Recent reviews by Brian (The Schmaltzy Cynic)

Let me preface this review with the following praise: Path of Exile 2, even in its current, unfinished form, has the makings to be the single greatest ARPG of all-time when it is fully released. Every core mechanic during the rush of combat (especially during the best boss fights ever made in an ARPG) along with the seemingly mundane lulls of browsing the passive and skill tree has a stupefying layer of depth to rival any game you’ve ever played. It is no exaggeration when I say that, after a hundred hours trying out different characters as well as progressing my main to the endgame, I am still uncovering new build synergies that make me want to start it all over again. Meanwhile, the game mechanics do not stop evolving; it continues to expand upon its previous systems with even more meta-defining systems to make everything up to this point feel like child’s play by comparison.

However, Path of Exile 2's endgame system is so egregiously absurd for the general playerbase that it nearly invalidates every compliment I have given the more you delve into the deep end. Worse, it manages to take the campaign that is satisfyingly challenging and devolve the experience into a matter of frustration for all but the most broken of builds. And devolving is the perfect word to describe this shift because the endgame forgoes the methodical, open-ended learning by failure approach of Path of Exile 2 in favor of the blaster-happy, meta-only-or-bust spectacle of the first game. At some point, every newcomer is going to reach this point where the experience no longer entices you to continue, so I can only recommend enjoying the campaign at this time as well as the lower levels of the Atlas content. If you wish to undergo the endgame slog beyond that point, you do at the cost of souring your whole experience.


Before I go into further detail with a litany of grievances, I should address this game’s slightly confusing Early Access system. Path of Exile 2 is a free-to-play game that lives up to the name: You can play the full experience from beginning to end with optional monetization systems. At the moment, you’re paying to play the game during its development and to support the devs' efforts as they finish working on the other six classes, their subclass Ascendancies, the missing weapon and skill systems and the latter half of the game (Acts IV to VI.) Currently, the Early Access system is set up to get you to the endgame by having you repeat the first three acts to reach the endgame level threshold, and then you will experience the Atlas endgame.

Honestly, I have to take a moment to commend the devs for creating what is essentially the most consumer-friendly model for players to pay to beta test a game. When you purchase the supporter pack, you don’t only get access to the game; you get an equal amount of store credit. Any microtransactions you purchase in Path of Exile 2 also apply to the first game (and vice-versa, although the availability of some options is best researched first). Those more jaded than I will view this model as a covert way to prime players to purchase from the storefront in the future, but the lowest tier won’t get you anything but the most essential in-game items like extra stash tabs and extra character slots beyond the 12 you start with. (This is a free-to-play game, of course.) Since most players will want to purchase tools to better organize their loot such as Currency or Gem tabs, and they will also need a Premium tab for in-game trading, I think the more favorable view of this model is that the supporter pack gets you the bare essentials as a free-to-play player that you were going to get anyway with lots of left-over currency for extra tabs.

Whether or not you agree with my perspective, you can make this early-access model work in your favor during special events like stash tab sales that happen every three weeks to get vital tools as you play or you can use them to enjoy the first game during its sequel development. Or you can simply wait to play the game at its full release at no cost. The key thing is that you, the player, have agency in these decisions, and I find it impressive how little the storefront comes up outside of a title banner on the title screen. My only gripe is that the default key to open the shop is set to M, which is what I typically think of as the mini-map overlay. I’ve experienced far more invasive, in-your-face models from fully-priced games like Diablo IV that literally throw you into the cash shop before you even hit the play button to condemn Path of Exile 2's business savvy moves.


Okay, so let’s not mince further words about some vital points of agreements: The current endgame is not finished; Grinding Gear Games knows it’s not finished and they said as such; the game mechanics are not fully-balanced for the endgame experience; half the classes, most of which are melee focused, are not available; and you should not view this game as finished product.

Rest of the review on personal website for ease of use.[ryancolxire.wixsite.com]


Overall Score: 3/5

Detailed Score: 11/15 (73% done)

This rating does not reflect a numerical score of the game’s quality; however, it is useful to express the state of completion throughout Early Access. Eventually, the game should reach a finished state and the scale should reach one-hundred percent completion to reflect it.

Here is a breakdown of the simple and detailed scale (1-5) into four broad categories (Content, Quality, Optimization and Productivity):

1 : A bug-filled mess with no content updated infrequently with no sign of change.

2: A game with the beginnings of ideas, yet too soon to invest your time. Check for updates to see if things improve. (Also, without all the basic features, such as promised multiplayer modes.)

3: A game that is in a playable state, yet may not have all its technical issues resolved. Features are all available while they may not be finalized. Games are cautious recommendations to buy, so you should check the updates.

4: A game that is in a playable state, technically competent, and has enough content to be worthy of purchase. Features are accounted and the updates are frequent enough to not discourage cautious buyers. Updates should be with respect to the size of the development team.

5: A game that could be considered finished. It is in the final stages of development with balancing and other last minute changes to be resolved to be fit for release.

As of the time of this review, I have played a new campaign for about six hours with the following: Druid (Kindred Spirits, Solasta subclass), Ranger, Half-Orc Barbarian (Mage Breaker, another Solasta subclass) and a Draconic Sorcerer. While the Sorcerer is not part of the new content, I included this free class update into my latest run to suit my “nature/primal-themed” party since it was not included at launch and it gave me an excuse to try it out alongside the other two additions. As such, I believe it’s fair to judge my recommendation based on the other free content added to Solasta since its launch much like the other free additions that came out with the latest content pack.

Now, while I have criticized companies in the past who have blurred the lines between paid and free content such as Paradox, I am willing to give Tactical Adventures more leeway for a couple reasons. For starters, TA makes the store description very transparent with what you’re paying for and what you’re getting for free. Second, while the two “new” classes (six subclasses total) are staples from the SRD 5.1 license, TA adds two new subclasses and adjusts two community-chosen subclasses to feel appropriate for their game. Third, there are a bunch of “nice features” included such as the Half Orc ancestry, the Wanderer Background with a new side-quest, the new customization features (facepaint and scars), the Level 6 / Druid spells, the new campaign and dungeon editor features, and an adjusted final battle that all complement the DLC’s theme. Quite simply, while the amount of new content appears sparse, it’s full of a lot of smaller things that quickly add up to a better experience—and the new tools that they implemented for user-created stuff is something I whole-heartedly support.

