Recent reviews by S0FTERSIN

EST Completion Time (1 Playthrough): 5 minutes
Achievements Available: 5
EST Completion Time (100% Achievements): 15 minutes
Trading Cards Available: 0 (N/A)

Despite its name – which is intended to be part of the joke – Doors Quest Demo is its own full release which delivers exactly what it promises: terrible graphics, simplicity (in its story & controls), 5 easily attainable achievements (in 15 minutes or less), 3 different endings, and one fire – which we can use to burn this review.

Perhaps the greatest feature of this game is its absurd soundtrack, which is comprised of 4 original folk songs that, while unexpectedly sparking laughter, provide guiding hints & spoilers as you attempt to find and unlock the hidden doors using the 6 objects available to you – a cellphone, gun, key, cat, alcohol, and a copy of the game. Additionally, the lighthearted humor of the songs brilliantly contrasts the dark humor presented in the story and its various endings.

Whether you’re an achievement hunter or someone who loves “zero quality” games (or simply those which actually deliver what they promise), Doors Quest Demo is worth the short 15-minute playthrough. So, what are you waiting for? Open the door.

EST Completion Time (1 Playthrough): 5-15 minutes
Achievements Available: 100
EST Completion Time (100% Achievements): 5-15 minutes
Trading Cards Available: 0 (N/A)

Created in collaboration with Yogscast for their Jingle Jam charity event, Cats Hidden in Jingle Jam is a delightful, hand-drawn hidden object game in which your goal is to find 100 cats in a festive holiday village. Although the game only includes 1 level, it is so unexpectedly charming with its cute, hand-drawn graphics, cheerful music, and surprises/secrets that even Scrooge or The Grinch would be unable to resist its charm and would find themselves enamored with it.

• Cute, hand-drawn graphics accompanied by wonderfully festive & whimsical music.
• Each cat meows in its own unique voice/sound when clicked/found; some of which are quite comical.
• Clicking on certain “non-cat” objects produces (unexpected but welcomed) sound effects (i.e., clinking the mug in the center of the map, or clicking the bells on the market stalls to make them jingle) or animations (i.e., briefly animated snowmen).
• Counter at the bottom of the screen indicates how many hidden cats remain.
• Hints available (if needed) when only 6 hidden cats remain.

• Leaderboard (for optional timed rounds) is personal; no global or “friends only” leaderboards.

Check out my achievement guide for 100% purrrfection!
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3101886948

Aside from it being free-to-play, Cats Hidden in Jingle Jam is a must play for anyone who loves hidden object games, Christmas, and/or cats.

EST Completion Time (1 Playthrough): 10 minutes
Achievements Available: 2
EST Completion Time (100% Achievements): 10 minutes
Trading Cards Available: 0 (N/A)

Carpe Diem is an incredibly short kinetic visual novel about setting the right priorities in life, using your time wisely, and seizing the day (hence Carpe Diem). The game, which is essentially a prequel to Carpe Diem: Reboot, presents itself as a mundane slice-of-life story in which you play as Jung, a programmer who has created an artificial world, who spends the day with his “perfect girl,” Ai. Unfortunately, due to Ai being actual artificial intelligence (AI), you have limited time to spend with her and can only attend 2 of the 3 locations within 1 playthrough (Mall + Arcade, Park + Mall, or Arcade + Park) – which enforces the idea of strategically allocating your time with activities you want to do and wasting none of it on trying to do everything.

Regardless of how Jung chooses to spend their day with Ai, the path chosen is ultimately irrelevant as the ending is the same: an unsurprising reveal that Ai is AI accompanied by a lackluster explanation of the Turing Test (an “evaluation of a machine’s ability to exhibit intelligence and whether it can act or speak like a human”). Somewhat shamefully, the game does itself a disservice by foreshadowing too obviously that the content will examine artificial intelligence and philosophy; whereas if the characters had different names and players were unsuspecting than perhaps we would’ve had the genuine “WOW!” moment that the developers seemingly hoped for. Much like other forms of art and expression, if a game needs to explain its point and purpose in the end, then it failed to convey its point and purpose throughout the game itself.

