Curdalu
2018
I think the first one was distinctly better between puzzle themeing and interesting cooperative solutions. This one felt too much like just the same puzzle over and over with slightly new gimmicks. The maze puzzle in particular is very annoying.
But it's got some nice atmosphere and coop immediately elevates everything.
But it's got some nice atmosphere and coop immediately elevates everything.
2001
A game where every death feels like entirely your fault.
Apart from some annoyances with camera controls or corralling pikmin up certain ramps or bridges, there's not much to this game that I don't think holds up. It's simplistic enough to not be too stressful but has enough puzzle aspects to it's collectibles and combat to make it feel engaging. You've just always got something you can be doing and combined with the day/night cycle, it creates a very addicting loop of "just one more day".
I think I would have appreciated a couple more levels, though the 4 you do get feel just the right size. The game doesn't over stay it's welcome and that's great.
Also all the damn noises in this game are just so charming. The pikmin themselves are too cute.
Apart from some annoyances with camera controls or corralling pikmin up certain ramps or bridges, there's not much to this game that I don't think holds up. It's simplistic enough to not be too stressful but has enough puzzle aspects to it's collectibles and combat to make it feel engaging. You've just always got something you can be doing and combined with the day/night cycle, it creates a very addicting loop of "just one more day".
I think I would have appreciated a couple more levels, though the 4 you do get feel just the right size. The game doesn't over stay it's welcome and that's great.
Also all the damn noises in this game are just so charming. The pikmin themselves are too cute.
2014
the OG remake and one of the best to ever do it even today. The clever ways they found to expand the original game play and turn it on its head while also completely revamping the level design is just real genius stuff. It felt like a totally new game back on the GameCube and feels like a totally new game even today.
The Crimson Heads are a solid shakeup and I'm surprised they've never explored this idea since. And new rooms and puzzles are a delight. But I think what's interesting about RE1 and the remake compared to its sequels is just how much more intimate you end up getting with these locations. By the time you've finished the game, you've have backtracked through areas a million times and learned your favorite route and quirks to each room. This ends up making each playthrough even more adventurous and daring than the last. There's always been a secret action game hiding in RE's bones and REmake was a good way to showcase it. You'll know which zombies you want to skip, which bodies you wanna burn, and which rooms you'll never need to come back to and before you know it you're unlocking new weapons and getting faster and faster finish times. It's a speedrunning dream.
As for the HD edition of the remake, I think it's a very solid remaster. They didn't ruin the visuals of the original much, the new lighting on characters is fantastic, the new costumes are cute, and some very small QOL features are appreciated. My personal recommendation is playing the game in the original aspect ratio to soak in the full picture (the 16:9 aspect ratio ends up cropping the screens too much) and ideally learning to play with tank controls. The alternate movement style is nice, but in addition to some visual jank with sudden movements, it can lead to some awkward fumbling during camera transitions even when you've been holding down the direction properly. It also makes a lot of bosses super easy. The tank controls are tight and once you adjust you glide around rooms effortlessly. It just becomes second nature.
Also seriously, this game still looks and sounds beautiful. Each scene is framed with care. Maximizing the atmosphere and the spookiness of what's around the corner while stringing cameras along in a way that doesn't disorient the player. And the dark and gothic art style of the mansion is a visual feast. It just hasn't show as much age as you would expect for a 10 year old remaster based on a now 20 year old game. All this accented by some great sound design from the punchy weapons, the unique enemy sounds (so you always know what's in the room so you're not totally taken offguard), and the lonely, dark, spooky music.
If you're interested in classic RE, please give it a try.
The Crimson Heads are a solid shakeup and I'm surprised they've never explored this idea since. And new rooms and puzzles are a delight. But I think what's interesting about RE1 and the remake compared to its sequels is just how much more intimate you end up getting with these locations. By the time you've finished the game, you've have backtracked through areas a million times and learned your favorite route and quirks to each room. This ends up making each playthrough even more adventurous and daring than the last. There's always been a secret action game hiding in RE's bones and REmake was a good way to showcase it. You'll know which zombies you want to skip, which bodies you wanna burn, and which rooms you'll never need to come back to and before you know it you're unlocking new weapons and getting faster and faster finish times. It's a speedrunning dream.
