In late February, I left a review on this game. I didn't really get it. I wouldn't say I fully get it now either, but I have been thinking a lot about this game ever since then. That review kind of sucked, but I guess it's a snapshot of that moment in time, the immediate guttural reaction to a challenge like this game is. I acknowledged in that review that as a cis guy, this was a perspective that I was likely not going to fully understand. I do feel as though this game is somehow unreviewable. Maybe this review can be seen as more of a review of my now-deleted review. In that I described this work as "ineffectual". That feels strange to say. I think it being on a site like Backloggd where it's presented as the same sort of product that any other video game is, inclines one to view it as a product. It's art, but is it really fair for it to be judged in the same way that Baldur's Gate 3 is? That just feels off-base to me. For me to suggest that it is "ineffectual" is almost like saying that somebody is venting in an "ineffectual" way. You could say that I guess, but read the room man! Maybe that's fair game because it's released as a Twine game on itch.io, but that still doesn't quite sit well with me. I didn't even really know what Twine games were when I first played this! It looks like this is its own category of game, which is pretty cool. I think my unfamiliarity might have hampered my perception in some way. This is an earnest piece of writing. That's important.

The major takeaway that I got from this game upon first playing it is this acknowledgment that there aren't that many critically acclaimed girly/feminine games. That IS true. As a cis guy I think that's an important point that I hadn't really thought about before. I find this point to be even more poignant after seeing the release of Princess Peach Showtime, recently. Especially with how a lot of people seem to look at a game like that. An industry where everybody feels there are ample games made for people like them and by people like them is a better industry than where we are today.

I love mechanics in video games. I love how much there is going on in a game like Metal Gear Solid 2, that kind of nitty-gritty where there's detail pouring out of every button press, every possibility, every corner of whatever world you're in; in my mind that is some of the best of what video games have to offer as art. I think when first reading this, the frank style of writing made me feel as though I was somehow wrong for thinking that way, like I was being reprimanded as this silly guy gamer. But that's really a reactionary way of looking at it, I think. I don't think that's its purpose. In retrospect I think I was really thinking about it all wrong. I think my older review, and I suppose the divided reviews on this game on this site are a showcase in how a site like Backloggd can and does play a part in the way in which we perceive art. I honestly wonder, if I had found out about this game through a recommendation from a friend, or some other kind of website, would I have reacted to it the way that I had? In a place like this, a piece of writing can end up commodified, as just another product to review and rate, and because it has strong writing it must have some sort of finger-wagging point to say to any and all gamers that come across it. Though I often criticize reactionaries and their culture wars against art, this was a case where I found some other ways that somebody can get sucked into that. Even me. That's humbling, and it has profound meaning to how I engage with art going forward. I realize that it's something that was present with how I engaged with other perspectives in the past, too. I never really understood the whole "liminal space" thing that was popular online, and I don't think I engaged with those feelings in an empathetic way. This was meaningful, important reading for me to have had.

This writing is another perspective. The best thing you can hope for with something like this is that it'll make you think, or at least feel. If it's lucky, it may even change some minds, open up mental doors. Evidently, it's successful. Based on Princess' perspective shown here, I'd really like to check out her games.

Amnesia: Rebirth in my eyes is a criminally underrated horror game. Sure, the puzzles and level design can be awkward and the story can feel a bit all over the place.

However, the core of this game is rock-solid and really engrossing. I was scared shitless at many points throughout and I always had the feeling of barely making it. I don't know how much of the tension was just an illusion but it absolutely worked - and using matchsticks for light that quickly burn away and can be hard to come by is a cruel but brilliant mechanic.

It doesn't just get the scares and atmosphere right though, no: Tasi Trianon, the protagonist of this story and its beating heart, is such a wonderful and fascinating character. I love how much the game grounds you in her experience both as a pregnant woman as well as someone who's suffered a terrifying loss. The actress absolutely nails the performance too.
So much of one's enjoyment hinges on whether or not you can empathize with her and I certainly did.

And honestly, even though the puzzles can feel awkward, I never felt like they were too obscure to solve - just requiring you to patiently experiment.

This was my first Amnesia game, and especially towards the end I was pleasantly surprised, baffled at the ratings too.

7,5/10

A soulless, corporate cash-grab that not only fails in every regard, but especially fails to take your money.

I won’t lie, the game’s aesthetics and its music are phenomenal, and were the two things that initially drew me to it (that, and receiving this game for free from PS+). Unfortunately, those are the only compliments I have for the game. The map design is boring, character designs are generic, gameplay is uninteresting and disengaging, and there is absolutely nothing to feel any attachment towards. The reason why games like Overwatch, Apex, Splatoon, and hell — even Fortnite — are all enjoyable, aside from their addictive gameplay loop, is that they all have stories and characters that people grow attached to. People engage with them beyond the confines of the game because they love the worlds and narratives built from the characters.

