Recent reviews by Seraph

Earlier in the year I played Caves of Qud for about a month straight and developed an RSI and I still don't regret it.
Can't wait to get back to this one eventually. It has deertaurs.

A fully realized exploration platformer for those of us raised on GameMaker 7.0 projects, right down to the loading screen. The world is large enough to feel lived-in with roughly 50 characters scattered about the 4 overworlds, yet small enough that you'll easily form a mental map of the areas and their screens. This scope makes the lengthy trading sequences manageable, with tracking down items and NPCs providing just the right amount of difficulty most of the time (and the hint system can fill in most of the gaps). More cryptic puzzles and secrets await those willing to deep-dive.

Fair warning, this is probably not a game for everyone. In lieu of onscreen hazards, the platforming challenges come from time limits and tile layout. The movement system is complex and finicky enough that I'd recommend some experience with precision platformers, otherwise you may get frustrated. Also, inventory management is far easier with a mouse.

The music is maddeningly good, to the point where you'll forgive or maybe even adore such lyrics as "fluffy little city, fluffy like a kitty" and "don't you worry child cuz your adventure just beginned". Likewise for the dialogue, which has managed to infect my actual conversation style.

I hope Sylvie makes another game on this scale someday. Clockwork Calamity in Mushroom World: What would you do if the time stopped ticking? is as delightful as its title!

Hits differently in quarantine

The awkward middle child between Anodyne 1 and 2, Even the Ocean proudly carries the torch of... those weird environmentalist SNES JRPGs like Illusion of Gaia? It's undeniably messy game, but the compelling kind - you can really see all the labor put into the game and exactly how its development ended up so prolonged and patchwork. The overarching narrative is blatant to the point of not even running on a metaphor by the end, but it's the small and personal moments that work the best, about broken people finding solace in each other in a society that claims prosperity but ignores their plight.

I didn't love it, but I sure as hell appreciated it. I think it'll trickle into my thoughts for a good long while.

Anodyne captures the feeling not of playing Link's Awakening on your Gameboy as a child, but of emulating Link's Awakening on your laptop as a weird disillusioned teen. Extremely potent stuff and the music alone is able to make me cry.

I can't figure out how to pitch this game so I'm just going to go with "Maternal PSX".

In the same vein as Yo Noid 2, Anodyne 2 offers a beautiful, meditative reflection of early 3D games, all while tackling some surprisingly heavy themes. Throughout all of it, the game emanates warmth from every low-resolution corner. It's great, I promise, and it emotionally gutpunched me more than once by total surprise.

A love letter to all the broken girls in the universe.

Will leave you vulnerable in ways you may not expect. Embrace it.

The coolest thing I've played in a very long time.
If you're alright with a fair amount of reading, or even better, if you're a fan of visual novels, then this one's for you.

This is the best game in my Steam library. Dark Souls who? XCOM whomst? Fallout New Vegas whomst'd've? It doesn't get better than this.