As for the HD edition of the remake, I think it's a very solid remaster. They didn't ruin the visuals of the original much, the new lighting on characters is fantastic, the new costumes are cute, and some very small QOL features are appreciated. My personal recommendation is playing the game in the original aspect ratio to soak in the full picture (the 16:9 aspect ratio ends up cropping the screens too much) and ideally learning to play with tank controls. The alternate movement style is nice, but in addition to some visual jank with sudden movements, it can lead to some awkward fumbling during camera transitions even when you've been holding down the direction properly. It also makes a lot of bosses super easy. The tank controls are tight and once you adjust you glide around rooms effortlessly. It just becomes second nature.
Also seriously, this game still looks and sounds beautiful. Each scene is framed with care. Maximizing the atmosphere and the spookiness of what's around the corner while stringing cameras along in a way that doesn't disorient the player. And the dark and gothic art style of the mansion is a visual feast. It just hasn't show as much age as you would expect for a 10 year old remaster based on a now 20 year old game. All this accented by some great sound design from the punchy weapons, the unique enemy sounds (so you always know what's in the room so you're not totally taken offguard), and the lonely, dark, spooky music.
If you're interested in classic RE, please give it a try.
It's still very charming and cute. Gives you some nice good vibes and there's an addicting loop to just growing flowers. The vehicles were also a great addiction and turning your park into a little stunt track is a lot of fun. In general the park customization is a cute goal.
Though eventually the game does get very repetitive and finding out there's really not much else to do apart from growing the flowers is a bummer. Apart from the penguin brothers and the egg soldier, the side characters this time around aren't as interesting. That and the slow unskippable repeated dialog is still a large problem here as it was in the first game. Combat also really just drags down the experience given how frequent it is.
Also who the fuck decided Chet needed the most annoying grating voice? I hate him. Give me back my middle manager Telly.
Though eventually the game does get very repetitive and finding out there's really not much else to do apart from growing the flowers is a bummer. Apart from the penguin brothers and the egg soldier, the side characters this time around aren't as interesting. That and the slow unskippable repeated dialog is still a large problem here as it was in the first game. Combat also really just drags down the experience given how frequent it is.
Also who the fuck decided Chet needed the most annoying grating voice? I hate him. Give me back my middle manager Telly.
2023
Genuinely almost perfect in every single way. I will fight people on this. I think when it was clear Capcom was committing to remaking games in the Resident Evil series, RE4 was always the elephant in the room. It's been ported to every single system since it's original release (shot out to the iPhone edition. One of the worst versions of the game but a wonderful novelty and also the best version of the mobile port) and it's still holds it's own against a lot of modern games even now. Why bother remaking what was already pretty perfect?
But then that'd be ignoring the potential of what modern Capcom could do with a remake of RE4 and here it is. In my opinion Capcom has made a surprising effort to let their remakes co-exist with the originals whether through the total change in tone or the huge change in gameplay and level design. Granted it's easier to make that contrast apparent when you're remaking RE2 (a fixed camera PS1 title) in... RE4's image. But RE4? It changed everything you could say. And while the remake itself is much closer to the original than the other remakes (unavoidable tbh), I think they've once again created a title that can easily co-exist with it's predecessor.
To be honest, I really couldn't even tell you which version of this game I prefer now... They have their trade offs and both have a distinct strength over the other's weaknesses. You could play either version and still have a blast, but to be honest, I think you owe it to yourself to just play both (though maybe not back to back).
