Tony_Hotdog
2024
Initial Impression after 15 hours:
Gameplay: 4.0
Story: 0.5
Aesthetics: 2.5
X-Factor: 4.0
Overall: 2.75
TLDR: combat is good, everything else is tolerable to terrible. (I did not play DD1)
Gameplay: Combat is amazing. Vocations feel unique, and coordinating with pawns is refreshing and fun. Enemy designs are carried enough and interesting. Lacking universal combat options like dodge or block was odd at first, but it may be a decision I end up liking. Besides combat... well nothing works for me. Exploration feels terrible; wander for 2 hours and you will come across goblins, goblins, and more goblins. Seriously, how many times can I save a pawn for useless, uninteresting dialogue and have it still be fun or interesting? About 5 times. How many times will this happen wondering for 5 minutes? About 5 times. Loot gains from exploration are uninteresting.
Missions: the focus on missions without huge signposting is interesting and fun. However, designing quests this way is a huge risk and requires tight gameplay. I do not believe they pulled them off at all. Taking the quest where you explore the village at the edge of the map: I was told to try doing what I caught someone doing to me (following/tailing me). And so I did. I wandered around town for about 20 minutes, waiting for anyone to significantly move. Eventually, at night, a group of 4 people start moving up the trail and eventually climb down a ladder in the woods. Lo and behold the ladder is the secret entrance to the cave I needed to get into. Okay, that's all well and good... however, all 4 people were just idling standing at the bottom of the stairs. None reacted to me climbing down, none reacted when I talked to them. I followed them to their secret hideout and it was just boring and janky. Get to the end of some rudimentary platforming and I am rewarded with uninteresting dialogue and awkward NPC clapping cycles. The ambiguity and open nature of the quest did not save the quest from poor design, presentation, or story.
Story: I have not completed the game and still think I am not even at the halfway point in the story (hopefully). However, it feels like a very generic fantasy/chosen-one story with a lacking presentation. The open cutscene is maybe the most interesting part thus far, and it almost put me to sleep. Blocking is extremely boring. While the story and characters are not the focus of the game, my only motivation to continue to play is simply for the combat, which is not a large enough driving factor for me. Skyrim has better characters and dialogue than any part of DD2, which is a fairly low bar. I'd do anything to have a someone in DD2 have the tenth of the charm a skyrim character has.
Aesthetics: game's graphics are serviceable, monster designs are A+, character creation is A+, but the presentation of the story and dialogue are an F. The zoom in close up of a poorly lip synced dialogue line that is uninteresting should have been left in 2012.
X-Factor: Combat against large monsters and Pawn system. These are good and the only reason to play DD2. The Pawns themselves are utterly uninteresting and never have dialogue that is worth listening to, but that's the trade off of having summonable NPC's from other players. I wish they had more unique dialogue for different sets of personalities, so by hour 3 I haven't heard all their generic phrases, but what can ya do.
Overall: combat is good, while story, exploration, characters, and presentation are extremely subpar. I will attempt to finish the game and hopefully the story picks up in the latter half.
Gameplay: 4.0
Story: 0.5
Aesthetics: 2.5
X-Factor: 4.0
Overall: 2.75
TLDR: combat is good, everything else is tolerable to terrible. (I did not play DD1)
Gameplay: Combat is amazing. Vocations feel unique, and coordinating with pawns is refreshing and fun. Enemy designs are carried enough and interesting. Lacking universal combat options like dodge or block was odd at first, but it may be a decision I end up liking. Besides combat... well nothing works for me. Exploration feels terrible; wander for 2 hours and you will come across goblins, goblins, and more goblins. Seriously, how many times can I save a pawn for useless, uninteresting dialogue and have it still be fun or interesting? About 5 times. How many times will this happen wondering for 5 minutes? About 5 times. Loot gains from exploration are uninteresting.
Missions: the focus on missions without huge signposting is interesting and fun. However, designing quests this way is a huge risk and requires tight gameplay. I do not believe they pulled them off at all. Taking the quest where you explore the village at the edge of the map: I was told to try doing what I caught someone doing to me (following/tailing me). And so I did. I wandered around town for about 20 minutes, waiting for anyone to significantly move. Eventually, at night, a group of 4 people start moving up the trail and eventually climb down a ladder in the woods. Lo and behold the ladder is the secret entrance to the cave I needed to get into. Okay, that's all well and good... however, all 4 people were just idling standing at the bottom of the stairs. None reacted to me climbing down, none reacted when I talked to them. I followed them to their secret hideout and it was just boring and janky. Get to the end of some rudimentary platforming and I am rewarded with uninteresting dialogue and awkward NPC clapping cycles. The ambiguity and open nature of the quest did not save the quest from poor design, presentation, or story.
