RpgN
2024
The old version of the demo made me cautiously optimistic while noticing some issues with the platforming. The new version of the demo improved on some aspects and I was ready to get the game day one but the reports of 2-3 hours of content discouraged me. The price of €15 seemed like too much based on that. Then the game released with a 33% discount and there was a bigger discount if you own Golf Club Nostalgia for a total of 46% off. I decided to get the game for €8 and I can definitely say it was worth it for that price.
Saying the game is a platformer is not really accurate. While platforming is definitely part of the game, there are also a lot of chase sections, other sections that add variety, there are a lot of collectibles, there is also a strong focus on fleshing out the story with lore and cutscenes between every chapter. Platforming might be the weakest aspect of the entire package because you need to get used to certain quirks of the controls and the game requires you to deal with some sections one way only despite there being multiple ways. For instance, the game has issues with grabbing poles when you jump between them. Even though you have normal jump and high jump, thus allowing you to adjust your position, the game doesn’t always like that. There have been instances where I adjusted my jumps and I should be grabbing a pole but I still miss. It’s preferred you either use normal jump or high jump once depending on the distance between the poles. Once you figure this out, the game becomes enjoyable to control. It’s not a fluid platformer like other games focused on platforming and this is something to keep in mind.
The game focuses on variety, atmosphere and telling a story through various means instead. The visuals and sound work together to successfully and uniquely get you invested. Seeing ruined buildings with details tells you a lot and the cutscenes are very effective and beautifully done despite the simplicity. The boy you control narrates the cutscenes very nicely and the host of the radio you listen to while playing is very soothing to the ears. The radio is not just there to flesh out the world but the radio also comments directly to what’s happening with the story as it develops and it’s quite brilliant. Then you have the collectibles. You can collect A LOT even though some of it is optional (not required for the achievements). You can find 22 books, 22 newspapers, 15 holo messages, 11 videos, 11 burps (food), 7 luxury items and 8 bears you can hug. The newspapers and books don’t have actual text, you mostly read the headlines with images to set the tone of the world. Those collectibles are already a lot for a longer game. So you can imagine where the focus lies when the game took me 3 hours on my first extensive run with only missing 4 collectibles and 3 achievements. Almost every collectible is easy to find. They’re not there to frustrate you but they’re there to enhance the story. You can check most of the collectibles found through the settings menu and the game also has chapter select right from the start. There are 8 chapters and a prologue.
It makes sense why the game is this short and costs this much. The 3 hours are not much but the presentation and almost everything around it is of very high quality. The game has lots of animations and the music within the radio seems to be done by actual bands/singers. The songs are also extremely good. It was such an enjoyable journey that I went back to complete it a second time straight away without rushing things even after I got all the achievements. I ended up playing the game for 7 hours. The Cub makes me want to play Golf Club Nostalgia asap because I want to see more of this world. Getting the game purely for the gameplay and content might not be a smart idea. But the game is worth getting if you like what you’re reading. €15 might be too much unless money is a non issue to you. Less than €10 is safer despite me fully understanding where the budget went and why it costs €15.
Saying the game is a platformer is not really accurate. While platforming is definitely part of the game, there are also a lot of chase sections, other sections that add variety, there are a lot of collectibles, there is also a strong focus on fleshing out the story with lore and cutscenes between every chapter. Platforming might be the weakest aspect of the entire package because you need to get used to certain quirks of the controls and the game requires you to deal with some sections one way only despite there being multiple ways. For instance, the game has issues with grabbing poles when you jump between them. Even though you have normal jump and high jump, thus allowing you to adjust your position, the game doesn’t always like that. There have been instances where I adjusted my jumps and I should be grabbing a pole but I still miss. It’s preferred you either use normal jump or high jump once depending on the distance between the poles. Once you figure this out, the game becomes enjoyable to control. It’s not a fluid platformer like other games focused on platforming and this is something to keep in mind.
The game focuses on variety, atmosphere and telling a story through various means instead. The visuals and sound work together to successfully and uniquely get you invested. Seeing ruined buildings with details tells you a lot and the cutscenes are very effective and beautifully done despite the simplicity. The boy you control narrates the cutscenes very nicely and the host of the radio you listen to while playing is very soothing to the ears. The radio is not just there to flesh out the world but the radio also comments directly to what’s happening with the story as it develops and it’s quite brilliant. Then you have the collectibles. You can collect A LOT even though some of it is optional (not required for the achievements). You can find 22 books, 22 newspapers, 15 holo messages, 11 videos, 11 burps (food), 7 luxury items and 8 bears you can hug. The newspapers and books don’t have actual text, you mostly read the headlines with images to set the tone of the world. Those collectibles are already a lot for a longer game. So you can imagine where the focus lies when the game took me 3 hours on my first extensive run with only missing 4 collectibles and 3 achievements. Almost every collectible is easy to find. They’re not there to frustrate you but they’re there to enhance the story. You can check most of the collectibles found through the settings menu and the game also has chapter select right from the start. There are 8 chapters and a prologue.
It makes sense why the game is this short and costs this much. The 3 hours are not much but the presentation and almost everything around it is of very high quality. The game has lots of animations and the music within the radio seems to be done by actual bands/singers. The songs are also extremely good. It was such an enjoyable journey that I went back to complete it a second time straight away without rushing things even after I got all the achievements. I ended up playing the game for 7 hours. The Cub makes me want to play Golf Club Nostalgia asap because I want to see more of this world. Getting the game purely for the gameplay and content might not be a smart idea. But the game is worth getting if you like what you’re reading. €15 might be too much unless money is a non issue to you. Less than €10 is safer despite me fully understanding where the budget went and why it costs €15.