Finally, the new higher-level cap cannot be understated as it affects every class and their spell lists, which is likely why a lot of this content must be made available to everyone as it affects the whole game’s balance. (And yes, while the Ranger shares many spells with the Druid, it doesn’t include every spell from first to fourth level, which means making new animations, etc.) However, as the devs fulfilled their Kickstarter goal to create a free update for the Sorcerer class—which is basically what they did on the other Kickstarter tiers—they also need to fund the other classes to give them as much polish along with the other new spells for everyone else. (As a last-minute reminder, we also need to consider the fact that this studio only has about eighteen people working on the project and doesn’t have the backing of Wizards of the Coast, but I don’t like to use this excuse for paid content—I’m just including this tidbit here for anyone who compares this DLC to Baldur’s Gate 3’s free content updates.)

Now, while I understand the need for funding this new content, I think the bigger point of contention is the price as $10 is quite steep for two classes and a couple other benefits, especially since the Barbarian feels more like a Fighter subclass in practice. Perhaps this deal would be more palatable to more people if there was a new class based on Solasta along with the two taken from the SRD 5.1 license like the many hybrid classes in Pathfinder (wink-wink, I’d love to see a Bloodrager-like class.) There could be some behind-the-scenes legal issues here that I am unaware of, but that would be my first suggestion to justify the cost. The other alternative would be if Tactical Adventures packaged the Supporter pack with the DLC for $15 total, which is $5 off buying them individually, then I think more people would be willing to accept paying for this content as you’re really paying to support the game’s development. If the other three 5.1 SRD classes are added later in the same manner, I think either proposed solution here would be received well, or by packaging the five classes together.

If you would rather listen or watch this review, you can check out the video review I made here:

https://youtu.be/3HQT4dQ4e2A

When it comes to point-and-click or classic adventure style games, Backbone may appear to be much like any other indie pixel-art project. If you only care about the gameplay itself, then you will likely know whether or not this game is for you on that description alone. However, much like the visuals and the narrative, there is a lot more charm, intrigue and suggested complexity beneath first appearances.

Normally I wouldn’t devote much time talking about the visuals, yet I cannot help but find this strange collage of 2D and 3D assets alluring upon close inspection, and I can only describe it as a virtual pop-up book. It’s nowhere near as obvious as the likes of Paper Mario, but the effects elevate an otherwise traditional presentation to suit the game’s themes for subtleties. This effect is more pronounced along the city streets where the road and sections of the buildings stand out among the civilians and vehicles that appear like props on a stage. Some indoor areas like Howard’s house also demonstrate various lighting, shadow and other visuals effects to give an otherwise flat image a sense of depth. This level of detail and this focus on perspective also applies to the character designs along with the writing that does not conform to traditional anthropomorphic sensibilities.

Since the first teachings of Aesop’s fables to modern animations like Zootopia, anthromorphic characters have been used to personify aspects of humanity for the purposes of storytelling. In most cases, these types of characters have been used as tropes or flat characters with one-note personalities, which is not a crime in of itself. You can likely imagine various similes like “as slow as a sloth,” “as gentle as a lamb,” or “as loose as a fox.” The purpose behind these tropes is to teach us how to recognize certain human behaviors, those we desire and those we abstain from indulging, and how to handle those situations with easily impressionable characters. At the same time, however, you can also subvert those associations to teach another lesson; one that demonstrates how people may appear simple on the outside, yet they are far more complex once you get to know them. Either approach is a valid use of these kinds of characters, but it’s something that Backbone almost completely ignores.

Personally, I do not mind that these characters are not caricatures of real people as you can overdue these tropes with time, yet I do wonder what this art style accomplishes other than being an artistic choice. There are some hints of a hierarchy of species and some vernacular used centered around Apes, but you could easily replace the species of most characters without altering their personalities. Perhaps that outcome was intentional as to not fall victim to the stereotypes I have outlined before, or the point is to showcase how these characters are meant to come across as real people. Given how much detail is put into every character, I would likely argue the latter idea is what is meant to be taken away by the audience. Now this criticism isn’t a complaint as it is an honest question about the developer’s intentions and how they can be better communicated to the player, and, obviously, my experience thus far is only based on the prologue.

Speaking of the prologue, how about we break character for a moment to talk about the gameplay? As mentioned beforehand, Backbone is a point-and-click style adventure game, yet that description wouldn’t tell you the whole story.

While the gameplay mostly revolves around exploring environments, gathering clues and solving brainteasers, there are a few additional elements to keep the gameplay from feeling stale. (Thankfully, all the puzzles in the demo did not operate on moon-logic or they did not rely on pixel-hunting, so if those complaints were your greatest concerns, then you can rest easy.) Cutscenes feature branching dialogue trees with some in-game effects such as revealing additional details about other characters or alternative solutions to obstacles. There are also light stealth sequences where you can interact with the environment or use the foreground to avoid detection, but these situations come across as interactive cutscenes given that they are too simplistic and too scripted. Perhaps if these sequences offered various solutions as well as in-game failure-states to alter your playthrough, then they wouldn’t stand out from the rest of the gameplay. Even when most of the dialogue choices are flavor text rewards, they still tailor your overall experience by shaping how your Howard plays out his story.

Again, all these gripes are based on a prologue that may or may not share the same problems in the full game, but they are aspects that can be resolved. Little gameplay improvements such as slightly randomized puzzles for every playthrough or various failure states are enough incentives to enhance the game’s replay value along with its narrative rewards. However, none of these grievances are enough to detract from the overall experience, so I recommend you try the demo for yourself to uncover the rest of this story. After all, you and I both know you’re trash.

[Disclaimer: This review covers both Cat Quest 1 and 2 as I bought the first game while I received a review-copy from the developers through Save or Quit. You can read the full 4.1K word (20K character) review down below with visual aids and a (soon to be done) video.]


With the release of Cat Quest 2, it’s difficult to share the same adoration for its predecessor after having played something that takes everything the previous game did so well, yet simply does the same concept so much better. Thankfully, with the release of the Cat Quest 1 & 2 bundle at a reasonable price, I can happily recommend the original as much as the sequel—but it’s quite clear which game is superior. (Psst, Gentlebros, if you were to recreate Cat Quest in the sequel as DLC with reworked dungeons and the same quests and story, I would happily buy that day one.)

