Recent reviews by BustMyMilk

Do you like puzzle solving and exploration in space? Here you go just buy this game, no more questions just buy the flipping game.

Outer Wilds is a beautiful magical journey and not one about getting from point A to point B but rather the growth you feel as an individual. From the challenges you face, to the fears you must overcome, to how much smarter you feel for understanding how the game works. Everything you accomplish in the game is extremely satisfying and makes you feel proud of yourself for overcoming it and I don't mean it like beating a tough boss kind of feeling. More like solving a problem with little to no help or overcoming a fear that was weighing you down. You can't help but feel proud and feel like you improved as an individual. I admit there were many parts of the game that spooked me on first impression but after pushing my hardest to push those fears, I felt so much stronger and better to feel relieved that I was just overthinking them, that they really weren't threats. Well except one part, you know what I'm talking about if you have played already.

Every part of this game is immersive, well crafted, and feels like every single detail was planned from the start. From the music to the environments, the story telling, the puzzles, gameplay. It's all just a perfectly baked cake that you can't help but cry when you finally reach the last piece, all you want is just more but you can't do anything accept reality and relish what was given to you in the first place. One that makes you stare at the ceiling for hours and wonder what you experienced. One that was 14.3 billion years in the making. A game like this just makes me really hope that this game will somehow start a new genre like an Outer Wildslike. Hey if we can have genres like Roguelikes and Metroidvanias than maybe we can get a genre named after this game. Heck even the tutorial of this game is well crafted because its all on the starting planet. Unlike most game tutorials where you have to do a lot of reading or go through all the steps, all the pieces of this game are instead displayed like exhibits in a museum so in case you ever forget anything you can just revisit that one specific mechanic you might have forgotten.

However I do think the game has a few cons. For most they shouldn't be too bad for for some it could be ones that are too frustrating to continue the game.


It's very easy to get stuck
At most points in the game, if you get stuck you are usually better off just exploring somewhere else but there are some roadblocks that give no assistance on how to solve them. A few examples I can think of are How to enter The Interloper or the tower of quantum knowledge, yes I realized you can just wait for the tower to fall but it would have been nice if there was some hint. The problem is trying to look up the answers without spoiling yourself which can be really difficult. It would be nice if there was some kind of assist mode if you get stuck. I know for a lot of people the turn off point in a game can be when they constantly have to look up things when stuck and takes the immersion out of a game.

Allow player to pin shortcuts
Later in the game you will find shortcuts to locations like the sunless city and the black hole forge. That's great since the main routes can take a while to reach them. However, if you haven't played the game in a while, then you might not remember the location of the shortcuts and it can result in having to look up their location which can also lead to spoilers. The game really should have allowed you to pin these shortcuts like how they allow you to pin other discovered locations.

The Anglerfish are too aggressive
I know people are going to say skill issue and all that. Yes I know you have to be quiet but I think its overkill, if they hear any sound they will go aggro which is the problem because you have to make absolutely no noise which means you are stuck drifting for a while which is the annoying part. I feel way too much time is sacrificed in order to reach the vessel because you have to be so quiet. I personally just feel the Anglerfish should be nerfed a little.

Players can feel very rushed with the time loop
This wasn't an issue I personally had with the game but I have heard this from multiple other people who played the game. They feel they don't get to enjoy the game because they are rushed with the looming time to do as much as they can before they have to restart the loop and feel frustrated of having to do everything all over again just to continue where they left off. I get where these people are coming from after playing Majora's mask but at least in this game you can very quickly get back to where you left off, unless it's back to the vessel. In my opinion maybe there should be an option of turning on a slower/longer time loop so these players won't feel so rushed all the time.

Outer Wilds in a nut shell is a game that should just be bought in a heart beat. Just jump into the game blind and let yourself experience the mystery and wonder the game has to offer. There is so much to see and do without the game feeling repetitive at all. It's by far one of the most unique, creative, and best games I've ever played.

Good Music
The music isn't anything amazing or mind blowing but it is pretty catchy and enjoyable. It gives off a good feel for the game.

Nice Controls
The controls are nice and simple which help with the flow of the game while also giving a lot of tools to assist the player with their shots and planned pathing. Funny enough even though this is a golf roguelike this somewhat feels more like a precision platformer with how the controls and gameplay feel but that's not a bad thing.

