Recent reviews by johnrp

Although it falls short of the timeless excellence of classic RPGs that inspired it, Sea of Stars is an incredibly enjoyable standalone experience for someone who wants to lose themselves in that familiar and ever-desired RPG adventure. Though the main characters are only a few steps removed from being silent and featureless, the world they inhabit is anything but that. Before I get to my criticims, I'll say that the thing which stood out most to me in Sea of Stars was the art direction, as it was consistent eye candy that was accompanied by a strong world-building. The map is delightfully interactive, and gameplay is seamlessly intertwined with it (aside from a few secrets that I felt were unfair). The "modernization" of that aspect of the Classic RPG experience was excecuted incredibly well, and that was most of what kept me engaged throughout my playthrough. As far as the other aspects of "modernization," the game frequently does less with more in terms of combat.

As someone with experience in classic RPGs, I offer that there was a lack of difficulty in the entirety of the storyline evidenced by the fact that I have never once seen the game over screen throughout a complete playthrough, side content and all. In my opinion, that should be an experience reserved for people who play through the game with its provided accessibility toggles on, not the standard RPG enjoyer that the game seems made for. With the exception of a a few end-game bosses which I can likely count on one hand, it seemed to me like you had to try to game over, especially considering that you're given so many straightforward tools for success in combat the further you proceed into the game. A ways into the game, something like the combo meter becomes less of a reward for playing well and more of a tool for the player to prevent enemy encounters from ever becoming too long to be challenging. This is an example of what I meant by "doing less with more", I would have much more enjoyed the combat if I had to game over a few times in order to formulate a strategy to win against enemies or an area.

Though some would say such design is unfair, it ultimately causes the player to let go of the hand they were holding and begin to adopt their own strategies towards victory, which always feels more earned. The last thing any of the classic RPGs did was hand over easy wins to players past the tutorial stages. Even Chrono Trigger, a game that paced itself so that the player would never have to grind in order to beat the game, was far from being a game that played itself. Sea of Stars isn't egregious in its lack of difficulty, but the player never has to grind OR give much thought to how they're playing the game for the vast majority of the experience. Within a few turns of each fight, after having seen every enemy's attacks once, the choices the player needs to make are obvious. Players have and will wing it on every single fight in this game from beginning to end and beat the entire game without ever experiencing a game over like I have.

Though I have never played anything else by Sabotage, it seems like their execution of this approach to difficulty was a little cleaner in The Messenger, where mistakes arising from unfamiliarity with new mechanics could actually lead to failure. Of course, The Messenger plays much faster than Sea of Stars, but that is another reason why the approach to difficulty should be scaled up in the enemy and boss design of this game.

Difficulty aside, the other thing I felt like took a step back from classic RPGs were the characters. To be clear, I do not think the characters are bad. Not every RPG needs super quirky or layered characters on the level of narrative-driven games. There have certainly been successes in the RPG space that I suspect have spoiled people in this game's reviews, but a good RPG doesn't need super great characters. Storytelling and character writing are two very different things, and I think sabotage delivered on the storytelling front. Sabotage never needed to "modernize" the characters, but they could have taken more risks in writing the main cast, as three of main cast seem to be completely two-dimensional in the sense that they lack any flaws or motivations that go beyond their surface-level traits. These choices result in characters that are likable and sometimes very enjoyable, but not as memorable as those in RPGs that took those risks.

Those things aside, I would definitely recommend RPG newbies and veterans alike to give Sea of Stars a shot. The soundtrack for this game is exactly what players will want out of a full-length RPG, with a battle theme that never grows old and music for every occasion and mood. This game rewards the player's engagement with it and respects your time. Get Sea of Stars to take in the sights and sounds of an adventure with plenty of surprises in store. Longer-than-expected review for The Steam Awards over.

Dicey Dungeons is an approachable, charming deck builder where the player is expected to focus on leveraging their luck to fit whatever circumstance the game creates for them. The stages, or "Episodes" start off simple but grow to quickly demand risk-management skills and careful planning ahead. Each character has its own set of deck elements, or equipment, that the player can create countless strategies from. Enemies also have equipment, however the same enemies always have the same equipment. This makes the encounters more predictable and manageable as the players learns the strategies of each enemy, and how to survive each encounter.

Although the enemies and their decks never change, the episodes never get stale because each episode unlocks more difficult episodes that change a variety of rules, at times even changing the rules of how enemies may act or effect the player. Some characters are certainly more fun to play than others, though no two characters feel the same to play as. Each character has its own set of episodes and rules/equipment regarding those episodes, but their mechanics never change very drastically.

The presentation is easy on the eyes and well-animated, all the dialogue is clever and endearing and the music is catchy as all heck. The only time the game disappointed me was when there wasn't a reward for finishing all the challenges; every loss and win felt deserved - even if luck played a major role. If you want a game that consistently rewards clever decision making and can get past the mouse-only part as well as having lots of replayabillity with different strategies, this title will give you plenty of great fights and dice.

For its price of $15, Dead Estate is a really fun roguelike game with lots of replayability. Each playthrough is very fast-paced, lending themselves to decision-making oriented gameplay and quick thinking for each room. Almost all of the items are distinct from one another, and the same design philosophy goes for the weapons and enemies. Despite Dead Estate being the first Steam Store release by the developers, a lot of care and consideration went into creating enjoyable runs and eliminating runs where you can't win because of bad luck. The music and pixel art are two great cherries on top, alongside the planned content updates. A great buy for those new or unfamiliar with the roguelike genre who want something a little more casual.

Valve puts another strong entry in the Half-Life series with Half-Life: Alyx. Players may notice that the developers have put special effort into the environments and general feel of city 17, elevating this VR project beyond something like a tech demo. Combat is intuitive and intensive while the puzzles never feel intrusive or obstructive. A solid buy if you want an immersive and memorable VR title.

As newer IPs come into the gaming market, TF2 retains its distinct charm and style. The design philosophy behind the game guarantees a unique flow, as it revels in its slapstick look and unpredictable gameplay. TF2 is also proud to have one of the best communities around, and it features a community server experience like no other. Anyone who does not care for a competitive FPS experience should definitely give this game a try.

Incredible four player experience, great with both online and offline. If you don't mind some of the atmospheric intensity the game throws your way, definitely consider getting it as it is a blast with friends.

This game's superb storytelling and it's unique, original theme of understanding a person through their creations is not something you want to miss out on. It's story-rich plot easily makes up for it's 60-minute lifespan.