Recent reviews by Caseo

The writing is on about the same level as the original story, but it tends to hit different because the focus is less on Amber and more on everyone else this time. Amber's arc of personal development hasn't concluded yet, but this time around we get more of a glimpse into the perspectives of people like Marina and Tess who were a bit more opaque before. The expansion of Cassi's character is a welcome addition and helps the narrative flow in new directions (The original cast of five characters was a teensy bit anemic, even if it was used very well).

Music, expressive sprites, and beautiful CGs are still used to great effect to set the tone and help you dive into the plot. Given the shorter length the DLC's story, I'd actually say you get a higher density of unique and interesting moments overall.

It is a *little* buggy and unpolished, however; there are more typos than in the original story, and I encountered at least one instance of the game failing to retrieve a scene (this was pretty easily remedied, however). None of it is really deal-breaking, though, and I'd still give the DLC high marks when taken all together.

Of course, if you liked Highway Blossoms, you'll probably already be interested in playing Next Exit; still, for those of you who for whatever reason are on the fence, I can personally say that I recommend checking it out. It's more of what you love while still being fresh enough to feel like a worthy new installment to the story.

It's really good, but they should've called it Ride to Hell: Retribution.

It's pretty, it's charming, and it's basically more VA-11 Hall-A to tide you over while the next installment is in the works.
This will be your cup of tea (or coffee) if atmosphere is one of the major enjoyment factors of a game for you.
You probably won't like it if you don't like tons and tons of dialogue.
Also there's a latte milk-drawing mechanic.

This game is kind of inexplicably enjoyable.

The plot is predictable and honestly not that creative. If you watch anime with even passing regularity you'll see the whole thing coming.
The level design is kind of boring for most of the game's run time. The enemies and bosses vary between passably challenging and completely absurd. The whole thing is pretty obviously Dark Souls with permanent companions and an anime aesthetic.

Still, I've put over 100 hours into it. The combat system is nicely polished (even if the equipment list is kind of shamefully small), and I'm *still* learning new tricks something like seven playthroughs in.. But I feel like what really sells it is just the sincerity of the whole thing. Yeah, it's anime, it's chuuni, it's cliched, it's totally just another Souls-like. But it does all of these things with such enthusiasm and energy that it's kind of hard not to have fun with it. The ridiculously over-the-top crit animations, the cheesy oversized weapons, and the companions that won't shut up about the Power of Friendship - it's all so relentless that you can't help being taken in. Also the character creator is nice.

So, to sum up, it's pretty good, even though it doesn't really have any right to be. I'm not sure I'd call it revolutionary, or even one of my games of the year, but it's well worth playing if you're on the fence about it.

Great conversation, but the ride was a little too short.

4/5 stars.

I picked up Eastshade on a whim, a day after it was released, when Steam recommended it to me out of the blue. I knew absolutely nothing about it other than what the store page told me. What followed was a decidedly unexpected experience, both for better and for worse.

I'll preface this by saying that I did enjoy Eastshade, and that if you're already enticed by the previews alone, you'll probably enjoy it too. It's a very good-looking game with a great atmosphere that is mostly delivered through the excellent soundtrack. It's got a talented voice cast that never really felt out-of-place in their characters, and for its size, the map is nicely detailed and there's plenty to explore.

But with all that considered, I left Eastshade feeling a little let-down. I suppose I should've tempered my expectations, given that the game is explicitly a casual, relaxing experience, likely designed to counter the more intense and violent trends of other popular games. But that's just the thing - the game wants you to set aside your preconceptions at the door, and then proceeds to present you with a (beautiful, well-detailed, wonderfully atmospheric) completely stereotypical high fantasy world. Anthropomorphic animals as the primary inhabitants; vast, lush forests directly bordering sweeping, grassy plains, which of course give way directly to frozen tundras and mountains. Giant cities filled with fantastical architecture, and everywhere you go there are whisperings and rumors of monsters, curses, ghosts and treasures hidden just over the next hill.

