Recent reviews by aquatorrent

My Playtime: 1.6h (100% achievement, finished the game)
Grindy Achievement(s): No.
Optional Achievement(s): Yes (6 achievements).
Difficult Achievement(s): No.

Labyrinthine Dreams is a puzzle game told in a narrative. Puzzles will match the setting and theme of the narrative, using a new rule each time. There are 5 types of puzzles in general, with 1 being used several times in between the other 4.

Pros:
- Different puzzle types
- Autosaves
- Nice storytelling

Cons:
- It's hard to tell the collision in the first puzzle

Specs
Intel Core i5-9300H 2.40GHz, 8GB RAM, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650

Yes.
If you like short and easy puzzle games with nice storytelling, buy this game. It's extremely cheap on a sale too.

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The visuals are just like what you'll see in an RPG Maker game, albeit with slight differences. It uses default assets for the environment with original assets for the characters. Moreover, it heavily uses a single cutscene image for the narrative. I like the presentation this way. Despite the still images, the narrative fits well with them, and the background music also helps to enhance it.

The story tells about what happened to the main character and what she experienced. It tells them one by one, giving a catalyst for the puzzle section. It's a storytelling style that I never get bored of - I like how cleverly they mix both. The soothing music and voiceover also help bring the dialogues to life, along with the beautiful-looking cutscenes. The story makes me think about life a bit actually, and it also gives a nice moral message at the end of it.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=676300022

Gameplay
Labyrinthine Dreams is a puzzle game with a different set of rules. There are only 5 puzzle types, with each having ~5 levels. You'll finish them without realizing most of the time, and the transition between the narrative and puzzle won't make you bored doing them.

Despite the different rules, it's easy to figure them out. It took me a while to notice what to do in the first puzzle, but it didn't take long for me to understand the others. Some also follow the rules of other puzzle games so you might be familiar with them.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=367226967

It's easy to finish the puzzles - most of them won't require you to think. There are a few exceptions for it, but it shouldn't pose too hard. Level progression doesn't seem to be a thing here - I found the first puzzle type to be harder than the last 2 puzzles. The game is intended for casual players and it shows in this department.

Length and Difficulty
I finished it in 1.4h. The rest of my playtime was spent getting the last achievement to finish all puzzles without resetting. The game can be finished quickly if you rush it and follow a guide - it only took me 0.2h to finish 2/3 of the game for that achievement that I mentioned earlier. As for the difficulty, it's easy to finish, although some puzzles will still require you to think a bit. Still, it's nothing that you should worry about, especially since there are guides that can help you if you're stuck.

Issues
It's hard to figure out where the collision in the first puzzle is. I had to reset the level a few times because of it.

Despite the easy puzzles, I'm impressed with the narrative. Labyrinthine Dreams does a good job in all aspects. The cutscenes, the voiceovers, the background music - they seem to be doing all out on everything to set the atmosphere. I would recommend the game for the experience first and the puzzle second, although the puzzle part is still something that can be enjoyed if you need a little brain teaser.

My Playtime: 19.2h (100% achievement, finished the game)
Grindy Achievement(s): No.
Optional Achievement(s): Yes (48 achievements).
Difficult Achievement(s): Yes (~1 achievement).

Epic Battle Fantasy 3 is a continuation of the Epic Battle Fantasy saga, telling the story of Matt, Natalie, and Lance who is facing an evil being that threatens the world. Despite being the third game of the series, knowledge of the prior games is not needed.

Pros:
- 6 areas + boss
- 4 difficulties
- Different skills and weapons that need to be changed based on the area and bosses

Cons:
- Some fights rely on RNG on the hardest difficulty

Specs
Intel Core i5-9300H 2.40GHz, 8GB RAM, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650

Yes.
It's a solid RPG game. Play it if you enjoy the genre, especially if you like to strategize rather than mindlessly attacking enemies.

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Being a Flash game, Epic Battle Fantasy 3 was displayed just like other games made with the same engine. It's simplistic and cartoonish; characters are drawn in chibi style although the cutscenes and battles are drawn in full size. It's mostly drawn that way to make up for the height difference, and I prefer this style over the non-chibi style in the maps. The expressions, especially the NPCs, are displayed better this way.

I also liked the dungeon design. There are usually 9 maps that are connected. You can see a chest sticking on the other side that can only be accessed from another side of the map. It makes me pay more attention to my surroundings and gives room for curiosity, where I should go to reach that chest, or whether there is something that I missed. Some chests are also well hidden to go with this.

The story is pretty much straightforward: there is an evil being and the party is going to beat it. NPCs are separated into 3 types: 1) those who give tips to the game mechanic, 2) those who give side quests, and 3) those who give tips to the enemies and bosses of the area. As you can see, the story is not the strong point of the game.

