DourCricket
2014
A fantastic premise and art style support a toughs-as-nails grim trek through the Russian underground... It's Half-Life 2 but with more vodka (and actually good, hahayaburnt Half-Life)
There are some veryyyyy dodgy stealth sections and checkpoints however...
Final Grade: B+
There are some veryyyyy dodgy stealth sections and checkpoints however...
Final Grade: B+
2023
An entirely competent albeit obviously first-pass Souls like, Lies of P is Bloodborne made by amateurs - albeit ones with serious talent. They just need a bit more practice I think...
Longer review coming later
Final Grade: A-
Longer review coming later
Final Grade: A-
2012
Dishonored is a fantastic stealth-action game from 2012, a tale of revenge set in one of the most well realized cities and fictional settings in its generation if not all of gaming. While I've completed the game a couple times before this is my first replay in over a decade and frankly I'm torn - do I review the game for what it is now or by how it stands up today?
The Good:
-Art direction for the city/characters is fantastic. Steampunk in theme but very much with its own gritty twist. The city is crumbling and every person and object you come across (even the very nice places..) is showing this decay has spread
-Level design for each area you head to is distinct and good looking from a distance..
-The overarching story is quite good albeit simple and there are some twists that come from a mile away but it is made in such a competent way you won't really mind
-Worldbuilding in general is off the charts good - the City of Dunwall and its world are fascinating places and the many hints of how this world is NOT our world (the whales and magic esp) are as intriguing as they are unsettling
-Following off a previous point from "bad" about High/Low chaos, I do actually LIKE the two different endings and feel like they make sense. High chaos actually makes MORE sense really, as the one issue with Low is the Certain Twist Betrayal later makes a lot more sense with a bloodthirsty maniac Corvo vs. a Peace&Love Corvo in a Low Chaos ending.
Bad
-Lots of people cry about the "bad ending" being too punishing for people who want to use the powers and I think they're little babies who can't handle consequences for their actions BUT.. I think the straight dichotomy of High/Low and it just being based off of how many people you kill is definitely undercooked. More based on story, more based on civilians vs. guards, more based on what you talk with Emily etc
-This one is a bit mean but the fine details of each area is pretty barren. Desks and beds are empty cookie cutter models, houses are all pretty much the same minus a few exceptions. This is 100% due to the limitations of the 360/PS3 hardware and in Dishonored 2 the leap in this is enormous.
Meh
-The melee combat leaves quite a bit to be desired, but for a primarily stealth game I can see why they didn't put too much into it. It's pretty much just attack or block. Good and brutal animations though
-Powers are pretty imbalanced with focus on lethality vs. utility. There are some neat ones like possession and time stop can be used in fun ways but for a game that chastises wanton violence they sure love handing you the tools for it.
-Undercooked sidequests. There are a few of them but they're pretty limited w one exception (Granny!)
Hmm
-There are quite a few points in the game where the bad guys realllllly should've just shot Corvo in the head, cmon
Typically I never give out half stars in my reviews - they are for gutless cowards who can't make decisions and 5 Point scales are objectively the review system (5/5 Stars for 5 point scales I say) but a game of this age and style just honestly has two real reviews. For its time, it was an amazing move foward for the stealth genre with added layers of action and powers to create excellent immersive sim situations along with a beautifully portrayed decomposing Empire. Today, the details lack the honed edge it once held over a decade ago on release: the combat is a bit simple, the environments are underdeveloped and the special powers strongly promote a playstyle that only suits one half of the game's narrative and leaves the other out to dry. Now, there is still oodles of fun to be had even leaning into the leaner parts of this game but it does feel like a bit of that black magic has lessened.
Final Grade: A-
The Good:
-Art direction for the city/characters is fantastic. Steampunk in theme but very much with its own gritty twist. The city is crumbling and every person and object you come across (even the very nice places..) is showing this decay has spread
-Level design for each area you head to is distinct and good looking from a distance..