This remake is everything I could ask for. Nothing is "fixed" per se. So much as it is totally revised or remixed or left mostly intact. I'm baffled this wasn't dumbed down and actually feels like it's harder than the original. The new combat mechanics introduced are an absolute delight and I can see Mercenaries mode being the best of the bunch.
On top of that you have some incredibly clever level design that is also now both much more vertical and full of opportunities to mix up encounters and get an edge on enemies. Which is almost needed because the ganados are a fucking menace. They're faster, they dodge more, they're aggressive, and on hardcore difficulty, they hit like a fucking semi-truck. Every encounter is a beautiful dance and a scramble to stay alive.
If there's maybe one major issue I have with this remake... it's probably the same issue I've had with every remake: the characters. I don't think the new characterization of mostly side characters has been particularly great in any of these remakes. Leon and Ashley are great, I love the new flavor with the Merchant, and I think Krauser and Salazar are still quite charming. But the rest? I dunno, just consider me kind of disappointed and your interaction with those characters even more disappointing. It always feels like something is missing from the story in these remakes and I couldn't tell you what it is. In the case of Ada, I think the problem went back to RE2: they made her two mean for Leon's whole puppy love angle to work. It takes on a new dynamic which just feels inferior. By all accounts problems and all, the original games just always had better and more memorable portrayals of side characters.
Also what fucking doofus thought it was a good idea to get rid of the codec calls between Leon and Saddler? Those were perfect.
But at the end of the day it doesn't super duper matter. It's a different flavor with the same winning taste. An already amazing game reborn to do it all over again. Though like the same problem with the original RE4, where do they go from here? You can't really go back on this momentum. Remaking older games would be too small in scope by comparison...
Who knows, but I'm loving this new era of Resident Evil from Capcom and am eager to see more all the same.
But then that'd be ignoring the potential of what modern Capcom could do with a remake of RE4 and here it is. In my opinion Capcom has made a surprising effort to let their remakes co-exist with the originals whether through the total change in tone or the huge change in gameplay and level design. Granted it's easier to make that contrast apparent when you're remaking RE2 (a fixed camera PS1 title) in... RE4's image. But RE4? It changed everything you could say. And while the remake itself is much closer to the original than the other remakes (unavoidable tbh), I think they've once again created a title that can easily co-exist with it's predecessor.
To be honest, I really couldn't even tell you which version of this game I prefer now... They have their trade offs and both have a distinct strength over the other's weaknesses. You could play either version and still have a blast, but to be honest, I think you owe it to yourself to just play both (though maybe not back to back).
This remake is everything I could ask for. Nothing is "fixed" per se. So much as it is totally revised or remixed or left mostly intact. I'm baffled this wasn't dumbed down and actually feels like it's harder than the original. The new combat mechanics introduced are an absolute delight and I can see Mercenaries mode being the best of the bunch.
On top of that you have some incredibly clever level design that is also now both much more vertical and full of opportunities to mix up encounters and get an edge on enemies. Which is almost needed because the ganados are a fucking menace. They're faster, they dodge more, they're aggressive, and on hardcore difficulty, they hit like a fucking semi-truck. Every encounter is a beautiful dance and a scramble to stay alive.
If there's maybe one major issue I have with this remake... it's probably the same issue I've had with every remake: the characters. I don't think the new characterization of mostly side characters has been particularly great in any of these remakes. Leon and Ashley are great, I love the new flavor with the Merchant, and I think Krauser and Salazar are still quite charming. But the rest? I dunno, just consider me kind of disappointed and your interaction with those characters even more disappointing. It always feels like something is missing from the story in these remakes and I couldn't tell you what it is. In the case of Ada, I think the problem went back to RE2: they made her two mean for Leon's whole puppy love angle to work. It takes on a new dynamic which just feels inferior. By all accounts problems and all, the original games just always had better and more memorable portrayals of side characters.
Also what fucking doofus thought it was a good idea to get rid of the codec calls between Leon and Saddler? Those were perfect.
