Recent reviews by TheFinePlayer

While more works needs to done. This "demo" version of the game is an amazing peek at what can become of this game. I believe that to be something that will in fact happen.

It's important to note that, regardless of how well this will be made, it won't be for everyone. It's very much focused on the old 90's JDM era in Japan, where it was perfectly normal and in fact very common for the night time to turn the highways into a race track. It's an amazing take on this era into a game, similar to that of the old NFS games but going even further into that old feeling with VHS filters, film grain etc (most of which can be toned down or turned off if wanted).

If you're on board still after the stylistic choice, then that leads us to the actual gameplay. As some reviews state, there was some initial problems. Most notably with the AI. While they're still not ideal perhaps, they've already brought us updates to try and fix these issues. I very much appreciate a dev that listens. So while the AI might seem a bit too easy at times (as of writing this), I still very much enjoyed the battles and their choices in car behavior. A great balance and foundation as been set for the future of this game in my opinion.

Furthermore, the game offers an impressive amount of customization. Just about everything can be changed. Something I noticed, which I love, is the fact that the game lets you upgrade your car more than the cooling system might allow. Hence the present engine temp gauge. It allows you to set it to a risky build if you so wish to take that gamble. Perhaps it will pay off, or perhaps you'll be left overheating the engine. I've sadly yet had the chance to explore if there's actually any consequences for doing something like that though. The customization in comparison to something like NFS, just feels more rewarding in this game somehow. It's a more fun process. You can actually walk around the car and remove panels and replace them with your newly bought item from the store. NIGHT-RUNNERS knows how to bring joy into the choices, and without overwhelming you with too much at the same time.

Lastly, negative things I personally found, was the fact that you can't change/bind the controls to what you want. You're stuck with one scheme, either for keyboard or a controller. However, this is ofc not the full game, so I'm sure we'll see updates this in the future.
The game is a bit limited in map size and certain stuff is missing/work in progress, so there's that. But it's again, a free version of a future full release.
There's sometimes also a slight confusing feeling before you learn the ways of the game and how things work. On the other hand, I'm also glad it doesn't treat you like a baby as many other games do with non-stop tutorial windows. It did not take that long to get the hang of everything, so I believe it to not be that much of an issue. It's a rather simple game after all. But that brings more fun than most car games have in a long time. Looking forward to the full game.

8/10 - So much joy from a free "demo" of a game. Brilliant.

What a brilliant little simulator game this is! You might look at my playtime of 26h and think "what could you possible for for 26h in this?". Rest assure, about 20h of that total is background use of the game to grind for the rarest achievement in the game. That still leaves 6h left, and yes, I genuinely played the game for 6h.

It's amazing how this project, originally not meant for more than a YT video demonstration, turned out to be the perfect balance in a fun mix between simulator sandbox and an actual game, much thanks to the achievements. I'll get to that later.

As a simulator, this is truly great. So if you enjoy that stuff, that fact alone would justify downloading this free masterpiece. Seeing how things change when adjusting water flow, burn heat and throttle amount is weirdly interesting in a way I really didn't expect. I've never had an interest for steam engines at all. Yet it was very much a fun experience to find out just a bit more about it from this simulator.

As game, well, it's pretty simple and basic truth to be told. But it wasn't meant to be anything more than a fun little steam engine sandbox. But then they added some stuff along with achievements, and all the sudden it actually did get a bit of a fun game aspect to it as well. These achievements was (at least for me and those that like to hunt for achievements) the perfect way to keep me interested and having a reason to explore the ways of the steam engine. Some are easy, some are a bit harder and a few are a bit of a grind. Especially one specific one that have you burning up 10L of water. That's where the AFK hours are from.

Lastly... IT'S FREE! Amazing. For what this was meant to be, and for it has become.
10/10

Trombone Champ, a challenging, hilarious and enjoyable game to play.
It is as in simple words a less serious rhythm game. But that I think still appeal to those who are experienced with such games.

The game offers a decent amount of tracks right off the bat, with more to unlock as you progress and collect the in-game currency to open a type of loot box (don't worry, can only be bought with in-game currency). It also offers the ability to get custom tracks, more on that later though.

The mechanics of the game are easy to understand and to get into. But what's not as obvious, is what weird lore is present in this game. As right when you start the game for the first time, you get an intro explaining certain things. It can be confusing at first as you mingle around in the menu seeing the "baboon" option. At the start I'd not worry too much about the present lore. It might be silly in a game like this, but I think it's done in a funny way that suits the overall feel of the game. As mentioned, it's less of a serious rhythm game, even with its' actual rhythm gameplay. But the lore gives you a good excuse to rest your fingers/hand for a bit as you play and might find yourself strained. But at the start, simply play and collect as much of the game currency.

