I just found this game really boring, that's the unfortunate truth. I really wish I could enjoy the game... but I just couldn't.

The only part I enjoyed was The Descent in the lift, it was really cool and atmospheric. However, I still ended up dying and having to sit through the 3-5 minute cut-scene again. I also kind of enjoyed the part where you had to walk around in the abyss.
Other then that the enemies were just boring.

The ending was alright, saw it coming though.

I killed the WAU.

I am not sure how to feel about this game, not sure at all. Some parts are great, other parts are absolutely atrocious. Some parts were such a joy, some parts are downright painful. One part made me want to keep playing it forever, another part literally gave me a mental breakdown (or something close to it).

I am glad I have finished this game. Not only because I have completed a great challenge, but also because I don't have to suffer through this game anymore.

This game can feel so rewarding, yet also one of the most painful experiences I have had in recent years in gaming. (Do note I said it [i]feels[/i] rewarding, you gotta have an intrinsic joy for puzzles to keep that feeling though.)

Do [b]not[/b] play this game if you do not [i]really[/i] enjoy puzzles. This game is almost only puzzles. There is a bit of philosophy (which you will be too mentally engaged/fatigued to think about), but there is no story or music or lore or reward or anything. The only reward is more puzzles. You complete puzzles so you get to complete more puzzles so you can complete more puzzles. It is like a big Sudoku book, and once you complete one you get to complete 5 more. Each book twists the formula a bit, but by the end of the last Sudoku book you won't want to play Sudoku anymore. (Maybe this game is best experienced, where you complete one puzzle a day or only play when you have nothing else going on or only complete one section a week/month/year or something. I don't know...)

If you are someone who finds puzzles to be something that pads out a game, someone who sighs gently when they get stuck at a puzzle in a story game, or only played Portal 2 for the witty dialogue and story first and the puzzles second... then do not play this game.

If you do enjoy puzzles, then go ahead and play the game. At times you should have fun, but to limit suffering allow yourself to look up hints and guides and just understand you will never 100% this game on your own.

This is not the sort of game you complete without a guide or some hints, even without going for secrets you will certainly need help.

The Challenge looks actually interesting at first, but probably only because I like the music. Also I [b]love[/b] the environmental puzzles. I just think it is a bit naff that there seems to be no reward for finding them all.

Overall... get it on sale if you are willing to play with hints or not complete the game.

As for those wondering, I completed 90-95%+ puzzles without any sort of guides or hints. However, I really threw in the towel at the end. I also threw around a lot of swear words.

Also I activated all the lasers, which I don't think you needed to do to get the "Endgame" ending... so yeah.

In Prey, you play as Morgan Yu who must find a way to defeat or escape the aliens who have overcome the space station you are stuck on. This incredible game succeeds in more ways than one, let's find out where.
[Unless stated otherwise, I only try to include minor spoilers in spoiled text.]


Gameplay: 7.8/10
Overall, the gameplay is great and will keep you enthralled for multiple playthroughs.

a. Mechanics: 9/10
The game has so many ways that it can be played. There are many skill trees in this game, allowing you to play the way you want to. I only scratched the surface in my playthrough.
I spent a bunch of points on upgrades that allowed me to do more damage with guns and also to enemies who hadn't noticed me, I paired that with an upgraded shotgun and I had a one-tap killing machine on my hands. It was great fun.
You can also get other upgrades, and there are a number of weapons etc. you get the idea. The gameplay does start to get boring near the end but the story was enough to keep me engaged at that point.
The enemies are fun and engaging to play against, and the mimics are very entertaining early game.

b. Difficulty and Challenge: 7/10
I clicked to play on Hard difficulty, but half-way through I found out I had been playing on Nightmare difficulty (the hardest one) instead.
The game isn't as hard as I expected it to be (I also played with Oxygen and Trauma options on). There is only one enemy which proved to be horrible and painfully difficult to beat though ([spoiler]the Technopath[/spoiler]).

c. Exploration and Progression:8/10
There is a nice sense of progression as you get closer to your in-game goals. The game also does exploration really well, rewarding you greatly for playing slowly and uncovering secrets.
As for level design, each area felt different with my favourite part being either the [spoiler]exterior[/spoiler] or the [spoiler]arboretum[/spoiler].

d. Variety and Creativity: 7/10
I'm not sure how to class this game in terms of uniqueness. This is because it takes lots of things from other games (unoriginal) but puts them together to form something different (original). So, I'm not sure. Either way, it stands out very very well.