That being said, I liked the cutscenes. It shows up after you beat each boss, telling the story of how our protagonists pass the area. They are always being foolish or cute, and it's always nice to see them in action.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=924197185

Gameplay
The world of Epic Battle Fantasy 3 is divided into areas. There is a village at the beginning where you can buy supplies, which connects into 5 different areas that lead to the final boss area. Each area has a different theme, focusing on enemies and bosses in different elements. You need to change your strategy each time, especially when you are playing on a higher difficulty.

There are no random encounters. All monsters are shown on the screen and battle will be initiated only when you interact with them. Although some enemies will block the path to the next area, others will be placed randomly on the screen. The thing is, enemies won't respawn unless you move to other areas (or the village), and enemies that block your path won't respawn if you beat them already. You don't need to fight if you don't need to, and beating all enemies at least once is enough to finish the game.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=756903416

Gears aren't just there for fashion. All gears are equal - they roughly give the same stat boost while giving different resistance buffs. You need to mix and match them based on the enemies and areas, and upgrading them will also give an additional effect (on top of stat boost) that might be beneficial for the party.

Combat
Battles are challenging, especially if you just reach a new area. Enemies will be higher leveled than you and can wipe out your party if you are not careful. You need to change your gear to resist their types and formulate a new strategy, taking out the most troublesome enemies first. Sometimes, enemies come in waves, spawning a new set of enemies after you clear out the current wave.

The thing that I liked about the game is how you don't have to go back and forth to the inn to heal. Your HP and MP will be automatically regenerated if you take a few steps outside the battle. It doesn't take long to recover back to full health, even if one of your party members died in the previous fight.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2279705095

Speaking of dying, you can always retry the fights. Escaping from battle will always succeed, and you can check out the enemies that you are going to face beforehand and either plan your strategy or maybe try your RNG against them. In a higher difficulty, you need RNG to beat the enemies if you don't want to waste your items sometimes.

Bosses are challenging. You can have an easier time beating the first few bosses by over-leveling, but the last two bosses are something else. Your level is capped at 30, so you can't over-level. And they hit hard. This also applies to the other bosses, and you'll need a different strategy and different gear to beat them. However, I hate that sometimes you need to rely on RNG to beat them in the higher difficulty, hoping that their fatal attack doesn't connect.

Length and Difficulty
The game has 4 difficulties and I finished the game in 19.2h in the hardest one. It's hard. You'll need to rely on items and permanent stat-boosting items, especially for the last two bosses. You'll get a party wipe a lot when entering new areas, and you need to pray that the RNG doesn't wipe you out.

That being said, the hardest difficulty can be enjoyable for those who like to play hardcore games - the game doesn't rely on grind and levels to beat at that level; you need to check your gears too. To be honest, I still don't know how to beat the extra fights that unlock after beating the game without luck at that difficulty unless you play in the new game plus and use the perks that come from that. Those who are more casual will not have to worry about them by playing in the easier difficulty, though.

There is a new game plus. You'll get to keep your items, and the game will give you other optional options like disabling the level cap.

Epic Battle Fantasy 3 is a game where you need to rely on strategy. It's a solid turn-based game without any pointless battles. The only time you need to grind is if you want to grind for materials to upgrade your gears, but I found that I could have enough money by the end of the game to buy all materials without grinding. It's a perfect game if you like to play games that only focus on the combat.

My Playtime: 23.5h (100% achievement, finished the game)
My First Playthrough:
Grindy Achievement(s): Yes (~1 achievement).
Optional Achievement(s): Yes (12 achievements).
Difficult Achievement(s): No.

Monstronomy is a monster-taming game with some gruesome lore beneath it. You'll see some jumpscares and videos that are unrelated to the game as you play, which tell about something else that went behind the scenes.

Pros:
- 101 monsters to catch
- Secrets to discover

Cons:
- Slow combat
- Lack of QoL fixes
- Long backtracking inside building areas

Specs
Intel Core i5-9300H 2.40GHz, 8GB RAM, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650

No.
The game lacks several QoL fixes and feels pretty much barebones, plus it doesn't use its strength for puzzle solving well.

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The game looks like a watered-down Pokémon game, especially on the battle screen. On the good side, the monsters all look great and diverse - there were cute ones as well as the scary ones mixed in. Also, the evolutions give some sort of resemblance to their prior forms while still showcasing new features.

However, the edited videos need some work, especially on the text. Some text can be hard to see, and I'm not even talking about the ones that were made intentionally hard to see. Some of them used colors that either didn't mesh well with the background or were too dark, and the font sometimes didn't match the video. As for the content itself, it hardly shows anything of value and tends to be repeated from the ones already shown.

Monstronomy is a dark take on the Pokémon game. It starts just like any other Pokémon game where you have to pick your starter and go on an adventure. Then you'll quickly realize that something was wrong. The game wasn't subtle in showing these secrets and urges you to find out. You are supposed to figure out what happened on your own, although it shouldn't be hard to figure out a glimpse of what's going on as long as you pay attention.