2023
My experience has been negative with Iron Marines and Kingdom Rush Frontiers on iOS, the developer’s previous games. Junkworld addresses some of the issues and it’s a better introduction for newcomers even if it’s still flawed in ways.
This is your typical tower defence game. If you played any then you’ll get an idea. You have maps with routes to defend by building towers. You can also use tactics which are special abilities with either a cooldown or a max amount in the field. Then you have heroes where you get to bring one along. All that I mentioned level up with XP earned from fights and you can upgrade skills when certain levels are reached. Aside from XP you also get a separate currency to buy consumables you can bring with you. There are 4 total: increased damage, you got more fuel and oil (used to buy and upgrade towers during missions), more health and more XP. There are 5 areas with main missions and side missions. You can earn 3 stars for each main mission for a total of 264 stars as of this writing. The side missions (71 total) are separate where they’re like challenges forcing you to play a certain way. There are no stars with side missions but they give you a lot of currency for consumables. This is pretty much the game.
The issues with the previous games were mainly unbalanced challenge and the games not being designed for iOS devices in mind. Those games were incredibly challenging. I wasn’t able to progress further early on even with casual difficulty. This has been greatly improved with Junkworld. I managed to clear all the main missions with 3 stars on normal. As for the latter issue, I mean the units you need to pick being too small, making it difficult to give orders and more such nonsense. This is a thing of the past here. In fact, the game is far more user friendly. You can check intel on the enemies, you can always check their routes before starting the next wave etc. Junkworld feels like it’s made for iOS in mind.
That said, there are still some flaws. While the challenge has been greatly improved, you can still see some of the imbalance with the side missions. There are some that are ridiculous. They also make the game look weaker because it shows the game having RNG elements that weren’t as apparent with the main missions. For instance, there was a side mission where I only have to use 1 tower type. The enemies sometimes escape or sometimes die in the same spot with the same tower placement. I decided to stop doing the rest of the side missions after 40 out of 71. The other flaw is being forced to pick favourites because the game is very grindy. Everything has a separate level and it just takes too long to level up anything, especially when you get so many towers, tactics and heroes. The game tried to solve this by having new unlocks match current progress in level and having consumables to earn more XP. But it’s not enough. The game would have been far better if XP/levels were shared. That would encourage experimentation. It’s a shame because there are so many awesome units.
At the end of the day, this is a very good game. The maps and units are great. The game has lots of heart & personality. It’s worth playing despite the flaws.
This is your typical tower defence game. If you played any then you’ll get an idea. You have maps with routes to defend by building towers. You can also use tactics which are special abilities with either a cooldown or a max amount in the field. Then you have heroes where you get to bring one along. All that I mentioned level up with XP earned from fights and you can upgrade skills when certain levels are reached. Aside from XP you also get a separate currency to buy consumables you can bring with you. There are 4 total: increased damage, you got more fuel and oil (used to buy and upgrade towers during missions), more health and more XP. There are 5 areas with main missions and side missions. You can earn 3 stars for each main mission for a total of 264 stars as of this writing. The side missions (71 total) are separate where they’re like challenges forcing you to play a certain way. There are no stars with side missions but they give you a lot of currency for consumables. This is pretty much the game.
The issues with the previous games were mainly unbalanced challenge and the games not being designed for iOS devices in mind. Those games were incredibly challenging. I wasn’t able to progress further early on even with casual difficulty. This has been greatly improved with Junkworld. I managed to clear all the main missions with 3 stars on normal. As for the latter issue, I mean the units you need to pick being too small, making it difficult to give orders and more such nonsense. This is a thing of the past here. In fact, the game is far more user friendly. You can check intel on the enemies, you can always check their routes before starting the next wave etc. Junkworld feels like it’s made for iOS in mind.
That said, there are still some flaws. While the challenge has been greatly improved, you can still see some of the imbalance with the side missions. There are some that are ridiculous. They also make the game look weaker because it shows the game having RNG elements that weren’t as apparent with the main missions. For instance, there was a side mission where I only have to use 1 tower type. The enemies sometimes escape or sometimes die in the same spot with the same tower placement. I decided to stop doing the rest of the side missions after 40 out of 71. The other flaw is being forced to pick favourites because the game is very grindy. Everything has a separate level and it just takes too long to level up anything, especially when you get so many towers, tactics and heroes. The game tried to solve this by having new unlocks match current progress in level and having consumables to earn more XP. But it’s not enough. The game would have been far better if XP/levels were shared. That would encourage experimentation. It’s a shame because there are so many awesome units.
At the end of the day, this is a very good game. The maps and units are great. The game has lots of heart & personality. It’s worth playing despite the flaws.
2005
I have a weird history with this game. I got it around launch for the DS based on hype and I didn’t really get it. I sold the game and ended up getting it again around 2-3 years ago based on recommendations. Playing it again I understood the hook and I was planning on continuing. But I got busy with other games and kind of forgotten about it. I continued with the save yesterday and I understand why it just won’t work out between us :P
The interesting thing about this puzzle game is that you’re not allowed to change the blocks horizontally but only vertically. It definitely shakes up the formula. The game also has different planets with different rules like the speed of the blocks launching and how quick the blocks drop. The main mode is having you carry out missions and select the route you want to take. You earn lots of different currencies that you can use to create new things like new items, music and even planets if I remember things correctly.
