Recent reviews by plankicorn

TL;DR: 9/10. Buy it if you're willing to take on the challenge.

Elden Ring is the first FromSoftware game that I've played. I came at this having no experience with Dark Souls or the like. The story line is not very concrete, but the general idea is that you're trying to become "Elden Lord" by venturing toward a massive tree known as the Erdtree.

This is an interesting game. I never ceased to be amazed with what I found in Elden Ring, in both good and bad ways. On one hand, there are countless amazing views to be seen in this game. The scene of Stormveil Castle as you first enter Limgrave is an iconic one I won't soon forget. The view of Liurnia right after you advance past Godrick is absolutely breathtaking. But that's not all.

The combat system in Elden Ring is quite addicting. It's very well put together. It focuses on a system of dodging and carefully timing your attacks to best your opponent(s). The way this balances with heavier and lighter weapons feels natural, as a colossal sword will be painfully slow but deal devastating amounts of damage, and dual daggers will be quite fast, but deal much smaller amounts of damage.

Nevertheless, there are some design flaws to be found in Elden Ring. Some may find the reuse of enemies tiresome, as there are some bosses that get recycled as regular enemies or even simply harder bosses with the same design. Although it is understandable, dungeons also all basically have one of two feels to them: cave or crypt. There's very little deviation from those designs.

Multiplayer is unnecessarily complicated and comes with greater risks. If you want to play with your friend, you must both enter the same multiplayer password first. Then, the joining player must put down a summon sign near a place you both agree on. Next, the host must use a Furlcalling Finger Remedy, which is a finite (yet laughably easy to make) item. With that, the host may see the other player's summon sign and summon them to their world. However! The hosted player is left with half of all of their potions and no one may rest at a Site of Grace during multiplayer. Horseback riding and fast travel are also disallowed, which is very cumbersome in such a wide world as The Lands Between. In addition, if you two kill a boss, the hosted player returns to his or her world and must be summoned again. If the boss was in a dungeon however, the host cannot summon another player for that dungeon ever again (except through New Game +).

All of that might not be a problem if it weren't for the invasions. Sometimes while playing together with your friend, you might be invaded by another player seeking to kill you both. While this can be fun for some, it can be quite frustrating for others, because it can happen at almost any time and the invading player can sometimes be far more skilled and can completely disrupt your multiplayer session, causing you both to have to go through the same process of restarting multiplayer. There is only one way of turning these invasions off, and that is by playing solo mode, which disallows co-op multiplayer anyway.

The game very much glides on its own combat system, which might normally be a problem, but Elden Ring gets away with it because that combat system is just so fantastic.
For the sceptical, here are some pros and cons:

Pros:
- Excellent combat system that basically never gets old
- Story that, while ambiguous, is engaging enough to spark curiosity
- Many play styles to choose from: daggers, swords, hammers, axes, shields, incantations, spells, etc.
- Any boss can be defeated with enough skill; you won't be locked out of progress because you aren't high enough level or don't have good enough gear (although those things certainly help)

Cons:
- Needlessly complex and frustrating multiplayer
- Many repeated boss designs, some bosses later repeated as standard enemies
- Many dungeons feel samey
- Malenia is a cold-hearted, insufferable wretch

Overall, I would rate this game 8/10. Very fun, and sure to keep you entertained for well over 100 hours. Just remember to git gud.

TL;DR: 9/10. Buy it if you can make the commitment to playing it the way it was meant to be played.

Ancestors: The Humankind Odyssey is a very unique game on the market. It follows the idea of human evolution. As the player, you are responsible for taking your clan of hominids from something very similar to a chimpanzee to ♥♥♥♥ ergaster, which was supposedly a precursor to ♥♥♥♥ sapiens, and everything in between.

I highly encourage you to play this game without looking up any hints online. The idea of this game is that you can use your own human learning to discover new things about this game, which is represented by your evolutionary progress. The process is very immersive, and a great many things can simply be figured out by using your innate ability as a modern human to learn new things.

The game very much rewards you for playing in the way that you want to play. If you often try to intimidate predators, you will get better at intimidating predators. If you do so in a group, you will get better at communication. If you often hunt with tools, it will become easier for you to make tools. If you prefer to dodge out of the way of predators rather than attack, you'll become more proficient in that too.

The process for evolving is very easy to understand. Doing activities matures neurons and gives you neuronal energy to develop them into new abilities. When passing a generation, you can reinforce a certain number of those abilities so that the neurons don't need to be developed again (this is usually equal to the number of kids in your clan). Finally, an evolutionary leap will allow you to leap many thousands of years and allow you to develop genetic mutations that have come up throughout the generations.

