tangysphere
BACKER
2021
While 'Look and Blink' may not be the new 'Point and Click', Before Your Eyes does a great job at not only telling a story using its unique control scheme but also by incorporating it naturally into the narrative.
I felt engaged at all points and wanted to know more and more about the people around me and the life I was living through. Initially I tried to keep my eyes open to experience more but as I made my through more vignettes I began to take things more naturally, emulating the dream like state your character is going through and personally think that made for a better experience.
I felt engaged at all points and wanted to know more and more about the people around me and the life I was living through. Initially I tried to keep my eyes open to experience more but as I made my through more vignettes I began to take things more naturally, emulating the dream like state your character is going through and personally think that made for a better experience.
Pretty much a new version of a previous spin-off game that allows you to use new design options in the main game, which is actually a pretty decent way to do paid DLC for Animal Crossing.
It suffers slightly from AC's already pretty unwieldy menus and classic unnecessary Nintendo rigidity on how some items can and can't be placed but there's something really quite calming about taking on a new housing assignment every few days. There's good variation in the themes given to you while items and feature unlocks are doled out at a decent rate, allowing you to do your own thing and also update previous builds as you unlock more.
It suffers slightly from AC's already pretty unwieldy menus and classic unnecessary Nintendo rigidity on how some items can and can't be placed but there's something really quite calming about taking on a new housing assignment every few days. There's good variation in the themes given to you while items and feature unlocks are doled out at a decent rate, allowing you to do your own thing and also update previous builds as you unlock more.
2022
'Endless' games don't always gel with me so I was pleased when this turned out to be mission focused. I think they could have been slightly longer but it was nice having mechanics chop and change continuously to keep things interesting. Most levels felt pretty fair as well, even if you have to occasionally deal with enemies suddenly spawning just off-screen directly in front of you, giving you very little time to react due to the screen size.
The crank here steers your ship in a similar way to Hyper Meteor (direction dependent on the exact crank position), but there's also an option to change this to be relative to the ship's position on screen.
The crank here steers your ship in a similar way to Hyper Meteor (direction dependent on the exact crank position), but there's also an option to change this to be relative to the ship's position on screen.
The influence of Monty Python on Joe Richardson's work is undeniable, not only in Terry Gilliam-esque animation but also the overall tone and humour of the writing and scenarios. With such direct and successful comparisons available, it's a testament to the game that it manages to feel like it's own thing.
Drawing on the art of the Renaissance era, the scenarios you're placed in seem utterly bizarre until you looks at the paintings that inspired them, with just the right level of self awareness about them in the writing and dialogue to not feel heavy handed. The absurdity also lends itself to some of the more out-there solutions you sometimes see in point and click games, although it would perhaps benefit from a smidgen more guidance - it wouldn't have to be a lot, but small things like some dialogues with hints being said more than once wouldn't go a miss.
The Processions to Cavalry is short and sweet and while I would have liked to see a few more areas to explore and solve silly puzzles in, I certainly appreciate the effort that has gone into recreating these classic paintings and portraits as environments and characters
Drawing on the art of the Renaissance era, the scenarios you're placed in seem utterly bizarre until you looks at the paintings that inspired them, with just the right level of self awareness about them in the writing and dialogue to not feel heavy handed. The absurdity also lends itself to some of the more out-there solutions you sometimes see in point and click games, although it would perhaps benefit from a smidgen more guidance - it wouldn't have to be a lot, but small things like some dialogues with hints being said more than once wouldn't go a miss.
The Processions to Cavalry is short and sweet and while I would have liked to see a few more areas to explore and solve silly puzzles in, I certainly appreciate the effort that has gone into recreating these classic paintings and portraits as environments and characters
2013
I said earlier on the year that I wasn't sure whether I preferred Legends or Origins but I'm now fairly sure it's Origins. Legends isn't bad by any means - it's still one of my favourite platformers - but the change in art style, easier Back to Origins levels and the use of Murphy feel like slight downgrades.
Still, it's very hard to match the thrill of beating the music and invasion levels. When it works, it really works.
Still, it's very hard to match the thrill of beating the music and invasion levels. When it works, it really works.
