Recent reviews by Nina

Haunt the House: Terrortown is a charming side-scrolling game, in which you play as a mischievous little ghost. When the night falls, you float from your home in an old clocktower and start wandering around the town, scaring people to death. You can possess objects and interact with them, making townfolks running away terrified.
The game has colorful and cartoony graphics that really stand out. Each playable ghost has its own style and signature howling.
The soundtrack is fitting and catchy, I really love the North Pole theme.
The game includes achievements, and some of them are actually kind of challenging: after many attempts, I still miss a couple of them (those people just won't jump from the window!).

I fell in love with this game at first sight and just bought it without thinking about it twice. It was during its launch week, around a year ago. The game was pretty short back then (there was only the Terror Town level) yet it was so cute I didn't regret my impulse purchase. During the past months the developers have added a tutorial and three more levels for free (Mansion House, Ghost Train and North Pole) including new achievements and new cute ghosts aswell (by the way, the stuck-out tongue ghost is totally my favorite). I'm impressed by the great work they did.
As a huge indie game supporter I'm really glad when I find cute little gems like Haunt the House, so I totally recommend this game even at its full price (but it has been on sale during the year on several occasions, so you can actually get it at a lower price).

Kwaan is probably the cutest and most peaceful multiplayer game I've ever played, and this is good. I've bumped into this little gem by chance while I was browsing through the steam store in search of some good summer deals. I'm truly glad I found it despite its low visibility.

You play as a Dwaal, a cute sapling; you can't jump, but you can use a rope to swing around the world (or a sheep as a trampoline!). This platform element is actually pretty challenging, especially at the very beginning of your experience. The more you play, the more you actually become good with your rope and you'll be able to reach tricky places.
You can collect maana gems and use them to buy items in the shop or as a energy coin to summon critters and bloom flowers.
There are colorful pixels scattered all around the world, and you can use them to draw, to create new branches on the Kwaal tree, to bloom flowers and to grow fruits.
Funny fact: maana crystals are shared among all players!
Every day you unlock new quests to complete in order to gain levels and unlock new summoning abilities.

The main goal of the game is to please the big tree Kwaal and make him fell happy with everyday rituals, in order to keep the world alive. Rituals may consist in summoning new creatures, crafting items and dancing all together for Kwaal.

The music is very charming and catchy, and the world is so bright and cheerful.
What I like the most about this game is actually the community: I met very kind people who teached me what to do and how to. Kwaal is in fact a very cooperative game, in order to complete the daily ritual you need the help of other players (and you really have more fun dancing with other people rather than alone!).

There are currently two servers: a FR one and a US East one. You can play on both since you won't lose your progress after switching from a server to another. On the FR server people speak English as well, so I got no communication issues. The community is still pretty small yet very active; everytime I log in, there are progressions on the daily ritual.

Despite being still an early access, the game is really polished and I didn't notice any game-breaking bug yet.
All in all, I definitely recommend Kwaan and I truly hope the community will grow bigger, this game really deserves it.

What can I say about this game? Long story short, Stranded is a wasted opportunity. A promising game sunken by many avoidable flaws. Do I recommend this game at its current price? Nope. Despite my love for it, It's a bit overpriced. So why did I end up recommending it anyway? Despite its flaws, I truly enjoyed my (little) time spent playing it. It came as a part of a 2€ bundle, so it was definitely a deal. If you can get it on a heavy discount or in a bundle, then you should really give it a try.
So, what's Stranded about? Stranded is a point and click exploration game, without dialogues or texts. You are a lone astronaut, woken up from your cryostasis on an unknown world. Your ship is heavily damaged and you have to find a way to survive before its imminent destruction.

Pros:
-Beautiful pixel arts, if you're a fan of retro graphics you'll love it for sure.
-The landscapes are very bright and colorful, I enjoyed taking my time just exploring the planet.
-Outstanding soundtrack, very fitting and immersive. I really really loved it.
-I personally liked the ending, it totally caught me by surprise.
-Immersive atmosfere.

Cons:
-The game is pretty short. I usually don't care about games length, as long as the game itself provides meaningful contents. So in this case I'm not really bothered about it. I completed Stranded in 1 hour, but I took my sweet time wandering around and taking screenshots, so it probably can be finished in half and hour or so, I guess.
-There's no real interaction with your surroundings. During the first minutes I tried to click on everything, hoping there would have been some kind of reaction, but nothing happened.
-You basically have to explore the world and walk a lot. Not necessarily a con, I personally like exploration games. Too bad your character walks really slow, so if you're not into "walking simulator" games, you should probably skip this one as well.
-The point and click can be really frustrating: you have to click somewhere on the screen to move your character, but you have to wait till she's done walking before moving again. The fact that she walks that slow doesn't help at all, so better not click the wrong way.


