Recent reviews by DJSF

I am putting a placeholder review before a more in-depth one (hopefully soon). Apologies in advance, this snippet is written specifically for people experienced playing Roguelike Deckbuilders. This is an example of perfect RNG and showcases a min/maxed build.

I started my first run as Hunter - a class that I was extremely hesitant to play because it seemed overshadowed by the other options (and I thoroughly enjoyed the numerous builds I pulled off with them). I've only played the Veteran (vs. Easy) difficulty so far, and this was my first time completing a run - I typically die to the 2nd or final boss. Hunter starts off with a crossbow that you need to use a combat card (free action, the unique Block and Strike cards each class starts with are combat cards) to reload after each attack. You start off with 3 action/energy points per round.

I quickly swapped for a bow that has a special ability (toggle-able & limited use, but i picked up a card that gives you +1 use; upgrading it removes exhaustion so you can use forever) that pushes your target forward 1 space. If you push into a wall it automatically stuns the opponent for a turn. I picked up Backstab - costs 0 AP, but if you don't use it as your first action it discards (upgrading removes that limitation). Similar to easier difficulties in Fights in Tight Spaces, each turn you start off with a 1-space movement card that costs 0 and also needs to be used as your first action. Movement is a premium in this game - very few cards and items allow you to move. Hunter has Roll, which stays in your hand until played and reduces in cost each turn (resets after being played).

I aggressively thinned out my deck. Hunter Block card has an extra ability that draw you 1 card when you use it to reload, upgrading makes you draw 2. I had 2 upgraded Blocks and Backstab as my only attack. Pulled off an infinite combo build where i just spam Backstab+ (and reload with Block+) on all enemies.

For bosses, I would just stun lock them into the wall to prevent nasty abilities. One of the end-game bosses has a brutal ability that creates those ninja log decoys of himself - they deal full damage but die in one hit. I stun locked him on turn 1 lmao.

Final boss is a jester who spawns gifts that spawn enemies and the first time the minions die they spawn another gift. For each minion alive he gets +25% dmg resistance. I moved, stunlocked, killed 2 of the 4 gifts completely, then spammed him to death. Soooooo fun!

For reference, I have play A LOT of Roguelike Deckbuilders. I have nearly 400h in Slay the Spire and 150h+ in Fights in Tight Spaces. If you like either of those games you will absolutely enjoy Alina of the Arena.

tl;dr -> There must be something in the water.

Disclosure: I received a review key from the developers. I may be negatively biased towards games that take place underwater (with the exception of Subnautica) because I love the space theme and play a lot of simulators like Elite: Dangerous, so I often find combat and movement in the ocean to be too bloated and boring.

[This game was played through Steam]

If you like underwater shooters, upgrading submersibles, and traversing the deep blue, then you will probably enjoy this game.

The aesthetics are okay - the amount of detail in the world and its inhabitants is good, but feels a bit dated for a 2020 release. I noticed that the Steam in-game screenshots may be concept/refined stills because I have been unable to recreate those visuals even when playing on the highest graphical settings. The combat visual and auditory effects are decent, but again feels slightly lackluster. The music - with explosive, intense, and gripping tracks - is easily my favorite element of Aquanox, and I highly recommend you check out the OST at the very least.

You can play with controller or keyboard and mouse - I preferred the latter, especially for movement. The tutorial and first few missions are great at teaching you how to play the game, however, I encountered a very unfortunate bug where I had to ram myself against the NPC I was supposed to be following because he got stuck against a wall (and the entryway wouldn’t open until he was close enough). This, among many other things, made the game feel unpolished, and I was very surprised to see other people encounter this problem in the very first mission (which should have been playtested). The learning curve is minimal to moderate depending on your aiming and shooting skills - enemies will not normally try to dodge you, so you can juke around and blast them away with ease. You can, however, get overwhelmed by enemy fire if you just stay in one place and soak damage.