The postgame is where you'll mostly figure out everything. Sure, you might be able to access some content before finishing the game, but you might have to do it several times if you do it that way. You are supposed to gather clues from the videos and dialogues in the game, which you can use to do some tinkering on your own. However, I was kinda disappointed with how it turned out. It wasn't as scary as I thought; the worst of it is just some intended inhumane experiment. I was hoping for some creepypasta within them all, but it never shows up. Heck, I even wondered what the use of the jumpscare and the scary atmosphere in those videos is if it's being like this.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3228622966

Gameplay
Just like Pokémon, you have to explore the map and capture some monsters. The monsters are varied, but resources are limited. You'll have issues finding enough money to catch the monsters at first, especially if you don't want to sell anything. This will be rectified after you finish the game, although I wished that it wasn't made as scarce in the beginning.

I liked how the game made use of status and stats modifiers. Both of those skills seem to be the best in this game - you'll have a hard time defeating a monster that raises its defense stat a few times, and some status ailments can permanently stun you if done right. However, that also means that strategy will be limited to one tactic, which is used by different monsters with different typing to cover the weakness and resistance chart. This also makes some monsters seem to be better than others, especially if they have access to these skills easily.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3228620308

Fights are boring. You can't speed them up, so you have to wait for the slow animation to finish. This is made worse when your character leveled up - the exp gain sound and delay will be repeated twice, meaning that you have to wait twice as long until the fight ends. The thing is, the game never differentiates the length whenever you get a huge or low exp, and this also applies to when enemies' HP is depleted.

On the plus side, I like how the evolution works. All end-game evolution grants a secondary typing, and once you get a certain item, you can switch between the two and learn moves from both evolutions. This expands the monster capability as well as the move coverage, especially when faced with enemies that give you a disadvantage.

Despite the numerous puzzles, some of them feel bland. They tend to be similar in nature, forcing you to input combinations based on the given hints. Well, the method of acquiring the combination may be different, and it sometimes can be too vague to figure out. The ARG puzzle that requires you to browse in the real world was clever, although the next steps can be too confusing to figure out on your own.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3228619675 

Monstronomy is a game where you have to take notes, figuring out the story based on the given hints which sometimes might lead to secrets. However, the game doesn't seem to make use of this strength - there aren't many puzzles that were made like this, and the ones that do barely reward you with anything. I know that you will learn more of the truth in some of them, but I wish there were more than that.

Length and Difficulty
I finished everything in 23.5h. You can finish it faster if you want; I was taking my time and collecting all the monsters with their evolutions, which took a lot of time to do. The game isn't difficult to beat. You can just grind to bypass any difficulty. The one that can be challenging is to beat the post content, but even that will only be difficult if you don't have a lot of high-level monsters.

The game has 2 endings, but there aren't many differences between them and you can see them both by saving before the final boss.

Monstronomy is a unique game. It feels like those creepypasta games that will try to give you the creeps as you play, except that they didn't deliver. As you continue playing, the creepiness is just gone and replaced with puzzles and secrets. It might be interesting to figure out what happened, but the game doesn't use much of this strength.

In my opinion, the game was lacking several QoL fixes; the monster-taming game feels barebones with its simplistic strategy, the UI is too simple and too similar to Pokémon, and there was a lot of backtracking needed when you are inside areas with a lot of enemies. Not to mention that all enemies are the same. I know it's being like that because of the theme, but I wish there were some differences, including more of the in-game plot instead of the "endless" fighting and random videos popping left and right. I wish I could recommend it, but I realized that I wasn't feeling much when I played this game, and the battle's slow pace irritated me in the end.

This game was reviewed with a key provided by the developer for free.

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My Playtime: 5.2h (100% achievement, finished the game)
Grindy Achievement(s): No.
Optional Achievement(s): Yes (24 achievements).
Difficult Achievement(s): No.

LiEat is a short story set in a world where human-shaped dragons and humans live together. It consists of 3 chapters, each telling a story of a human and a dragon's travels.

Pros:
- Touching story
- Superb art style and music

Cons:
- Some areas tend to be reused
- Text can be hard to read for some people

Specs
Steam Deck: AMD Zen 2 4c/8t 2.4-3.5GHz, 16 GB RAM, 8 AMD RDNA 2 CUs

Yes.
If you like short, emotional stories, buy this game.

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What separates LiEat from other similar games is its visuals. It's one of the best out there, showing such detailed portraits and several cute cutscenes that show the whole scene in detail. At times, those cutscenes were smoothly animated, showing no difference from the cutscenes until you realized that it was moving.

However, I found the in-game maps to be too bland. Some rooms are reused, and areas are made to look bigger with a lot of duplicate spots that lead to the reused rooms. Luckily, there aren't many areas to cover in each episode, and the game is pretty short and straightforward to begin with.

The story spans within 3 chapters, with each having a time skip of a few months from each other. It tells the journey of a man and a newly born dragon, focusing on certain creatures in each chapter. The world of LiEat lies in a place where supernatural beings exist; all animal-shaped humans are called humans, even though some of them have unique abilities that ordinary humans can't have. And then there are dragons, human-shaped beings that were born with special abilities, along with a retractable horn and wings.