-The overarching story is quite good albeit simple and there are some twists that come from a mile away but it is made in such a competent way you won't really mind
-Worldbuilding in general is off the charts good - the City of Dunwall and its world are fascinating places and the many hints of how this world is NOT our world (the whales and magic esp) are as intriguing as they are unsettling
-Following off a previous point from "bad" about High/Low chaos, I do actually LIKE the two different endings and feel like they make sense. High chaos actually makes MORE sense really, as the one issue with Low is the Certain Twist Betrayal later makes a lot more sense with a bloodthirsty maniac Corvo vs. a Peace&Love Corvo in a Low Chaos ending.
Bad
-Lots of people cry about the "bad ending" being too punishing for people who want to use the powers and I think they're little babies who can't handle consequences for their actions BUT.. I think the straight dichotomy of High/Low and it just being based off of how many people you kill is definitely undercooked. More based on story, more based on civilians vs. guards, more based on what you talk with Emily etc
-This one is a bit mean but the fine details of each area is pretty barren. Desks and beds are empty cookie cutter models, houses are all pretty much the same minus a few exceptions. This is 100% due to the limitations of the 360/PS3 hardware and in Dishonored 2 the leap in this is enormous.
Meh
-The melee combat leaves quite a bit to be desired, but for a primarily stealth game I can see why they didn't put too much into it. It's pretty much just attack or block. Good and brutal animations though
-Powers are pretty imbalanced with focus on lethality vs. utility. There are some neat ones like possession and time stop can be used in fun ways but for a game that chastises wanton violence they sure love handing you the tools for it.
-Undercooked sidequests. There are a few of them but they're pretty limited w one exception (Granny!)
Hmm
-There are quite a few points in the game where the bad guys realllllly should've just shot Corvo in the head, cmon
Typically I never give out half stars in my reviews - they are for gutless cowards who can't make decisions and 5 Point scales are objectively the review system (5/5 Stars for 5 point scales I say) but a game of this age and style just honestly has two real reviews. For its time, it was an amazing move foward for the stealth genre with added layers of action and powers to create excellent immersive sim situations along with a beautifully portrayed decomposing Empire. Today, the details lack the honed edge it once held over a decade ago on release: the combat is a bit simple, the environments are underdeveloped and the special powers strongly promote a playstyle that only suits one half of the game's narrative and leaves the other out to dry. Now, there is still oodles of fun to be had even leaning into the leaner parts of this game but it does feel like a bit of that black magic has lessened.
Final Grade: A-
2023
A beautiful tale about slaying a princess and the many different expressions of love. I will update this with a full review shortly.
Final Grade: A+
Final Grade: A+
I wish I was good enough at puzzle games to properly appreciate how great this game is
Final Grade: A
Final Grade: A
A Warhammer 40k Boomer Shooter... why did it take us so long to make this???
There are some issues though - the enemy variety is eh, the level design has some high highs but low lows, and the guns take a while to feel varied but... you get to literally taunt the bad guys with the push of a button and stomp around with your stompy Space Marine boots turning heretics and demons into gibs of flesh I just can't not appreciate this
Final Grade: A-
There are some issues though - the enemy variety is eh, the level design has some high highs but low lows, and the guns take a while to feel varied but... you get to literally taunt the bad guys with the push of a button and stomp around with your stompy Space Marine boots turning heretics and demons into gibs of flesh I just can't not appreciate this
Final Grade: A-
A super short and weird tale of a wormcel living under a house. It's got some AI-generated art used for its proper purpose: being fuckin WEIRD and GROSS looking. Love it. Story is messed up but in a fun way and its pretty short with a couple different endings to go through. Not a bad use of your time for horror fans.
Final Grade: B
Final Grade: B
2022
An interesting reverse-bullet-hell (did we ever pick a name for this genre other than Vampire Survivors-likes?) with some neat guns and characters. Feels more "build" based than I think I like, it pretty clearly shoves you down one of like five available paths and then you can dabble in another one or two to round out a build. The weapons are neat and there's a good variety of them plus you actually USE them which gives it a more tense feeling and also plays it out strategically when things get hairy, rather than just focusing on dodging.