But at the end of the day it doesn't super duper matter. It's a different flavor with the same winning taste. An already amazing game reborn to do it all over again. Though like the same problem with the original RE4, where do they go from here? You can't really go back on this momentum. Remaking older games would be too small in scope by comparison...
Who knows, but I'm loving this new era of Resident Evil from Capcom and am eager to see more all the same.
2022
Like every Splatoon game, a wonderful campaign (maybe the best in the series honestly) and a very uneven multiplayer experience.
When everything is working the game is fucking great. But losing experience from a really good match because the netcode sucks even with good solid stable internet always leaves a very bad taste. It's also difficult to catchup if you fall behind the rest of the community. The connection issues feels worse than 2 but still not as bad as 1's.
At it's core, I love everything about Splatoon. I love it's match pacing, love the gunplay, love the very intricate movement systems, love it's almost kitschy punk aesthetic. I suck at the game, but man I really wish they could get this shit to just work consistently.
Salmon Run is fantastic though.
When everything is working the game is fucking great. But losing experience from a really good match because the netcode sucks even with good solid stable internet always leaves a very bad taste. It's also difficult to catchup if you fall behind the rest of the community. The connection issues feels worse than 2 but still not as bad as 1's.
At it's core, I love everything about Splatoon. I love it's match pacing, love the gunplay, love the very intricate movement systems, love it's almost kitschy punk aesthetic. I suck at the game, but man I really wish they could get this shit to just work consistently.
Salmon Run is fantastic though.
More of a testament to RE4's incredible combat system than a good side story. None of it's really necessary nor is it going to give you any reveals, but it's a cute little way to spend some more time with RE4 and Ada is always an alluring character.
At the very least, I miss games having loads of bonus content like this and Mercenaries. Capcom was always the best at it.
However, the cutscenes are often pre-rendered and they did not make the leap to HD gracefully. It's especially jarring when the occasional in-engine cutscene gets mixed in.
At the very least, I miss games having loads of bonus content like this and Mercenaries. Capcom was always the best at it.
However, the cutscenes are often pre-rendered and they did not make the leap to HD gracefully. It's especially jarring when the occasional in-engine cutscene gets mixed in.
This game is fucking great. Fantastic presentation and fits right in with the SAC anime. It's weird Ghost in the Shell games are so few and far between because I feel like it has the most potential out of a franchise to make the jump and this game speaks a lot to that.
The combat is a lot of fun and provides a decent amount of options even if it trends towards running and gunning. There's just a lot of potential for more acrobatic shooters and I need more of it.
It also looks great visually and the music is just sick as hell (maybe among the top tier of the era tbh). I love that they went through the effort of getting the anime's dub voice cast for the english version too.
There's definitely some problems though... The level design is a bit copy and paste or just a little wonky. I love the locations you go to, but a little better direction or layout could have helped a lot. The other problem is AI is just a little too dumb. They can put up enough of a fight to keep you moving, but they never really had much in the way of surprises.
Still the bones here are solid and I would have loved to see them do more with this.
The combat is a lot of fun and provides a decent amount of options even if it trends towards running and gunning. There's just a lot of potential for more acrobatic shooters and I need more of it.
It also looks great visually and the music is just sick as hell (maybe among the top tier of the era tbh). I love that they went through the effort of getting the anime's dub voice cast for the english version too.
There's definitely some problems though... The level design is a bit copy and paste or just a little wonky. I love the locations you go to, but a little better direction or layout could have helped a lot. The other problem is AI is just a little too dumb. They can put up enough of a fight to keep you moving, but they never really had much in the way of surprises.
Still the bones here are solid and I would have loved to see them do more with this.
2011
Surprisingly ambitious at a time where EA was putting a surprising amount of effort in to mobile games (shout out to the also surprisingly sick Bad Company 2 port). And at the time, the only way I could dream of playing Dead Space on the go. It got some good updates that added extra modes later on that just made it worth replaying a decent amount.