Anyway, in preparation for the sequel, I first played the original before and after several hours with its next installment; the purpose was to view both games as fair as possible while also acknowledging each game’s strengths. If you were to ask me what my expectations were versus the reality of the situation, my assumptions were that Cat Quest 1 and 2 were both equally good games with their own ideas much like Torchlight 1 and 2. However, while both games are equally fun in their own ways, a more proper comparison is to compare Cat Quest 1 and 2 as Diablo 1 to Torchlight 2 respectively. Once you have played something with a similar schtick, an updated take can often make any lessons learned all the more obvious much like a dog discovering that anything can be used for fetch when someone wants to take it from you.


You know, one of the first thoughts that ran through my mind, starting off as a joke before solidifying as a fact with time, is how much Cat Quest feels like Skyrim except with more cat-people. In other words, you can say the Gentlebros went elsewhere for ideas. It would honestly not surprise me if there was a design document somewhere that had these sentiments written down as one of the core tenets for Cat Quest because so many ideas can be traced back to that game.

If that comparison sounds like a complaint that the game is unoriginal, then that’s not my point. Granted, there are obvious differences that won’t appeal to everyone; the isometric, fixed camera; the more simplified gameplay; the mobile concessions; and the more laxed, self-aware narrative are all elements of its own creation. Ignoring these obvious points of contention, what makes Cat Quest resemble Skyrim is that addicting core gameplay-loop of exploring dungeons, finding loot, completing side-quests while wandering the world, and then repeating the same process in a random manner with constant positive reinforcement (or you can call it pun-ishment.) Even the fact that the story centers around you, the Dragonborn, fighting off the dragons’ return can feel like a wink to the audience. Instead of viewing Cat Quest (or Skyrim) as an RPG, which I would argue it is not, it’s more accurate to describe the game as a grinding game where the RPG progression is its own cathartic pleasure.

Having described Cat Quest in such a generalized manner for its intended audience, it would be helpful to illustrate those deviations in greater detail. First, the camera differences are apparent enough, although the drawbacks are less obvious until you have played the game for several hours. One common problem is that magical spells and damage numbers will clutter up the screen, making it more difficult to avoid taking damage once you have more than one enemy casting spells, especially when the enemy is also physically attacking you. Another somewhat related matter is that when you attack, your character sometimes snaps between more than one target, which puts your character at greater risk. As a result, the player’s hit-box can often feel as exceedingly generous as much as it will often feel unfair. If you only play this game on the default setting, then this problem can be circumvented with enough armor, but the flaws of this camera and combat system become more of an issue on Mew Game plus.

While these concessions are likely due to the fact that the game was originally intended for mobile devices, it’s quite an accomplishment that the rest of the game has enough attention elsewhere to make the game feel like a proper PC port. Menus have complete keyboard and mouse support and you can even use spells just like mobile version by pausing time to select the right spell, or you can simply hit the hotkey to keep the combat pace intact. The only noticeable aspects that betray the quality of this port is that your options are limited to screen resolution sizes, there is an annoying faint circle around your character, and you cannot rebind the keys. Thankfully, these latter two problems have been addressed in the sequel as well as another mobile influence: Lootbox-based rewards.

Now before you abandon ship like a scared cat jumping at its own shadow, these lootboxes are not purchasable outside of the game; they are all in-game rewards randomly given to you in dungeons or at Kit Kat’s shop for in-game gold. The game also offers golden chests for another randomized selection of higher quality equipment scattered throughout all the land and the dungeons, but you need a key from a certain island that won’t be accessible until you can learn to walk on water. This aspect only adds more needless backtracking to the game and I’m glad the sequel made them less important in favor of adding more hidden chests or a reward for killing all the enemies in a dungeon. However, one thing the sequel could have included was some monetary reward in addition to the higher-tier items to encourage players to level up these mid-to-late-game weapons.

The problem, and some might say the thrill, with this system is how much randomness it adds to the game to make repeatable runs enjoyable. Maybe this dog here is getting too old for you darn mewling kids because this system feels catered to audiences who want to always chase after another reward rather than make the most of what you have. Some games benefit from the added RNG like Torchlight, but Cat Quest is a case where the surprise gets in the way of your adventure. Sometimes you will simply get literal crappy weapons, and other times you will get upgrades to equipment you no longer want to use. Unlike the sequel, there is no method to properly improve or farm one particular set of gear, which makes the game too artificially difficult for my liking.

While there is mostly a randomized set of loot throughout the entire game, there is another cache of gear that is more consistent: Side quest rewards. Unfortunately, those items don’t appear to be influenced by the level that you perform the task, so if you neglect a side-quest until much later into the game, you might come across some good gear that is far too under-leveled to use. Again, this problem is fixed in the sequel since you can spend your gold on these side-quest rewards to bring them up to par with the rest of your equipment. The importance of understanding this system is that Cat Quest is a surprisingly difficult game if you aren’t properly maintaining your gear, which is given more importance in Mew Game plus if you enable the Level One Forever modifier.

You can read the rest of this 4.1K word (20K character) review for both Cat Quest 1 and 2 along with any visual aids and a (soon to be released) video.

You can also read the same review on Save or Quit.[saveorquit.com]

[Disclaimer: This review covers both Cat Quest 1 and 2 as I bought the first game while I received a review-copy from the developers through Save or Quit. You can read the full 4.1K word (20K character) review down below with visual aids and a (soon to be done) video.]


With the release of Cat Quest 2, it’s difficult to share the same adoration for its predecessor after having played something that takes everything the previous game did so well, yet simply does the same concept so much better. Thankfully, with the release of the Cat Quest 1 & 2 bundle at a reasonable price, I can happily recommend the original as much as the sequel—but it’s quite clear which game is superior. (Psst, Gentlebros, if you were to recreate Cat Quest in the sequel as DLC with reworked dungeons and the same quests and story, I would happily buy that day one.)

Anyway, in preparation for the sequel, I first played the original before and after several hours with its next installment; the purpose was to view both games as fair as possible while also acknowledging each game’s strengths. If you were to ask me what my expectations were versus the reality of the situation, my assumptions were that Cat Quest 1 and 2 were both equally good games with their own ideas much like Torchlight 1 and 2. However, while both games are equally fun in their own ways, a more proper comparison is to compare Cat Quest 1 and 2 as Diablo 1 to Torchlight 2 respectively. Once you have played something with a similar schtick, an updated take can often make any lessons learned all the more obvious much like a dog discovering that anything can be used for fetch when someone wants to take it from you.


