You can tell the author had a very extended vocabulary, but every sentence was wayyyyy too wordy, and on top of that, the author jumped from topic to topic every other sentence. It was extremely hard to follow because of those two things, and on top of that, you manually typing for 15 minutes what felt like thousands of letters just made it so distracting. I was more focused on my fingers than the story right in front of me. I still read, or tried to. I think I got the gist of the plot like completely though, it was just drowning in unnecessary descriptions and details.
-You know... I do not think any other game utilizes the gameplay mechanic of "type random letter and it'll type something completely different on the in-game computer monitor" as much as this game. The only other time I've seen something like this is in other games where you type randomly and it inputs the correct password to login. That being said, I think this game is an example of why you cannot use that gameplay mechanic for lengthy paragraphs and words. It just is uncomfortable and monotonous for the player.
-The story was okay. I do not think it was all that worth it, the physical strain of my arm, haha.
It was an okay experience. I do not heavily regret playing this, but I would not actively recommend others to.
It was part of the "Missing Calm" Bundle (the publisher) that contained the game "Milk inside a bag of milk inside a bag of milk" that I really wanted to play. The bundle was around 5 dollars. I thought I'd give it a shot since it was in it.
Brief Description
This game is a visual novel, that includes occasional two-option choices. There are three chapters. Decisions do not affect the chapter after it.
The protagonist is a guy named "You" and he goes through a lot of silly stuff. You are finding more about your medical condition and trying to go to work constantly. Took me like half the game to figure out what type of company he works at because it just doesn't mention it in some routes (it is an insurance company). That's all. That's the entire game. Honestly, once you find out more about "You", you realize it was not worth 1.4 hours worth of time.
Pros
-I like the fact that this game is original. It is so easy to use bought assets, but it seems like this game was created from the ground up.
-I think the game is crisp. The font and presentation is cool. Not much really to mess up there though.
-I only found one grammar error and I wish I remembered where to help the developer or translator.
-The OST/songs are neat.
Cons
-This is the main reason why I do not recommend this game. This game is unfortunately, for me, very sleep inducing. It is so boring. I did not enjoy reading it. The black out and phase in transitions (MUCH like a powerpoint slide) add too many seconds to the game and you cannot even speed up parts you have already read. It is really bad for a visual novel to not have that mechanic.
-I really do not like the narration. I think its preference, but also I really disliked the narrator raising his pitch so much for a woman character, and lowering it for other male ones. It just sounded so goofy. I turned off the voice narration immediately. Even without the narration of other characters, I just found it quicker and better to read it myself.
-There is no main ending. Completing this game felt so abrupt and, once again, you do not see or learn anything substantial about any plot. Yeah, that means the title of the game is accurate in a sense, but it doesn't erase the fact that this felt not worth playing.
-Visually speaking, this game is well made but nothing interesting about the design. Most of the backgrounds are honestly very dark to see.
I played this game the first day for 20 minutes and thought to myself, "Hey, you did not fully play through the game and also you do not know half of Chapter 3. Why don't you finish it?" The game even convinced me to continue as it essentially says at the beginning "Hey, you are far from the truth, and even though this game seems like its just chaos-- you will uncover more by playing." I think I gave it a fair shot completing all of it, and I really appreciate this game as a written art piece, but I did not enjoy it.
Brief Description
This game is a visual novel, that includes occasional two-option choices. There are three chapters. Decisions do not affect the chapter after it.
The protagonist is a guy named "You" and he goes through a lot of silly stuff. You are finding more about your medical condition and trying to go to work constantly. Took me like half the game to figure out what type of company he works at because it just doesn't mention it in some routes (it is an insurance company). That's all. That's the entire game. Honestly, once you find out more about "You", you realize it was not worth 1.4 hours worth of time.
Pros
-I like the fact that this game is original. It is so easy to use bought assets, but it seems like this game was created from the ground up.
-I think the game is crisp. The font and presentation is cool. Not much really to mess up there though.
-I only found one grammar error and I wish I remembered where to help the developer or translator.
-The OST/songs are neat.
Cons
-This is the main reason why I do not recommend this game. This game is unfortunately, for me, very sleep inducing. It is so boring. I did not enjoy reading it. The black out and phase in transitions (MUCH like a powerpoint slide) add too many seconds to the game and you cannot even speed up parts you have already read. It is really bad for a visual novel to not have that mechanic.