Despite the dragon theme, it's not a story where you fight each other. There are fights, of course, but that's not the main focus of the game. LiEat tells about the strange things that happen in the town, and how you investigate the source of it. It's not that hard to figure out what happened - heck, you can even guess who the culprit is after you meet everyone in the town. If you hate scary games, don't worry, the game isn't scary at all - even scenes that are supposed to be scary were made cute with its silhouette and art style.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1579991267

But again, the investigation part is just the main plot. LiEat shines in a way that is more subtle than that: the interaction between the characters, especially how cute Efina, our baby dragon protagonist, is, and how she grows up in each chapter. You'll see how she bonds closer with her male protagonist too, which finally shows in the last chapter. That chapter is the real tearjerker. There were 3 endings, and all of them will tug your heartstrings.

Gameplay
As a game that is mostly focused on the story, you'll mostly just walk back and forth following the given instructions. Sometimes, you'll be able to battle enemies to level up, although most fights are optional. However, I had an issue in following where to proceed in the last chapter; there were a bunch of places that you need to recheck and I'm not a person that likes to check the same place twice.

There wasn't much tutorial about combat. I didn't know that you could recover your health by resting - I thought looting recovery items by interacting with everything was the way to go. You are also required to interact with everything to find some equipable items that will help you with the game - sure, you can proceed without replacing your gear, but the game will be too grindy.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=748298651

The game can be grindy depending on how you play. If you manage to find and equip the legendary weapons, you can beat the game without worrying about levels. However, enemy attacks can be too dangerous if you don't have legendary weapons, and you might die easily if you don't grind for levels in that state. Leveling up can be boring, but once you get enough level, you don't have to worry about being attacked at all.

Length and Replayability
I finished the game in 5.2h. Each chapter can be finished in ~1.5h, even if you are aiming to get all endings. Each chapter has 2-3 endings, which will have a different story based on the ending you chose. Most endings can be achieved easily, although you need to figure out what is it beforehand. The game will still tell which are the good and bad endings, though. It will show the credits screen and you'll be teleported to a post-game room if you reach the best ending.

Despite its short length, LiEat manages to make such a heartwarming story with a little bit of emotional touch at the end. The game can be boring sometimes with their back-and-forth "backtracking", but the story will be worth it. At first, you'll see the cuteness of our heroine. In the end, you'll be getting emotional with how the story ends. I recommend it if you like heart-wrenching stories.

My Playtime: 6.6h (finished the game with all endings)

The Song of Saya is a visual novel, telling a man who sees the world differently from others. Despite the gory theme, it also has a touch of romance with a woman who helps him to cope with his situation and "adapt".

Pros:
- 3 endings
- Engaging story with twisted personalities

Cons:
- Some cutscenes are censored out
- Cutscenes are too stiff

Specs
Steam Deck: AMD Zen 2 4c/8t 2.4-3.5GHz, 16 GB RAM, 8 AMD RDNA 2 CUs

Yes.
If you like visual novels with dark and gory themes, you'll like this one.

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The cutscenes use art in anime style, with reused scenes for each occasion. It also makes the image look stiff at times, especially since it won't represent what the dialogue described. Moreover, some images, particularly the ones that I imagined are related to gory and sex scenes, are censored. You'll see them replaced by either black screens or overly zoomed-in images in the character's eyes. Despite that, there are still a few uncensored images showing up, though.

The story tells of a man who had gone through surgery and saw everything differently. Humans would be seen as a lump of flesh, and buildings would look grotesque with their flesh-like design. The change doesn't come just for his sight; his taste, sense of smell, and hearing are also affected. At first, you'll feel pity for the guy for what he had to experience, but that will change soon.

The Song of Saya is a story about change. Despite all of the issues, he met a woman that he could see as a human, not as a lump of flesh. The story is mostly focused on the love between these two and the change that the main character has gone through due to his situation. You might have already expected it, but the change won't be for the better. You'll see the main character to sympathize less and less with other humans and how he was being a jerk about it. It's a story that tells how far a human can fall.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2257145324

The change won't be subtle, of course. The most contrast change will come after you choose your choice, which will lead to 3 different endings. The most normal ending will look boring and fall short, while the other two will be more twisted. The main character will keep on falling deeper, as if forgetting that he's a human himself. Although I enjoyed some of the absurdity, I found the main character to be a hypocrite, especially since the reason that he did what he did to the others was because of his disorder.

Still, it was a good read. Some parts of the story might feel empty, but as I said, I liked the absurdity in some scenes. The horror scene will keep you in suspense without any cheap jumpscare or anything that will leave you awake at night. I also liked how this horror element was played in one of the endings, giving torment to the people.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2150439488

Gameplay
It's a visual novel. The display will be in a traditional visual novel format where the whole screen will be covered with text with some SFX playing in some of the action scenes. Most of the visuals are stiff, and images are reused a lot.