Carpe Diem is an incredibly short, free-to-play kinetic visual novel that sets the stage for Carpe Diem: Reboot. If you’re interested in its sequel and/or quickly scoring an easy 100% and 2 achievements, than it’s worth the short playthrough; otherwise, invest your 10 minutes of free time elsewhere.

Achievements Available: 20
EST Completion Time (100% Achievements): 12 hours (or less)
Trading Cards Available: 0 (N/A)

Big Klondike is akin to the free-to-play Klondike Solitaire offered by Microsoft that many of us have enjoyed for free in past generations.

• The gameplay itself is 100% free-to-play, and not hindered by arbitrary features such as “energy” to play rounds.
• Includes Standard and Vegas scoring, as well as Draw 1 or Draw 3 options.
• Option to select random shuffles or winnable-only shuffles (the latter of which there are over 50,000 shuffle configurations for).
• Cards can be moved by clicking, dragging, or right-clicking.
• Once all cards have been revealed / are visible and the game is “mostly complete,” an “Auto End” button becomes available to finish the game.
• 20 achievements in the base/core game, which are relatively easy to complete.
• The developers are prompt to respond to bug reports and player inquiries/suggestions.

• The statistics tracking is bugged and therefore doesn’t track W/L ratio correctly. The developer was notified of this bug on 09/29, and identified the cause on 09/30 with a promise to correct this in a future update.
• With the exception of the default card backing and 2 that can be unlocked with achievements, card backings & customization are only available if purchasing the “Thank You Devs” DLC or “Spider Solitaire” DLC.

If you’re a fan of solitaire or Klondike solitaire – without the need for arbitrary characters, stories, or grandiose graphics – than Big Klondike is well worth playing.

EST Completion Time (1 Playthrough): 75 minutes
Achievements Available: 0 (N/A)
Trading Cards Available: 0 (N/A)

A Hint of Purple is an emotional & story-rich visual novel about a professional artist, Maya, who is trapped in a vegetative state after an accidental fall in her studio. The story shifts back and forth between her undergoing care in the hospital in present day, and reliving select memories from the prior 3 years. As Maya struggles to communicate with the external world, she is also at war with her own mind – often arguing internally with her (rather pessimistic & confrontational) prefrontal cortex.

To say this visual novel is about “queer love and art,” as the developer does in its description, feels superficial. The protagonist is in a queer relationship, but the queerness of it seems to have no baring or relevance to the plot or messaging itself; any person who has experienced a deep, romantic love (whether queer or not) can likely relate to or sympathize with the protagonist. Likewise, art (and perhaps the mindset of artists) is part of the story, but not the subject matter itself. The only overarching sentiment pertaining to art is one that is simple and cliché: art is subjective.

In part, A Hint of Purple is a tale about grief and rebirth. Maya, having become paralyzed in the height of her artistic career, is grieving the loss of her professional dreams and her ability to paint. Maya’s romantic partner, Kai, is grieving the loss of their relationship. Maude, a fellow patient in the hospital, is grieving the loss of her family and friends whom she has outlived.

Each character, however, was able to move forward from their grief (and some with lessons learned). Maya, realizing how self-centered she had been, learned to spend more time looking outward than inward, and to appreciate the world around her and the people within it. Conversely, Kai – having realized how dependent they had been upon Maya – learned to look inwards and acknowledge their own boundaries and needs. Lastly, Maude sought solace in speaking with Maya to ease her own loneliness.

Despite having conversational options, which add to the immersiveness of the game, the dialogue selections are ultimately irrelevant as the story itself is linear. While it’s possible the developer could have created multiple endings, a nonlinear story likely would’ve reduced the impact of the overall messaging.

• Free-to-play.
• Content/Trigger Warning available in the main menu.
• Autosaves progression throughout the story.
• Beautiful & atmospheric sound score, which adjusts seamlessly to the tone of the story as it progresses.

• No manual save feature; if the game crashes or you close it, it will only reload from the last autosave point.
• Little to no replayability.

A Hint of Purple is an emotional, atmospheric, story-rich visual novel that reminds us that “it’s always darkest before the dawn.” Anyone who enjoys a tearjerker and has an hour to spare should consider playing through this beautifully written game.