Foamstars has none of that.

Foamstars has a narcissistic main character with some of the worst voice acting I’ve heard in a minute, along with a basic cast of characters that have nothing going for them. Nada. Their depth is essentially “hey this is their gender and their style of clothes!” Cool, I guess. You know what Overwatch has? A cringefail gorilla scientist who’s best friend is a temporally-unstable British lesbian and several people who won’t call him back. I’m gonna go play that instead, thanks.

Anyways, moral of the story is you’d be better off playing anything else. Literally anything. Go outside and play with sticks and rocks and I can guarantee you that you’ll have more fun with that than with this game.

A bit surprised at how divisive the reception has been with this one. Despite the fair amount of jank and bugs I absolutely loved my time with Penny's Big Breakaway, and would consider it a strong contender got game of the year.

What makes the game so much fun is the absolutely phenomenal movement the game allows. While it may seem a bit hard to get used to in the beginning (and can be fairly unforgiving with mistakes) once you figure things out speeding through the levels and keeping the combo becomes second nature. The level design also helps with this, with tons of secondary paths that showcase just how much tech exists with the relatively simple controls. Music is also phenomenal throughout, with Tee Lopes creating banger after banger which match the aesthetics perfectly.

It's not all perfect sadly. The biggest issue being just how buggy the game could be, with plenty of instances of clipping through the world or some things just not working as intended (thankfully no crashes or frame drops). The ranking system could also be better, with some rather weak explanations for max scoring besides needing to full clear levels (which thankfully is never an issue). Bosses could also be a bit better, as they all just kinda exist and are over as quickly as they appear (besides the final boss which is pretty neat).

Besides those easily fixable issues I had a blast with Penny's Big Breakaway. Once they iron out the issues I'll gladly go back and 100 percent the game because its just so much fun. An easy recommendation for any platformer fan.

9.5/10



UPDATE 3/13

Game got its first big patch so went back and did all the steam achievements (not scrapbooking because the score requirements are insane). Bumping it up to a 9.5 since most of the small technical issues I had got ironed out.

I can understand why people like this game a lot because there's a lot of room to play it however you want to with different builds and the level design is quite satisfying in that regard BUT I had fun playing this game like it was Neon White, which means I probably shouldn't have bought a stealth game (but it was on sale for a dollar!).

Since this was my first playthrough it also made me feel a bit like I was punished for playing the game like that given how the High Chaos ending feels sort of like a 'bad end' with all the characters punishing you or acting more callous towards you. Idk, I'm an assassin, sorry for killing everyone. The narrative isn't anything to write home about so I wasn't really attached to anyone beyond Corvo so I had no qualms just killing everyone, including Samuel, whom we are supposed to be attached to, or at least more attached to than I was. I ended up killing him so I was laughing over the shot in the ending montage of Corvo standing next to his grave instead of standing next to oh, idk, his dead sort-of-wife's grave.

My grievances aside I loved the world building and the lore of the game! It's really cool and incredibly unique. I'm a bit bummed the narrative of the game itself was as straightforward as it ended up being but I just know that fic writers are doing some crazy stuff and I actually feel compelled to go looking around for some of those stories because I think the world is just so interesting.

The game's morality is very 2010s, which isn't bad or good, it just reminds me of how people made games in this era, so again, I can really understand why it stood out to people so much at the time. I'm glad I played it especially since it was a dollar and was as short as it was, but I have no interest in playing it again for a Low Chaos run or checking out the DLCs unless I watch an LP.

Is it close to the Silent Hills of old? No not particularly.

Does it absolutely stumble on getting across some of its ideas and concepts? Yeah.

Are the chase sequences a bit rough? Yeah.

I still really fucked with this and everything it was doing. It gave me a dose of what I've wanted from Silent Hill for a long time, it had a vision and it sees that vision all the way through while trying to mix things up a bit.

I think it handles its themes of trauma and abuse trapping someone emotionally within cycles of self destructive and self distancing behaviors causing lashing out at anything that harms the ego and whatever normalcy one can cling onto fairly well.

I feel like even if it was a bit heavy handed at times (the beginning really tries to hammer home how depressed Anita is in ways that feel really corny) I cannot ignore the earnestness and the willingness to just fuckin try something here. The art direction, the atmosphere, the music, the tones.

No it's not Silent Hill 3 but it worked for me and captured me in ways that I really didn't expect. That last chunk of the game really fuckin hit me.