2023
i think i've gotten to the "bad ending", and have no clue how to go about finding the "good ending". sadly this game seems to have a small player base (yesterday the 24hr peak was two players), so not a lot of forum posts, walkthroughs, let's plays, etc. are available online to provide guidance.
game is neat, and i don't terribly mind the concept of repeating content on future cycles (it is fun to demonstrate mastery of the progression - what took me 10hrs initially to complete takes me only an hour now). but that doesn't mean i don't find some parts tedious - i'm looking at you, Red Tomb!
add into that some overall jankiness - e.g. sometimes you can cast a spell and it won't work, but you move five pixels to the left and it works - and you get a game that is good but falls short of great, imo. something like Void Stranger has a similar vibe but hits a bit stronger for me.
still, i hope more people check it out, if for no other reason than to increase the conversation online (and ergo the number of hints that are shared online!).
game is neat, and i don't terribly mind the concept of repeating content on future cycles (it is fun to demonstrate mastery of the progression - what took me 10hrs initially to complete takes me only an hour now). but that doesn't mean i don't find some parts tedious - i'm looking at you, Red Tomb!
add into that some overall jankiness - e.g. sometimes you can cast a spell and it won't work, but you move five pixels to the left and it works - and you get a game that is good but falls short of great, imo. something like Void Stranger has a similar vibe but hits a bit stronger for me.
still, i hope more people check it out, if for no other reason than to increase the conversation online (and ergo the number of hints that are shared online!).
2017
played on iOS, during a convention, with no sound.
started really strong! the later puzzles that required more reflex reactions were a bit more annoying given the mobile form factor and the way i was playing (i.e. when standing in line).
i'm sure the audio would have enhanced the experience even further, but alas i missed out on that.
would recommend for folks looking for a casual puzzle game :)
started really strong! the later puzzles that required more reflex reactions were a bit more annoying given the mobile form factor and the way i was playing (i.e. when standing in line).
i'm sure the audio would have enhanced the experience even further, but alas i missed out on that.
would recommend for folks looking for a casual puzzle game :)
2024
caught all pals but four (all the level 50 alpha pals) and beat all towers but the last one. took somewhere between 80-100hrs (PC game pass doesn't track). really janky but so much fun to play with my wife.
2015
there was a lot i liked about this relative to the first two games, for example it feels like the production value was a lot higher.
however, while many of the concepts attempted here were good in theory, i feel they were poor in execution. for example, the hidden puzzles that unlock the additional endings should have been cool and been a good reward for observant/determined players, instead it was tedious because i had to slowly move between rooms of the grey room and tap on things until i found stuff that was interactable, and repeat this until i found the correct parts. i resigned myself to using a guide after a while because it was just taking so much time to move between scenes.
however, while many of the concepts attempted here were good in theory, i feel they were poor in execution. for example, the hidden puzzles that unlock the additional endings should have been cool and been a good reward for observant/determined players, instead it was tedious because i had to slowly move between rooms of the grey room and tap on things until i found stuff that was interactable, and repeat this until i found the correct parts. i resigned myself to using a guide after a while because it was just taking so much time to move between scenes.
2009
wanted to love this more than I did. the setting is so evocative. everything is undercut by the mid-2000’s time gated F2P mechanics.
of course, I can’t expect to play a game this dense for free, and I did pay the $9 subscription for a month, but content is still time gated with the sub, you just get double energy. never have I played a game that didn’t want to be played quite like this one.
had to tap out when I advanced my ambition storyline to the point where I was just grinding for resources and not even reading the prompts.
I am grateful to this game though, for introducing me to the other offerings from Failbetter and Weather Factory!
of course, I can’t expect to play a game this dense for free, and I did pay the $9 subscription for a month, but content is still time gated with the sub, you just get double energy. never have I played a game that didn’t want to be played quite like this one.
had to tap out when I advanced my ambition storyline to the point where I was just grinding for resources and not even reading the prompts.