Ace Cards
Ace cards are cards you can buy or collect during your run to improve your chances on holes. They can give you more strokes, give you better positioning, take shortcuts. There are a lot of them but they improve the game a lot because it creates a whole new area of strategy on when to use them and how. You can use them to save you from bad situations or take big risks by making crazy plays/ shortcuts. There's even pins which are basically expensive permanent upgrades for the rest of the run. They are additions that really make this stand out as a golf game.

A relaxing roguelike
Unlike other roguelikes that are fast paced or you have to dodge a hundred threats from multiple directions in quick succession this is thankfully a roguelike where you can take your time and focus on your strategy and enjoy a slow paced game because its golf. It's a nice way this game stands out. It's strangely a game that is very relaxing but also very stressful due the severe punishment this game gives out.


Very Punishing
I can't believe I'm saying this but this might be THE hardest roguelike I've played. Harder than Dead Cells, Hades, Slay the Spire, Binding of Isaac, FTL. The reason why is because the game is super punishing for any mistakes. Instead of traditional golf where you try to score below par, you have to reach the hole in a limited number of strokes or you lose. You'll have to destroy statues along the way to refresh your strokes. The problem is that the statues are pretty far apart from each other so by the time you reach the next you'll barely have enough strokes remaining so if you make any mistakes (land in a bunker, water, right next to a wall you need to shoot over, miss a statue) you'll probably run out of strokes you need to reach the next statue. Then there's the punishment for failing a run, in other roguelikes runs usually take 30 minutes - an hour to complete so failing does not feel terrible, but in this game runs take so long it will take multiple sessions to make decent progress and will probably take multiple hours to finally reach the end so if you run out of strokes, you are going all the way back to hole 1 when it takes about 10 - 20 strokes just to complete each hole! Some people may like the length of the game because theres more content and thats fine but if you are the kind of person that would rather have 1 quick run, this game is not that.

Little to no chance to learn new mechanics or how to use Ace Cards
Some of the Ace Cards effect the ball very differently to assist you but it would be nice if I could be given a quick chance to practice them to understand how they feel before I do my actual shot because too often I have to learn how they work in the middle of flight and I end up wasting them. Since there are so many cards that change the controls or feeling of the ball it feels like a lot of times you have to learn how they function quickly before you waste them and again since this game can feel so punishing it often feels like they are not worth the risk of experimenting with or learning. Also with all roguelikes when you reach the late game there are usually new enemies, mechanics, or obstacles that will kick your butt the first time you experience them and that is fine for a roguelike. But other roguelikes focus on quick runs, because runs here are extremely long, it can feel super frustrating if you don't understand them in time a lose just because you couldn't figure out how they work. Like the unique Ace Cards, there should either be a quick cutscene to explain how they work or a quick tutorial to explain them with the way the game is designed. Trying to learn these things in the middle of a run is just too risky to try with when the punishment for failing is so extreme.

Tracer stops on statues
When you are preparing your shot, you'll have a tracer to show you where your ball will go when you hit which is great. However the problem shows up when one of your main objectives is to keep hitting statues to continue your runs. Way too often I'll hit the statues but then hit a hazard because I don't know where it will land because the tracer gets blocked by the statues. It has cost me too many runs because of it. It would be nice if the tracer would go through the statue or the ball stops after hitting one.

Levels can be confusing to navigate
While the levels are nice and have multiple different paths to reach the end with different amounts of risk vs reward which is good design it also unfortunately makes levels appear confusing and hard to tell which way to go to reach the end. Levels look like mazes which means you'll spend a lot of time on the free cam trying to figure out the way to go. Hopefully they add an option to turn on something that shows you the main path to the end so I don't have to spend so much time on the free cam just to understand the pathing and directions.


Quickplay Mode
A quickplay mode would be nice as a simple option if I just wanna do a quick run of the game. No limited strokes or statues, just traditional style golf of trying to get as few strokes as possible. Being able to choose how many holes you wanna play or how long the holes are would create more variety in how people can play the game.