I'll avoid spoiling any specific details here, but in every case where the game tantalizes you with the possibility of something unreal or supernatural, it instead comes up with yet another perfectly-mundane explanation instead. This would be fine if it happened just a few times, but in truth it seems to happen in every other quest the game tasks you with! I was enamored with the game's world, and so badly wanted to see a real hook, something really special that could differentiate it from the real world - but in the end, I was let down. The eclipse is just the eclipse. The monsters were just imagined. You were never in any danger.

And that's okay. It doesn't ruin the game, per se, but it definitely brings the experience down a bit when even the farthest-flung reaches of the world turn out to be completely safe and free of lasting intrigue. Maybe this will only disappoint people like me, but I suppose I would've appreciated the game more if it felt like it was building towards something, or like I was conquering some unforeseen challenge.

That being said, the game still gets my recommendation for being something quite different from the usual experience. It's pretty, the music will stick in your head, and you will undoubtedly have fun exploring the carefully-crafted world as you paint your favorite vistas. If you're like me, you might occasionally be left wondering what's behind that locked door, or why the monster couldn't have been real - but as long as you're capable of tempering your expectations, you'll probably enjoy your visit to Eastshade.

This game is good. If you like story-driven games, well-written characters, spend a lot of time in messaging clients or have ever felt lost in life, this game will leave you feeling satisfied.

Now that I've summed up my thoughts, let me get into the details.

This game is, as the description helpfully points out, a game about a young trans-girl discovering the nuances of her identity during her time spent online in the middle of the year 1999. It's essentially a desktop simulator, but the simulation itself is relatively simplistic. Most of what you have access to is story-related, so if you're looking for hours and hours of extra content, that's not what you're getting. The story is mainly delivered to you through a series of conversations you'll have (via the game's messaging client) with the various friends your character has made along the way.

Let's start by talking about the places where the game fails, because there are some elements that are genuinely unpleasant to deal with. These were not a dealbreaker for me, but they might be for some:

- The game is buggy. This is probably the biggest issue I can find with it. At a few points in the story my progress fumbled because of glitches that would make it difficult to use the game's UI. All of these were resolved within a few minutes, but in those minutes I definitely felt myself being taken out of the experience.
- Sometimes, what you're supposed to do to progress is just plain unintuitive. At various points in the story, your progress will be held up with the expectation that you complete some specific task using the game's "mechanics" - namely, using the small suite of applications the game's desktop simulation can run. Most of these just... don't work very well. They're awkward and the way forward can be muddled by unclear instructions and bizarre mechanics.

That being said, neither of these issues were enough to make me want to stop playing altogether. The game really shines in several respects, namely:

- The game's music is genuinely very good and was, at a handful of moments, the main thing keeping me going. It feels like it's cheering you on, even in the worst of times. I actually went and bought the game again at a different location just so I could download the music.
- The story is well-realized, interesting, and heartfelt. I never felt bored by any of the plot developments or conversations as they played out. In particular, though, I felt for the characters. Many of their feelings and experiences are ones I myself have shared in the past. This game is directed at a niche demographic, but within that demographic it speaks volumes. However, even if you aren't trans or otherwise troubled, the characters are written well enough that just about anyone should be able to identify with them.

There are a few things about the game that I can't really say are good or bad. It's short. I liked the length because it let the story come first, and allowed me to get through the whole game before anything about it could begin to fade from memory. The graphics are colorful and cute, but not particularly amazing. I liked them but wouldn't have objected to something more mature, either.

Ultimately, Secret Little Haven is an excellent story, presented in an intriguing and relatable format, with only a few annoyances to draw the experience down. If you're curious about this game or on the fence, I recommend buying it. It's cheap, it's fun, it's heartwarming, and most importantly, it's got a little piece of all of us in it, waiting to be discovered.