ShinobiOfStars
Paper Lily Chapter 1 is an RPG Horror game following on from the prologue, Project Kat. This game sees Lacie, a young girl struggling in life, trying to find a way to remove what she believes is a curse that makes people hate her. To do so, she performs a ritual that takes her to a mysterious and dangerous place crawling with demons that will stop at nothing to devour her.
After playing Project Kat, I was really excited to dive into this game. After seeing how well Kat handled horror and the overall vibe of the game, I was nothing short of hooked and this game delivers the same quality and more. As someone who grew up with RPG horrors and felt sad seeing that scene start to fade away as people moved on to new horror trends, this game makes me incredibly happy.
This game is surprisingly diverse in its gameplay. Usually these RPG horrors consist of finding items and using them while sprinkling in the occasional chase sequence every now and then, but there are a surprising amount of elements to this game. While some of them aren't utilised all that often in Chapter 1, I suspect these features will still be present in future chapters, such as sneaking around Demons, the mini games where you avoid being hit by traps and attacks and especially the boss fights. I was so shocked when I reached the last stretch of the game and there was a full on, multi phase boss fight here. It was incredible and the system is very fun, even if I proved to be bad at it. Another great thing about these mini games and boss fights is the ability to skip them. If you're struggling with a mini game or a phase of a boss, the game will give you the option to skip them. Obviously, a lot of people come to these types of games for the story and for the horror and the developers clearly recognise that.
One thing I was worried about was if it'd like Lacie as much as Kat, because Kat was quite a fun and unique protagonist in my eyes, but fortunately, I liked Lacie a lot. I relate to her a lot more because of her social anxiety and she also still had some of that sass that Kat had, especially when Sai shows up in the Facility.
The overall story is really well paced. Information is given to you in nice servings that make you want to push on and learn more about what's going on. Rather than revealing everything too soon or putting all the important lore at the end of the chapter and that was wonderful to see.
The characters are all really fun, both the humans and the demons. I think my favourite character thus far is probably Rune, he's just a goofy little guy who's very blunt with his wording and just wants to collect Runes. I'm also interested to learn more about characters like Sai and see if there's anything deeper to characters like Hiro who seem pretty simple on the surface.
This game takes the branching paths and choices from Project Kat and multiplies it tenfold. There was a story path I was going down that went on so long, that I'd just assumed it was where I was supposed to be going, especially because it introduces you to a new character. Instead I reached the end of that path and found that it was one of the bad endings. I was left in a daze because of that. It was honestly incredible to see how much the game really lets you play around with the world itself.
The artwork is even better than it was in Project Kat, there's some really amazing locations and shots, looking out over at the lighthouse and even the more scary environments were done incredibly well. This game does a great job with subtle horror, having things move silently and move just outside of your focus so that you have to question what it is you just saw, and that uncertainty only adds a new level of tension to the atmosphere.
Just like Project Kat, the music is great, it's not your typical horror game music, but it does it's job well. When you spend so long in an area with relaxing music and suddenly it just drops, you're instantly on edge, you know that either something bad is going to happen or something bad CAN happen and it does wonders for the atmosphere of the game.
I wholeheartedly recommend checking out this wonderful horror experience and really taking in the story and the environment. I cannot wait for the future chapters.
After playing Project Kat, I was really excited to dive into this game. After seeing how well Kat handled horror and the overall vibe of the game, I was nothing short of hooked and this game delivers the same quality and more. As someone who grew up with RPG horrors and felt sad seeing that scene start to fade away as people moved on to new horror trends, this game makes me incredibly happy.
This game is surprisingly diverse in its gameplay. Usually these RPG horrors consist of finding items and using them while sprinkling in the occasional chase sequence every now and then, but there are a surprising amount of elements to this game. While some of them aren't utilised all that often in Chapter 1, I suspect these features will still be present in future chapters, such as sneaking around Demons, the mini games where you avoid being hit by traps and attacks and especially the boss fights. I was so shocked when I reached the last stretch of the game and there was a full on, multi phase boss fight here. It was incredible and the system is very fun, even if I proved to be bad at it. Another great thing about these mini games and boss fights is the ability to skip them. If you're struggling with a mini game or a phase of a boss, the game will give you the option to skip them. Obviously, a lot of people come to these types of games for the story and for the horror and the developers clearly recognise that.
One thing I was worried about was if it'd like Lacie as much as Kat, because Kat was quite a fun and unique protagonist in my eyes, but fortunately, I liked Lacie a lot. I relate to her a lot more because of her social anxiety and she also still had some of that sass that Kat had, especially when Sai shows up in the Facility.
The overall story is really well paced. Information is given to you in nice servings that make you want to push on and learn more about what's going on. Rather than revealing everything too soon or putting all the important lore at the end of the chapter and that was wonderful to see.
The characters are all really fun, both the humans and the demons. I think my favourite character thus far is probably Rune, he's just a goofy little guy who's very blunt with his wording and just wants to collect Runes. I'm also interested to learn more about characters like Sai and see if there's anything deeper to characters like Hiro who seem pretty simple on the surface.
This game takes the branching paths and choices from Project Kat and multiplies it tenfold. There was a story path I was going down that went on so long, that I'd just assumed it was where I was supposed to be going, especially because it introduces you to a new character. Instead I reached the end of that path and found that it was one of the bad endings. I was left in a daze because of that. It was honestly incredible to see how much the game really lets you play around with the world itself.
The artwork is even better than it was in Project Kat, there's some really amazing locations and shots, looking out over at the lighthouse and even the more scary environments were done incredibly well. This game does a great job with subtle horror, having things move silently and move just outside of your focus so that you have to question what it is you just saw, and that uncertainty only adds a new level of tension to the atmosphere.
Just like Project Kat, the music is great, it's not your typical horror game music, but it does it's job well. When you spend so long in an area with relaxing music and suddenly it just drops, you're instantly on edge, you know that either something bad is going to happen or something bad CAN happen and it does wonders for the atmosphere of the game.
I wholeheartedly recommend checking out this wonderful horror experience and really taking in the story and the environment. I cannot wait for the future chapters.
