icepotato
2019
I find "minimalist city builder" a little misleading:
It's a high-score chaser where you put buildings next to resources to get points, and optimizing building placement gets you more points.
This puts it closer to Dorfromantik in genre. Of course, because Dorfromantik is tile-based, it allows for a bit more precision - and in turn, Islanders grants a bit more variety and complexity.
On the whole, I think Dorfromantik is better for its simplicity - Islanders can be a little illegible at times. It can be hard to remember which bonuses apply to which buildings, or which buildings can be placed on which surfaces. Because it's 3d you spend a bit of time finessing the exact placement of buildings pixel by pixel to eke out the extra points. Sometimes you get a building that seems to be totally unplacable and you have to cast around wildly to see where it can actually go.
That said, it's still a fantastic and relaxing game that I would highly recommend. I just wish it came with a little extra oomph - a bit of metagame progression, or a bit more help to get the finnicky stuff down pat.
It's a high-score chaser where you put buildings next to resources to get points, and optimizing building placement gets you more points.
This puts it closer to Dorfromantik in genre. Of course, because Dorfromantik is tile-based, it allows for a bit more precision - and in turn, Islanders grants a bit more variety and complexity.
On the whole, I think Dorfromantik is better for its simplicity - Islanders can be a little illegible at times. It can be hard to remember which bonuses apply to which buildings, or which buildings can be placed on which surfaces. Because it's 3d you spend a bit of time finessing the exact placement of buildings pixel by pixel to eke out the extra points. Sometimes you get a building that seems to be totally unplacable and you have to cast around wildly to see where it can actually go.
That said, it's still a fantastic and relaxing game that I would highly recommend. I just wish it came with a little extra oomph - a bit of metagame progression, or a bit more help to get the finnicky stuff down pat.
The first half of the game kind of drags. Sure, it's a Zelda-like. Ok, the painting is... something. Yes, there are characters who speak in lowercase and in slang. Alright.
At some point in the last half, I started getting more comfortable with the painting tools. The story started fleshing out the characters. I started vibing. And you know what? Damn, it really works.
At some point in the last half, I started getting more comfortable with the painting tools. The story started fleshing out the characters. I started vibing. And you know what? Damn, it really works.
2022
absolutely fine
hot damn this is what it looks like when a crew knows their space and designs for it! i think this studio will go on to do great things and i will not look up what happened to them after they released this game!
2017
I really loved Endless Space 1 for sweeping Galactic Civilization's confusing and unneccessary clutter away. ES was a bold, beautiful, clear 4x where almost every element was clearly defined in the interface.
I don't know if, like, I changed or ES2 did. It seems to have added systems which aren't bad on their face, but are more confusing and less explained. I found myself feeling more restricted in my strategic options and listelessly clicking End Turn through the midgame waiting for a strategy to pan out.
Maybe it's the game. Maybe it's the space4x genre. Maybe it's me. I think this game is beautiful, still, even if you have to turn off a lot of the zoomy cutscenes to make it playable. But I'm more interested in what the devs are doing next than I am interested in thoroughly mining the corners of this game, for whatever reason.
I don't know if, like, I changed or ES2 did. It seems to have added systems which aren't bad on their face, but are more confusing and less explained. I found myself feeling more restricted in my strategic options and listelessly clicking End Turn through the midgame waiting for a strategy to pan out.
Maybe it's the game. Maybe it's the space4x genre. Maybe it's me. I think this game is beautiful, still, even if you have to turn off a lot of the zoomy cutscenes to make it playable. But I'm more interested in what the devs are doing next than I am interested in thoroughly mining the corners of this game, for whatever reason.
2021
i appreciate the flex of "no, really, grind up these herbs and stir the pot and pump the bellows". in theory. not so much in practice.
2022
wow-ee! a metroid game with souls inspiration featuring backbreaking combat that doesn't even give you a dodge button to start? where do i sign up?
went back and actually finished it. it left me with a worse impression? so much stuff is non-obvious ("curses" are never explained anywhere I found), easy to miss, or just janky (I bought more buildings than are actually possible to build). There's auto-scaling but not for the loot you get so you will fight for your life to get a shitty tier 1 unique when you're on tier 3. and the ending did not satisfy me at all.