Story: I have not completed the game and still think I am not even at the halfway point in the story (hopefully). However, it feels like a very generic fantasy/chosen-one story with a lacking presentation. The open cutscene is maybe the most interesting part thus far, and it almost put me to sleep. Blocking is extremely boring. While the story and characters are not the focus of the game, my only motivation to continue to play is simply for the combat, which is not a large enough driving factor for me. Skyrim has better characters and dialogue than any part of DD2, which is a fairly low bar. I'd do anything to have a someone in DD2 have the tenth of the charm a skyrim character has.
Aesthetics: game's graphics are serviceable, monster designs are A+, character creation is A+, but the presentation of the story and dialogue are an F. The zoom in close up of a poorly lip synced dialogue line that is uninteresting should have been left in 2012.
X-Factor: Combat against large monsters and Pawn system. These are good and the only reason to play DD2. The Pawns themselves are utterly uninteresting and never have dialogue that is worth listening to, but that's the trade off of having summonable NPC's from other players. I wish they had more unique dialogue for different sets of personalities, so by hour 3 I haven't heard all their generic phrases, but what can ya do.
Overall: combat is good, while story, exploration, characters, and presentation are extremely subpar. I will attempt to finish the game and hopefully the story picks up in the latter half.
Initial impression after 20 hours:
Gameplay: 5
Aesthetics: 4.5
Online Co-op play: 4
Online Economy: 3.5
Story: 2.5
Amazing game. One of the most fun experiences I’ve had in awhile. I do not like shooters. I do not like online multiplayer games often. Helldivers 2 slaps despite all that. If the mission incentives are redesigned to stop players from farming and focus more on team play, while also adding more content for players to continuously unlock, this game could be a solid 10/10. First GOTY contender of 2024.
Gameplay: 5
Aesthetics: 4.5
Online Co-op play: 4
Online Economy: 3.5
Story: 2.5
Amazing game. One of the most fun experiences I’ve had in awhile. I do not like shooters. I do not like online multiplayer games often. Helldivers 2 slaps despite all that. If the mission incentives are redesigned to stop players from farming and focus more on team play, while also adding more content for players to continuously unlock, this game could be a solid 10/10. First GOTY contender of 2024.
2024
Narrative/writing: 1.0
Gameplay:
Graphics: 2.5
Gameplay:
Graphics: 2.5
2023
Initial impression, 10 hours in
Great writing, amazing style. Could be in my top 10 favorites if the quality continues and story pms out
Great writing, amazing style. Could be in my top 10 favorites if the quality continues and story pms out
2022
(Incomplete, 20 hours in)
Narrative: 2.5
- Serviceable, light, is consistent and always providing things to do. Overall uninteresting but serviceable for the gameplay and aesthetics
Graphics: 4.5
- The best pet of the game is the presentation and the short cutscenes that are beautifully animated. However, unique animations are often replayed and the pacing of new animations slows while you progress
Gameplay: 3
- combat, fishing, serving, and farming are all engaging enough. No single component is fantastic or worth playing by itself, but the pacing and changing aspect of the gameplay keeps each fresh so far.
X-Factor: 4
- The are fishing games, farming games, resource management games, exploration games, etc.. One of the best parts of Dave the Diver is giving you small samples of each without requiring too much in any one style of gameplay
Overall: 3.5
- A very well polished experience with great production value. The game unfortunatly feels to have terrible pacing with the hand holding of the story and quests—I am 15-20 hours in but still feel as if I’m in the tutorial and every player decision is preplaned. The game is far too linear for my liking; the constant interruptions and hand holding make it difficult to just play as a casual game for me
Narrative: 2.5
- Serviceable, light, is consistent and always providing things to do. Overall uninteresting but serviceable for the gameplay and aesthetics
Graphics: 4.5
- The best pet of the game is the presentation and the short cutscenes that are beautifully animated. However, unique animations are often replayed and the pacing of new animations slows while you progress
Gameplay: 3
- combat, fishing, serving, and farming are all engaging enough. No single component is fantastic or worth playing by itself, but the pacing and changing aspect of the gameplay keeps each fresh so far.
