Recent reviews by MF Kraven

New Cycle was featured on my YouTube channel

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3184423702


and now onto the short review





//intro//

Hello, MF Kraven here- and welcome to a less than 10 mins review. A YouTube series where I take a look at niche titles, hidden gems & often overlooked games & tell you whether or not you should buy it, in less than 10 mins. So if that is the type of content that you like, consider subscribing, & liking this video.

Today I take a look at New Cycle, a city building game set in a post apocalyptic world where you must help rebuild society. But will New Cycle be up to the task & help humanity or is it another snoozer? Let's find out



//Graphics, Sound & Artstyle//

Personally the graphics, setting & soundtrack all come together. Combining a beautifully somber tone with a sense of hope. It's dark & gritty & yet sometimes I found the beauty in all the destruction...




//Gameplay//

Set in the near future, a world ravaged by solar flares & unstable weather- New Cycle makes you start building from less than desirable beginning to a bustling work oriented combine. You're given mayor-ship & about 30 people trust you to delegate what to do & where they should live. You're given 3 maps as of now to play with, more on the way. Each map presents it's own difficult micromanagement. Personally before placing the "city hall" I look at Water, Wind, Mining, Fertility & drilling layers- then base where I'm gonna more or less build back society.

Build a gathering hut & assign people to forage, wells to help gather the nectar of life water. A field camp to chop wood & mine for ore + stone. Seriously back to basics type of gameplay. The main difference is that you go through "cycles" upon meeting certain requirements like certain population growth, technologies researched or building requirements met.

The technology tree seems small at first but it becomes robust the more time you spend in game. You can't unlock this without unlocking that, & it felt at times like I just need time to pass by before i progress- same with the cycle mechanic. It's all about trial and error, & at one point I made the mistake of keeping my people so sick i completely relied on the children & foreigners coming into my village.


//Price//

30 USD


//How many hours estimated//

I played about 20 years in game. Thats about 7 hours, I felt like I simultaneously was there for a long time and like i barely dipped my feet.


//Is it Playable on Steamdeck?//

It is, the frame rate is a little wonky, and ultimately it works a LOT better on mouse & keyboard. Id suggest against taking New Cycle on the road- just play it at home


//Final Thoughts//

New Cycle is a deceptive game, initially I felt overwhelmed by everything it had to offer. Most of my people were dying and I didn't know how to help them out. Until I did, by raising their morale and giving them adequate housing, tools, etc it would raise their morale & they'd feel more comfortable having kids, more outsiders would hear of our village and eventually the jigsaw will fall into place... So why deceptive? Well because, when you get the hang of things- it becomes a waiting game... I was excited and I was having fun because I figured the meta... but then it felt like busy work. Oh. more people? need more food, have more hunters, more kitchens. wow, no more power? make a coal power plant because windmill just not enough.


New Cycle feels like the cousin of Frostpunk, and that's not necessarily a bad thing- it just makes me want to boot it up again. I know what you may be thinking, well that's not fair New Cycle is an Early Access game. But when a game that comes out nearly 6 years after and it gets compared to it, I feel like not enough innovation went into it.

That being said, I personally LOVE the aesthetic. The feel, the lore & the overall sense of dread that New Cycle brings. And like I said, I had spurs of fun. I didn't like getting the exact same requests and "events" that happened around the exact same time in two different playthroughs, in different maps, I'd love some variety especially as both were Sandbox games. I love the scouting mechanic & how you can send workers to gather resources if you've depleted yours. But in future updates I'd love to visit those outposts, to see the devastation left behind by solar flares. The game has been out for a month and we've already received 5 patches, with a roadmap ahead as well.



To end this review, New Cycle is a game I want to love but I sort of only like as of now. It has the potential to being an awesome experience, but there's a feeling like there's much of the game missing. So for now, I give New Cycle. A WAIT FOR SALE! At $30 USD, for what you get- I would wait for a few more updates. I'm certain it will be done before the year ends, so if you can- pick it up for $20 before then? I'd say it's worth that much.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3174368697


Hello, MF Kraven here & today I'm gonna be doing a First Impressions on the upcoming early access Winter Survival. When I do 1st impressions, I like talking about the game, my experience and give a wishlist at the end. At it's core it's an open world survival, exploration/hunting game. It's heavily reliant on stealth as not only will the cold be out to get ya, but predators as well. You play as Danny, a man struggling with his mental health- in the wilderness of a frigid Washington State Park. Being as I've spent the last couple of years in Montana- I can completely attest that being outside in that kind of weather sucks. But anyways, the reason I'm doing a first impressions & not a review is because I really liked this game full disclosure BUT there is a LOT of work & quality of life improvements Winter Survival desperately needs.


I'll start with the main menus & what made me make the decision of showing mercy. There are three game modes, Story. Endless. & Cold Wave. I only dove into Story & Endless as Cold Wave is coming soon. There are two difficulty settings, Explorer (easy) & Survivalist (hard). Story mode isn't complete, only prologue & first chapter are available & it takes you through HOW Danny & his friends got there, and the dangers that presented your party. Without giving too much away, Danny probably needs to seek some sort of help... Where I think Winter Survival has thee most potential however is the Endless Mode. So you get taken to a menu where you can choose your story, how you got where you are and then spawn with good or less than desirable conditions. I dipped my feet into two different scenarios & both times made me feel like I was getting a completely different adventure. A+ for that!!!