As the title states, Project Kat is the prologue for a game called Paper Lily. In this short prologue, you play as a schoolgirl named Kat trying to pull off some kind of ritual so that she can find someone.
I've been a fan of the RPG Horror genre for a long time now, for probably more than half of my life, from games like Corpse Party to Mad Father and Ib. Even after all the ones I've seen and played, this still found ways to surprise me in both horror and execution.
Kat's story isn't written out too explicitly for the audience. All we know is that she's a pretty sarcastic and sassy girl trying to pull off this ritual so she can find someone. The game does state that that someone is her father and that he is gone, but we're never really told much else about it. From getting the other endings, you can find other scraps of info such as someone from the Theater Club having a weird obsessive crush on someone and the fact that the school was involved in an incident where a second year student went missing and wasn't found. I'm interested to see if and how any of these things connect to Paper Lily.
Kat herself felt pretty different as far as protagonists go in these types of games. I'm used to the main characters of RPG Horrors being pretty wimpy or typically nice. So it was fun to play as someone who has a bit more of an attitude, doesn't get along with other characters as easily but they're still coming from a good place.
The gameplay is very nostalgic for me. Interacting with everything in sight to see all the dialogue, find all the items you can and seeing what items can be used in certain places. But Project Kat had something different. Choice. Most RPG Horrors that I've experienced have very little choice, or at least very little choice that feels impactful, but going through and making different choices, it's surprising how different the game can feel, such as befriending and getting the three girls to help you with the ritual, choosing to remove the flowers from the pots at the beginning of the game or flat out leaving the school and not performing the ritual.
One of my favourite choices was interacting more and befriending the three girls in the Occult Club room. It allows you to get a better connection with these characters which only serves to make things more tragic.
The music of this game reminded me a lot of Corpse Party. It's not the type of music you'd expect from a horror game and I think that's great, because it means when that music cuts out and the ominous ambience kicks in, it's only more effective instead of making some generic horror sounding OST.
Overall, this short prologue has me excited to experience Paper Lily and relive the feelings RPG Horrors used to give me.
I've been a fan of the RPG Horror genre for a long time now, for probably more than half of my life, from games like Corpse Party to Mad Father and Ib. Even after all the ones I've seen and played, this still found ways to surprise me in both horror and execution.
Kat's story isn't written out too explicitly for the audience. All we know is that she's a pretty sarcastic and sassy girl trying to pull off this ritual so she can find someone. The game does state that that someone is her father and that he is gone, but we're never really told much else about it. From getting the other endings, you can find other scraps of info such as someone from the Theater Club having a weird obsessive crush on someone and the fact that the school was involved in an incident where a second year student went missing and wasn't found. I'm interested to see if and how any of these things connect to Paper Lily.
Kat herself felt pretty different as far as protagonists go in these types of games. I'm used to the main characters of RPG Horrors being pretty wimpy or typically nice. So it was fun to play as someone who has a bit more of an attitude, doesn't get along with other characters as easily but they're still coming from a good place.
The gameplay is very nostalgic for me. Interacting with everything in sight to see all the dialogue, find all the items you can and seeing what items can be used in certain places. But Project Kat had something different. Choice. Most RPG Horrors that I've experienced have very little choice, or at least very little choice that feels impactful, but going through and making different choices, it's surprising how different the game can feel, such as befriending and getting the three girls to help you with the ritual, choosing to remove the flowers from the pots at the beginning of the game or flat out leaving the school and not performing the ritual.
One of my favourite choices was interacting more and befriending the three girls in the Occult Club room. It allows you to get a better connection with these characters which only serves to make things more tragic.
The music of this game reminded me a lot of Corpse Party. It's not the type of music you'd expect from a horror game and I think that's great, because it means when that music cuts out and the ominous ambience kicks in, it's only more effective instead of making some generic horror sounding OST.
Overall, this short prologue has me excited to experience Paper Lily and relive the feelings RPG Horrors used to give me.
Klonoa 2: Lunatea's Veil is the sequel to Klonoa: Door to Phantomile. Klonoa has been called to the mysterious yet wonderous world of Lunatea to save it from disaster by ringing the bells housed in each of the four kingdoms. Of course, not without interference from the mighty Sky Pirate, Leorina.
I'll admit, while I liked Klonoa 1, I didn't find it to be anything special, it felt like a pretty typical platformer to me. I liked it, it was well made and it was charming, but it was nothing to rave about to me. I'm so glad, I stuck with it and played Klonoa 2. The best way I can describe it is that Klonoa 2 really feels like Namco found their footing with this one.
To me, the story of Lunatea's Veil was a lot more engaging, I was more interested in the villains, the main characters and was more driven to see where this would all end up. This one made me care about Klonoa as a protagonist more, I also think Lolo and Popka were more enjoyable companions than Huepow was. The story felt very Kirby-esque in the best way possible. If you replaced Klonoa with Kirby, it would feel just like a Kirby plot and I'm 100% all for it as a Kirby fan.
The gameplay is still largely the same, revolving around utilising Klonoa's Wind Ring to defeat foes and navigate the levels themselves. Levels have a few more mechanics to them such as the twisters, the Likuri and whole levels revolving around riding a board, which were always a treat. I think the boss fights were better for the most part.
Overall, I was a fan of the locations of the levels a bit more, I think they had a bit more fun variation than the first game. Coast sides, forests, fairgrounds, ice mountains, a city in the middle of a civil war, etc. I also loved how the game would take you back to previous levels, but there'd be differences because of the story, such as navigating the burning streets of Volk after defeating the boss there.
I really wish this series was just as popular as the other titans of platforming such as Mario, Sonic, Spyro and Crash Bandicoot. There is so much love and soul in this game and I'm glad I was able to enjoy this one much more than the first one.
I'll admit, while I liked Klonoa 1, I didn't find it to be anything special, it felt like a pretty typical platformer to me. I liked it, it was well made and it was charming, but it was nothing to rave about to me. I'm so glad, I stuck with it and played Klonoa 2. The best way I can describe it is that Klonoa 2 really feels like Namco found their footing with this one.