Aquanox is a lot like Matrix, but underwater - you “awaken” to command a submersible and journey across different territories using “special” (avoiding spoilers) waypoints. There are side quests you can do and many upgrades you can purchase to outfit your various vehicles. There is a lot of dialogue - both voiced and text - however, I did not like how you can sometimes get locked into speech chains even if you already heard them.

Combat is okay - I struggled to play through the game because the gameplay loop quickly became: lock on to enemy -> shoot while juking -> spam repair/shield -> lock on to next enemy. Since you aren’t in outer space (or even in open air) you can’t do aerial maneuvers that make dogfighting fun and exciting. Instead, you can boost in 6 different directions while the enemy crawls toward you firing all weapons. I was uninterested in the combat after the first two missions. Fortunately, the weapons (and submersibles) you unlock early on help to change things up, however, this could not keep my attention for very long.

If you really like being underwater and want a fairly easy shooter that allows you to customize a submersible, then you should watch some gameplay videos before deciding to try the game. At its current state, I cannot recommend this to others.

Do not recommend.

Cheers,

DJSF @DJSF's Rogue Reviews

For more reviews, please visit my website[djroguereviews.com].

If you'd like to support me, please visit my Patreon[www.patreon.com]. Thank you for your consideration.

READ FULL REVIEW HERE.[djroguereviews.com]

tl;dr -> Believe in the heart of the cards. RNG is a fickle mistress - she giveth, and she taketh away.

Disclosure: I stream this game regularly on Twitch and am highly invested in its success, so this will be a biased review. I ADORE card games and have been playing Magic: The Gathering (MTG) for many years. I am indifferent to the WWII theme, but the “frontline” gameplay mechanic interests me the most. I am extremely picky with collectible card games - I stopped playing Eternal because it was too similar to MTG that I would just rather play that; Hearthstone, Duelyst, and Gwent were not complex enough to hold my interest - and may unfairly compare them to MTG’s standard. When it comes to deckbuilding games, I am very comfortable and competent exploring this genre.

If you like WWII themes (especially art and lore), deckbuilding, player-versus-player (pvp) card games with a very unique mechanic, a welcoming, friendly community; and overall fun times, then you should absolutely check out KARDS.
The aesthetics are very good - the art on each card is well-done and reworked over time (in October 2020, 3 cards were given enhanced art). The sound effects are stellar - the sound of each card being played adds to the thrill of battle. My favorite sounds is the Bismarck firing it’s deadly 7 damage directly to the opponent’s headquarters, and I love the visuals for a timely Carpet Bombing (small missiles drop onto the table). The ambient sounds in the menu are a nice addition, and the music fits well with the WWII military theme. I do, however, prefer to stream and play with my own music in the background.

You will mainly be playing with your mouse, however, this game is also available on mobile devices (I am exclusively a PC Kards player). The tutorials and campaign levels are great for helping new players learn the ropes, however, I will caution that the learning curve for competitive play can be very high if you are inexperienced with collectible card games (ccgs) and deck-building. The inclusion of the “frontline” mechanic adds a deep, intricate strategic layer to a genre that already demands attention-to-detail and strong knowledge of card synergy if one can expect to achieve advanced play. Fortunately, there are many fantastic Twitch streamers that often help teach how to draft and construct decks. The Kards community is very supportive and I recommend dropping by the Discord server if you need any help at all (or just want to say hello). Be advised: this can be a difficult game to grind through if it is your first collectible card game. I often see people (usually newer players) complain about things in the Discord that would be reasonably mitigated once they’ve gained more experience. Be patient, knowledge and skill will come in time. There are so many people in the community willing to help out.

To start, you will select 1 of 5 main nations - Japan, Germany, Britain, USA, and Soviets - to build a 40-card deck around. Next, you must select an ally nation from the remaining 4, with the addition of Italy or France (you won’t have any cards for the latter 2). You can build mono (single-nation) decks once you expand your collection. There are so many different interactions between the nations that I am theorycrafting decks all the time. Your ally nation may only consist of 12 cards in your deck, and no Elites (highest rarity, singleton) can be used.