In all scenarios you're tasked with building shelter for yourself, while leveling up. At first I didn't really take notice of the leveling system as stuff would just automatically unlock after leveling up, but once i visited the Adaptations menu i saw what skills & builds I actually got. The building mechanic need work in my opinion as everything is just really hard to make, it'll have you running around in circles & if you plan on using a hammer to deconstruct buildings nearby which you can, it has about 10 uses before you need to build another one. And now material is plentiful but sometimes I had trouble looking for certain things like big branches on the floor so I was thankful for X RAY VISION. I normally don't like it in games, but with the struggling mental health & all that- I thought I could give it a pass. So to touch on that, there's a sanity system that makes your survival much harder the more you play it. You'll get de-buffed with things like seeing animals that aren't there, getting blurry vision among other ailments. As far as I see, there isn't a way to cure any of the ailments but you can slow the deterioration of your mind by- well, taking care of yourself.

Hunting in game can be fun & real frustrating, as long as you track deer or rabbits certain movement you can kinda figure where to place snare traps and poke em with spears. WOLVES, boars and bears on the other hand are completely different beasts- obviously but you need to be on the defensive with a spear and if you're on easy just holding the spear will make your guy auto impale while in hard- you must time it just right. I had a pretty bad encounter where I couldn't equip my spear or pull up the inventory or do much of anything but run really that is really gonna ruin my current save as my mental health went down the drain HARD for that interaction.

Then when building my shelter I had already built a fire and the only way to destroy the fire was to destroy the foundation that I built it on BUT when I did that, the two side walls, and roofing had to be rebuilt too & of course i had to gather ALL the material to rebuild it

The game is beautiful though, and opening up my window as I play this with minimal clothing (it's 2 degrees and snowing currently where i live) really immersed me into Winter Survival.

My Wishlist for Winter Survival

-Completely change the fighting mechanic, I couldn't make a spear- had to find one and even when I tried using it, I couldn't. Not being able to use my axe or any other weapon to attack made me lose my immersion
-tweaks to the sanity system on endless mode. maybe having tea can help soothe Danny's mind or beating a wolf can give you a buff that can restore one of the six symptoms for a day or two?
-stuff should cost maybe half of what it does to craft, i keep having to go back and forth and look for branches everywhere. it was cute at first but I just want to build (at least just in easy mode)
-more stuff to craft at lower levels. While food is readily available, even on easy the meter would run down fast and instead of eating berry after berry maybe cooking like 10 of em for some roasted berries? idk
-Save files to be more organized, I had 3 different saves going on and I didn't know what was what.
-MULTIPLAYER Mode! While it does defeat the purpose of the sanity system- i think it would be an awesome edition.

After my few hours into the game, it's an unforgiving experience, a hauntingly beautiful game, the kind of terror you can find in everyday life if you live near mountains. I went into the game thinking its gonna be a survival game like every other, and was pleasantly surprised that it had more depth. I'm just excited for whats to come- the roadmap will be on the screen right now. Personally I would wait for a few more updates before picking this up but fun CAN be had especially if you let yourself get immersed.

https://youtu.be/GUGDfYPFPZA

Hello, MF Kraven here- and welcome to a less than 10 mins review. A YouTube series where I take a look at niche titles, hidden gems & often overlooked games & tell you whether or not you should buy it, in less than 10 mins. So if that is the type of content that you like, consider subscribing, & liking this video.

Today I'm gonna be taking a look at Quilts & Cats of Calico, based on the award winning board game of the same name. Engage in rigorous battle against other quilters.... no I'm joking- this is a completely relaxing brain-tease based around people who love kitties. BUT- is Quilts & Cats of Calico another homerun for Monster Couch who previously brought us digital Wingspan? Or is it time to say kitty bye bye? Lets find out


//Graphics, Sound& Artstyle//

You cant have a more soothing & cutesy combination than this, even the story mode had me feeling like I was back in elementary looking at a Schoolastic Book Fair bundle I could never afford.

//Gameplay//

You can play up to 4 players, CPU or Human- with asynchronous turns online with anyone else that owns the game on whatever system they own it on. But what is Quilts & Cats of Calico?
A cozy board game made into digital form. You are given an empty "quilt" that you must fill in with patterns & colors. You first choose your 3 quilt tasks, for example AA-BB-CC where you must surrounded that hex with three pairs of the same color & three pairs of the same pattern to fully get ALL the points available. But it's not so easy as you can only have two patterns at a time, once you put one down, you can get another one that's available to your right hand side- but so can your opponents once they're done with their turn. You can also earn 3 pts per 3 of the same color and the cats all have special wants for their quilt needs, for example this cat here wants three of this pattern (now it doesn't matter what color, but it's all strategic placement as the board will run out). The game ends when the board is full & your quilt is done. The person with the highest points wins.


//Price//

20 USD


//How Many Hours Estimated//

Each game takes about 20 mins or maybe less, however this has a challenge mode & a story mode. I can easily see myself sinking 40-50 hours, especially if I can get a few friends into it.



//Is it Playable on Steamdeck?//

I've played it almost exclusively on SteamDeck, as the portability makes it a breeze & it's very well optimized.


