Recent reviews by SOXP

Yakuza 0 is where the series canonically begins in my understanding. I have only played Like A Dragon otherwise at this time. In this game, you'll switch between playing as Goro Majima and Kazuma Kiryu. Ultimately, despite all the drama and side activities, this game is about a small piece of real estate in a large-scale business model that interests a considerable number of parties.

Unlike Like A Dragon, which is turn-based. The Yakuza series is traditionally a beat 'em up. Akin to something like if Streets of Rage 2 were to have been developed at a different time period. Anecdotally, this game reminded me of a game on PS1 called “Ehrgeiz” — it was a 3D fighter— it had this adventure side mode with RPG-style leveling and an inventory. But it played as a dungeon-crawling beat 'em up.

There's no English dub, so prepare for a lot of reading. Makes for a great Steam Deck game. And it runs great on that. Only drawing about 12-17W on average. 800p@60 on high preset. It's an older title so it's not terribly demanding in the first place. And I think it still looks great. There's something nostalgic about this style—this time period—of visuals. Makes the game feel immediately familiar despite largely being unfamiliar with the series.

The combat is overtly simple, you can get through the entire game with the same “X,X,Y” combo, while only occasionally side-stepping an enemy combo that would otherwise stun-lock you. You can spend in-game money (I hate you have to clarify that now) on Kiryu or Goro, things like more health, deceased rate of heat drop. There are abilities that expand the mechanics of the combat, but they are unnecessary to be successful in combat, at least on normal. So it's really more for player variety. However, they are so expensive you won't really see them until very late in the game.

And the game overstays its welcome, I found myself disinterested in some of side characters by the end. Very dramatic backstories that go on and on while the main plot also dragged its feet. Mind you, there are a ton of side activities just like Like A Dragon so the game can be “main-lined” in a sense to avoid this burnout. But the combat simply isn't good enough for me to want to push through. It's about the same depth as something like Sleeping Dogs, contextual graphic animations — “Heat” and the Face meter essentially operate the same. But I found this game to be slightly less satisfying. There's something about the way the characters lock-on, or “engage” with certain enemies but evasion is very free, very open in its movement. You can switch styles to avoid the wild swings you'll occasionally get. Some fighting styles seem built for groups of enemies. Such as Kiryu's “Beast” style where he auto-grabs things around him as weapons and swings them horizontally. Ultimately, I found the combat tedious.

I think this is an enjoyable game, but be prepared for a novel while you beat up street thugs. I personally preferred the turn-based combat in Like A Dragon. I felt it was more fitting for what I now understand as the tone for the series.

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Somerville is a narrative adventure with significant puzzle elements. Given the nature of the genre, I will leave you to discover the story yourself. However, mechanically, the game is what I'd call 2.5D. It is 3D, I actually love the art style. One of my favorite things about it. But you will be controlling a character more or less by going right or left while solving puzzles.

You're only able to grab and climb on things — aside from the abilities gained throughout play. They involve the manipulation of light.

Runs well, 800p, medium preset generally around 45FPS while pulling anywhere from 14W to 20W depending on the environment and visual effects that are present. There's very little action so the FPS should not really affect your play.

I did have some issues navigating the environment, due to depth perception. The character also seems to get stuck on geometry from time to time. I also found some of the puzzles a tad frustrating as their solution was not always logical, nor was it clear was I was supposed to be doing. Given the ambiguity of the narrative, this may have been intentional. None of it was game breaking, however.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3430654798

Overall, I think the game is worth playing if you enjoy the genre. It reminded me a lot of INSIDE. Tonally and mechanically. Though, I would wait for a sale if you're on the fence. While the game is interesting, it's not really breaking any new ground.

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Unless you live with Patrick (under a rock) or have never paid any attention to a single console game. I find it unlikely that anyone reading this review does not know what Ratchet and Clank is. But I'll tell you anyway.

Rift Apart is the first port of a R&C game to PC. I am unsure of its place in the timeline, but I don't feel that it's relevant as the game can played standalone without any knowledge or understanding of the surrounding lore or mechanics.

Described succinctly Rift Apart is a third person shooter/action adventure with 3D platforming elements.

It's fun, it's relatively simple. Straightforward. The combat can be chaotic given the nature of the weaponry. Coming from Insomniac Games, this developer and series are primarily known for its wacky and obtuse weapons and gadgetry. There is a considerable amount of weapon swapping do to low ammo — I believe this is designed intentionally to give the combat more variety. Using specific weapons also levels them up. Which is a separate leveling system to “Raritainium” used to unlocked nodes at the shop. It's all very standard affair.