2022
I mainly play this series in co-op career and it's fun, but so many random and annoying bugs just keep cropping up - not being able to setup the car for a grand prix, AI overtaking the safety car without penalty, end of race classifications which don't match the timings, cars DNFing but staying on the circuit for the whole race and slowly moving across the track (and in Monaco to add to the mayhem). And this happens every single year, it's getting a bit tiring.
And then there's the addition of Supercars which isn't bad, just completely unnecessary when there's other things that people buying focusing on open-wheel racing would much prefer they work on.
And then there's the addition of Supercars which isn't bad, just completely unnecessary when there's other things that people buying focusing on open-wheel racing would much prefer they work on.
A good variation on Sokoban that starts out simple, builds to become more complex and then flips everything on its head, plus there are pleasant looking snowpeople with names and outfits.
I've never felt so compelled to play through such a bad game to completion. The situations in the game are nicely varied and the dialogue options can be highly amusing and were just enough to pull me through to see what came next.
But the act of playing the game was almost painful. With the base speed of the main character, traversing the world can be akin to wading through a swamp unless you permanently hold down the run button, in which case it feels like Yakety Sax should be playing in the background - there's just no happy medium. At one point in the game you're forced to give an old lady a piggyback which slows everything down to a crawl but even then I swear that was faster than just walking normally.
Less painful and more pointless, there are also hunger/thirst/bladder meters for you to manage (even though nothing actually happens as a result of letting any of these get too low). There's a moral points system that doesn't affect anything, and while the dialogue choices can be hilarious it's all window dressing - there is exactly one time in the game where your decisions have any impact.
And there's a whole host of other issues. I wasn't super fussed by framerate problems or other technical hitches, but the audio design might be some of the worst I've experiences in a game. Footsteps drown out every other sound, the world feels lifeless and dialogue snippets repeat constantly while sounding completely out of place. Everything just feels so lifeless - I'm not expecting a sweeping score and I know there will be some occasions where silence has more impact, but there needed some kind of atmospheric background noise.
But then you get moments where you accuse someone of arson in front of a whole town while wearing frilled cowboy chaps and tall chef hat with a tengu mask strapped to your face with pink sunglasses underneath which almost make the experience worth it. Almost. That's what the 2nd star is for I guess.
But the act of playing the game was almost painful. With the base speed of the main character, traversing the world can be akin to wading through a swamp unless you permanently hold down the run button, in which case it feels like Yakety Sax should be playing in the background - there's just no happy medium. At one point in the game you're forced to give an old lady a piggyback which slows everything down to a crawl but even then I swear that was faster than just walking normally.
Less painful and more pointless, there are also hunger/thirst/bladder meters for you to manage (even though nothing actually happens as a result of letting any of these get too low). There's a moral points system that doesn't affect anything, and while the dialogue choices can be hilarious it's all window dressing - there is exactly one time in the game where your decisions have any impact.
And there's a whole host of other issues. I wasn't super fussed by framerate problems or other technical hitches, but the audio design might be some of the worst I've experiences in a game. Footsteps drown out every other sound, the world feels lifeless and dialogue snippets repeat constantly while sounding completely out of place. Everything just feels so lifeless - I'm not expecting a sweeping score and I know there will be some occasions where silence has more impact, but there needed some kind of atmospheric background noise.
But then you get moments where you accuse someone of arson in front of a whole town while wearing frilled cowboy chaps and tall chef hat with a tengu mask strapped to your face with pink sunglasses underneath which almost make the experience worth it. Almost. That's what the 2nd star is for I guess.
2020
For better or (mainly) worse, Hotshot Racing goes all in on the aesthetic and looks just like an early 90s arcade racer. Unfortunately there isn't much else on offer - bland track layouts, seriously underwhelming game modes and some very dodgy stereotypes for most of the characters are obvious blemishes, but the rubber-banded AI is probably the worst part of the package.
I don't mind a game keeping things semi-interesting in a race against the computer but the AI just does not let you escape which would be okay if it weren't for the fact that they slow down so hard if you fall even slightly behind.
I don't mind a game keeping things semi-interesting in a race against the computer but the AI just does not let you escape which would be okay if it weren't for the fact that they slow down so hard if you fall even slightly behind.
The story is fun and I mostly liked these versions of the characters more than the recent films but ultimately it's a bit of a chore to actually play through thanks to repetitive and uninteresting encounters and bland level design.
2022
I feel like the crank usage in this could have been quite interesting but all it really involved was spinning it forward or backward enough to hear the music snippet correctly.