//Final Thoughts//

Unlike Wingspan, I didn't really know what I was getting into when I first was contacted by Monster Couch to review this. Man I'm so glad they did, cause I love this game. Admittedly at first I was intimidated by the tutorial but like I explained it on my Gameplay section, it's really just that. It's one of those easy to learn, hard to master BUT there is a luck variable as well, I've played games where I couldn't get a single pink hex & on the mission I was supposed to get a rainbow patch (3 of a kind of every color). It's trial and error, it's unforgiving but- the soothing music & cute cats kinda set my anger at a lower level. One of the best features of the game is having a "custom cat" creator, where you can make a cat maybe like one of your own or like mine- where I took some comic book inspiration & set the bonuses. I like to play "random" when it comes to the cats, so when I do see my lovely creations in a match I cant help but smile. While I only sort of dove into the Story Mode for a bit, I'm not too interested in it BUT I found different ways of looking at the board just by playing a few missions. Right after doing some quests there, I was ready for the mission mode.


It really is just a relaxing game, but I have a few gripes. Unlike Wingspan, you cant really set your custom avatar, you get defaulted to the original avatar, and while you can change it every time- it's just annoying. You can't choose the CPU's background either... hey look listen, I'm the type of person who needs to complain about something but when it's so MINUTE as not being able to preset certain features... well you know the game is good. Quilts & Cats of Calico is a MUST BUY if you're into board games or if you're into challenging your brain

https://youtu.be/DhAOpp1IZT4

This isn't my typical type of review, but I have to tell someone about Balatro. So imagine taking a game of poker and blending some roguelike elements, add deck building mechanics then sprinkling a synergy system that rewards you for thinking outside the box AND now imagine that game only costing $15? Well, that's Balatro in simplest terms,

See guys, I like a game of chance, I love to gamble & this fills my body with endorphins without having to go into crippling debt! you start the game off being essentially berated by a Joker card, and it quickly shows you HOW to play Balatro which is at it's core Poker but with the aforementioned elements.

You start by choosing a deck, in the beginning only a few available but as you play you'll unlock up to 15 different decks all with v. Points scored will be dependent on the level of your hand, for example if you play this hand Aces will equal 11 each and 4s will be 4. So that score of 30 will be added to the blue margin and then multiplied by 2 (if you dont have any jokers active). It's possible to level hands up using Planetary cards which is how this flush is level 2 and you'll see the transformation to level 3. I'll show you as I play this flush how it all adds up for you- and baam that's pretty much how you win a blind. You beat each "blind" or level by playing Poker each "ante" is 3 levels- small blind, big blind & boss blind- each with varying scores you must beat with the added difficulty of the boss blind having an adverse effect such as diamonds not counting towards your score, only being able to play a certain hand like two pairs or flushes, having no discards etc etc, surpassing the Blind score will have you win a certain amount of money AND if you beat it in fewer turns the "hands" you didn't use will add up at the end of each round (usually $1/per hand) then you're taken to a shop where you can buy Joker cards, there are 150 of em with varying effects, Vouchers that can add for example an extra Hand or Discard or make the rerolls cost less, planetary cards that can level up a certain hand, tarot & spectral cards that can add bonuses to your playing cards & booster packs where you can ADD playing cards plus any of the aforementioned cards like jokers, tarot, spectral & planetary.

the objective is to beat 8 antes each ante with a set of 3 blinds, but it is MUCH easier said than done. ive had some of the most ridiculous combos like look at this synergy right here,

my Business Card Joker has a 50% chance of scoring me $2 when I play a face card + it's a Polychrome so it'll tally at the end of the hand a 1.5 multiplier, my space trousers adds 2x to every Two Pair i play (which includes full houses) my Scary Face joker is a boost for face cards that adds 30 chips aka the blue score to the left of the screen that then gets multiplied at the end by the red margin my Rocket joker adds 50 chips PLUS after every blind, I get $3, but are you ready for the KICKER guys? You know how I said that the Business Card, and the Scary Face adds only to FACE cards? Well Pareidolia Joker MAKES ALL my cards "face" cards. Playing this straight you'll see all the added bonuses I get. 10k in one hand. But because I of the SHOP if I wanted with all the money I keep receiving. and it gets me thinking for sure I'm winning this game.

NOPE. Prepare to lose A LOT. After 8 hours I thought, I may not win one of these then it all clicked and I cheesed it HARD I mean HARD. And I scrounged up a win... in normal difficulty with a basic deck... I realized this game was meant to be beaten over & over, it has me convinced that if you're thinking of buying this game- you need to be a masochist because PAIN YOU WILL FEEL and I want to both hug & kick the dev only known to me as Local Thunk- because I KNOW he has got to be a sadist, getting off on our pain.... but in conclusion, if you're thinking about getting this game. BUY IT NOW! If you haven't heard of this game because gaming is having a hell of a year, check it out. It's so simple to pick up and just play for a few mins or sink a couple hours into it. Oh and if you have a SteamDeck? This is where Balatro shines, playing it on the go on my lunchbreak or in bed? *chefs kiss*

Video Review of Lucky Hero:

https://youtu.be/O67bzh8qMFs




Hello, MF Kraven here- and welcome to a less than 10 mins review. A YouTube series where I take a look at niche titles, hidden gems & often overlooked games & tell you whether or not you should buy it, in less than 10 mins. So if that is the type of content that you like, consider subscribing, & liking this video.