To me, the story of Lunatea's Veil was a lot more engaging, I was more interested in the villains, the main characters and was more driven to see where this would all end up. This one made me care about Klonoa as a protagonist more, I also think Lolo and Popka were more enjoyable companions than Huepow was. The story felt very Kirby-esque in the best way possible. If you replaced Klonoa with Kirby, it would feel just like a Kirby plot and I'm 100% all for it as a Kirby fan.
The gameplay is still largely the same, revolving around utilising Klonoa's Wind Ring to defeat foes and navigate the levels themselves. Levels have a few more mechanics to them such as the twisters, the Likuri and whole levels revolving around riding a board, which were always a treat. I think the boss fights were better for the most part.
Overall, I was a fan of the locations of the levels a bit more, I think they had a bit more fun variation than the first game. Coast sides, forests, fairgrounds, ice mountains, a city in the middle of a civil war, etc. I also loved how the game would take you back to previous levels, but there'd be differences because of the story, such as navigating the burning streets of Volk after defeating the boss there.
I really wish this series was just as popular as the other titans of platforming such as Mario, Sonic, Spyro and Crash Bandicoot. There is so much love and soul in this game and I'm glad I was able to enjoy this one much more than the first one.
2021
Inscryption is a psychological horror card game that blends elements of roguelikes and escape room style games to create a mesmerising experience. I was gifted this game out of the blue and recommended to play it by a friend and I did. I went in completely blind with absolutely no idea what to expect.
I'm not a huge card game person, but I got really into the mechanics and gameplay of the card game here. It's so fun and simple can be used in complex ways and victory feels so genuinely rewarding too. Like I mentioned earlier, this game is a roguelike, meaning you'll lose and end up starting all over again, but each time you do you come back smarter and stronger, advancing further and further each time. Luckily, losing doesn't feel too punishing in this game. Sure it can suck to lose the cards you grew to love using, but you'll soon find yourself gaining more incredible cards on your next run.
There is a genuinely intriguing story being told in this game, a mystery that I think players will really enjoy getting deeper and deeper into.
As a horror game, this game isn't that creepy in my opinion, but the atmosphere is still pretty tense. I also never went into this game expecting it to be the scariest thing in the world.
The moral of the story is, please make Inscryption a real card game, I beg!
I'm not a huge card game person, but I got really into the mechanics and gameplay of the card game here. It's so fun and simple can be used in complex ways and victory feels so genuinely rewarding too. Like I mentioned earlier, this game is a roguelike, meaning you'll lose and end up starting all over again, but each time you do you come back smarter and stronger, advancing further and further each time. Luckily, losing doesn't feel too punishing in this game. Sure it can suck to lose the cards you grew to love using, but you'll soon find yourself gaining more incredible cards on your next run.
There is a genuinely intriguing story being told in this game, a mystery that I think players will really enjoy getting deeper and deeper into.
As a horror game, this game isn't that creepy in my opinion, but the atmosphere is still pretty tense. I also never went into this game expecting it to be the scariest thing in the world.
The moral of the story is, please make Inscryption a real card game, I beg!
2023
Lethal Company is a game where you and potentially three of your friends, travel from planet to planet, investigating and exploring abandoned facilities to gather scrap for The Company in return for money. You must not only survive the terrifying and dangerous creatures that lurk on each planet, but the harsh quotas given to you.
Lethal Company's gameplay loop is both simple and fun. You walk around dark, dingy facilities looking for as much scrap as possible while avoiding being killed by the monsters that live inside. As you play the game, you'll meet more and more entities, ranging from relatively harmless to immediate death. A lot of these more dangerous entities are only more common on the harder planets, so you might think you'd be safe on the easier planets. Well, that's where you'd be wrong. As you fulfil each quota, it will continue to increase, forcing you to look to the harder locations where you can find more loot and more valuable loot too.
The visuals in this game are really cool too. They are far from the most beautiful, amazing graphics ever, but the style is so loveable and lends itself amazingly to horror. The pixelated look of everything makes things hard to discern from a distance, the creatures all move in weird ways and have weird proportions.
Zeekers truly has a way with creature design. Almost all of the entities in Lethal Company are super memorable. From the adorable Loot Bugs to the nightmarish Coil Head. My personal favourite design in the game is the Bracken. A tall, muscular humanoid plant monster that lurks in the shadows waiting for the opportune moment to snap your neck. Zeekers only continues to add more new fascinating creatures too, such as the Tulip Snakes, the Nutcracker, the Old Birds and the Butler. I cannot wait to see what other horrors Zeekers cooks up for this game next.
One of my biggest concerns when it comes to multiplayer horror games is how effective the horror will actually be. I've played games such as Phasmophobia and Devour, which in my opinion both kind of lose their horror value when you play with friends. However Lethal Company doesn't have that problem for me. Lethal Company's suffocating atmosphere makes sure you'll find ways to feel uncomfortable. One of the most scary experiences you can have with this game is watching your squad be picked off one by one, creating this sense of dread as you do you best avoid ending up just like them.
In my honest opinion, Lethal Company is a nigh-perfect co-op horror game that I think everyone should give a try. It's cheap, it's fun and has genuine horror value. I think what Zeekers has done with this game is incredible and I look forward to seeing more from them in the future.
Lethal Company's gameplay loop is both simple and fun. You walk around dark, dingy facilities looking for as much scrap as possible while avoiding being killed by the monsters that live inside. As you play the game, you'll meet more and more entities, ranging from relatively harmless to immediate death. A lot of these more dangerous entities are only more common on the harder planets, so you might think you'd be safe on the easier planets. Well, that's where you'd be wrong. As you fulfil each quota, it will continue to increase, forcing you to look to the harder locations where you can find more loot and more valuable loot too.
The visuals in this game are really cool too. They are far from the most beautiful, amazing graphics ever, but the style is so loveable and lends itself amazingly to horror. The pixelated look of everything makes things hard to discern from a distance, the creatures all move in weird ways and have weird proportions.