I like the concept of like "hey you're in the perspective of a Prince not just a murderhobo" and there is legitimately good roleplaying in there. there are interesting design decisions. they just don't work over the whole course of the game. the good news is that the core tactics RPG fighting is still pretty OK? it's relatively quick. it's interesting. managing your meagre resources is good, wiping out a clustered group of enemies with a single fireball feels awesome. it's just the less-OK news is that the long term game makes that feel repetitive. by the end i was eager to click the "Yup, let's make a deal and get out of here" button.
I like the concept of like "hey you're in the perspective of a Prince not just a murderhobo" and there is legitimately good roleplaying in there. there are interesting design decisions. they just don't work over the whole course of the game. the good news is that the core tactics RPG fighting is still pretty OK? it's relatively quick. it's interesting. managing your meagre resources is good, wiping out a clustered group of enemies with a single fireball feels awesome. it's just the less-OK news is that the long term game makes that feel repetitive. by the end i was eager to click the "Yup, let's make a deal and get out of here" button.
2023
super interesting, want to come back to it, but its just in early access and i would love to see some interface improvements (undo buttons, clearer labelling of buildings, maybe some better radius previews).
basically dorf with a campaign mode. it has challenges to teach you the game (except for the incredibly important merge units!!!) and a little progression through some biomes. the buildings all have fun and memorable synergies and bombing your church to repeatedly replace it and gain the high bonus for its perfect location so you can cash in for your next draw is ...an interesting emotion to evoke.
it's neat! it's good! i hope it continues to get the polish it needs to be a really easy recommend to anyone.
basically dorf with a campaign mode. it has challenges to teach you the game (except for the incredibly important merge units!!!) and a little progression through some biomes. the buildings all have fun and memorable synergies and bombing your church to repeatedly replace it and gain the high bonus for its perfect location so you can cash in for your next draw is ...an interesting emotion to evoke.
it's neat! it's good! i hope it continues to get the polish it needs to be a really easy recommend to anyone.
what's fun for me is when the levelling system presses me into trying new gear I wouldn't otherwise try because otherwise I can't make a dent in the fully scaled enemies. that + some genuinely great level design, ranging from tighly packed sewers where enemies pop up as you charge forward to spread out arenas where you are desperately seeking cover against an onrush and quite a few clever variations in between + some pretty good drop-in multiplayer is fun.
what's not fun for me is when you max out on level, need to min-max on build or miss out on metaprogression, and so you pick One Build and if you want to choose another you are essentially starting over from scratch (or at least that's how it feels).
also the story absolutely sucks ass ("when the pandemic happened, everyone turned to murderous jackals" checks release date: march 2019. (expansion release date: march 2020 set in : pandemic ravaged NYC)). i kept thinking i could ignore it or turn the other cheek and then shit like "shoot these guys, the survivors of a FEMA prison camp" or "here come the Rikers, who were left to die as the pandemic took NYC, and they're really mad for some reason! better shoot them!" hits you pretty unavoidably. and then you're like "wow this graffitti sucks ass". "wow these protest slogans are terrible" "nobody's even calling the virus a hoax? c'mon now". "why are all these cars piled up?". even as an ideological horror show its a lazy one, like the real enemy was zombies and they just pasted "pandemic" over it to seem more Realistic.
anyway. great level design, fun progression until you stall out at max level (which, i get it, some people like that), terrible theming mostly caused by an accident of fate.
what's not fun for me is when you max out on level, need to min-max on build or miss out on metaprogression, and so you pick One Build and if you want to choose another you are essentially starting over from scratch (or at least that's how it feels).
also the story absolutely sucks ass ("when the pandemic happened, everyone turned to murderous jackals" checks release date: march 2019. (expansion release date: march 2020 set in : pandemic ravaged NYC)). i kept thinking i could ignore it or turn the other cheek and then shit like "shoot these guys, the survivors of a FEMA prison camp" or "here come the Rikers, who were left to die as the pandemic took NYC, and they're really mad for some reason! better shoot them!" hits you pretty unavoidably. and then you're like "wow this graffitti sucks ass". "wow these protest slogans are terrible" "nobody's even calling the virus a hoax? c'mon now". "why are all these cars piled up?". even as an ideological horror show its a lazy one, like the real enemy was zombies and they just pasted "pandemic" over it to seem more Realistic.
anyway. great level design, fun progression until you stall out at max level (which, i get it, some people like that), terrible theming mostly caused by an accident of fate.