Today i'm gonna be looking at Lucky Hero. A Roguelike deck building game where spinning the wheel of fortune could mean your survival or demise. But can Lucky Hero be the dungeon crawling version of Luck be a Landlord, or will it go BANKRUPT? Lets find out.


Full disclosure I received a key from Neverland Entertainment.




Bringing a 16 bit pixel style & combining it with a retro sounding soundtrack, is what won me over initially. I love the designs of the enemies even though the "wheel of fortune" kinda takes up 80% of the screen. And being a degenerate gambler, seeing the wheel go brrrrt makes me happy.

Gameplay is simple, you first pick a class- Warrior, Assassin or Summoner. Each class other than the starting Warrior, being unlockable through beating the game. You then select a passive skill that is always randomized, then you begin your journey by picking one of 3 levels- each with a variety of enemies, events, shops & even treasures. Each level will also have a buff or debuff at the top of the "door" so be wary on what you choose- on one run I had 3 treasure chests two elite enemies & it tempted me to go in, but I hadn't read that each spin had a 1% chance to destroy one of my symbols (symbols are your attack, defense, energy, gold & buffs/etc) well, it turned out that 3 of my symbols got destroyed making me either really lucky or unlucky in this case.

You battle by spinning the wheel & on display will be your "deck" so to speak- each class starts with a few basic attacks, defenses, energy & gold. Energy will be required to use majority of symbols- there are many ways of attaining energy such as a passive skill that gives you 1 with every spin, or the meta way- by rolling a thunderbolt & using it. Upon using up your energy or your allotted symbols, you will end your turn, making it your opponents turn. But on the right hand-side below them is a preview of what they will be doing- so prioritizing building your defenses when they look like they are gonna attack should be your plan

Symbols can be bought in store on a battle, picked up after a successful battle, or through events. The more rarer the symbol the better effects. Upon completing a floor, you will go onto a harder floor with stronger enemies until you reach the sixth floor where you will face off against a random boss.

After each run, successful or not- you will earn medals, which you can use to unlock new symbols in the gallery.

The three classes all have different symbols at their disposal, Warrior being more balanced in attack & defense. Assassin more reliant on residual damage & Summoner changes the game completely on you, having you summon familiar that you can also use a symbol to combine into stronger familiars.

The game's retail price is $11 USD, but has a 10% discount until January 4th 2024.

I've been playing it for approximately 9 hours and found my favorite place to play it was on my SteamDeck. On the road whether at the doctor's or on my lunch break at work, picking it up for a few mins and putting it back down was simple with it's Save & Quit feature- and while you may think it's silly of me to bring up, there's too many games missing this exact feature.

While difficult at first, once I found the formula to be good, i got good- a little too good. While you still rely on RNG to make your runs successful, in my experience; dragging out early battles, making the most possible gold & exploiting the experience books (that not only give you 3 energy but also raise the probability of rarer symbols showing up in stores). Suddenly the debuffs that enemies hit me with didn't really matter- I just stall until I get everything I can from a level to be considerably stronger. And I won't lie, at first I had a bit of a power trip, buying useless 1 gold minions to feed my Giant Devourer so that after every attack add +2 permanant damage- PLUS he didn't even need to be next to a symbol to eat em, (placement of symbols on the wheel can often be a factor).


So for Lucky Hero, on a scale of Buy it Now, Wait for Sale or DO NOT BUY- I say-

SteamDeck users- BUY IT NOW! I took my brick portable charger just in case with me to charge my SteamDeck in case the juice would run out, but it never did- even after a good 30 mins waiting at the Doctor's office- I was down to maybe 84%. There's fun to be had but once you've beat the game a few times (I've beat it 3 times, and the Warrior was probably my least favorite to use)- I don't think I'm gonna go play it again. I've had my fun unless we get more classes, I'm just not all that interested. Which is why I'm giving a WAIT FOR SALE to everyone that can't take it mobile. Most of the footage I have I captured with my SteamDeck because- well, i didn't care to sit at my PC to keep playing it. It felt really grindy at first, some of the text was small, and unless you aren't grinding/cheesing the early game, you'll go from facing an enemy with 3 attack & 20 HP in level 3 to one that does 15 attack & has 90 HP in level 3. There's a lot of potential here & you could say if you measured $1 per an hour of entertainment, I've gotten that. But there are balancing issues, I can see some people giving up on it after a few runs- hell I almost did and grinding could be fun but Lucky Hero fails to deliver a fun reward after failing a few times- it's only after winning that you can truly unlock OP symbols like the battery & illuminator & it almost encourages you to take your time because you're not penalized for stalling. My last thought though, is the OST really does slap & I've put two songs by the maker of the soundtrack on the description.

STEAMDECK OWNERS- BUY IT NOW!
EVERYONE ELSE- WAIT FOR SALE

Manita's Kitchen was featured on my YouTube channel


https://youtu.be/q0y30P7fApc


and now onto the short review





//intro//

Hello, MF Kraven here- and welcome to a less than 10 mins review. A YouTube series where I take a look at niche titles, hidden gems & often overlooked games & tell you whether or not you should buy it, in less than 10 mins. So if that is the type of content that you like, consider subscribing, & liking this video.