-I really do not like the narration. I think its preference, but also I really disliked the narrator raising his pitch so much for a woman character, and lowering it for other male ones. It just sounded so goofy. I turned off the voice narration immediately. Even without the narration of other characters, I just found it quicker and better to read it myself.
-There is no main ending. Completing this game felt so abrupt and, once again, you do not see or learn anything substantial about any plot. Yeah, that means the title of the game is accurate in a sense, but it doesn't erase the fact that this felt not worth playing.
-Visually speaking, this game is well made but nothing interesting about the design. Most of the backgrounds are honestly very dark to see.
I played this game the first day for 20 minutes and thought to myself, "Hey, you did not fully play through the game and also you do not know half of Chapter 3. Why don't you finish it?" The game even convinced me to continue as it essentially says at the beginning "Hey, you are far from the truth, and even though this game seems like its just chaos-- you will uncover more by playing." I think I gave it a fair shot completing all of it, and I really appreciate this game as a written art piece, but I did not enjoy it.
I like creepy visual novels and the art style and limited color palette pulled me in.
Brief Description
You play as a girl, whom you name, and she is going to attempt to buy a bag of milk. The game is very linear in its dialogue and has two endings based on some conversation options.
Pros
-I think it was achieving what it wanted to achieve. Being a visual novels that described a girl's mental struggles and how that can impact her stream of consciousness and behavior.
-I like how somethings in this novel are left up to audience interpretation.
-Art style is cool
Cons
-Some of the dialogue is really cheesy, especially when it tries to get a little meta and fourth-wall breaking.
-Not much content, but it is literally $0.99.
Not sure if I'd ever play the first one again, but I definitely intend to get the second game at some point and play it. I like visual novels, so this was neat to me.
Brief Description
You play as a girl, whom you name, and she is going to attempt to buy a bag of milk. The game is very linear in its dialogue and has two endings based on some conversation options.
Pros
-I think it was achieving what it wanted to achieve. Being a visual novels that described a girl's mental struggles and how that can impact her stream of consciousness and behavior.
-I like how somethings in this novel are left up to audience interpretation.
-Art style is cool
Cons
-Some of the dialogue is really cheesy, especially when it tries to get a little meta and fourth-wall breaking.
-Not much content, but it is literally $0.99.
Not sure if I'd ever play the first one again, but I definitely intend to get the second game at some point and play it. I like visual novels, so this was neat to me.
1986
I want to play this series for Alucard. He slays.
Brief Description
Retro NES Sidescrolling platformer. Very fun, very challenging. You play as Simon Belmont going through Dracula's Castle to take him down!
Pros
-I like the challenge. The character designs are cool I guess. Item system is neat. Level design is a headache but in a likeable way.
-Simply iconic
-Where it all began. (it being the franchise)
-Neat little fantasy story. Not hard to follow or elaborate.
Cons
-Very hard to complete without a save state.
-Sprites glitch if there are too many on screen due to console limitations with the version I played. Not a fault of the game itself, so not using it to dock the review.
It good. I might come back to test myself without save states.
Brief Description
Retro NES Sidescrolling platformer. Very fun, very challenging. You play as Simon Belmont going through Dracula's Castle to take him down!
Pros
-I like the challenge. The character designs are cool I guess. Item system is neat. Level design is a headache but in a likeable way.
-Simply iconic
-Where it all began. (it being the franchise)
-Neat little fantasy story. Not hard to follow or elaborate.
Cons
-Very hard to complete without a save state.
-Sprites glitch if there are too many on screen due to console limitations with the version I played. Not a fault of the game itself, so not using it to dock the review.
It good. I might come back to test myself without save states.
2012
I have always wanted to play this game. I remember when I was a wee lad, this game was raved about over a decade ago on launch. With its prominent, unique design of the protagonist and appealing, beautiful art style-- it seemed to be a must-play. Critics gave it, seemingly universally, 9 out of 10's and five stars. Spoiler! I have to agree with them.
Brief Description
A shooting star falls from the sky. It is you, you realize as you awake in the nothingness of the desert. You look around, a beam of light on top of a mountain beckons you to investigate. You start your journey.
Journey is what I thought for an entire decade to be a singleplayer game. It just LOOKS singleplayer. The main marketing of the game showcases the protagonist walking around alone in an isolated desert. I started this and then was nicely greeted by a person playing, whom I knew was NOT an NPC by their chime button usage and behavior. That was a "Woah!! Cool!" moment for me. If you somehow get disconnected or distanced from your player 2 (assuming you were matched in online coop), the game does a great job at introducing someone else at that exact place in the game so you can pair up and progress together.