This leads me to the loot boxes. These coins you earn allow you to unlock loot boxes in the "collection" menu and you'' unlock different cards. Certain cards will help you progress into the little lore the game has.
There are also some secret things to find which will allow you to unlock new trombone sounds and skins, as well as outlooks for your character. These are purely for looks of course.

Lastly I'd like to get back to the custom tracks thing. This is the one negative thing about the game I've found. While it is possible to add custom made tracks, it's not as easy as one would like. They currently (while writing this in July/2023) don't have any steam workshop system. So you can't simply download something and have it magically appear. Instead we have to rely on 3rd party made files and scripts to help make this feature possible. But, in fairness it's very easy to do. There is a very easy to follow guide, both in text and video format. There's a discord server for all the modding needs. Simply google and you'll find what you need. Only hassle is that the mods easily brake with updates. Devs have made posts on trying to make this easier in the future.

So yeah get your tromboner and start tromboning you baboon.
7/10 (8/10 when/if they add steam workshop support)

Found this game through Pyrocynical. Is nice.

Seriously though, what a brilliant little indie horror game. This is what horror is actually supposed to look like! At least in my own personal opinion.
Jump scares, as present in almost all horror games these days, are so boring and not even scary. Yes you might find yourself jumping because of loud sounds. But that's not scariness nor horror. It's a surprise and a human reflection more than anything. A jumpscare is only ever truly scary and filled with horror once you've been able to properly build up for such occasion.
This game certainly manages to set you in a horror filled space. Such a brilliant way to create horror. Narrow space, no significant sound but ambiance, only ever broken by "something" outside at some points. This in turn creating an unknown of what's out there, which then makes you have a fear that thing, a presence.

The gameplay mechanics might be found to be a bit odd. But I do believe that it too provides for the successful horror feel. I argue for this because it makes you navigate by really not knowing where you're going sometimes. Only after you check your camera for a photo will you know what stands before you. This is such a great touch.

Solid game, worth a try!

A bit repetitive, but for sure one of the more unique games in a while!
I can spend an hour running around exploring a level before even starting the mission itself. Just cause there's so much interesting stuff to see. Also fun to find the hidden valuables hidden around the level.

The game offers great destruction fun in a voxel based world. While great, I believe it still lacks some things in terms of how the destruction behaves. For example, cutting a tall tower in half, making it fall, doesn't have the impact upon touchdown as you'd expect. One would assume when the tower hits the ground, that it'd be crushed into bits, to some degree at least. But currently, it's as if the tower doesn't have any weight - And simply lands with little to no damage done upon impact. Though, we should not forget, the game is in Early Access after all.

I've had lots of fun so far and think the money was well spent. Something I haven't felt with new games in a while. Finally something (in my opinion) unique and interesting! Make sure your PC can handle the game before buying though! It hits hard. Even on the more modern PC's. Most should be fine, settings can be tweaked a bit too!

8/10 - Missing two points for heavy performance hit and lack of different weights to big objects/materials.

Get this instead of No man's sky. Astroneer is sooo much better! :D

Cute and cosy little game. Love the style of it. I find it a bit buggy at times though.

While it's one of the most frustrating games I've ever played it's also the most in depth game I've ever seen in terms of car building. So that's an automaticly good game for me, besides, as far as I understand it, there's like only a handful of people working on this game. Which makes it impressive.

Scrap Mechanic is amazing. The stuff you can do with the right mind is incredible.
However, this game needs a lot of work before I'd call it "done".

That aside, this is an amazing game to let your building ideas get real just like when you were a kid and built with legos and other stuff. Game is very colourful and looks overall great.
Controls are fine and can be edited.

As of right now the only game mode to play is 'Creative' but devs say they're working on a survival mode.
A lot of works need to be done for that to work out well but I belive it can be done very well if they just go for it.

7/10
For the great pontetial and the fun I've had so far.
Though it needs work for the future.

This! THIS IS GREAT!

So what is "this"? Well...
Devil Daggers is mostly a game for you hardcore gamers because trust me, this WILL BE one of the hardest games you've ever played. But it's so well made that it's super rewarding once you beat your record.

Yes this is all about survining as long as possible while enimies fly after you. You have to be very tactical about what to kill first. You've got towers spawning in monsters to kill you and you've got monsters stealing your gems so your weapon doesn't get upgraded. I'll let you figure out the rest tho ;)

Pros:
-Super cheap!
-Hard but very rewarding once you advance.
-Great sounds.
-Neat looking graphics, perfect for this style.

Cons:
-Won't apeal to the bigger audience since most will be bored very fast.
-Only one gamemode.

Summary:
Over this is a super well made game with just the right things for it! I love the style and how they went about it.
However, I do wish that we had more gamemodes. Maybe like a level based gamemode for the casual gamers so more people can enjoy it!

Rating: 9/10

EDIT: It's 2019 now and I still suck at this game LOL. But I still love it.