Recent reviews by Like[A]SiR

Dodgeball Academia is a game set in a world that revolves around - you guessed it, dodgeballs. The game features a single-player story mode wherein you will join Otto and train to become the ultimate dodgeball champion. Then there’s a versus mode, where you can sit back and play locally with your friends (or by yourself, no judging). This RPG game is giving me a lot of classic Pokémon vibes, from the transition music, the menu UI, some gameplay mechanics and more. And I am here for all of it!

Since there isn’t that much to go on about the versus mode, this review will specifically focus on the single-player story mode.

You will play as Otto, a transfer student in the academy, who aspires to be the best dodgeball player out there. The story unfolds like it’s some sort of a Saturday morning cartoon. Its cartoonish art style and the same time, combining a 2.5D world and 2D sprite sets this game apart distinctively. The story progresses somewhat linearly, having a main quest each day and a few optional quests in between. Its main quest dubbed as an ‘episode’ really makes this game feel like you’re watching a cartoon series.

The gameplay of dodgeball is very simple. Two teams are matched and the first team that gets wiped out, loses. If you are familiar with the game, then you had a nice childhood. But if not, don’t fret because the game did a nice job of introducing the rules to you. Your team may compose from one to three members, while the enemy team will range from one to six. You control one character or switch up to another on the fly during the matches.

Throughout the story mode, you will come across unique characters that will contribute to your story progression. With each character having different characteristics, they also come with different set of abilities; from counters, whether to dodge or jump, and balltimates (ultimate moves). As you progress through the story, you will be unlocking characters that will join your team. You can freely customize your party in the main menu.

There are two types of obtainable items in the game; (1) consumables that can heal/revive your party members or give a permanent stat boost, (2) equipment that will give you additional boosts in your stats if your characters have them equipped. Each character can only equip up to two items, so plan strategically. While for the consumables, it is worth taking note that each character also has preference. Meaning to say, some consumables will have a better effect to those who loves or likes the food as opposed to dislikes and allergic to it. Aside from using consumable items, you may also get your team healed up in an infirmary.

The core gameplay of dodgeball can get repetitive quite fast if you’re burning through this game quickly. Since all the main quests and optional quests will revert to you playing dodgeball. I highly suggest that play this game in short bursts to avoid the feeling of it becoming a chore. The game is fairly short, ranging from 10 to 15 hours of playtime to finish the story mode. So, there is no point of rushing this one, just take your time and let the game come to you.

With the positive notes out of the way, now it’s time to tackle some negative ones. First off, your other team members are pretty much useless. All their movements and actions will depend on the character that you’re using. It’s crazy seeing your enemy moving so independently and contributing to win the match. Your teammates will shadow you, mimicking your movements. It’s already hard enough to dodge volley of balls thrown at you, imagine having to that while minding your teammates position. And they are not contributing at all. I often feel like my other team members are only there just so I have a backup life just in case my character’s health depletes to zero.

Next is that rolling ball mode (sprinting). Since by default, your moving animation is already running, going from point A to point B can be hassle especially if it’s on the other side of the campus. Thus, they are introducing this rolling ball to somewhat kind of sprint. On paper, this shouldn’t be something negative, right? Wrong. Going into a roll feels like you don’t have any real directional control. You will bang keep banging into something and this will eventually annoy the hell out of you.

Overall, I do recommend this game to anyone who has an itch for a sports RPG. Its visuals and soundtrack make this game really stand out. Story-wise, it’s not that heavy and that’s fine for me. The core gameplay of dodgeball is solid especially with how they’ve added a cartoonish twist to it. The ability effects are amazing and satisfying to execute. And besides, there isn’t that many dodgeball games out there. So, grab a copy and start playing!

Love, Money, Rock’n’Roll is a visual novel set in the late 80’s, that revolves around mystery and intrigues, betrayal and sacrifice, hatred and passion. I am not well-versed when it comes to visual novels. In fact, this is my first time encountering this developer, Soviet Games. And I am intrigued when I found out that they have a very well received game, Everlasting Summer, under their belt.

