I'm just a bug man, pondering my orbs.

I'm not sure how to sum up my experience with this game. It's a short and sweet puzzle game with inventive mechanics and a wonderful aesthetic.

The puzzles are clever and fun which isn't surprising considering the game's pedigree includes the lead designer from Limbo and Inside. Diving in and out of the various orb worlds, how you nest them within each other, and finding unique ways to traverse obstacles starts simply enough but gets totally mind-bendy by the end.

The aesthetics in this game are top notch. The worlds are mechanical yet biological, barren yet full of strange life. The art brings to mind the retro-futuristic sci-fi art of the 60s or 70s and it is coupled with a fantastic soundtrack full of atmospheric, moody synth pieces. It all lends to a sense of mystery that you want to uncover despite not having a single piece of dialogue or text.

Now while I said the puzzles were fun I don't think they were particularly challenging. Up until the very end I found most of the solutions to be almost immediately obvious and it was more a matter of execution than anything else. This is made worse by the fact that the game basically railroads you into solutions by being extremely linear, to the point that there's almost nothing you can do besides interact with whatever is right in front of you. Platforms and doors consistently lock behind you so there is no backtracking or free-roaming exploration of any kind.

When you have all the orbs it gets a little more trippy as you find ways for them all to interact, but again it's more a matter of execution since there are so few things you can interact with in each orb.

Without trying to sound overly harsh I think this is a fun yet trivial puzzle game carried by its stellar atmosphere and aesthetic. The mechanics are very cool but aren't utilized to their full potential except at the very end. It's not going to require the level of problem solving and note taking of a game like Tunic, but that's okay. I'd recommend if you are looking for a puzzle game that engages without being too challenging.

Jusant is a game that caught me completely by surprise. I hadn't even heard of this game until I was browsing game pass and decided to try it on a whim, and I'm very glad that I did.

Being a fan of Don't Nod's Life is Strange, I kind of expected this game to be another narrative adventure title, but Jusant is something very different. The best comparison I could draw is maybe Journey. The game is a beautiful and mysterious journey through a strange, broken world.

The main gameplay loop revolves around mountain climbing up this massive tower. Along the way you find letters, journal entries and other items that tell a story of a long gone civilization dealing with a slow motion catastrophe. The climbing itself is very satisfying, bringing to mind Grow Home. You control the grips of each hand individually and have to manage your stamina and pitons as you make it from one safe space to the next. The climbing is engaging as you try to find a path up, utilizing the various environmental abilities and effects. You're never just pressing up and moving with no challenge. Assassins Creed climbing this is not.

The writing is entirely contained in the journal entries that you find. The writing itself is good despite this style of storytelling being nothing new.

Visually I found the game quite stunning -- the big chunky textures and fantastic lighting hit a very nice balance between realism and a more stylized presentation. Each new 'biome' had something to marvel at, like the sun-baked landscape of the desert biome or the soft glow mushrooms and plants deep within the tower.

I did run into some technical hiccups while playing. Occasionally my character would briefly become unresponsive, and I had some issues with getting stuck on the geometry. But considering the complex way you traverse the environment I think it's understandable.

Jusant is a fantastic game that I'd highly recommend. The beautiful, relaxed gameplay kept me entertained throughout, and much like Journey I know it's something I will come back to multiple times when I want a chill, low stakes experience.

This game has no right being this fun for a free game!

Bloody Hell is essentially a top down twin stick shooter with metroidvania-esque exploration. Anyone who has played something like Enter The Gungeon should feel right at home, minus the roguelike elements. The gameplay feels good -- it's a surprisingly polished experience with good shooting and an interesting upgrade system. Enemies and especially bosses shoot a lot of bullets at you with fun, complex patterns, making your mobility and dodging abilities important as well. I hate to use the term bullet hell for non-shmups but it's not a bad comparison.

The upgrade system is fun -- you get these vials in various shapes and you can activate as many as you can fit in your inventory/upgrade grid. Throughout the game you get additional squares that you can add to the grid to fit more vials which will modify your shots and things like that. This allows for some unique builds based on which vials you choose and where you add your upgrade squares.

The game has a well realized style both in terms of visuals and music. Some of the animations are pretty simple but again, this game is entirely free. If I could offer any criticism it would be that the game doesn't have very much enemy variety, but again, free.

This is easily one of the best free games I've ever seen on Steam and i'd highly recommend it. I came across it on the /r/shmups subreddit after the creator made a post about it, and I'm glad they did. It's only about 3-4 hours long if you explore everything and I think well worth your time.