Story, World and Characters: 8.3/10
The story keeps you on your toes while simultaneously placing you in a believable world.

a. Story: 9/10
The story is great. The very start of the game [spoiler]where you find out you are in a captivity[/spoiler] is very engaging and keeps you clinging onto the story for ages.
The mystery of the whole situation and the way the story unravels is very thrilling and I loved it.
Also, just when the game starts to get stale it pulls a big one on you and then another big one on you. It does a good job at trying to not keep you bored.

b. World: 9/10
The immersion is great, the story reels you in and the atmosphere keeps you there. One thing I'd like to note though is that this game isn't much of a horror game.
You might find it scary, but I didn't. Only one thing scared me in this game but other than that this shouldn't be viewed as a horror game unless you are extremely squeamish. [spoiler]The Nightmare is the thing that scared me.[/spoiler]
The world building is also very good, you can find many notes and books and audio logs to build the world. There is even a museum talking about the history of the station you are on.

c. Characters: 7/10
The best character is the protagonist, and is the only one I felt was properly developed. However, all the characters performed well and were believable.


Graphics, Audio and Technical Execution: 8.3/10
The game's graphics mixed with its audio add an excellent layer of depth to this already excellent FPS story game.

a. Graphics: 9/10
The game looks incredible, even on lower settings (as long as you don't look too closely). The way space is portrayed in the game is beautiful. The textures are high quality, the lighting is great and in-game animations such as the lip syncing is good.

b. Music: 7/10
The music is pretty good, and is much more atmospheric. Not the sort of thing you'd listen to outside the game. It sits in the background, and I only noticed it during the intro but it is usually omnipresent. Adding to the atmosphere.
Which it does well... However, it doesn't make me "feel things" like other games sometimes do.

c. SFX: 9/10
Sound effects are good, and the voice acting is phenomenal.


Replayability, Value for Money and Extra Content: 7.8/10
There is a good level of extra content here, which you might be willing to find across multiple playthroughs.

a. Replayability: 8/10
There is a decent level of replayability here, enough to replay the game over once or twice. However, it would likely start to feel very stale after 3 playthroughs.
The replayability comes from the skill trees and how many different ways you can play the game. Will you go for a balls-to-the-walls melee build or a stealthy silenced pistol build? You get the idea.

b. Value for Money: 9/10 40%
This value is calculated via: (Hours Played/Cost Off Sale)*10.
Buying this on any sort of sale is a steal. I'd even recommend buying this off-sale if you replay the game.

c. Extra Content: 7/10
There are a good amount of side quests and secrets to uncover. While they are the most exciting thing in the world, they do add to the game very nicely. Padding it out without making it dull or repetitive.

d. Mods: 6/10
There are a few mods, however the community isn't too active anymore. Even with a decent number of people playing the game daily.


Innovation, Impact and Technical Execution: 4.6/10
The game performs really badly and has a slew of bugs, and for some reason it just didn't get talked about much in the game's industry. I am not sure why.

a. Innovation: 8/10
The game wasn't innovative because it came up with unique ideas or mechanics, but because it found a way to use pre-existing mechanics in ways never before seen.

b. Impact: 4/10
Honestly... no idea as to the game's impact. Maybe that is a sign?

c. Technical Execution: 3/10
The game has poor technical execution. While the controls are good, it performs really badly on higher settings. I had to play on low graphics even with a GTX 1070.
Not to mention that this is the buggiest game I have played so far this year. Some bugs are funny, some are incredibly annoying, and they are all immersion breaking. There are still many common game-breaking bugs still left unpatched.
Tip: Don't alt-tab while the game is loading.

d. How nice is the studio who developed the game? (Can extend to publishers too.) Also, are there any predatory things put into the game such as loot boxes? 5/10
There was nothing wrong with Arkane Studios, until they became infected with Bethesda. Bethesda is a pretty shitty company. While this game didn't have any predatory monetisation schemes, Bethesda still forced Arkane Studios to call this game Prey when in fact none of the developers at Arkane wanted to call it that.


Overall - 74/100 - Prop-Hunt: The Horror Game
The game is great, and was a thrill to play. While I do wish the ending was stretched out a little longer, it left a great impression on me in the end.
I don't know how to extend this, I have nothing else to say. Buy the game on sale.