Times like these I wish there were a "maybe" recommendation option. I personally loved this game and don't regret playing it at all, but at the same time I'm aware this is not a game for everyone.
In the end, I really wish this game could be improved. It has a lot of potential, and I feel bad about the negative reviews it gets (although I fully understand why). Nonetheless, I'm sure many people will enjoy it anyway despite its weak points.

East Grestin, 1982

Here comes that weird guy again. The one in the red sweater and with the crooked smile always plastered on his face. It's the third time already, this month.
I look at him through the glass as he waves at me in an oddly familiar way that makes me feel a little bit awkward.
«Old friend, hello! I am back again! This time everything set!». His voice is loud and cheerful, and I just can't help but wonder what the heck is wrong with him. There's nothing to be so happy about in this rotten place, you old geezer.
«Papers, please» I simply say, ignoring his greetings.
He grins while handing me his brand new passport. I chuckle. Definitely better than the last one, at least this one is not pre-approved.
«So this time you're from Obristan, I see, Mr... Jorji Costava? Is this even your real name?».
His grin grows even wider and he starts laughing again.
«You a funny guy. I didn't like Cobrastan that much anymore. Obristan sure is a better country». He speaks with a tick foreign accent that makes me wonder where he is really from.
«Cobrastan isn't even a real country, in the first place» I point out matter-of-factly. «Where's your entry ticket?».
His smile fades a little.
«Arstotzka so great, we don't need an entry ticket!».
«This is the same thing you said last time about passports. I'm sorry, an entry ticket is required». I hand his passport back.
«Wow, you run very strict border here». He puts his paper back in the pocket of his trousers, shrugging. «That is good. Do job right. I look for entry thing and come back».
Before leaving the booth, he stares intensely at me.
«You a good guy, but I have business in Arstotzka. I see you soon». He waves me goodbye and then disappears in the crowd, with that big careless smile on his face.

*

I keep staring at the ceiling of my bedroom. In the end, it seems I can't really sleep at all tonight.
I can hear my wife coughing weakly beside me. The doctor said it's just a cold, but she's getting worse day after day. I'm slightly worried.
Our son is sleeping in the next room, the only one lit by the sun in the morning. He is turning 7 next week. I'd really want to buy him a special present for his birthday.
We are currently living in a small apartment provided by the Ministry of Admission, here in East Grestin. The rooms are small and the heather doesn't work half the time. On top of that, our neighbours are awfully nosy. Living here is not that great, but there's really nothing I can do about it.

*

A week has passed since Jorji Costava last showed up. Maybe he is having a hard time finding a fake entry permit. Maybe he just gave up. Quite unlikely.
The siren's ringing, another day of work is starting.
A tall figure silently enters the booth. He's wearing a green hood and his face is hidden behind a grey mask. I'm about to call the security, but he gently slides a paper note under the window and stares at me.
«There's no much time, be quick please». His voice sounds young- he's probably younger than me- and unusually relaxed.
My hands are shaking and I don't even know why.
There's an odd symbol drawn on top of the card, a star-shaped one. I slowly open the note and start reading. I can feel the masked guy's staring gaze on me.


ARSTOTZKA IS GREAT COUNTRY POISONED BY CORRUPT LEADERS

WAR HAS MADE GOV'T GREEDY AND PARANOID - YOU HAVE SEEN FOR YOURSELF

HELP US FREE ARSTOTZKA FROM ITS SHACKLES

+ THE ORDER OF THE EZIC STAR


I'm in a cold sweat.
I look up at the masked guy, I'm at a loss for words.
«Our agents are ready», he helds out his hand, eyeing the card. «Starting tomorrow. Let them pass».


In Papers, Please you play as an immigration inspector working for the Ministry of Admission of Arstotzka in East Grestin. Your job is to check on people trying to enter Arstotzka and decide who can pass through the border and who has to be denied or even arrested.
Most of the time, your decisions will lead to a different ending (not always a good one!).
Choose wisely, the destiny of Arstotzka, your family and many other people is in your hands.


Pros:
-Well written dystopian settings
-20 different endings
-Lovely retro graphics
-Jorji Costava
-Great plot and sub-plots
-Shooting terrorists from your inspection booth since 1982
-Did I already mention Jorji Costava?


Cons:
-Maybe old school graphics are not everyone's cup of tea (I personally love it though)
-Stamping visas and check out papers will probably sound boring to someone
-There's no "Escape to Obristan with your newfound best friend Jorji" ending

Papers, Please is hands-down one of my favorite games. Be sure to give it a try, you definitely won't regret it.

The awkward moment when writing this review took me more time than actually beating the game.

Pros:
- It's free
- The art is kind of cute

Cons:
- Litterally 2 minute-long "gameplay"
- Lousy music
- No challenge at all, beside trying to have sex as much as you can before your mom comes back home
- Lackluster storyline
- In the end I still didn't get how am I supposed to Do it


I don't hate this game or find it particularly offensive like others said. It's just plainly bad and, on top of that, a really forgettable one.
That being said, I can't really recommend it, but it's free, so you can still give it a try whenever you want.