schlittyloggd
Captain Toad is a truly great game that is polished thoroughly. The seemingly simple self contained levels get surprisingly deep the deeper you get. And the sheer amount of levels is impressive, and very much appreciated! This is a perfect pick up and play handheld game. You can play one level in the time it takes your leftovers to finish warming up or you can play it for hours in bed when you should be sleeping.
The levels are a great combination of puzzles and action. You aren't gonna get stumped or scratch your head too hard by any means but the level design is very clever. Some of the action actually ends up harder than the puzzles honestly, but it's all balanced well. Everything is tightly designed and makes sense. There's tons of extra "completionist" stuff to do and collect too. It really is a robust and full game that is peak Nintendo.
Toad's the best. Wholehearted recommendation.
The levels are a great combination of puzzles and action. You aren't gonna get stumped or scratch your head too hard by any means but the level design is very clever. Some of the action actually ends up harder than the puzzles honestly, but it's all balanced well. Everything is tightly designed and makes sense. There's tons of extra "completionist" stuff to do and collect too. It really is a robust and full game that is peak Nintendo.
Toad's the best. Wholehearted recommendation.
2021
I liked a lot of what Returnal offered. And I loved my final run. But it was more often than not an off putting experience for me. A lot of that is on me and my motivations and skill early on. But I feel some of it had to do with the way they approached the roguelike/lite/whatever details.
Your first run is out and out a tutorial. But the entire first world and your runs leading up to beating the first boss that follow feel very staged. This is because you have no freedom to do anything yet. Which is well and good, every game needs its learning curve and early goings. But those early futile runs ended up two thirds of my play time. And well, they weren't fun.
Again, a lot of that came down to my efforts but it took me 20+ runs and ~7 or so tries at the first boss. Then things started snowballing. FAST. I dunno if my early failures "grinded" my RNG luck up, or if I just got the roll of rolls. But three runs later; I beat the game. It took me three tries to beat boss 2, and when I did; I beat everything else on that run.
When you get to the later areas and unlock more cool items and weapons the game gets spectacularly fun. But I hardly got to experience it. The first area where I couldn't do anything yet and the sparse second zone I spent 12 hours in. Those first two bosses were daunting challenges. The cool areas and more unique bosses that followed I only got to blink at.
But my weird, and hopefully unique, experience aside there was some other stuff I really liked about Returnal. I'm a controller nerd and the Dualsense details used here got my juices flowing. The two stage L2 was chef kiss. The 3D sound design was exceptional. And the graphics didn't blow my mind but the art direction was pretty darn neat. I just wish I got to enjoy it as a game more.
Ultimately it was a wise choice for Sony to have this one of the PS5 exclusives made available on PS+ Premium. Can't say I'd revisit it ever again, or peak at it on PC. But it is definitely worth a playthrough. If anything for the Dualsense fun.
Your first run is out and out a tutorial. But the entire first world and your runs leading up to beating the first boss that follow feel very staged. This is because you have no freedom to do anything yet. Which is well and good, every game needs its learning curve and early goings. But those early futile runs ended up two thirds of my play time. And well, they weren't fun.
Again, a lot of that came down to my efforts but it took me 20+ runs and ~7 or so tries at the first boss. Then things started snowballing. FAST. I dunno if my early failures "grinded" my RNG luck up, or if I just got the roll of rolls. But three runs later; I beat the game. It took me three tries to beat boss 2, and when I did; I beat everything else on that run.
When you get to the later areas and unlock more cool items and weapons the game gets spectacularly fun. But I hardly got to experience it. The first area where I couldn't do anything yet and the sparse second zone I spent 12 hours in. Those first two bosses were daunting challenges. The cool areas and more unique bosses that followed I only got to blink at.
But my weird, and hopefully unique, experience aside there was some other stuff I really liked about Returnal. I'm a controller nerd and the Dualsense details used here got my juices flowing. The two stage L2 was chef kiss. The 3D sound design was exceptional. And the graphics didn't blow my mind but the art direction was pretty darn neat. I just wish I got to enjoy it as a game more.
Ultimately it was a wise choice for Sony to have this one of the PS5 exclusives made available on PS+ Premium. Can't say I'd revisit it ever again, or peak at it on PC. But it is definitely worth a playthrough. If anything for the Dualsense fun.
2020
With little puzzlers like this you want just a few things. Good puzzles. A difficulty curve that fits those puzzles. A length that fits both of those. And a complete art design, concept or theme to it all. The Pedestrian delivers on all fronts.
You get some mild head scratchers, new folds, and a unique world. I wouldn't call it the most difficult puzzle game by any stretch but it's fun learning the rules of the game's universe. The difficulty curve definitely is not steep and flattens out in the home stretch. But they have one final trick up their sleeve to make you feel like the ending was built up to and fitting. Getting there takes the exact right amount of time to keep things from getting too tired.
The world they built that is just in the background is sometimes more impressive than the puzzles though. And you can't help but wonder if that's really worth the hype compared to similarly difficult and long puzzlers out there. I'd also float it out there that the concept of signage come to life is highly highly underutilized or relevant to the puzzles. This almost would've worked better as comic strips/panels. Regardless, I appreciate the concept and art direction.