In A Short Hike, you are tasked with going on A... Short Hike. This game is quite relaxing, and was fun to dip my toes in.

Gameplay: 3/10
The game mechanics are relatively simple. The major one is that you can glide and fly around, and that you can collect things to do that better.
It is very simple and easy and not too creative. However, the exploration is nice. Although the level design can feel weird at times, with unbelievably steep cliffs at times just placed randomly.

Story, World and Characters: 5/10
The story is fairly basic, you are trying to get to the top of the mountain to get phone reception. While it isn't too reward when you get to the top, it still definitely feels worth it
The characters range from dull, to very interesting. The guy talking about his watch and internet pirates almost made me laugh and my favourite character had to be the painter who was trying to paint.
The setting is very chill and I feel as if it could immerse some players well.

Graphics, Audio and Technical Execution: 8/10
The graphics are very minimalist and achieve what the game is aiming for. The top of the mountain looks beautiful too, which adds to the reward you get for reaching the top.
There is a surprising amount of music considering the game's length, and the music is good. It gives off farming simulator vibes and does a great job at making you feel relaxed.

Replayability, Value for Money and Extra Content: 4/10
There are almost no mods or community unfortunately. As for replayability and extra content, there is very little and the stuff that does remain are essentially equivalent to fetch quests or boring collectables.
The game is fairly priced if you 100% it, however I'd still recommend getting the game off-sale.

Innovation, Impact and Technical Execution: 6/10
While the game didn't innovate in any meaningful way, at least it ran well. The controls are almost perfect, however sometimes you just can't hold 3 inputs at once which is frustrating.

Overall - 52/100 - A Calming But Pointless Endeavour
Despite the low score, if you are a fan of chill walking simulators and want to play something small then this is perfect for you. Even if you don't get it on sale, it can be worth your time.

You wake up as an interrogator, your task is to question humans and androids for various things. What path will you choose to take in this dystopian world?


Gameplay: 6/10
The gameplay is pretty good, mainly centred around speaking to people to attempt to uncover secrets and sensitive information.
However, I did find myself often just clicking mindlessly through dialogue trees and still reaching a satisfactory conclusion.
Overall, it's good but probably wouldn't captivate me for more than the 4 hours I played it.

a. Mechanics: 6.0/10
You click dialog prompts to ask questions, to reveal information, to log in your report.
I wish it was expanded upon a bit more, for example you get "extra-interrogation tools" if you have a high reputation with Kronos (your makers).
However, even when I got a high reputation I only ever got a single extra interrogation tool (which I didn't even feel to be that useful).
Definitely seems like these mechanics could good boring after a while.
b. Difficulty and Challenge: 5/10
I'm not sure how to rate this game's difficulty. Maybe if you try really hard to get a specific outcome it could be difficult, but I really don't know what to say here.
c. Exploration and Progression: 6/10
Exploring the minds and picking at the brains of who you are interrogating can be entertaining, especially when you unveil a hidden secret.
As for progression, there isn't much progression. You can look at the news to see if the world is changing from your actions, however like most of these Paper Pleasescque games most androids feel disconnected from one another.
However, your actions can change the events in the news.
d. Variety and Creativity: 7/10
The gameplay doesn't seem incredibly original, however the fact you can view your subject's emotions and how they change based on questioning is cool.
However, there is one part where YOU are interrogated. That was surprising and very interesting.


Story, World and Characters: 6.3/10
It decent enough to keep you intrigued, but not enough to make you want to replay it.

a. Story: 7/10
The game's story isn't all too original and is very predictable. It's nothing special, however that doesn't mean it's bad. I always love a good dystopian android story.
The [spoiler]ending I got[/spoiler] was unfortunately very unsatisfactory, however that was my own fault.
b. World: 6/10
The game has a very grim and gritty atmosphere which I like a lot and fits the game's visuals well.
The news stories do add to the world a fair bit.
Overall, the settings and atmosphere are decent enough and I think they did a good job at it.
c. Characters: 6/10
The character's are fine. It is interesting to explore them, and especially with the emotion meter in-game they do seem like actual people.
I just wished there was more development of the character you play as.


Graphics, Audio and Technical Execution: 6.3/10
While the game doesn't look good or sound breathtaking, the graphics and audio do a good enough job to add to its theme and atmosphere.

a. Graphics: 6/10
The graphics aren't perfect, but they are good enough. They do help convey a gloomy atmosphere, but I feel as if the graphics are missing something.
b. Music: 5/10
The music can only be described as "fine". In my opinion, it is nothing special at all. It is just "fine". I definitely wouldn't listen to it away from the game.
c. SFX: 8/10
The sound effects are alright, nothing more to add here. Sorry!