Zeekers truly has a way with creature design. Almost all of the entities in Lethal Company are super memorable. From the adorable Loot Bugs to the nightmarish Coil Head. My personal favourite design in the game is the Bracken. A tall, muscular humanoid plant monster that lurks in the shadows waiting for the opportune moment to snap your neck. Zeekers only continues to add more new fascinating creatures too, such as the Tulip Snakes, the Nutcracker, the Old Birds and the Butler. I cannot wait to see what other horrors Zeekers cooks up for this game next.
One of my biggest concerns when it comes to multiplayer horror games is how effective the horror will actually be. I've played games such as Phasmophobia and Devour, which in my opinion both kind of lose their horror value when you play with friends. However Lethal Company doesn't have that problem for me. Lethal Company's suffocating atmosphere makes sure you'll find ways to feel uncomfortable. One of the most scary experiences you can have with this game is watching your squad be picked off one by one, creating this sense of dread as you do you best avoid ending up just like them.
In my honest opinion, Lethal Company is a nigh-perfect co-op horror game that I think everyone should give a try. It's cheap, it's fun and has genuine horror value. I think what Zeekers has done with this game is incredible and I look forward to seeing more from them in the future.
Klonoa is a series I've been aware of ever since they remade Door to Phantomile and Lunatea's Veil for modern systems but it's a game that I've only just started getting into. Honestly, before I even knew what Klonoa was, I thought Klonoa was a Sonic character from a Sonic game I hadn't seen.
Klonoa: Door to Phantomile sees the young cat Klonoa and his friend Huepow travel to stop the Dark King, Ghadius from unleashing nightmares upon the world of Phantomile.
The world of Klonoa has an incredibly fun look to it. Full of bright colours and scenery elements that make you stop for a second to really take in what it is that you're looking at. Visually, the levels never feel boring.
The gameplay of Klonoa is pretty simple, but can still be tricky in certain levels. Aside from your basic platforming elements of running, jumping and the sorts, Klonoa has a magical Wind Ring which allows him to capture enemies. Klonoa can them use the enemies to double jump, use them as projectiles, and certain enemies can do special things, like be used as a helicopter. Using enemies as projectiles felt very reminiscent of Kirby, except I can't gain the enemy's power. The platforming, as simple as it may be, can be done in tricky ways, such as in the bonus level you obtain from collecting all 72 Phantomillians scattered through each stage. In this bonus level, there're many areas where you have to travel long distances by chain capturing enemies to make sure you don't fall to your doom, which requires good timing.
Klonoa's story is relatively simple. I didn't pay too much attention during my main playthrough, but I did go back and rewatch the cutscenes. I think simple stories are completely fine and can still be compelling and enjoyable when done correctly and Klonoa's story is just that. It is not the best story I've ever witnessed, but it is still fun at the end of the day and does have some really neat moments throughout.
The bosses of this game are all relatively fun, and like any game, only get harder as you progress. My favourite boss in Door to Phantomile is probably Joka, a loyal henchman of Ghadius. Each fight is relatively easy to figure out in how you beat them and how each phase of their fight works. I think in terms of difficulty, Ghadius was probably the hardest for me.
There were a couple levels I wasn't too fond of, mainly 6-1 and 6-2 which both levels just felt annoying and tedious to go through, which is a shame seeing as these levels are the final stretch of the game.
Overall, Door to Phantomile is a great, fun platforming experience that I think more people should definitely experience.
Klonoa: Door to Phantomile sees the young cat Klonoa and his friend Huepow travel to stop the Dark King, Ghadius from unleashing nightmares upon the world of Phantomile.
The world of Klonoa has an incredibly fun look to it. Full of bright colours and scenery elements that make you stop for a second to really take in what it is that you're looking at. Visually, the levels never feel boring.
The gameplay of Klonoa is pretty simple, but can still be tricky in certain levels. Aside from your basic platforming elements of running, jumping and the sorts, Klonoa has a magical Wind Ring which allows him to capture enemies. Klonoa can them use the enemies to double jump, use them as projectiles, and certain enemies can do special things, like be used as a helicopter. Using enemies as projectiles felt very reminiscent of Kirby, except I can't gain the enemy's power. The platforming, as simple as it may be, can be done in tricky ways, such as in the bonus level you obtain from collecting all 72 Phantomillians scattered through each stage. In this bonus level, there're many areas where you have to travel long distances by chain capturing enemies to make sure you don't fall to your doom, which requires good timing.
Klonoa's story is relatively simple. I didn't pay too much attention during my main playthrough, but I did go back and rewatch the cutscenes. I think simple stories are completely fine and can still be compelling and enjoyable when done correctly and Klonoa's story is just that. It is not the best story I've ever witnessed, but it is still fun at the end of the day and does have some really neat moments throughout.
The bosses of this game are all relatively fun, and like any game, only get harder as you progress. My favourite boss in Door to Phantomile is probably Joka, a loyal henchman of Ghadius. Each fight is relatively easy to figure out in how you beat them and how each phase of their fight works. I think in terms of difficulty, Ghadius was probably the hardest for me.
There were a couple levels I wasn't too fond of, mainly 6-1 and 6-2 which both levels just felt annoying and tedious to go through, which is a shame seeing as these levels are the final stretch of the game.
Overall, Door to Phantomile is a great, fun platforming experience that I think more people should definitely experience.
2011
Terraria is a 2D sprite styled RPG and Sandbox game developed by Re-Logic. Terraria throws players to the wilds as players explore and learn how to survive against the deadly environments and creatures in the world.
I have been a huge terraria fan for like half of my life now and that's crazy to think about and I have simply never gotten bored with this game.
I love the art style. The art style has progressed over the years and Re-Logic have gone back in more recent updates to retexture items and enemies and such to make them fit the current style of Terraria and it's honestly beautiful. It's such a recognisable style that anyone can look at something from Terraria know where it's from.
This game has an incredible array of enemies. From just regular enemies to full on bosses, this game keeps you busy. Over the years that boss list has only grown and grown too to up the challenge and provide new, fun experiences. One of my personal favourite bosses is The Wall of Flesh, the boss that players must beat in order to set their world to Hardmode and progress the game.