Today I take a look at Manitas Kitchen, a cozy narrative driven casual cooking game about a T-Rex, & his dream of becoming the world's best pizza maker. Can you help Trexito fufill their dream? Or are they in over their head? Let's find out.



//Graphics, Sound & Artstyle//

The artstyle is what drew me in, and while the sounds are alright- seeing Trexito in all the different poses was what kept me going.


//Gameplay//

It's a very simplistic game you enter minigames for almost all the things you do, you knead dough & repeatedly press a key or button, you sauce the pie by getting the sauce in the right spot, put toppings by cutting ingredients as they come into the knife's vision, place it in the oven & take it out when it's ready to serve to customers. That's esentially it. You'll start with two simple pies, but the more ingredients you buy, & the more merits you achieve, the more recipes. With more recipes, you'll need more help. This is where the friends mechanic comes in (and no unfortunately like I said, it's a single player NARRATIVE driven game).

You'll first be introduced to an ankylosaurus named Freckles, who can slap dough out for you (up to 3 when fully upgraded). Eventually you'll also be introduced to Marsh the triceratops who will bake a pizza with their flamethrower & finally Collini the Pterodactyl who can sauce up to 3 slapped out pies for you. But not only will you use their powerups to help you out, Trexito has one of their own- the ability to skip the minigame of cutting ingredients nd will allow you to do the ingredients for the UPCOMING pizza.

Pizzas need to have precisely the right amount of ingredients, or risk being penalized by having your pizza rejected or only landing a "good" instead of perfect"

//Price//

12.99 USD


//How many hours estimated//

I finished the game in 9 hours.


//Is it Playable on Steamdeck?//

Yes, it became my preferred way of playing it!


//Final Thoughts//

So when the story was being played out, I was invested- but then days would go by and nothing would come of the story, it'll be just another day, more hustling & grinding. Eventually I bought everything in the store and all upgrades for my workers, so I just kept accumulating money I couldn't spend. What I'm trying to say is, the game hits a plateau- a few great details get thrown in and baam, back to wondering when the story will progress.

Which brings me to my next point, the story starts a bit boring but then when the flashback hits, I got invested... well by hour 7 I was just wishing the game would end & when it finally did, I was dissapointed.

Manitas Kitchen has an incredibly ambitious look to it, the same formula of an Overcooked but it's stunted by it's single player mechanic. And while I know it doesn't make sense to have anyone but Trexito cooking, the cozy/lax ambiance of the game would be perfect to play with kids or a significant other who doesn't want to feel like theyre playing a Souls Born game.

Now onto the bugs, I ran into a plethora of bugs, sometimes the same text would appear 3 days in a row, other times Trexito would just keep walking towards the pizza delivery station & even once I was completely out of bounds. While not exactly game breaking as, if you can't fulfill a day, you just close up shop due to stress earlier. The stress mechanic is kinda useful too, se e as a T-Rex, walking around stress free, feels clunky, which I like so I'm not docking points for that. But the more stressed they are, the faster they move, the faster they move the more pizzas you can make. Made me want to walk away from my PC to let him get a bit stressed to walk faster & would still whip out 11-13 pizzas (which is what you'll average per day if you're on top of it).

The night time levels have the illusion of being harder, because lights will go out making the pizza process harder, but you'll have no help either. Well, I would just slap out 5 pizzas, and make the one on screen, if another one pops up, sauce it while the pizza is baking and repeat the process, with the time it take to sauce & bake you'll only realistically be able to make 6 MAYBE 7 maximum so 5 is the sweet spot especially in late game when you have pizzas with 6 ingredients.

Even though I spent the last few mins berating the game, notice how much attention to detail i put into it. Why? Because at the beginning I was having a genuinely good time. I got the science of pizza making down, & the journey to get to that was great. But after the 7th hour, I just wanted to finish the game. The story doesn't need to be stretched out so long to seem like the game is longer than it actually is, I would've preferred if we could at least get some sort of indication that of how long it would take before the next cut-scene.

So to recap, it's full of bugs, it's a COZY game with no real consequences if you fail, learning the science behind it is fun, the characters are cute, the story is nice until it's not, I wish it was shorter & I really wish it had multiplayer or co-op.


For that on a rating of BUY IT NOW, WAIT FOR SALE or DO NOT BUY! I give this

A Wait for Sale, don't expect to be wow'd by Manitas Kitchen but it still feels like a nice introduction to casual cooking games. Personally this is one I'd probably let my kids play (even though there is a nefarious theme to the story), to train them to play Overcooked or Plate Up! Plus visually the game is pleasing. I just need some of those bugs ironed out, as the price isn't terrible for what this is, but in good conscious I just cant tell yall to just flat out buy it.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3112516520

Today I'm gonna be taking a look at the Oceania Expansion. Releasing for Steam, Switch, Xbox, IOS, GOG & Android. Wingspan has only been around since 2019, then came to us digitally by Monster Couch in 2020 but already it's massive popularity & success has helped usher in 2 new expansions for the digital version. But, can a trip down under be worth a buy? Let's find out.
BTW if you don't already have Wingspan I will be giving a STEAM version of the game to one of my subscribers
OPEN TILL 12/19 when I will be contacting the winner, all you have to do to enter is be subscribed & comment down below what your favorite bird is- & yes I will be counting Flying type Pokemon as valid entrees.