Here’s where things start to get problematic. You can’t save and continue with your progress in the main mode. You have to finish it in one go or put the DS on standby. There is an option to play a separate mode with only one planet but it’s barebones and not the main course. The game also crams lots of info in the lower screen and it expects you to select the blocks with perfect accuracy while the blocks are super tiny. I’ve had many times where I just can’t pick the block I want with the touch screen. Then there are the mechanics, the game seems to have way too many things to keep in mind that it kind of gets in the way of a pure puzzle game. It feels like being complex for complexity’s sake. And lastly, it looks like the game is going to be very grindy if you want to unlock everything. You’re going to need a lot of different currencies.
It feels like this game had the potential to be one of the best puzzle games with strong gameplay. Its appeal is limited to a small niche for being too ambitious and trying to do too much with the small screens. It doesn’t quite reach the perfect balance of lots of depth while easy to pick up and play. But that small niche will absolutely love it.
The interesting thing about this puzzle game is that you’re not allowed to change the blocks horizontally but only vertically. It definitely shakes up the formula. The game also has different planets with different rules like the speed of the blocks launching and how quick the blocks drop. The main mode is having you carry out missions and select the route you want to take. You earn lots of different currencies that you can use to create new things like new items, music and even planets if I remember things correctly.
Here’s where things start to get problematic. You can’t save and continue with your progress in the main mode. You have to finish it in one go or put the DS on standby. There is an option to play a separate mode with only one planet but it’s barebones and not the main course. The game also crams lots of info in the lower screen and it expects you to select the blocks with perfect accuracy while the blocks are super tiny. I’ve had many times where I just can’t pick the block I want with the touch screen. Then there are the mechanics, the game seems to have way too many things to keep in mind that it kind of gets in the way of a pure puzzle game. It feels like being complex for complexity’s sake. And lastly, it looks like the game is going to be very grindy if you want to unlock everything. You’re going to need a lot of different currencies.
It feels like this game had the potential to be one of the best puzzle games with strong gameplay. Its appeal is limited to a small niche for being too ambitious and trying to do too much with the small screens. It doesn’t quite reach the perfect balance of lots of depth while easy to pick up and play. But that small niche will absolutely love it.
2016
You start the game with a little bit of context for why you decided to take this job away from where you normally live. Once you arrive in this beautiful area with nature, you stay in touch with your boss who tells you what needs to be done everyday. This was supposed to be the plan but things took an unexpected turn. You then try to make sense of it all. This is pretty much the plot without spoiling things. The voice actors were fantastic along with the dialogues that were totally natural. It was always interesting hearing what everyone had to say and my interest was kept almost the entire time. Though I ended up being a bit disappointed by the conclusion. I expected more and it could have ended in a more exciting way.
The gameplay is exploring a big area with some optional minor things to do but it’s mostly going from A to B, continue with the story and then being told where to go next. There is some climbing, cutting trees, picking dialogue choices and you can take pictures with the camera you find. What the game does so well is the map you have along with the compass. The map is like a real map, you can still get lost and you’re trying to follow directions. Kind of like the old days when there were no apps to help with routes and you had to do it the old fashioned way with a real map while driving a car. The map was the interesting part and kept things adventurous.
The game felt more like a 5 hour long movie and less like a game. I would have liked some more gameplay/depth. My overall experience is neutral. It has some very strong elements but I’m left a bit ‘meh’ after completing it. I’m not sure if it’s because my expectations were too high for hearing so many good things about it or I’m just not a huge fan of this style. All I know is I wouldn’t have been happy if I paid €20 or even €10 even though I can totally see the work and effort put into it. I’m so glad I got the game for €2 with the recent steam sale. Up to €5 is worth it if you share my perspective. If the game costs more than that then you’ll have to be totally into that kind of style and know what you’re getting yourself into.
The gameplay is exploring a big area with some optional minor things to do but it’s mostly going from A to B, continue with the story and then being told where to go next. There is some climbing, cutting trees, picking dialogue choices and you can take pictures with the camera you find. What the game does so well is the map you have along with the compass. The map is like a real map, you can still get lost and you’re trying to follow directions. Kind of like the old days when there were no apps to help with routes and you had to do it the old fashioned way with a real map while driving a car. The map was the interesting part and kept things adventurous.
The game felt more like a 5 hour long movie and less like a game. I would have liked some more gameplay/depth. My overall experience is neutral. It has some very strong elements but I’m left a bit ‘meh’ after completing it. I’m not sure if it’s because my expectations were too high for hearing so many good things about it or I’m just not a huge fan of this style. All I know is I wouldn’t have been happy if I paid €20 or even €10 even though I can totally see the work and effort put into it. I’m so glad I got the game for €2 with the recent steam sale. Up to €5 is worth it if you share my perspective. If the game costs more than that then you’ll have to be totally into that kind of style and know what you’re getting yourself into.
2023
It was okay I guess? I like the style and gameplay for the most part, but I dislike the structure and how you're pretty much time limited. You need water to survive. It's reduced gradually while you're running in the desert trying to find the next water source. This can be through water tanks you find or killing others to steal their water. You'll need to do this long enough until the gate opens. Said gate opens after the specimen you're carrying is at least 100% grown. You can find tanks that increase this growth rate to 10% each time.