This game is jam packed with items, some may even say that it's bursting at the seems. There are so many materials, fun items, weapons, tools, pets, mounts, accessories, blocks, armour, etc. It feels like players are always discovering something new that they haven't really messed around with in the past and that's one of the biggest benefits of this game, is finding ways to rekindle this sense of wonder in the player.
The community around this game is also really nice and I've never personally ran into any problems with the fandom that has spawned from this game. Like any fandom, I'm sure there are some bad eggs in there somewhere, but at least from my experience, the community is pretty chill.
I love the class system of this game, having different weapons, armour and accessories that suit different play styles such as melee, ranged, magic and summoner. It makes each run different, picking and choosing how you wish to complete this playthrough of Terraria.
All in all, Terraria is a game I highly recommend to anyone looking for a game they can sink hundreds of hours into.
I have been a huge terraria fan for like half of my life now and that's crazy to think about and I have simply never gotten bored with this game.
I love the art style. The art style has progressed over the years and Re-Logic have gone back in more recent updates to retexture items and enemies and such to make them fit the current style of Terraria and it's honestly beautiful. It's such a recognisable style that anyone can look at something from Terraria know where it's from.
This game has an incredible array of enemies. From just regular enemies to full on bosses, this game keeps you busy. Over the years that boss list has only grown and grown too to up the challenge and provide new, fun experiences. One of my personal favourite bosses is The Wall of Flesh, the boss that players must beat in order to set their world to Hardmode and progress the game.
This game is jam packed with items, some may even say that it's bursting at the seems. There are so many materials, fun items, weapons, tools, pets, mounts, accessories, blocks, armour, etc. It feels like players are always discovering something new that they haven't really messed around with in the past and that's one of the biggest benefits of this game, is finding ways to rekindle this sense of wonder in the player.
The community around this game is also really nice and I've never personally ran into any problems with the fandom that has spawned from this game. Like any fandom, I'm sure there are some bad eggs in there somewhere, but at least from my experience, the community is pretty chill.
I love the class system of this game, having different weapons, armour and accessories that suit different play styles such as melee, ranged, magic and summoner. It makes each run different, picking and choosing how you wish to complete this playthrough of Terraria.
All in all, Terraria is a game I highly recommend to anyone looking for a game they can sink hundreds of hours into.
2024
I loved this first chapter. It is abundantly clear how passionate the dev team is when it comes to this project. From the artwork, to the voice acting, to the entire vibe of the game. This is the devs' first real game so going into this, I was ready to cut them some slack as I wasn't expecting this to be a ground breaking masterpiece that would change the landscape of indie horror the same way Five Nights at Freddy's did.
So let's get my gripes out of the way first. Loading problems. This game can crash a decent amount and the beginning has some problems properly loading textures. I'm sure these problems will be fixed within the coming weeks, so at some point in time, this point might be entirely null. Since these are less experienced devs, the gameplay loop is pretty simple. puzzles mainly include finding an item and using it, similar to a lot of survival horror games. It's fine, but it'd be awesome to see some more variety in the future. Finally, the horror. Obviously, this is subjective, I'm sure there are people out there who did find this chapter to be decently creepy and I'm happy for you. Personally, I wasn't too creeped out by anything in particular, which I understand may just be a personal thing.
Another problem I have is that so far, it feels very much like every other mascot horror game, with sections feeling literally just like parts of other games, like the Mollie chase sequence feeling exactly like the Huggy Wuggy chase segment in Poppy Playtime Chapter 1. Now obviously, I'm expecting inspirations and I'm expecting to be able to see those inspirations, but this section just felt the exact same but instead of a tall blue monster in a vent, it's a bird monster in a soft play area. I hope future chapters will have more originality or at least put a more unique spin on things.
Now let's talk about what I love about Indigo Park.
The voice acting. The voice actors really bring their A-game to this project and the characters in which they voice, really selling each performance and leaving a smile on my face. I absolutely adore Rambley and I think he's only going to continue to be a fantastic companion character throughout the game's future. Each character has a very distinct voice, Rambley sounding very carefree and happy, Mollie sounding super excitable, Finley sounding super stoic and depressed and Lloyd having this very proud sounding voice.
One thing I loved about this game was having outdoor sections. I think it's too common that mascot horrors always tend to involve entering a building a going deeper and deeper. Since Indigo Park is a theme park, it makes a lot of sense that the between sections from attraction to attraction are outdoors which is a breath of fresh air, literally.
Passion. Passion to me is always important for devs to have for their project and the team did not hold back in cramming Indigo Park with all the love and passion their could muster. When I got to the end of the chapter and listened to Rambley's song, I had to stupidest grin on my face. If I was into it before, the song certainly grabbed me.
Overall, I'm super excited to see the future of this game and I wish the best of luck to UniqueGeese and the rest of the dev team. I do plan on rewriting this review if/when every chapter has been released.
So let's get my gripes out of the way first. Loading problems. This game can crash a decent amount and the beginning has some problems properly loading textures. I'm sure these problems will be fixed within the coming weeks, so at some point in time, this point might be entirely null. Since these are less experienced devs, the gameplay loop is pretty simple. puzzles mainly include finding an item and using it, similar to a lot of survival horror games. It's fine, but it'd be awesome to see some more variety in the future. Finally, the horror. Obviously, this is subjective, I'm sure there are people out there who did find this chapter to be decently creepy and I'm happy for you. Personally, I wasn't too creeped out by anything in particular, which I understand may just be a personal thing.
Another problem I have is that so far, it feels very much like every other mascot horror game, with sections feeling literally just like parts of other games, like the Mollie chase sequence feeling exactly like the Huggy Wuggy chase segment in Poppy Playtime Chapter 1. Now obviously, I'm expecting inspirations and I'm expecting to be able to see those inspirations, but this section just felt the exact same but instead of a tall blue monster in a vent, it's a bird monster in a soft play area. I hope future chapters will have more originality or at least put a more unique spin on things.
Now let's talk about what I love about Indigo Park.