You know, one of the first thoughts that ran through my mind, starting off as a joke before solidifying as a fact with time, is how much Cat Quest feels like Skyrim except with more cat-people. In other words, you can say the Gentlebros went elsewhere for ideas. It would honestly not surprise me if there was a design document somewhere that had these sentiments written down as one of the core tenets for Cat Quest because so many ideas can be traced back to that game.

If that comparison sounds like a complaint that the game is unoriginal, then that’s not my point. Granted, there are obvious differences that won’t appeal to everyone; the isometric, fixed camera; the more simplified gameplay; the mobile concessions; and the more laxed, self-aware narrative are all elements of its own creation. Ignoring these obvious points of contention, what makes Cat Quest resemble Skyrim is that addicting core gameplay-loop of exploring dungeons, finding loot, completing side-quests while wandering the world, and then repeating the same process in a random manner with constant positive reinforcement (or you can call it pun-ishment.) Even the fact that the story centers around you, the Dragonborn, fighting off the dragons’ return can feel like a wink to the audience. Instead of viewing Cat Quest (or Skyrim) as an RPG, which I would argue it is not, it’s more accurate to describe the game as a grinding game where the RPG progression is its own cathartic pleasure.

Having described Cat Quest in such a generalized manner for its intended audience, it would be helpful to illustrate those deviations in greater detail. First, the camera differences are apparent enough, although the drawbacks are less obvious until you have played the game for several hours. One common problem is that magical spells and damage numbers will clutter up the screen, making it more difficult to avoid taking damage once you have more than one enemy casting spells, especially when the enemy is also physically attacking you. Another somewhat related matter is that when you attack, your character sometimes snaps between more than one target, which puts your character at greater risk. As a result, the player’s hit-box can often feel as exceedingly generous as much as it will often feel unfair. If you only play this game on the default setting, then this problem can be circumvented with enough armor, but the flaws of this camera and combat system become more of an issue on Mew Game plus.

While these concessions are likely due to the fact that the game was originally intended for mobile devices, it’s quite an accomplishment that the rest of the game has enough attention elsewhere to make the game feel like a proper PC port. Menus have complete keyboard and mouse support and you can even use spells just like mobile version by pausing time to select the right spell, or you can simply hit the hotkey to keep the combat pace intact. The only noticeable aspects that betray the quality of this port is that your options are limited to screen resolution sizes, there is an annoying faint circle around your character, and you cannot rebind the keys. Thankfully, these latter two problems have been addressed in the sequel as well as another mobile influence: Lootbox-based rewards.

Now before you abandon ship like a scared cat jumping at its own shadow, these lootboxes are not purchasable outside of the game; they are all in-game rewards randomly given to you in dungeons or at Kit Kat’s shop for in-game gold. The game also offers golden chests for another randomized selection of higher quality equipment scattered throughout all the land and the dungeons, but you need a key from a certain island that won’t be accessible until you can learn to walk on water. This aspect only adds more needless backtracking to the game and I’m glad the sequel made them less important in favor of adding more hidden chests or a reward for killing all the enemies in a dungeon. However, one thing the sequel could have included was some monetary reward in addition to the higher-tier items to encourage players to level up these mid-to-late-game weapons.

The problem, and some might say the thrill, with this system is how much randomness it adds to the game to make repeatable runs enjoyable. Maybe this dog here is getting too old for you darn mewling kids because this system feels catered to audiences who want to always chase after another reward rather than make the most of what you have. Some games benefit from the added RNG like Torchlight, but Cat Quest is a case where the surprise gets in the way of your adventure. Sometimes you will simply get literal crappy weapons, and other times you will get upgrades to equipment you no longer want to use. Unlike the sequel, there is no method to properly improve or farm one particular set of gear, which makes the game too artificially difficult for my liking.

While there is mostly a randomized set of loot throughout the entire game, there is another cache of gear that is more consistent: Side quest rewards. Unfortunately, those items don’t appear to be influenced by the level that you perform the task, so if you neglect a side-quest until much later into the game, you might come across some good gear that is far too under-leveled to use. Again, this problem is fixed in the sequel since you can spend your gold on these side-quest rewards to bring them up to par with the rest of your equipment. The importance of understanding this system is that Cat Quest is a surprisingly difficult game if you aren’t properly maintaining your gear, which is given more importance in Mew Game plus if you enable the Level One Forever modifier.

You can read the rest of this 4.1K word (20K character) review for both Cat Quest 1 and 2 along with any visual aids and a (soon to be released) video.

[Disclaimer: This review-copy was provided by the developer through Save or Quit. You can also read/listen to my previous thoughts on Spiderweb Software’s games from the article and video links down below. The video review is now available.]

https://youtu.be/v75kx8iJEx4

As someone who has played every single Spiderweb Software game within the last three months—okay, not every single entry (I am sane and mortal,) but at least one game from each series—my greatest fear was of getting burned out by the seventeenth (or the twenty-fifth) entry. To my surprise, Queen’s Wish was more refreshing of an experience than I ever expected, which wasn’t simply due to the fact that I played it from the start on the Veteran (Hard) setting. Although the added difficulty did play a role in my appreciation for the many added touches to the same tried-and-true mechanics, what reinvigorated my fondness for Jeff Vogel’s games was how much excess fat was taken off. While I wouldn’t go as far as to declare that Queen’s Wish is Vogel’s best game or his greatest story, Queen’s Wish is undoubtedly the best-paced adventure he has ever made.


Now, in most cases, my preferred choice of challenge as well as how many previous games are under my belt wouldn’t be stated so bluntly in a review. Even if you are someone with no prior knowledge of a developer or his or her games, your opinions can be just as valid as my own if you substantiate your arguments as well as reexamine your own points from another perspective. The reason for highlighting these aspects is to help explain to fans as well as to newcomers why most of the new deviations aren’t to the game’s detriment.