I am grateful to this game though, for introducing me to the other offerings from Failbetter and Weather Factory!
this is for the No Return mode. I unlocked all the characters but stopped short of unlocking all the bosses. I love the gameplay in the base game but found the loop here shallow and hollow. I tried customizing it to exclude the modes I didn’t enjoy, which improved it a little for me, but ultimately there was just no pull for me to continue.
2019
leading up to the "bad ending" was a 4-4.5. painfully scouring the map for the "good ending" for the remainder of the experience was a 2.5-3.
1999
i am playing this game as "homework" for the oncoming wave of Thief-likes coming from the indie scene (particularly Blood West and Gloomwood, but i do intend to also attempt the recently released Filcher as well).
it's incredible what this game achieved in 1998, and a lot of the concepts feel modern even today.
that said, 15-20% of this game is just flat out bad, and it's hard to overlook that stuff when considering the game as a whole. the quality of the missions is pretty inconsistent, all of the combat is weak, but for me it was how esoteric some of the missions were that broke my spirit the most.
still, i don't regret my 30hrs with the game. it provides me with some cool perspective with which to revisit the Dishonored for like the 10th time. but Thief was fun not just as a piece of history, but in its own right too - despite my frustrations, this game had really high peaks that are worth experiencing.
it's incredible what this game achieved in 1998, and a lot of the concepts feel modern even today.
that said, 15-20% of this game is just flat out bad, and it's hard to overlook that stuff when considering the game as a whole. the quality of the missions is pretty inconsistent, all of the combat is weak, but for me it was how esoteric some of the missions were that broke my spirit the most.
still, i don't regret my 30hrs with the game. it provides me with some cool perspective with which to revisit the Dishonored for like the 10th time. but Thief was fun not just as a piece of history, but in its own right too - despite my frustrations, this game had really high peaks that are worth experiencing.
2001
gamebreaking bug at the end of act1, had to abandon it.
aside from that, it's bizarre how this game both does and doesn't hold up. i guess it just feels cool? the shooting and even the bullet time have aged, but it almost doesn't matter.
wish i could have gotten through more of the game. going to watch the story on YT and move onto MP2.
aside from that, it's bizarre how this game both does and doesn't hold up. i guess it just feels cool? the shooting and even the bullet time have aged, but it almost doesn't matter.
wish i could have gotten through more of the game. going to watch the story on YT and move onto MP2.
2022
This review contains spoilers
a very fascinating game.
most folks will talk about that mechanic and whether it should be more explicit. it takes some courage to risk excluding players like that, but other series get praised for having the same design philosophy (e.g. Dark Souls). the moment i discovered it on my own was one of my most memorable experiences in gaming from the past few years, so for me personally, it was worth it.
there are essentially three storylines going on in parallel here, and i found them compelling for the most part. i know there will be others who will get pleasure from dissecting this as a "piece of art" - that is to say, the story actually has something to say, and is filled with motifs and themes.
for me, i think most of my joy just came from figuring out where they intertwined. it's not "exploration" in the typical game sense, but it scratched that same type of itch for me.
most folks will talk about that mechanic and whether it should be more explicit. it takes some courage to risk excluding players like that, but other series get praised for having the same design philosophy (e.g. Dark Souls). the moment i discovered it on my own was one of my most memorable experiences in gaming from the past few years, so for me personally, it was worth it.
there are essentially three storylines going on in parallel here, and i found them compelling for the most part. i know there will be others who will get pleasure from dissecting this as a "piece of art" - that is to say, the story actually has something to say, and is filled with motifs and themes.
for me, i think most of my joy just came from figuring out where they intertwined. it's not "exploration" in the typical game sense, but it scratched that same type of itch for me.