Despite that the palette feels very same-y between levels and the bosses are not much to write home about.
Final Grade: B-
Despite that the palette feels very same-y between levels and the bosses are not much to write home about.
Final Grade: B-
2023
This review contains spoilers
Alan Wake 2
#25
PC - Epic Game Store
Beaten Nov 18th, 2023
The decade+ follow up to the beautiful schlocky Alan Wake, we finally get to try and spring our favorite horror author from his prison and find out what the final line means! Well, that's a gag in the game - I thought "Its not a lake, its an ocean" made perfect metaphorical sense, the dark place was an enormous realm that was trapping them, not something small and manageable like a lake, however there are some fun meta gags at the expense of the first game. This time we have dual protagonists: FBI Agent Saga Anderson in the real world and Alan himself, still trapped in the Dark Place trying to bust out, and this duality carries over to a lot of the game and how its systems work. But yeah, Alan Wake 2, finally.. was it worth the wait? What all has changed? Yes and a lot is the answer!
The Good:
-Damn where to even start on this one??? Art style I guess! Yeah, this is absolutely stellar. Similar to Remedy's previous game Control, almost every frame of this game is a painting. I feel equal parts sympathy and envy at my future self who have to pick ten screenshots to show off from all the exceptional art here.
-Story has some very satisfying twists and turns, some of which are nicely telegraphed but plenty come out of left field. It's a satisfying continuation of both the Alan Wake game + Control as well. I was worried Saga wouldn't be as great as Alan but she very much holds her own, especially when she has Casey to bounce off of.
-The vastly improved gameplay from the first game is pretty much the RE2/3/4make style and it serves them well. Fights are tough, not a lot of enemies, weapons handle pretty tight, enemies take quite a few hits to go down. For Alan's sequence there's a nice twist with the shadow enemies - only some are actually aggressive, most are just there to spook you and taunt you and its very difficult to tell them apart until its almost too late... helps play very well into the paranoia of the dark place
-Returning to Bright Falls in 4k is beatiful
-The environs in general are great to move around in, so much creativity on display even in the real world. Coffee World, the trailer park, the basement of the Sheriff Station, out in the spooky woods... Obviously the Dark Place too (perpetual rainy New York city) is rad
-Semi retcon of Alan Wake 1/Control: Alan's writing DOESNT just rewrite and create reality to whatever he wants, it can only twist what is there to suit the purpose of the story. I was initially having a bit of a tough time caring about our characters/story because they were fake people (Saga Anderson? Alex Casey? Yeah, these are made up people) but with the explicit change they make to how his powers were described previously I started enjoying the narrative limitations.
-Speaking of semi retcons: Alan is kinda of a douchebag. Alice talks about their marital issues and reveals the Dark Presence chose Alan for more than just his writing: he's also got some darkness in him already.. just like all the other people the dark place infects
-Saga & Casey Coffee Sips 11/10
-SHOW ME THE CHAMPION OF LIGHT!
The Bad:
-The first boss fight is easily the hardest and honestly not super interesting from a gameplay standpoint? You basically just run away, shoot, run away. No real progression against him like an RE boss, not super interesting arena or mechanics, pretty meh
-Lack of bosses in general. They're all in the dark place and there aren't that many of them.
-The mind place specific puzzles - some parts of the game require you to work through the mind place to get the door/item which was already obvious and feels like a waste of time. These need to be tossed out sorry
The Meh:
-The ending, from a gameplay perspective. You reawaken in the Dark Place as Saga and... walk around for like 15 minutes? There are a couple fights but they're against normal shadow enemies and very easy to just waltz right past. Why even bother with these if you're not going to do them right? It's not bad (the ending with her there looks awesome and offers some more leads on Sheriff Breaker and Door, the obvious sequel bait)
-Pacing - this one is on the cusp of bad honestly, but my chosen path between Alan and Saga's storylines (Alan pretty much all the way through after playing Saga to a good stopping point) I think helped it. Randomly bopping back and forth I think would feel odd
-The Mind Place in general is a neat idea, having to manually place things is kinda annoying. I'd do everything non-main-plot automatically pinned to save time.