Card rarities in ascending order are: common, limited, special, and elite. Moreover, each rarity has a maximum deck allowance of 4, 3, 2, and 1 respectively. There are gold versions for every card, and they can be recycled for the exact amount of resources needed to craft 1 of the non-gold variant. Resources allow you to craft any card you do not already own and are acquired when you recycle surplus cards, complete the countless achievements, and as draft rewards.

During a match, the first player will draw 4 (5 for the second player) cards and start their turn. The maximum hand size is 9, and any extra cards drawn will be discarded. At the moment, there is no discard pile (graveyard) interaction or recursion, so once it’s gone, it’s gone. If you have to draw when you no longer have a deck, you will take (n +1) damage, n = how many times you’ve had to draw without a deck. Your headquarters (face) has 20 health, and you win by hitting your opponent in the face until it falls to 0 or less. There are two parts of the battlefield - the “support line” (where you deploy units) and the “frontline,” which can only be occupied by units from one player at a time. You may never move units past the frontline and onto the enemy’s side. The support line can hold 4 units, while the frontline can support up to 5. Every turn, your maximum Kredits capacity will increase by 1 (until it reaches 12) and refill. The only way to surpass 12 Kredits per turn is to play cards that increase your Kredit slots (ramp).

As a growing game and community, there is definitely still a lot of room for improvement. Minor quality of life features you may be used to in other games like MTG Arena or Hearthstone are missing in Kards, however, that is not the developers’ current priority (which is understandable for me). Reconnecting to dropped games needs to be optimized as it will just result in a loss at the current state. Cards in your hand cannot be reorganized, and your deck collection cannot be reordered unless you manually copy, delete, and paste them in the order you want. Despite these very minor issues, the game is well-made and maintained, and the developers seem to listen to their playerbase, which I find important for the success of a free-to-play, pvp game.

Overall, I’ve thoroughly enjoyed my experience playing Kards and hope to see it grow even more. If you want a fun card game experience with novel mechanics, then you must give this game a try. Hopefully you stopped reading this review a long time ago to install the game.

ABSOLUTELY RECOMMEND!

Cheers,

DJSF @DJSF's Rogue Reviews

For more reviews, please visit my website[djroguereviews.com].

If you'd like to support me, please visit my Patreon[www.patreon.com]. Thank you for your consideration.

If you like this try: Eternal, Magic: The Gathering, Hearthstone, Faeria, Gwent.

tl;dr -> CONSCRIPT REPORTING!

Disclosure: I received an early review key from the developers. I love real-time strategy games like Commandos, Desperados, and Shadow Tactics (I played the first two during my childhood).

[This game was played through Steam]

If you like killing Nazis, playing as the resistance, using stealth and advanced planning to succeed against overwhelming odds, killing Nazis, real-time strategy, World War 2, and killing Nazis, then you will really enjoy this game.

The aesthetics are great - there is a lot of detail in each level and every different weapon is visible on your Partisans. The combat effects are nice, especially when you set up several mines and tripwires before tossing a grenade to lure your enemies to their deaths. The voice acting is good - your Partisan group is large and you will interact with a number of NPCs throughout the game. I enjoyed the music and sound effects and felt they were an appropriate fit for pumping up the Soviet resistance during WWII. I particularly liked how you could hold ALT to view all interactable (usually loot) objects and enemies within your field of vision; you can also see inside buildings, which is great for setting up optimal breaches.

You will use a keyboard and mouse to play - the controls are straightforward, but remember that right mouse button on enemies shows their field of view, and F1 toggles all of your Partisans (in case you sped through the tutorial and tooltips like me lol). There are three difficulties - the Hard setting removes in-game saving, prevents tactical mode from slowing down time, and adds the risk of Partisans bleeding out when they are knocked down and untreated - I strongly recommend playing on Normal first. I tried all three and found Easy and Normal to be the most enjoyable because planning ambushes in tactical mode was so satisfying, however, Hard forces you to adopt a more cautious playstyle, which I also found very exciting. The tutorial and tooltips are very helpful at getting you accustomed to the game. I would say the difficulty ranges from moderate to extreme depending on your experience with real-time strategies - stealth is definitely a preferred playstyle in this game, especially on harder difficulties; trying to clear a level Rambo-style was challenging even on Easy.

