patmeharder
2024
plays on that idea of wanting to shoot maybe a fun little vlog going into scary spooky place, or wanting to shoot a little horror film with you low budget set up, i think it honestly pulls it off so well and the fact that you only get like 1~ minute just makes it all the more fun having to get creative with your time.
treat it more as a sandbox than a true game to get yourself immersed into. it gives you all the tools to make a really fun and silly experience.
i'd say it doesn't quite hit the mark, but it works out anyway
treat it more as a sandbox than a true game to get yourself immersed into. it gives you all the tools to make a really fun and silly experience.
i'd say it doesn't quite hit the mark, but it works out anyway
2024
i was curious how they would improve on 2, how can you tell a new story that makes sense, how do you make the puzzles enjoyable and fresh, how do you innovate and create a similar yet distinct experience, much like portal 2 was for portal 1? it all just kind of works, and i gotta admit, i'm thoroughly impressed! while it isn't the most ground breaking/innovative experience, it definitely knows what i want in a portal game, immersion and awesome puzzles.
i really love how they teach you the game with one portal for a solid hour before moving on, i think it perfectly teaches you how to "think" and play the game it was designed. i rather preferred how it was handled in this game, you're given way more time to get acquainted with understanding the core concept at a nice pace. although i can totally see people getting frustrated and just wanting to play with 2 portals straight away.
i remember valve explicitly said they refused to use timing/reaction based puzzles. in this game it is actually used to increase difficulty, which isn't actually bad or anything, in fact i love it and it's the perfect direction to go. but it just cements to me that the series ended at portal 2, which is bitter sweet to think about. you really can't improve on this game anymore without changing it entirely and valve realises this.
for something free, and made with a small team, this is incredible. it really speaks the language of portal; the story, the vibes, the puzzles, the characters, music, just everything honestly. i can't believe i didn't have to pay for this! it's absolutely insane.
recommend if you want more portal content, this is the best sequel we will ever get i reckon.
i really love how they teach you the game with one portal for a solid hour before moving on, i think it perfectly teaches you how to "think" and play the game it was designed. i rather preferred how it was handled in this game, you're given way more time to get acquainted with understanding the core concept at a nice pace. although i can totally see people getting frustrated and just wanting to play with 2 portals straight away.
i remember valve explicitly said they refused to use timing/reaction based puzzles. in this game it is actually used to increase difficulty, which isn't actually bad or anything, in fact i love it and it's the perfect direction to go. but it just cements to me that the series ended at portal 2, which is bitter sweet to think about. you really can't improve on this game anymore without changing it entirely and valve realises this.
for something free, and made with a small team, this is incredible. it really speaks the language of portal; the story, the vibes, the puzzles, the characters, music, just everything honestly. i can't believe i didn't have to pay for this! it's absolutely insane.
recommend if you want more portal content, this is the best sequel we will ever get i reckon.
2022
the perfect game in my books and i'm not sure how to put it into words but it's a beautiful experience playing this. this game comes from a place of love and dedication, an eye for user experience and an understanding of what it should be delivering to the player, and what it expects from the player. i think the best way i can describe this is nothing is put to waste, the designs, the enemies, the movement, the interface, the animations, the space. it's like stumbling upon an oasis in today's barren gaming landscape filled with surface level shit that is only fun to play initially before you lose interest. it captured my interest, short and sweet. i don't even know where to start..
i think what this game does brilliantly is progression. from opening the game for the first time, to catching your final fruit, it feels like a complete journey that never skipped any steps getting there. i don't know if maybe I'M just the audience for this shit, but this game just scratches this itch of game design that i've always loved. one that does not hold your hand, but also points you towards something fun and leaves expectations at the door. hey you've got cool power ups here, and you've got some puzzles here, and they lead you here by means of exploration and intrigue from the player. i'm really not sure how well it communicates this to your average gamer but i feel like you really can't miss it and it's all found organically, without a trace of dialogue, brilliance!
you start off by being taught how to move, you fling yourself, and you can bounce off walls and you can hard drop for more precision. you can bounce off enemies bc of course you can, and you collect fruit. why am i collecting fruit? oh theres some monster that will literally kill us if we don't feed it juice, and it has to be the right combination (not really). if you touch the ground you lose all your fruit, and if the timer is out, you don't have the fruit and you touch the ground, you lose hp, until it reaches zero. now im learning the game. what else is there to this game besides that? combos bro. the whole idea of the floor is lava is such a fun concept that more games need to reward players for doing.
i think this game builds up on downwell extremely well. my main problems with downwell were that it was way too fast to feel and it felt more like reaction checks trying to play the way i wanted to play (never touching the ground). this game lets you slow the game down, take things at your own pace and think things through before committing. i've come to realise fast does not always equal better, it is especially the case for this game.
so past this first phase of progression, we then lean into how can i get better at the game. learn the ins and outs of the game, bouncing on stuff gives me extra bounces, bouncing on walls gives me extra height, etc. and mix this with getting now power up and even learning new mechanics from here, like the spin state picking up more around you, reviving if you create a fruit shake as you are dying, as mentioned before leaving nothing to waste. even in the puzzle mode on the right you learn important information about going on fire and destroying fruit you do not want, which i imagine could easily go over your head if you are not paying attention, but this way it teaches you with intentionality.
