Recent reviews by NeppixVT

I would like to preface this by saying a lot of my knowledge comes from watching my spouse play, who has over 300 hours in the game.

I really hate to make a negative review like this, but seeing all the praise this game gets makes me want to voice some dislikes I have with the game. Now, I don't have many hours in the game relatively speaking. I stopped having fun around the midway point in Act I, and I think I know why:

Progression is slow. It feels like any sort of progression takes dozens of runs to feel a noticeable impact in the early game. Cat breeding takes quite awhile to get off the ground, and it never really felt like my cats were better than their parents, it just felt like a waste of time to work on breeding cats when:

A) The stats that were retained were never really that much better

B) The game can just mess you up in a hallway fight, causing you lose a cat you bred to be stronger.

Meta progression feels non existent, and I personally like it when roguelikes have a strong sense of meta progression in their games (i.e., slay the spire with it's card unlocks and risk of rain 2 with character and item unlocks). And while there technically is meta progression with the difficulty unlocks, the higher difficulties feel like an anticlimactic reward, since the enemies just get champion variants and that's it (some of which feeling very, very unfun to fight).

The game also has a staggering amount of ways to screw you over, with events that can basically never help you, final act bosses just deciding to kill you when you loot them, etc. A lot of my knowledge comes from my spouse who I very regularly watched play the game, and it never really looked... rewarding to progress. I think this is a good game, but I can't recommend it if you're looking for a rewarding roguelike. But, if that doesn't matter to you, definitely cop the game, because I think generally the tactics gameplay and ost are great for the most part.

For everyone getting mad at the "woke dei" consultant I'd like to remind you that Defect uses it/its pronouns

Cry louder.

An excellent showing from ROR2, I really lost faith with how ♥♥♥♥♥♥ sots was at base launch, but they really nailed it this time. Wonderful job everyone!

- Minor area spoilers ahead, but that's it -

I think this game is the best of the genre, and one of the most revolutionary games to come from this year, and far more than just it's gameplay.

The gameplay loop is great, attacking and moving feels silky smooth and yea, game's hard as ♥♥♥♥. But it's a sequel to a pretty hard metroidvania, I'd be upset if it was easier (or even of the same level of difficulty).

The art and music are also a huge step up from Hollow Knight, they really sell the atmosphere and tone of the areas and bosses you fight in the game. My personal favorite song in the game is Bilewater, really sells the dreariness and tragedy of the area.

The story is also great, so many details packed into every nook and cranny. The visual storytelling really makes the world feel alive, and the written (and sometimes auditory) lore we get is also fascinating, it feels like I learn new things the more playthroughs I have!

Definitely not a game for everyone, but if you want a fast paced, fluid metroidvania that'll put your dodging and reaction skills to the test, this game might be for you.

i suck at this game but thats ok because i can always rely on my party carrying me

I genuinely think this is the best game I have ever played. It might just be the best video game ever, to be honest with you.

The gameplay is a wonderful mix of intriguing combat (that only gets better with more upgrades), and movement that feels precise and fun. Being inspired by Sekiro I expected the movement to be great but this... is next level. This is genuinely the only game I played where dying felt like my fault, every attack is very well telegraphed and once you enter that flow state of "getting" a boss, it's hard to not feel like a gaming master when you beat a boss you've been stuck on for hours.

This isn't even mentioning the story either. It blends traditional Chinese folklore perfectly with it's more modern, cyberpunk feeling to it. Yi's character arc is so satisfying, seeing him go from a no-regrets killing machine to a nuanced absurdist by the end of the game. I'd rant more about the story but, I really don't want to spoil the good bits that make everything work, so I would highly suggest playing it for yourself.

And then, we have the art and music. The art style of this game is *chef's kiss* beautiful. Same goes with the music. The final boss theme of the game made me feel so awesome, and the credits theme was the cherry on top. The ambiance goes hard, both the art and music make every area feel believable and real.

If steam had a bigger character limit, I would genuinely give a full rundown on this game. This game made me feel emotions I have not felt in a long time. My only gripe with this game is that, after beating it, it made me feel hollow.

Why?

Because now, I'm cursed with the knowledge that I will literally NEVER play a game that is as good as Nine Sols is.

11/10.

I got this game back when it first released for free, the concept was intriguing and on a first play through with some buddies it's a fun experience. Taking inspiration from Lethal Company: this game has you and 3 other silly looking... robots(???) going to dark caves and abandoned warehouses, encountering monsters along the way. Why are you down here, you may be asking?

That sweet, sweet clout.

The premise of the game is that you need to record scary moments with your friends, and it's a super fun idea! Being forced to interact with the monsters and area around you in zany ways while making sure not to get TOO risky was a very fun gameplay loop... for the first couple of hours. This game is by all means dead. The developers have not added a substantial update since a year ago (that being mod support), and that cave and warehouse I mentioned? Those are the only maps in the entire game. That is absolutely unacceptable for a game you're supposed to replay many many times, like REPO and Lethal Company.

"But, REPO only has three maps!"

Yea, but that game isn't even fully complete as of writing this. They're still adding many updates and features, and they actually communicate with their community, unlike this game. Genuinely, I cannot remember the last time there was a substantial announcement said here. It's like a wasteland. It's so painfully obvious that this game was made to cash in on the "funny co-op game with monsters," and when people stopped talking about the game they abandoned it. I think this is the first game to really come off as "friend slop," for all the reasons I mentioned. Genuinely if you want a good game that's like this play Lethal Company or REPO, for the extra 2 dollars spent on either game you get a deep and well crafted gameplay loop with endless replayability.

I got this game for free and I still feel robbed. Robbed of my time.

4/10, only because it technically is in fact a game you can play, with no real bugs.

Vernal Edge is a combat-focused Metroidvania with some incredibly unique moves in your moveset, as well as some really interesting and fun character moments. It also subverts your expectations with it's abilities; they aren't your traditional metroidvania esque abilities, rather, these abilities expand on those ideas. Instead of a wall jump, you have a wall run for instance.

If I had to say one negative thing about the game, I'd say that the story isn't revolutionary. But, it doesn't need a god tier story to still be one of my fave metroidvanias. If you haven't already I'd really recommend you play it!

8/10

I'll be honest, Isaac is a great game all things considered. The gameplay loop is very well designed, and I think it has so much charm in its art style and the music is incredible. But I can't really say I enjoy it when playing by myself at least. Playing with my partner is always a blast and watching Mattman or another person play is also great, but I myself don't really enjoy the singleplayer experience of the game. It's weird! But, I'm sure this is a skill issue on my end, i was never really good at this game, but it's my review ♥♥♥♥ off lmao

Game's hard and the gameplay style isn't for me, but I'd still recommend getting rebirth on sale so you can come to your own conclusions.

Risk of Rain 2 is my favorite game of all time. It had some of the best roguelike mechanics and gameplay loop I have played in a long time.

*But as it stands, I cannot recommend this game right now. Wait for the bugs to be patched. I'm majorly disappointed in Gearbox

*Update: The game has been patched and is playable again! There's still some minor bugs but I can safely recommend this game to anyone who wants to give it a shot! Full review will be soon