Length and Replayability
I finished the first ending at 2.5h. Yes, out of the three endings, one end cut the playtime short. You'll miss a lot of action and twisted scenes if you don't do the other two. However, a lot of the dialogues in the other two endings are reused. It's nice that the game has a fast-forward feature to skip already-read text, though. I ended up finishing everything at 6.6h. Since that's the only content that the game has, there is no point in replaying the game after you finish reading all endings, although I still recommend seeing everything at least once.

Issues
Since I played in Steam Deck, I had to remap a lot of the controls, and the nonmain function like viewing the extras didn't work. I also had to use the touchscreen to save and load the game, and the small interface for that makes me wary of pressing the wrong button and accidentally deleting my save instead.

The Song of Saya started weakly; it doesn't show its full color until you are halfway into the game. However, once you get to it, it'll start being enjoyable and keep you in the suspense. Some scenes might be disturbing, but I also can't stop pitying the characters that have to go through that. They don't deserve all of them, but they all are forced to do what they did. It's kinda messed up that way. If you enjoy these kinds of stories, then you'll most likely like this game.

My Playtime: 4.5h (100% achievement, finished the game)
Grindy Achievement(s): No.
Optional Achievement(s): Yes (4 achievements).
Difficult Achievement(s): No.

🔴 Circles is a puzzle game with a set of rules. The rules change after every few levels, forcing you to figure out how to clear the level on your own.

Pros:
- Unique puzzle design
- Different modes to increase the challenge

Cons:
- Too much trial and error at some levels
- No hints if you are stuck

Specs
Intel Core i5-9300H 2.40GHz, 8GB RAM, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650

Yes.
If you are a patient person and like puzzle games, you'll like this one. People with short temper will most likely not like this game due to the trial and error amount needed to figure out the rules.

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🔴 Circles uses a simplistic design with no words and only circles at its levels. However, you won't find it confusing since the game does a good job of separating both the menu and the game. Moreover, the animation also helps to indicate level transition whenever you finish a level and whenever you fail and have to restart.

Gameplay
As I said before, 🔴 Circles is a game with a set of rules. You need to figure these out on your own, in which the game will keep on changing them after a few levels. At first, it sounds nice since you won't get bored playing it. However, the problem comes when you are stuck.

The game never gives a hint on how to solve a level. If you are stuck, prepare to spend a lot of time to figure out how to do it. Heck, I found myself finishing some levels by pure luck at first. You need a lot of patience to solve these levels, and by a lot, I mean a lot. Although the first few levels can be finished by moving or interacting with the object, some levels will be more complex, making the solution to be harder to see.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2315249184

Modes
After finishing some of the levels, more modes will be unlocked. These modes are basically a challenge where you have to redo all levels with the specified challenge. There is a challenge to finish the game while the screen is rotating, finish the game with limited moves, finish the game while never standing still, and lastly, finish the game with reversed control. You can activate one or only several together at the same time. Different challenge gives a different mechanic that you can follow, giving you a chance to try out a solution that you never thought of before.

Length and Difficulty
I finished the game in 3h, with some of the challenge levels finished. I then continued playing the game to get all the achievements and finished in 4.5h. The game isn't difficult, but you need to be patient to figure out the solution in some of the levels.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1951545349

To be honest, I was so stressed out when I played it at the beginning; I couldn't seem to figure out the rules and only finished them by luck. Some levels drained me out because I couldn't seem to figure out how to clear them, while others required me to repeat a certain action several times because I couldn't figure out the exact solution. This makes it hard to clear the challenge levels, although I admit that those levels also help me to figure out the actual rules that I need to follow. The game becomes more fun once I get the hang of it.

Isuses
The game crashed on me once. The interface made me think that it was a jumpscare at first - I was surprised a bit.

Despite being a puzzle game, 🔴 Circles' gameplay is different from their counterpart. At first, you need to avoid touching other circles. And then you need to figure out what makes the other circle tick and what you had to do to eliminate the obstacles and reach them. Once you get the hang of it, the game will change the rules and force you to learn it all over again. It can be annoying to find how out to actually clear the level, especially since some levels aren't as straightforward. It's a game for the patient ones, and since it's free, it doesn't hurt to try if you think it's perfect for you.

My Playtime: 60.4h (78/80 achievements, finished the game)
Grindy Achievement(s): No.
Optional Achievement(s): Yes (~64 achievement).
Difficult Achievement(s): Yes (~1 achievement).

Coromon is a monster-taming game, similar to Pokémon. It offers 124 monsters to collect, separated into 8 types.

Pros:
- Fast-paced gameplay
- Customizable difficulty
- Easier rate to catch "shiny" monsters

Cons:
- Grindy endgame content
- Slow saving time

Specs
Intel Core i5-9300H 2.40GHz, 8GB RAM, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650

Yes.
If you like monster-taming games, especially the ones that focus on collecting everything, you'll like this game.