-Encounter design/ enemies still need a level up or two. There needs to be "licker" type enemies to steal from RE2 some more: enemies where you have to interact with them in a very different way from the vanilla enemies that are dangerous AF. I also can't really remember any particular rooms/encounters other than a few ending bits as opposed to RE2/3/4 where I can think of several.
-Book Casey chime ins get long in the tooth BUT have an exceptional payoff at the end so I'll give it a pass
The Hmmmmmm:
-There's quite a few things here that are just obviously setting up for an inevitable sequel/spin off at some point that are left dangling here. A lot of it happens in the Dark Place so things being weird makes some sense but still feels a bit hmmmmmm
-Alan's story sequence is pretty hard to follow HOWEVER that does make sense given the nature of the dark place. When were the books written? Who actually wrote them? Did Scratch actually fuck with him/Alice or was it all Wake himself? Did he involve Saga intentionally and her family? The map keeps changing a little bit and its a bit hard to follow where to go... again, this could all be intentional but its definitely notable
A tour-de-force in video game art as Remedy keeps swinging for the fences and a step forward in the survival horror genre (what, these things can have interesting and layered stories now??), Alan Wake 2 follows up on its cliffhanger predecessor with a hell of a bang. Oh, and another cliffhanger lol
Final Grade: A
#25
PC - Epic Game Store
Beaten Nov 18th, 2023
The decade+ follow up to the beautiful schlocky Alan Wake, we finally get to try and spring our favorite horror author from his prison and find out what the final line means! Well, that's a gag in the game - I thought "Its not a lake, its an ocean" made perfect metaphorical sense, the dark place was an enormous realm that was trapping them, not something small and manageable like a lake, however there are some fun meta gags at the expense of the first game. This time we have dual protagonists: FBI Agent Saga Anderson in the real world and Alan himself, still trapped in the Dark Place trying to bust out, and this duality carries over to a lot of the game and how its systems work. But yeah, Alan Wake 2, finally.. was it worth the wait? What all has changed? Yes and a lot is the answer!
The Good:
-Damn where to even start on this one??? Art style I guess! Yeah, this is absolutely stellar. Similar to Remedy's previous game Control, almost every frame of this game is a painting. I feel equal parts sympathy and envy at my future self who have to pick ten screenshots to show off from all the exceptional art here.
-Story has some very satisfying twists and turns, some of which are nicely telegraphed but plenty come out of left field. It's a satisfying continuation of both the Alan Wake game + Control as well. I was worried Saga wouldn't be as great as Alan but she very much holds her own, especially when she has Casey to bounce off of.
-The vastly improved gameplay from the first game is pretty much the RE2/3/4make style and it serves them well. Fights are tough, not a lot of enemies, weapons handle pretty tight, enemies take quite a few hits to go down. For Alan's sequence there's a nice twist with the shadow enemies - only some are actually aggressive, most are just there to spook you and taunt you and its very difficult to tell them apart until its almost too late... helps play very well into the paranoia of the dark place
-Returning to Bright Falls in 4k is beatiful
-The environs in general are great to move around in, so much creativity on display even in the real world. Coffee World, the trailer park, the basement of the Sheriff Station, out in the spooky woods... Obviously the Dark Place too (perpetual rainy New York city) is rad
-Semi retcon of Alan Wake 1/Control: Alan's writing DOESNT just rewrite and create reality to whatever he wants, it can only twist what is there to suit the purpose of the story. I was initially having a bit of a tough time caring about our characters/story because they were fake people (Saga Anderson? Alex Casey? Yeah, these are made up people) but with the explicit change they make to how his powers were described previously I started enjoying the narrative limitations.
-Speaking of semi retcons: Alan is kinda of a douchebag. Alice talks about their marital issues and reveals the Dark Presence chose Alan for more than just his writing: he's also got some darkness in him already.. just like all the other people the dark place infects
-Saga & Casey Coffee Sips 11/10
-SHOW ME THE CHAMPION OF LIGHT!