Pros
-The best thing, in my opinion, that this game gave you, is each other. (Awww!) But yeah I think they companion system that you get from the online system really makes every playthrough unique. You are going to get multiple different people who, with limited controls and possible actions, behave differently. It is really cool to see human behavior shine through limitations, and the idea of someone sticking by you in a journey full of hurdles is always so comforting.
-The game is short, which is a pro as it allows you to complete it easily in one sitting the way it is intended. Sticking by one companion is very very good and honestly adds to the plot (but do not freak out if one of yours DCs lol)
-The plot and overall themes/symbolisms of the game is awesome. I love what they were going for and how excellent the execution was. It was and can be emotional for some (not me, I guess I was not in an emotional mood playing it), but overall I think its brilliant.
-The art style is awesome! I think a lot of games use the same aesthetic of lack of outlines/harsh shading, but this game utilizes it in a way that is unique. The color usage and scenic/character designs makes this game what it is. The protagonist is iconic in my head.
-Obviously, sound design is amazing. Found myself taking in all the ambience and music a lot, as well as literally sparing some moments of my time to really listen into the pitter-patter of my feet along the sand.
Cons
-If people just stop playing this game, I wonder how the experience will be when there are no human players on the servers. Will it just be forced to be a singleplayer experience? Because as the focus of the game is heavily based around that "companion" experience, that WOULD detract from that. However, since that is not the case right now, I will obviously not take that into account in my final opinion of the game.
-I lost connection with my partner, like, halfway through the game, and then it cycled me through a couple of people who either DCed as well or just wandered away. So, for a period of time, I was alone. I think it added to the feeling of isolation to some parts, but also felt a little sad as it kept cycling through people that could not stay in my game for a period. Took a little bit from my first playthrough experience, but I would not let that detract from my review. (just did not seem to be a big hinderance)
I think this game is fantastic. It literally does everything right. I am a very social person and love lighthearted interactions with people, so seeing all the different ways people can walk with you during your journey is incredible. This game feels like a very fun, enjoyable, art piece in a weird way. I love everything about it and will hopefully take some time to replay it again. I am interested in getting some of the achievements that I missed prior, and like I said before, each playthrough is unique.
Lastly, a shout out (I say like I am gonna reach anyone I played with lol) to my favorite companions!
-"Grump": You were my favorite companion, as we spammed the chime button at each other and you helped me so much collect the light up symbols. I am so so sorry I had to be afk for like literally 3 minutes but you could have waited. You went on without me, and that is probably up there with one of the most heartbreaking moments in my entire life. It actually made the middle part of my game very sour LOL
-I had a last one with no name but just know I thought you were incredibly silly as you just did not care about certain environmental hazards. Like, at all.
I also played with ZJ Sky, Angel, 3495975030, & 420QQQ. Hope you guys are doing fantastic. Bye now!
Brief Description
A shooting star falls from the sky. It is you, you realize as you awake in the nothingness of the desert. You look around, a beam of light on top of a mountain beckons you to investigate. You start your journey.
Journey is what I thought for an entire decade to be a singleplayer game. It just LOOKS singleplayer. The main marketing of the game showcases the protagonist walking around alone in an isolated desert. I started this and then was nicely greeted by a person playing, whom I knew was NOT an NPC by their chime button usage and behavior. That was a "Woah!! Cool!" moment for me. If you somehow get disconnected or distanced from your player 2 (assuming you were matched in online coop), the game does a great job at introducing someone else at that exact place in the game so you can pair up and progress together.
Pros
-The best thing, in my opinion, that this game gave you, is each other. (Awww!) But yeah I think they companion system that you get from the online system really makes every playthrough unique. You are going to get multiple different people who, with limited controls and possible actions, behave differently. It is really cool to see human behavior shine through limitations, and the idea of someone sticking by you in a journey full of hurdles is always so comforting.
-The game is short, which is a pro as it allows you to complete it easily in one sitting the way it is intended. Sticking by one companion is very very good and honestly adds to the plot (but do not freak out if one of yours DCs lol)
-The plot and overall themes/symbolisms of the game is awesome. I love what they were going for and how excellent the execution was. It was and can be emotional for some (not me, I guess I was not in an emotional mood playing it), but overall I think its brilliant.
-The art style is awesome! I think a lot of games use the same aesthetic of lack of outlines/harsh shading, but this game utilizes it in a way that is unique. The color usage and scenic/character designs makes this game what it is. The protagonist is iconic in my head.