It has also amazes me how long this game has been in works. Apparently, this game has been in Kickstarter in 2016. Though I am only been aware of its existence for a few days, I am glad to know that it was able to finally see a release after all those years of development.

Those background arts took me back to the good old ways of hand drawn anime style. This time around with a little bit of modern touch as they come alive/animated at some point. The characters are also fully animated during dialogues, which I really appreciate when compared to the other visual novels. They feel more alive when compared to others wherein the character are static and in a blink of an eye, changes their posing throughout the dialogues.

I am definitely not yet halfway through the story, but I am eager to find out what ending I’ll be achieving in my first playthrough. Please take note that there are no hidden Steam Achievements, therefore if you have taken a quick peek on them then you may already have an idea on some possible endings. Which I hope I am wrong, since I would’ve slightly spoiled myself if what I’m seeing based on the graphics of these achievements is what I am thinking.

Probably my only gripe with this game is that there are no any type of voiceovers. I wasn’t expecting any fully voiced dialogues, but some sort of voice lines that align with their dialogues would’ve been such a better experience. Hearing the characters giggling, grunting, groan, etc. would definitely make this visual novel more immersive in my opinion.

Personally, I think the UI for this visual novel fits with what they are trying to do. It is not overly cluttered and the little effects they have in between are a nice touch. They even included two options for the ‘Appearance’ of the game: Classic or Immersive, with the latter adding some level of fuzziness to the screen. And then there’s also two options for ‘GUI Style’: Classic or Modern, which I think only changes the settings screen as far as I know.

Recalling dialogues are also easy to do. For someone like me who tends to miss click and accidentally moved to the next dialogue, knowing there is an easy way to re-read previous line is such a relief. I know it’s not a big deal to some and its probably been done more often than not, but I am happy report this game contains this little quality of life feature.

In general, I highly recommend this game to anyone who are looking for a visual novel with a rich story, great soundtrack, interesting characters, and a top-notch artwork/art style. What captivated me towards this visual novel, was specifically the art style.

Bang-On Balls: Chronicles is a 3D platforming game which is highly inspired by similar games in the genre such as Super Mario, Sonic, Banjo-Kazooie and many more. Instead of controlling a usually character, you instead control a country ball. These balls gain popularity through memes back in the day. In this game, you become a reckless hero, customize your character, play solo or play up four players in co-op and smash your way through various themed levels

There are tons of customizations for your character that you can unlock throughout your gameplay. Some are unlocked through purchases, while some are unlocked through certain completion of an objective. Most of these are purely cosmetic while few offer special perks for your character. Customization isn’t only limited to items that you can equip on your character. You may also change your country flag that your character is wearing on the main hub. The developers didn’t stop there, you can instead choose a state flag if you really want a specific one. Aside from these, flags representing communities are also included.

The game showcases themed levels such as the Viking era, Feudal Japan, Race to Space, and Wild West. Though only two of the announced levels are currently playable, I find them more than enough to play with, given that the game is still in Early Access. Hopefully, in the future more levels are announced to be included in the game, whether it be through DLC or free major updates.

The stylized graphics this game has is just beautiful to look at. It is not even that taxing to your hardware, or at least in mine (I have an RTX 2060). I was constantly on 100+ fps throughout my gameplay. But I imagine lower specifications won’t have that much of a problem running this game.

I have only played this in solo so I cannot comment that much on the co-op side of the game. But I can say that it does get easier and more efficient when you have at least one other player with you. Some areas in the level require two (or more) to gain a deeper access of that section. Fear not, because the developers have added a feature to still gain this access even if you are playing alone. You may spend your blue orbs in order to unlock an AI controlled ball that will automatically will help you gain a way in.