Once, and if, you get over the initial confusion about the many mechanics integral to Queen’s Wish, you’ll eventually realize that, while some elements could use more polish, this game is not a case of dumbing down; it would be far more appropriate to call it streamlining old traditions. For anyone who doubts me, you can read Jeff Vogel’s blog post illustrating the importance behind these alterations to the same Spiderweb song-and-dance.(Or, you know, you could play the lengthy demo for yourself.)

However, we’re getting ahead of ourselves, so let’s go through this whole adventure from the beginning. Much like Avadon, you aren’t given any immediate customization to your character’s archetype; however, you are given much more “extensive” cosmetic options—and I use the quotes here as a relative comparison if you’ve played these games. Unlike any other Spiderweb Software game to date, there are no real classes as every character can become whatever he or she wants to be. Character stats do exist in some form as thresholds for the number of abilities you have in one specialty, which no longer makes upgrading feel like hoarding that one dump (“dumb”) stat from past games. Abilities are also unrestricted to weapon categories or armor classes, so if you desire to make a halberd-wielding sorcerer with plate armor or a rogue with priest and mind-bending abilities, then you most certainly can.

Although you are given various warrior-focused skills from the get-go, you don’t have to keep those skills nor any skills you may accumulate. This departure is another major change as you are meant to constantly experiment with your party composition, especially when you are given four Haven soldiers after the first main quest. You will also be heavily encouraged—but don’t let old man Jeff or me stop you—to replace your four compatriots with your new vassals after you acquire your first fortress in each new land. These three vassals have clan-specific abilities much like the protagonist with no class restrictions, but the vassals’ abilities are geared for specific play-styles; the Haven soldiers apparently don’t have time to become as cultured as you. This system, while I will always vastly prefer my CRPG parties with six, focused adventurers rather than accepting the boring four-man archetypes (Healer; Tank; Thief; Mage,) does address the inherent problem with many modern RPGs by heavily incentivizing and rewarding diverse hybrid-classes with as few limitations as possible.

Another important mix-up from previous games, which is also tied into the player’s progression, is the addition of the fortress-building mechanics. This mechanic, depending on how much and when you utilize the full extent of these features, can either become the most superfluous or the most beneficial addition to your own party. These fortresses not only provide you more resources the more side quests you complete in a given area but also are the home for your upgradeable gear, potions, armor and weapon components as well as provide you other useful combat benefits. Some of these buildings require specific resources available in each region (iron, stone and quicksilver) and there is a maintenance budget to keep you from getting everything all at once. Instead of viewing these mechanics as being something separate from the player, it would be more useful to think of them as another extension of the player’s progression as these forts give you better odds of survival rather than having the player focus solely on the arbitrary number of his or her own level.

Now if all these changes to player progression were isolated from the core gameplay, then it would hardly be worth all the extra effort. These features haven’t changed anything that didn’t already exist in other games; you might reasonably argue that this process complicates something as simple as choosing four classes and rolling with the punches. However, it’s how these changes work with the improvements to dungeoneering that tell the real story.

Dungeons as well as combat encounters have always played a prominent role in previous games, so it’s not surprising that these changes have also been the most controversial. For starters, while random encounters on the over-map still exist, these encounters nor the dungeon’s trash mobs (Jeff’s classification, not mine) give you any XP. Instead, the only way you gain XP is by slaying bosses or by completing quests, which are far greater incentives to go off the beaten path for a side quest rather than by grinding weaker foes. Perhaps this one addition alone is why so many dungeons for side-quests can often yield far more entertaining encounters such as the encroaching lava in the quicksilver mine while fighting off dozens of slimes. Additionally, side-quests also provide you resources for the forts that you can use to improve your gear, so you rarely have to stop your adventures in order to go find somewhere to level-up or to obtain rare ingredients in some obscure place.

You can read the rest of the 3.2K word review on Save or Quit with visual aids and a link to the video.[saveorquit.com]

If you enjoyed this review, please consider listening/reading my thoughts on the rest of Spiderweb Software's games.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=28Ml6JQQFc8

[Disclaimer: This review copy was provided by the developers through Save or Quit. The full article with visual aids is listed down below at the bottom; my Early Access Rating of Completion/Competence will be posted on my blog-site article.]

Whenever the thought of videogames crosses my mind, real-life management sims are perhaps the last type of game I would ever think of; they are somewhere within my subconscious above sports games and MMOs, yet nowhere as traumatic as most visual novels to make me remember them. However, much like the hundreds of other sub-genres out there that I’ve yet to try, the key to enjoying something you’re not familiar with is to find a relatable theme or concept that interests you in order to get over that initial hurdle of inaccessibility. Unfortunately, Tech Corp., a tech-company (for game, software and/or hardware) simulator, hasn’t changed my preconceptions that management sims are games cleverly disguised as work without any sense of reward.


One major issue with Tech Corp. that I want to address is the overall state of the game, which is so annoyingly buggy and grating to the eyes that, even if you do enjoy the core gameplay loop, your patience will be tested. The worst bugs include the game unpausing itself when you are looking through certain menus—you wouldn’t notice this problem unless you look at the top-left corner of the screen—and loading your progress with a negative inventory. In many cases, these types of harmless bugs can set your programmers back several weeks’ worth of work to meet contract deadlines.

Additionally, while the latest alpha (v1.9) update seems to address my issues with the game’s micromanagement problem, the new automated manager system would not work. As someone who enjoys many games that give the player as much control as possible like 4Xs, this complaint isn’t one I throw around without a just cause. Everything that you want to check-up on is in a menu within another menu, including what every individual employee is currently working on. All you are given is an indicator whether they are working, idle or on a break, which forces the player to interrupt the game when trying to reallocate that one employee who is working on a specific component.

As a result, while you are constantly pausing the game to check on every individual, or to check with their managers—which you cannot manually assign them multiple tasks or line up a queue—the game’s grindy nature is made much worse. Instead of feeling like the owner of a company, the gameplay makes you the busybody manager who has to constantly tell the staff what to do next.

To further make this problem irritable, the game has an abundance of sub-menus with varying text-sizes, conflicting visual language and other UI-related problems. (No, there aren’t any options to increase the overall font.) For example, the recruitment tab is one long list of names, stats and other important statistics that, due to the color-scheme and the small font size, you choose the first ones that stand out to you in order to quickly leave. When selecting programming components, certain symbols are easily mistaken for one another like databases and UI components—yes, this situation is as ironic as it sounds—and the tool-tips are a requirement when the contract lacks any color indicators. As previously mentioned, the working, idle and on break indicators lack any pragmatic function, but another issue involves the thin colored circle that represents the employee’s energy meter, which I imagine causes far more problems for people with any form of color-blindness.