There are only a few minor complaints I have with this game. First, the AI of your fellow clan members is abysmal. They don't eat unless you eat around them or give them food directly. Even while you're away from your settlement, your fellow clan members just stand there and don't take care of themselves at all. They don't even sleep at night. In addition, the combat is entirely reactive. There's no ranged combat, either. I would have loved to be able to throw a rock at the crocodile waiting at the bottom of the tree for me, or throw my sharpened stick at the gazelle that was yet unaware of me, but no such ability exists. Perhaps that's intentional. Lastly, I would have loved to be able to play as ♥♥♥♥ ergaster! We do get to see what they look like in the ending cinematic but it's not possible to play as them. I do partially understand this though, because the ability to control fire would radically change the dynamic of the game. My hope is that the developers could make either an expansion or a sequel so we can continue to evolve.

Many people have complained about the controls of this game, but I played this game for 72 hours with a keyboard and never found them to be a problem. Some might prefer to use a controller, however.

Pros:
- Great visuals
- A great many opportunities to exercise the innate abilities of your own human brain
- You're rewarded for nearly everything you can do
- Intuitive evolution system that gives the game a cycle and makes it fun to learn new abilities

Cons:
- Horrible AI for clan members, they're basically useless
- Combat is totally reactive
- Inability to play as the final evolution

Overall, this game easily receives a 9/10 from me. Progression is slow, but it is steady. Making discoveries feels just as rewarding for the player as it does for the character. If you're willing to make the commitment to learning, absolutely buy this game.

This game is in early access and likely has a lot of potential. However, I judge early access games as they are in their current state. This game is very polished and is fun to play. Worth the $10 it costs for sure!

TL;DR: 9/10. Buy it. The game is complete in its current state and will only get better with time.

Imperator: Rome is a fantastic addition to Paradox Development Studio's growing library of grand strategy games.

The game had a bit of a rocky launch, which I didn't understand.The developers were very transparent about exactly what the game would be like, giving weekly dev diaries (which still continue as with other PDS GSGs) and even livestreaming a "Developer Clash" multiplayer game for all to see. Either way, many people were not happy with the state of the game at launch. The main complaints about the game were twofold:
1. The use of monarch points (or mana), which make the game feel less strategic and more like a board game.
2. The ability to do a large amount of things instantaneously using only monarch points. Converting and assimilating entire populations, making a few sacrifices to raise your stability from -3 to 3, and so on.

The developers have been extremely responsive to this feedback. The 1.1 Pompey Update brought with it a stability and war exhaustion system that works over time now, so that it's no longer possible to simply get to max war exhaustion and then instantly buy it back down, or declare a no-CB war and instantly buy stability back up. Also, Rome gets two consuls (also all Aristocratic Republics and all Monarchies)!
The 1.2 Cicero Update (which is still in beta as of this review but I have tested it) sees population mechanics changing drastically. Pops now migrate organically, and are converted easier through provincial policies and buildings rather than spending monarch points. In fact, monarch points have completely ceased to exist in 1.2. Now, all resources you get in the game come from easy to understand sources; Political Influence comes from having loyal characters in government, and Military Experience comes from fighting battles, drilling armies (finally), and War Exhaustion.

The game essentially has you controlling a nation during the early Republican days of Rome. There are a multitude of different options to choose from, from tiny city-states to vast empires. The three government forms, Monarchy, Republic, and Tribe, are all different, but Republics have the most flavor by far. Monarchies have to quell pretenders to the throne and keep legitimacy high. Tribes have to appease the different clan chiefs lest they rise up in rebellion with their retinues. Republics have a senate, composed of 100 members, that you will need to seek the approval of in order to do various things in your country. In exchange, the different factions will provide unique bonuses to your country when in power (except the Populists. Screw those guys.)

The combat is very detailed and immersive, which is to be expected from a PDS title. There are many different kinds of military units, all with advantages and disadvantages, and many requiring special resources in order to field.

The technology system is rather unique in this game. There are four different categories of technology: Martial, Civic, Oratory, and Religious. Each time you advance in technology, new "inventions" become available to you, which are permanent bonuses you can acquire for your country. You almost certainly will not be able to afford all of them, so you must choose carefully. It makes each nation that much more unique as the game goes on.

The trade system is also unique for a Paradox game. Trade routes can be made between countries or within countries if there is a surplus of a given good. Goods give bonuses for having one of them, a surplus of them, a capital surplus of them, or an export of them. In addition, all trade routes provide money to both the exporter and the importer, with significantly less money earned through internal trade (as of 1.1; not tested in 1.2).