and then it tells you to reach level 20 and you put literally everything you've learned to the test. you are unable to cheese as it requires you to gather 5 star shakes, not accounting for quality, all while dodging everything. i got here at a pretty low level and realised i was definitely not prepared and grinded levels to get more jumps and better power ups, and finishing this game was such a journey, realising how far you've come and it all coming to an end, and not realising how much fun you were having. it's quite disheartening knowing that there is not much else to this game, but it was fun, brilliant and a fun case study to a brilliant user experience.
plus it has music from bo-en, love the guy!
i think what this game does brilliantly is progression. from opening the game for the first time, to catching your final fruit, it feels like a complete journey that never skipped any steps getting there. i don't know if maybe I'M just the audience for this shit, but this game just scratches this itch of game design that i've always loved. one that does not hold your hand, but also points you towards something fun and leaves expectations at the door. hey you've got cool power ups here, and you've got some puzzles here, and they lead you here by means of exploration and intrigue from the player. i'm really not sure how well it communicates this to your average gamer but i feel like you really can't miss it and it's all found organically, without a trace of dialogue, brilliance!
you start off by being taught how to move, you fling yourself, and you can bounce off walls and you can hard drop for more precision. you can bounce off enemies bc of course you can, and you collect fruit. why am i collecting fruit? oh theres some monster that will literally kill us if we don't feed it juice, and it has to be the right combination (not really). if you touch the ground you lose all your fruit, and if the timer is out, you don't have the fruit and you touch the ground, you lose hp, until it reaches zero. now im learning the game. what else is there to this game besides that? combos bro. the whole idea of the floor is lava is such a fun concept that more games need to reward players for doing.
i think this game builds up on downwell extremely well. my main problems with downwell were that it was way too fast to feel and it felt more like reaction checks trying to play the way i wanted to play (never touching the ground). this game lets you slow the game down, take things at your own pace and think things through before committing. i've come to realise fast does not always equal better, it is especially the case for this game.
so past this first phase of progression, we then lean into how can i get better at the game. learn the ins and outs of the game, bouncing on stuff gives me extra bounces, bouncing on walls gives me extra height, etc. and mix this with getting now power up and even learning new mechanics from here, like the spin state picking up more around you, reviving if you create a fruit shake as you are dying, as mentioned before leaving nothing to waste. even in the puzzle mode on the right you learn important information about going on fire and destroying fruit you do not want, which i imagine could easily go over your head if you are not paying attention, but this way it teaches you with intentionality.
and then it tells you to reach level 20 and you put literally everything you've learned to the test. you are unable to cheese as it requires you to gather 5 star shakes, not accounting for quality, all while dodging everything. i got here at a pretty low level and realised i was definitely not prepared and grinded levels to get more jumps and better power ups, and finishing this game was such a journey, realising how far you've come and it all coming to an end, and not realising how much fun you were having. it's quite disheartening knowing that there is not much else to this game, but it was fun, brilliant and a fun case study to a brilliant user experience.
plus it has music from bo-en, love the guy!
2017
this game reminds me of my first experiences with runescape, a magical time in my life, that has since passed. i think it perfectly captures that vibe of innocence, carelessness and mystique, and the magic of interactions with other players.
if that was the intent of this game then damn did it succeed, it feels surreal. i didn't expect to do anything when i booted up this game, walked around for a bit and met another real person, had a nice chat with them and more wizards started to show up and it left me with a strange feeling of being connected with no judgements, expectations or responsibilities. little did i realise how much time had passed.
moments like this i love, and i wouldn't have any other way.
if that was the intent of this game then damn did it succeed, it feels surreal. i didn't expect to do anything when i booted up this game, walked around for a bit and met another real person, had a nice chat with them and more wizards started to show up and it left me with a strange feeling of being connected with no judgements, expectations or responsibilities. little did i realise how much time had passed.
moments like this i love, and i wouldn't have any other way.
2023
oh man.. it's EVERYTHING a good platformer needs to be. it's an insane puzzle/speed run platformer that introduces mechanics EVERY SINGLE LEVEL, has a deranged yet charming visual aesthetic, has a banger soundtrack and tests your intuition and skills at every single second. this has got to be the most stimulating game visually and mentally in recently history. this game is celeste for adhd'ers, it's stimulation overload!
every platformer needs incredible movement, and this game delivers. you could probably get away with not having to understand the whole "move list" but this game is so much more fun when you implement the tools you have at your disposal. at first it is overwhelming, i struggled at first because they throw so much at you at once, but you really don't have to use a lot of it. it is just there for skill expression which is something i appreciate, especially for a game like this where the gameplay is super solid and the whole game is like a playground to experiment.
i've never played any of the wario land games but i hear this takes a lot of it's ideas, and the formula of returning back to the beginning of each level is something of genius. the first half which is your exploration, experimentation and learning phase of the level, learning the new mechanic in a safe and happy environment. you learn the way of the land as well and get acquainted with it, noticing little details for when you make your way back, by noticing the opaque walls and collectables that are only collectable once it is...
pizza time...
now you can test your knowledge, skills and intuition, working under stress to get back as fast as possible. the reward for going getting back asap is getting a better score, but also getting to go fast as hell and this is honestly the most orgasmic shit in the world. "it really makes you feel like a speedrunner" :^)
i feel like this is the type of game you can only really appreciate when you're playing it, because there is so much going on that a spectator would never understand it.
