Recent reviews by FluorescentApple

A masterpiece. You'd think a game about an alternate history-1999 sleep-based web browser's moderation team would be alienating or abstruse, but it is so finely and lovingly crafted that it winds up being the closest anyone can get to revisiting the Web 1.0 GeoCities Era, short of snorting a ground-up floppy disk.

Don't be fooled, however, into thinking it's just a showcase for great visual design. The game boasts interesting and unique detective gameplay that does an excellent job of incorporating its browser interface conceit with a compelling, well-paced story. It also, without giving too much away, has a lot of replayability, as certain late-game revelations can heavily impact how one approaches the early game. The writing is, too, a deft combination of humor and heart, and it's a real testament to the devs' skill that you can develop such fondness for characters you never directly interact with.

Also, the best soundtrack since Hotline Miami.

10/10 would renew my Hypnospace free trial again :-*

Clever and often creepy, Buddy Simulator 1984 managed to defy most of my expectations while not stooping to tired "meta" tropes and humor. While the premise of a less-than-totally-benign AI is far from new, it's the way the game tells its story, plus its little flourishes (such as the "surprises" that you find throughout your playthrough) that make this title a memorable and worthwhile experience.

tl;dr = big recommend, this is NOT just a text adventure

I bought it as a joke, but I sincerely can't stop punishing them.

The unexpected marriage of Dark Souls-inspired combat and crotch-baring lingerie seems odd, perhaps, but then what is Dark Souls apart from a fantasy fashion simulator? It just works. My major criticism is the lack of a one-handed mode; as it is, the combat is too involved to really incorporate that in its present state, but maybe in a future update.

Also, limitless possibilities for sexy succubus feet pics.

Not for the faint of heart by any means, but with solid writing and a bevy of memorable, engaging characters, I can't help but recommend this game. The art is, as many have stated, beautiful, and simplifying alignments to defiant/tactful and good/evil works extremely well for the medium. The replay-ability is hampered by the fact that you will just about reach the same ending regardless of previous choices, although there are enough branches to keep it interesting.

The relationships portrayed in this game are...unconventional. The fact that people can be bad with little-to-no justification for it is refreshing, and you, the PC, should feel bad for falling for them. I'm half-joking, but let's just say that, if you're fond of redemption arcs, you might well be disappointed.

I do agree that there should be trigger warnings for sexual assault, homophobia, and other terrible things that characters do and say to one another, but I don't believe that the devs endorse these actions any more than George R. R. Martin supports the Hound's conduct. I have also played and adored the original NWN module, although I must add that it contains even more explicit/controversial content.

It says a lot about the quality of this game that, despite swing-and-you'll-miss-it early game combat and archaic inventory systems, it is still probably the best Elder Scrolls title to date. The Tolkien-esque lore, bizarre yet charming comedic moments, and great voice acting (I'll die on this hill) make for an unforgettable experience that still shines nearly 20 years later.

That, and the modding scene is crazy devoted. Seriously, that ultra-ambitious mod they started *a year* before the game came out is still receiving updates.

It's just that good.

The name "Lisa Miller" has never been scarier.

No, but sincerely, this has to be far and away the best time I've ever had in a horror game. There are scares to be had aplenty, and hardly any of the "jump" variety, which is perfect if you're a total coward like me. The atmosphere manages to be creepy without becoming overbearing, the sound design deserves a major thumbs-up, and the hilarious character models lend some major levity (that last one might be unintentional).

While there is a single-player option, Phasmophobia truly shines as a co-op title. Experience the magic of gathering up to 3 friends (or even just one!) and exploring houses and buildings of various sizes and make-ups while screaming "SHOW YOURSELF" until you're too scared to continue or your vocal cords fry. If this anecdote sounds comical, then it only stands as a testament to the game's incredible fear factor-- and the fact that there is something oddly addicting about the major mood whiplash that hits at the onset of a hunt.

If you've ever wanted to star in a potentially-lethal edition of Ghost Hunters, this game is the ticket. Big recommend.

This is a great game, and despite the rather primitive mechanics, the story and characters prove just as lively as they ever have. My big complaint, and perhaps my only major one, is that this is not optimized for modern machines. Even having downloaded the Unofficial Patch (which is why my play hours are so low, since it doesn't allow Steam to log in-game time), it was still rife with bugs, predominantly graphical ones, which made having to traverse large areas a total lag-fest. That aside, this game belongs to the same category as the classic D&D games of the era and the first two Fallouts, and since we have all this free time now, it wouldn't hurt to crack it open and immerse yourself in one of the better video game universes.

I haven't been able to stop playing this game since I first got it, and while it's far from a complete product (by the developer's own admission), I'd certainly recommend it. If you like Junji Ito, in particular, you're going to love the art style and the numerous references to his works, and the randomized "mystery" system is really quite fun, in a roguelike way, although certain combat mechanics--and I am talking about the clap-clap-bow-bow exorcisms-- are kind of a pain in the keister.

Overall, I cannot wait to see how this game looks at full release, but if it seems appealing to you now, it's worth the purchase in beta.

Update:

After a few years, I will add that the game's full release did not add much, and the art...fixes for certain characters' faces leaves something to be desired. Nonetheless, I do still recommend the game, although with the caveat that it is probably only worth it on sale.

Not being able to afford soap and bribing government employees with booze is the most accurate depiction of Communism I have ever seen. Excellent Soviet simulation.

Red Dead Redemption WHO? This is all the wild west action I need to satisfy my bean and horse-related urges.