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Coromon was displayed in top-down, pixelated visuals. Despite having simple-looking characters, the monsters look more varied, ranging from cute to cool. Combat is also displayed from a different angle than Pokémon games, giving a unique take on the visuals.

The story is straightforward. It tries to follow the same route as Pokémon games where there is an antagonist group that is trying to do bad things, except that rather than focusing the story on you becoming a Pokémon master, Coromon's story revolves around stopping the group from doing anything worse. The dialogues are lengthy, but you won't miss anything if you don't follow them.

Gameplay
Coromon is played just like Pokémon: you choose a starter monster and use it to go on your journey. The difference is that you'll get a second monster after you choose your starter, and instead of gyms, you'll have Titans. There are 7 Titans based on each type that are spread around the world. Going to each location will be done on foot, triggering battles whenever you step on grasses outdoors or anywhere you walk indoors. Trainers will also be placed around the areas to test your strength and give you exp.

Despite the similarities, some things make Coromon different. The potential system is one example. Each monster has a potential value, separating them into normal, potent, and perfect. Monsters with higher potential will benefit from extra stat points and be distinguishable from their different color. It's similar to shiny, except that it will also have a stat boost.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3241608011

Finding potent monsters is easy. I found 10+ potent monsters in the wild without even doing anything. You also can increase the rate by using other items, which also work for perfects. This makes it easier to hunt for them, and the game really accommodates this by providing a different encyclopedia entry for normal, potent, and perfect monsters.

Puzzles are also in the game. It is available in most areas, which are mostly related to the story. I didn't have any difficulties in finishing them, although it served as a good breather from the monster hunting. However, some of these require you to walk slowly, which can give you issues if you speed up the game speed too much.

What I liked about this game is that you can speed up almost everything. You can speed up the text, battle animations, and even the game speed. The game is quite slow at 1x speed so this is a blessing.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3242517847

Combat
Again, Coromon uses the same combat system as Pokémon, albeit with different typings. Each monster is categorized into one of the eight available types, although other types that are exclusive to skills exist. To be honest, I had a hard time remembering the weaknesses and resistance, especially the non-standard ones since I couldn't map them in my head.

You can only choose up to 4 skills to bring to battle, but you can change which skill to use whenever you are not in battle. This is very useful whenever you want to set up a strategy, especially for monsters that have a lot of typing coverage. Playing the game at a low level will also require more strategy on your end, which will make you swap the skills based on the enemy that you are about to face. The game itself is easy to beat if you are over-leveled, though, and you might be doing that without realizing it if you explore each area thoroughly.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3242346188 

End Game
Aside from catching all normal, potent, and perfect monsters, there is a single content that will open after you beat the game: Battle Dome. It's like Battle Frontier where you have to beat an endless amount of enemies. To be honest, I hate these kinds of modes. However, I still found the content to be easy, provided that you have a team with decent type coverage. It'll get boring if you try to get everything that the place has to offer though since you need to repeat the whole thing several times in each difficulty - my mind went numb from doing it.

Length and Difficulty
I finished the game in 30.3h. I then tried to catch every monster for an achievement, which got me into ~40h mark. The rest of my playtime was spent in the Battle Dome to get all 3 stars from getting enough winning streaks from all modes.

The game offers 4 preset difficulties with a customized one. I finished the game in the hardest difficulty and didn't find it too difficult as long as you are over-leveled, which I did without realizing it. The only issue I had is the hardest difficulty that is similar to Nuzlocke Challenge, meaning that 1) you can only catch the first monster that you find and 2) your monster will leave the party if it faints. Both that and all other content (including Battle Dome) can be mitigated by save scumming.

Despite having a lot of similarities with Pokémon, Coromon still manages to stand up as its own game. I liked how you can speed up everything, and how each area is not too long to clear - it just makes it so addicting. I couldn't stop from exploring new areas and kept on wanting more. Moreover, the game seems to encourage you to catch them all by introducing items that can increase its encounters and different encyclopedia entries for normal, potent, and perfect monsters. The end game might be a grind and there might be not much room for competitive players, but it's still there if you want it. If you like monster-taming games, you can't go wrong with this one.

My Playtime: 30h (100% achievement, finished the game)
Grindy Achievement(s): No.
Optional Achievement(s): Yes (13 achievements).
Difficult Achievement(s): No.

STEINS;GATE: Linear Bounded Phenogram consists of 10 additional stories that are non-canon to the main story, telling the story from the perspective of the characters in STEINS;GATE.

Pros:
- Some stories can be emotional

Cons:
- Some stories don't align with the main story
- Characters are overusing the time machine

Specs
Steam Deck: AMD Zen 2 4c/8t 2.4-3.5GHz, 16 GB RAM, 8 AMD RDNA 2 CUs

Yes.
If you enjoyed STEINS;GATE or any of its alternative forms and desperately want to get more, buy this game at a sale.