how can i forget the fkn story? no spoilers but hoooly is this story nothing short of fantastic. story through gameplay and environmental story telling is my favourite way of telling stories and man is it good. it's a cathartic ending and that is as much as i will share without giving too much away.
if you're a fan of platformers, just give this game a shot already. you owe it to yourself and to the creators!
every platformer needs incredible movement, and this game delivers. you could probably get away with not having to understand the whole "move list" but this game is so much more fun when you implement the tools you have at your disposal. at first it is overwhelming, i struggled at first because they throw so much at you at once, but you really don't have to use a lot of it. it is just there for skill expression which is something i appreciate, especially for a game like this where the gameplay is super solid and the whole game is like a playground to experiment.
i've never played any of the wario land games but i hear this takes a lot of it's ideas, and the formula of returning back to the beginning of each level is something of genius. the first half which is your exploration, experimentation and learning phase of the level, learning the new mechanic in a safe and happy environment. you learn the way of the land as well and get acquainted with it, noticing little details for when you make your way back, by noticing the opaque walls and collectables that are only collectable once it is...
pizza time...
now you can test your knowledge, skills and intuition, working under stress to get back as fast as possible. the reward for going getting back asap is getting a better score, but also getting to go fast as hell and this is honestly the most orgasmic shit in the world. "it really makes you feel like a speedrunner" :^)
i feel like this is the type of game you can only really appreciate when you're playing it, because there is so much going on that a spectator would never understand it.
how can i forget the fkn story? no spoilers but hoooly is this story nothing short of fantastic. story through gameplay and environmental story telling is my favourite way of telling stories and man is it good. it's a cathartic ending and that is as much as i will share without giving too much away.
if you're a fan of platformers, just give this game a shot already. you owe it to yourself and to the creators!
2020
to preface; i don't plan on playing it just because it's not for me (nothing wrong with that) but i just wanted to share some thoughts.
played it for like an hour before realising there isn't really going to be an horror in this game, not the type that i was expecting anyways. its a pretty indepth RPG with a really cool love craftian horror vibe, and not really the type of horror that it leads itself to be, the kind of immersive, thriller horror with jump scares and a really sick aesthetic.
theres something about steam games and the horror genre that lead to some impulsive purchases, and this is one of them for me. this game looks really slick and presents itself as something as some sort of immersive thriller, and it is also inspired by junji ito who is known for using the jumpscare of books, the "pageturn", that you kind of expect something incredibly gruesome, unsettling and potentially jumpscary. i mean even that trailer on the steam page sells it like this, with that really slick animation. but i'd say its quite the opposite, when dealing with rpg math, there is an element of randomness that sometimes just feels unfair, you lose to some stupid boss you've been fighting for like 10 minutes because you got unlucky a few times, most of the time i'm forced to focus on my odds in a battle and ways to optimise my run instead of actually immersing myself.
i think there is a skill in grabbing attention of people solely off of it's slick cover art and enticing title, and then pulling a bait and switch and getting someone like me to try an RPG of all things. the amount of people in my friends list that have around an hour playtime, never touching it again made me want to write this review because i reckon they fell for the same thing as me lol. there is something impressive about making a game be enticing at with a single glance. this is all subjective, let it be known
played it for like an hour before realising there isn't really going to be an horror in this game, not the type that i was expecting anyways. its a pretty indepth RPG with a really cool love craftian horror vibe, and not really the type of horror that it leads itself to be, the kind of immersive, thriller horror with jump scares and a really sick aesthetic.
theres something about steam games and the horror genre that lead to some impulsive purchases, and this is one of them for me. this game looks really slick and presents itself as something as some sort of immersive thriller, and it is also inspired by junji ito who is known for using the jumpscare of books, the "pageturn", that you kind of expect something incredibly gruesome, unsettling and potentially jumpscary. i mean even that trailer on the steam page sells it like this, with that really slick animation. but i'd say its quite the opposite, when dealing with rpg math, there is an element of randomness that sometimes just feels unfair, you lose to some stupid boss you've been fighting for like 10 minutes because you got unlucky a few times, most of the time i'm forced to focus on my odds in a battle and ways to optimise my run instead of actually immersing myself.
i think there is a skill in grabbing attention of people solely off of it's slick cover art and enticing title, and then pulling a bait and switch and getting someone like me to try an RPG of all things. the amount of people in my friends list that have around an hour playtime, never touching it again made me want to write this review because i reckon they fell for the same thing as me lol. there is something impressive about making a game be enticing at with a single glance. this is all subjective, let it be known
2017
This review contains spoilers
a rather interesting idea for an exploration/walking simulator. it's pitch black, you have nothing but a scanner and a headset to pick up these scans and you scan your surroundings to traverse the depths of the caves.
i think what this game does great is allowing the player the unique experience of caving without the dangers of it. the mystery, the terror and the breath-taking scale of it all gave me a juicy bite of what it might be like, and perhaps more understanding of cave divers because wow is this a beautiful and terrifying journey. you really risk it all to experience nature at it's most raw and breath taking views that you cannot even see to it's full capacity, along with the dangers of solitude, your own imagination and the suspense and mystery of folklore and legends.
the main gameplay loop i found was quite interesting and surprisingly addicting, i honestly spend heaps times longer in an area than one normally would just trying to cover every area with my scanner, it's just so satisfying! i feel like if i was younger i'd be more frustrated than satisfied playing this game, because i dont think i'd ever leave an area without fully scanning everything. i think nowadays i'm able to not let that emotion affect me as much, just a personal observation.