You lead a team of Soviet Partisans resisting the German invasion by sabotaging tanks, bombing key bridges, and liberating local villages. Between missions you are presented with the overworld, where you can develop your base by constructing workshops (for homemade bombs and meds), food facilities (increase food-collecting activities), and other necessities. Members of your party can also be sent out on different operations, earning resources, experience and (occasionally) morale boosts (improve shooting accuracy and ability cooldown). Every “turn,” you will have to ensure you have enough food for your Partisans, however, I found this to be easily manageable with all the activities you can do. I strongly recommend you build the weapon workshop as soon as possible because the upgrades are extremely helpful (ex: silencer that reduces weapon noise radius).

During the story missions, you will load into maps of varying sizes with a number of objectives. So far, I’ve only encountered one scenario that had a timed aspect. Stealth is definitely preferred because there are always many enemies in each level - and later ones have the possibility of reinforcements arriving if you trigger alarms. Each Partisan has unique skills - Commander Zorin (the main character) has a one-hit kill throwing knife (you can upgrade the range, but it is still very short), and Valentina has a sniper shot that can eliminate any enemy even when they are behind cover (limited uses per mission). Sanek has the most interesting ability because he can disguise himself and walk past enemies - later, he can even distract people by talking to them, averting their visual range so your other Partisans can sneak by. I personally enjoy taking Sanek and Valentina with me into all missions because of their drastically different playstyles. Pro tip: INVEST IN SANEK’S FENCE CLIMBING ABILITY. It pays off in future missions, trust me. Loot is king in this game.

You will likely be doing a lot of inventory management, so consider picking the backpack (inventory capacity) upgrade if one of your Partisans has that available. There are tiers for the weapons, and most of the gold weapons I’ve found were behind high fences that you would not be able to reach without the associated skill. The higher tier weapons also have more room for weapon mods, so try to find these whenever you can.

Combat can get very intense and careful planning is the key to success. You can switch to tactical mode (which slows down time in Easy and Normal difficulty) to queue simultaneous orders amongst your Partisans - a fun example of setting up ambushes involved me killing a Nazi with Zorin’s knife throw while Sanek walked past a group huddled around an explosive barrel in his disguise (so he could ignite it with a close-ranged shotgun blast) and two other squad members prepared to lob grenades. Speed and flanking is also very powerful in this game, so try to outmaneuver the enemy and purchase related skills (ex: take less damage while sprinting, increased sprint stamina). Traps and chokepoints/killzones work very well - arm a narrow space with trip mines and bottles (enemies will pick them up and investigate) or have a group chase you into a tight area where your Partisans are waiting behind cover (reduces damage taken) and watch them light everyone up.

I’ve had a lot of fun with the game, however, I’ve noticed very minor quality of life features I think the devs can easily improve - specifically, the inventory management. To date, in order to compare weapon stats you need to right click the unequipped gun and select “to compare;” in other similar games, you would be able to see most stats by just hovering over each item. Continuing, to see more details about each piece of gear, you need to right click and select “information.” My issue with this current system is that the information boxes are extremely sensitive - if you move your mouse away too much it will disappear and you’ll have to click everything again.

A second thing I noticed is that the enemy AI seems to occasionally change behavior if you load from the same spot - for example, I have a quicksave right before a Nazi investigates a dead body and runs into the bush I was hiding in. Sometimes, I will load the save and the enemy will already know where I am or a different Nazi will be alerted (I’ve tested this a lot on stream). For some, this may be refreshing because it makes the AI unpredictable; for others, they may not like this variance because they’d like for their strategies to be precise. I personally have no preference, and this would not be a problem on Hard difficulty since you cannot save in-game anyway.