-Obviously, sound design is amazing. Found myself taking in all the ambience and music a lot, as well as literally sparing some moments of my time to really listen into the pitter-patter of my feet along the sand.
Cons
-If people just stop playing this game, I wonder how the experience will be when there are no human players on the servers. Will it just be forced to be a singleplayer experience? Because as the focus of the game is heavily based around that "companion" experience, that WOULD detract from that. However, since that is not the case right now, I will obviously not take that into account in my final opinion of the game.
-I lost connection with my partner, like, halfway through the game, and then it cycled me through a couple of people who either DCed as well or just wandered away. So, for a period of time, I was alone. I think it added to the feeling of isolation to some parts, but also felt a little sad as it kept cycling through people that could not stay in my game for a period. Took a little bit from my first playthrough experience, but I would not let that detract from my review. (just did not seem to be a big hinderance)
I think this game is fantastic. It literally does everything right. I am a very social person and love lighthearted interactions with people, so seeing all the different ways people can walk with you during your journey is incredible. This game feels like a very fun, enjoyable, art piece in a weird way. I love everything about it and will hopefully take some time to replay it again. I am interested in getting some of the achievements that I missed prior, and like I said before, each playthrough is unique.
Lastly, a shout out (I say like I am gonna reach anyone I played with lol) to my favorite companions!
-"Grump": You were my favorite companion, as we spammed the chime button at each other and you helped me so much collect the light up symbols. I am so so sorry I had to be afk for like literally 3 minutes but you could have waited. You went on without me, and that is probably up there with one of the most heartbreaking moments in my entire life. It actually made the middle part of my game very sour LOL
-I had a last one with no name but just know I thought you were incredibly silly as you just did not care about certain environmental hazards. Like, at all.
I also played with ZJ Sky, Angel, 3495975030, & 420QQQ. Hope you guys are doing fantastic. Bye now!
I simply cannot believe this game is a year old. This literally feels like it came out a month ago. It has always been on my radar as it genuinely looks like a good game, and I love visual novels too.
Brief Description
You take the perspective of a little purple dude who just started their job on a train. The conductor who hired you is retiring. It is Amy's birthday and she is have a fake murder mystery party. The sonic cast all attends and they are given different lore roles (Shadow is "the locksmith", Espio is "the poet", Tails is the "detective", Knuckles is "the cowboy", etc.). The game is a visual novel where you progress to find out more about what happened and who "killed(?)" Sonic. It has "Think" minigames during interrogation scenes, where you aim to collect a certain amount of rings. There are also dialogue choices (kinda linear, which is fine). That's the gist.
Pros
-Really appealing art style. You do not know how many screenshots I took of still frames, haha. As an artist myself, I absolutely love seeing all the characters and backgrounds.
-The dialogue is very well-written and extremely charming. Not too corny for the average Joe. Good for all ages in my opinion
-I'm such a big fan of investigative visual novels. Reminds me of Danganronpa and potentially Ace Attorney.
-This visual novel has gameplay! I really appreciate that and opens it up to a lot of different audiences. Some people do not just want to read.
-Nice little references to the sonic lore.
-Well thought out "aha!" moments
Cons
-Literally none. It was what it wanted to be perfectly.
I am happy to have played this neat little game. Very enjoyable!
Brief Description
You take the perspective of a little purple dude who just started their job on a train. The conductor who hired you is retiring. It is Amy's birthday and she is have a fake murder mystery party. The sonic cast all attends and they are given different lore roles (Shadow is "the locksmith", Espio is "the poet", Tails is the "detective", Knuckles is "the cowboy", etc.). The game is a visual novel where you progress to find out more about what happened and who "killed(?)" Sonic. It has "Think" minigames during interrogation scenes, where you aim to collect a certain amount of rings. There are also dialogue choices (kinda linear, which is fine). That's the gist.
Pros
-Really appealing art style. You do not know how many screenshots I took of still frames, haha. As an artist myself, I absolutely love seeing all the characters and backgrounds.
-The dialogue is very well-written and extremely charming. Not too corny for the average Joe. Good for all ages in my opinion
-I'm such a big fan of investigative visual novels. Reminds me of Danganronpa and potentially Ace Attorney.
-This visual novel has gameplay! I really appreciate that and opens it up to a lot of different audiences. Some people do not just want to read.
-Nice little references to the sonic lore.
-Well thought out "aha!" moments
Cons
-Literally none. It was what it wanted to be perfectly.
