Relaxing
2022
This is a perfect Weekend Game. A responsive and surprisingly flexible puzzle platformer where every corner of each room features loads of things to collect and small objectives to complete. A successful revitalization of the old n64-era collectathon infused with very light Pikmin-esque minion mechanics.
Please note that this is explicitly not a Pikmin game, as the Tinykin largely function as tools rather than units. There is no combat in this game, so the emphasis is on puzzle platforming here. Unbelievably satisfying to slowly clean up every corner of the Honey I Shrunk the Kids-esque world this takes place in. Cute dialog, with a strange lore crunch in the ending, but that's not what we're here for.
This is worth the money, but on Game Pass, it's an easy recommend to anyone who enjoys platforming.
Please note that this is explicitly not a Pikmin game, as the Tinykin largely function as tools rather than units. There is no combat in this game, so the emphasis is on puzzle platforming here. Unbelievably satisfying to slowly clean up every corner of the Honey I Shrunk the Kids-esque world this takes place in. Cute dialog, with a strange lore crunch in the ending, but that's not what we're here for.
This is worth the money, but on Game Pass, it's an easy recommend to anyone who enjoys platforming.
2011
Incredible puzzle game with a story wrapping that is somewhat insufferable, some genuinely unlikeable characters that I really, really wanted to like because the aesthetic is so good. The problems with this story are so numerous and the final revelations in the story just suck so much it's unreal. Puzzle part rules though
I don't know anything about One Piece but I've played a lot of Musou and this one is .. pretty good! I had a ton of fun! What is wrong with me! I keep playing!
2022
STOP ORDERING THE PUMPKIN SEEDS
I REGRET PUTTING THESE FUCKING PUMPKIN SEEDS ON THE MENU
I REGRET PUTTING THESE FUCKING PUMPKIN SEEDS ON THE MENU
2022
An expertly crafted survival horror game which leans heavily on atmosphere over outright scares. Signalis flaunts its own influences proudly, with direct homages to Silent Hill, Resident Evil, Kairo, Evangelion, and more. While this was charming at first, it sometimes took me out of the game, only for the next big cutscene or story beat to draw me all the way back in.
The inventory management is strict - stricter than Resident Evil, even, but this creates an incredibly satisfying tension during exploration. I don't want to say too much, but this game evokes the best aspects of old school survival horror gameplay. I think there was a sentiment that this style of game was out of date or died with Resident Evil 4, but Signalis proves otherwise. In fact, I think this may be my favourite gameplay loop of 2022.
I will be watching rose-engine closely for whatever they decide to make next. For now, fans of survival horror games should do themselves a favor and play Signalis. I only hope this marks a larger comeback for the genre, as Signalis has reignited my appetite for this style of horror.
The inventory management is strict - stricter than Resident Evil, even, but this creates an incredibly satisfying tension during exploration. I don't want to say too much, but this game evokes the best aspects of old school survival horror gameplay. I think there was a sentiment that this style of game was out of date or died with Resident Evil 4, but Signalis proves otherwise. In fact, I think this may be my favourite gameplay loop of 2022.
I will be watching rose-engine closely for whatever they decide to make next. For now, fans of survival horror games should do themselves a favor and play Signalis. I only hope this marks a larger comeback for the genre, as Signalis has reignited my appetite for this style of horror.
2021
This game looks and plays beautifully, the presentation is a series highlight. However a lot of cutscenes are like -
Shionne: I cannot lie to you. I was previously extremely racist. But now I have learned that there is evil on both sides.
Alphen: awwwwww haha but you're so sexy though
Shionne: I cannot lie to you. I was previously extremely racist. But now I have learned that there is evil on both sides.
Alphen: awwwwww haha but you're so sexy though
2021
What represents to you the most valuable part of survival horror as a genre of video game? Most modern games have decided it's the action, with tense gunplay and over the shoulder cameras. Some, most notably rose-engine with the recent Signalis, have emphasized the exploration aspects, creating a sort of miniature Metroid style of play with tense inventory management, looping environments, and limited resources. Chilean developer Dual Effect decided that their horror game, Tormented Souls, is a puzzle game first and foremost.
This game has no limited inventory, and the fixed camera means old school lock-on is utilized for gunplay. It commits hard to these old school tropes, with beautiful backgrounds that closely resemble GameCube era Resident Evil, inventory reloading, and a nearly useless map. But committing to these things showed me, at least, that these are not gimmicks - they hold up even today, and still make for an enjoyable game. Some of the puzzles are far too obtuse to be easily solved, but most of them can be accomplished without a guide with a bit of head scratching. If anything, I just wish the map marked when you had everything in a room, like the RE2 remake - this would help signpost when you had everything you needed to solve a puzzle. Other things I hope they fix in any future games would be the excessive backtracking (a few more shortcuts would have made this perfect!) and maybe a sortable inventory. Also, this is my own fault, but I didn't realize you could equip a crowbar as a melee weapon until a significant way through the game, and I weep for the ammo I lost finishing off floored enemies - a ground stomp or some sort of heads up about the crowbar would have been excellent.