The Oceania Expansion showcases birds from the Australian & New Zealand, 95 of them to be precise. Every single one with incredible detail & audio of em. 8 new end of round goals, 5 new bonus cards, 8 new avatars, 2 new backgrounds, and my absolute favorite feature- the Nectar. Nectar is a new food type that can substitute for any food you use to summon a bird on a lane. And if it sounds too good to be true, it gets better the player with the most nectar in each one of the lanes will be awarded with extra Nectar points at the end of the game, the only caveat being that after the end of each round, the Nectar will dissapear so you will not be able to horde it like you can other food types.

Recently I started playing Wingspan again as it works perfectly on my SteamDeck- & something that I have been absolutely loving is that you can play with the two expansion packs & leave the base game birds alone, or pair one of the expansions with the base. Clearly the best scenario is having all three on but wanting to see the Oceania birds showcased in this way was nice, I got to play so many of em and take advatage of their skills like my Crested Pigeon ability activates at the end of the game allowing me to cache up to 8 wheat if I have it- adding to my food on card bonuses at the end of the game. Oceania Expansion adds that alternative strategy that seems nuanced but have a substansial affect on the game & how it's played.


So now for my final thoughts, if you're anything like me- cheap & lazy, then I 100% recommend you go the route of buying the digital version. $45 for Wingspan, $30 for European expansion & $45 for Oceania Expansion? Or you can snag Wingspan for $20, Europe for $10 & Oceania will be $12. Not only will you be saving money but cleanup time as well.


To recap, if Wingspan is a game you enjoy already the Oceania Expansion is a BUY IT NOW! Imo, and if you're new to Wingspan & want an expansion but cant decide between Oceania & Europe? Go Oceania.

SteamWorld Build was featured on my YouTube channel




https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3106063056



and now onto the short review





//intro//

Hello, MF Kraven here- and welcome to a less than 10 mins review. A YouTube series where I take a look at niche titles, hidden gems & often overlooked games & tell you whether or not you should buy it, in less than 10 mins. So if that is the type of content that you like, consider subscribing, & liking this video.

Today I take a look at SteamWorld Build, a cozy, base building, resource management strategy game. Based in the SteamWorld universe you are tasked to help build a community that comes together for each other to ultimately look for greener pastures.. in SPACE! But is SteamWorld Build worthy of moseying on onto reaching the final frontier, or will it run out of steam.. lets find out!


A few disclosures, I receive a press key for SWB from the devs.
This is the Steam version of the game.
The game has a DATA Collection agreement in the beginning- in case this turns you off, Clearly it is not a big deal to me, but if it is to you as a consumer you should be alerted by members of the press like me.

//Graphics, Sound & Artstyle//

I don't know how to describe the game without saying a bunch of buzz words but a seemingly post apocalyptic setting in the old west inhabited by steampunk looking robots with personalities straight out of a Nickelodeon 90s cartoon, it's fun, whimsical, detailed & just overall very pleasing. The sfx and soundtrack pair nicely with it- but the voice acting really is the star of the show in terms of this category.


//Gameplay//

There are a few game modes, you can do the story, a sandbox or just get into the nitty gritty of it all with the same objective. Repair the old train station & get your robots to space in a rocket you'll find about an hour into your playthrough.

The story pretty much just follows Astrid, a little girl who can hear the ancient technology of her ancestors guided by an entity only known as Core. Then you start building your town & where the fun begins.

The game whether on story mode or regular is divided into 20 Milestones. Upon completing certain tasks like housing x amount of workers, engineers or having a certain amount of resources/buildings will put you onto the next milestone & unlock a few more resources & buildings. Your robots are your most important commodity you'll own so make sure to keep their comforts at optimal levels for best productivity & more tax money.

At first your citizens will only really demand a place to shop & a repair spot. Then they'll need coal to keep themselves going, water to drink then when they evolve into the next phase of robots they'll want saloons, sheet metal, pickaxes, burgers- and some resources like burgers will require you to place a ranch for mechanical cows, among other items. It's all about resource management but a chart given to you will keep track of how much of a resource you're making vs how much you're using. If you run out for whatever reason of a certain item, you can always use the train station to trade every 5 minutes, for whatever you need. At first you will be limited but there is a secondary portion of the game- the mining.

Upon completing the 5th milestone, you will be tasked with repairing the old mine shaft where said technology is buried. You then will assign quarters for miners, prospectors, mechanics & eventually guards. 9 placement spots will equal one more worker but in the mines also lay power ups that you may use to improve not only your quarters in the mine but also buildings on the surface world. After finding the two parts in the first level you'll go onto the second where enemies will start attacking your operations- luckily not only guards are available but also turrets.

The resources in the mines will help you evolve your robots until they are smart enough to work with space travel.


//Price//

29.99 USD


//How many hours estimated//

I'm 12 hours into my gameplay and it took me approximately 9 1/2 hours to complete a stage from start to finish. HOWEVER I did goof off & tried for a few achievements. There are five levels to be completed so if we were going based entirely on how long it took me to beat the game- id say you're in for at least 47.5 hours of gameplay.


//Is it Playable on Steamdeck?//

Yes it is, but I am not really fond of the controls- I found mouse and keyboard to be the best and it drains my battery QUICK.