Overall, Partisans 1941 is extremely fun and I am happy with the inclusion of the overworld where you can construct different things and send your squad members on varying operations. If you like real-time strategies, challenging scenarios, stealth, and tactics, then you should definitely check out this game!

Highly recommend!

Cheers,

DJSF @DJSF's Rogue Reviews

For more reviews, please visit my website[djroguereviews.com].

If you'd like to support me, please visit my Patreon[www.patreon.com]. Thank you for your consideration.

If you like this game try: Commandos, Desperados, Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun.

tl;dr -> BRING HER.

Disclosure: I love space themes and mind-bending narratives always interest me. I expect good quality games when they are published by Devolver Digital.

[This game was played through Steam]

If you like space, interesting narratives, exploring the relationship between humans and artificial intelligence, and being part of an interactive thriller, then you will enjoy the ride that is Observation.

The aesthetics are great - the graphics and presentation make the journey feel like you are watching a movie; I like the buffering effects whenever you switch from a camera to the drone. The heads-up display is informative without being distracting. The music is very, very fitting to the space thriller vibe. The voice acting is fantastic, and I loved all the dialogue between the main characters - SAM (the AI you control) and Emma. No Code implemented sound effects well - there were moments that kept me glued to the screen and others that made me flinch in surprise.

The game can be played with keyboard and mouse or controller - I chose the former, but would advise you to try both if possible. One issue I had with the controls was drone movement - I found it quite clunky when trying to perform tight maneuvers (which almost always ended with me smashing into the bulkhead or airlock frame; fortunately, there is no damage mechanic). Since the game plays like more of a movie, there is no changeable difficulty, but the puzzles may take you a few tries if you are not experienced with solving them. Emma serves as your guide throughout the game, and I had no problems navigating through the story (although I did forget that R brings up the “SAM response” mode; I could not find this in the controls and had to Google it). Completion time is about 3-4 hours depending on how long you spend collecting the optional lore - I encourage you to do this as it fleshes out the characters and overall story.

You play as SAM, a research station’s artificial intelligence tasked with helping Dr. Emma Fisher discover what in the solar system is going on. As the story progresses, you will explore different arms of the station (ex: Russian, Chinese modules), and this is where the optional content can be collected to paint a more complete picture of the world (and the station’s inhabitants). I loved the story and ending, however, I also believe that some of its impact is diluted if the player chooses to ignore most of the extra lore. Fortunately, finding all of the side content is very easy.

Overall, I really enjoyed the thrill ride in- zzzt BRING HER - Observation. The central themes around technology were presented in an ingestible, but satisfying way. If you want a fun, interesting space ride where you play as an evolving AI, then definitely give this title a try.

Highly recommend!

Cheers,

DJSF @DJSF's Rogue Reviews

For more reviews, please visit my website[djroguereviews.com].

If you'd like to support me, please visit my Patreon[www.patreon.com]. Thank you for your consideration.

If you like this game try: The Turing Test.

tl;dr -> Dylan.

Disclosure: I received a review key for this game from the developers. I enjoy most walking simulators and have more than 7 combined years of supporting individuals diagnosed with developmental disabilities and/or conditions like Alzheimer’s and dementia. I have also been a member of a Psychology research lab that focused on cognition across the lifespan.

[This game was played through Steam]

If you like short walking simulators, piecing together narratives, and are interested in the intricacies behind memory, then you will enjoy uncovering the mystery behind Before I Forget.

The aesthetics are good - although the graphics are simple, the game employs a “growing color” mechanic where interacting with different items paints the surrounding area. This is meant to signify how certain items, memories, or any other stimuli can evoke a powerful reaction in your brain, offering a moment of clarity. Although Sunita, the player character, has degrading short-term memory, many the experiences kept in her long-term memory remain intact. The music is very nice - I love piano pieces and the compositions in the game are fantastic. There is one particular scene (without spoiling the story) where the track used was perfect and matched the jump in intensity and pacing. The voice acting is primarily 2 people, and they have both done great work making their characters feel like real people going through real emotions.