I guess I've just played better puzzle games. More difficult puzzle games. And puzzle games that better utilized their universe. So while I enjoyed The Pedestrian, it isn't one I'll etch in the stone that's left of my memories.
A good afternoon of puzzles is always welcomed.
You get some mild head scratchers, new folds, and a unique world. I wouldn't call it the most difficult puzzle game by any stretch but it's fun learning the rules of the game's universe. The difficulty curve definitely is not steep and flattens out in the home stretch. But they have one final trick up their sleeve to make you feel like the ending was built up to and fitting. Getting there takes the exact right amount of time to keep things from getting too tired.
The world they built that is just in the background is sometimes more impressive than the puzzles though. And you can't help but wonder if that's really worth the hype compared to similarly difficult and long puzzlers out there. I'd also float it out there that the concept of signage come to life is highly highly underutilized or relevant to the puzzles. This almost would've worked better as comic strips/panels. Regardless, I appreciate the concept and art direction.
I guess I've just played better puzzle games. More difficult puzzle games. And puzzle games that better utilized their universe. So while I enjoyed The Pedestrian, it isn't one I'll etch in the stone that's left of my memories.
A good afternoon of puzzles is always welcomed.
1991
I was forged in the fire of this game.
Probably second only to Tetris in play time throughout my life, Tecmo Super Bowl tends to be the first game I load up when anything NES is happening. Whether it's my childhood console and cartridge or emulation; This game is getting played. Most recently I've stumbled across the wonderful world of retro gaming handhelds and all the fun they have to offer. I've had a "Miyoo Mini" for about a year now and just finished up yet another season of Tecmo Super Bowl rather than exploring something new in the retro world.
There's gimmicks, exploits and ways you can game the game. It's aged. It's missing features you wish a football game had. It's got its many quirks. But it's still fun. It's up to you to handicap yourself in certain ways. Avoid those exploits. And you can still be challenged thoroughly. Especially come playoff time! While I brought the Bears to the promised land my last season playthrough, I fell short with the Chargers this time. QB Bills was tossing bombs in the AFC championship and Thurman Thomas could not be contained.
Always fun. Always a trip back in time. I love it.
[Played on Miyoo Mini v2]
Probably second only to Tetris in play time throughout my life, Tecmo Super Bowl tends to be the first game I load up when anything NES is happening. Whether it's my childhood console and cartridge or emulation; This game is getting played. Most recently I've stumbled across the wonderful world of retro gaming handhelds and all the fun they have to offer. I've had a "Miyoo Mini" for about a year now and just finished up yet another season of Tecmo Super Bowl rather than exploring something new in the retro world.
There's gimmicks, exploits and ways you can game the game. It's aged. It's missing features you wish a football game had. It's got its many quirks. But it's still fun. It's up to you to handicap yourself in certain ways. Avoid those exploits. And you can still be challenged thoroughly. Especially come playoff time! While I brought the Bears to the promised land my last season playthrough, I fell short with the Chargers this time. QB Bills was tossing bombs in the AFC championship and Thurman Thomas could not be contained.
Always fun. Always a trip back in time. I love it.
[Played on Miyoo Mini v2]
At its worst Mafia: Definitive Edition is a poorly named reboot featuring an unskippable intro, horrible checkpoints, graphical pop-in, hangs, and generic shallow "mafia" stories that fail to utilize the open map. Oh, and lackluster gunplay. At its best? Mafia: Definitive Edition is a cinematic masterpiece of a throughline that is a worthwhile "mafia" tale set in a ridiculously graphically beautiful period piece map full of great fun and acting with a climax that makes it all worth it. The latter obviously wins out over the former.
I was prime gaming age when the original came out and I played it. But I don't remember a ton. I was also at the height of my mindless gaming. We're talking about the same year "State of Emergency" came out. Long story short, I was just enough of a degenerate that I didn't develop a nostalgic passion for the original. It never made it to any of my pedestals. I remember just enough to know that this game is different. Very different. So much so they should've approached it as a reboot or relaunch like Tomb Raider (2013) rather than deem it a "Definitive Edition". So I get why those with rose tinted glasses would take this effort the wrong way. It's a fair stance and a legitimate gripe. But. It's good.
First and foremost, it is gorgeous. While the main game is set pieces to the point of feeling like a corridor, the map is passionately detailed. You're taken right into the 1930's. Maybe the cars are easier to drive with analog inputs and everything else that has advanced since 2002, but it also doesn't feel like you're driving around modern cars by any stretch. The city itself is just barely "alive" enough to make you believe it. Smoke stacks, brick buildings, newsies.. I loved it. I look forward to looping around in Free Ride mode some just to take in the sights. But the main game is indeed set pieces within this map. It is NOT an open world game experience. That is exclusively reserved for the mentioned Free Ride mode.
The story is good though. It is most definitely padded for gameplay time. You will end up in plenty shallow generic waters. But if you condensed the best and most original bits of the game's main throughline to make a 90 minute "gangster flick"? It'd be great! Amazing. But you can't have a game of this scope be 90 minutes. You have to have chases, gunplay, heists, sneaking, and more for 10 hours or more. Games make too much money to not continue to blur with movies and TV, but games do still have to be games. I would rank the cinematic experience here pretty high on the list of what games have to offer.