Replayability, Value for Money and Extra Content: 2.0/10
Chances are you won't replay the game, or go for the extra achievements.

a. Replayability: 2/10
There is a tiny bit of replayability, as in it could be interesting to go back and try to get different endings. Unfortunately, I feel no need to.
b. Value for Money: 3/10
This value is calculated via: (Hours Played/Cost Off Sale)*10.
Value for money in terms of hours played isn't too good.
c. Extra Content: 2/10
As far as I'm aware there is very little extra content, outside of 1 or 2 things and achievements.
d. Mods: 0/10
No mods.


Innovation, Impact and Technical Execution: 7.0/10
While the game doesn't reach new horizons, it works and sometimes that's enough.

a. Innovation: 3/10
It pushed its boundaries a little, but not that much. I thought the emotion sensor was unique, but that is about it. The reputation system for these kind of games is common, and so are choices affected by them.
b. Impact: 2/10
Unfortunately, I don't think it had much impact.
c. Technical Execution: 10/10
Games runs very very well, not complaints here.
d. How nice is the studio who developed the game? (Can extend to publishers too.) Also, are there any predatory things put into the game such as loot boxes? 10/10
As far as I am aware, this game studio is chill.



Overall - 55/100 - "A robot may not injure a human being..."
I enjoyed this game for the short time it was with me. While I did find myself starting to get bored at times, it did enough to keep it interesting and make me pursue it to the end.
I recommended it if you enjoy click and point investigation games and if you pick it up on a sale.

Subnautica is a first-person, open world, survival game. You have crash landed on an alien world and must fight to survive in the harsh oceans. This incredible game stands out in the survival genre as actually being fun the majority of the time.

Gameplay: 7.3/10 - Fun For The First One Hundred Hours
a. Mechanics: 7/10
The majority of this game is resource gathering. You will gather more resources to craft more stuff. Go somewhere to get more resources, maybe have to return back there because you didn't get enough etc. Later game upgrades require more, however you can upgrade your resource gathering to be able to gather resources quicker. This is not where the game shines unfortunately, and it will likely get tedious especially near the end game. However, it never gets awful because you know that usually you are resource gathering towards something epic, which keeps you going. There is also base building that allows you to get fairly creative, as well as lots of different tools and vehicles that pad out the game.
b. Difficulty and Challenge: 6/10
The majority of the difficulty comes from not knowing what to do or not knowing where to go. Unfortunately, it is really hard for me to judge this as I can't remember when I first played the game. As for actual difficulty, as long as you avoid the [spoiler]reapers[/spoiler] which isn't hard to do you shouldn't die. I breezed through my final playthrough on Hardcore after not playing for a year or two, only coming close to death once or twice.
c. Exploration and Progression: 9/10
The exploration is brilliant. Searching through wrecks and [spoiler]alien structures[/spoiler], as well as the world created is incredible. I do remember feeling an overwhelming sense of wonder pre-early access, and I hope you feel that too. Progression is quite nice, with you getting better vehicles or upgrades as you go through. It could've been padded out more with old gear actually getting useful upgrades, but oh well.
d. Variety and Creativity: 7/10
I haven't played enough survival horror games in recent years to ascertain precisely how well it stands out in its genre. However, I know enough to know it stands out somewhat, probably quite a lot. In terms of variety in gameplay, it doesn't change much from start to end. You may feel that upon repeat playthroughs.


Story, World and Characters: 7.7/10 - Good If You Aren’t An English Teacher
a. Story: 8/10
The game's story is great... if you don't think too hard about it. Unfortunately, there are TOO many coincidences that can ruin the story upon closer inspection. Overall, I like the story but there are others who disagree. The [spoiler]alien bases[/spoiler] you could find were definitely my favourite part of the game, the mystery surrounding it was really fun to uncover.
b. World: 9/10
The world building and atmosphere as well as its believeability is incredible. From the logs to the flora to the fauna, it actually looks and feels like an alien world brimming with life. The world you are in is massive, with so many hidden things like wrecks while at the same time feeling so small as you read and learn about what is happening outside of the planet.
c. Characters: 6/10
The character's aren't too great, because there aren't any. You can hear logs about other people, however they are fairly 1 dimensional. You're character doesn't even speak, which is actually nice because instead of you playing someone else on an alien world it more feels like you are on said alien world. There is some mystery other things I can't talk about, however the voice acting when you hear it is good. Also the PDA Tablet is cool.