I am happy to have played this neat little game. Very enjoyable!
2017
I suck at platformers, but they are very fun. With that being said, I had fun playing this with friends (who are good at these types of games). I was carried 100%, but this experience has peaked my interest in replaying and completing more content of the game that we have not finished.
Brief Description
Cuphead is a very hard platformer. It can be played either in singleplayer or in coop, but I imagine it is funner and more intended for coop play. You control Cuphead and Mugman, who are trying to break their deal with the devil. There are three main regions with a mix of stages. There are run and gun stages (which help you get coins to buy items in the shop), mosoleums (where you unlock supers/ultimates), and the main aspect of the game, which are boss fights (beating all in a region allows you to progress the game).
Pros
-Everything about the art design and style of the game is fabulous. It is unique, and as my friend put it, a homage to old timey vintage American cartoons. The UI, character designs, animations, sound design, and overall look of the game is an S++ from me.
-The level design is really fun. I have no expert level critiques to say other than they are all unique and it is really satisfying to get farther and farther with each attempt at a level until you complete the stage.
-I love the overall juxtaposition of the cheerful design of the characters in the game with the dark undertones of the fights and the plot of the game. The sentiment of "Don't make a deal with the devil." is in it of itself really damn cool.
-I think they make it very playable for casual players considering that there is an easy mode. I have not tried it because my friend carried me, but I like that it opens to a broader audience with that.
-The variety of weapons and items that really make it fun to play the game how you want. You can beat stages in a variety of ways to challenge yourself.
-Mechanically the game is fun. The movement is fluid and the parry/dash system is fun.
Cons
-I am not going to lie-- I cannot think if a single valid con. I guess it can suck if you hate repeating levels over and over and are not particularly good at platformers, but the difficulty is a main attraction of the game because you can feel yourself getting better throughout the boss fight as you remember it's attack patterns. So, in my head, that is a plus. But I can understand the thing that this might drive people away, as I felt demotivated after I lost to a level like 50 times.
I definitely will go back to this game to try to do better at the levels and also complete the content we have not finished in the hopefully near future. It is extremely fun and I reckon that everyone should give it a try!
Brief Description
Cuphead is a very hard platformer. It can be played either in singleplayer or in coop, but I imagine it is funner and more intended for coop play. You control Cuphead and Mugman, who are trying to break their deal with the devil. There are three main regions with a mix of stages. There are run and gun stages (which help you get coins to buy items in the shop), mosoleums (where you unlock supers/ultimates), and the main aspect of the game, which are boss fights (beating all in a region allows you to progress the game).
Pros
-Everything about the art design and style of the game is fabulous. It is unique, and as my friend put it, a homage to old timey vintage American cartoons. The UI, character designs, animations, sound design, and overall look of the game is an S++ from me.
-The level design is really fun. I have no expert level critiques to say other than they are all unique and it is really satisfying to get farther and farther with each attempt at a level until you complete the stage.
-I love the overall juxtaposition of the cheerful design of the characters in the game with the dark undertones of the fights and the plot of the game. The sentiment of "Don't make a deal with the devil." is in it of itself really damn cool.
-I think they make it very playable for casual players considering that there is an easy mode. I have not tried it because my friend carried me, but I like that it opens to a broader audience with that.
-The variety of weapons and items that really make it fun to play the game how you want. You can beat stages in a variety of ways to challenge yourself.
-Mechanically the game is fun. The movement is fluid and the parry/dash system is fun.
Cons
-I am not going to lie-- I cannot think if a single valid con. I guess it can suck if you hate repeating levels over and over and are not particularly good at platformers, but the difficulty is a main attraction of the game because you can feel yourself getting better throughout the boss fight as you remember it's attack patterns. So, in my head, that is a plus. But I can understand the thing that this might drive people away, as I felt demotivated after I lost to a level like 50 times.
I definitely will go back to this game to try to do better at the levels and also complete the content we have not finished in the hopefully near future. It is extremely fun and I reckon that everyone should give it a try!
2004
I love. love. love. RPG maker games. I wanted to try out this game for the longest time because fans like me of the genre absolutely love Yume Nikki. I also think the main girl's design is adorable. Yume Nikki was created and uploaded by pseudonymous Japanese developer Kikiyama. It is published by PLAYISM on Steam. I know nothing about them, but they seem to have good games-- one being IB which I love!