It's essentially Dead Space distilled to it's most basic concepts and I think it helps highlight just how good Dead Space's combat is even at it's worst. Which helps because it is the main gameplay of this game. The level design is all hallways and square combat rooms. Progression wise it never really gets too interesting but it keeps it pretty contained so it's never too annoying for portable play.
I have to give them credit too for telling a story, going with full voice acting and pretty crisp visuals (even if it never gets dark). Vandal also just has a really sick suit.
Also, Vandal is also maybe one of the most gullible protagonists ever written.
If there's one tragedy here, it's that this game is sort of a pain to get running. It's easy enough to find an APK and install it to your phone, but compatibility is just a real issue here. Weird input issues, overly sensitive touch screen gestures, visually hindering graphical issues. That was my experience on an old phone that had Android 8 running on it. But these were not issues when I had originally played the game on an old iPod touch. The game handled great there.
It's just a huge shame to see this basically forgotten even if it's not a 10/10 console experience. There's a fan Vita port that is apparently pretty stable and solid, but my Vita isn't cracked and it didn't seem to run in emulators very well? If anyone can confirm that it does emulate well, I'd love to know...
It's essentially Dead Space distilled to it's most basic concepts and I think it helps highlight just how good Dead Space's combat is even at it's worst. Which helps because it is the main gameplay of this game. The level design is all hallways and square combat rooms. Progression wise it never really gets too interesting but it keeps it pretty contained so it's never too annoying for portable play.
I have to give them credit too for telling a story, going with full voice acting and pretty crisp visuals (even if it never gets dark). Vandal also just has a really sick suit.
Also, Vandal is also maybe one of the most gullible protagonists ever written.
If there's one tragedy here, it's that this game is sort of a pain to get running. It's easy enough to find an APK and install it to your phone, but compatibility is just a real issue here. Weird input issues, overly sensitive touch screen gestures, visually hindering graphical issues. That was my experience on an old phone that had Android 8 running on it. But these were not issues when I had originally played the game on an old iPod touch. The game handled great there.
It's just a huge shame to see this basically forgotten even if it's not a 10/10 console experience. There's a fan Vita port that is apparently pretty stable and solid, but my Vita isn't cracked and it didn't seem to run in emulators very well? If anyone can confirm that it does emulate well, I'd love to know...
2009
A pretty fun but pretty repetitive shooter. Gunplay feels pretty good and impactful but the actual enemy feedback feels inconsistent and lacking. Given how often they spawn right in front of you, you'd hope you can just immediately blast them away with the shotgun, but that only seems to register half the time.
However, level design feels pretty same-y throughout and the gameplay never really changes much. It's very arcadey and sometimes that's perfectly fine if that's what you're in the mood for.
At about an hour per level across 5 levels, I don't really have that much to complain about other than repetition. Best played in like one level sessions. Graphically it also still looks pretty nice all these years later too!
However, level design feels pretty same-y throughout and the gameplay never really changes much. It's very arcadey and sometimes that's perfectly fine if that's what you're in the mood for.
At about an hour per level across 5 levels, I don't really have that much to complain about other than repetition. Best played in like one level sessions. Graphically it also still looks pretty nice all these years later too!
2023
The original Dead Space was a game I replayed so many times I remembered pretty much everything going into this remake and yet this remake still managed to surprise me in a lot of very delightful ways.
I'm a bit mixed on how I feel with whether the intent of a remake is to ever replace the original. I think Capcom found the perfect balance that allows all of their remakes and their original games to co-exist while still telling the same plot and having many of the same moments. It allows you to play both the original and the remakes and still get a very worthwhile experience, and for the last 5 years I've leaned on that being what I value the most out of a remake.
But this Dead Space remake? I largely think this is a replacement to the original. Many elements carried over or redone from the original are just better. The annoying chapters aren't fixed per se but they've found ways to freshen them up and add some new ideas. I thought it ended up just flowing better.