Versus Mode
This feels like a great game to challenge your friends in as everyone would have different plans on their pathing and Ace Card usage. Maybe it would be nice if there was an option between least strokes or whoever survives the longest. Still this feels like a game that would benefit a lot from a versus mode.

An Easy Mode
I know this part will be controversial but I do think games are better when they have multiple difficulty options and this is a game that would benefit a lot from having one. Something as simple as easier holes, more statues, or increased number of strokes per hole. Other roguelikes like Hades and Dead Cells have one to make their games more appealing to a larger audience and having one for a simple game like golf would surely bring in a bigger audience without scaring them away.

Despite me giving this game more cons than pros I still do think the pros outweigh the cons. It's a good game that is very enjoyable but doesn't really feel designed for a casual audience. It's a game that involves a lot more time and investment than I expected and that's not a bad thing. It's still a new game that could use some improvements but the general direction and ideas of the game are still very enjoyable. It's fun, unique, and challenging and yet a relaxing game with a lot of replayability. If you are a golf fan who wants a game with lots of replay value and diversity, this game is great for you but doesn't really appeal to people who want a simple basic golf game. It's basically a randomly generated golf game with unique mechanics and strategy that turns into a game that feels like a precision platformer challenging dedicated players asking them to plan ahead each move carefully.

First starting the game: Wow, this is fun, unique and challenging. I wish there were more games like this.

After playing for an hour:
Alright that's bull, he should not have slipped on that specific piece of ice!
Can you stop being hungry for once!
How is my backpack having poor balance because I slightly moved my candy bar to one side of my backpack?
I don't care if your mental health is low, you can go insane after you reach the summit!

I have now developed OCD because of this game.

This is like my experience with daddy. Disappointingly short, very hard, but very fun.

I left this game to play Back 4 Blood but ultimately I came BACK FOR the BLOOD of this game.

Yes this a crappy pun and joke.

Pros:
This game reminds me of the good old days of Little Big Planet 2

Cons:
I show friend this game for the first time.

We play for a few hours and he wishes to play again soon in a few days.

We play again in a few days and he already is playing as a big tit anime girl in his second session of the game.

This game changes people fast

10/10 would do again.

Thank you Celeste for teaching me how to deal with panic attacks and mental breakdowns.

It really helps for the panic attacks and mental breakdowns I have while trying to 100% this damn game.

Thoughts after completing Chapter 9
GOD AKLASFJL&S&K&ADF&JK&LS*DUFLISDUJFKLLJDFLSJK KILL ME NOW!!! Ok, I have really enjoyed the game and I admit I do have a few tiny complaints like the specific out of nowhere tasks you have to do to get some of the hearts. But now my main complaint is Chapter 9. Look if you are wanting to create an ultimate final challenge, that's great. Those kinds of levels are super fun and really test how good you are at a game. However, that challenge should not be 20 times longer than the rest of the levels while also being 20 times more difficult. Otherwise, you just push people's patience to the extreme and most people will just give up. Even if you handle these tough new challenges well, the chapter just goes on and on with no end in sight, how are you supposed to have the patience to tolerate this. Also a lot of the rooms in this chapter are so frustrating because they are very long segments that require frame perfect action or you fail and have to restart that long sequence over and over while also forcing them to quickly adapt to the new mechanics introduced here. A lot of the mechanics I think are cool but I think they should have been used in easier environments but I really did not like the annoyance of remembering to Wallbounce and Wavedash. I really wish you did not have to use those 2 mechanics to succeed because once the game taught them, the Chapter became a lot less fun. But hey lets look at the positives. At least I now know that I'll never get competitive into Melee because if you have to Wavedash this often I think my fingers would break. If I were to remake Chapter 9. I would have split it into 2 Chapters. The first half would just be about the new mechanics and I would not force the player to learn Wavedashing and minimize the amount of Wallbounces. The second half would be the ultimate challenge that puts all the mechanics together while having about the same Chapter length as the other Chapters but reducing the size of most of the rooms so the player is not forced to do a 100 things frame perfectly in order to just complete 1 room. But after a lot of hard work, practicing, and totally not using the assist tool (Seriously, if you actually beat this without using the assist, congrats to your patience and effort but you probably devoted too much time to this game). It was nice to see the plot reach a heartwarming conclusion .