The customization window can get overwhelming at times. Since some platforms will require you to equip a certain item, browsing through a huge selection can be daunting at times. I would suggest if there is a possibility to have loadouts/costumes so switching items can be done swiftly.

Exiting the game can give you second thoughts. Even though you have made a checkpoint on the last level you have played, the game will still spawn you in the main menu hub once you are back in. Yes, the objectives and the collectibles have progressed but the obstacles and enemies you have faced before will now respawn back as if you are starting over again. What I suggest to you is, make sure you have cleared the area (not the whole level) before deciding to call it a day. I understand that without this aspect of the game, the game would probably be too easy for some. Consider it as a little heads up.

The game is still in Early Access but the game itself is already polished and can even pass as a full game in my opinion. Sure there are only two themed levels as of this writing, but I already fell in love with the game within the first level. I will surely keep in touch for future updates and hope for the best with these developers, because they have created something truly special here.

The developers have mentioned that they will gradually raise the price along with major updates. I highly recommend that you pick this game up if you like what you are seeing from the store page, because it just only gets better from this point. Not only you will be getting the game in a fairly cheap price, you also get to support these developers.

Pinball Groupies is an indie game attempt at sexualizing... Pinball. The game features comic drawn girls that fits to the aesthetic of the game. There are eights tables that you can play on, each having their own girl that strips for every score milestone you get. Eventually the stage ends once you've scored enough points to unlock the climax, which you can view again in the gallery located at the main menu.

I can't help but feel that all the stages has the same layout all throughout the game. There's not enough distinction on each level that would make me feel thrilled for the next. There will always be around 4-7 circle bumpers on every level, that seems to be always on their usual spots. Thus, giving the impression that all tables feel the same. The top part of the playing field also doesn't change for the whole game, except the letters that lits up when you go through each of them. The playing area is also smaller in comparison to the usual pinball games out there. There's not much action happening to the ball once you've played the game. I also like to point out that scoring in this game is pretty dreadful since there's only a handful ways for you to score. The ball and the flippers feel too heavy in my opinion. No matter how I hit the ball, I can't seem to launch it higher than I am expecting it to. Even though there is a speed boost that you can hit (I think that's what it does, due to the trail it was giving to the ball), I always find it lacking. Maybe I just suck? Sure. But I don't have any of this trouble when I play other pinball games. Though the game tracks your current score, there's no leaderboards to showcase your high scores. In which I think, breaks the essence of pinball.

I also would like to warn you about lowering your graphics quality in the settings. I found myself running the game on more than 1000 to 3000 fps, and upon checking the task manager, it was using almost 80% (probably more) of my GPU. For a very simply game, this is unacceptable.

I can't recommend this game, even for its price point. There are definitely better choices out there than this game.

Heavenly Bodies is a physics-based game where you control a cosmonaut through various scenarios, where without gravity, a simple task can turn into a frustrating one. Set in the 1970s, you embark on a journey about a scientific research station. Using only the mission control as your aid, you will have to use your keen senses and dexterous limbs to assemble space telescopes, maintain delicate solar array, research cosmic botany and many more.

If you want the the best experience in this game, it is highly recommend that you play it using a controller. I don't think this game can emphasize it more, it's a must. Sure, there are there is an option for rebinding keys, but I doubt you'll have fun using a keyboard and a mouse compared to a controller.

You can play this game as a solo or with a friend via local co-op. Unfortunately, online co-op isn't featured in this game. But luckily for us, Steam users, there is this feature called Remote Play Together. This allows us to stream the game to someone as if we're both playing locally. Even with this feature, I can see this as a deal breaker to some. Playing a game via Remote Play feature won't unlock any achievements for the person on the other side of the stream.

The missions are done well in this game. I find myself getting more invested as I go through each of them. As usual, they start of with simple tasks and then gradually piles on as you progress. Though the game can be finished in singleplayer, I still think this game shines when played by two people. Especially on the later levels, I see how it would've been easier and less troublesome during co-op.