Typically you'll play as Ratchet in this series, with Clank on his back. But in Rift Apart, you be swapping between Ratchet and a character named Rivet.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3426329129

There are many collectibles and a few side activities in the game.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3426330540

This is normally where I write how it performs on the Steam Deck. However, I didn't play it there. I tested it briefly — And while it is Verified, I would not call it an ideal experience. It's very much a 720@30ish on low or very low preset type of experience. The game features a TON of effects on weapons and telemetry to forecast enemy shots. The screen is absurdly busy all the time during combat. And there isn't that much exploration. It's playable on Deck, but not where I'd recommend it.

It's a great game. Albeit a forgettable one. The last game I played of this series was “Up Your Arsenal” on the PS2. And this game did not strum my nostalgia strings the way I had hoped. It's still very fun, however. Wait for a sale if you're unsure. Or pay full price if you think it'll make Sony bring more stuff faster. The choice is ours, I believe in you.

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There's (currently) two entry points to the Yakuza series. Yakuza 0 and Yakuza: Like a Dragon. However, they feature completely different combat systems. At the time of writing, I have only played a few hours of Yakuza 0 and this title. So I would consider this game to be my first. But you can't go wrong entering the series at either place, regardless.

Much like the Yakuza culture, being steeped in tradition. This series has you normally playing as Kazuma Kiryu. With the games he's in being beat 'em ups. However, in Like a Dragon, you'll play as Ichiban Kasuga. Who is obsessed with Dragon Quest. No really. The whole game is turn-based because that's how he starts to envision fighting.

Moreover, the game is effectively a traditional JRPG set in a 'low-fantasy' setting. That said, the skills are secondary to the core of the combat, which is positioning and timing. This might sound odd in a turn-based game. Let me explain — the characters are always moving around each other. All mixed up. Enemies and party members alike. If you do a basic attack when there are enemies in the way, there is a significant chance you'll not only take damage from an opportunity attack, but you may be interrupted entirely. Making your turn completely wasted. So the core of the combat really comes down to selecting targets that are open to attack as everyone is moving around.

Of course, the combat is deeper than this, there are status effects, types of attack, melee, blade, etc. Resistances to the aforementioned. There is also a job system which can be leveled individually from character level. You're able to use some special attacks to avoid the chance of being interrupted by targeting enemies far away. I'm unsure if that was intentional, but I ended up doing it a lot.

There's also a mechanic to block attacks to mitigate damage, you must press the associated button right before the attack lands. It's a little like Super Mario RPG — that's what it reminded me of anyways. Some special abilities also have a timed button press to increase damage.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3419070558

In spite of this, I did not find the game excessively grind-y. Given the genre, you might expect that. But you can do mini-games that are rather involved and some that are less involved. See movies with companions, build a relationship (bond) with them — this also increases your own chance for opportunity attacks as well as allow non-active party members to gain experience points.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3419070716

The city itself is teeming with life. While it feels oddly restrictive, in that you cannot really interact with the world, there's a ton of items and things to find though exploration. It can be rather rewarding.

Doing sub-stories will often gain you characters that can be used in other aspects. Typically either for “Poundmates”, which act as summons in the combat, or for one of the more elaborate mini-games introduced as “Ichiban Confections”. This one is unlocked a little later in the game. You'll run a business, manage employees and decide when to expand. There are even shareholder meetings which has an entirely different “combat” system.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3419070955

At one point I even traveled to the park just to collect bugs for the “Part-Time Hero” side missions. There's some really, genuinely funny and enjoyable side stuff in this game.

This is gonna pull around almost the full 25W all the time. But it runs phenomenal on the deck. 800P native, no scaling — the game will run 35-60FPS depending on the area. But as the game is turn-based, this shouldn't effect much. I personally think it also looks very good on the OLED screen and I think that the JRPG genre is simply perfect for handhelds.

Fantastic story, good combat. Great entry point to the series. Very satisfying still if this is the only Yakuza game you play. I can't honestly say anything bad about it. The cutscenes can be a little long, I guess. I'd recommend it to everyone unless you truly just cannot stand JRPGs.

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With finesse!

I've always wanted a simulation-style rally game with non-realistic aesthetics. Now, this game is not entirely sim. It's pretty close. But more pragmatically, this game is a fair mixture of retro aesthetics, arcade modes, and sim-ish mechanics.