2019
There’s some cool stuff here - the architecture, the SCP lore, the story, the hilarious live-action science skits. Unfortunately it’s got to contend with a lot of cheap combat deaths, rare checkpoints, poor signposting, puzzles that drove me to guides frequently, and graphics bugs which left it looking like a PS2 game at times. Fortunately a patch added in some difficulty modifiers including a blessed Invulnerability option. Unfortunately I think the plot - which I loved! - ended very weakly, cutting away from the actual conflict resolution in favor of a voiceover summarizing what happened.
I would watch a let’s play of this game. I would play it for the maxed out Launch and Levitate abilities. The lore is fun. It’s just kind of ….suboptimal. Designed for someone who isn’t me.
I would recommend The Secret World for “urban fantasy conspiracy puzzle games which are a mechanical trash fire” and Prey for “paranormal ability immersive sim” as great partners to this game.
I would watch a let’s play of this game. I would play it for the maxed out Launch and Levitate abilities. The lore is fun. It’s just kind of ….suboptimal. Designed for someone who isn’t me.
I would recommend The Secret World for “urban fantasy conspiracy puzzle games which are a mechanical trash fire” and Prey for “paranormal ability immersive sim” as great partners to this game.
Not my favorite! Lacks the charm of Mario 3d world and tilts towards harder difficulty, including some areas with poorly telegraphed mechanics and a particular insistence on dying early and often to learn a stage. Collecting all the star coins is tedious. Locking the "save anywhere" function behind completing the game sucks. Getting thrown out of a level with a half second animation and having to re-enter it every time you die when you're expected to die a LOT is very frustrating.
Absolute top of the form. Great power ups, generously given and widely explored. Iconographic levels with cleverly hidden stars. Forgiving to blow through but demanding to complete 100% without being too punishing.
Boswers Fury is a great addition. It's a bit short but the Plessie tracks are wonderful. Bowsers timer is mildly annoying but something you can adapt to.
Boswers Fury is a great addition. It's a bit short but the Plessie tracks are wonderful. Bowsers timer is mildly annoying but something you can adapt to.
2017
I loved the characters and the writing. Unfortunately the premise of “struggling at college teendult returns to economically depressed hometown and hangs out with high school friends” did too much psychic damage to me, due to Circumstances, and I will likely be unable to continue
2019
i really enjoyed this game for about 6 hours and then stopped.
the smartest thing it does is give you a little level up screen at the end of each day so you have lots of dings to help you feel motivated. i also kind of liked the plot - the hero has vanquished the great evil, the monsters are all gone, and now it's time to rebuild.
buuutttt it lacks polish (no controller support? clunky menus). it should have been about half the length: NPC dialogue starts to repeat heavily, building tiers are resource intensive yet give little benefit in return. the reward curve starts to drag around midgame. it really could use some quality of life features, like wishlists, or pointing out who you still need to talk to each day, or better reminders of when town wishes refresh.
it's not a bad game. it's right up my alley, and i enjoyed the time i spent with it. it just needed to be a bit better in order for me to get to the finish line.
the smartest thing it does is give you a little level up screen at the end of each day so you have lots of dings to help you feel motivated. i also kind of liked the plot - the hero has vanquished the great evil, the monsters are all gone, and now it's time to rebuild.
buuutttt it lacks polish (no controller support? clunky menus). it should have been about half the length: NPC dialogue starts to repeat heavily, building tiers are resource intensive yet give little benefit in return. the reward curve starts to drag around midgame. it really could use some quality of life features, like wishlists, or pointing out who you still need to talk to each day, or better reminders of when town wishes refresh.
it's not a bad game. it's right up my alley, and i enjoyed the time i spent with it. it just needed to be a bit better in order for me to get to the finish line.