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Characters are either drawn in the same style as STEINS;GATE or used in the same asset. They look unique with the "sparkling" effect, making the scene look more dream-like. The environment is also drawn like that to match it, albeit with a lighter tone.

There are 10 short stories that you can read. Unlike STEINS;GATE, the story wasn't always told from Okabe's point of view; it varies based on the story that you select. There is also a convergence meter that denotes at which worldline the story takes place. If you don't understand what that means, it means that you shouldn't buy this game. Yes, STEINS;GATE: Linear Bounded Phenogram requires you to finish either STEINS;GATE, STEINS;GATE ELITE (my review), or the STEINS;GATE anime before playing this game.

Despite some stories taking place in a similar worldline as the main game, the events and characters' actions just don't make sense. The events might change a bit due to how the in-game universe works, but I tend to find the characters to act out of character from the main game. The worst offender is how they resort to using the time machine so easily despite Okabe telling them not to use it carelessly in the main game. I might let it go if it's just Okabe who used it due to how it is in the main game, but the other characters also do that in this game.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1661462249 

The game can just give an excuse for how the story was so different because it happened in a different worldline. However, I just can't get how the characters and events do not line up with each other. I kept on finding contradictions, especially in the stories that are expanding the main story, similar to how STEINS;GATE 0 (my review) is with a shorter timeframe.

Moreover, some of the stories tend to be boring. It took some time before the story really kicked in, and sometimes, that never happened until the end. These kinds of stories seem to showcase most of the slice-of-life part of the lab members which I don't particularly enjoy.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1683076780 

However, despite all that, some of the stories can still be emotional. I enjoyed reading some of them, and they gave me the satisfaction that I needed after I got heartbroken from finishing the main series. Despite the issue that happens as a plot material for that particular short story, all characters look happy and enjoy their life.

Gameplay
The game is more or less similar to other visual novel games. You'll mostly read texts that are voice-dubbed with the characters. Sometimes, an SMS will come in, to which you can choose to reply or ignore. The game also has in-game tips that you can visit if you don't understand some words in the game, although I found myself not using them most of the time - if you have played STEINS;GATE, you'll either know most of the things mentioned there or simply don't care about them.

To be honest, I didn't know what to make of STEINS;GATE: Linear Bounded Phenogram. At first, I didn't want to recommend it due to the cons, but I realized that I had fun reading it sometimes. It's not really as good as the main series, and the story might not even be canon, but if you need some therapy after playing the main game and want to see more of the lab members, even just for the sake of them having fun, I suggest you buy this game, but only at a sale. It's already yours if you bought STEINS;GATE ELITE anyway so if you bought it in a package, that's a steal already.

My Playtime: 1.4h (100% achievement, finished the game)
My First Playthrough: 54 minutes
Grindy Achievement(s): No.
Optional Achievement(s): Yes (~32 achievements).
Difficult Achievement(s): No.

Pilgrims is a short adventure game where you have to explore an island to find something to do. You will receive quests from people, but they will only tell you what they want in pictures, and it's up to you to figure out how to achieve that. The game is very flexible in how you solve the quest itself, giving alternatives that you can try (and figure out) to finish them.

Pros:
- Multiple ways to solve a quest
- Freedom to finish the quest in any order that you want
- Fast forward option to make cutscene faster
- Hints to finish quests differently

Cons:
- Getting some items can be tedious

Specs
Intel Core i5-9300H 2.40GHz, 8GB RAM, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650

Yes.
If you like unique, short games that have more than 1 way to solve quests, this game is for you.

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The interface is unique. Just like point-and-click games in general, it has objects, but both people and objects are represented by cards. You drag the card to the screen to see how it plays out, which will fall back as a card form if there is nothing to be done with that object. All of these actions were animated, an impressive feat that makes the game feel more alive.

I also liked the drawing style. The choice of making brown the dominant color plays well with the game setting and the characters are dressed in the same era to depict it better. Despite the lack of details, the characters are expressive and the dialogues are not that confusing to decipher.

Gameplay
The game is similar to point-and-click, albeit simpler. Characters and objects are stored as a card. You can get objects by clicking them on the screen, but to use them, you need to drag the character card to the screen to get them in play. Once a character is on the screen, you can drag an object card to make the character use it. Different characters excel in different ways; you will need a certain character to do what you need, and sometimes, use a certain object differently.

It's not hard to figure out which objects that you need to do. Despite not having any words in the dialogues, they express their needs clearly in the form of images. Moreover, it's also easier to remember the areas that you have to clear this way, since characters won't do anything in the areas that you cleared. Some objects can be tricky to find, but there are usually easier alternatives that you can try. Furthermore, they also can be brute-forced if you want; there aren't many objects to begin with so you won't spend a lot of time doing that.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2104526109

There are multiple ways to solve a quest. While most quests are straightforward, some have different ways to clear, which are hinted at in the achievements section in the game. I like this design since you can freely finish the game as you like and can replay it to figure out the other variations that you missed. Since the game isn't linear, you also can go straight to get these quests yourself after getting the required items. Finishing some can be tricky since you need to be mindful of the order of the objects that you unlocked, but the others aren't that hard to figure out.