The game is getting better as time goes on, but as of this review there are still a few things that could be better. For example, playing as a barbarian tribe lacks a lot of flavor; playing in southwestern Iberia will essentially feel the same as Scandinavia. I think this is due to all barbarians having the same military traditions, but there may be some other ways to make different barbarian nations feel unique.
Various QoL features are mysteriously missing, even though they existed in EU4, which this game initially got many features from (War Exhaustion, Monarch Points, Stability, etc.). Features like claims being visible in the Diplomatic Map Mode, being able to open the ledge with the L key, and hotkeys for various military commands like reorganization, drill, or build roads, are all missing. It just feels odd that this stuff isn't there, seeing as how it probably would be pretty simple to add.

Still, the game is worth buying. It's obvious that the devs are very passionate about this game and are working very hard to improve it.

For the sceptical, here are some pros and cons:

Pros:
- Beautiful visuals with the most detailed map in a Paradox game yet
- A plethora of different nations to choose from
- Interesting internal politics system for all government forms
- Unique technology system that gives unique advantages (called inventions) that will end up being different for every country
- Very detailed combat system
- Detailed but easy-to-understand trade system with many different resources
- The good part of playing a nation like EU4, while keeping the good character mechanics of CK2
- Generally very strategic and will keep you thinking
- The game is being constantly supported and improved upon

Cons:
- Various QoL features are mysteriously missing
- All barbarian tribes essentially feel the same
- Very little flavor outside of Rome, Carthage, the Diadochi, and Hellenic states

Overall, this game is a 9/10. Imperator: Rome is truly a game worth playing, and with time, I can easily see myself upping the score to a 10/10 and it replacing EU4 as my favorite game of all time. Until then, though, it's still a great game.

TL;DR: 10/10. Buy it, buy it, buy it.

I have never played Ninja Gaiden, which this game was inspired by. So this review is from that point of view.
The Messenger is a ninja platformer game on its surfact. However, beyond the surface, it quickly becomes evident that this game had a huge amount of love, time, effort, and thought put into it.

A standard campaign took me about 16-18 hours, and that's with trying to get every single power seal, which I realize some players won't do. However, there are many more things to do which will take up your time in this game. Even though most of the things I did ended up being required to advance the story, it still felt like my adventure was unique, since you are free to explore the map in so many different ways.

The plot twist with the Tower of Time was genius, and the way they convey it graphically made perfect sense. Levels are always designed in two different ways, and that makes it fun and interesting to come back to them multiple times when trying to get all the power seals.

The soundtrack in this game is glorious. Buy it or listen to it on Spotify! The amazing thing about it is that each track has two different versions: the past and the future. Sometimes I liked the past version more, sometimes I liked the future version more, but most of the time, I loved both of the versions equally. Some of my favorite tracks are:
-Harnessing the Wind (Howling Grotto)
-Bamboo Boogaloo (Bamboo Creek)
-The Frozen Light (Glacial Peak)
-The Arcane Shoppe
-Civilization in the Sky (Cloud Ruins)

For the sceptical, here are some pros and cons:

Pros:
- Outstanding and, at times, hilarious writing
- Amazing soundtrack that never seems to get old
- Well thought-out level design that makes coming back to old levels fun
- Very engaging story
- Super satisfying to collect all of the power seals
- Challenging boss battles
- New Game +
- Upcoming free DLC!

Cons:
- None. Enjoy.

Overall, this game is a solid 10/10. Without a doubt, The Messenger is one of the best games I have ever played. It scratches a unique itch and because of this game, I am very excited to see what else this developer can come up with. This is an instant classic. Buy it!

TL;DR: 9/10. Buy it.

I played Insurgency back when it was a mod. I played the original standalone Insurgency game. This is better than both of those. The sound design is insanely good, and it cuts war down to the barebones of what it really is: grim, terrifying, face-in-the-dirt action. Coughing, panting from exhaustion, screams of pain, intimidating trash talk, and even the subtle breathing while quietly looking down the scope of a high-powered sniper rifle are all sounds that can be heard in this game.

Time to die is extremely fast. You can die in one shot, and it doesn't even have to be a headshot. Sometimes your vest can stop a bullet, maybe two if you have heavy armor. Otherwise, you're dead. This game really doesn't mess around, and that's a good thing. It forces you to be tactical and deliberate in your actions.

The community is seriously top-notch in this game. Working as a team has never been so fun. People are generally forgiving when you lose (as long as you're really trying) and congratulatory when you win.