X-Factor: 4
- The are fishing games, farming games, resource management games, exploration games, etc.. One of the best parts of Dave the Diver is giving you small samples of each without requiring too much in any one style of gameplay
Overall: 3.5
- A very well polished experience with great production value. The game unfortunatly feels to have terrible pacing with the hand holding of the story and quests—I am 15-20 hours in but still feel as if I’m in the tutorial and every player decision is preplaned. The game is far too linear for my liking; the constant interruptions and hand holding make it difficult to just play as a casual game for me
2011
The facial expression mechanic feels so vague, the lie vs doubt mechanics feel very ambiguous. A guy just told me "you just shot Mr. Jimmy!" when I had just talked to Jimmy 20 minutes ago at a different location and he was an old, fat, white guy not a gang banger. But I can't simply say "no I didn't, I know Jimmy and know what he looks like" I have to try and discern what vague piece of evidence possibly could prove them wrong. It also feels weird having to prove to people I'm arresting and justifying to them the arrest, otherwise I lose. I also hate Rockstar Games generally; they all feel exceedingly clunky and tedious to play, LA Noire even more so due to it's age. I can feeel the game that people love in there, but it just is not for me. Also the whole veteran/cop angle with a pretty accurate portrayl of the times is not something I enjoy playing--I do not enjoy playing as an old-timey cop who threatens civilians, uses racial slurs, threatens false accusations, and has inappropriate/illegal interview tactics. Again, this game feels very dated and I am not in the targeted demographic. If I was a 17 year old junior ROTC prospect from the midwest who loves fedoras, this game would slap.
2023
Overview: 4.5 (95/100)
- Small Saga is a beautiful pixel art, turn-based RPG where you play as a ragtag team of misfit rodents in a world where humans are gods, cats are titans, and palpable passion has gone into every nook and cranny.
Gameplay: 4
- Smooth and satisfying but lacking much depth or difficulty. The combat is a double-edged sword (a two pointed needle?). On the one hand, combat is overall very easy for those with those familiar with action economy, turn-based combat basics etc.. On the other, I think the style of combat suited the game. The combat does not seem to be the focus and reminds me of the purpose of the combat in Lisa--while not difficult, the combat is the tool through which the great characters and visuals are developed. I'm not playing Small Saga for the in-depth tactical systems, I'm playing for the aesthetics, writing, and characters. If the game was solely the combat mechanics without the added charm of the rest of the game, it would be more of a serviceable 3-3.5. But as the tool through which the stronger elements are able to shine, the combat/gameplay is great. The overall length of the game was a strong point for this as well--while not complicated, new tools were constantly being added (once again tying into the story) that kept the combat from tedious. The fact that combat is not required to grind exp is also greatly appreciated (the developer seemed to be keenly focused and aware of the strengths of the game. They did not attempt to provide something too large or grand in the systems).
Narrative: 4.5
- While the overarching story is not anything new, the setting and moment-to-moment writing ooze charm that makes the characters and narrative the highlight of the game. I found myself laughing out loud or with a silly grin on my face throughout the whole game. This odd mixture of current cultural influences with nostalgic elements from old-school RPGs was something entirely new to me.
Visuals: 4.5
- Great pixel art and animations. While not to the current top-end standards of fully funded pixel art games like Sea of Stars or Octopath, Small Saga has a more crunchy quality while maintaining great animations to capture the essence of each character. The set pieces of each kingdom and the main town of Muridia itself were an absolute joy to explore. Having played Tears of the Kingdom and a new Pokemon Title this year, I cannot express how refreshing Muridia was in comparison. Are you telling me a single developer was able to put more love and care into the details and world-building than these massively funded franchises? Outstanding work. I talked to every NPC more than 3 times just to make sure I did not miss a single new development. This isn't even related to the visuals, this game is so good and refreshing I'm just ranting. Final note, the idle hand animation for Gwen during combat is superb.
X-Factor: 5.0
- If you've read the rest, I don't know if I need to say anything here. Small Saga is a beautiful pixel art, turn-based RPG where you play as a ragtag team of misfit rodents in a world where humans are gods, cats are titans, and palpable passion has gone into every nook and cranny.
Overall: 4.5 (95/100)
- Small Saga is a beautiful pixel art, turn-based RPG where you play as a ragtag team of misfit rodents in a world where humans are gods, cats are titans, and palpable passion has gone into every nook and cranny.