I died the first time after 20 minutes because I went all the way to the west (junkyard) and it turns out there was little to get there except for 10% growth. I died the second time after 32 minutes. I was in front of the gate and ready to finish things but I didn't have enough water. I didn't feel like playing a third time especially since walking around is so slow and that's a lot of what you'll be doing. I saw the ending on Youtube and it's pretty much a couple of seconds after entering the gate. So you can say I pretty much completed the game.
The ending is not worth it and I don't feel like you need to play this game since it's unsatisfying with its structure and it feels like it could have done with more depth and content. I would have paid more to get a more satisfying game since I understand the current price is too cheap to offer more.
I died the first time after 20 minutes because I went all the way to the west (junkyard) and it turns out there was little to get there except for 10% growth. I died the second time after 32 minutes. I was in front of the gate and ready to finish things but I didn't have enough water. I didn't feel like playing a third time especially since walking around is so slow and that's a lot of what you'll be doing. I saw the ending on Youtube and it's pretty much a couple of seconds after entering the gate. So you can say I pretty much completed the game.
The ending is not worth it and I don't feel like you need to play this game since it's unsatisfying with its structure and it feels like it could have done with more depth and content. I would have paid more to get a more satisfying game since I understand the current price is too cheap to offer more.
It's a cute and simple shooter that you can 100% in 40+ minutes. The controls (with a controller) & the pacing are good, I enjoyed the shooting and finding all the 28 collectibles. The island is divided in 5 main sections and you're trying to escape by finding the parts to fix your ship. There are 3 different enemy types with their own gimmicks. The sound effects (wind, waterfall, shotgun impact etc) are surprisingly good too. This is literally all you'll get. Don't expect an extensive settings menu, extras you can unlock or deep mechanics. It's a fine game if you feel like turning your brains off and just shooting for a bit. The normal price is okay and it's a non issue when it's on sale, especially with the bundle discount.
2017
Madcap Castle is a precision platformer where you have to get to the exit but each room has requirements such as pushing all buttons and killing all enemies. Many different traps and enemies are placed in such a way that the rooms won’t be a simple A to B walk. You have one skill that changes halfway through each castle (a world with 15 puzzles including 1 boss). There are 10 castles with their own gimmicks.
The gameboy style in terms of graphics and music is charming. There is a lot of content for the price paid. The skills, levels and bosses have creative ideas and it can feel great to clear levels/bosses sometimes. I like what the game is trying to do as it’s my kind of game. The big issue that ruins things is the way challenge is achieved.
There is fair challenge where a game can be incredibly challenging but the controls are perfect, the enemy behaviour is predictable, the traps are consistent and you know what you’re supposed to do. Madcap Castle is extremely challenging while it fails at all those elements. It requires perfect precision (sometimes with an inch difference) while there are some things that are seriously wrong. To give some examples:
-Enemies: rats can sometimes stop moving out of the blue, frogs have different jump strength, bats can dive deeper when they aim for you. Just to add some context, there will be rooms with many of them and you’re dead with one hit
-Traps: moving lightning can get stuck in its direction, beams & spikes have weird timing where they might stop moving for a while and then move again later in weird inconsistent ways
-Controls: not sure if intentional but you can’t jump when you’re too close to a ledge while it feels like you should. There are certain moves with 3 skills where nowhere is explained how to activate them to clear certain levels (mini version high jump, invisibility high jump, different strengths of dash)
-Skills: ones like teleportation and dash suck because there is no indicator where you’ll land. You’ll have to figure it out by gauging things. This is all well and good but it sucks when the rooms become so complex & long and you’ll have to retry entire rooms from scratch with one mistake
-Checkpoints: as mentioned previously, it became very tedious dying every time and going through many steps again to get where you were. Often times it’s not challenge after a while but the annoyance of waiting for the traps to disappear and this waiting wastes so much time. Same with the bosses. After a while you figure out what you need to do except for one step and you have to repeat all the steps so many times until you figure out that one step. A checkpoint system would have made things so much better
-Other: there are some weird situations like the card skill (your attack) sometimes not hitting enemies even though visually you can see they should be hit. Or you’re killed by the impact of bombs because the impact stays for too long etc.
I was dreading playing more of this after a while and I was more than glad to be done with it in a negative way. While I can see the love and attention the game got, I really urge you to not play this unless you’re a) too curious or b) the type that likes punishing challenge even if said challenge is not fair through systems that are not functioning properly. As mentioned though, the developers can clearly design creative puzzles with great ideas. So there is hope that their next game might get things right in terms of execution.
The gameboy style in terms of graphics and music is charming. There is a lot of content for the price paid. The skills, levels and bosses have creative ideas and it can feel great to clear levels/bosses sometimes. I like what the game is trying to do as it’s my kind of game. The big issue that ruins things is the way challenge is achieved.