Maybe it ain't true to the original and it definitely has some technical downsides but Mafia (2020), as it should be named, delivers a compelling period piece experience that is mostly enjoyable.
[copied from my Steam review]
I was prime gaming age when the original came out and I played it. But I don't remember a ton. I was also at the height of my mindless gaming. We're talking about the same year "State of Emergency" came out. Long story short, I was just enough of a degenerate that I didn't develop a nostalgic passion for the original. It never made it to any of my pedestals. I remember just enough to know that this game is different. Very different. So much so they should've approached it as a reboot or relaunch like Tomb Raider (2013) rather than deem it a "Definitive Edition". So I get why those with rose tinted glasses would take this effort the wrong way. It's a fair stance and a legitimate gripe. But. It's good.
First and foremost, it is gorgeous. While the main game is set pieces to the point of feeling like a corridor, the map is passionately detailed. You're taken right into the 1930's. Maybe the cars are easier to drive with analog inputs and everything else that has advanced since 2002, but it also doesn't feel like you're driving around modern cars by any stretch. The city itself is just barely "alive" enough to make you believe it. Smoke stacks, brick buildings, newsies.. I loved it. I look forward to looping around in Free Ride mode some just to take in the sights. But the main game is indeed set pieces within this map. It is NOT an open world game experience. That is exclusively reserved for the mentioned Free Ride mode.
The story is good though. It is most definitely padded for gameplay time. You will end up in plenty shallow generic waters. But if you condensed the best and most original bits of the game's main throughline to make a 90 minute "gangster flick"? It'd be great! Amazing. But you can't have a game of this scope be 90 minutes. You have to have chases, gunplay, heists, sneaking, and more for 10 hours or more. Games make too much money to not continue to blur with movies and TV, but games do still have to be games. I would rank the cinematic experience here pretty high on the list of what games have to offer.
Maybe it ain't true to the original and it definitely has some technical downsides but Mafia (2020), as it should be named, delivers a compelling period piece experience that is mostly enjoyable.
[copied from my Steam review]
2020
An amazing bargain.
I like simple puzzle games and driving games. The main play mode of Offroad Mania sort of combines the two. Short levels with three items to collect. I play the levels on hard where you have to collect all three in one go. It's a fun little challenge each time out and there's 300~ levels. Plus there's other game modes too. All with a developer that has been active throughout the game's lifespan. Definitely a labor of love.
The driving simulation side of things is a mixed bag. It's mostly well designed but the controls on gamepad are hard to tune in just right for my personal preferences. Even though there are unique torque curves for each vehicle, a simple gearbox and stuff like steering speed settings to play around with; Everything feels a tad snappy or punchy. Especially the throttle. Which can be bothersome in a methodical rock crawler. But I try to think of it as part of the challenge.
Always revisit it every few months for an afternoon to see what's new and/or replay a few challenges. Great bargain, competent game, and devoted dev.
I like simple puzzle games and driving games. The main play mode of Offroad Mania sort of combines the two. Short levels with three items to collect. I play the levels on hard where you have to collect all three in one go. It's a fun little challenge each time out and there's 300~ levels. Plus there's other game modes too. All with a developer that has been active throughout the game's lifespan. Definitely a labor of love.
The driving simulation side of things is a mixed bag. It's mostly well designed but the controls on gamepad are hard to tune in just right for my personal preferences. Even though there are unique torque curves for each vehicle, a simple gearbox and stuff like steering speed settings to play around with; Everything feels a tad snappy or punchy. Especially the throttle. Which can be bothersome in a methodical rock crawler. But I try to think of it as part of the challenge.
Always revisit it every few months for an afternoon to see what's new and/or replay a few challenges. Great bargain, competent game, and devoted dev.
Over the top and silly in mostly fun ways.
Marlow Briggs and the Mask of Death is action to the extreme. I mean you, conservatively, destroy around two HUNDRED helicopters in this game. You don't go more than ninety seconds without an explosion of some kind. Every other scene the world itself is falling apart in some manner. All while you continually get new weapons and magic to fight bugs, worms, mercenaries, ghosts, and more. Quips are shot from the hip and somehow land safely away from the too corny realm. It's a nonstop, button mashing, adrenaline fueled ride. And it looks great for being a decade old too!
Beyond being over the top fun, Marlow Briggs and the Mask of Death just works. Configs and options are fun, but sometimes you just gotta appreciate a game that opens and runs. And on Steam Deck too! One of those games that seems like it was made for the Deck. Far too often people ask what the Deck can do instead of what the Steam Deck just does. Especially at 4.99USD, this is almost a must for Deck owners.
The game does have it's shortcomings. The fixed camera hearkens back to times older than it. It's a little painful to go back to. It hurts some of the platforming. You'll fall to what feel like very cheap deaths a lot. Far too much. Some of the weapon balance is questionable. The control scheme feels "old" too. And the spells only working when your mana is full, even though they don't use a full bar, is annoying. I've also seen some reviews mention that the combat, especially late game, can be tedious if you don't take the time to explore and upgrade (or play on the hardest difficulty). So yeah, explore. But for the price and the fun there is? Nothing that can't be overcome or overlooked.