one nitpick, there was that one upgrade that allows you to scan an area in a short amount of time that had a cool down. i would always be constantly looking at the meter to see when it was available to use again, instead of actually immersing myself into the world. perhaps it would have been better to leave it with no cool down but weaker if you use it in quick succession, or just hiding the UI bar completely? it just detracts from the experience. despite my dislike for it, i used it more times than i'd like to admit lol.
honestly, this game is definitely not for everyone, but i think everyone should at least try it just to see if you'll like it, it's an incredibly unique experience!
i think what this game does great is allowing the player the unique experience of caving without the dangers of it. the mystery, the terror and the breath-taking scale of it all gave me a juicy bite of what it might be like, and perhaps more understanding of cave divers because wow is this a beautiful and terrifying journey. you really risk it all to experience nature at it's most raw and breath taking views that you cannot even see to it's full capacity, along with the dangers of solitude, your own imagination and the suspense and mystery of folklore and legends.
the main gameplay loop i found was quite interesting and surprisingly addicting, i honestly spend heaps times longer in an area than one normally would just trying to cover every area with my scanner, it's just so satisfying! i feel like if i was younger i'd be more frustrated than satisfied playing this game, because i dont think i'd ever leave an area without fully scanning everything. i think nowadays i'm able to not let that emotion affect me as much, just a personal observation.
one nitpick, there was that one upgrade that allows you to scan an area in a short amount of time that had a cool down. i would always be constantly looking at the meter to see when it was available to use again, instead of actually immersing myself into the world. perhaps it would have been better to leave it with no cool down but weaker if you use it in quick succession, or just hiding the UI bar completely? it just detracts from the experience. despite my dislike for it, i used it more times than i'd like to admit lol.
honestly, this game is definitely not for everyone, but i think everyone should at least try it just to see if you'll like it, it's an incredibly unique experience!
not the worst, not the best.
visuals novels are always hit or miss for me, and they are most definitely medium that usually only ever caters towards a certain crowd, meaning it can isolate those who aren't in that niche. this game is short enough to not feel like i'm just forcing myself to play, but i will say this is definitely not targeted towards me and it becomes apparent in the writing, characters and setting. a game about understanding yourself, and of others, and that love is important :3 (haven't heard this one before!). omg ur so cute when you smile XD lets scissor and finger later tonight ;P ^^ im definitely not the demographic but it's whatever, it's not the worst thing in the world.
let's talk gameplay for a bit, this game plays on the idea of multi-tasking, quick thinking and reading, it reminded me of a real job, without the repercussion of mistakes of one. i was curious how they would ramp up the difficulty, since it is quite a simple game concept, but throwing curve balls with the ghosts' scenarios, adding more conversations at once and adding another entry make it very engaging, but also incredibly difficult towards the end (to perfect). i think i enjoyed that aspect a lot! however you're gonna need better navigation UI and at least a way to exit out of a run. you can imagine making a mistake on the very first call of that day and having to finish the whole thing is just painfully annoying with your mistake staring you in the face for a solid 15 seconds and having to dredge through knowing this run will not matter, but it is what it is.
i enjoyed it for what it was, definitely not a game for me but hey i do love the edgy yet cute aesthetic and the silly name and the somewhat interesting gameplay concept, it's what grabbed my attention in the first place.
however -0.5 stars for that fucking music. looping that same song over and over again will drive anyone insane, and i only played this game for like an hour
visuals novels are always hit or miss for me, and they are most definitely medium that usually only ever caters towards a certain crowd, meaning it can isolate those who aren't in that niche. this game is short enough to not feel like i'm just forcing myself to play, but i will say this is definitely not targeted towards me and it becomes apparent in the writing, characters and setting. a game about understanding yourself, and of others, and that love is important :3 (haven't heard this one before!). omg ur so cute when you smile XD lets scissor and finger later tonight ;P ^^ im definitely not the demographic but it's whatever, it's not the worst thing in the world.
let's talk gameplay for a bit, this game plays on the idea of multi-tasking, quick thinking and reading, it reminded me of a real job, without the repercussion of mistakes of one. i was curious how they would ramp up the difficulty, since it is quite a simple game concept, but throwing curve balls with the ghosts' scenarios, adding more conversations at once and adding another entry make it very engaging, but also incredibly difficult towards the end (to perfect). i think i enjoyed that aspect a lot! however you're gonna need better navigation UI and at least a way to exit out of a run. you can imagine making a mistake on the very first call of that day and having to finish the whole thing is just painfully annoying with your mistake staring you in the face for a solid 15 seconds and having to dredge through knowing this run will not matter, but it is what it is.
i enjoyed it for what it was, definitely not a game for me but hey i do love the edgy yet cute aesthetic and the silly name and the somewhat interesting gameplay concept, it's what grabbed my attention in the first place.