Opening up the Ishimura was a fantastic decision and doesn't feel like it compromised the original design of the game at all. And the end result is a real nice pacing of optional backtracking and constant forward progress. The backtracking feels entirely worth it and it's satisfying going back through areas.
I think that's what's important here, nothing is compromised with this remake and everything is just really really fucking good. The playfulness of the Intensity Director, the new alt fires, the combat flow, the absolutely beautiful lighting that isn't afraid to cast an entire room in darkness. All of it is just absurdly polished feeling.
If they somehow keep up this momentum and love and care with a remake of 2, I feel like Dead Space can really come back in a major way. I hope so anyways!
I'm a bit mixed on how I feel with whether the intent of a remake is to ever replace the original. I think Capcom found the perfect balance that allows all of their remakes and their original games to co-exist while still telling the same plot and having many of the same moments. It allows you to play both the original and the remakes and still get a very worthwhile experience, and for the last 5 years I've leaned on that being what I value the most out of a remake.
But this Dead Space remake? I largely think this is a replacement to the original. Many elements carried over or redone from the original are just better. The annoying chapters aren't fixed per se but they've found ways to freshen them up and add some new ideas. I thought it ended up just flowing better.
Opening up the Ishimura was a fantastic decision and doesn't feel like it compromised the original design of the game at all. And the end result is a real nice pacing of optional backtracking and constant forward progress. The backtracking feels entirely worth it and it's satisfying going back through areas.
I think that's what's important here, nothing is compromised with this remake and everything is just really really fucking good. The playfulness of the Intensity Director, the new alt fires, the combat flow, the absolutely beautiful lighting that isn't afraid to cast an entire room in darkness. All of it is just absurdly polished feeling.
If they somehow keep up this momentum and love and care with a remake of 2, I feel like Dead Space can really come back in a major way. I hope so anyways!
2005
Incredibly charming and just kind of makes you feel warm. I've always had a soft spot for what are basically chore simulators and rat maps so this really hits just right most of the time.
The cast is incredibly cute and memorable. Love that each toy you meet has their own storyline and basically their own existential crisis you help them with. Love the exploratory nature of this game a lot. Very fun to just wander around and vibe.
However, you really gotta have patience if you have an actual goal you're trying to achieve. This game's like most egregious issue is just how long it takes to talk to characters (repeat dialog is especially painful) and how often it can interrupt your flow for a notification or reminder you've been given many times before. Retrekking through some areas can be tedious with how slow Chibi-Robo climbs, but you do get unlocks later that make it much quicker.
It's a very wonderful game and I'm sad to see it never quite got the love it deserved. I'm happy to see there was at least two solid sequels on the DS, but sad to see we never got much else in the same vein as the main entries.
The cast is incredibly cute and memorable. Love that each toy you meet has their own storyline and basically their own existential crisis you help them with. Love the exploratory nature of this game a lot. Very fun to just wander around and vibe.
However, you really gotta have patience if you have an actual goal you're trying to achieve. This game's like most egregious issue is just how long it takes to talk to characters (repeat dialog is especially painful) and how often it can interrupt your flow for a notification or reminder you've been given many times before. Retrekking through some areas can be tedious with how slow Chibi-Robo climbs, but you do get unlocks later that make it much quicker.
It's a very wonderful game and I'm sad to see it never quite got the love it deserved. I'm happy to see there was at least two solid sequels on the DS, but sad to see we never got much else in the same vein as the main entries.
2011
A really solid puzzle game with a very solid difficulty ramp up.
The later puzzles can be very clever and it's very easy to over complicate them but when they click it's a great feeling. I love the mixture of puzzle platforming here. It keeps all of it's mechanics simple and climbing each puzzle is very satisfying. There is also just a ton of content in here that kept me busy during downtime at work where I just... didn't want to do anything. And just when I thought I had it finally finished, the fucking bonus pushmos unlocked at the end...