Gameplay: 4
- Smooth and satisfying but lacking much depth or difficulty. The combat is a double-edged sword (a two pointed needle?). On the one hand, combat is overall very easy for those with those familiar with action economy, turn-based combat basics etc.. On the other, I think the style of combat suited the game. The combat does not seem to be the focus and reminds me of the purpose of the combat in Lisa--while not difficult, the combat is the tool through which the great characters and visuals are developed. I'm not playing Small Saga for the in-depth tactical systems, I'm playing for the aesthetics, writing, and characters. If the game was solely the combat mechanics without the added charm of the rest of the game, it would be more of a serviceable 3-3.5. But as the tool through which the stronger elements are able to shine, the combat/gameplay is great. The overall length of the game was a strong point for this as well--while not complicated, new tools were constantly being added (once again tying into the story) that kept the combat from tedious. The fact that combat is not required to grind exp is also greatly appreciated (the developer seemed to be keenly focused and aware of the strengths of the game. They did not attempt to provide something too large or grand in the systems).
Narrative: 4.5
- While the overarching story is not anything new, the setting and moment-to-moment writing ooze charm that makes the characters and narrative the highlight of the game. I found myself laughing out loud or with a silly grin on my face throughout the whole game. This odd mixture of current cultural influences with nostalgic elements from old-school RPGs was something entirely new to me.
Visuals: 4.5
- Great pixel art and animations. While not to the current top-end standards of fully funded pixel art games like Sea of Stars or Octopath, Small Saga has a more crunchy quality while maintaining great animations to capture the essence of each character. The set pieces of each kingdom and the main town of Muridia itself were an absolute joy to explore. Having played Tears of the Kingdom and a new Pokemon Title this year, I cannot express how refreshing Muridia was in comparison. Are you telling me a single developer was able to put more love and care into the details and world-building than these massively funded franchises? Outstanding work. I talked to every NPC more than 3 times just to make sure I did not miss a single new development. This isn't even related to the visuals, this game is so good and refreshing I'm just ranting. Final note, the idle hand animation for Gwen during combat is superb.
X-Factor: 5.0
- If you've read the rest, I don't know if I need to say anything here. Small Saga is a beautiful pixel art, turn-based RPG where you play as a ragtag team of misfit rodents in a world where humans are gods, cats are titans, and palpable passion has gone into every nook and cranny.
Overall: 4.5 (95/100)
2023
Narrative: 4
- interesting enough to draw me in and keep playing till the end. The actual substance isn't crazy, but goes beyond just serving it's purpose
Visuals: 4
- I did not enjoy the visuals at first, but the charm grew on me as the characters are all charismatic
Gameplay: 3.5
- visual novels are inherently low, but the voice acting and witty writing made my time enjoyable
X-Factor: 3.5
- The less you know the better, but you'll quickly identify the schtick of the game. It is interesting, but something entirely new
Overall: 4
- Very enjoyable, well worht it's price, especially on sale. Not quite a horror game if that's what you are looking for. If you want an interesting horror adjacent visual novel, 100% try it out
- interesting enough to draw me in and keep playing till the end. The actual substance isn't crazy, but goes beyond just serving it's purpose
Visuals: 4
- I did not enjoy the visuals at first, but the charm grew on me as the characters are all charismatic
Gameplay: 3.5
- visual novels are inherently low, but the voice acting and witty writing made my time enjoyable
X-Factor: 3.5
- The less you know the better, but you'll quickly identify the schtick of the game. It is interesting, but something entirely new
Overall: 4
- Very enjoyable, well worht it's price, especially on sale. Not quite a horror game if that's what you are looking for. If you want an interesting horror adjacent visual novel, 100% try it out
Gameplay: 0.5
Narrative: 4.5
Visuals: 3.0
X-Factor: 5.0
Overall:
Narrative: 4.5
Visuals: 3.0
X-Factor: 5.0
Overall:
2021
Impressions after 40 hours, 2 bosses in:
Gameplay: 4.5
Narrative: 2.5
Visuals: 4.0
X-Factor: 3.0
Overall: 3.5
One of the better survival games I have played (although I have not played too many). Played solo; the grind after the second boss increases such that I do not want to continue till 1.0 release or if I play with friends. The visuals are beautiful, the gameplay scratches that survival itch, and the base building is satisfying. The combat is a little rudimentary, but thats fine by me.
While I will not finish this game solo, it was a good experience well worth the asking price (especially so on sale).
Gameplay: 4.5
Narrative: 2.5
Visuals: 4.0
X-Factor: 3.0
Overall: 3.5
One of the better survival games I have played (although I have not played too many). Played solo; the grind after the second boss increases such that I do not want to continue till 1.0 release or if I play with friends. The visuals are beautiful, the gameplay scratches that survival itch, and the base building is satisfying. The combat is a little rudimentary, but thats fine by me.