Shut your brain off, stretch out your thumb muscles, and go have some fun. Easy recommendation.
[copied from my Steam review]
Probably just a three star game but gave it an extra half star for just being a fun mindless short palette cleanser.
Marlow Briggs and the Mask of Death is action to the extreme. I mean you, conservatively, destroy around two HUNDRED helicopters in this game. You don't go more than ninety seconds without an explosion of some kind. Every other scene the world itself is falling apart in some manner. All while you continually get new weapons and magic to fight bugs, worms, mercenaries, ghosts, and more. Quips are shot from the hip and somehow land safely away from the too corny realm. It's a nonstop, button mashing, adrenaline fueled ride. And it looks great for being a decade old too!
Beyond being over the top fun, Marlow Briggs and the Mask of Death just works. Configs and options are fun, but sometimes you just gotta appreciate a game that opens and runs. And on Steam Deck too! One of those games that seems like it was made for the Deck. Far too often people ask what the Deck can do instead of what the Steam Deck just does. Especially at 4.99USD, this is almost a must for Deck owners.
The game does have it's shortcomings. The fixed camera hearkens back to times older than it. It's a little painful to go back to. It hurts some of the platforming. You'll fall to what feel like very cheap deaths a lot. Far too much. Some of the weapon balance is questionable. The control scheme feels "old" too. And the spells only working when your mana is full, even though they don't use a full bar, is annoying. I've also seen some reviews mention that the combat, especially late game, can be tedious if you don't take the time to explore and upgrade (or play on the hardest difficulty). So yeah, explore. But for the price and the fun there is? Nothing that can't be overcome or overlooked.
Shut your brain off, stretch out your thumb muscles, and go have some fun. Easy recommendation.
[copied from my Steam review]
Probably just a three star game but gave it an extra half star for just being a fun mindless short palette cleanser.
A beautiful little puzzler that fascinatingly bends itself more than it bends your brain.
Monument Valley isn't particularly difficult. Especially the main ten chapters. I'd call them flat out easy. But in the extra content they started to really make use of their universe and puzzle rules and things got a lot more satisfying. You still won't be getting stumped often, if at all. When you do there's only two or three options at any given step in a puzzle, so you're on your way again quickly. Despite this low difficulty, the level design is absolutely top notch. Combined with the art direction this makes for a very pleasant experience. And I very much look forward to seeing what they did in their second outing with the sequel.
I'm a huge fan of these short little minimalist puzzlers you can tackle in an afternoon. One of the biggest things that elevates one from another is a complete, coherent, and unique art direction. Take me away to your little land where your puzzles make sense in and I'm sold. Monument Valley achieves this part of the puzzle in spectacular fashion. The design is about as good as it gets in the category. While I wasn't pushed or challenged by the actual puzzling, I still think the puzzles are satisfying enough to make everything else very worthwhile.
Super approachable puzzles with top notch art and design. Easy recommendation to anybody looking to stretch the noodle for a few hours.
[copied from my Steam review]
Monument Valley isn't particularly difficult. Especially the main ten chapters. I'd call them flat out easy. But in the extra content they started to really make use of their universe and puzzle rules and things got a lot more satisfying. You still won't be getting stumped often, if at all. When you do there's only two or three options at any given step in a puzzle, so you're on your way again quickly. Despite this low difficulty, the level design is absolutely top notch. Combined with the art direction this makes for a very pleasant experience. And I very much look forward to seeing what they did in their second outing with the sequel.
I'm a huge fan of these short little minimalist puzzlers you can tackle in an afternoon. One of the biggest things that elevates one from another is a complete, coherent, and unique art direction. Take me away to your little land where your puzzles make sense in and I'm sold. Monument Valley achieves this part of the puzzle in spectacular fashion. The design is about as good as it gets in the category. While I wasn't pushed or challenged by the actual puzzling, I still think the puzzles are satisfying enough to make everything else very worthwhile.
Super approachable puzzles with top notch art and design. Easy recommendation to anybody looking to stretch the noodle for a few hours.
[copied from my Steam review]
I had a launch PS3 that died. I revived with the "heat gun" fix. And then it was stolen... I went full PC for the generation after that and never got a PS4. So I missed The Last Of Us on both releases. I also somehow never learned anything about it. I thought the guy and girl were the only people left and it was regular zombies. I had no clue it had such a robust story to it. So I watched the TV series "blind" more or less and was obviously impressed.
I've had the PS5 for a good while and been working through all the games I've missed but after watching the show I knew TLOU had to be my next game. And I was admittedly underwhelmed at first. The show did much of the first half of the story in a more dramatic and compelling manner. I also experienced some growing pains with the gameplay style. I was a little worried that the show had taken away the only worthwhile aspect in the story and that the game had simply aged too much for somebody who had missed the boat like me.
But I found my groove. The differences in the story telling started showing in more ways. And even though I knew where everything was going I got swept right back up into the story that was still super fresh in my mind. Some parts towards the end hit completely anew as the gameplay put you deeper into it. I was invested in certain parts more with the game. It really is a phenomenal story.
