If you, like me, have always admired speedrunning from a distance and maybe wanted to try it out yourself, this game is a must play. To say nothing of its actual gameplay, the integrated leaderboard, medal system, and level hints all work incredibly well to drive the player's sense of improvement and optimization.

On the gameplay itself, I think it's conceptually genius and executed near flawlessly. The levels are short and relatively simple, but act as the perfect playground for experimentation. They're all designed with an "intended" route, but lack any constraints and actively encourage you to find another, faster way. There's almost no clutter or visual noise in these levels to distract from the goal, and every stage works near perfectly to get you into a nice flow state. The game also knows when to slow down, coming to a halt at the end of every level, and splitting up groups of stages with its visual novel storytelling. This went miles in keeping me from burning out on the gameplay.

What stood out most to me was the way it feels to play this game, in a mechanical and tactile way. The level of polish is immaculate, and you can tell it was built from the ground up to be a speed game. The character is floaty, but moves at a consistent speed in all directions, unless boosted in some way. However, all of these movement options are either a visible part of the level, or a tangible resource, leaving no room for confusion on what you're capable of at any moment. On his own, White only runs and jumps, and there's no long jumps or sprints to complicate the act of just moving forward.

Aesthetically, I think the game keeps things relatively simple and benefits greatly from it. The environments and characters look just as polished as the game feels, while retaining plenty of detail and personality. The story and dialogue is cheesy and self-indulgent, packed full of tropes that some might find obnoxious. I never had an issue with them, as I think that level of cheese is nice every once in a while. The soundtrack speaks for itself. Absolutely perfect compliment to the gameplay.

If you like going fast, give this one a shot.

Easily the most fun and creative tactical FPS I've played in recent years. Really makes me sad this game couldn't retain a solid amount of players. The game sits perfectly in the space between "I need to coordinate with my team like I'm competing for money." and "Let's just fuck around and send five guys and three grenades through the same door." The limited resources between rounds adds another layer to the game, unique from the economy system of games like Counter-Strike and VALORANT. Perhaps one day this game will get the love it deserves.

For me, Muse Dash was the perfect gateway drug into the world of rhythm games. I'd always admired from afar, but seeing my own less than impressive gameplay drove me away for a long time. This game is pretty cheap, and the initial selection of songs is quite nice (Bonus points for Say! Fanfare!), so there's quite a bit to do without buying the DLC.

What kept me around this time was the plentiful rewards the game gives in the form of characters, companions, and illustrations. This tangible form of progression, along with the need to unlock most of the catalog, kept me distracted from my own performance and focused on a secondary goal. My tendency to stick with just a few songs I know wasn't even possible, and I was forced to play the medium difficulty before I could embarrass myself on the harder songs. All of this led to a very easy time getting over my first few difficulty spikes, and getting into the more intermediate charts.

I can't say for sure how well this style would work for you, but for only 3 dollars, I'd encourage you to give this game a try (If you can get past the overall aesthetic).