The game can be played with a keyboard and mouse or controller - I preferred the former - and can be completed in around 1 hour depending on how much you explore and interact with the world (or Sunita’s house, in this case). I encourage you to complete the game in one sitting as it is very short. You can’t “lose” the game and there is no difficulty necessary; although there is no obvious tutorial in the beginning, the developers designed the starting area to show you the mechanics without having to tell you.

If you are interested in game design and/or dementia, I highly recommend you replay the game with developer commentary turned on. I would love for more games to have this feature as it was very informative.

Without spoiling too much of the story, you play as Sunita, a woman with dementia doing tasks around her house. There are many things to interact with, helping you unpack what has happened throughout her life. I am very happy to have played this game because it challenged my views on dementia and overall memory decay.

One of my biggest fears is to lose the ability to rely on my memory - be it from disruptions in consolidating new memories, recalling old ones, or realizing something is different in the first place (you will notice the latter Sunita very quickly). I’ve wondered how one could live a life without the ability to cement newer long-term memories, having to default to replaying their past ones instead. A video that comes to mind involves an elderly man with dementia having to be reminded every day who his son was and that his wife had passed away many years ago - I remain conflicted on how to best support and individual in this situation.

Before I Forget was an important reminder that, despite the multiple challenges people with dementia go through, the positive memories they still have can be very powerful. I think there is an interesting similarity between dementia and Daredevil’s “special ability” - losing his sense of sight and having to rely on his other senses caused Matt Murdock’s reflexes and hearing to improve significantly. Perhaps, when someone loses the ability to forge new long-term memories, their past experiences become heightened and even more meaningful because those are all that remain in the pool of cognition. This does, however, make them more vulnerable to misinformation, particularly if their memories are altered or they are influenced to remember something differently. Regardless, I liked the message in Before I Forget that not everything is so bleak and sad.

Overall, I was humbled and appreciative after experiencing this game, and I think anyone interested in learning about dementia should give this title a try. I applaud the developers, Claire Morwood and Chella Ramanan, for working alongside Alzheimer’s researchers and creating such an informative game.

Recommend!

Cheers,

DJSF @DJSF's Rogue Reviews

For more reviews, please visit my website[djroguereviews.com].

If you'd like to support me, please visit my Patreon[www.patreon.com]. Thank you for your consideration.

If you like this game try: Gone Home.

tl;dr -> Remember, no Russian.

Disclosure: I received a review copy of this game. I enjoy interactive movies like Press X Not to Die and Bandersnatch.

[This game was played through Steam]

If you like interactive movies, violence, and replaying multiple times so you can try new choices to piece together the complete story, then you will enjoy She Sees Red.

The aesthetics are great - as can be expected from a professional live-action interactive film. Although there are two audio tracks, Russian and English, I strongly suggest playing with the former (enable English subtitles) because the voice acting is better in the native tongue. I played with both languages, and the English voice acting can be awkward at times in the same way some Chinese/Japanese movies are known for hilarious English dubs. The music and sound effects are good - I thought the background music choices were appropriate and fit with each scene’s vibe. The blood and fight scenes are decent - CAUTION: there is a scene with a woman’s bare nipple that caught me off guard when I was streaming lol.

Since this is an interactive movie, you will be watching the scenes most of the time - there are only a handful of choices to make and the time between each can be quite long. As a result, I found the mouse more comfortable to use over a controller. There are multiple endings, so you will need to replay a few times to unpack the entire story. You cannot really “lose” in this game, and there is no difficulty or tutorial necessary.

In She Sees Red, you play as a hooded murderer causing havoc in a nightclub - where you will make a few choices here and there. The choices you make affect the future timeline where a detective is investigating the aftermath of your chaos. There is a pattern of alternating storylines - make your choice(s) as the protagonist, see the consequences from the detective’s perspective, then repeat. There are 4 different endings and each playthrough will range from 30-45 minutes. I strongly encourage you to view all endings and scenes so you can appreciate the full script.