however -0.5 stars for that fucking music. looping that same song over and over again will drive anyone insane, and i only played this game for like an hour
2021
i always love a game that has a sole focus on it's core mechanic and builds around that, i think this game has a solid idea and executes it well (for what it's worth). it's all i really care for in games nowadays; BUT, do i find this game fun? hmm... i think the real question is, "is addiction fun?" depends on the person but a definite no for me. this game has consumed a good chunk of my day, thinking to myself "just one more time and surely i'll beat my highscore" and 5 hours later i'm still not satisfied. psychologically this game is addicting and satisfying, but holy shit is this a time waster, it feels so unhealthy to play. just getting a hold of it makes me feel dirty and gross but i can't put it down. i can't argue that this game feels incredibly rewarding and satisfying to play, it's up there in game feel and polish, it's just an addicting concept all round. big numbers go up, easy dopamine rush, lose and the desire for that dopamine rush encourages you to continue and the cycle repeats until you've wasted 5 hours. i love/hate this game, leaning towards hate.
don't play it for your own sake, just watch other people play it and live vicariously through them. trust me, you are not missing out
don't play it for your own sake, just watch other people play it and live vicariously through them. trust me, you are not missing out
2005
honest and straight to the point, the perfect sequel! they made an insane and ridiculous game concept and somehow made it 100x better in a years time, improving on literally every single aspect; from the charm and goofiness, the performance, the quality of life, the scope, adding multiplayer, more challenges, collectables, cousins and more things to do and see and experience and enjoy and play and watch and i could literally go on and on and on. these guys really know their audience and i would say they have successfully mastered the art of FUN and what it means to make video games for the sole purpose of enjoyment and to create cool experiences! i would recommend this game to anyone interested in learning how to make fun through gameplay alone, this game transcends culture and language and even gaming itself, it is just a pure and fun and innocent idea. i think about this game A LOT, it's a crazy source of fun even in my imagination, imagining things being rolled up, kinda like how some people imaging like sonic running across buildings on a car ride, (i still do that sometimes), but when i'm just staring at the world i just imagine my little katamari scooping everything up. just ignore all the people, animals, insects, flowers, buildings and everything that i'm rolling up, none of that really matters, just learn to let go and have a little fun sometimes with your mind. i'm so impressed day by day the more this game consumes my thoughts and as the title suggests, we fucking love katamari!
2012
this is more of a self realisation after many years of contemplation whether or not i liked this game. this game was quite literally a turning point in my life, and i remember it like it was yesterday. this is a game that means a lot to me and i've always wondered why. the first time i played this game i was around 13, i climbed the top of the mountain with my friend i made along the way, said my goodbyes spamming notes and the credits rolled as i became a star and flung down the mountain and a beautfiul song played that encapsulated this happy yet melancholic feeling of having something beautiful but knowing i'll never experience something like this ever again, and i cried, but tried to keep it in because my brother was sitting next to me and didn't wanna look like a bitch.. but why did i even cry? what did this game even mean to me? i mean it's literally the most "non-game" game out there. it's a walking simulator with sand surfing, quite literally a journey to the top of the mountain with i guess pretty visuals and you get to do this with a random partner assigned to you with an fitting soundtrack. but honestly, i think that is exactly why i enjoyed this game, i beat myself and tried to downplay the reasons for enjoying it because i was afraid to accept it for what it is and it being a hit to the ego because i attached myself to it. it was a problem with my mindset, that i shut it out telling myself this is pretentious, why would you even like a game like this, this isn't even a game, wheres the gameplay? i realised that despite all that i still loved the game. it helped me realise a few things; understanding your life is limited so you create a goal/journey to create yourself, the random connections that you create along the way who are also following the same journey you are that you cherish, the mysterious-ness and acceptance of our strange existence in this crazy yet beautiful world and the idea that no matter your experience, it will all end so we should make the most of it. life is too short to worry, to be anxious, to be afraid, so what is stopping your from living? this game taught me games can be beautiful and that i love games and unique experiences. it inherently taught me what to live for and sparked my interest for game making. i haven't made a game yet 10 years later but after this realisation i'm going to start and i know i want to make people happy with my creations. i genuinely could go on forever.
i cried because it made me realise a lot of things about myself and i let myself vulnerable in that one moment, it was the first time i felt like i was truly living, and in tragic fashion it was short lived and i shut it down straight away. i only reopened that core memory because i remembered what it was like to live. introspection on lsd is crazy i will say.
note to self: never be afraid to cry again, always let the world know you love it, because the world will never know otherwise.
i cried because it made me realise a lot of things about myself and i let myself vulnerable in that one moment, it was the first time i felt like i was truly living, and in tragic fashion it was short lived and i shut it down straight away. i only reopened that core memory because i remembered what it was like to live. introspection on lsd is crazy i will say.
note to self: never be afraid to cry again, always let the world know you love it, because the world will never know otherwise.
2017
it's one of those games i just never really fully put the time into learning but i always seem to play it whenever i have nothing else to do which is strange.