Overall, I highly recommend this game to anyone who loves a challenge, physics-based games, and especially to those who finds outer space fascinating. I love everything in Heavenly Bodies, from its aesthetics, sounds, and the gameplay it self.

Touhou Endless Dream is a roguelike 2D top-down bullet hell shooter game. Using your selected character(s), you venture through a series of stages that you can choose from in the overworld map. Your objective in each stages is to fill up the meter at the top of your screen by ridding monsters in the area. The game features more than 200 combination of items, both active and passive.

The game will start off in a lobby-like area where all the characters and NPC are having a nice picnic. Aside from being the character selection area, this is also where you can purchase upgrades, unlock more characters and also select the difficulty of your run.

To start the game, you have to talk to an NPC and a sequence will begin where most of the NPCs are engulfed in a pitch black circle. This sequence will throw you to the overworld map where you can begin your venture through stages. There are two phases for this game. The first phase is simple, you just pick out any available stages away from the pitch black circle found in the center of the overworld map. As you keep finishing stages, the black circle will keep increasing its radius. Once you've cleared enough stages, a torch will appear in the map and this will trigger the second phase of the game. Now you have to venture towards the black circle and clear stages from there. Unlike the previous area you have cleared, these stages adds a twist that will mostly benefit the enemies you encounter in here. At the end of the second phase, you can finally face the final boss. This is the final test for your character and all the upgrades you have gathered throughout your run. Defeating the boss will end your run and then you can finally use the resources you have gathered to upgrade your arsenal.

Other than clearing enemies, there are also instances where you end up in a stage that features a shop. This is where you can spend the coins you have earned throughout your run. There are also chances that you may stumble upon a special event where you can choose a random buff for your character.

The controls for this game are easy to get a grasp on. Fighting through hordes of enemies and evading their attacks are so satisfying. The animation of your character's attacks, whether it be from your basic attack or from items you've gotten through the game, are also an eye candy in my opinion. All the characters in this game have their own kind of projectiles, making sure you always have a different experience each time. Even the enemies' projectiles are done nicely and are enough to be distinguished.

The game is still under Early Access and I'd like to specify that very few of the texts found in-game aren't translated yet. Other than that, the game is more than enjoyable at its current stage. Therefore I highly recommend that you try this game out. It got tons of replay value with all the different characters (eight in total) that you can use and items/upgrades (more than 200 passive and active items) that you can combine.

One Line Coloring is a very simple game that I'm certain many of us can remember playing when we were a kid, connect the dots.

The objective here is to connect the dots using a single line without overlapping any of the previous lines drawn, revealing a colored drawing. Once you have finished a level, the object that you have drawn comes to life in 3D form. This object will automatically be placed in an environment where you can view other objects you have finished in the same level pack. I really appreciate how they've used this kind of feature instead of just listing them in some kind of a gallery book. It gave me the sense of wanting to finish a whole level pack in order to see what the filled environment would look like.

Unlike the usual connect the dots found on a children's learning book, One Line Coloring made some adjustments to cater a broader audience. Other than the mentioned single line, no overlapping mechanic, there are some stages that introduces, what I want to call, one way line. These are arrows found in various stages wherein some lines only allows you to go from a specific dot to another. This gives a good twist for the difficulty in my opinion, it makes you think more about where your lines should go. There are also some cases that a starting point is already decided.

The overall aesthetics of the game is amazing and will surely appeal to the younger audience. But I want to point out that moving around the menu was quite intuitive. I was having a hard time what some of the buttons exactly do during my first time around. I know that the game is going for a minimalistic look, but I'm there's a proper way of labeling the buttons without ruining the design. Also, once I've finished a whole level pack, I can't figure out how to view them in 3D altogether.

House Builder is like any simulator game out there in the market. In this simulation game, you are tasked to follow a blueprint in order to build different kind of houses.