There is fair challenge where a game can be incredibly challenging but the controls are perfect, the enemy behaviour is predictable, the traps are consistent and you know what you’re supposed to do. Madcap Castle is extremely challenging while it fails at all those elements. It requires perfect precision (sometimes with an inch difference) while there are some things that are seriously wrong. To give some examples:
-Enemies: rats can sometimes stop moving out of the blue, frogs have different jump strength, bats can dive deeper when they aim for you. Just to add some context, there will be rooms with many of them and you’re dead with one hit
-Traps: moving lightning can get stuck in its direction, beams & spikes have weird timing where they might stop moving for a while and then move again later in weird inconsistent ways
-Controls: not sure if intentional but you can’t jump when you’re too close to a ledge while it feels like you should. There are certain moves with 3 skills where nowhere is explained how to activate them to clear certain levels (mini version high jump, invisibility high jump, different strengths of dash)
-Skills: ones like teleportation and dash suck because there is no indicator where you’ll land. You’ll have to figure it out by gauging things. This is all well and good but it sucks when the rooms become so complex & long and you’ll have to retry entire rooms from scratch with one mistake
-Checkpoints: as mentioned previously, it became very tedious dying every time and going through many steps again to get where you were. Often times it’s not challenge after a while but the annoyance of waiting for the traps to disappear and this waiting wastes so much time. Same with the bosses. After a while you figure out what you need to do except for one step and you have to repeat all the steps so many times until you figure out that one step. A checkpoint system would have made things so much better
-Other: there are some weird situations like the card skill (your attack) sometimes not hitting enemies even though visually you can see they should be hit. Or you’re killed by the impact of bombs because the impact stays for too long etc.
I was dreading playing more of this after a while and I was more than glad to be done with it in a negative way. While I can see the love and attention the game got, I really urge you to not play this unless you’re a) too curious or b) the type that likes punishing challenge even if said challenge is not fair through systems that are not functioning properly. As mentioned though, the developers can clearly design creative puzzles with great ideas. So there is hope that their next game might get things right in terms of execution.
This game has a lot going for it. It’s polished, made with care and it’s very charming. It’s user friendly in terms of UI, tutorials and being told where to find what you need exactly. The controls work well with both the touch screen and controller. But it too has one problem similar to Hello Kitty.
So let’s get one thing out of the way, you can keep playing as much as you want. You’re not time gated and you’re not told to continue the next day. Although areas need heart currency to unlock, they look doable and nothing crazy based on what I’ve seen. But I did only play the game for about 3-4 hours.
My issue is the frequency of the quests you get before completing the ones you’re busy with. It started so well but it gradually became worse. I reached a point where I had between 15 and 20 active quests. When I’d complete one, 1-3 new quests would get added immediately. It felt like I wasn’t progressing. It’s as if I was being kept busy by doing chores and this just overwhelmed me and took all my motivation away.
Now don’t get me wrong, there are certainly types who can deal with this better than I can. There are types who can easily focus on the main quests or ignore the long list and do whatever they want. But for a person with OCD tendencies where you feel like you have to clear a checklist before moving on, it’s a nightmare to deal with.
You’re either one or the other. This will determine whether to play the game or not. Kids won’t have a problem and will enjoy the game too. It’s a very good and cute game that is worth trying if you don’t mind the way the quests are handled.
So let’s get one thing out of the way, you can keep playing as much as you want. You’re not time gated and you’re not told to continue the next day. Although areas need heart currency to unlock, they look doable and nothing crazy based on what I’ve seen. But I did only play the game for about 3-4 hours.
My issue is the frequency of the quests you get before completing the ones you’re busy with. It started so well but it gradually became worse. I reached a point where I had between 15 and 20 active quests. When I’d complete one, 1-3 new quests would get added immediately. It felt like I wasn’t progressing. It’s as if I was being kept busy by doing chores and this just overwhelmed me and took all my motivation away.
Now don’t get me wrong, there are certainly types who can deal with this better than I can. There are types who can easily focus on the main quests or ignore the long list and do whatever they want. But for a person with OCD tendencies where you feel like you have to clear a checklist before moving on, it’s a nightmare to deal with.
You’re either one or the other. This will determine whether to play the game or not. Kids won’t have a problem and will enjoy the game too. It’s a very good and cute game that is worth trying if you don’t mind the way the quests are handled.
2023
It’s funny the game is called Ugly because it’s such a beauty, it’s close to perfection when you see a footage of the game. The graphics have so much detail, attention and personal touch put into the environments. I love to zoom in often just to see the cupboards, the kid drawings made and toys scattered for instance. You also have many situations where you move past objects and they animate in delightful ways. It’s not just the graphics, the soundtrack is also fantastic and the same holds true for the sound effects. This game is just incredibly polished and the story it’s trying to tell is beautifully presented. The achievements (either collectibles or story progression) are used to explain the story slowly in simple words and art. It’s another great example of using achievements to enhance your enjoyment of the game instead of work against it.
Now what about the gameplay you ask? It’s brilliant but it needs some explaining. Depending on what you’re looking for it might be a turn off or the opposite. The game took me around 15 hours to 100% and it’s mainly divided in 2 parts. Now the game is a platform puzzler in a general sense. Part 1 relies mostly on the thinking aspect. Almost every room can be executed with ease as long as you figure out what you’re supposed to do. The second part while still a puzzler at heart, it focuses heavily on the platforming, timing and execution. Often times it’s easier to figure out what you’re supposed to do but being able to is a different matter. Then we have the 5 bosses (in part one) in every main area. Those are a mix of both styles. The game is incredibly difficult as a whole. Normally this is a red flag for me but I was so intrigued that it didn’t stop me. I wanted to advance further and didn’t want to let go. You’re often put in situations (especially part 2) where you look at a room and think it’s impossible to clear. Then you clear one and you can’t believe it. The game keeps pushing the limits, showing you the possibilities of using your skills in unexpected ways and it honestly feels amazing. I don’t remember the last time a game ever did that to me. I had more issues with part 1 (glass area mainly) but there is a hint system in-game and it’s easy to look up solutions online if that’s not enough.