Overall, I was satisfied with my interactive movie experience. I felt that the action and acting were decent, especially once I switched to the native Russian audio (seriously, it’s way better). I normally try not to mention price, but for the current $8.97 CAD (cheaper than a movie ticket here) I think you get a great amount of content. Play the game with friends and make the choices together. If you want an interesting, exciting interactive movie experience, then definitely check out She Sees Red.

Recommend!

Cheers,

DJSF @DJSF's Rogue Reviews

For more reviews, please visit my website[djroguereviews.com].

If you'd like to support me, please visit my Patreon[www.patreon.com]. Thank you for your consideration.

If you like this game try: Press X Not to Die, Bandersnatch, Until Dawn.

[This game was played through Steam, and a review key was provided by the developers]

Gauntlet Survival Rating:

15 Minutes

30 Minutes

1 hour

2 hours

2 hours+

tl;dr -> Watch out behind you.

I was interested in this game because I have a nostalgia-fuelled soft spot for arena shooters.

Cons:

It’s a single, ongoing level.

YOU WILL NOT SURVIVE.

Pros

Great price point.

Since it’s the same level, you can practice and improve your leaderboard score.

The different enemy attack patterns will challenge your battlefield awareness, accuracy, and juking skills.

Fast-paced action - just jump in and start killing (and dying).

Overall, if you enjoy arena shooters and want to compete in the leaderboards for the longest survival time, then this game is definitely worth the few dollars to try out.

Recommend!

Cheers,

DJSF @DJSF's Rogue Reviews

For more reviews, please visit my website[djroguereviews.com].

If you'd like to support me, please visit my Patreon[www.patreon.com]. Thank you for your consideration.

If you like this game try: Serious Sam, Doom, Quake.

tl;dr -> The first rogue-like where if you lose, you still win.

Disclosure: At the time of writing this review, I have 333.5h in Slay the Spire and 137.6h in Monster Train. Rogue-like deckbuilding is one of my most favorite genres (I also play A LOT of Magic: The Gathering digitally and on paper). I adore card games and this genre, but love min/maxing the most. As a result, my preferred playstyle is to be extremely fast and efficient. I often half-joke that if Slay the Spire was stripped down to just text, it would be my favorite game of all time. I have also played many hours of Koikatsu Party, so I am a bit spoiled by higher-quality adult content.

[This game was played through Steam]

If you like rogue-likes, deck-building, adult/sexual content, succubi, nudity, dungeon crawling, and adult/sexual content, then you will enjoy this game. Did I mention there was adult/sexual content?

The aesthetics are good - there is a peculiar art style where many parts of the main character look overly shiny. You can customize her appearance by changing outfits, colors, and breast size. Although you need to unlock x gallery scenes in-game in order to equip different clothing, you can still view it on the character model. The adult scenes consist of both stills and short animations (mature content can be switched off) and I found both to be detailed and appealing, however, even playing on Ultra settings left much to be desired. I try very hard not to mention a game’s price as value is subjective (and if I do, I try to bring it up at the end of the review), however, I would like to point out that the current price of $11.49 CAD provides you with a surprising amount of gameplay and adult content. The music and sound effects are decent - I muted system sounds after an hour of play. The character moans, specifically, I found quite off-putting because there are some parts (typically the climax) that are passable, while the rest sound like a male and female were asked to do the voice acting for a sex monster (a gross, scary one). With the exception of moaning, there is no actual voiced dialogue.

