Recent reviews by Erstwhile629

This is a wonderful little game, full of bright colors, interesting puzzles, colorful characters and presentation, and a neat, surprisingly dark, little world. It was a joy to get lost in it for a bit.

Pros:
* This is a vibrant game
* Beautiful, hand-drawn backgrounds
* Funny rhythm game failures
* Unique, funny little characters
* Hidden stuff to do
* All of the mini-games are doable, with persistence
* The game doesn't give a lot away, and the hint button provides just that

Cons:
* I wish the game was a little longer, because as I said, it's a wonderful little world
* Some of the minigames can be very frustrating at first, and require persistence

If you love bright colors and unique design, this game is for you. If you love hand-drawn, carefully crafted scenery, this is for you. If you want a little puzzle game to pass around an hour, this is for you. You can't beat the price.

Short little game, and brings to mind the 5-word story challenges. It manages to set a tone, stick with it, and nail the landing. I'd like to see more of this world.

Pros:
* Straightforward game
* Nails the atmosphere
* Can make you feel genuinely anxious
* Interesting progression through the short story

Cons:
* Short (but it's free!)
* Little bit hard to understand what you need to do to get all of the achievements (counterpoint: I may be a little slow on the pickup)

This is a neat little proof-of-concept game that didn't overreach. You can't beat the price.

This game is a gem. I love idlers, horror, and puzzle games, so this filled a lot of niches very well.

Pro:
* Unique art style
* Unique world-building
* Unique mechanics (as far as I can tell) for a clicker
* Puzzles!
* Multiple styles of play
* The ending is interesting and makes sense in the idler genre.

Cons:

* Some of the puzzles do not make sense, and you may have to look up help (or: I am dumb)
* The ending is a bit abrupt
* I wish there was more of it
* If you're looking for a fully idle game, you will be disappointed.

Overall, this game knows what it is and goes after it. It's delightfully creepy and takes a pretty original swing at the genre. If you're into buying idlers to avoid the microtransactions, this is for you. If you're into creepy games, this is for you. If you want more out of your idler than just always idling, this is for you.

The Horror at Highrook may well be one of the most well-put-together cosmic horror games I have ever played. I will be completely honest and tell you that I normally do not like the card and board-based genre of games, but this one manages to do just about everything right. It has actually inspired me to give the genre another chance, and that is saying something.

The pros:

* The mechanics make sense, and provide a decent challenge.
* The characters are fleshed out well.
* The art style is interesting and fitting.
* The pacing of this game intrinsically makes sense.
* The lore is interesting and actually fits into the gameplay rather than being tertiary.
* An all Black cast of heroes (? One of the character never takes off her mask)

The cons:
* There are some stretches of frustration with discerning how to progress.
* Some of the game's RNG can feel unfair.
* There are a few mechanics later in the game that can be annoying. I wish I knew how to spoiler this to tell you what they are.
* The game, while highly detailed and engrossing, could be seen as a bit short, considering that I got all the achievements in 10 hours of play.

Overall, I can't recommend this enough. If you're into detective games, this is for you. If you're into horror games without jumpscares or that all-to-often used try-hard grimdark feeling, this is for you. If you like games that require attention to the details given, this is for you.

Well done, developers, and I look forward to seeing more games like this.

This is probably one of the creepier games that I've played. I don't know if that says more about the game or more about me and my ability to put up with creepiness.

The gameplay is interesting, and you feel pretty smart for figuring things out in the beginning. As the game progresses, obviously, you get in a groove for how things work, and you start moving along swiftly.

My issue with this game is that the creator seemed to outpace his writing ability by the end. It's a unique storyline, has a pretty good hook, and will get you into it, *but*; once you get close to the finish line, it falls apart a little. The BBEG's motivations seem flimsy and more childish than intended. The world-building is pretty fantastic, in my opinion, and that's what makes the ending so disappointing.

Another review stated that this game was YouTuber bait. I can't disagree with this assessment, overall, but it baits YouTubers with genuinely good, interesting, gameplay and storytelling overall (despite the issues with the ending).

I would also acknowledge, in this same basket, that the game was written in a different language, I believe. Due to that, some of my problems with the ending could largely be due to translation errors.

All of that said, I still recommend this game. I played through it in one sitting, but that's because of how I engage with this kind of game.

Often, sequels to games are disappointments, failing to deliver the same punch as the original, improving the gameplay, or capitalizing on the vibes.

This is not one of those cases. This game had big ol' shoes to fill, because Secret Salami was amazing in all aspects. This game takes everything about the first Duck Detective, cranks it up a bit, gives it a deeper story that fleshes out the world, and somehow manages to be even funnier and imaginative than Secret Salami. Seriously, the mechanics, which were excellent in the first game are improved further, the game is longer, and the characters, while ridiculous, still feel fleshed out and real; as real as sticker versions of anthropomorphic cartoons can be.