Oh, and no loot boxes! Progression feels very rewarding from what I've experienced, where you unlock different cosmetic items for your character but also get a currency that you can use to purchase specific items without waiting for the level they unlock at. I was a little cautious when I saw that currency, but there doesn't seem to be any way of getting that currency except by leveling up.

The two main gripes I have with this game (and they're minor) are that it occasionally stutters at the worst possible time, and that the maps are all in the same general environment. Can we get a jungle map, or perhaps a big city map? Beachside invasion? Swamp? The maps are just desert as of now. I know content is coming, and I'm so so glad that it's free because that is what cultivates this fantastic community, but I'm reviewing the game in its current state.

For the sceptical, here are some pros and cons:

Pros:
-Amazing sound design, rivaling that of Battlefield
-Friendly and co-operative community
-Guns are all unlocked from the start, along with all attachments
-Guns all have a unique feel and playstyle associated with them
-Tactical gameplay that rewards team players and punishes lone wolves
-Rewarding progression system

Cons:
- Maps feel a little samey after a while
-Some minor performance issues and visual bugs

Overall, this game is a very high 9/10. I want so badly to give it a 10/10, but it's gotta have some more maps first. Give me a jungle map!

This game promised so much. It took two years to deliver on those promises, but the team eventually came through and boy, did they really hit it out of the park. Would I recommend the game at launch? Not at all. Would I recommend the game now? Absolutely. Pick it up, because you won't regret it.

TL;DR: 9/10. Buy it.

Hearts of Iron IV has transitioned out of the awkward phase that was its predecessor: clunky, confusing, crowded, and convolluted. What it has become is something quite fun to play. There are a few rough edges here and there, but certainly those are quite small in comparison to the major leaps forward that this game makes.
I've finished quite a few campaigns at the time of writing this: Greece, Italy, Tibet, and Korea. Also at the time of writing this, I have a campaign as Liberia in progress.
For the sceptical, here are some pros and cons:

Pros:
- Much easier to learn than HoI3 without being over-simplified
- High replay value
- Playing as a minor country isn't hopeless (looking at you, Victoria II)
- Very to easy to transition here if you're coming from EU4
- Real strategy required; not just who has the bigger army
- Extremely satisfying victories, no matter how small
- Shorter games mean that multiplayer is more viable
- Extremely fun and cutthroat multiplayer
- Any country can be of any ideology; yes, you can even have Communist America or Democratic Germany

Cons:
- As with most paradox games, there is a performance dip later in the game (better as of 1.0.1 but still present)
- Minor countries, while possible, still get an underpowered National Focus Tree (which I changed in a mod)
- Some areas of the world lack flavor
- Nowhere near enough national leader portraits

Overall, this game is a solid 9/10. This review is written as of 1.0.1, so it will very likely get better. Also, since this is a Paradox game, if you buy it, you're dropping $40 on a game that's going to likely be supported for three years or more. Worth it? Absolutely.

TL;DR: 8/10. Buy it if you're into character creation.

Caves of Qud is a rogue-like RPG, but where it really shines is character creation and experimentation. The idea is that you're set in a world so far into the future that everything is unrecognizeable. The range of abilities you can have is very extensive, though hindered slightly by the constant death. If you're not into restarting the entire game every time you accidentally die, I highly recommend you turn off permadeath.

That being said, I get the feeling that Qud is meant to be extremely deep. It wants to be a deep and complex world teeming with politics and people. However, because of the permadeath, I think there's a strong need for the development to be focused on the "wide" aspect rather than the "deep" aspect. The story (as far as I know) isn't completely finished, and while the new features are very helpful and fun, there is very little attention given to the later stages of the game.

The game is still very fun though.

Pros:
-Faction system makes certain creatures friendly while others might hate you
-Very interesting world with unique lore
-In-depth character creation that makes it exciting to experiment
-Memorable story

Cons:
-Unfinished story
-Mouse input is very limited
-At times, the world feels too random

Overall, I'd recommend this game. Good value for the price and the developer is a nice guy.
8/10.

9/10. Buy it if board/card games interest you.

It's almost hard to believe that this game is legal, what with the fact that you can get almost any board/card game you can imagine for free on the Steam Workshop. I live in Korea and my family is in the United States. Playing board games with my mom just like when I was back home adds a sense of togetherness that we normally can't have. Sometimes I miss my home, but this game helps me cope with it.
Why not 10/10? It lacks a bit of polish and is probably not quite as optimized as it could be. Still, great game. Pick it up.