Now I understand that many of these gripes with the UI can be resolved by letting the game automate the process for you such as the threshold meter for sending employees on break. Perhaps in a future update, those related issues will be addressed by some new features. However, even ignoring those aspects that can be automated, the many issues with the UI that cannot be automated will still become bothersome when trying to read the game as clearly as possible. In the pursuit of making a game as complex as possible for as wide of an audience, Tech Corp. has given up the coherency of that idea that other management sims excel at by following the golden rule, “Keep it simple, stupid.”


As much as I am unfamiliar with the expectations for management sims, there is one aspect to them that I am awfully familiar with: Memes.

Whether it’s YouTube Life Simulator, Car Mechanic Simulator, or the many games with the (misattributed) label of Walking Simulators, there is one correlation that makes all these otherwise unrelated games alike, and that aspect is every simulator succeeds in one specific area. We often joke about how games that fail at everything else can be redeemed by one non-important quality, but with simulators that is what makes these games tick. This vital component is where many of the problems come from in Tech Corp., and yet that same problem can be argued as the game’s greatest strength.

When I first heard about this game and read the store description, my impression was that this game was attempting to be a game development simulator much like Game Dev Tycoon. When I played this game for three hours, I found myself only fulfilling programming contracts in a garage much like a Steve Wozniak simulator. When I dabbled in the product and engineering components, I imagined how this game could become a product-development and R&D simulator. Finally, when I revisited the Early Access information about future features, I read about how the game would eventually include “Services,” which would let you sell software or create online services like a social media simulator.

The answer is Tech Corp. wants to be all the above, and, to be fair, there are more than enough systems in place to achieve most of those goals. Currently, the game includes programming contracts, prototyping products, factory production, game development, software development, marketing mechanics, sales and other special events, and tons of customization options for almost every one of these systems. These customization options also include box-art/covers for games, products or software, and the game also has a global map for your starting location with different demographics to give the game some means of an adjustable difficulty. There is simply no shortage of things to keep you busy, although the availability of many of these systems won’t be accessible while you are first learning about the game.

This one redeeming trait is perhaps why many people who acknowledge the game’s problems remain hopeful that the game will improve. Whether those mechanics are (or will be) as robust as other games that strive for one avenue remains to be seen as this game is in Early Access. (I suppose if you only view this game from a mechanics point of view, then this game is complete with only a few features that need to be added.). At the moment, the foundation for all these branching paths exist in one form or another, although if you plan on starting off as a game developer, then you have several years of menial software and R&D development ahead of you.

Want to read the rest of this 10K character review? Click here to read the Save or Quit article.[saveorquit.com]

Want to read the rest of this 10K character review? Click here to read the blog-post with the Early Access Rating of Completion/Competence[ryancolxire.wixsite.com]

[Disclaimer: This copy was provided by the developer for the purpose of review. An article with visual aids is shared down at the bottom.]

Some part of me wanted to start with a raunchy comment about the game’s name; a second part wanted to make a Steam train pun; and another part wanted to nitpick how the board game that this game is based off of is called 30 Rails when the game uses a six-by-six grid. In any case, no one introduction communicated how or why this addictive, yet simplistic, puzzle game managed to keep me playing as much as it already has, so I’ll settle with derailing the whole idea to get to the point.


As I have previously mentioned, Railed is based on the same core rules as 30 Rails, and if you haven’t played that board game then welcome aboard. You don’t need any prior experience to figure things out on your own, although, if you went blind into the game like myself, you might be confused how this game qualifies as a “puzzle.” In fact, after one cursory search about the original game’s rules as well as watching a few Let’s Plays of the board game, you would be better off thinking of this game as an adaptation that streamlines and expands upon the pen-and-paper rules. The puzzle element comes later when you have to rethink how you approach the board in order to get the highest score, but we’re getting ahead of ourselves.

The rules and the goal of the game are fairly straight-forward. The objective is to connect as many rail-stations to one another from each side of the board after you have chosen where to place them. Each time you mash the shiny, red button, the train in the background will slowly come to a halt; you then get a random tile-piece that you can place on the board, corresponding to the railcar’s color. Once all thirty-six tiles are filled, which is around ten to twenty minutes, the game ends.

Sounds simple enough, right? However, there are more decisions to consider than what you initially might expect. For starters, while you can choose where the stations are located, there are five mountains that are randomly placed on the map (hence the name, 30 rails.) Whenever you are given a random railway-piece, you can either place it down to the corresponding color or you can choose one of the three green tiles that takes away from your starting funds (score points.) In addition to these railways, you can also set down a gold mine tile and a bonus coin tile at the start to give yourself extra points whenever you connect with them. You can also land on special railcars that give you extra funds if you use these silver (displayed) or gold (randomized) tiles. Finally, the objective for those who want to obtain the highest scores will have to make clever usage of the rails themselves, and it’s here where the game becomes far more complex than simply slotting Rail A into Station B.


Scoring systems by themselves are often intrinsic rewards with little extrinsic value; they may incorporate progression systems, achievements, leaderboards, unlockable rewards and rules far more subtle to achieve a greater sense of success. Many games choose from these extrinsic rewards, but it’s the last category that truly utilizes the scoring system in a manner to enhance the core gameplay. You can easily look at the original Pac-Man to its Championship counterparts to identify the differences in how they value their scoring systems as well as how those systems apply to the gameplay. Railed is game somewhere in the middle of these two extremes, but its extrinsic rewards help drive players without informing the player how to achieve them—and that challenge is the game’s greatest puzzle.

Now, that introduction may have sounded more confusing than I intended, so it would be easier to showcase this point in practice. In Railed, there are five main factors to consider in determining the player’s score: Luck, time, railways, conjunctions and active challenges. Almost all these elements can be equally influenced by the player as well as by the game, but it’s that careful balance that keeps the scoring system from having a perfect solution.