it'll probably be the only mobile rhythm game i'll ever play because it's just got a certain charm that other mobile rhythm games don't have, and i think that is passion. i can open the app and within 3 clicks im already in a song, they know what i want! also another great testament to this is thumb vs index finger playing. i think in the long run, trying to cater to all crowds tends to be more of a chore and costs more to develop, having to spend more time thinking about charting for 2 groups, the scrubby casual player who just plays with thumbs and try hards who whip out their tablet and use their index fingers and play at home, which seems to be the most optimal way to play and also happen to be the ones who spend the most money on the game and who they will cater to. every single chart i've played (highest is like 10+) has always had me in mind, the casual thumb player and i really appreciate that, no chart feels like a cop out. i think it proves to be one of the least predatory for your attention (but maybe for your money) mobile rhythm games that i'm honestly willing to spend money just to play new songs. it's the perfect game to play on a 30 minute train ride to work every other day and i love seeing my improvement over time, a great way to stimulate the brain for an eventless train ride, never feeling obliged to complete "dailies". i'm definitely not good at this game and i can barely pass 10+'s but just realising how far i've come without dedicating my life or that much energy into the game, to me is satisfying. i'm sure i could substitute this for any other rhythm game but i love the music, the collabs, the charting, the mechanics, the fact that i can play with just my thumbs, not have to try too hard to have fun and not to mention constant updates and new songs. you do unforunately have to sink money into this game if you want to get the most out of it, but that's not to say it's not worth it. i think a good game deserves money! i would easily spend 50+ for a game like this, hell i spend more on dj max and arguable i enjoy this way more and has more mileage having only spend around $15 aud, and that is surely to increase over time. i didn't play the story or anything so i wont comment, also don't really care about it but hey if you're into that stuff then have fun with it.
my favourite mobile rhythm game, possibly the best in the biz.
it'll probably be the only mobile rhythm game i'll ever play because it's just got a certain charm that other mobile rhythm games don't have, and i think that is passion. i can open the app and within 3 clicks im already in a song, they know what i want! also another great testament to this is thumb vs index finger playing. i think in the long run, trying to cater to all crowds tends to be more of a chore and costs more to develop, having to spend more time thinking about charting for 2 groups, the scrubby casual player who just plays with thumbs and try hards who whip out their tablet and use their index fingers and play at home, which seems to be the most optimal way to play and also happen to be the ones who spend the most money on the game and who they will cater to. every single chart i've played (highest is like 10+) has always had me in mind, the casual thumb player and i really appreciate that, no chart feels like a cop out. i think it proves to be one of the least predatory for your attention (but maybe for your money) mobile rhythm games that i'm honestly willing to spend money just to play new songs. it's the perfect game to play on a 30 minute train ride to work every other day and i love seeing my improvement over time, a great way to stimulate the brain for an eventless train ride, never feeling obliged to complete "dailies". i'm definitely not good at this game and i can barely pass 10+'s but just realising how far i've come without dedicating my life or that much energy into the game, to me is satisfying. i'm sure i could substitute this for any other rhythm game but i love the music, the collabs, the charting, the mechanics, the fact that i can play with just my thumbs, not have to try too hard to have fun and not to mention constant updates and new songs. you do unforunately have to sink money into this game if you want to get the most out of it, but that's not to say it's not worth it. i think a good game deserves money! i would easily spend 50+ for a game like this, hell i spend more on dj max and arguable i enjoy this way more and has more mileage having only spend around $15 aud, and that is surely to increase over time. i didn't play the story or anything so i wont comment, also don't really care about it but hey if you're into that stuff then have fun with it.
my favourite mobile rhythm game, possibly the best in the biz.
2023
man.. so many thoughts, so many expectations, and barely any fun to be found.
i've been following this game for quite some time, i saw it a few years ago and only late mid last year i followed the man behind the project on twitter, ever since hollow knight i've been keen to see more things from the land down under and its finally time to show the world what australia is made of! show me what you've got.
i'm always cautiously optimistic in general, i always give indie devs especially the benefit of the doubt. pat naoum (the man behind the game) would always upload "his process" to twitter (and maybe other social media but i only follow him through twitter) and to me it seemed very clinical, by the books that the game never really spoke to me but hey if he spent 7-8 years working on this, its gotta mean something right? not only that but i am literally the perfect audience for this game, i grew up playing puzzle platformers, this looks cool enough in my books.
well.. it was a sad struggle to get through this game. i mean no offense when i say this but this game was not fun at all. i really tried to play this game with optimistic eyes but it really doesn't do anything interesting or unique that i see no reason to even finish it, and im sorry to shit on something you've worked on for so long, but if you're reading this pat, what were you doing for those 7-8 years?
the game plays so generic, the physics, the aesthetic, the sounds, the gameplay.. there is no life at all in this game, no passion for gaming. maybe a passion for art, but im not playing this for the art lol. this plays like someone's first unity game with maybe somewhat "interesting" art choices? sure it fits the theme of the game, being handpainted and all, but maybe it wasn't worth it in the end because well, was it really needed to begin with? the main selling point of the game wasn't even that interesting, so what are you left with? a barebones puzzle platformer with little to no soul. all bark no bite.
the only thing i can give pat credit for is that some of the puzzle designs were quite interesting! i did enjoy 2 or 3 puzzles but they were few and far between, it is mostly just mindless running around some soul-less landscape and eventually solving the puzzles just by doing what you're doing, nothing engaging for the most part.
perhaps this game was not designed for me, despite being a puzzle platformer enjoyer? so who exactly was this made for? art fanatics? maybe there was some "deeper meaning" behind the game that i am not getting; "maybe the whole point is that the game is absolutely horse shit because.. maybe the painter had a shit life or something! its meant to convey how shit your life can get but you can still make money off of it if you put your heart to it!" (for legal reasons a joke and i have no malice intent), but you have to actually grab me, get me interested in the game before you can decide to throw this bullshit at my face. im not going to pretend that i understand the game. this game was not fun, not interesting and i didn't finish it. this probably did not need to take 7-8 years to make.