The Bad:
-The first boss fight is easily the hardest and honestly not super interesting from a gameplay standpoint? You basically just run away, shoot, run away. No real progression against him like an RE boss, not super interesting arena or mechanics, pretty meh
-Lack of bosses in general. They're all in the dark place and there aren't that many of them.
-The mind place specific puzzles - some parts of the game require you to work through the mind place to get the door/item which was already obvious and feels like a waste of time. These need to be tossed out sorry
The Meh:
-The ending, from a gameplay perspective. You reawaken in the Dark Place as Saga and... walk around for like 15 minutes? There are a couple fights but they're against normal shadow enemies and very easy to just waltz right past. Why even bother with these if you're not going to do them right? It's not bad (the ending with her there looks awesome and offers some more leads on Sheriff Breaker and Door, the obvious sequel bait)
-Pacing - this one is on the cusp of bad honestly, but my chosen path between Alan and Saga's storylines (Alan pretty much all the way through after playing Saga to a good stopping point) I think helped it. Randomly bopping back and forth I think would feel odd
-The Mind Place in general is a neat idea, having to manually place things is kinda annoying. I'd do everything non-main-plot automatically pinned to save time.
-Encounter design/ enemies still need a level up or two. There needs to be "licker" type enemies to steal from RE2 some more: enemies where you have to interact with them in a very different way from the vanilla enemies that are dangerous AF. I also can't really remember any particular rooms/encounters other than a few ending bits as opposed to RE2/3/4 where I can think of several.
-Book Casey chime ins get long in the tooth BUT have an exceptional payoff at the end so I'll give it a pass
The Hmmmmmm:
-There's quite a few things here that are just obviously setting up for an inevitable sequel/spin off at some point that are left dangling here. A lot of it happens in the Dark Place so things being weird makes some sense but still feels a bit hmmmmmm
-Alan's story sequence is pretty hard to follow HOWEVER that does make sense given the nature of the dark place. When were the books written? Who actually wrote them? Did Scratch actually fuck with him/Alice or was it all Wake himself? Did he involve Saga intentionally and her family? The map keeps changing a little bit and its a bit hard to follow where to go... again, this could all be intentional but its definitely notable
A tour-de-force in video game art as Remedy keeps swinging for the fences and a step forward in the survival horror genre (what, these things can have interesting and layered stories now??), Alan Wake 2 follows up on its cliffhanger predecessor with a hell of a bang. Oh, and another cliffhanger lol
Final Grade: A
2020
Cyberpunk 2077
#17
A not-great RPG makes a pretty great experience! Now that it's 2.0 at least...
The Good:
-The shootin! I used shotguns most of the game and oooo they feel good. Also quickhacks are a fun 'magic' that I wish there was a bit more of!
-Cast of characters are all good-to-great. Johnny, Takemura, River, Judy, Panam... even when they're annoying or assholes they're FUN assholes '
-Phantom Liberty is DOPE but that gets its own review
Side quests are shockingly good. Silverhand narrating a noir novel? Heck yeah.
-Art style is off the damn charts, graphical presentation too.
-When the writing hits hard, it HITS. Calling Jackie's phone after he passes, talking with Johnny at the oil field, laying down with the BD hooker to get an outrageously good soul vomit...
The Bad
-As is usual with CDPR - the roleplaying is just... lacking. Good gameplay variety but with such good writing I expect the character RP to be much much better. Fixed somewhat in Phantom Liberty but that doesn't affect the base game. Normally in CDPR games this goes in the 'meh' column because in that we're playing a well-established character: Geralt. There's not a ton of wiggle room there with who he is. But V can be anyone, quit trying to make me one specific lady
-The open world mechanics are ehhhh. Driving is whatever, there's very little open level design... Just ugh
The Meh:
-As mentioned, the driving. You have to do a lot of it and it is rarely enjoyable but on a motorcycle it aint too bad
The Hmmm
-Why can't I use slomo aaaaand use quickhack powers????