Flaws:
-Boss 5. Honestly the obstacles in between were too frequent, too quickly and mostly not fun. This should seriously be rebalanced and improved
-Glass area (part 1). It feels like the mechanics introduced were not introduced properly and you were suddenly getting some rooms with highly complex puzzles. The areas after were much better at gradually introducing mechanics and the puzzle complexity being appropriate
-There is minor backtracking in part 2 every time you clear a room, I’d have liked a quicker way of getting to where I need to be from the starting area
-The story being unclear. Even though I enjoyed the story and was dying for more, I didn’t fully understand the ending and what it meant
This game is very close to perfection despite the few flaws mentioned. Ugly should seriously be played by many more people. It should not be passed on even if you dislike challenge. Now challenge is subjective and I don’t want people to hate themselves for games being too frustrating. But if you consider yourself at least an average player, often going for normal difficulty and like the genre, then give this a shot and push yourself more than usual because the pay off will be worth it most likely. I paid around €14,50 for Ugly and I think it’s worth it.
Now what about the gameplay you ask? It’s brilliant but it needs some explaining. Depending on what you’re looking for it might be a turn off or the opposite. The game took me around 15 hours to 100% and it’s mainly divided in 2 parts. Now the game is a platform puzzler in a general sense. Part 1 relies mostly on the thinking aspect. Almost every room can be executed with ease as long as you figure out what you’re supposed to do. The second part while still a puzzler at heart, it focuses heavily on the platforming, timing and execution. Often times it’s easier to figure out what you’re supposed to do but being able to is a different matter. Then we have the 5 bosses (in part one) in every main area. Those are a mix of both styles. The game is incredibly difficult as a whole. Normally this is a red flag for me but I was so intrigued that it didn’t stop me. I wanted to advance further and didn’t want to let go. You’re often put in situations (especially part 2) where you look at a room and think it’s impossible to clear. Then you clear one and you can’t believe it. The game keeps pushing the limits, showing you the possibilities of using your skills in unexpected ways and it honestly feels amazing. I don’t remember the last time a game ever did that to me. I had more issues with part 1 (glass area mainly) but there is a hint system in-game and it’s easy to look up solutions online if that’s not enough.
Flaws:
-Boss 5. Honestly the obstacles in between were too frequent, too quickly and mostly not fun. This should seriously be rebalanced and improved
-Glass area (part 1). It feels like the mechanics introduced were not introduced properly and you were suddenly getting some rooms with highly complex puzzles. The areas after were much better at gradually introducing mechanics and the puzzle complexity being appropriate
-There is minor backtracking in part 2 every time you clear a room, I’d have liked a quicker way of getting to where I need to be from the starting area
-The story being unclear. Even though I enjoyed the story and was dying for more, I didn’t fully understand the ending and what it meant
This game is very close to perfection despite the few flaws mentioned. Ugly should seriously be played by many more people. It should not be passed on even if you dislike challenge. Now challenge is subjective and I don’t want people to hate themselves for games being too frustrating. But if you consider yourself at least an average player, often going for normal difficulty and like the genre, then give this a shot and push yourself more than usual because the pay off will be worth it most likely. I paid around €14,50 for Ugly and I think it’s worth it.
2017
This has been on my wishlist for a while without fully aware of what to expect. At first I expected to mostly play in the starting island with beautiful weather all the time. Kind of like a vacation experience. But the setting changed with every chapter (5 total). I was also initially unimpressed with the gameplay being mostly exploring, solving simple puzzles, climbing a la Tomb Raider/Uncharted and trying to understand the story without voice acting or a single text. It slowly won me over to the point of getting hooked and crying with the ending after completing the game a second time.
Positives:
-Gorgeous graphics and moving soundtrack
-Relaxing gameplay where time moves quickly without noticing
-Some of the puzzles are well thought out later in the game. What’s more, it strikes a fine balance of keeping interest while not being complicated for the most part
-Almost all the collectibles are meaningful additions to the story, they’re there for a reason
-Achievements (and collectibles) that enhance the joy of exploration (more on that later)
-Figuring out the story and how it’s an impressive accomplishment to be told so well despite the lack of words
-How every element comes together to create a game where the developers know what they want and they succeeded with their goals
Flaws:
-Animations can be odd sometimes when climbing or jumping down
-The graphics can have some minor visual bugs when you’re swimming underwater
-Very few collectibles/achievements are 100% impossible to figure out without a guide or pure luck
-The quality of the soundtrack is not very high. You don’t hear the music with full clarity, like there’s a minor muffle. But it might be just my headset
-The chapters are long, you can’t start from a different point in chapter select for specific collectibles/achievements
-The game needs time to grow on you and show you all it has to offer. You also need to go out of your way to put the pieces together. At a first glance you might think the game is boring and don’t understand the appeal because of this
The achievements are the star of the show. Aside from the story progression/collectibles, there are unique achievements that beg you to explore. Each achievement has unique icon and description. Those are especially effective after completing the game once. Because you will then vaguely remember what is being referenced and then you go there to confirm. It’s such a pleasant feeling when you get things right. The best way to play this game is at least a complete first run without looking things up. Just enjoy the game, try to find the secrets on your own and then look things up with chapter select. I did my first run completely blind, second run I mostly tried doing things on my own with some pointers/hints to send me in the right direction and then it was chapter select getting everything missed with a guide. The last step is not as bad as it sounds as the game saves the moment you find something. So you don’t have to complete a chapter or reach a checkpoint.