In some ways, I like this a lot more than other modern attempts at survival horror. It is a very flawed game, so my score is being heavily impacted by "reviewer's tilt" - basically, I like this way more than I should on paper.
Also, the story is terrible, which I guess you could see as a problem, but I personally adored. It's survival horror, a terrible story with bad voice acting is perfect - I had a great time with it. What's less good is the main characters model and outfit, which I found to be exploitative in a lame and unfun way, and not really matching with other aspects of the game. There was apparently a patch to add a new outfit to the game, so this was partly resolved. Sexy is fine and all, that's not my complaint, it just looked really weird when placed inside the beautifully rendered environments with their The Suffering-esque enemies.
Anyway, I think I've been more negative than I actually feel about the game. For fans of classic Resident Evil, play this! It's absolutely worth the entry fee, and the brisk 7 - 10 hour playthrough doesn't drag.
This game has no limited inventory, and the fixed camera means old school lock-on is utilized for gunplay. It commits hard to these old school tropes, with beautiful backgrounds that closely resemble GameCube era Resident Evil, inventory reloading, and a nearly useless map. But committing to these things showed me, at least, that these are not gimmicks - they hold up even today, and still make for an enjoyable game. Some of the puzzles are far too obtuse to be easily solved, but most of them can be accomplished without a guide with a bit of head scratching. If anything, I just wish the map marked when you had everything in a room, like the RE2 remake - this would help signpost when you had everything you needed to solve a puzzle. Other things I hope they fix in any future games would be the excessive backtracking (a few more shortcuts would have made this perfect!) and maybe a sortable inventory. Also, this is my own fault, but I didn't realize you could equip a crowbar as a melee weapon until a significant way through the game, and I weep for the ammo I lost finishing off floored enemies - a ground stomp or some sort of heads up about the crowbar would have been excellent.
In some ways, I like this a lot more than other modern attempts at survival horror. It is a very flawed game, so my score is being heavily impacted by "reviewer's tilt" - basically, I like this way more than I should on paper.
Also, the story is terrible, which I guess you could see as a problem, but I personally adored. It's survival horror, a terrible story with bad voice acting is perfect - I had a great time with it. What's less good is the main characters model and outfit, which I found to be exploitative in a lame and unfun way, and not really matching with other aspects of the game. There was apparently a patch to add a new outfit to the game, so this was partly resolved. Sexy is fine and all, that's not my complaint, it just looked really weird when placed inside the beautifully rendered environments with their The Suffering-esque enemies.
Anyway, I think I've been more negative than I actually feel about the game. For fans of classic Resident Evil, play this! It's absolutely worth the entry fee, and the brisk 7 - 10 hour playthrough doesn't drag.
This review contains spoilers
The DioField Chronicle is a refreshing, controller-focused hero-based RTS with no base building. Selecting Hard mode is a necessity, as the default difficulty is far too easy, and even Hard will not provide an outright challenge for most players. On a Steam Deck (or I imagine, the Switch as well), this problem is negated, and this becomes an excellent game for playing on the couch next to your partner or killing time at the airport. While I ended up falling in love with the pause and play style of gameplay, a few lingering issues held the game back for me.
The scenario, written by Yuu Oshima, who previously worked on Fire Emblem Awakening as well as Fire Emblem Conquest, starts out promising before diving into some ethically very strange territory. Without giving away too much, it becomes difficult to stomach some of the things your characters say and do, without much comeuppance to balance the issue out. While the ending is fairly interesting, it ends right when you'd want the game to actually start. That said, many side quests and side characters provide interesting mini scenarios, so it's not all bad. These side characters were often far more interesting than the main cast, and the game does a good job incorporating their commentary into missions as well, which was fun & pleasant.
My other issue is with character progression. It doesn't feel complete, with skill trees taking too long to progress for the length of the game. Many useless skills as well.
Give the demo a shot. If it seems like something you'd like, pick it up on sale. It never really changes much from that demo gameplay, so you won't be too surprised either way.
The scenario, written by Yuu Oshima, who previously worked on Fire Emblem Awakening as well as Fire Emblem Conquest, starts out promising before diving into some ethically very strange territory. Without giving away too much, it becomes difficult to stomach some of the things your characters say and do, without much comeuppance to balance the issue out. While the ending is fairly interesting, it ends right when you'd want the game to actually start. That said, many side quests and side characters provide interesting mini scenarios, so it's not all bad. These side characters were often far more interesting than the main cast, and the game does a good job incorporating their commentary into missions as well, which was fun & pleasant.
My other issue is with character progression. It doesn't feel complete, with skill trees taking too long to progress for the length of the game. Many useless skills as well.
Give the demo a shot. If it seems like something you'd like, pick it up on sale. It never really changes much from that demo gameplay, so you won't be too surprised either way.