A solid step-down from CDPR's previous Witcher games, a great RPG is ultimately held back by both the studios lack of skill in making a proper ROLE PLAYING game + a near-useless open world that hinders the level design of even the good parts of the game. Strong performances from the cast, excellent side missions and satisfying gunplay + leveling make it a fine experience overall.
Final Grade: B+
#17
A not-great RPG makes a pretty great experience! Now that it's 2.0 at least...
The Good:
-The shootin! I used shotguns most of the game and oooo they feel good. Also quickhacks are a fun 'magic' that I wish there was a bit more of!
-Cast of characters are all good-to-great. Johnny, Takemura, River, Judy, Panam... even when they're annoying or assholes they're FUN assholes '
-Phantom Liberty is DOPE but that gets its own review
Side quests are shockingly good. Silverhand narrating a noir novel? Heck yeah.
-Art style is off the damn charts, graphical presentation too.
-When the writing hits hard, it HITS. Calling Jackie's phone after he passes, talking with Johnny at the oil field, laying down with the BD hooker to get an outrageously good soul vomit...
The Bad
-As is usual with CDPR - the roleplaying is just... lacking. Good gameplay variety but with such good writing I expect the character RP to be much much better. Fixed somewhat in Phantom Liberty but that doesn't affect the base game. Normally in CDPR games this goes in the 'meh' column because in that we're playing a well-established character: Geralt. There's not a ton of wiggle room there with who he is. But V can be anyone, quit trying to make me one specific lady
-The open world mechanics are ehhhh. Driving is whatever, there's very little open level design... Just ugh
The Meh:
-As mentioned, the driving. You have to do a lot of it and it is rarely enjoyable but on a motorcycle it aint too bad
The Hmmm
-Why can't I use slomo aaaaand use quickhack powers????
A solid step-down from CDPR's previous Witcher games, a great RPG is ultimately held back by both the studios lack of skill in making a proper ROLE PLAYING game + a near-useless open world that hinders the level design of even the good parts of the game. Strong performances from the cast, excellent side missions and satisfying gunplay + leveling make it a fine experience overall.
Final Grade: B+
The Coffin of Andy and Leyley
#16
Time for some cleanup! A light adventure/VN game about a crapsack brother and sister in an arguably more crapsack world
The Good:
-Engaging characters, primarily our main two who are two different kinds of fucked up. The minor characters and how they interact with our leads all plays into the core tension with the two.
-The crapsack world: debatable whether our protagonists are reliable narrators, but everything in the world is a fucked up capitalist nihilistic hellscape. Our two leads start the game locked up in their apartments yet we quickly learn the lockdown is almost entirely bullshit (probably..?) and as we learn more and more about this place it just gets more interesting (and sad)
-Art style is solid - got an RPG maker feel for the overworld but everything is distinct and drab
-Good enough 'puzzles', they're just enough to make you think about what to do but very rarely annoying
The Bad:
-Choices and consequence are so far seemingly pretty minor? However the game isn't finished yet (Early access! UGHHH) so not 100% fair to say how much that'll change
-Some of the writing is pretty blah. Overall quite good but there's a few scenes that are ehh
The Meh:
-Could be a bit longer? Episode 1 felt very short which works great as a prologue but if the last chapter is only as long as 2 the game is only like 4 hours then?
-Definitely needs some more 'bespoke' animated scenes, maybe at the end of the episodes??
The Hmm
-The incest is laid on reeeeeeal thick, it's defended as "an option" but it seems very clear that's the way the author intends the story to go.
A strangely riveting tale of two people who are terrible for each other but ultimately in such a terrible place they've been put that you end up kinda rooting for them anyway? Obv the dev is going for extra pizzazz points by making the relationship incestuous if the player chooses but Layley has a legit point: it's hardly the most fucked up thing they've done or had happen to them! Genuinely engaging and fun
Final Grade: A-
#16
Time for some cleanup! A light adventure/VN game about a crapsack brother and sister in an arguably more crapsack world
The Good:
-Engaging characters, primarily our main two who are two different kinds of fucked up. The minor characters and how they interact with our leads all plays into the core tension with the two.