Throughout my gameplay, I've been able to build an igloo, house made from mud, cabin and a Japanese tea house. In each houses, I've learned different techniques how to build them. As usual, with any kind of work, you start off with the basics. The first few tasks are done one at a time. This can be tedious I know, but as you keep doing these tasks, you get to unlock upgrades which will further haste your work. At the beginning you only receive one long log from cutting a tree. Through upgrades, you will eventually receive a total of three logs just by cutting down one tree.

The setting for each stages are done beautifully. I find myself admiring the scenery and exploring them first before going to work. The tools, workshops and materials needed are laid out near the house that you're supposed to build. If by any chance that you ran out of materials or misplaced some tools, there is a shop that you can bring up and buy from them using coins that you've earned by building.

Unfortunately, you can't stray away from the blueprint and make your own adjustments in the house you built other than a few decorations that you can add in the end. This means you're pretty much stuck with how the look of your house once you are done. I didn't experience any major issues in regards with the graphics. However I do want to point out that even though the motion blur is already turned off, I still see some kind of parts of it when moving the camera too fast.

Overall, I enjoyed this game more than I expected to. I didn't realize how long I've been playing until I showed me the time it took to finish the house.

Lamp Head is a one button control endless runner game. Your main character is a guy with lamp attached to his head, try to run as far as he can by avoiding obstacles such as saws, monsters, falling debris, etc. You use your left click on the mouse to transfer from top or bottom side of the platform. The graphic fits this one well, being the setting of the game is your character is maneuvering his way through the darkness.

Right from the start, its easy to tell that this is a mobile ported game. It has the usual features of a basic mobile game; one button control, daily rewards, skins, etc. Being a mobile a game, means it was meant to be played on lower resolutions. So if you're on a bigger screen, you can't help but notice some parts of the game to be a bit blurry. The UI for this game pretty clean and all the information you needed is present right away.

Aside from avoiding obstacles, you also have to take note of the battery on the top right of the screen. This battery tells you how much longer your light can last. In order to refill the bar, you just have pick up a battery during your runs. You can also pick up coins along the way, which you can use to buy skins for your character. At the end of each run, you can see the tasks the you have accomplished and you are rewarded accordingly. I think this game would be better if it has Steam Achievements on it.

For its price point, I think this is a good pickup if you have a few cents to spare, especially during sales. Its a good way to burn off some time if you're looking for a quick and fun game.

Mistake is a top down shooter game set in an apocalyptic world wherein creatures have grown in sizes. The game is done in a three-dimensional with low-polygonal models, which I personally found charming often times.

Unfortunately the gameplay is too short. I was surprised to know that there were I think only 4 or 5 levels. The story for the game was quite forgettable, in fact I just skipped most of the dialogues and went to the actual gameplay right away.

The objective for this game is to survive while large creatures try to hunt you until the timer runs out. Initially I was wondering why they made the creatures in random sizes. For example, a wasp is way larger than a tiger, sometimes a bigger tiger appears and the next creature that is supposed to be huge is smaller in comparison. I find this inconsistency bothering at first. Then I just thought that maybe these creatures underwent some sort of radiation or evolution that made them that way. This huge creatures also adds up to the pressure of being hunted, in a way, so I think it is a good thing in the end.

There are power-ups scattered throughout the stage to increase your firepower. These buffs can increase your damage or increase your rate of fire. In addition, health/foods can also be found around the stages just incase you find your self wounded. You can also get a new weapon by progressing through these stages, though I find them lacking in uniqueness. Every weapon feels similar and the only difference I can point out are the color of the particles they shoot out and their sound effect. And lastly, other than killing creatures, you can also increase your score by locating crystals that are placed all over the stage. This gives a sense of exploring the area instead of just camping a spot and wait for the timer to run out.

For its price value, I still recommend it in some sort of way. The gameplay was overall fun and I don't think I'll regret buying this game, especially if its bought on top of a sale discount.