2021
a cozy platformer that gets compared to Dark Souls but actually has very little in common with it. in reality, it's somewhere in between a 3d zelda and a 3d mario game.
the art design is probably this game's biggest strength, it just oozes charm and personality.
the platforming is ok - it's a bit floaty and not as tight as other platformers, but i didn't have any trouble completing challenges due to the controls.
it has zelda/MV-style abilities that you can earn, but they rarely open up interesting opportunities for exploration, and certainly it never had any non-linearity to it.
the combat is fine, but certainly easy - i never died once until the final boss.
the world and the story have the hallmarks of a Souls-like game, but without any of the enigma - almost everything is explained to you via long, boring lore dumps.
so like i said, this is a cozy game, and is easily digestible for someone who is craving an experience in this genre. but i wouldn't say it's a must-play or anything close to that.
the art design is probably this game's biggest strength, it just oozes charm and personality.
the platforming is ok - it's a bit floaty and not as tight as other platformers, but i didn't have any trouble completing challenges due to the controls.
it has zelda/MV-style abilities that you can earn, but they rarely open up interesting opportunities for exploration, and certainly it never had any non-linearity to it.
the combat is fine, but certainly easy - i never died once until the final boss.
the world and the story have the hallmarks of a Souls-like game, but without any of the enigma - almost everything is explained to you via long, boring lore dumps.
so like i said, this is a cozy game, and is easily digestible for someone who is craving an experience in this genre. but i wouldn't say it's a must-play or anything close to that.
2008
i had to tinker a bit with the .config files to get this running to my liking (i.e. 4k 60fps), so i was expecting the game to have aged similarly poorly.
but, i was pleasantly surprised at how good it felt! yes, it has that brown/olive aesthetic that a lot of games from this era had, but the gameplay, the enemy design, the progression systems, the sound... all of those things hold up. the plasma cutter is one of the greatest weapons in a game i've used in a while. the diegetic HUD and all those aspects were really neat too - i thought they would feel forced, but they actually felt seamless.
it was "scary" in the sense that it had some jump scares, but i overall didn't find it that spooky (at least, not in 2022). that's not a negative for me, but may be worth noting for anyone looking for a more bonafide horror experience.
but, i was pleasantly surprised at how good it felt! yes, it has that brown/olive aesthetic that a lot of games from this era had, but the gameplay, the enemy design, the progression systems, the sound... all of those things hold up. the plasma cutter is one of the greatest weapons in a game i've used in a while. the diegetic HUD and all those aspects were really neat too - i thought they would feel forced, but they actually felt seamless.
it was "scary" in the sense that it had some jump scares, but i overall didn't find it that spooky (at least, not in 2022). that's not a negative for me, but may be worth noting for anyone looking for a more bonafide horror experience.
like Ages, it follows the classic 2D zelda formula faithfully and successfully. it has some good puzzles, but some solutions are pretty esoteric. i got stuck for like an hour at one section, because there was a statue i needed to push - i had already pushed it once, but i didn't push it from the correct direction. there was no indication that one direction would be more important than the other. there were multiple examples like that, and i wound up just having to Google the solution.
still, anyone who wants more Zelda will enjoy trying out this title.
still, anyone who wants more Zelda will enjoy trying out this title.
had some really excellent puzzles & dungeons in this one! i didn't get stuck as much in this one as i did in Seasons.
not much more to say i think - it follows the classic 2D zelda formula pretty closely. the presentation and the design hold up over 20years later. would still recommend it to anyone today :)
not much more to say i think - it follows the classic 2D zelda formula pretty closely. the presentation and the design hold up over 20years later. would still recommend it to anyone today :)
1993
for a nearly 30yo game, it holds up decently well - the movement/controls, the power-ups, the upgrades you can find by exploration, the visual design... they're all still strong.
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however, there were enough archaic game design elements that prevented me from scoring it higher. i know old-school games are deliberately difficult, but parts of this are just punishing. trying to do the platforming sections in this game after playing something like Celeste is just impossible.
i beat all 8 bosses, but ultimately i didn't want to run through the final gauntlet, so i stopped there. took me ~4h.
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however, there were enough archaic game design elements that prevented me from scoring it higher. i know old-school games are deliberately difficult, but parts of this are just punishing. trying to do the platforming sections in this game after playing something like Celeste is just impossible.
i beat all 8 bosses, but ultimately i didn't want to run through the final gauntlet, so i stopped there. took me ~4h.