Very addicting
The game has so much replay value as there are a lot of factors that keep it fresh and exciting each time, such as the events that help the losing team, the events are super fun and some of them can change the map entirely from being flooded in water, to suddenly being in a blizzard, the spawn placement of the crowns, and the map itself. The map creates a lot of escape routes and elements that allow players to make crazy plays or escapes.

The game design
While tag is already a fun game, it becomes way more exciting with the game's mechanics from it's dash diving, hat usage, wall jumping, and hook shot. It creates a lot of opportunities to juke chasers while also making crazy moves as a chaser. They keep any chase moments exciting and intense, along with the music that warns you if a chaser is close. There's nothing more intense than frantically trying to find the last crowns while turning the camera around to see a wave of puppets chasing you.

Well designed elements
This part is a bit harder to explain but the game also has some other untold elements that keep the game exciting. For example:
The puppets can't see the crowns so they can't camp them and since the crowns spawn in waves, there's no way of remembering where they were before you got tagged.

The timer and position reveals are also good elements because they prevent the Snatcher's minions from just hiding in one area the whole game. Plus, the next wave of crowns spawn at the same time as the position reveals so everyone is encouraged to get moving.

The scary music that plays when a puppet is near is a good element because it gives you a warning while also making chases very intense.

Shops
The two shops that appear are also great because not only are they new fun free items but also they reward you for playing well. They help encourage everyone to play the game properly.


Starting new games
Every time a match was over, the timer to start the next one would happen right away. This is annoying because I get no time to browse through the two shops. There just needs to be a cooldown before the timer starts again.

Confusing map
The map is great and well designed but some areas of the map are just very confusing, mostly the basement and the upper western area of the manor full of wardrobes, there's just too many dead ends and the camera keeps zooming in all the confined spaces around these two areas so it's hard to see where you are going. These areas need either more exits or it needs to be more open. There also should be an opening to the backyard at the entrance on the first floor because too often, new players don't know how to get to the backyard or parkour to the 2nd floor.

Unbalanced for now
Although there's a lot of patches fixing the balancing, it's still too unbalanced for now. The game heavily favors Vanessa's puppets for a few reasons:
1. No one knows who will be it at the start so if you are following a few other people and become the first cursed, you can tag multiple people right off the bat.

2. Not enough crowns spawn. A few times all the crowns are collected which results in the Snatcher's minions waiting for the next wave of crowns to spawn which gives plenty of time for Vanessa's puppets to get you. The waves of crowns need to spawn more often.

3. The confusing map makes it hard for Snatcher's minions to find the crowns despite seeing their positions, this makes it easier for Vanessa's puppets to catch you before you can figure out how to get to the crowns.

4. Map obstacles. If you're being chased by some of the puppets, and you run into a dead end that forces you to either use the brewing hat to destroy a wall or use dweller's mask to reveal/disappear a wall/platform, that's lost time to escape because the puppets are still charging at you with their sprint hats.

Lobby Design
This sounds weird but how it works is rather than joining a lobby with the highest group of people like normal multiplayer games, you choose which lobby to join by typing in something like tag1. This is annoying because you won't always be in the biggest lobby when the biggest lobby could be somewhere else and you don't know. Though again, the game does give recommendations on which lobbies to join.

Showing your accomplishments
This is a minor complaint, but I wish the game would tell you what you did each match. Such has how long you survived, how many people you caught, and how many crowns you collected. Sure you can see your score and see how you did overall, but I just want more details in the result screen.

Although the overall reviews are seen as mixed for now, don't worry about that. That's because on day 1 of this release the game was unplayable due to all the bugs and glitches which the developers quickly fixed. This small game mode is super addicting and exciting and the cheap price makes it worth a try. I love there is now a multiplayer mode for this game and it's easy to set up and play a competitive mode in the game. Combine that with the game's fun platforming mechanics, it leads to a fun intense game of tag.

I tell Jacob and Stephen we should play Bloons Tower Defense
They agree.
Stephen spawns 20 cash crates at round 4
Stephen spawns a level 4 bank and towers everywhere, taking any sources of income
Jacob and I ask Stephen for money
Stephen says we will have to go into debt and pay him back to get money
Stephen teaches me the horrors of capitalism
Screw you Stephen