Ultimately it was spoiled though. My bias lies with the show for better or worse and the game simply couldn't surpass the ways it was explored and expanded upon in the show. Then, even though I got in the groove and started annihilating people; I didn't like the gameplay loop a ton.
I felt they gave you too many approaches and tools only to take them away when convenient. Obviously some of it came down to limitations of tech at the time but it felt like the game "cheated" to set up a lot of sequences. You could be sneaking and using your fully upgraded "listen" but there could be a certain trigger that just spawned in a mob nearby. Or some other reason you couldn't hear somebody on the other side of a door. They attempted freedom and choices but couldn't quite get there. The amount of sections you have to play a certain way outnumber the ones you can approach more than one way.
Ultimately I do wish I got to experience the original or remaster when they came out. It's that good of a story and the gameplay would've been more forgivable. Which is something I didn't think I'd be saying at first. But the show will more than do.
I've had the PS5 for a good while and been working through all the games I've missed but after watching the show I knew TLOU had to be my next game. And I was admittedly underwhelmed at first. The show did much of the first half of the story in a more dramatic and compelling manner. I also experienced some growing pains with the gameplay style. I was a little worried that the show had taken away the only worthwhile aspect in the story and that the game had simply aged too much for somebody who had missed the boat like me.
But I found my groove. The differences in the story telling started showing in more ways. And even though I knew where everything was going I got swept right back up into the story that was still super fresh in my mind. Some parts towards the end hit completely anew as the gameplay put you deeper into it. I was invested in certain parts more with the game. It really is a phenomenal story.
Ultimately it was spoiled though. My bias lies with the show for better or worse and the game simply couldn't surpass the ways it was explored and expanded upon in the show. Then, even though I got in the groove and started annihilating people; I didn't like the gameplay loop a ton.
I felt they gave you too many approaches and tools only to take them away when convenient. Obviously some of it came down to limitations of tech at the time but it felt like the game "cheated" to set up a lot of sequences. You could be sneaking and using your fully upgraded "listen" but there could be a certain trigger that just spawned in a mob nearby. Or some other reason you couldn't hear somebody on the other side of a door. They attempted freedom and choices but couldn't quite get there. The amount of sections you have to play a certain way outnumber the ones you can approach more than one way.
Ultimately I do wish I got to experience the original or remaster when they came out. It's that good of a story and the gameplay would've been more forgivable. Which is something I didn't think I'd be saying at first. But the show will more than do.
2018
A fun challenge fitting of the setting and themes but the writing quality and story pacing ultimately hold it back.
I love Celeste on Pico-8. I'm a big fan of handheld emulators and always "break in" a new one with Celeste if at all possible. It's a great way to test d-pad diagonals and buttons. I've climbed the mountain many a' time. The full fledged game here keeps the base gameplay spirit of the original/classic (and even includes it) while greatly expanding it.
A fitting story is layered into that gameplay. A reason and purpose for climbing the mountain. An explanation for all the sights and sites. And yet another meta layer when you consider the struggle of beating the game you go through. It all works. But. It also gets in the way of itself. The metaphors can be shallow and heavy handed. The deliberate character flaws show up at unintended times. So sadly the story is average at best. Phenomenally fitting, but just not well written. It ends up an interruption more often than not. Ruining the masochistic flow of the punishing gameplay.
That self punishment keeps you going though. If you're a 2D platformer, this is one of those games you're gonna fight and claw with while loving every minute your playing. Each death a badge of honor. Each bit of progress earned. A truly satisfying gameplay experience.
I love Celeste on Pico-8. I'm a big fan of handheld emulators and always "break in" a new one with Celeste if at all possible. It's a great way to test d-pad diagonals and buttons. I've climbed the mountain many a' time. The full fledged game here keeps the base gameplay spirit of the original/classic (and even includes it) while greatly expanding it.
A fitting story is layered into that gameplay. A reason and purpose for climbing the mountain. An explanation for all the sights and sites. And yet another meta layer when you consider the struggle of beating the game you go through. It all works. But. It also gets in the way of itself. The metaphors can be shallow and heavy handed. The deliberate character flaws show up at unintended times. So sadly the story is average at best. Phenomenally fitting, but just not well written. It ends up an interruption more often than not. Ruining the masochistic flow of the punishing gameplay.
That self punishment keeps you going though. If you're a 2D platformer, this is one of those games you're gonna fight and claw with while loving every minute your playing. Each death a badge of honor. Each bit of progress earned. A truly satisfying gameplay experience.
2021
Great balance between approach-ability for all ages and worthwhile challenges.
I initially tried this out on PS5 with a young one. This game is great for playing couch co-op with a variety of ages and skill levels. You can literally carry people around. The graphics and story are harmless and cute. It's really neat in that regard. But I'm also a sucker for 3D platforming and collecting. Which Pile Up! Box by Box also offers.
So I loaded it up on Steam to go solo and collect some things. It was a mostly rewarding experience. The puzzles and platforming take a much more methodical approach when playing solo. It made for some fun problem solving and exploring. Unfortunately the game kind of snowballs by the fourth and final world/level. They ran out of good ideas and the design gets clunkier and lazier. So much so that I couldn't reset a room and missed out on the last couple collectibles. It very much spoiled and soured the experience of an otherwise impressively built game. I ended up skipping the other extras and modes because of this.