I don't like writing Early Access reviews.
That said, I feel compelled to make an exception for this game — so much can change so fast. However, I feel this game is already very good, and will only get better. In its current state, it lacks longevity. It's missing features like daily or weekly challenges, something that will bring you back after you've completed the rally events and time trial modes. It does have a versus mode, either player to player or versus AI, but I personally don't feel this mode is that compelling.

The main progression is completing the Rookie, Intermediate, Pro etc Rallies, and unlocking all the cars. There's also some vague sense of progression in the time trial mode where not all tracks are unlocked until you've completed another section of that stage under the given time. At the time of writing, the game only has Rally A, S and Classic cars/rallies.

Deeper Mechanics
I feel the game maintains itself as an approachable entry point to Rally in general, but is still very technical as far as the actual driving. Different terrain affects grip. But you won't be doing a lot of weight shifting to perform pendulum turns, however the game's internal physics still require a decent of amount of precision and technical understanding of the tracks and how different cars respond to different terrain. There is no worry about tires, there is no need to use soft/hard tires to balance grip/endurance. Which is slightly disappointing, but you have to consider that this is an indie title and it really shouldn't be compared to larger budget titles. There are weather effects, but I largely found them to not affect the actual driving. Damage as well, it's mostly cosmetic. It's persistent through a single rally, but it's more of a health bar that you have to use 'time' in-between stages to repair.

I'm not sure what it is about this low-poly/pixel filter aesthetic, but it just looks amazing.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3401183395

This game runs incredibly on the Deck — perhaps unsurprisingly. At the native 800p, max settings, the Deck easily pushes 90 FPS using only about 11-13W, depending on the stage. My theory is that the anti-aliasing on the stages with a lot of foliage causes the Deck to pull those extra 2W. I think a game like this would be a shining example as a candidate for the theoretical “Steam Deck Lite” that I so desire.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3401186504

This game checks a lot of boxes for me. It offers a lot at its current price point, but I would love to see it expand into something more.

Jan 2025 update — a daily challenge has been added.

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If so, you might enjoy this game for that aspect alone. Caravan: Sandwitch is primarily a game about exploration and traversal. Both on-foot and in your van. However, the primary and compelling reason to play this is uncovering the mystery within the world. Which I will leave you to discover for yourself. But I will say the game brings up some pretty big, and interesting mysteries right up front that I felt were compelling enough to push me further even when my own desire to explore faded.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3384249233

Split between self-exploration, time sensitive side quests (the game will warn you, it's not something you need to worry about) and the main narrative. The main objective of the game is to collect various components to use to craft more devices for the van that will aid you in exploration. And ultimately bring you to discover the truth of this world.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3384249532

The game runs fantastic “out-of-the-box” so to speak, Runs native 800p at around 60fps. I suggest locking it at this as it will fluctuate when the game loads or when you climb extremely high areas and tons of the landscape is visible at one time.

I mean for the environment specifically. The game looks absolutely gorgeous. However, I'm not that big on the character designs.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3384249365

The game does have an interesting story overall, and the exploration and gameplay are very enjoyable, but the characters themselves are a little flat. It's a great game to run around in while listening to music or watching a show on another monitor. It's worth your time.

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Ereban: Shadow Legacy is primarily a stealth game, with some puzzles and platforming sections.

The premise being that, you control a character named Ayana. An Ereban. The last of her species. A species that is capable of merging with shadows. However, all is not well in the world of the Ereban. Helios, a corporation spouting some slogan about being the Light, and promising free or very cheap energy isn't telling the whole truth. They're exploiting the Ereban. Anaya goes on an adventure to discover the truth of the Ereban, as well as Helios.

Primarily a stealth game, you'll be crouching and sneaking along. You'll gain powers beyond merging with shadows, such as the ability to cast a shadow on enemies eyes. Temporarily blinding them allowing you to pass or do something more dramatic. Anecdotally, this game plays very similarly to the Styx games, which I thoroughly enjoyed.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3379974952

There are multiple enemy types which force you to behave different. Everything from snipers to robots that have lights around them. As well as humans — the game has a morality mechanic. You're able to kill humans, there is a lore reason to not kill them, but it also affects your score and evaluation after each chapter. Ultimately, potentially changing the ending you'll receive. Many of the game's enemies are robots and does not penalize you for disabling them.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3379982724

Many of the powers you'll unlock require being crafted per use. They are treated as consumables. They don't refill each chapter. You need to find shadow orbs and use them to craft, which is easily done right in the power selection wheel. Similar to Lara Croft in the newer Tomb Raider games. Powers like Shadow Tomb to hide bodies or Shadow Blind to cast blindness from afar. But more basic power like merging yourself into shadow are always available, assuming there is a shadow to merge into and you have enough stamina. Going into the light while merged causes you to be rapidly forced out of the shadow.