Brief Description
Yume Nikki is about this girl named Madotsuki. You wake up in and apartment with little furniture; among those being a TV, a desk with a journal, papers scrawled out on the floor (from the journal, probably), and the bed you woke up in. You can walk out onto the balcony you have. You seem to live in a penthouse of some sort (fancy! kinda). There is an entrance to the apartment, but you are unable to leave-- that is... unless you sleep.
Once you go to sleep, you "wake up" in your apartment again. You can now leave through the entrance, and when you do you enter a hub world called "the Nexus". There is an array of doors to different dream worlds. The goal of the game is to collect all 24 "effects", aka power ups that allow Madotsuki to transform. (At the end of the game, you will have 25, since the tutorial is also considered an effect)
Pros
-One of the best things about this game is the environment. The environment seemingly does not make sense a lot of the times, but I love that. It leaves a lot up to interpretation and is so damn creative. I love how each part of the game is designed.
-I love the concepts of the dreams and what it can mean for what is happening in Madotsuki's life. It is interesting to see everyone's interpretations and analysis of what Madotsuki is going through-- what her dreams mean. I have seen a lot of themes suggested and am eager to read about them more, as there is so much content in the game that you can go on and on about something you speculate.
-This game has events! Events are occurrences that can trigger either randomly or if you do something specific in certain places. They are really cool when they happen-- some are rare or not easy to spot though.
-There is so much content in this game. There is A LOT. SO many areas to go to. So many things to see. I completed the game and I have not seen it all. Its incredibly impressive.
-The art style of this game is awesome. The UI and sound design are amazing as well-- it really ties everything together.
Cons
-It is a walking sim, which can turn away a LOT of people. Its literally so interesting and I was invested when playing regardless though.
-There is a bicycle effect transformation. I used that all game, since you go faster. The walking/normal speed is kind of way too slow for my liking. I wish Madotsuki was made a bit faster by default, maybe she could have been running keeping in mind the size of the dream worlds.
-Have not seen other people complete this game, but I had to use a walkthrough. Some effects are just in areas that I probably would never had reached (I am looking at you, the "become fat" effect). You either pickup effects from the ground or talk to an npc of interest. In both cases it is clear on first glance they will give you an effect. But the whole difficultly comes from the looping sceneries, and the unpredictable ways to jump from area to area. It is easy to miss an item or place that can teleport you.
-Some events (and even ways to get to certain areas you need to reach for effects) are LUCK based. They have a % chance to occur (if they do not, you have to reenter the area or wake up and go back). Sometimes that is a little annoying, but I am strange and kinda like the concept so its fine with me. I also think it helps with what this game is going for-- overall theme of a dream, or my, the player's, nightmare.
I would definitely play this game again to see the scenery. I think it would be a good experience having some knowledge of where to go, too. I think a game like this made in 2004 is pretty damn impressive. It holds up even over other RPG maker games made throughout the years after its release. I highly recommend this game to literally anyone. It is free and iconic-- give it a go!!!!!
Brief Description
Yume Nikki is about this girl named Madotsuki. You wake up in and apartment with little furniture; among those being a TV, a desk with a journal, papers scrawled out on the floor (from the journal, probably), and the bed you woke up in. You can walk out onto the balcony you have. You seem to live in a penthouse of some sort (fancy! kinda). There is an entrance to the apartment, but you are unable to leave-- that is... unless you sleep.
Once you go to sleep, you "wake up" in your apartment again. You can now leave through the entrance, and when you do you enter a hub world called "the Nexus". There is an array of doors to different dream worlds. The goal of the game is to collect all 24 "effects", aka power ups that allow Madotsuki to transform. (At the end of the game, you will have 25, since the tutorial is also considered an effect)
Pros
-One of the best things about this game is the environment. The environment seemingly does not make sense a lot of the times, but I love that. It leaves a lot up to interpretation and is so damn creative. I love how each part of the game is designed.
-I love the concepts of the dreams and what it can mean for what is happening in Madotsuki's life. It is interesting to see everyone's interpretations and analysis of what Madotsuki is going through-- what her dreams mean. I have seen a lot of themes suggested and am eager to read about them more, as there is so much content in the game that you can go on and on about something you speculate.
-This game has events! Events are occurrences that can trigger either randomly or if you do something specific in certain places. They are really cool when they happen-- some are rare or not easy to spot though.
-There is so much content in this game. There is A LOT. SO many areas to go to. So many things to see. I completed the game and I have not seen it all. Its incredibly impressive.
-The art style of this game is awesome. The UI and sound design are amazing as well-- it really ties everything together.