All that said, it's a great game. It especially shines in co-op. You can literally carry a novice or run through it with a competent buddy. There's a ton of extra stuff to do that is co-op centric as well. Definitely thumbs up.
[copied from my Steam review]
I initially tried this out on PS5 with a young one. This game is great for playing couch co-op with a variety of ages and skill levels. You can literally carry people around. The graphics and story are harmless and cute. It's really neat in that regard. But I'm also a sucker for 3D platforming and collecting. Which Pile Up! Box by Box also offers.
So I loaded it up on Steam to go solo and collect some things. It was a mostly rewarding experience. The puzzles and platforming take a much more methodical approach when playing solo. It made for some fun problem solving and exploring. Unfortunately the game kind of snowballs by the fourth and final world/level. They ran out of good ideas and the design gets clunkier and lazier. So much so that I couldn't reset a room and missed out on the last couple collectibles. It very much spoiled and soured the experience of an otherwise impressively built game. I ended up skipping the other extras and modes because of this.
All that said, it's a great game. It especially shines in co-op. You can literally carry a novice or run through it with a competent buddy. There's a ton of extra stuff to do that is co-op centric as well. Definitely thumbs up.
[copied from my Steam review]
2015
Another winner from "Matthew Brown" of Hexcells fame.
I enjoyed all the Hexcells games and picked this game up because of them. Being the titular squares, this game is even closer to the nonogram/Picross inspiration and base. But it has its own rules of course. If you're familiar with Picross puzzles, you can get tripped up by overlooking Squarecells' ruleset early on. But save for that, the first 3 or 4 levels of this game are super smooth sailings. You start to wonder just how short the game is. But the last two levels have a very welcome spike in difficulty. You find yourself falling back on familiar Picross approaches. But these puzzles are not defined by just those strategies. The extra rules that were added to the base Picross experience allow for very very linear and deliberate design. Finding that linear path is not easy. There are multiple singular roadblocks during the solving of the puzzles that are all a great delight to figure out. It's a welcome contrast to standard Picross where there's usually many branching paths to take and being stumped never lasts long. Here, you can be stumped for a long time trying to find that one puzzle step that gets you going again. And those roadblocks can happen just as often early as late during a puzzle.
Truly great puzzle design in the final third of the game. Just wish we had at least twice as many of those good ones. I'm a huge fan of short and compartmentalized puzzle games though so I'll take it!
Huge thumbs up.
[copied from my Steam review]
I enjoyed all the Hexcells games and picked this game up because of them. Being the titular squares, this game is even closer to the nonogram/Picross inspiration and base. But it has its own rules of course. If you're familiar with Picross puzzles, you can get tripped up by overlooking Squarecells' ruleset early on. But save for that, the first 3 or 4 levels of this game are super smooth sailings. You start to wonder just how short the game is. But the last two levels have a very welcome spike in difficulty. You find yourself falling back on familiar Picross approaches. But these puzzles are not defined by just those strategies. The extra rules that were added to the base Picross experience allow for very very linear and deliberate design. Finding that linear path is not easy. There are multiple singular roadblocks during the solving of the puzzles that are all a great delight to figure out. It's a welcome contrast to standard Picross where there's usually many branching paths to take and being stumped never lasts long. Here, you can be stumped for a long time trying to find that one puzzle step that gets you going again. And those roadblocks can happen just as often early as late during a puzzle.
Truly great puzzle design in the final third of the game. Just wish we had at least twice as many of those good ones. I'm a huge fan of short and compartmentalized puzzle games though so I'll take it!
Huge thumbs up.
[copied from my Steam review]
2017
A bittersweet end to my "Cells" game adventure.
CrossCells is definitely the most different of the bunch. The math a little more in your face here. And things seem much more open than they really are. The game won't immediately check a bad step like other Cells games. So, if you don't realize you made a mistake you can end up following a path that still makes sound sense for quite awhile before finding out you goofed. This openness can deceive you into believing there's more than one solution. But like all the other Cells games before it; There is only one solution. And the puzzle are meticulously crafted. You just have to check yourself here. Double check your logic is sound and leave your ego at the door. Which is what makes these new folds work. CrossCells would lack any real challenge if it checked your missteps. Just the nature of this particular beast.
I had fun and enjoyed the new challenge. But admittedly enjoyed it the least of the series. Compound that with it being the last of the series and well... Bittersweet.
[copied from my Steam review]
CrossCells is definitely the most different of the bunch. The math a little more in your face here. And things seem much more open than they really are. The game won't immediately check a bad step like other Cells games. So, if you don't realize you made a mistake you can end up following a path that still makes sound sense for quite awhile before finding out you goofed. This openness can deceive you into believing there's more than one solution. But like all the other Cells games before it; There is only one solution. And the puzzle are meticulously crafted. You just have to check yourself here. Double check your logic is sound and leave your ego at the door. Which is what makes these new folds work. CrossCells would lack any real challenge if it checked your missteps. Just the nature of this particular beast.
