clockworknettie
2016
(Played on Android.)
Charming, great concept, like Minesweeper but with more tactical risk-taking, but sadly feels a little incomplete. There aren't really enough variations on the ruleset to keep it interesting all the way through, and even though opponents may have different play styles it feels sufficiently opaque that it's not really useful to know that. Opponents' abilities often feel like they just shut down your options in ways that are frustrating rather than interesting.
A major flaw is that the game (at least on Android) doesn't save progress within a tournament, which includes matches against multiple opponents, each consisting of multiple games. This makes it frustratingly easy to lose progress while switched away to another app.
It's a shame the quick game mode neither remembers your settings from last time nor lets you select a random opponent.
Despite all this, I still play it from time to time, and I would definitely play a sequel. I wish I could rate it higher, but it feels a bit too messy and flawed as it stands.
Charming, great concept, like Minesweeper but with more tactical risk-taking, but sadly feels a little incomplete. There aren't really enough variations on the ruleset to keep it interesting all the way through, and even though opponents may have different play styles it feels sufficiently opaque that it's not really useful to know that. Opponents' abilities often feel like they just shut down your options in ways that are frustrating rather than interesting.
A major flaw is that the game (at least on Android) doesn't save progress within a tournament, which includes matches against multiple opponents, each consisting of multiple games. This makes it frustratingly easy to lose progress while switched away to another app.
It's a shame the quick game mode neither remembers your settings from last time nor lets you select a random opponent.
Despite all this, I still play it from time to time, and I would definitely play a sequel. I wish I could rate it higher, but it feels a bit too messy and flawed as it stands.
2018
A pleasant and fun co-op tower defence game that is regrettably totally eclipsed by the original. Beautiful visuals. Co-op play can be frustrating at times, especially on large levels, though patches did address the most painful elements.
2013
Delightful puzzles, charming sense of humour. The puzzles get satisfyingly hard, though you don't need to solve everything to finish it. They are really what set the game apart for me.
1995
Flawed, perhaps to the point of being unbearable, but remarkable in its storytelling. I really enjoyed discovering the backstory. There was a lot of written material, both in the game and in the game box, which could be pieced together to understand the history of this lonely research outpost and its demise. The game was let down by an atrocious melee combat system. It really should have been a point and click adventure.
I remember it fondly as one of the first RPGs I played. In retrospect it was pretty crude, but the monster art was charming.
It was bad but I have a soft spot for it.
2016
Wonderful puzzles, environment and progression. Insufferably pretentious "story".