I recommend this game without reservation. For the price tag, you can't beat it, and you will find it is far more entertaining than going to the movies, which you can't even do for $10 anymore. Buy it, say goodbye to a couple hours of your life, and join me in waiting for the next entry into this excellent series.

This game knows exactly what it is, what it wants to be, and how it should play, diving headfirst with little to no reservations. The characters are all quirky and weird as one might expect them to be, but also feel fully fleshed out. Despite the art style, there are no flat characters. The deductions and investigations make sense, and while they are simple, they are not always easy. The story is easy to follow and genuinely funny. The ending is reminiscent of Paradise Killer, in that you "pass judgment" in one way or another on this adorable bunch of criminals.

I cannot recommend this game highly enough. I played it in one sitting, so maybe consider that when you purchase. Regardless, I found the game to be worth the $10 price tag,

Primordia is an emotionally engaging, deep, and thought-provoking game. Beautiful pixel art and voice-acting bring the story to life in a way that I have rarely seen in games from small studios. I recommend this game whole-heartedly, and suggest that those who decide to embark upon this journey try to find every secret you can.

I would also love a sequel.

I love Dark Souls. I love Nioh. I love just about any version of a souls-like game that I can get my bloody hands on. This game is different than the rest, and I'm not just talking about the weeb-alicious visuals and story line, both of which are great on their own.

This game is different because, in my opinion, it's the first entry into a new genre all its own: Ladies, gents, and non-gender-conforming gamers, I present to you the world's first Souls-lite game. Yes, indeed, much like how Rogue-likes gave birth to the further distinction of Rogue-lites, this game has many of the same aspects of play: the combat can be challenging, even unforgiving; the move sets and inventory management are similar, but perhaps a little simplified; and the game still requires you to memorize the movements of your opponents to truly "git gud".

One of the big differences that makes this game a souls-lite is your AI companion. Far from being stupid (though they do have their moments), they can make or break certain fights. Just as in previous souls-like entries, different companions have different advantages and disadvantages; one character is a tank, another is a healer, and yet others deal different kinds of damage.

Of course, we can hear the naysayers and veterans now. "But that makes it too easy!" you whine "I want to tell my friends to git gud!" you continue, suckling at your thumb. Well don't worry, tryhard, you can turn them off. Have fun in the silence (also you can turn off companion chat, which for subsequent playthroughs, I would highly recommend).

The combat and skills system are completely new, and provide you with an amazing amount of flexibility. No more "should I/ shouldn't I?" on tactics switching: the answer is yes, and when that doesn't work, spam what you know; rinse, repeat (in that way it's very reminiscent of Dark Souls). The farming aspect is, of course, still something you can, should, and inevitably will end up participating in. This is made easier by the fact that the bonfire-analogue (mistle) are closer together than in previous such games, which will inevitably give rise to an all new kind "back-in-my-day" amongst the hardcore souls-fans.

Veterans of Souls games may be annoyed by several aspects of the game: So far, there's no invasion mechanic (sorry tea-baggers), and the system for teaming up with your friends is clunky and time-consuming. Specialization is also different, and prevents min-maxing easily, at least as far as I can tell. Also, good luck making your character atrocious-looking; no uggos in anime protaginism, I suppose.

Bottom line, this game is a fresh breath in a genre that could use some fresh ideas. It is accessible for those who want more challenging gameplay and the risk/reward feeling of souls games without quite as much of the soul-crushing that comes from failure.

10/10, would play again. Git Gud, Onee-san.

This game is like an oil tanker and a garbage barge collided and someone shot a flaregun into it for funsies.

The original card game? Fantastic! Amazing! 100% would recommend the original card game. To play a card, you have to tell the story of how that thing came to be, and you can take time with incorporated all cards played into a larger mythos for your mini-verse. For instance, my friends and I had one game that had a sex offender clown that died after marrying a woman he loved, only to end up haunting her vagina until she died of loneliness because she missed him. Also, there was an incredibly inappropriate storyline about ducklings.

It's a wonderful, fun-filled, bizarre, dark, creative and incredibly absorbing experience.

If the original card game is a baby, this is a used condom that has been nailed to fence post to dry before being used for the 12th time.

Time limits take away any sort of chance to get into the ONE DAMN THING THAT MAKES THE GAME WHAT IT IS; the storytelling.
Lack of networking or voice support means you have to have discord or some other way of talking to people (which isn't a problem if you're playing with friends, but makes it hard to play online with strangers)
The things they TRIED to do (animation, voice acting, sound effects, etc.) were really cool ideas, but end up being a distraction from poor translation of a physical game to a digital one. On top of that, the sound design gets real annoying, real quick.

This game is a waste of space, and I hope it dies on a train that has caught fire at the bottom of a well while being distressed by ducklings (which is a thing that actually happen in the original game).

I would give this a negative score, but that would be a positive thing in the context of the game rules. Instead, I award it no points, and may god have mercy on the souls of whoever thought this would be a good idea to throw together.