Cons
-It is a walking sim, which can turn away a LOT of people. Its literally so interesting and I was invested when playing regardless though.
-There is a bicycle effect transformation. I used that all game, since you go faster. The walking/normal speed is kind of way too slow for my liking. I wish Madotsuki was made a bit faster by default, maybe she could have been running keeping in mind the size of the dream worlds.
-Have not seen other people complete this game, but I had to use a walkthrough. Some effects are just in areas that I probably would never had reached (I am looking at you, the "become fat" effect). You either pickup effects from the ground or talk to an npc of interest. In both cases it is clear on first glance they will give you an effect. But the whole difficultly comes from the looping sceneries, and the unpredictable ways to jump from area to area. It is easy to miss an item or place that can teleport you.
-Some events (and even ways to get to certain areas you need to reach for effects) are LUCK based. They have a % chance to occur (if they do not, you have to reenter the area or wake up and go back). Sometimes that is a little annoying, but I am strange and kinda like the concept so its fine with me. I also think it helps with what this game is going for-- overall theme of a dream, or my, the player's, nightmare.
I would definitely play this game again to see the scenery. I think it would be a good experience having some knowledge of where to go, too. I think a game like this made in 2004 is pretty damn impressive. It holds up even over other RPG maker games made throughout the years after its release. I highly recommend this game to literally anyone. It is free and iconic-- give it a go!!!!!
2023
The gameplay pulled me in. Seemed really fun.
Brief Description
You probably do not need it, because Tik Tok exists (for now at least), but this game is a really interesting roulette game with all sorts of items to make it fun and unique. Basically, if you want to be literal, you, a kind individual, cultured even, wake up in a bathroom in a club. You walk out onto the catwalk with the music blaring. You head inside this door and you are greeted by a very charming round young man with the teeth of a god and the nose of an Italian. He makes you sign a waiver to give up your rights to legal action in the case you die from this roulette game. Some refer to it as something called "Buckshot Roulette". During the first round, you even see that God signed a waiver. This dude killed God?
To beat the game, you have to kill/beat the guy three (I believe, I forget) times and then you win.
Pros
-Polished. Not glitchy at all.
-Fun gameplay! Very interesting neat little strategy game that does not take too long. Good to kill time. The items really spice things up and they introduce more after you beat the game.
-Amazing art style. Gives creepy horror feels. Best part of the game aside from gameplay.
-They have a whole double or nothing system and it tracks your profits. So there is replay value to some extent even after beating the game.
Cons
-Not a ton of content, but I expect more updates in the future.
-Gameplay can get a little monotonous after a bit. Would not play long sessions of this, but I do not really thing you can help that-- and if you can its not a big deal its not like you need to play a game for a long time to enjoy it or for it to be good.
Yeah, for the price I definitely recommend it and would play it again.
Brief Description
You probably do not need it, because Tik Tok exists (for now at least), but this game is a really interesting roulette game with all sorts of items to make it fun and unique. Basically, if you want to be literal, you, a kind individual, cultured even, wake up in a bathroom in a club. You walk out onto the catwalk with the music blaring. You head inside this door and you are greeted by a very charming round young man with the teeth of a god and the nose of an Italian. He makes you sign a waiver to give up your rights to legal action in the case you die from this roulette game. Some refer to it as something called "Buckshot Roulette". During the first round, you even see that God signed a waiver. This dude killed God?
To beat the game, you have to kill/beat the guy three (I believe, I forget) times and then you win.
Pros
-Polished. Not glitchy at all.
-Fun gameplay! Very interesting neat little strategy game that does not take too long. Good to kill time. The items really spice things up and they introduce more after you beat the game.
-Amazing art style. Gives creepy horror feels. Best part of the game aside from gameplay.
-They have a whole double or nothing system and it tracks your profits. So there is replay value to some extent even after beating the game.
Cons
-Not a ton of content, but I expect more updates in the future.
-Gameplay can get a little monotonous after a bit. Would not play long sessions of this, but I do not really thing you can help that-- and if you can its not a big deal its not like you need to play a game for a long time to enjoy it or for it to be good.
Yeah, for the price I definitely recommend it and would play it again.