The second I came across a 16-speaker puzzle I just gave up. Overall just a bit boring and inanely repetitive.
The second I came across a 16-speaker puzzle I just gave up. Overall just a bit boring and inanely repetitive.
2009
Is the main campaign a touch easy at time? Sure. Is it also still the best time I've had while playing a tower defense game? Absolutely. The concept is simple but everything about the game is so endearing, while the endless modes provide a decent outlet for challenge
1993
An instant-classic arcade racer on release both in the arcades (and eventually Playstation), Ridge Racer unfortunately looks positively anemic through a 2021 lens with a single track with one variation depending on difficulty and four very similar cars.
It's a decent distraction if you like time trial racing but the handling model can make playing feel more frustrating than fun these days. Can't deny the impact it made though, and thankfully Namco built upon it well for its sequels.
It's a decent distraction if you like time trial racing but the handling model can make playing feel more frustrating than fun these days. Can't deny the impact it made though, and thankfully Namco built upon it well for its sequels.
I will never get tired of people's terrified screams as they become entangled in a giant sticky ball filled with sweets, cats and vending machines.
This time round I did notice that the time limits given to you are very generous and you're left with too much dead time at the end of each level where there's very little left to collect, especially the further you get into the game. But that's a relatively minor quibble, everything still holds up pretty damn well.
Now if Bandai Namco could just hurry up with We Love Katamari REROLL, that'd be great...
This time round I did notice that the time limits given to you are very generous and you're left with too much dead time at the end of each level where there's very little left to collect, especially the further you get into the game. But that's a relatively minor quibble, everything still holds up pretty damn well.
Now if Bandai Namco could just hurry up with We Love Katamari REROLL, that'd be great...
Environmental storytelling when done well can sometimes draw you into the world more than something more explicit. Other times though you're just left running around clueless as to what is happening and why, with no impetus for the journey you're on, and just like how your protagonist takes in many of the vistas across the world, this is firmly the end of the scale where Hob sits.
As pretty as the forests, lakes and vistas I explored could be, the game did nothing to try and intrigue me, or scatter even the most minuscule of breadcrumbs to be able to learn more. And perhaps this wouldn't have mattered so much if I was engaged in another aspect of the game but sadly that wasn't to be either. The combat was laborious (and ultimately pretty pointless as you can roll past nearly every enemy encounter with no consequences) and the platforming sections were severely 'okay' but I guess it was the world itself that disappointed me the most.
Yes it can be green and lush at points but there were very few areas that stood out and so the requisite backtracking sections involved a lot of map checking, as each part of the scenery blended into one another. And all this was not helped by an atmospheric soundtrack which seemingly just repeated the same 1-2 minute loop, including one part of the map where you're subjected to an obvious and sudden stop in the background music that completely throws you out of the experience. It probably didn't help that the framerate can absolutely chug on Switch - I'm usually not that fussed by FPS but it was distractingly bad in certain areas and during some cutscenes.
I take no pleasure in being harsh with the game - I really wanted to like it, and probably against my better will and judgement kept playing in the vague hope that it might get better - but in retrospect I feel like my time with it was just wasted.
As pretty as the forests, lakes and vistas I explored could be, the game did nothing to try and intrigue me, or scatter even the most minuscule of breadcrumbs to be able to learn more. And perhaps this wouldn't have mattered so much if I was engaged in another aspect of the game but sadly that wasn't to be either. The combat was laborious (and ultimately pretty pointless as you can roll past nearly every enemy encounter with no consequences) and the platforming sections were severely 'okay' but I guess it was the world itself that disappointed me the most.
Yes it can be green and lush at points but there were very few areas that stood out and so the requisite backtracking sections involved a lot of map checking, as each part of the scenery blended into one another. And all this was not helped by an atmospheric soundtrack which seemingly just repeated the same 1-2 minute loop, including one part of the map where you're subjected to an obvious and sudden stop in the background music that completely throws you out of the experience. It probably didn't help that the framerate can absolutely chug on Switch - I'm usually not that fussed by FPS but it was distractingly bad in certain areas and during some cutscenes.
I take no pleasure in being harsh with the game - I really wanted to like it, and probably against my better will and judgement kept playing in the vague hope that it might get better - but in retrospect I feel like my time with it was just wasted.