I think what's frustrating is some of the later mural puzzles expect you to set stuff up early way before hand that you won't really know you needed to do until much later in the puzzle. As a result, those particular ones can feel a little trial and error.
The later puzzles can be very clever and it's very easy to over complicate them but when they click it's a great feeling. I love the mixture of puzzle platforming here. It keeps all of it's mechanics simple and climbing each puzzle is very satisfying. There is also just a ton of content in here that kept me busy during downtime at work where I just... didn't want to do anything. And just when I thought I had it finally finished, the fucking bonus pushmos unlocked at the end...
I think what's frustrating is some of the later mural puzzles expect you to set stuff up early way before hand that you won't really know you needed to do until much later in the puzzle. As a result, those particular ones can feel a little trial and error.
2018
Incredible aesthetic from the visuals to the music depending on how you feel about vaporwave. I personally love seeing that early Internet age visualized. When we genuinely thought this would be a new wave of knowledge and connection that would bring us into the future for the better only for the modern day to be way more cynical and just suck shit. The game does a great job of deconstructing that.
I found it fascinating how lonely this game could feel. Connected and alienated all at once. People are there but very little of them are actually talking to you.
As an adventure game, it's quite charming and gets a lot of good use of it's mechanics. Everything gets its moment to shine.
I think the bigger issue I had was how janky they felt sometimes. I'm willing to say a good portion of that is because I played on a controller through steam and this was clearly not meant for a controller. Though I'd appreciate if you could move just a little bit faster.
If there was anything truly wrong with this game, it's the back two levels can be super tedious. Still very visually striking, but the least enjoyable gameplay wise due to some pretty egregious backtracking through platforming sections and really annoying placement of side quest objectives.
Again though, it's got a great style and I'm excited to see what the devs got next with the sequel.
I found it fascinating how lonely this game could feel. Connected and alienated all at once. People are there but very little of them are actually talking to you.
As an adventure game, it's quite charming and gets a lot of good use of it's mechanics. Everything gets its moment to shine.
I think the bigger issue I had was how janky they felt sometimes. I'm willing to say a good portion of that is because I played on a controller through steam and this was clearly not meant for a controller. Though I'd appreciate if you could move just a little bit faster.
If there was anything truly wrong with this game, it's the back two levels can be super tedious. Still very visually striking, but the least enjoyable gameplay wise due to some pretty egregious backtracking through platforming sections and really annoying placement of side quest objectives.
Again though, it's got a great style and I'm excited to see what the devs got next with the sequel.
2019
A beautifully simple game in concept filled with tons of incredibly clever uses of its toolset.
Thematically perfect from the way it's world design flows into the central plot and hell even the visual design leads plenty of thematic purpose. I loved exploring each planet and appreciate that this wasn't super bloated or overly massive/ambitious in scope. It feels very personal from the start to the very end. And what a great ending it has.
All wrapped in this cozy blanket of atmosphere and presentation that feels almost designed to comfort you to the very end even when things get hazy, somber, or unnerving.
I think if there's maybe two complaints that bogged down the experience for me, the movement could be really janky especially when changing gravity and this game really could have used a quick restart option when you just... really screwed things up.
Still, a beautiful game worth experiencing if you're looking for something to chill and really sink your teeth into and discover a little existential dread along the way.
Thematically perfect from the way it's world design flows into the central plot and hell even the visual design leads plenty of thematic purpose. I loved exploring each planet and appreciate that this wasn't super bloated or overly massive/ambitious in scope. It feels very personal from the start to the very end. And what a great ending it has.
All wrapped in this cozy blanket of atmosphere and presentation that feels almost designed to comfort you to the very end even when things get hazy, somber, or unnerving.
I think if there's maybe two complaints that bogged down the experience for me, the movement could be really janky especially when changing gravity and this game really could have used a quick restart option when you just... really screwed things up.
Still, a beautiful game worth experiencing if you're looking for something to chill and really sink your teeth into and discover a little existential dread along the way.