Graphics, Audio and Technical Execution: 9.7/10 - 90% Beautiful, 10% Ugly
a. Graphics: 9/10
90% of the time, this game looks incredible. The way the sun refracts into the ocean, the bioluminescence lighting up the water even when you are hundreds of metres deep. It looks incredible. The designs of all the animals, the UI. Everything just looks and feels amazing. The surface of the water blew my mind when I first saw it, it almost looked like real life. However, 10% of the time the game looks like bad. (The bad stretched out textures of [spoiler]the Aurora[/spoiler] look bad, the game also looks really bad when [spoiler]you are on the surface[/spoiler].)
b. Music: 10/10
The music in this game is some of the best I have heard in a video game. They are all bangers, even to the point where I listen to them outside of the game. There is intense music, calm music, you get the idea. The only downside is they locked away the best song ([spoiler]Abandon Ship[/spoiler]) behind something that likely won't happen to you ever, unless you are very stupid and bad at the game.
c. SFX: 10/10
The game sounds good, really good. The way your submersibles wirr, to the way the fish screech or growl. It is great. The most terrifying thing in this game is when it is dark and you are in a big open space and you hear a roar from something in the dark... just out of view. The audio really is, just incredible.


Replayability, Value for Money and Extra Content: 7.8/10 - A Whole Of Something, For A While
a. Replayability: 8/10
I'm not sure how replayable this game is, however you could probably replay it once or twice. The achievements aren't too hard to get, unfortunately this game got a bit boring to me after the 200th hour. However, there is extensive base building in this game which can really add to the replayability (not to mention the game is REALLY fun with cheats enabled).
b. Value for Money: 10/10
This value is calculated via: (Hours Played/Cost Off Sale)*10.
So... I got 212.1 hours of playtime before writing this review. This is a biased because, as I think I said earlier, I got this in early access. According to howlongtobeat.com to complete this game's Main Story + Some Side Content, it will take 43.5 hours. Even then, this game still gets a 10/10 for value for money. Not to mention they have started putting the game on sale for 67% off! Which is INSANE!
c. Extra Content: 7/10
Outside of the main game there are loads of extra content. From hidden logs and [spoiler]alien bases[/spoiler]. There is a lot more to explore, however not an insane amount. Not as much as most other open world games. Which is unfortunate. Either way, there is still quite a lot to do even away from the story.
d. Mods: 4/10
There aren't many mods unfortunately, maybe one or two good ones. Unfortunately, a new update broke a lot of them and I doubt many will be patched. The community is somewhat active, but is slowly starting to dwindle.

Innovation, Impact and Technical Execution: 8.0/10 - A Fun Survival Game?
a. Innovation: 9/10
This game is very unique in its genre, pushing the boundaries for a survival game and actually mixing things up to make a survival game fun once again.
b. Impact: 7/10
This game has had a rather large impact on the gaming industry, people are still playing it to this day. Unfortunately, it hasn't received as much praise as other games.
c. Technical Execution: 7/10
In terms of performance and stability, the game usually runs really well. The controls are also very good. Unfortunately, there are a few issues. I encountered a large number of bugs. The two worst ones being, fish being able to fly through bases and/or getting trapped inside of bases and also [spoiler]leviathans[/spoiler] being able to usually fly INTO terrain. There are many things that still should be patched/fixed, over all it doesn't even MATTER.
d. How nice is the studio who developed the game? (Can extend to publishers too.) Also, are there any predatory things put into the game such as loot boxes? 10/10
I looked briefly and found nothing bad, apart from a dev who get fired for hateful comments. Which I won't count because it was one person, AND they got fired in the end anyway. There are also no bad things in the game, they even have a menu that will let you send feedback to the devs.


Overall - 81/100 - I Have Just One More Wish, And That Is For More Big Fish
This game is excellent, and is a must buy in the survival genre. While it isn't as enticing if you've watched a playthrough or had major spoilers; without them it is tense, beautiful, terrifying and thalassophobia inducing.

Thank you Subnautica for all the memories, I hope this review helps someone else decide to buy the game and share some of those memories too.