I had fun and enjoyed the new challenge. But admittedly enjoyed it the least of the series. Compound that with it being the last of the series and well... Bittersweet.
[copied from my Steam review]
Old school with a new school radial menu clunk.
Monster Boy and the Cursed Kingdom is great old school stuff. A spiritual successor to Wonder Boy, it delivers in full. But it isn't just a homage to a previous time, it's full blown well designed. There is a ton to do and find. It opens up smoothly with new wrinkles all the time. It's a great balance of tight platforming and puzzles and challenges. There's a ton of difficulty here that is all fair. You actually earn everything you get while you explore. Everything from the platforming to the bosses are inventive and diverse. You can easily break the 20 hour mark in a playthrough. It is a complete game experience. That experience is just lacking some quality of life.
And when I say quality of life I mean it just isn't a fun interface. I'm not complaining about the challenges. Again, they're all fair and fun. It's just those fun experiences are not a fun experience to play with a lot of the time. The radial menus, menus, and radial menus within menus are just unforgivably awful. You change monster types, magic spells, weapons, armor, shields, bracelets, and boots "on the fly" VERY regularly in this game. They all are implemented on radial menus or radial menus within the pause menu. And none of them are conducive to a d-pad. Remember, we're talking old school here. This game feels better on a d-pad. But. The radial menus do not play nice with the d-pad since most of the time they contain more than 4 but less than 8 items. So you switch to thumbstick. And a lot of the gameplay charm is lost. These radial menus feel like a very late addition to the game to avoid an inventory menu (that is sitting there unused on the last page of the pause menu). This one design failure made the entire experience clunky. To further compound the issue, only monster type and spells are hotkey (R2/L2 for the former, R1/L1 for the latter) accessible. The rest are in the pause menu. This is wasting buttons and time. At the very least weapons should've had a hotkey too. And then monster or spell change isn't available in the pause menu. It's all very clunky and you will be hitting the wrong menus a lot.
I also am personally not a huge fan of the art direction. The cutscenes and charater/enemy sprites are great. But I found the background and environments lacking the same detail and care. It felt like two different art styles. But I still appreciate the approach over just making it look retro or something. So that's a nitpick at best.
Ultimately I had enough fun and appreciated the old school challenge. Whether it was spite or desire, I 100%'d the game. Though I did have to resort to the internet to find a few of the switches for the whole "corked well" puzzle. Then check again for the switch directions even though I noticed the correct clue and swear I tried it both ways. And finally I did miss "buy something from Zeke" and had to look that up because 20+ plus hours later I forgot there was a shop in the very first door of the game. But I still think I earned that fake digital "platinum trophy". I just wish the game had a better menu solution than the split radial menus and pause menu radial menus. It was so painfully obtuse and ruined the flow. Felt very out of place.
As annoyed with it as I got, I think over time as I get further away from my frustrations, I'll appreciate this game more with rose-tinted glasses. It was a well made classic-feel game with classic challenges and tight controls. Made me feel young again! ...And also so very very old. Radial menus man...
Monster Boy and the Cursed Kingdom is great old school stuff. A spiritual successor to Wonder Boy, it delivers in full. But it isn't just a homage to a previous time, it's full blown well designed. There is a ton to do and find. It opens up smoothly with new wrinkles all the time. It's a great balance of tight platforming and puzzles and challenges. There's a ton of difficulty here that is all fair. You actually earn everything you get while you explore. Everything from the platforming to the bosses are inventive and diverse. You can easily break the 20 hour mark in a playthrough. It is a complete game experience. That experience is just lacking some quality of life.
And when I say quality of life I mean it just isn't a fun interface. I'm not complaining about the challenges. Again, they're all fair and fun. It's just those fun experiences are not a fun experience to play with a lot of the time. The radial menus, menus, and radial menus within menus are just unforgivably awful. You change monster types, magic spells, weapons, armor, shields, bracelets, and boots "on the fly" VERY regularly in this game. They all are implemented on radial menus or radial menus within the pause menu. And none of them are conducive to a d-pad. Remember, we're talking old school here. This game feels better on a d-pad. But. The radial menus do not play nice with the d-pad since most of the time they contain more than 4 but less than 8 items. So you switch to thumbstick. And a lot of the gameplay charm is lost. These radial menus feel like a very late addition to the game to avoid an inventory menu (that is sitting there unused on the last page of the pause menu). This one design failure made the entire experience clunky. To further compound the issue, only monster type and spells are hotkey (R2/L2 for the former, R1/L1 for the latter) accessible. The rest are in the pause menu. This is wasting buttons and time. At the very least weapons should've had a hotkey too. And then monster or spell change isn't available in the pause menu. It's all very clunky and you will be hitting the wrong menus a lot.
I also am personally not a huge fan of the art direction. The cutscenes and charater/enemy sprites are great. But I found the background and environments lacking the same detail and care. It felt like two different art styles. But I still appreciate the approach over just making it look retro or something. So that's a nitpick at best.