The voice acting. The voice actors really bring their A-game to this project and the characters in which they voice, really selling each performance and leaving a smile on my face. I absolutely adore Rambley and I think he's only going to continue to be a fantastic companion character throughout the game's future. Each character has a very distinct voice, Rambley sounding very carefree and happy, Mollie sounding super excitable, Finley sounding super stoic and depressed and Lloyd having this very proud sounding voice.
One thing I loved about this game was having outdoor sections. I think it's too common that mascot horrors always tend to involve entering a building a going deeper and deeper. Since Indigo Park is a theme park, it makes a lot of sense that the between sections from attraction to attraction are outdoors which is a breath of fresh air, literally.
Passion. Passion to me is always important for devs to have for their project and the team did not hold back in cramming Indigo Park with all the love and passion their could muster. When I got to the end of the chapter and listened to Rambley's song, I had to stupidest grin on my face. If I was into it before, the song certainly grabbed me.
Overall, I'm super excited to see the future of this game and I wish the best of luck to UniqueGeese and the rest of the dev team. I do plan on rewriting this review if/when every chapter has been released.
2020
Welcome to Genshin Impact, a game that is, in my opinion, all work, no play.
Genshin Impact's primary setting is the world and continent of Teyvat, a continent made up of seven nations governed by seven Archons who all have a unique relationship with their nation. In this game you play as one of two siblings, Aether or Lumine who're ambushed by an Unknown God who splits the two of you apart, starting your journey to find your sibling.
Lemme start by saying that I don't hate this game, I just also don't feel anything particularly special towards it. This game does have things going for it, such as the characters, their interactions and the amazing artwork that the game has. It is very clear that the developers love this game and are trying to craft something genuinely enjoyable, I just have my own personal gripes with this game.
My main and biggest gripe of all being grinding. This is what I mean by all work no play. When you're not doing the story content and the mostly boring and repetitive events, you're grinding for your characters. Grinding materials to level them up, increase their max level, increase their talents, getting them artifacts to boost their stats and levelling up their weapons. To do so, you'll be doing the same repetitive domains over and over again until you have what you need. When you've fought a boss so much in a short amount of time, any impact that boss had is eventually lost completely.
I remember being amazing when I first discovered the Hypostasis or the Regisvines, but the more you grind, these otherwise cool bosses feel more like roadblocks between you and that Level 90 Wolf's Gravestone you've been working on.
It's because of this that the game starts to feel more like a chore than a game, sometimes logging onto the game JUST to grind. It upsets me because I do have an interest in the world and story, I do like the characters, but I cannot tolerate how tedious building characters in this game feels.
I hope years down the line when the game has an actual conclusion and the devs work on more side content to expand the game that it's made more fun or that grinding becomes less of a problem, but honestly, I don't see that happening.
Genshin Impact's primary setting is the world and continent of Teyvat, a continent made up of seven nations governed by seven Archons who all have a unique relationship with their nation. In this game you play as one of two siblings, Aether or Lumine who're ambushed by an Unknown God who splits the two of you apart, starting your journey to find your sibling.
Lemme start by saying that I don't hate this game, I just also don't feel anything particularly special towards it. This game does have things going for it, such as the characters, their interactions and the amazing artwork that the game has. It is very clear that the developers love this game and are trying to craft something genuinely enjoyable, I just have my own personal gripes with this game.
My main and biggest gripe of all being grinding. This is what I mean by all work no play. When you're not doing the story content and the mostly boring and repetitive events, you're grinding for your characters. Grinding materials to level them up, increase their max level, increase their talents, getting them artifacts to boost their stats and levelling up their weapons. To do so, you'll be doing the same repetitive domains over and over again until you have what you need. When you've fought a boss so much in a short amount of time, any impact that boss had is eventually lost completely.
I remember being amazing when I first discovered the Hypostasis or the Regisvines, but the more you grind, these otherwise cool bosses feel more like roadblocks between you and that Level 90 Wolf's Gravestone you've been working on.
It's because of this that the game starts to feel more like a chore than a game, sometimes logging onto the game JUST to grind. It upsets me because I do have an interest in the world and story, I do like the characters, but I cannot tolerate how tedious building characters in this game feels.
I hope years down the line when the game has an actual conclusion and the devs work on more side content to expand the game that it's made more fun or that grinding becomes less of a problem, but honestly, I don't see that happening.
2024
Psychopomp is a surreal dungeon crawling horror game where you play the role of a woman who's determined to uncover the secrets of the world using a helmet she made that allows her to see into this mysterious world with mysterious creatures.
The aesthetic of this game is both incredible and unnerving. The game has this incredibly old look to it, like it's a game that could've potentially released in the 90s or early 2000s. The environments of this game are all dark and dreary, which really add to the tension and create a lot of atmosphere, leaving the play in suspense as they never know what will claw at them from the shadows.
The story of this game isn't super direct and requires some digging and reading of documents to understand and grasp, but should you pay attention, you get a story of the world's corruption and the hope that two deities will rise and put an end to the world's misery. I won't say anything more, I highly encourage you investigate yourselves.
The gameplay is incredibly simple. Mixing old dungeon crawler elements with point and click elements. The character moves along a simple grid, which extends forwards, backwards, left and right. The player can interact with the environment in a few ways; looking at the environment, communicating with the entities, touching things in the environment and hitting things like enemies that may block your way. The combat is incredibly simple, you hit your foe until they die, no weird mechanics, just keep hitting.
As a horror game, it's not overly scary, but the the game does have an air about it that is rather uncomfortable and unpredictable, creating this very tense atmosphere because the player has no idea what to expect of the game. The only times I was personally gotten was when an enemy would make a loud noise or when an enemy would appear from the darkness.
Overall, this game is a short, sweet and simple experience that players can pick up on Steam for free and I'd recommend doing so. The game really feels like it's just the beginning of a story and severely hope that the creator does decide to continue this game.
The aesthetic of this game is both incredible and unnerving. The game has this incredibly old look to it, like it's a game that could've potentially released in the 90s or early 2000s. The environments of this game are all dark and dreary, which really add to the tension and create a lot of atmosphere, leaving the play in suspense as they never know what will claw at them from the shadows.