//Final Thoughts//

The Jack of All Trades moniker is thrown around a lot but the guys behind SteamWorld's world truly deserve it. From tower defense to action platformers to rogue-likes and now a city management game- and everything they throw at the wall seems to stick.

If any of you caught me calling the game COZY in the beginning it's because, it really is just easy. Once you get into the flow of things, it's only a matter of time before you have an abundance of every resource you may need & I'm not exactly an expert in this genre- it's very reminiscent of the Two Point games where it's silly & no real consequences happen if you fail or if you're out of a resource. Which isn't necessarily a bad thing HOWEVER if you're looking for a challenge I don't think this game is for you.

There are some serious missteps as well, as currently there are not hotkeys, i found myself pressing R to bring up roads to build but was met with no response. The dynamic of having multiple levels of robots to take care of at first seems very intimidating but you'll soon realize that they basically pause whatever they're doing and wait for you. I would love to have seen my miners build paths or mine for gold while I'm taking care of the city- and yes Prospectors will continue to gather the main resources, and I can see how if the miners excavated they can mess certain paths up- like I had a path with speed boosters set up for my prospectors to touch and blast off back with my resources, a simple fix could've been the ability to place a block to make paths for my guys.

When enemies start attacking as long as you have enough guards and turrets set up, you can pretty much ignore them. I am trying the game in hard & trying the NO TURRETS achievement so I will update this review on how much more difficult it became after the fact.

So with all that said, am I going to recommend this? Absolutely. Because I had genuine fun, like i do with those Two Point games. Before kinda letting my city and mines run on their own, I picked burgers as my resource to trade for anything I may need- in the mines I kept balancing my power ups between floors, looking tirelessly for gold to give to more guards and prospectors. The more citizens you have, the more their needs go up- the more stuff you need the more workers you need to get those resources. It's a never-ending cycle- until it ends & you feel accomplished. Again- I'm not usually the type who plays games like this, & i got the formula down pretty quickly in my humble opinion.


The publishers' biggest oversight is not advertising this more as a cozy game. A lot more people would come to check it out, especially the crowd with the Game Pass at their disposal. SO on a scale from Buy it Now, Wait for Sale, or Do Not Buy?

I'm giving this a Wait for Sale, it's an excellent game but it feels like the game is in Early Access. While I do plan to play another playthrough I also feel like I'm essentially gonna just go through the same struggles, each map isn't different enough to want to do it 5 times. Support i get they're all robots built the same but the decoration isn't enough to set any community apart. At $20 this would've been a BUY IT NOW, but at full price?

Risk of Rain Returns was featured on my YouTube channel




https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3100987813


and now onto the short review





//intro//

Hello, MF Kraven here- and welcome to a less than 10 mins review. A YouTube series where I take a look at niche titles, hidden gems & often overlooked games & tell you whether or not you should buy it, in less than 10 mins. So if that is the type of content that you like, consider subscribing, & liking this video.

Today I take a look at Risk of Rain Returns, a remastering & re-tweaked version of Risk of Rain an action platformer with roguelike elements. players will have to play their best to get as far as possible. Fight on a mysterious planet with randomly spawning enemies and bosses, either alone or with 3 friends in online co-op. One of my favorite games from 2013- but will the 2D version still hold up 10 years later especially when Risk of Rain 2 has been out since 2020? Let's find out!

//Graphics, Sound & Artstyle//

Taking the beautiful pixel art cell shaded combination that comes together like an orgasm for the eye, it's safe to say I am very much a fan of it & then you accompany this with a serene soundtrack, girthy sfx for weapons and damage inflicted. It's absolutely perfect


//Gameplay//

You immediately spawn into a world not known to you in a random location. There you must look for a portal that can take you to the next world but not before defeating a random BOSS, and unto the next until you meet the antagonist of the game. But it's the journey not the destination that makes the repetitive formula in Risk of Rain not only rewarding but fun.

See each survivor has 4 unique abilities/weapons that they can use on enemies. But the items you pickup affect the gameplay loop entirely- so if you're not a fan of RNG, you might already be tuning out. It's in these items that can make your run that much easier or harder. Scattered around each map you play are vending machines, chests, & statues you can buy with coins or sometimes blood- that will give you items or nothing at all. For example, you may pickup an item that will heal you if you hit an opponent, another one speeds your character up, one makes fungi grow when you're standing still to heal you, one gives you the ability to jump twice & yes all of the items are stackable so ive had a build that had me be able to jump 5 times in the air, shoot random missiles & anyone near me would take damage as an electri current ran through my body. There are over 130 items to pick up or use, giving you almost endless possibilities

There are 15 characters that they call survivors available to pick from- 3 more than Risk of Rain with most of them being locked but easily attainable through playing.

A new game mode called Providence Trials where you can unlock abilities for your survivors & the game also keeps extensive track of your stats.




//Price//

14.99 USD


//How many hours estimated//

I'm about 7 hours in, & haven't unlocked much- getting reuse to the controls- but honestly see myself sinking 20 hours in.

//Is it Playable on Steamdeck?//

Yes! Although the UI is way smaller, it's still very much enjoyable & after playing for around 2 hours- my battery life was barely impacted.