-The crapsack world: debatable whether our protagonists are reliable narrators, but everything in the world is a fucked up capitalist nihilistic hellscape. Our two leads start the game locked up in their apartments yet we quickly learn the lockdown is almost entirely bullshit (probably..?) and as we learn more and more about this place it just gets more interesting (and sad)
-Art style is solid - got an RPG maker feel for the overworld but everything is distinct and drab
-Good enough 'puzzles', they're just enough to make you think about what to do but very rarely annoying
The Bad:
-Choices and consequence are so far seemingly pretty minor? However the game isn't finished yet (Early access! UGHHH) so not 100% fair to say how much that'll change
-Some of the writing is pretty blah. Overall quite good but there's a few scenes that are ehh
The Meh:
-Could be a bit longer? Episode 1 felt very short which works great as a prologue but if the last chapter is only as long as 2 the game is only like 4 hours then?
-Definitely needs some more 'bespoke' animated scenes, maybe at the end of the episodes??
The Hmm
-The incest is laid on reeeeeeal thick, it's defended as "an option" but it seems very clear that's the way the author intends the story to go.
A strangely riveting tale of two people who are terrible for each other but ultimately in such a terrible place they've been put that you end up kinda rooting for them anyway? Obv the dev is going for extra pizzazz points by making the relationship incestuous if the player chooses but Layley has a legit point: it's hardly the most fucked up thing they've done or had happen to them! Genuinely engaging and fun
Final Grade: A-
A stellar expansion that twists Cyberpunk ever so slightly into a cool spy story. As always there are twists and turns here but ultimately things played pretty straight.
My story ended with a nice touch of tragedy and of course no one getting what they wanted but hey... At least we're free, yeah?
It's no Witcher 3 Xpacs but still excellent. Better than the base game actually
My story ended with a nice touch of tragedy and of course no one getting what they wanted but hey... At least we're free, yeah?
It's no Witcher 3 Xpacs but still excellent. Better than the base game actually
An exceptional RPG that should be experienced by anyone who loves games or rpgs or stories or being human
Do it for the working class.
Do it for the wind.
Do it for the working class.
Do it for the wind.
2020
What if....
A story.....
Asked some fun questions..............
And then some more boring questions....?
And then implied there would be more to the game.....
But there wasn't???????????
Final Grade: C
A story.....
Asked some fun questions..............
And then some more boring questions....?
And then implied there would be more to the game.....
But there wasn't???????????
Final Grade: C
2023
Killer Frequency
#13
PC - Steam
Beaten June 11th, 2023
A puzzle/walking-sim/visual novel disguised as a horror game (or wearing the mask of one...?) Killer Frequency is about a washed up, blacklisted DJ from the Big City being forced into rural overnight radio... as he's constantly demeaning his new home, a local legend reappears and starts knifing the townsfolk! Can our 'hero' and his plucky producer slash sidekick help out Gallows Creek, or will there be no one left to see the dawn??
The Good -
-Vibeeeeeesssssss man! Set in 1987 we've got the usual Neon 80's vibe, but also the small-town setting, washed up DJ trying to put a fun spin on the local murders (especially if you choose the right dialogue options) really comes together to make something special.
-Shooting hoops during long dialogue scenes, excellent choice by the devs
Playing your own vinyls! Just the amount of buttons really is cool - playing tapes, taking calls, etc. The board feels properly interactive to play with, it would've been easy to just "press A for next section" but they went that extra mile with all the interactivity.
-Voice acting is pretty perfectly cheesy for the B-movie PG-13 horror movie they're going for. Nash and Peggy esp
-Cast of characters is SOLID - well meaning but a bit ditzy producer, Pizza shop who won't stop calling to advertise their deals, RollerRink Guy and his dog, teenagers being dumb, creepy killer... Nailed it, team!