EST Completion Time (1 Playthrough): 15 minutes
Achievements Available: 0 (N/A)
Trading Cards Available: 0 (N/A)

The Old Tree is a short point-and-click puzzle game in which you play as a newborn alien baby, experiencing its first moments of life as you journey from its underground lair to an unknown destination above. Along your journey you will encounter various obstacles in your path, which are resolved by solving puzzles.

Having first played the game in 2016, I thought I would revisit it for a second chance. Unfortunately, 7 years later and the experience still feels mediocre & frustrating – despite my hoping and wishing that I would love it.

The puzzles themselves are fairly simple; however, the difficulty arises with often being unable to see the environment due to it being overly dark and the game having no brightness or gamma settings. The inability to see well then requires players to do one of three things:
1. Get lucky in clicking the right spot (by chance).
2. Click around the screen maniacally in hopes that you click the correct spot.
3. Refer to a game guide. (I recommend this one.)
Unfortunately, the brightness issues squandered any joy that could be derived from completing the puzzles as they quickly became tedious instead.

Aside from the brightness issues, The Old Tree is further plagued by lacking any sort of purpose. You witness no character development; nor do you have the opportunity to build any sort of meaningful relationship with the protagonist. Thus, the ending to this linear adventure (which seems like it should be impactful) feels utterly lackluster.

The redeeming qualities of The Old Tree are certainly the graphics/aesthetic and the atmospheric sound score – as well as being free-to-play, of course.

• Free-to-play.
• Atmospheric sound score to accompany its aesthetic.

• Environment is too dark; game has no brightness or gamma settings.
• No replayability.

The Old Tree is a short, free-to-play point-and-click puzzle game that seemingly lacks purpose, and is annoyingly difficult to progress through due to an overly dark environment and no brightness/gamma settings. It’s by no means the worst game; so, if you’re inclined to play it and have 15 minutes to spare, you may as well give it a short playthrough.

EST Completion Time (1 Playthrough): 30 minutes
Achievements Available: 4 (3 unmissable, 1 missable)
EST Completion Time (100% Achievements): 30-60 minutes
Trading Cards Available: 0 (N/A)

Class Reunion Chat Room is a short, immersive visual novel in which you play as the protagonist, Amy, who receives an invitation for (and joins) a group chat with her former classmates – Blaise, Angie (“Gigi”), and Mike (“Maik”) – who’s stated intention is to organize a class reunion (an event you’re not overly fond of attending due to feeling unaccomplished in your professional life and uncertain of your career goals). What starts as a seemingly innocent catchup between old classmates evolves into a hair-raisingly eerie sharing of dark & disturbing secrets with an unexpected twist.

The game is wonderfully immersive and atmospheric, especially when played late at night in the dark with headphones on. The darker the story gets, the more distorted the background music becomes until the once calm & relaxing music is curiously eerie (foreshadowing the impending doom ahead). Additionally, players can optionally type Amy’s predefined responses to her classmates – a fun feature that adds to the immersiveness of the experience, and is also required for completing the 1 missable achievement in the game (to type all of Amy’s responses).

Despite its short length, Class Reunion Chat Room succeeds in preying upon modern cultural & societal fears the way successful horror often does. The story feeds into fears of opening malicious links, unknowingly being monitored, and feeling unsuccessful/unaccomplished (like a failure). Unfortunately, unless you’re a firm believer in the supernatural or paranormal, the cheesiness of the final twist & ending (which is perhaps a nod to old chain letters) derails the dreadfulness of the story by squandering any fear of a realistic or plausible threat.

• Free-to-play.
• Immersive and atmospheric, especially when played late at night with headphones on.

• Linear story; no decision making. Game could’ve easily had 2+ different endings if choices were added. Less of a deterrent, and more of a missed opportunity by the developers (IMO).

Class Reunion Chat Room is a short, wonderfully dreadful visual novel that is absolutely worth a playthrough if you’re a fan of immersive horror experiences and/or short stories.

If you haven’t yet indulged in this fantastically dark and dreadful journey, YOU COULD BE NEXT.

TRIGGER WARNING: If you are experiencing depression or suicidal thoughts, please avoid playing this game (as it may be triggering) and seek help.