To describe this outcome another way, if you could simply choose the map layout, the placement of all objects, and the order you receive those pieces, then the game itself would simply be a six-by-six mathematical problem with one defined solution. Although you can attribute luck to all of these categories, it’s important to consider that aspect separately because it keeps the scoring system from having a max value. You cannot predict what the layout will be like; you cannot know how long it will take you to think quickly; and you cannot predetermine the rails you will receive, the placement of those rails nor the active challenges available to you. When viewed in this manner, you might consider Railed to be entirely reliant on luck without any skills to accumulate as you play, but we haven’t factored in how those extrinsic motivations play a vital role.

In most games, achievements are simply extraneous motivations that help players find or obtain everything a game has to offer, but in Railed they are the game’s teacher on how to improve. From the outset, connecting four railways might seem daunting enough; however, you quickly learn with enough practice how to get better at setting up multiple routes that those “twenty/thirty rail” challenges will feel like the real task. Everything from the active challenges to the achievements encourages players to strive to do better than they did last time, and the extra challenges are little nudges for the player how to get there, or at least encourage you to try again. Once you have mastered how to do the task once, doing it again becomes less guesswork for yourself, and you’ll have catalogued your own strategies to achieve that same goal more consistently with less time. With how short these individual sessions can be and how much the game automates the less important aspects, the time-commitment to show improvement isn’t something that will detract most players, even if they lack their own motivation.


You might wonder with all the quality-of-life improvements added to 30 Rails whether or not this game has replaced the board game itself, and my answer to the question is no. Besides the simple fact that some people prefer the board game experience over a video-game experience, the board game allows you to play the game with others. (You could simply use screen-share to play the game among your friends either as a hot-seat experience or a competition with each other’s game, but let’s keep thing simple for the sake of argument.) The only reason I could see why others wouldn’t enjoy this type of game is if they haven’t yet found their inner score-junkie or if the game itself is too luck-based for their tastes, and those concerns are fair enough. At five dollars, however, is there really anything left to lose?

Want to read the review instead with visual aids? Follow the link here.[ryancolxire.wixsite.com]

Disclaimer: This game was provided by Bune Duggy through Save-or-Quit for the purpose of review. You can read the article down below or watch/listen to a video review. (Obviously, I didn't feature any adult scenes since I'm not going to spoil the game.)

https://youtu.be/LUv5UGdmykQ

Before we go straight into the game, there is a story about how this review came to be. You see, despite the obvious associations, I never imagined I would talk about this game let alone get a review copy. Originally, I had pitched the idea as a joke, and, after playing what remains an exceptionally well-made demo and seeing the tasteful adult content, my expectations were surprisingly high. Even after two to three weeks of a delayed release due to a submission error with Steam, nothing diminished my sincerest wishes that this game would be another visual novel to show me that you shouldn’t judge a game by its cover. Unfortunately, this game did prove that point—except for all the wrong reasons—and what began as an innocent joke ultimately made me feel like a disenchanted fool.

Having already shown my proverbial cards, I want to quickly follow up that information by stating that my expectations did not cause my own disappointment. What disappointed me were the numerous bugs, the unfinished nature of the game, and the severe lack of content (as well as the overall dissolution of its former structure.) Even if this game released into Early Access, I would still find the state of the game unacceptable for purchase. The only saving graces about this game are that Something to Do with Love is the developer’s first gaming project, not his first animated work, as well as the fact that he has responded favorably to criticism. Additionally, the developer has made the game more stable with each update and he has stated future ideas for content, which makes me wonder why, if not for time and monetary constraints, the game had to come out.

However, until said improvements have been updated, I can only review the game as it is. (One last side-note: It wasn’t until I played the game that I learned a friend of mine bought one of the town NPCs as a backer reward, but I don’t view this as any conflict of interest because this person did not work on the game. Obviously, I won’t feature the character out of respect.) So unless you still want to purchase this game in the future, or you are not convinced about how bad it is, the rest of this review will illustrate how and why this game disappointed me rather than earning the ire it probably deserves.


Since this review has already illustrated the game’s problems, it would be fair to discuss some of the more positive qualities, starting off with the presentation. Unlike the many visual novels using 2D sprites and multiple facial portraits to express emotions, all the characters here have 3D models with simple animations. These characters are set against pre-rendered backgrounds with some small animated touches to make the setting feel lively; sometimes the game will utilize various camera techniques like fish-eye lenses to convey depth. The camera’s motion blur can be a little nauseating to tolerate when panning the screen, but it thankfully doesn’t move too often. While the idea may sound strange, if you have played any classic Resident Evil games, then you will be accustomed to the format, and the usage of simple point-and-click controls helps to keep things simple.

Similar to how inviting the visuals are for the eyes, the sound design throughout is also easy on the ears. Most of the credit is due to Maru’s soundtracks, which are as calming as the grazing of soft waves at your feet while lying on the beach one late Summer afternoon. Although what you’re probably more interested in is the overall quality of the voice-acting, and, thankfully, most of the lines are handled well when the voice-actors are present. For the most part, however, all random NPCs and random moments with the main characters lack any voice-acting, which is probably for the best. Outside of that concession, the presentation is of high quality despite the numerous design decisions that interferes with its own efforts.

Unfortunately, and if the screen resolution didn’t already give this information away, the ‘80s aesthetic hampers the game’s technical qualities. Besides the 4:3 aspect ratio, you can thankfully turn off the more performance-heavy and eye-grating settings such as bloom, film grain and lens flare. It’s difficult to find fault with these decisions because they fit the time-period as well as the fact that the protagonist, Will, works at video-rental store during the era of VHSs. Even if you accept that reasoning, it’s a great disservice to the game’s visual quality to be harmed by its archaic limitations. Additional resolution options would be appreciated, although a simple wide-screen stretch patch would only make the problem worse—these small problems, however, are only the tip of the impending iceberg.

Another surprising notable quality is that this game has some well-written dialogue if you enjoy slice-of-life storytelling, although these moments are more sparse than the pleasant visuals. Now this quality will vary depending on your taste for down-to-earth dialogue as well as the many personalities you encounter. If there wasn’t an abundance of “See you later” exchanges from both major and minor NPCs, then I would be more interested in talking with every character. Some of these more vivid exchanges are less cringeworthy thanks to the addition (or the omission) of decent voice-acting, which are limited to the main cast and to certain scenes. Of the four girls to choose from, there is a lot of charming dialogue, attention to detail in verbal mannerisms and body language, and fleeting character-building moments to make their interactions a treat in of itself.