Even though I haven’t played games like Abzu and Journey yet, I think Rime is often compared with those games. I know that those games are more well known and popular. I’m guessing that Rime is not as good as those best games in the genre but it should definitely be played if you’re a fan of those type of games. Don’t play it if you’re planning on running quickly through it without giving the game the attention it deserves in terms of observation and thinking what you’re witnessing means.
Positives:
-Gorgeous graphics and moving soundtrack
-Relaxing gameplay where time moves quickly without noticing
-Some of the puzzles are well thought out later in the game. What’s more, it strikes a fine balance of keeping interest while not being complicated for the most part
-Almost all the collectibles are meaningful additions to the story, they’re there for a reason
-Achievements (and collectibles) that enhance the joy of exploration (more on that later)
-Figuring out the story and how it’s an impressive accomplishment to be told so well despite the lack of words
-How every element comes together to create a game where the developers know what they want and they succeeded with their goals
Flaws:
-Animations can be odd sometimes when climbing or jumping down
-The graphics can have some minor visual bugs when you’re swimming underwater
-Very few collectibles/achievements are 100% impossible to figure out without a guide or pure luck
-The quality of the soundtrack is not very high. You don’t hear the music with full clarity, like there’s a minor muffle. But it might be just my headset
-The chapters are long, you can’t start from a different point in chapter select for specific collectibles/achievements
-The game needs time to grow on you and show you all it has to offer. You also need to go out of your way to put the pieces together. At a first glance you might think the game is boring and don’t understand the appeal because of this
The achievements are the star of the show. Aside from the story progression/collectibles, there are unique achievements that beg you to explore. Each achievement has unique icon and description. Those are especially effective after completing the game once. Because you will then vaguely remember what is being referenced and then you go there to confirm. It’s such a pleasant feeling when you get things right. The best way to play this game is at least a complete first run without looking things up. Just enjoy the game, try to find the secrets on your own and then look things up with chapter select. I did my first run completely blind, second run I mostly tried doing things on my own with some pointers/hints to send me in the right direction and then it was chapter select getting everything missed with a guide. The last step is not as bad as it sounds as the game saves the moment you find something. So you don’t have to complete a chapter or reach a checkpoint.
Even though I haven’t played games like Abzu and Journey yet, I think Rime is often compared with those games. I know that those games are more well known and popular. I’m guessing that Rime is not as good as those best games in the genre but it should definitely be played if you’re a fan of those type of games. Don’t play it if you’re planning on running quickly through it without giving the game the attention it deserves in terms of observation and thinking what you’re witnessing means.
2012
I’ve completed the game with every collectible bar one and the DLC a long time ago. I’ve bought the DLC and was planning on playing more of it but it was a bad decision to be honest. The main game is enough and I don’t feel like wanting more. The DLC also reminds me of the game’s flaws. Those are mainly challenge and controls.
The levels will get incredibly complex to the point that the rest of the game is not good enough to deal with the frustrations. The game always had a great style whether it’s the visuals, setting or the audio. It looks like a cozy game but the game is anything but. The controls can also become awkward due to the change in perspective gameplay but it’s the lesser evil out of the 2 flaws.
I really wanted to like the game and I did brute force the main game over a long period of time. But the puzzles and gameplay are the heart of this genre. Do give it a try if you’re seeking challenge but this game’s niche is too small for everyone else to buy the game just based on positive impressions from others.
The levels will get incredibly complex to the point that the rest of the game is not good enough to deal with the frustrations. The game always had a great style whether it’s the visuals, setting or the audio. It looks like a cozy game but the game is anything but. The controls can also become awkward due to the change in perspective gameplay but it’s the lesser evil out of the 2 flaws.
I really wanted to like the game and I did brute force the main game over a long period of time. But the puzzles and gameplay are the heart of this genre. Do give it a try if you’re seeking challenge but this game’s niche is too small for everyone else to buy the game just based on positive impressions from others.
2009
I’ve tried to complete the main mode for years with breaks in between but I’m ready to move on. This game was gifted to me, it’s not the type I’d buy for myself. This is mainly the case because I’m not into simulation racing games but rather arcade or party racing games.
3 absolutely has some good qualities such as the graphics, the options you get to tweak your cars & difficulty and lots of content. The last one is also a problem for me. The main mode is a huge drag where the races were getting repetitive and long the more I played. They could have found a better way to make that mode more interesting instead of going through a checklist of the same races with little variation. It’s probably enough for the diehard racing fans who care about the cars and the feel of controls being realistic, but it doesn’t make for an engaging gameplay if you’re not big on that.
3 absolutely has some good qualities such as the graphics, the options you get to tweak your cars & difficulty and lots of content. The last one is also a problem for me. The main mode is a huge drag where the races were getting repetitive and long the more I played. They could have found a better way to make that mode more interesting instead of going through a checklist of the same races with little variation. It’s probably enough for the diehard racing fans who care about the cars and the feel of controls being realistic, but it doesn’t make for an engaging gameplay if you’re not big on that.
This is one of those roguelikes that I don’t like but I didn’t know at the time when I played a lot of it about a year ago. I was trying to brute force unlocking things and trying to complete the game. I remember unlocking most stages with the default character, a couple of characters, lots of weapons/items and most progression systems (training areas, hearts, the chance to encounter items/weapons etc).
The game can actually be amazing but the RNG here is worse than other roguelikes. The rhythm based gameplay is also more punishing and invites you to make mistakes. Lastly, the trophies are incredibly hard to get if you’re trying to get 100%
This game should mostly be played by the ones seeking challenge and accepting the many deaths that come with it. Stay clear no matter how appealing the graphics and or gameplay looks in previews/videos unless you’re okay wish wasting money and shelving the game when you find out you can’t make it far.
