YOU SHOULDN’T BE HERE. YOU HAVE ALREADY WON. BUT THERE IS MORE.
YOU STILL CRAVED MORE. WAS IT MORE THAN YOU EXPECTED? THE MORE YOU HAD THE MORE YOU WANTED. MORE WAS NOT ENOUGH FOR YOU. HOW MUCH MORE CAN THERE BE?

THE CONCEPT "SELF" HAS BEEN DEPRECIATED.
NOBODY IS PERFECT. NO BODY IS PERFECT.
MIND IS SOFTWARE. BODIES ARE DISPOSABLE.
THERE IS ONLY ONE WEAPON IN THE SIMULATION.
ITS NAME IS YOU.

Ok nevermind maybe I don't want more, once you overcome your fears from the first game going through the same progression isn't as interesting, especially when the game breaks that 3/4 of the way through to get you to explore more ruins and less dens of giant aquatic beasts. Plus they give you more tools to survive in this game, and thus you feels less exposed during your explorations. Also the above ground sections suck, the giant worm on the cover is the least scary thing in the game

I hate playing this, still really hooked me enough to complete the whole game and want more. I'm a little baby when I comes to horror and usually avoid them like the plague, but the game works overtime to make you face your fears at every turn and get deeper into the ocean

2022

Wow cute cat game, I hope it really feels like you're playing as a cat.

Nope nevermind, the only dexterity you have is in holding down the sprint button real hard. Also why is this cat so intelligent to actually follow the story, I wanted to mess around as a cat not a generic small cute animal playing as a mission-completer

Nice mission-based puzzle management game. Completely flubs the ending and missions feel so repetitive after a while, but sets out to do a few gameplay elements really well and succeeds

I don't think I can play games like these, they feel so meaningless to me after a while and that the customisation feels so hollow. The numbers go up is satisfying, the farming is fun, the community is nice to return to during gameplay, the upgrades change the game is interesting, the seasons trade well into the management of your farm, etc. There's no reason I should have a major complaint about this game, and yet I just really don't care enough to continue playing

Narrative is surprisingly good (I mean it feels like it isn't until it's over), and gameplay plays like the generic post-uncharted action/adventure game and it's great. Feels a bit slow sometimes and collectables are more annoying to get than in most other games of this type, and Cal feels weirdly bad to control outside combat. The combat itself is weird though, it feels great to cut though groups of stormtroopers, but it also feels like mashing one button will have the same effect as actually interacting with more mechanics mid-combat. Idk man I like it, but clearly not as much as other people

This review contains spoilers

There is a button that says stanley, and the fact it's emotionally impactful to find is a true testament to how expertly made the story is made

Last played in 2021. Was fun back then but had the obvious problem of easy portal camping. Got lucky and stopped playing before I heard this became a massive problem

Damn I never though fetch quests would be this fun, and make me this emotionally invested in characters. The narrative is most of the game here, despite the fact the main gameplay loop isn't majority story, but your experience playing the game is part of the narrative and works very well to represent time passing without directly interacting with an in-game clock (which does exist but it feels like setdressing to the main gameplay loop).

Funny, lost so many games becuase it's hard to control (on purpose but y'know)

Exactly as fun and chill as you think it is, but seems a bit basic especially on attempting to replay it, and progress feels a bit slow for me (probably just me though, could work for you).

The real complexity of this game eluded me for ages, but once you fully get it runs become much more interesting to unfold

Essentially one game that plays like a collection of a base game and 4 sequels, with varying levels of quality between them.

Shovel Knight: 7/10 Fun, feels clunky, good progression of level designs and mechanics

Plague Knight: 8/10 Movement diff, and feels bad when you don't have the skill floor to fly around the stage, real satisfying when you do

Specter Knight: 9/10 Feels like they took a simplified approach to movement that's more accessible but has less depth, so much more staisfying to pull off overall

King Knight: 9/10 Feels like Super Mario World, and plays closest to the main game in terms of progression. Also I always appreciate the unnecessary card-battler in games like these, but totally skippable if you want