**********

EST Completion Time (1 Playthrough): 10 minutes
Achievements Available: 0 (N/A)
Trading Cards Available: 0 (N/A)

the static speaks my name is a short, first-person exploration game in which you experience Jacob’s final moments before he inevitably kills himself (via “asphyxiation by hanging”). You will complete a series of mundane tasks (i.e., using the bathroom, eating breakfast, chatting online) before being faced with a moral dilemma with only 2 solutions (electrocute the artist you’ve captured and held captive – due to obsessing over his painting – or set him free); regardless of the choice you make, your character will inevitably end his own life.

In addition to its dark story and ambiance is an unnerving and ominous score that creates an incredibly atmospheric experience which leaves players feeling unsettled. What is perhaps more unsettling, however, is our desire to play the additional individual suicide stories that the developer teases us with after completing Jacob’s story (but when attempting to begin actually triggers the ending credits); it’s unclear whether this is intentional or if the game is unfinished.

• Interesting (albeit disturbing) short story.
• Incredibly atmospheric, with its eerie environment & music matching the eeriness of the plot itself.

• Seemingly unfinished (with being unable to complete the additional stories after Jacob’s story).
• Issues with part of the screen being missing or cut off (despite playing in Fullscreen Mode or Windowed Mode).
• No option to access settings once beginning the game.
• No trigger warning in-game prior to beginning the story.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3099359324
⚠️ Note: For an optimal experience, it is highly recommended to only refer to a walkthrough/guide if you get stuck and/or you complete the game once and want to complete it a second time to see the alternate choice for Objective #5 (to kill or release the man in the cage.)

If you’re of sound/stable mind and looking for something dark & atmospheric to complete within 15 minutes or less, than the static speaks my name is well worth its short playthrough.

EST DLC Completion Time (1 Playthrough): 5-15 minutes (varies by skill level)
DLC Achievements Available: 0 (N/A)
Trading Cards Available: 0 (N/A)

Cats Hidden in Paris is a delightful, hand-drawn hidden object game in which your goal is to find 100 cats in Paris. The “Extra Level” DLC is 1 additional level, which (if purchased) increases the number of playable levels in the game to 2.

Much like the free-to-play base game, the “Extra Level” DLC map is charming with its cute, hand-drawn black & white graphics, cheerful music, and easter eggs; however, the graphics in the DLC map are crisper and the map itself is slightly more challenging than the 1st.

• Cute, hand-drawn graphics accompanied by cute, cheerful music.
• Each cat meows in its own unique voice/sound when clicked/found; some of which are quite comical.
• Clicking on certain “non-cat” objects produces (unexpected but welcomed) sound effects (i.e., birds chirp when clicked).
• Hints available (if needed) when only 6 hidden cats remain.

• Settings are indicated by icons, some of which are a bit unclear as to their purpose.
• Leaderboard (for timed rounds) is personal; no global or “friends only” leaderboard.

The “Extra Level” DLC for Cats Hidden in Paris is fairly priced and well worth the cost & playthrough for anyone who loves hidden object games and/or cats.

Check out my walkthrough & achievement guide for 100% purrrfection!
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3007725699

EST Completion Time (1 Playthrough): 5-15 minutes
Achievements Available: 101
EST Completion Time (100% Achievements): 5-15 minutes
Trading Cards Available: 5 per set

Cats Hidden in Paris is a delightful, hand-drawn hidden object game in which your goal is to find 100 cats in Paris. Although the base game only includes 1 level, it is so unexpectedly charming with its cute, hand-drawn graphics, cheerful music, and easter eggs that even Scrooge or The Grinch would be unable to resist its charm and would find themselves enamored with it.

• Cute, hand-drawn graphics accompanied by cute, cheerful music.
• Each cat meows in its own unique voice/sound when clicked/found; some of which are quite comical.
• Clicking on certain “non-cat” objects produces (unexpected but welcomed) sound effects (i.e., ringing the bell on a bicycle, breaking windows, knocking on a door, etc.).
• Counter at the bottom of the screen indicates how many hidden cats remain.
• Hints available (if needed) when only 6 hidden cats remain.

• Leaderboard (for optional timed rounds) is personal; no global or “friends only” leaderboards.

Check out my achievement guide for 100% purrrfection!
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3007725699

Aside from it being free to play, Cats Hidden in Paris is well worth a playthrough for anyone who loves hidden object games and/or cats. 😻