The story of this game isn't super direct and requires some digging and reading of documents to understand and grasp, but should you pay attention, you get a story of the world's corruption and the hope that two deities will rise and put an end to the world's misery. I won't say anything more, I highly encourage you investigate yourselves.
The gameplay is incredibly simple. Mixing old dungeon crawler elements with point and click elements. The character moves along a simple grid, which extends forwards, backwards, left and right. The player can interact with the environment in a few ways; looking at the environment, communicating with the entities, touching things in the environment and hitting things like enemies that may block your way. The combat is incredibly simple, you hit your foe until they die, no weird mechanics, just keep hitting.
As a horror game, it's not overly scary, but the the game does have an air about it that is rather uncomfortable and unpredictable, creating this very tense atmosphere because the player has no idea what to expect of the game. The only times I was personally gotten was when an enemy would make a loud noise or when an enemy would appear from the darkness.
Overall, this game is a short, sweet and simple experience that players can pick up on Steam for free and I'd recommend doing so. The game really feels like it's just the beginning of a story and severely hope that the creator does decide to continue this game.
2024
Persona 3 Reload is a modern remake of the beloved third entry into the Persona series, Persona 3. In Persona 3 you play as Makoto Yuki, a high school transferring to Gekkoukan High. One night you become aware of a mysterious phenomenon that plagues the world, a hidden hour that appears after Midnight, The Dark Hour, and when the Dark Hour strikes, that's when the Shadows come out.
Persona 3 Reload was my first full experience of Persona 3, I'd tried playing P3 FES and Portable before, but they were just too old for me to get into.
I absolutely love this game, surprisingly more than I did Persona 5 Royal, but only slightly.
Anyone familiar with Persona is going to be right at home playing this game, it feels just like the others, only more modern. For the most part, this game doesn't introduce too many new mechanics, save for the Theurgy system. Theurgy skills are a special attack that every character has that does different things. These attacks charge over the course of battle and charge faster when certain characters perform certain actions, such as Yukari healing a party member. The animations for these attacks are absolutely incredible and I personally prefer them over Persona 5 Royal's Showtime attacks.
The mystery of the Dark Hour, the 13 Shadows and the Persona Users of Strega were all very interesting mysteries to me. Learning about how the Dark Hour came to be, how it involves the other characters and what consequences we face because of the Dark Hours creation.
One of my favourite aspects of the characters in this game is that it feels like characters go through multiple arcs and aren't limited to one story line. For example, Junpei has his problem of feeling like he's not good enough for the team, he has his romance plot with Chidori and his rivalry with the main character, or Yukari's animosity towards Mitsuru and her lack of reason to fight. It feels like the cast of this game are always growing and learning and even in the end it still feels like there's much for them to learn.
Visually, this game is stunning, even better than Persona 5 was. One of the best parts is the character models which look phenomenally better than previous games.
The OST like usual is full of bangers such as Full Moon Full Life, It's Going Down Now, Changing Seasons, Memories of You, Battle Hymn of The Soul, etc.
I'm so glad this game received a remake and allowed me to experience this beautiful game in a way that appealed to me.
Persona 3 Reload was my first full experience of Persona 3, I'd tried playing P3 FES and Portable before, but they were just too old for me to get into.
I absolutely love this game, surprisingly more than I did Persona 5 Royal, but only slightly.
Anyone familiar with Persona is going to be right at home playing this game, it feels just like the others, only more modern. For the most part, this game doesn't introduce too many new mechanics, save for the Theurgy system. Theurgy skills are a special attack that every character has that does different things. These attacks charge over the course of battle and charge faster when certain characters perform certain actions, such as Yukari healing a party member. The animations for these attacks are absolutely incredible and I personally prefer them over Persona 5 Royal's Showtime attacks.
The mystery of the Dark Hour, the 13 Shadows and the Persona Users of Strega were all very interesting mysteries to me. Learning about how the Dark Hour came to be, how it involves the other characters and what consequences we face because of the Dark Hours creation.
One of my favourite aspects of the characters in this game is that it feels like characters go through multiple arcs and aren't limited to one story line. For example, Junpei has his problem of feeling like he's not good enough for the team, he has his romance plot with Chidori and his rivalry with the main character, or Yukari's animosity towards Mitsuru and her lack of reason to fight. It feels like the cast of this game are always growing and learning and even in the end it still feels like there's much for them to learn.
Visually, this game is stunning, even better than Persona 5 was. One of the best parts is the character models which look phenomenally better than previous games.
The OST like usual is full of bangers such as Full Moon Full Life, It's Going Down Now, Changing Seasons, Memories of You, Battle Hymn of The Soul, etc.
I'm so glad this game received a remake and allowed me to experience this beautiful game in a way that appealed to me.
2020
Persona 5 Strikers is a spin off sequel to Persona 5 that uses a hack and slash combat system as opposed to the Persona series' typical turn based system.
In this game you join the Phantom Thieves once again as you take a trip around Japan after a new incident has occurred in the Metaverse, causing people to lose their desires.
Hack and slash games were never something I dabbled into prior to this game, so I didn't know what to really expect, but what I found was an incredibly satisfying experience. It feels great to be faced with large hordes of enemies and watch as your attacks seem to melt through them like a hot knife through butter. Despite the new combat system, the game still keeps familiar mechanics such as Persona Fusion. Unlike the original, Persona Masks are now dropped by enemies in the middle of combat, giving you a new Persona.
The story of this game does kind of feel like "Hey, it's Persona 5! AGAIN!" but honestly, I'm okay with that. The added element of it being a road trip story with the characters balancing their summer vacation with their Phantom Thieves work makes for a really awesome and fun journey throughout the game.
This game introduces us to two new Persona Users, Sophia, an AI companion Joker, Ryuji and Morgana found in the Metaverse, as well as Zenkichi Hasegawa, a police inspector investigator looking into the new Metaverse related incidents. I love both of these characters, their interactions with not only each other but the original Phantom Thieves flow so nicely and they really become one with the group.