While I will not finish this game solo, it was a good experience well worth the asking price (especially so on sale).
Gameplay: 4
Narrative: 3
Visuals: 4
X-Factor: 5
Overall: 4
A good addition to the Fromsoft catalog. While fairly niche, I enjoyed my time on a first playthrough and will play at least one more time through.
If the missions were increased in length, the variety was increased, and around 3-4 more bosses like the sea spider and Balteus were added to the game, then the gameplay would be a 5/5. The game's combat is overall very nice, but the environments are pretty ugly and have an inconsistent sense of scale that does affect my enjoyment of the mech. The story is serviceable, slightly interesting, and is told only in comms after the short missions. They did about as good of a job with that format as they could have.
While AC VI is not a groundbreaking game, it was a fun experience that has guaranteed that I will play any future title in the series. The room for improvement is huge on an already great game, that says a lot.
Narrative: 3
Visuals: 4
X-Factor: 5
Overall: 4
A good addition to the Fromsoft catalog. While fairly niche, I enjoyed my time on a first playthrough and will play at least one more time through.
If the missions were increased in length, the variety was increased, and around 3-4 more bosses like the sea spider and Balteus were added to the game, then the gameplay would be a 5/5. The game's combat is overall very nice, but the environments are pretty ugly and have an inconsistent sense of scale that does affect my enjoyment of the mech. The story is serviceable, slightly interesting, and is told only in comms after the short missions. They did about as good of a job with that format as they could have.
While AC VI is not a groundbreaking game, it was a fun experience that has guaranteed that I will play any future title in the series. The room for improvement is huge on an already great game, that says a lot.
Narrative: 4.5
Gameplay: 3.5
Aesthetics: 4.5
X-Factor: 4.5
Overall: 4.25
The story and characters get progressively better and more interesting, which is very surprising. For sure a recommended play if you are interested at all in the art or at the thought of making your own tarot cards. My 54th favorite game at the time of writing, full list here: https://www.backloggd.com/u/Tony_Hotdog/list/favorite-games/
Gameplay: 3.5
Aesthetics: 4.5
X-Factor: 4.5
Overall: 4.25
The story and characters get progressively better and more interesting, which is very surprising. For sure a recommended play if you are interested at all in the art or at the thought of making your own tarot cards. My 54th favorite game at the time of writing, full list here: https://www.backloggd.com/u/Tony_Hotdog/list/favorite-games/
2019
Narrative: 3
Gameplay: 3.5
Visuals: 4
X-factor: 4
Overall: 3.5
Gameplay: 3.5
Visuals: 4
X-factor: 4
Overall: 3.5
Little Nightmares Polish Cousin
Narrative: 2.5
Gameplay: 2.5
Visuals: 3.5
X-Factor: 3
Overall: 3.0
Narrative: 2.5
Gameplay: 2.5
Visuals: 3.5
X-Factor: 3
Overall: 3.0
2020
Updated Having Completed the Game, 500+ hours across multiple playthroughs:
Narrative: 5.0
Gameplay: 5.0
Visuals: 5.0
X-Factor: 5.0
Overall: 5.0
This is unquestionably my favorite game now. It feels bad saying so as I ahve such nostalgia for other games, but this is close to perfection for me. I wish I had a better PC for performance, and the final third act of the game has some issues with reactivity and could be improved, but beyond that this game is perfect. I have spent 500 hours and will likely spend around 100-150 more to finish a second and third playthrough. Do yourself the favor and play if you are interested in the slightest.
Early Access:
Narrative: 4.5
Gameplay: 4.5
Visuals: 4.5
X-Factor: 4.5
Overall: 4.5
If this game continues the quality it shows in early access it may be my favorite game of all time
Narrative: 5.0
Gameplay: 5.0
Visuals: 5.0
X-Factor: 5.0
Overall: 5.0
This is unquestionably my favorite game now. It feels bad saying so as I ahve such nostalgia for other games, but this is close to perfection for me. I wish I had a better PC for performance, and the final third act of the game has some issues with reactivity and could be improved, but beyond that this game is perfect. I have spent 500 hours and will likely spend around 100-150 more to finish a second and third playthrough. Do yourself the favor and play if you are interested in the slightest.
Early Access:
Narrative: 4.5
Gameplay: 4.5
Visuals: 4.5
X-Factor: 4.5
Overall: 4.5
If this game continues the quality it shows in early access it may be my favorite game of all time