i've got a question for you pat, did you actually play the game? did you think this was going to be fun? were you constantly bombarded with positive reinforcement that you were blinded by the good that you couldn't find the bad in the game? well, i think you might need to get new perspectives. thats starts by playing some games yourself and understanding why you enjoy them or why you hate them. if you get no emotions from playing games, maybe a new path in life may take your further. who did you make this game for anyways? im not saying i could make this, but stardew valley was created in 4.5 years and that game has 100x more content and replay ability, i dont even need to mention other solo indie game devs that have made it big by just creating what they wanted to create.
please don't take this as an insult if you are reading this mr pat naoum. i see you only get positive ratings and positive reinforcement about this game, i legit could not find a single negative thing about this anywhere, so i felt the need to step in and rain on your parade. let this be a wake up call that you disappointed a potential fan. i was really excited for this game :/
i've been following this game for quite some time, i saw it a few years ago and only late mid last year i followed the man behind the project on twitter, ever since hollow knight i've been keen to see more things from the land down under and its finally time to show the world what australia is made of! show me what you've got.
i'm always cautiously optimistic in general, i always give indie devs especially the benefit of the doubt. pat naoum (the man behind the game) would always upload "his process" to twitter (and maybe other social media but i only follow him through twitter) and to me it seemed very clinical, by the books that the game never really spoke to me but hey if he spent 7-8 years working on this, its gotta mean something right? not only that but i am literally the perfect audience for this game, i grew up playing puzzle platformers, this looks cool enough in my books.
well.. it was a sad struggle to get through this game. i mean no offense when i say this but this game was not fun at all. i really tried to play this game with optimistic eyes but it really doesn't do anything interesting or unique that i see no reason to even finish it, and im sorry to shit on something you've worked on for so long, but if you're reading this pat, what were you doing for those 7-8 years?
the game plays so generic, the physics, the aesthetic, the sounds, the gameplay.. there is no life at all in this game, no passion for gaming. maybe a passion for art, but im not playing this for the art lol. this plays like someone's first unity game with maybe somewhat "interesting" art choices? sure it fits the theme of the game, being handpainted and all, but maybe it wasn't worth it in the end because well, was it really needed to begin with? the main selling point of the game wasn't even that interesting, so what are you left with? a barebones puzzle platformer with little to no soul. all bark no bite.
the only thing i can give pat credit for is that some of the puzzle designs were quite interesting! i did enjoy 2 or 3 puzzles but they were few and far between, it is mostly just mindless running around some soul-less landscape and eventually solving the puzzles just by doing what you're doing, nothing engaging for the most part.
perhaps this game was not designed for me, despite being a puzzle platformer enjoyer? so who exactly was this made for? art fanatics? maybe there was some "deeper meaning" behind the game that i am not getting; "maybe the whole point is that the game is absolutely horse shit because.. maybe the painter had a shit life or something! its meant to convey how shit your life can get but you can still make money off of it if you put your heart to it!" (for legal reasons a joke and i have no malice intent), but you have to actually grab me, get me interested in the game before you can decide to throw this bullshit at my face. im not going to pretend that i understand the game. this game was not fun, not interesting and i didn't finish it. this probably did not need to take 7-8 years to make.
i've got a question for you pat, did you actually play the game? did you think this was going to be fun? were you constantly bombarded with positive reinforcement that you were blinded by the good that you couldn't find the bad in the game? well, i think you might need to get new perspectives. thats starts by playing some games yourself and understanding why you enjoy them or why you hate them. if you get no emotions from playing games, maybe a new path in life may take your further. who did you make this game for anyways? im not saying i could make this, but stardew valley was created in 4.5 years and that game has 100x more content and replay ability, i dont even need to mention other solo indie game devs that have made it big by just creating what they wanted to create.
please don't take this as an insult if you are reading this mr pat naoum. i see you only get positive ratings and positive reinforcement about this game, i legit could not find a single negative thing about this anywhere, so i felt the need to step in and rain on your parade. let this be a wake up call that you disappointed a potential fan. i was really excited for this game :/
i played this during lockdown, from hours to days, days to weeks and weeks to months until lock down ended and we could all walk outside and then i totally forgot about it. i think about all that time wasted on this game; was i enjoying it or just distracting myself?
i always think to myself, maybe I should get back to playing this game... i spent so much time on it after all and it would be a waste not to complete my island that i had been working on for so long, but the dread of min-maxing my revenue to pay off my debts and hope that the shop provides me with something i can use to decorate my island and to collect all the fish before the season ends and to make sure i water all my flowers and pluck all the weeds and buy all the items so i can save it in my catalogue and to make sure i talk to my villagers everyday and... well the list goes on. this is just busy work to keep me distracted from... um enjoying the game? but is it me that's the issue? maybe i should learn to have fun with this game. but then you realise everything is stuck behind your revenue so you're back at square one.
is this game fun? what does this game even mean to me? who thought doing god damn chores was fun in the first place? this game made me really think about what people enjoy in gaming, and this is one of those anomalies that i never quite understood. this game quite literally distracts you from the real life just so you can do more unnecessary distractions in game. imagine having to earn you dopamine in a game, haha couldn't be me.
i mean lets be real, what else are you to do during lock down anyways? this was released at the perfect time and i was at the perfect age to enjoy it. escapism into a world that is just as stressful as our own, but i was the one creating this stress on myself. maybe that was the point of this game, that life is about consistency and dredging through the mundane in life and hoping to find gold or a little semblance of happiness at the end of the tunnel.