Many of the pathways are hidden, until you become more comfortable with how Anaya can traverse the environment. You are able to turn off these indicators in the options should you choose.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3379986875

The game runs well on Deck, however I did not find the default settings to my satisfaction. I dropped the graphics preset to medium and locked the game to 30FPS. I favor a consistent frame rate over an occasionally high one. This dropped battery usage by a fair margin as well, but not in some of the more open areas. There's just too much going on for it to not draw more power. Alternatively, I recommend dropping the resolution to 960x600, and using FSR to upscale. This will get you (generally) 60FPS on the Deck, but it makes some text difficult to read.

The game does have multiple endings, many collectibles and a lot of upgrades to be found. You may end up re-playing missions searching for things. However, I tend to play stealth games “pure”. As in, I don't like using consumables or anything the character can't do intrinsically.

It's an enjoyable stealth title. The story isn't super original, but the characters are decent. It has some funny moments for levity for what otherwise is relatively serious tone. It's not that long for one playthrough, but it does offer some replayability through it's multiple endings and morality choices. Plus collectibles are always a thing. Maybe wait for a sale if you're unsure.

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Dragon Age has taken yet another turn in the genre it presents itself as. Starting as a real-time Tactical RPG, to a nearly Diablo-style hack and slash, to the days of the Inquisition that played more like a single-player MMO. Veilguard presents itself as a.. let's call it a more traditional hack n' slash.

Replete with light, heavy, and charge attacks. Ranged. Block and Parry actions. The game is more or less a generic 'smack all the things with your magic stick until they die' type of adventure. It is enjoyable, however. The game has a number of status effects, but realistically, it boils down to armor, barrier and health damage — you really just need to look for the same “type” of attacks and stack into that. It's not completely mindless, but it's not far off. Primers and Detonators make party and ability selection feel like Darkest Dungeon.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3373471238

While playing the game, I felt like I was playing about 10 other triple A games. But ultimately, after I had gone through the game, it's structured more like Mass Effect 2/3 mixed with Hogwarts Legacy, Fable 3, and maybe Horizon Zero Dawn if you play as Rogue that specializes into being a Veil Ranger. Such as I did.

Your relationships with your companions matter, their factions and anything else you think you might need to prepare for what lies ahead.

One of the more odd things in this game is how the loot works. Instead of picking up hundreds of swords, bows and staves. Loot is relatively limited in this game. By hour 30, I had only picked up about 7 different swords for my dual-bladed Rogue. More specifically, when you find duplicates of a item, it doesn't go into your inventory to be sold at a random shop. You actually cannot sell weapons. Instead, weapons and armor are upgraded when duplicates are found. Effects unlocked. Gear is specifically designed for certain people. Don't be afraid to peruse merchant shops, they'll often have gear you already have — buy them, it'll upgrade your stuff.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3373461072

Shops, as well as the Caretaker, can be upgraded to offer more items. As well as enchantments, these also act differently than a more traditional system. The Caretaker offers a finite number of enchantments. They are free, but they can only be applied to one piece of gear at a time. Gear is upgraded with material purchased or found. The entire inventory system is rather simplified. Valuables and materials you never really interact with beyond picking up. They just sort of exist in your inventory until you are at the place they're needed.

Potions are found in containers throughout the game. You don't need to have them in your inventory nor replenish them at camps. Some companions offer additional potions on cooldown.

Make sure you head back there often and check on your team, it's the Normandy — in the Fade. There are a ton of quests and dialogue you'll miss if you don't.

I played this game on Underdog difficulty for around 30 hours. I hit a proverbial wall at this time. It's the game's “hard” difficulty. I did not find the game difficult at this setting, rather I found it tedious. There are number of custom difficulty settings in the game, but I found dropping the enemy health to “Standard” while leaving the rest on Underdog was a fair balance of challenge while not wasting all of your time.

For some reason this is contentious, but all the characters in this game are romanceable by any gender. For player choice, I think this is the best option. But for story reasons, they do have preferences. It would also be dishonest of me to not mention that I, in real life, came out as pan/bi recently — whatever eases your confusion faster. These games having more options has allowed myself, and many others a safe space to explore those emotions. There is a non-binary individual in this game, they are well written. It does not feel forced — their story speaks about their own struggle in figuring out who they are.