-The main story and its mystery are a bit by the numbers but executed well. Misdirects a-plenty and there's a point where you've got enough clues to legit get one over on the killer if you're paying attention and not just clicking options.
The Meh -
-Some of the actual 'gameplay' segments of exploration definitely needed a little more to them. I feel like there should have been some puzzles or something?
-The 'puzzles' for helping people on the phone calls could have been a bit clearer, in a few cases I legit didn't understand why I couldn't save some of the people! I didn't really play around with it though as I wanted the story to progress as naturally as possible.
-Ending is definitely a setup for a sequel but in some ways feels a bit undercooked. I feel like Forest and Peggy (or just the station in general) needed one more scene or something at the end.
The Bad -
-Pacing is off - not sure if the game should've been a bit shorter (I finished in 5.5hrs, maybe an hour less?) or maybe the office experiences should've been more involved that may have kept my interest a bit better.
The Hmm -
-We can see Peggy's monochrome model (great perm btw) through the window for most of the game but no reveal at the end???
-Expanding on that last point, definitely felt a lowwwwww budget on this one. Basically no working models at all other than the killer, station is pretty small and underused... It's not bad, just noticeable.
Killer Frequency is a damn solid B-movie horror presented as an interesting but not mind-blowing puzzler with great vibes and even greater hair.
Final Grade, very appropriately: B
#13
PC - Steam
Beaten June 11th, 2023
A puzzle/walking-sim/visual novel disguised as a horror game (or wearing the mask of one...?) Killer Frequency is about a washed up, blacklisted DJ from the Big City being forced into rural overnight radio... as he's constantly demeaning his new home, a local legend reappears and starts knifing the townsfolk! Can our 'hero' and his plucky producer slash sidekick help out Gallows Creek, or will there be no one left to see the dawn??
The Good -
-Vibeeeeeesssssss man! Set in 1987 we've got the usual Neon 80's vibe, but also the small-town setting, washed up DJ trying to put a fun spin on the local murders (especially if you choose the right dialogue options) really comes together to make something special.
-Shooting hoops during long dialogue scenes, excellent choice by the devs
Playing your own vinyls! Just the amount of buttons really is cool - playing tapes, taking calls, etc. The board feels properly interactive to play with, it would've been easy to just "press A for next section" but they went that extra mile with all the interactivity.
-Voice acting is pretty perfectly cheesy for the B-movie PG-13 horror movie they're going for. Nash and Peggy esp
-Cast of characters is SOLID - well meaning but a bit ditzy producer, Pizza shop who won't stop calling to advertise their deals, RollerRink Guy and his dog, teenagers being dumb, creepy killer... Nailed it, team!
-The main story and its mystery are a bit by the numbers but executed well. Misdirects a-plenty and there's a point where you've got enough clues to legit get one over on the killer if you're paying attention and not just clicking options.
The Meh -
-Some of the actual 'gameplay' segments of exploration definitely needed a little more to them. I feel like there should have been some puzzles or something?
-The 'puzzles' for helping people on the phone calls could have been a bit clearer, in a few cases I legit didn't understand why I couldn't save some of the people! I didn't really play around with it though as I wanted the story to progress as naturally as possible.
-Ending is definitely a setup for a sequel but in some ways feels a bit undercooked. I feel like Forest and Peggy (or just the station in general) needed one more scene or something at the end.
The Bad -
-Pacing is off - not sure if the game should've been a bit shorter (I finished in 5.5hrs, maybe an hour less?) or maybe the office experiences should've been more involved that may have kept my interest a bit better.
The Hmm -
-We can see Peggy's monochrome model (great perm btw) through the window for most of the game but no reveal at the end???
-Expanding on that last point, definitely felt a lowwwwww budget on this one. Basically no working models at all other than the killer, station is pretty small and underused... It's not bad, just noticeable.
Killer Frequency is a damn solid B-movie horror presented as an interesting but not mind-blowing puzzler with great vibes and even greater hair.
Final Grade, very appropriately: B