The game is played using keyboard and mouse - the handful of controls can be rebound - however, I found myself exclusively using the mouse. Although using the hotkeys to select cards can speed up your gameplay speed (as seen in other games in the genre like Slay the Spire and Griftlands), there is no point in doing so because the opponent’s turn is always so slow in comparison. While this may not be an issue for most players, this is my main problem with the game - there is no way to skip enemy animations (it feels even worse when you have more than 2 opponents). Since my personal preference is to play games in this genre as quickly as possible (in rogue-likes if I am going to die/lose I want to do so ASAP so I can start a new run), the lack of a “turbo” mode is glaringly obvious to me. In comparison, Slay the Spire has a “quick” mode and Monster Train has variable speeds (and can be further accelerated by holding down the right mouse button). The learning curve is slight to moderate depending on your experience with deckbuilding and rogue-likes. You earn experience points every run and can use it on 3 talent trees that provide permanent bonuses (can be reset and reallocated). There are helpful tooltips for every keyword and I found everything easy to understand. Randomness can be your worst enemy if you are presented with many enemy rooms without a merchant, rest, or treasure area nearby. In this case, I recommend you do your best and prepare for a new run.

You play as a succubus hoping to resurrect the Archdemon to help demonkind regain its power after being defeated by humans. Every floor has randomly-generated rooms, and you can advance to the next level by finding and defeating the boss. Losing to enemies will yield a sex scene, and winning will allow you to view another one if you choose to extract essence (through sexual acts) from your defeated foes, which is used as currency with the merchant. Doing so reduces your lust, a resource that allows you to play certain cards that typically have very helpful effects. Most rooms are combat encounters (there is also at least one mini boss present on the floor), while a select few can be rest areas (recover health, upgrade a card), treasure drops (contain items that provide bonuses, but can also be mimic treasure chests that you must fight), random encounters (usually present you with 1 of 2 choices with different results), or a merchant stop. The merchant accepts essence as currency, and you can also engage in sex play each time you see her to unlock permanent upgrades across future runs.

Combat is typical to the rogue-like deckbuilding genre - you start of with 3 mana each turn and can play cards with an equivalent casting cost. Block value only persists for one round, and there are different buffs and debuffs available. Opponents take action after your turn ends, and this continues until one party is defeated.

Overall, I feel like Last Evil is more of a collection of sex pictures and animations than a rogue-like deckbuilder. At the abovementioned price point, you could purchase City of Broken Dreamers: Book One, a visual novel with superior sex scenes - both stills and short animations. For double the price, NEOVERSE is the superior deckbuilder and has a similar presentation - sexy (no adult content) with beautiful graphics, and a free-moving 3D camera while you fight opponents. NEOVERSE has amazing deck synergy and is the game you should choose if you are looking for that type of experience. If you like the demon and hell theme mixed with sexual content, then you will probably enjoy Last Evil - I simply caution that there are many alternatives that would scratch different itches considerably better.

Recommend, but explore alternatives first.

Cheers,

DJSF @DJSF's Rogue Reviews

For more reviews, please visit my website[djroguereviews.com].

If you'd like to support me, please visit my Patreon[www.patreon.com]. Thank you for your consideration.

If you like this game try: NEOVERSE, City of Broken Dreamers: Book One, Slay the Spire, Monster Train, Griftlands, and Koikatsu Party.

Gauntlet Survival Rating:

15 minutes

30 minutes

1 hour

2 hours

2 hours+

tl;dr -> It’s never lupus.

I was interested in this game because I really enjoyed Plague Inc: Evolved and wanted to try a similar title that focused on a single target. I was pleasantly surprised with how fun both the Life and Death campaigns were.

Cons:

Sound effects and music are okay - I muted both quickly in favor of Spotify.

Small amount of levels.

Pros:

Decent replayability and gameplay loop - there are multiple difficulties and each scenario is different enough to hold your interest; you gain experience after each game and can unlock bonuses for future ones.

You can play online against real opponents.

There are two game modes: infect and kill the target, or work to save the patient.

The variety of diseases/conditions/treatments, perks, and bonuses allows for different strategies.

Overall, I think you will enjoy at least a few hours of playtime if you are interested in saving/infecting different patients. If you prefer a more macro scale, then consider buying Plague Inc: Evolved instead.

Recommend!

Cheers,

DJSF @DJSF's Rogue Reviews

For more reviews, please visit my website[djroguereviews.com].

If you like this game try: Plague Inc: Evolved.