I think this game will be forever polarized, much like Andromeda. (I liked Andromeda)

I don't think it's a great game overall. I think it's a fine game. I think it's a decent entry into the Dragon Age series. I actually prefer it to Inquisition. But I'm certain this game is just not for everyone. I also prefer more stylized visuals, so I like the change in art style. It may hurt to hear, but this game will age better than its contemporaries — at least visually.

If you are not already convinced in either direction regarding a purchase or not — sales are coming.

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https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3373477949

I did not play much of this game on the Steam Deck, but it runs fine. I recommend running at the native 800p, locking to 30FPS for consistency, and turning the dynamic resolution scaling function on for when things get dramatic. It's gonna draw almost all of that 25W the whole time.

This game starts by defining the word Jusant, it's that type of game.

Reductively speaking, it's Breath of the Wild mixed with Death Stranding, but it's from DONTNOD, the developers most likely known for Life is Strange, and it's much more linear. So if that's sounds as cool to you as it does to me, stop reading this review and buy this game, you've wasted enough time already.

More specifically...
This game is about climbing a mountain, using climbing gear, managing stamina and grip — and of course, getting collectibles. There's a little narrative as well. But climbing the mountain is all you need to understand.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3356980119

The left and right triggers control your grip of each hand, the left analog stick “guides” your hands. So simple traversal is relatively straightforward. You are also able to use pitons to catch you if you fall.

You have a rope that can attach to almost anything, but there are specific tether lines to aid you. Additionally, You can rappel, swing on the rope, wall run — the game is actually much more free-form in the ways you're able to navigate than I expected. I anticipated the game to be more like Prince of Persia, where the movement is much more direct between objects.

There are mounted grips, where you can regain stamina, as well as rewind your cable/rope. What amounts to a checkpoint.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3356982681

It's the mountain itself. Through a number of different sections, not only is managing your stamina something you need to tackle, there are also environmental hazards. The sun drains your stamina faster, strong wind will use more grip, it can also push you around — which can be helpful. There is one section that involves rock creatures you must climb on, I did not enjoy this section — they behave in a very odd way and I didn't find the traversal as satisfying as the rest of the game.

This game is verified at the time of writing. But I found the default Steam Deck settings a little undesirable. I found dropping the scaling down and locking it to 40fps was decent. It still has pretty bad frame drops and it uses well over 18W most of time, so it's not great on battery. But it's very playable, I just wouldn't call it an ideal experience.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3356984025

It's a fun game, a little “artsy”. I didn't have any emotional moments like I do sometimes with this type of game. But, I'm kind of with Ariana Grande at this point. I have no tears left to cry. That isn't to say the game isn't emotional — it just didn't hit me that way. It's fun, and relatively unique, however.

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High On Life is a game from the creators of Rick and Morty — if citing that name brings undesirable feelings, read no further.

It's a pretty straight-forward title. Linear-esque, with open areas. FPS with no RPG elements — no leveling. You'll have four weapons that have a primary and alt fire that will be used in and out of combat. The game features a fair number of traversal and puzzle sequences and your weapons alt fire will be used in each.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3340028070

Anecdotes
The game made me think of many games while playing. It is somehow every game and none of them at the same time.

Your weapons are also characters themselves. This made the game feel a bit like Oddworld Stranger's Wrath with its “live” ammunition. The vibe of the game over all is bit all over the place. The AI and behavior of some of the enemy types make it feel like Halo. But it's satirical nature comes off as more like a side-story in a Borderlands game.

You go after aliens as a Bounty Hunter, often resulting in a new weapon, making it feel very Mega Man-esque. Early on, when you only have Kenny (a sort of pistol), his glob shot makes the gunplay turn into something not dissimilar to Bulletstorm. During dialogue sequences, the overall tone of game had shifted into something that reminded me of The Outer Worlds, both from its color scheme and satirical tone.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3340033329

I did not test this game on the Steam Deck. However, it is verified at the time of writing this and I see no reason why it would not run at moderate settings with some compromise depending on desired FPS/battery life.

While I did enjoy the game, it's not that interesting. It's the same humor as Rick and Morty, so if that isn't for you, stay away. It's a fun game, it reminds me of back in the early 2000s when 9-12 hour campaigns were what you expected out of a $50 triple A game. So it has this instant nostalgia feeling it gives off. Even though it will likely be forgotten by many just as fast. I'd grab it on sale if it seems up your alley.

If you've found this review helpful, consider following my curation — Station Argus