I didn't intend to finish this in one sitting but as soon as I sat down I just found myself absolutely captivated by the story. The characters feel relatable, Their struggles feel real. The feeling of listening to them and not being able to really help them is tearing. As a budding self-loathing far-left software engineer I specifically relate to a lot of the struggle that the main character has. I think Zachtronics absolutely nailed it with the characters of Soren and Rainier, and the company Skandha, who are perfect avatars of what I hate about the tech landscape. Loved the subtle queer inclusion too. I think the only real criticism I have of this game is it's very linear, but that did not at all get in the way of it being a compelling narrative.

A game I love to hate. Dota 2 is great as an e-Sport, it offers a lot of strategic depth and there's rarely a moment where there's nothing at all going on. As a game though I don't think it's nearly as good. DotA games can be very frustrating at times and feel like you've lost all agency and just going through the motions. The game is much more enjoyable though, when playing with friends - nowadays I really only play normals with four friends, and it's a lot more enjoyable when you're coordinated.

I have played this game since Domination league, in 2013. My playtime is likely in the 3000s or 4000s of hours. Until a few leagues ago, I'd get at least one character to the endgame per league, bar one or two. If you'd asked me to review this game 3 years ago, I think I'd have given it a 5/5, but I've lost a lot of my love for it.

To me, the game's strongest point is putting together a build. Making a character that feels balanced and good to play feels incredibly rewarding and I don't think I've encountered a game that tops Path of Exile in the tinkering aspect.

The gameplay itself, I think, is lacking, though. Mapping (i.e. the endgame) feels somewhat samey: You one shot enemies, you pick up the loot, you move onto the next pack, repeat until the map is clear. The game has accelerated a lot over the time I've been playing, and nowadays it just feels like a mindless blur, button-mashing lacking any genuine tactical depth. Deaths often feel frustrating, since a single death can wipe out hours progress and they often stem from a silly mistake, a slight lapse in concentration or an inconspicuous detail you failed to notice.

Even to me the game sometimes seems impenetrable. The base game now has ~18 expansions' worth of content in it, and as a result the endgame feels fragmented and has a lot of unnecessary complexity. This used to be a game I'd always find myself coming back to. I think I've grown past it.

This is the first game I ever speedran and remains one of the only ones, and I think it deserves praise for that. I find this game a joy to play. The world design is charming. Each area has a distinct feel to it, through gameplay, visual identity, and music. The gameplay's challenging and fast-paced but easy to get the hang of an improve at. Mistakes aren't that punishing as respawns cost a few seconds at worst. It's pretty short (15min is the glitchless any% WR), so screwing up a run doesn't feel that punishing.

I recommend giving this game a go, whether you just want to casually play it through or casually speedrun it. Probably don't look at the source code, though.