2021
Ann is great. If you know me, I am very big into RPG maker games. Not as big as other people, but definitely big. Anyway, when I saw people repping this free RPG maker game on Steam. I was like "Yooooo I HAVE to try it!" I was also intrigued by the fact that this is the first niche RPG maker game that had animated cutscenes-- that looked EXTREMELY well drawn. So yeah:
Brief Description
Ann is about this girl who starts school at this Art Academy. The academy has a rule that you cannot stay in the building after it locks up for the night. Ann finds herself snoozing while getting some classwork done, stays in the school, and gets transported to a mysterious world of monsters inside a distorted version of the school...
Pros
-Very well-drawn short animated cutscenes WITH SOUND!! (Wow!) I eat this up. Props to the creator. This is the main part of the game that makes it unique and enticing
-Neat little story. I like the characters (except for one). I like the character development of the Security Guard even if predictable a teensy bit (and kinda spoiled by an achievement I peeked at). Really wholesome interactions between them. Overall enjoyable experience playing
-There were neat little puzzles that were not too hard at all. I like that for what this game was going for.
-Polished. No glitches or anything. The writing was fine (a little corny and unrealistic) from what I remember and no grammar mistakes that jumped out at me
-Has some pretty neat easter eggs which I have looked up on YouTube because I unfortunately cannot be assed
Cons
-This game I think is trying to be scary. It is an RPG maker horror game, but I did not feel spooked playing it I am not going to lie.
-Chase Scenes Galore that sometimes require FRAME PERFECT PATHING TO COMPLETE! This sucks. I hate this if overused in an RPGmaker game. It is not fun and is just a way to make the game longer. None of the chase scenes were scary either so it did not really add to what the game was trying to be. They were not unbeatable, but definitely can steer a person away.
-The story is a pro and a con. The con part is that it has an overused villain trope that honestly can have more depth. I just did not like what they did with the character overall-- feels silly and unnecessary
-The actual character dialogue sprites of the game were a little goofy. They were great! But it did not have nearly as much shading or anything compared to animation cutscenes (which usually is the other way around?). You are staring at the sprites the entirety of the game so I figured it would be a little more detailed.
-The environment was okay. I am not sure if it was regular assets from RPG maker, but yeah It didn't really have any specific, original style aside from the characters.
Ann was great for a free game. Pretty damn great. I would recommend this game to RPG maker game fans. Those who have not dived into the RPG maker game genre or are skeptical about it, I probably wouldn't push them to give it a shot. It is a neat little short game, a great experience playing, but it is not for everyone. A good 2-3 hour game.
Brief Description
Ann is about this girl who starts school at this Art Academy. The academy has a rule that you cannot stay in the building after it locks up for the night. Ann finds herself snoozing while getting some classwork done, stays in the school, and gets transported to a mysterious world of monsters inside a distorted version of the school...
Pros
-Very well-drawn short animated cutscenes WITH SOUND!! (Wow!) I eat this up. Props to the creator. This is the main part of the game that makes it unique and enticing
-Neat little story. I like the characters (except for one). I like the character development of the Security Guard even if predictable a teensy bit (and kinda spoiled by an achievement I peeked at). Really wholesome interactions between them. Overall enjoyable experience playing
-There were neat little puzzles that were not too hard at all. I like that for what this game was going for.
-Polished. No glitches or anything. The writing was fine (a little corny and unrealistic) from what I remember and no grammar mistakes that jumped out at me
-Has some pretty neat easter eggs which I have looked up on YouTube because I unfortunately cannot be assed
Cons
-This game I think is trying to be scary. It is an RPG maker horror game, but I did not feel spooked playing it I am not going to lie.
-Chase Scenes Galore that sometimes require FRAME PERFECT PATHING TO COMPLETE! This sucks. I hate this if overused in an RPGmaker game. It is not fun and is just a way to make the game longer. None of the chase scenes were scary either so it did not really add to what the game was trying to be. They were not unbeatable, but definitely can steer a person away.
-The story is a pro and a con. The con part is that it has an overused villain trope that honestly can have more depth. I just did not like what they did with the character overall-- feels silly and unnecessary
-The actual character dialogue sprites of the game were a little goofy. They were great! But it did not have nearly as much shading or anything compared to animation cutscenes (which usually is the other way around?). You are staring at the sprites the entirety of the game so I figured it would be a little more detailed.
-The environment was okay. I am not sure if it was regular assets from RPG maker, but yeah It didn't really have any specific, original style aside from the characters.
Ann was great for a free game. Pretty damn great. I would recommend this game to RPG maker game fans. Those who have not dived into the RPG maker game genre or are skeptical about it, I probably wouldn't push them to give it a shot. It is a neat little short game, a great experience playing, but it is not for everyone. A good 2-3 hour game.