Probably my favorite exchange was from May as she described her open relationship as “renting Terminator 2” (and yes, this metaphor would later imply that she is the VCR.) If the dating system was more fleshed out to work with the meager amounts of good writing to build those interpersonal connections, then this result would greatly enhance the climatic moments. Sadly, dates become rehashed conversations that will quickly lose their luster with each passing day—wait, was that social commentary? No, I am giving the game too much credit. Quite honestly, my biggest gripes would be resolved if there was simply more of these entertaining exchanges as well as things to do within the game—outside the other major gameplay and technical shortcomings.

Want to read the rest of this 2.3K (9 min) word review? For now, you can read the rest of the article on my blog.[ryancolxire.wixsite.com]

Save & Quit Article page.[saveorquit.com]

Of all the games before the success of Blood Money, Hitman: Contracts may not only be the most approachable entry from the classic series, but it also may be the most straightforward in its convoluted mess of a plot. Considering how unbelievably botched was the first game and how questionably broken was its sequel, the state of Contracts as a playable game as well as a modern Hitman entry is an accomplishment in of itself. While this game may play very similar to Silent Assassin, there are enough fine touches to make the engine feel more distinguished from its predecessors, although you can certainly use the same exploits known to the Glacier engine from before.

Unfortunately, as great as Contracts is to play, its reputation is somewhat tarnished by its past. All too often is this game described as a lazy remaster—in an age before remasters were commonplace—of Codename 47 without the inclusion of every level. This statement is somewhat true; however, if you have read my review on Codename 47 (or played the game lately,) then you’ll probably be thankful there aren’t certain travesties like the jaguar offering mission or the glitched out fiber wire mechanics that made using it almost impossible. The levels that were chosen are some of the better maps, and they are redesigned to a more modern experience.

While I would have liked more classic or original levels for Contracts, the ones that were chosen are some of the better memories from the first game, revitalized by the modern Glacier engine as well as IO-Interactive’s years of experience. Or to describe this game in another way, Hitman: Contracts is like a Greatest Hits collection from Agent 47’s career where only the good times are cherished, and all the troubles from the past are forgotten.


Unlike my previous reviews of the Hitman series, Contracts didn’t enlighten me on older stealth games except helping me to recognize when these mechanics become so simplified that they can ruin the experience for die-hards. Had I not played this series from the start of original series as well as the newest Hitman games, I might have brushed off these problems from sheer ignorance. As a result, if you choose Contracts as your entry-point, then you will probably find the experience more enjoyable than suffering from the hardships of the past.

You might consider these statements damning indictments for the quality of the gameplay, but if you want to figure out how to improve something, then you have to strip away all the unwanted fat in order to pack in more substance. For example, the disguise and the stealth systems have been completely overhauled to focus more on using multiple disguises to counter new obstacles. This mechanic was always a part of the original games, but the implementation better resembles what you would later see from Blood Money onwards. Unfortunately, Contracts lacks the ability for people who wear similar outfits to identify you as to balance out this mechanic, so you can often find one outfit that counters everyone’s suspicions—and for certain Silent Assassin ratings, you have to use them. Conversely, if you wear other outfits, then you will automatically raise the enemies’ suspicions without much leeway. Out of these changes, these two are perhaps the most frustrating for new and old players because the simplified disguises dilute the satisfaction of trying various solutions from most missions.

To Contract’s credit, most missions display as much, if not sometimes more, freedom than the previous installments. Like the prior games, the deciding factor ultimately comes down to the mission structure and the objectives you have to complete. Unlike these past games, however, there aren’t any missions to pad out the game nor to distract you from the simplicity of its contracts. Every mission in Contracts is a hit in one form or another; there are no infiltration missions that automatically give you game overs if detected; there are no forced combat encounters; and there are no obtuse goals outside of retrieving certain items. In spite of what has been lost from before, this more focused design works in the series’ favor as every game after Contracts has taken this approach to mission design while focusing more so on its sandbox and social mechanics, which are both lacking in this entry simply due to Contracts’ inheritance of games too confused by their own design.

Almost everything else about this game from the gunplay, the walking mechanics, the good level-design and the vestiges of its Euro-Jank are all still present in Contracts, but it’s these finer touches and the overall quality, not quantity, that solidifies this game as the first exceptional Hitman entry. Without the existence of Contracts as an introspection on the series’ legacy, I do not believe Blood Money would have become nearly as widely successful—but that statement could apply to every Hitman game because IO-Interactive always shakes up their old ideas. So, despite how much the fanbase may dismiss this game as much as the story does for itself, Contracts is a title that deserves playing despite not offering the complete experience that came before.


One of the more fascinating aspects of the Hitman series, outside of observing the evolution of the core gameplay, is watching IO-Interactive tackle the problem of making an effective narrative. The first game tried to approach the problem by making Agent 47 a mystery to unravel after threading the assigned targets behind the veil of coincidences to his past. Its sequel told even less of a story with the first two-thirds of the missions ignoring the inciting incident of a kidnapped pastor, and the ending only somewhat tried to capture the same cleverness of the original. Contracts, however, manages to tell even less of a narrative than these two other games, which after describing how little there was to tell from these last two entries really puts that statement into perspective.

Contracts feels like the (Metal Gear Solid) Ground Zeroes of videogame narratives before that game ever existed; the story comes across less like a complete experience and more so the opening prologue to a more complete tale. (Spoiler: The only difference is that Blood Money actually delivered on a full narrative.) All the cinematics set-up flashbacks to previous contracts with no relation to the present situation; the only exception is the final mission, which has you escaping the police after being targeted by someone. You could easily describe this entire narrative in one sentence: Agent 47 gets fatally injured by someone (or some other agency) who is hunting down the International Contract Agency (ICA,) and, after getting patched up, he escapes before the police take him.

However, like with all previous games, that summary isn’t the whole picture of what is going on during these missions. The major difference from prior games is there is so little these sequences add to the overarching story that it’s not worth any investment for the player. Unlike the previous games that tried to hide the irrelevancy of missions with some clever ruse, there is nothing from these flashbacks that expands the plot. Instead, the game offers little narrative moments from the sandbox that tell a few short stories about your targets or the world to make you somewhat interested.

You can read the rest of this 9K Character (6 Min) review with visual aids here as well as reviews of Codename 47 and Silent Assassin.[ryancolxire.wixsite.com]