robinnn
2008
cool idea but not really a fun game unless you're using it to distract yourself from something worse. that said, it was a good way to waste time in class years ago
sort of a video game version of Exercises in Style. it really only scratches the surface of what you could do with the concept, but its shortness does also keep it from getting boring.
2007
pretty good for a browser game. there's not much to it, which is fine if the concept is executed well, but this is just a little time-waster with a vaguely interesting concept. once you've played it once you've done all there is to do in the game - harder difficulties don't really offer anything more, just higher enemy stats.
2014
This review contains spoilers
a lot of people seem to have strong feelings about this game. it might just be that i don't get it, it might just be that I've thought far too much about my own depression for this to say anything new, but... to me this simply seems like a not very good game. it's an expression of the developer's own depression, but it doesn't have any strong, coherent message beyond that. it does a few clever things to mess with the player and a whole lot of cheap, not at all clever things. it's simply not a game worth playing.
2005
i played this so much when i was a kid without any better RTS games to play
2019
thematically, spends a lot of time critiquing capitalism without ever committing to it. gameplay-wise, it's kinda just tedious. the story isn't bad, but, like, it's not great either. i didn't hate this by any means, but there wasn't anything to love about it either.
2019
really impressive as a technical achievement and definitely something to build upon - but as it is now, it's just not that great. its main strength lies in its incredible diversity and adaptability to whatever the player does, which is something difficult to achieve in a text adventure. the plots it comes up with, though, tend to be either boring or unhinged - it takes a lot of prodding to get a good story out of it. it's inherently limited in what kinds of experiences it can deliver. it's certainly not going to replace interactive fiction authors or human GMs anytime soon, but it's a fun toy.
yeah i main a potted plant, what of it
2007
oh yeah this was my shit
2010
easily one of the best of the mid-2000s-to-mid-2010s wave of weird little RPG maker games
2016
i keep going back and forth on whether I really like this game or only kinda like it. the writing was very good and it worked very well, but ultimately, looking back on it a year later, the story didn't leave much of an impression. what did was the setting and hiking through it, and it just so happens that I really like games about hiking for some reason.
this isn't the best Smash, but it's my favorite for sentimental reasons. playing this with friends is one of my best childhood memories.
2004
if you hurt this poor buddy i will not forgive you
2020
Blaseball's back, blaby!
Blaseball is essentially a surreal, confusing fantasy baseball (both in the normal sense and in that it has supernatural themes) simulator with observer participation and a community-driven narrative. i realize that might not be the most compelling description, but it's the best I can do - you kind of have to experience it to to get just how weird it is. this is a kind of game that has (as far as I know) pretty much never been done before. there are certainly some prior works with similar ideas and/or vibes, but the way it harnesses community interaction both mechanically and outside of the game, without the human players even being active participants, is really something special. i expect at least a few outright imitators to pop up within the next year or so, and i expect a lot of indie developers to take inspiration of some sort from Blaseball.
let's go crabs baby love da crabs (and also garages they're cool too)
Blaseball is essentially a surreal, confusing fantasy baseball (both in the normal sense and in that it has supernatural themes) simulator with observer participation and a community-driven narrative. i realize that might not be the most compelling description, but it's the best I can do - you kind of have to experience it to to get just how weird it is. this is a kind of game that has (as far as I know) pretty much never been done before. there are certainly some prior works with similar ideas and/or vibes, but the way it harnesses community interaction both mechanically and outside of the game, without the human players even being active participants, is really something special. i expect at least a few outright imitators to pop up within the next year or so, and i expect a lot of indie developers to take inspiration of some sort from Blaseball.
let's go crabs baby love da crabs (and also garages they're cool too)
2020
this is legitimately one of the best trans coming-of-age stories I've ever read/played/watched. i've found most media about trans experiences is either kinda preachy stuff made for cis people (honestly does need to exist, but is boring as a trans person) or obscure stuff made for trans people (often quite good but also often kinda opaque to cis people). If Found... occupies an ideal and disappointingly rare middle ground, presenting a deeply heartfelt and personal trans narrative without either dumbing it down for or alienating the majority of the audience. it doesn't waste time explaining basic shit about being trans (although it does have explanations about Irish phrases and society). there aren't a whole lot of details i can give without spoiling everything, but this is a beautifully emotional story about a bunch of queer young adults.
the use of the medium seems odd at first, like maybe it should've been a comic, but as everything comes together the way the mechanics fit the story becomes more obvious and it feels perfect as a visual novel. i have heard complaints about the erasing mechanic being tedious - honestly, i can see how that could be an issue with a mouse, or especially a controller. it works really well with the touchscreen on Switch, though, and i imagine on iOS or a Windows tablet as well.
the use of the medium seems odd at first, like maybe it should've been a comic, but as everything comes together the way the mechanics fit the story becomes more obvious and it feels perfect as a visual novel. i have heard complaints about the erasing mechanic being tedious - honestly, i can see how that could be an issue with a mouse, or especially a controller. it works really well with the touchscreen on Switch, though, and i imagine on iOS or a Windows tablet as well.