If I had to criticise anything about this game, it'd be the unfortunate fact of this game being developed at the same time as Persona 5 Royal, meaning none of the Royal content is referenced within the game. It would've been nice to potentially have a DLC story to bring in Sumire and Akechi.
In this game you join the Phantom Thieves once again as you take a trip around Japan after a new incident has occurred in the Metaverse, causing people to lose their desires.
Hack and slash games were never something I dabbled into prior to this game, so I didn't know what to really expect, but what I found was an incredibly satisfying experience. It feels great to be faced with large hordes of enemies and watch as your attacks seem to melt through them like a hot knife through butter. Despite the new combat system, the game still keeps familiar mechanics such as Persona Fusion. Unlike the original, Persona Masks are now dropped by enemies in the middle of combat, giving you a new Persona.
The story of this game does kind of feel like "Hey, it's Persona 5! AGAIN!" but honestly, I'm okay with that. The added element of it being a road trip story with the characters balancing their summer vacation with their Phantom Thieves work makes for a really awesome and fun journey throughout the game.
This game introduces us to two new Persona Users, Sophia, an AI companion Joker, Ryuji and Morgana found in the Metaverse, as well as Zenkichi Hasegawa, a police inspector investigator looking into the new Metaverse related incidents. I love both of these characters, their interactions with not only each other but the original Phantom Thieves flow so nicely and they really become one with the group.
If I had to criticise anything about this game, it'd be the unfortunate fact of this game being developed at the same time as Persona 5 Royal, meaning none of the Royal content is referenced within the game. It would've been nice to potentially have a DLC story to bring in Sumire and Akechi.
2019
Persona 5 and Persona 5 Royal are the story of a ragtag bunch of high schoolers combating societies corruption using the power of their Personas, physical manifestations of their rebellious will to help those in need.
I got into Persona 5 originally in 2017 after finding out that Persona games weren't one continuous story. When I found out Persona 5 was getting an expanded version with extra content and story, I was beyond excited.
Persona 5 is already a brilliant game in both story and gameplay, but the royal additions only enhance it further. The addition of new Personas, new palace mechanics such as the will seeds, new Ultimate Personas, etc. All these new additions only served to enhance an already incredible experience that I will never forget.
The story is pretty much the same, except for a few additional scenes, plus the additional Third Semester arc set after the original final boss of the game. The final boss of the Third Semester rains to be one of my favourite antagonists of all time, even after all these years. His story and journey mean so much to me.
I got into Persona 5 originally in 2017 after finding out that Persona games weren't one continuous story. When I found out Persona 5 was getting an expanded version with extra content and story, I was beyond excited.
Persona 5 is already a brilliant game in both story and gameplay, but the royal additions only enhance it further. The addition of new Personas, new palace mechanics such as the will seeds, new Ultimate Personas, etc. All these new additions only served to enhance an already incredible experience that I will never forget.
The story is pretty much the same, except for a few additional scenes, plus the additional Third Semester arc set after the original final boss of the game. The final boss of the Third Semester rains to be one of my favourite antagonists of all time, even after all these years. His story and journey mean so much to me.
Bendy: Secrets of the Machine isn't as much of a game as it is an interactive experience. This game serves as both set up for future storylines and also a place where announcements are made, as it's this game that revealed to us Bendy: The Silent City and Bendy 3, also giving us a teaser for the next Bendy game, Bendy: The Cage.
I think a lot of people went into this game expecting a full length, proper Bendy game completely for free and that's just not what this game is meant to be at all.
I think this experience was a wonderful idea and brought so many fans together to figure out all the mysteries and see if we can find everything there is to experience within this inky realm.
I think a lot of people went into this game expecting a full length, proper Bendy game completely for free and that's just not what this game is meant to be at all.
I think this experience was a wonderful idea and brought so many fans together to figure out all the mysteries and see if we can find everything there is to experience within this inky realm.
Bendy and The Dark Revival is the sequel to the ever popular mascot horror, Bendy and The Ink Machine. In this game you play as Audrey, an animator at Arch Gate Studios who thanks to the creepy janitor Wilson, finds herself sucked into the inky abyss players will be familiar with.
This game is an absolute improvement over the first game in every single way and I mean it. There is nothing about this game that I believe is worse than the original.
This game keeps the same style as the original, but also enhances it, which is to be expected by a newer release. The style was the only part of the original that I liked, so seeing it return and be even better than before was comforting.
The gameplay in this game, while still simple, is more fun to do. Alongside just hitting things, players now have access to stealth mechanics such as sneaking and stealth kills. Plays now have access to this warp dash ability that helps that cross large gaps which is important in some puzzles and accessing certain areas. Players also have the ability to upgrade these abilities as they see fit.
From the very beginning, the story of this game felt a lot more direct and important than it did in the first game and I'm happy with that because I felt noticeably more interested in the events of this game than I did with the first one.
The voice work in this game is better in my opinion, my favourites being Erin Lehn as Audrey and Sean Crisden as The Ink Demon.
This formula still has some polish left to go, but I'm excited to see what Joey Drew Studios have planned for Bendy 3.
This game is an absolute improvement over the first game in every single way and I mean it. There is nothing about this game that I believe is worse than the original.
This game keeps the same style as the original, but also enhances it, which is to be expected by a newer release. The style was the only part of the original that I liked, so seeing it return and be even better than before was comforting.
The gameplay in this game, while still simple, is more fun to do. Alongside just hitting things, players now have access to stealth mechanics such as sneaking and stealth kills. Plays now have access to this warp dash ability that helps that cross large gaps which is important in some puzzles and accessing certain areas. Players also have the ability to upgrade these abilities as they see fit.
From the very beginning, the story of this game felt a lot more direct and important than it did in the first game and I'm happy with that because I felt noticeably more interested in the events of this game than I did with the first one.
The voice work in this game is better in my opinion, my favourites being Erin Lehn as Audrey and Sean Crisden as The Ink Demon.
This formula still has some polish left to go, but I'm excited to see what Joey Drew Studios have planned for Bendy 3.