The game can actually be amazing but the RNG here is worse than other roguelikes. The rhythm based gameplay is also more punishing and invites you to make mistakes. Lastly, the trophies are incredibly hard to get if you’re trying to get 100%
This game should mostly be played by the ones seeking challenge and accepting the many deaths that come with it. Stay clear no matter how appealing the graphics and or gameplay looks in previews/videos unless you’re okay wish wasting money and shelving the game when you find out you can’t make it far.
So here’s the deal, I’ve already completed the main story and did many of the high rank missions solo. The plan was to continue with the multiplayer missions and do as many as possible before the servers get closed in April. However I’ve noticed that a lot of the multiplayer missions are a repeat of solo ones. I already spent over 170 hours, I keep seeing the same monsters, areas and items. The game has been done for me a long time ago and it didn’t register until recently.
The game itself is very impressive and a big accomplishment especially at the time. The maps feel alive, the mechanics were introduced gradually and perfectly (unlike Rise), the graphics were great, there is a lot of content, it’s very polished and the controls can feel rewarding after getting used to them.
All that said, I don’t know how 3 Ultimate will stack up against the newer Monster Hunter games and whether it’s worth playing after playing the newer ones. This is my first MH and I didn’t spend enough time on Rise to answer this confidently. I can at least say it’s worth playing for MH fans and Capcom tried to make the best game possible at the time. It was clearly made with love and care.
The game itself is very impressive and a big accomplishment especially at the time. The maps feel alive, the mechanics were introduced gradually and perfectly (unlike Rise), the graphics were great, there is a lot of content, it’s very polished and the controls can feel rewarding after getting used to them.
All that said, I don’t know how 3 Ultimate will stack up against the newer Monster Hunter games and whether it’s worth playing after playing the newer ones. This is my first MH and I didn’t spend enough time on Rise to answer this confidently. I can at least say it’s worth playing for MH fans and Capcom tried to make the best game possible at the time. It was clearly made with love and care.
2023
It’s an alright game that can pleasantly surprise you in many ways, but there are still flaws that stop it from being truly amazing. I personally like most Sonic games, even the ones that were disliked. It’s kind of perplexing to see this one receiving more love. I have been hesitating between giving it 3.5 and 4 stars but went with 3.5 in the end. Let’s start with the flaws:
-Camera can still get in the way
-Controls can still act weird sometimes but they’re still pretty good
-Not a fan of the boss fights, they seem a bit boring and slow compared to the rest of the game
-Ditto with the cutscenes/story, I’m not sure if me getting older (=less tolerance) or this one being considerably worse than many previous ones. It didn’t help that the cutscenes were images instead of actual videos and the voice acting wasn’t always good
-The game can be very grindy if you want to get all the in-game statues (more on that in a bit)
Positives:
-Lovely graphics and art
-The way the stages have been made is great. You usually have one big stage and a couple of challenges like reach checkpoints on time, collect 6 orbs etc. that are separate stages based on the big stage. You only have collectibles in the big stage which is better imo. The challenges are fun and quick to do
-6 characters have been divided in 3 types and all 3 are well thought out and fun to use
The game has 101 dream orbs (I got 91 and a YouTube videos speaks of 101 total), 30 blue rings in every big stage (12 big stages total) and you can do Tails challenges. Tails challenges look like the challenges you already did only randomised and you get 100 XP for completing each one. You get to do 5-6 per week. All that I mentioned earns you statues based on certain milestones reached. The reason I mentioned getting the statues can be very grindy is because of one where you need to earn 10k in tails challenges and you can only earn around 550 XP a week. This mode is basically the one to keep you playing and paying if you’re a completionist.
I’ve had a good time but I started feeling the game was overstaying its welcome. The blue rings can be annoying to find and I’m not falling for collecting all the statues and tails challenges.
-Camera can still get in the way
-Controls can still act weird sometimes but they’re still pretty good
-Not a fan of the boss fights, they seem a bit boring and slow compared to the rest of the game
-Ditto with the cutscenes/story, I’m not sure if me getting older (=less tolerance) or this one being considerably worse than many previous ones. It didn’t help that the cutscenes were images instead of actual videos and the voice acting wasn’t always good
-The game can be very grindy if you want to get all the in-game statues (more on that in a bit)
Positives:
-Lovely graphics and art
-The way the stages have been made is great. You usually have one big stage and a couple of challenges like reach checkpoints on time, collect 6 orbs etc. that are separate stages based on the big stage. You only have collectibles in the big stage which is better imo. The challenges are fun and quick to do
-6 characters have been divided in 3 types and all 3 are well thought out and fun to use
The game has 101 dream orbs (I got 91 and a YouTube videos speaks of 101 total), 30 blue rings in every big stage (12 big stages total) and you can do Tails challenges. Tails challenges look like the challenges you already did only randomised and you get 100 XP for completing each one. You get to do 5-6 per week. All that I mentioned earns you statues based on certain milestones reached. The reason I mentioned getting the statues can be very grindy is because of one where you need to earn 10k in tails challenges and you can only earn around 550 XP a week. This mode is basically the one to keep you playing and paying if you’re a completionist.
I’ve had a good time but I started feeling the game was overstaying its welcome. The blue rings can be annoying to find and I’m not falling for collecting all the statues and tails challenges.