Ultimately I had enough fun and appreciated the old school challenge. Whether it was spite or desire, I 100%'d the game. Though I did have to resort to the internet to find a few of the switches for the whole "corked well" puzzle. Then check again for the switch directions even though I noticed the correct clue and swear I tried it both ways. And finally I did miss "buy something from Zeke" and had to look that up because 20+ plus hours later I forgot there was a shop in the very first door of the game. But I still think I earned that fake digital "platinum trophy". I just wish the game had a better menu solution than the split radial menus and pause menu radial menus. It was so painfully obtuse and ruined the flow. Felt very out of place.
As annoyed with it as I got, I think over time as I get further away from my frustrations, I'll appreciate this game more with rose-tinted glasses. It was a well made classic-feel game with classic challenges and tight controls. Made me feel young again! ...And also so very very old. Radial menus man...
Very deserving of the "mixed" rating.
This is indeed Ridge Racer doing its best to not be Ridge Racer and instead trying to be a Burnout style game. And it fails to do a good job of it. The servers are long dead and with it a lot of the excuses for some of the design choices. The levels are built in blocks/segments. During the campaign you try to "dominate" different districts of the city but these segments get repeated in every district. You'll be making the same turns around the same buildings but it's not because there's a coherent city map. You aren't actually revisiting the same spots. It's just the chunks being repeated and shuffled differently. The idea was you could build your own courses with these puzzle pieces and share them with the world. But that is no more.
The campaign is a good, albeit frustrating, challenge. Though most of my frustration was deciding I wanted to get a "3 star" rating on each level. But even if you weren't going for that, there are still some point requirements to unlock some district levels that would require some work. There's five(ish) types of levels; "Domination" where you have to win plus cause destruction to the city and your opponents. "Shindo" racing where you just have to win and can't cause damage. "Frag" where you have to destroy a certain number of mindless NPC cars. "Drift" where you have to, you guessed it, drift. And "Time Attack" where you have to finish in a certain time with a couple variations. It seems like it'd be more varied than it is. But everything is always a few minutes at best and all feels very samey.
The driving mechanics/physics are mostly fun save for the spinouts. You're just forced to be faced backwards. You can't reverse out of a spin. You can't turn into it. If your drift gets past the tipping point, you're just facing backwards until you stop. The end. The rubberbanding of opponents isn't unbearable, but is there just enough to notice. Your computer opponents are unfortunately on rails and making turns at different speeds than you can. It's cheap and lazy but you're mostly just racing yourself and the clock. If it weren't for the objectives and short level lengths, there actually could be some fun racing underneath all of it. They just don't let you play with it enough.
So why the thumbs up? The Steam Deck. That's it. It's one of those games that just works on Deck. We often ask what the Deck can do and overlook what it just does. Games like this from ~10 years back just feel like they were made for the thing. 60fps, super quick load times, near 4hrs of battery life, good stereo sound, and all of it without ever setting anything up. I sat through the frustrating challenge for 20hrs because it just felt at home on the Deck. I always have a racing game installed on it at any given time and this one stayed until I got all those "3 star" races under my belt. It's a niche fit, but a good one.
[copied from my Steam review]
This is indeed Ridge Racer doing its best to not be Ridge Racer and instead trying to be a Burnout style game. And it fails to do a good job of it. The servers are long dead and with it a lot of the excuses for some of the design choices. The levels are built in blocks/segments. During the campaign you try to "dominate" different districts of the city but these segments get repeated in every district. You'll be making the same turns around the same buildings but it's not because there's a coherent city map. You aren't actually revisiting the same spots. It's just the chunks being repeated and shuffled differently. The idea was you could build your own courses with these puzzle pieces and share them with the world. But that is no more.
The campaign is a good, albeit frustrating, challenge. Though most of my frustration was deciding I wanted to get a "3 star" rating on each level. But even if you weren't going for that, there are still some point requirements to unlock some district levels that would require some work. There's five(ish) types of levels; "Domination" where you have to win plus cause destruction to the city and your opponents. "Shindo" racing where you just have to win and can't cause damage. "Frag" where you have to destroy a certain number of mindless NPC cars. "Drift" where you have to, you guessed it, drift. And "Time Attack" where you have to finish in a certain time with a couple variations. It seems like it'd be more varied than it is. But everything is always a few minutes at best and all feels very samey.
The driving mechanics/physics are mostly fun save for the spinouts. You're just forced to be faced backwards. You can't reverse out of a spin. You can't turn into it. If your drift gets past the tipping point, you're just facing backwards until you stop. The end. The rubberbanding of opponents isn't unbearable, but is there just enough to notice. Your computer opponents are unfortunately on rails and making turns at different speeds than you can. It's cheap and lazy but you're mostly just racing yourself and the clock. If it weren't for the objectives and short level lengths, there actually could be some fun racing underneath all of it. They just don't let you play with it enough.
So why the thumbs up? The Steam Deck. That's it. It's one of those games that just works on Deck. We often ask what the Deck can do and overlook what it just does. Games like this from ~10 years back just feel like they were made for the thing. 60fps, super quick load times, near 4hrs of battery life, good stereo sound, and all of it without ever setting anything up. I sat through the frustrating challenge for 20hrs because it just felt at home on the Deck. I always have a racing game installed on it at any given time and this one stayed until I got all those "3 star" races under my belt. It's a niche fit, but a good one.
[copied from my Steam review]