who am i kidding, it looks cute and has cute characters and got baited into thinking this would be a fun game and continued with it out of obligation. hook, line and sinker. nobody enjoys this game, surely? they only think they do lol
i always think to myself, maybe I should get back to playing this game... i spent so much time on it after all and it would be a waste not to complete my island that i had been working on for so long, but the dread of min-maxing my revenue to pay off my debts and hope that the shop provides me with something i can use to decorate my island and to collect all the fish before the season ends and to make sure i water all my flowers and pluck all the weeds and buy all the items so i can save it in my catalogue and to make sure i talk to my villagers everyday and... well the list goes on. this is just busy work to keep me distracted from... um enjoying the game? but is it me that's the issue? maybe i should learn to have fun with this game. but then you realise everything is stuck behind your revenue so you're back at square one.
is this game fun? what does this game even mean to me? who thought doing god damn chores was fun in the first place? this game made me really think about what people enjoy in gaming, and this is one of those anomalies that i never quite understood. this game quite literally distracts you from the real life just so you can do more unnecessary distractions in game. imagine having to earn you dopamine in a game, haha couldn't be me.
i mean lets be real, what else are you to do during lock down anyways? this was released at the perfect time and i was at the perfect age to enjoy it. escapism into a world that is just as stressful as our own, but i was the one creating this stress on myself. maybe that was the point of this game, that life is about consistency and dredging through the mundane in life and hoping to find gold or a little semblance of happiness at the end of the tunnel.
who am i kidding, it looks cute and has cute characters and got baited into thinking this would be a fun game and continued with it out of obligation. hook, line and sinker. nobody enjoys this game, surely? they only think they do lol
2023
they really did everything right with this game in my opinion, you probably wont find another fighting game that is the whole package like this.
i think it does pretty much everything you could ever ask for in a fighting game in my books; quick casual and competitive matchmaking, super fast rematch times, good netcode, decent tutorials for new universal tools and characters and decent combo trials to dip your feet into, intricate training mode with preset learning tools at your disposal and all the tools you need in a training mode, decently large cast with awesome newcomers that all have slick character designs and playstyles and with dlc just right around the corner; and for the casuals, single player experience worth playing, free form character creation (the game embraces the silliness), a hub area to find games and to socialise/chill, a way to fight other player's single player avatars, fun arcade side modes that prove to be silly fun for newcomers and vets to play around with, modern controls and dynamic controls to allow new players to play to just button mash, single player arcade setups that let you play old capcom titles rotating weekly, clan creation with friends, a super tight aesthetic visually and musically, i could honestly go on and on i haven't even mentioned the competitive scene and it's 1 mil prize pool for FIRST PLACE funded by capcom themselves, even my local scene is popping off with tournaments with 70 people at my last local, what a time to be alive!
i'm no veteran when to comes to fighting games but i have been playing these games for a decent chunk of my life; i think this is the most fun i've had with a fighting game hoenstly. it's complex and unforgiving at times, all of it's tools are not straight forward and seem open ended in design, even neutral and combos are hard because of mostly all timing based, you'll probably have to spend hours and hours just to learn the basics, learning timings and frame data, and just understanding a button or a special's uses. but thats where the brilliance and fun comes in, it's finding answers to these questions in maybe training mode or in games, and applying them in games where it matters and landing them and feeling like a god damn genius when you do.
this game is not easy for new comers upon playing more despite it's push for accessibility, but it makes it easier for new comers to learn and get into while still keeping its complexity which is what i worried the most, it's an incredibly difficult thing to pull off at this level of quality but you've out done yourself capcom.
i think it does pretty much everything you could ever ask for in a fighting game in my books; quick casual and competitive matchmaking, super fast rematch times, good netcode, decent tutorials for new universal tools and characters and decent combo trials to dip your feet into, intricate training mode with preset learning tools at your disposal and all the tools you need in a training mode, decently large cast with awesome newcomers that all have slick character designs and playstyles and with dlc just right around the corner; and for the casuals, single player experience worth playing, free form character creation (the game embraces the silliness), a hub area to find games and to socialise/chill, a way to fight other player's single player avatars, fun arcade side modes that prove to be silly fun for newcomers and vets to play around with, modern controls and dynamic controls to allow new players to play to just button mash, single player arcade setups that let you play old capcom titles rotating weekly, clan creation with friends, a super tight aesthetic visually and musically, i could honestly go on and on i haven't even mentioned the competitive scene and it's 1 mil prize pool for FIRST PLACE funded by capcom themselves, even my local scene is popping off with tournaments with 70 people at my last local, what a time to be alive!
i'm no veteran when to comes to fighting games but i have been playing these games for a decent chunk of my life; i think this is the most fun i've had with a fighting game hoenstly. it's complex and unforgiving at times, all of it's tools are not straight forward and seem open ended in design, even neutral and combos are hard because of mostly all timing based, you'll probably have to spend hours and hours just to learn the basics, learning timings and frame data, and just understanding a button or a special's uses. but thats where the brilliance and fun comes in, it's finding answers to these questions in maybe training mode or in games, and applying them in games where it matters and landing them and feeling like a god damn genius when you do.
this game is not easy for new comers upon playing more despite it's push for accessibility, but it makes it easier for new comers to learn and get into while still keeping its complexity which is what i worried the most, it's an incredibly difficult thing to pull off at this level of quality but you've out done yourself capcom.