Length and Replayability
I finished the game in 54 minutes blind. I then replayed the game a few times without finishing it to unlock the rest of the achievements. As I said before, the game has replayability value if you are interested in unlocking all variations to finish the quests, which in turn will unlock all of the achievements.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2713454114 

Pilgrims is such a fresh take on point-and-click games. It's easy to finish, but it'll keep you engaged since you have to decipher what the character says and how to achieve it. And since there are a lot of ways to do it, you'll also end up spending more time to figure out how to get them all. It's a game that was meant to be played for its gameplay, and despite the short playtime, I had a lot of fun.

My Playtime: 12.6h (100% achievement, finished the game twice)
My First Playthrough: 7h
Grindy Achievement(s): No.
Optional Achievement(s): Yes (~15 achievements).
Difficult Achievement(s): No.

Twin Mirror is a story-rich game, telling the story of Sam, who is visiting his hometown to attend his best friend's funeral. Sam has two personalities that conflict with each other. On one side, he has an imaginary friend with a lot of empathy. On the other side, he has great analytical thinking that always seeks the truth even if it hurts those around him. It's a story about choosing a side while trying to figure out what actually happened.

Pros:
- Multiple endings based on your choices

Cons:
- Lack of replayability options
- Sometimes input won't work when you are interacting with objects or people

Specs
Intel Core i5-9300H 2.40GHz, 8GB RAM, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650

Yes.
If you like a mediocre story-rich game, buy this game at a sale.

---

The models look realistic, but the human skin doesn't look as realistic at up close. Moreover, I found the character's head to constantly shake while talking. I know that they are trying to mimic people who like to nod whenever they are talking, but the movement just feels unnatural to me. Other than that, the visuals are fine. I like how the mind realm inside Sam's head was constructed from glass pieces. It looks cool and distinct at the same time.

As a story-rich game, I found it to be okay. The story can feel boring at first though, especially since you usually just chitchat with people about the town. The plot will pick itself up as you play - it's not that intense, but it's good enough to keep you going.

What I found interesting is the situation our main character, Sam, is in. He has two distinctive personalities. There is his imaginative friend who always tells him about how to mingle with people and learn to tone down his attitude; have more sympathy for people and think of what they feel before taking. And then there is his analytical side who always seeks the truth and tells people what they need to hear, even if they are not in the state to hear them. The latter personality is his default one, making him sound like a jerk since he tends to talk without any regard for the current situation. The choices present in the game will mostly refer to these 2 sides, about which side are you willing to choose.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2674255251

However, despite the great concept, I don't like how the ending was. You are forced to choose between the two sides. There is no option where both sides can mingle even though they both have their strength; his social side always knows how to comfort people while his analytical side is always good at seeking the truth. The thing is, choosing a side means that you have to sacrifice some things in the game, meaning that you can't have an ending where everything is truly solved and you are content with your life. Well, I guess that's life.

Replaying the game can be a hassle, though. I found that there isn't much variation to the story despite the numerous choices that you can make. Those choices usually only change a minor part of the story in that chapter, making most of the story redundant. Moreover, sometimes the game will also reuse some dialogues for both choices. The dialogue might flow smoothly, but I just find it weird when the voice shifts tones.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3236722182

Gameplay
The gameplay in this game is mostly just walking around and interacting with either people or objects. I hated that you can't run most of the time. Your walking speed is slow, and you need to cover a lot of ground. Moreover, there is no way to highlight interactable objects to make finding objects easier.

Your analytical side also has a realm that can be used to reconstruct scenes. I liked this gameplay the most - it helps to kill the boredom from the story. You need to find clues and choose from some options as to what happened. It's pretty easy to find the right answer, and failing usually poses no risk.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2675094849

It also has other, varying minigames. It's mostly about finding something, whether it's a set of patterns that you must follow or your imaginary friend. They might require some tries since they can be vague, but the game gives you hints for that and it won't be too hard to solve - it only took me a few tries, with most of them being solved on the first try.

Length and Replayability
I finished the game for the first time at 7h. The game has 4 endings with 1+ minor variation. Two endings look too similar to each other, though. However, the game lacks replayability options. There are collectibles that you can find, but you can't play through the chapter select just for collecting the collectibles that you missed - you need to collect those and other collectibles from that point of the story to collect them all. There is also no way to speed up the dialogues and the checkpoints are spread quite far. Lastly, your save will be overwritten if you load from chapter select, making you unable to do another chapter select for earlier chapters unless you finish the game again.

There wasn't anything special to the story, but it wasn't that bad either. I liked the concept of clashing personalities that the main character has, and his abilities are also showcased strongly in the game to show their strength. However, that's where it ends. The story can feel boring at times, and there isn't much that you can get from it. I enjoyed some of the gameplay, though, particularly the one that is related to his analytical side. I can recommend the game, but get it on a sale.