//Final Thoughts//

Taking it back to the 2D mechanic that plays like a platformer but with pizazz. And yeah, I swore on my mama that I would be done with platformers, yet here we are, sorry mama. Risk of Rain Returns captures
my imagination and frustration like Risk of Rain 2 just couldn't and i really liked the 3D iteration of Risk of Rain.

The rush of feeling invincible only to be humbled in the next level, searching through familiar looking stages with completely random drops & when the stars align and I get a ton of my favorite power-ups man someone call the police cause it's criminal how much of a good time i'm having, managing an escape plan that would have me circle back like a complete scumbag, and getting those crits with Bandit to refresh my abilities- and I get all that serotonin from this minimalist rogue-lite shooter platformer.


Then you add Providence Trials which are challenges that can help you unlock abilities for your survivors, changing up one of their abilities is refreshing fun- normally i don't even bother with these mini-game type of chall a map asap. But fret not, if these challenges aren't your cup of tea & you want to unlock other abilities? Well the devs also put in a feature that allows you to for example defeat a certain amount of enemies in playthroughs or pass certain amount of levels with a survivor- i really like that


Before finding out this remake was coming I felt nostalgic & tried playing the OG with a friend online, only to just be frustrated trying to connect online, then we just stopped trying & went on to play D&D Lords of Waterdeep or something. But now? It's a feature to play online & it's a breeze.


Based on everything i've been saying, as much praise as I give it, let me just warn you. This is one of thee most difficult games I've ever played. Maybe I'm a masochist, maybe John Cena's mantra of Never Give Up has stuck with me, but I always go in for more... so if getting your ass handed to you by pixels isn't for you? Skip it. For everyone else?

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3085753214


Gunhead is a fast paced, roguelike FPS where you take the role of a pirate with a mech, you are hired by a shady corporation to loot derelict spaceships filled with deadly drones, tech & brains or the ship’s central System Core...

First you choose your path, & are given 3 options to go. ALWAYS procedurally generated, then you choose your mech- there are a few others you can buy and unlock but they cost money- money you can earn doing side objectives and destroying the brain of the ship you're raiding. You will then be given two random weapons or an item & weapon to use (your mech comes with a loadout but the weapons given to you will always be random) You can equip up to 4 different weapons & 1 item for endless variations.

Then on, you can view a map to see what access points you can enter the ship through, there will be orange doors that require key cards- obtainable in ships. Upon entering you will be met with a few enemies & varying cybernetic systems that can affect the map such as a randomizer, that will randomize all systems including the System core to a different room, a sentry system that will be responsible for the security in the ship, a regeneration system that will heal or revive systems that have gone down, shield system that will provide extra shield (often impenetrable) to the brain, among other systems.


You're objective is to strategically maneuver through the ship, destroy the Central System Core or brain, & move on to the next ship to raid- in increasing difficulty.

When done with a campaign you will go back to your ship but it's more likely that you'll be killed in the process, One hit from each opponent takes away 1 HP point, once you are down to your last HP- the game will slow down a bit to give you a few seconds to think on your next move. so when that happens & you have pa ssed at least one mission in the campaign you will still get to keep the money you earned- money that can be spent on Licenses to weapons that will be put in the RNG repetition or Mechs that will give you a well enough variation, for example my favorite one has an unlimited jetpack but the drawback is that it has a few less HP than the other mechs. Or a mech that comes with a grappling hook you can attach yourself to any surface and ST@B opponents with the melee weapon given to you

Weapons & upgrades plus health stations will be randomly scattered through the ships you raid however you can always buy a specific weapon in the License terminal. Then repeat it all over again.


With that being said, now I'm gonna give you gives my opinion on Gunhead.

Its a chaotic good time, typically I stay away from fringe FPS games, but something about the gameplay loop, the graphic novel in the not so distant future aesthetic that drew me in. I didn't know how much of a good time I'd be having- whether on mouse & key, control or SteamDeck all ways of playing it were ergonomic. But even if you don't like the preset key binds, you will be able to change em up which is a HUGE plus for me.

Strategizing what I should do & how, with my side objectives or way of making money has been a formula for repetitive gameplay not seem so, mundane. I love encountering new weapons or items I haven't used & using them against enemies. I love how you can customize what button, key or click does what & when the weapon runs out of ammo- switching it for something you may have in your inventory or doing the best you can with what you have. It's an adrenaline rush.

But now the honeymoon is over & I'm gonna be telling you things I don't like. Every hit that lands, will result in you losing 1HP, but some enemies shoot such like rounds, often I get lost in myriad of colors that I end up taking a hit or two I wouldn't miss if the rounds weren't so small. Maybe instead of blue, they can be another color? I wish that Gunhead were multiplayer, this seems like the perfect game to play with a friend! Some weapons, like the Cutter seems to be a little wonky and it aims to the right of the already TINY cross hairs. And my last bit of criticism? I want more weapons, & mechs in the game! While I haven't unlocked everything, part of what is giving me more playtime is trying to unlock everything



Even in Normal difficulty I've been having trouble, but every run turns into an informative journey, yet I can't get past the first boss- even like that I know that Gunhead is a game I'm definitely recommending. At 19.99 USD, and me only being 5 hours into it, I know I'm gonna wanna be playing this more especially on the go on SteamDeck.


On a Buy it Now! Wait for Sale or Do Not Buy scale, Gunhead is- a