Recent reviews by Nodens

It is unbelievable that although BattlEye has implemented support for Linux, Bungie refuses to enable it so we can't play on Steam Deck or any Linux distribution when the majority of games out there run just fine with Proton.

Their excuse for that is, wait for it... that they won't enable it because they're committed to the security of the game blah blah blah. Absolutely ridiculous excuse with ZERO technical merit whatsoever.

So yeah, we'll play something else that does not have a completely nonsensical policy and we can run it on our Steam Decks and our Linux machines as well, like, you know, 99% of the games out there currently.

Apart from my own personal pet peeve with the game using the ultra simplistic 5th edition D&D ruleset, which I absolutely hate, this game succeeds in every way imaginable.

Very few minor issues here and there which are being constantly worked on.

If they add formations so we can always walk with our tanky characters up front and a few other minor UI/UX improvements it'll be perfect. It's certainly Game of the Year and proof that you can have amazing games without microtransaction/pass/store BS and still make a huge amount of money (more than the alternatives). All it takes is focusing on making a great game instead of on how to milk people dry of money.

PS Modders please do a 3.5 or 4 edition ruleset conversion please!

A few hundreds of hours in and review stays the same. That is something strange in this day and age, easily found only in the indie scene.

A beautiful game with cool story that scratches that cyberpunk itch (unlike other titles bearing the tag).

6 years later the Linux dedicated server depot is still empty.
Who on earth runs game servers on Windows machines apart from someone that wants to run
one in-home for the 4 players in his household?
Fed up having to deal with a multitude of issues running and maintaining my server under WINE.
It is inexcusable for a game with user-run dedicated servers not mainly have it running on Linux.

What a treat!
This is possibly the best point and click adventure game that I have played in ages. And I have played A LOT.
Apart from the great story, awesome graphics, amazing music and on the point social, political and philosophical themes, this is a masterfully crafted wink to another era of computer technology and its underground.
A nod to the asm Demoscene and the Scene, obviously by people who were part of it.
I salute you!

mov ah, 4ch
int 21h
Nodens (Initial coder of Debris)

PS The Technomancers demo rocked indeed!
PPS That soundcard on the station certainly looked like a Gravis UltraSound :P

A peculiar game with absurdist humour. Which in my opinion is its main redeeming quality.

Gameplay:
You play as a cat in the turkey castle/headquarters trying to find your way around. There's very little explaining and lacks any tutorial or even a keymap setting in order to check the keys out.
Apparently it uses WASD and Q/E/R but you have to stumble on your own pressing random keys until you figure out what does what. You have your main sword attack, a ranged attack that has limited ammo and mousetraps that are even more limited. It is possible there's something else in your arsenal that I did not manage to find.
Combat in itself feels VERY clunky which is something that makes the game difficult. I do enjoy difficult games but only when said difficulty is not based on clunky controls and animations but actual gameplay difficulty.
The game feels very much rushed which is evident when you find a huge bug at the first minute of playing. Running to the corridor to the far right, from the first room you start in, makes you fall through the geometry and respawn at the start. This is 100% repeatable and you can't help but wonder how something this huge went by unnoticed?
Other than that, gameplay, once you get the hang of it, feels very repetitive.

Graphics:
Graphics-wise the game is mediocre. It is made with Unity engine and I'm pretty sure I've seen some artwork assets (eg the protagonist's armor) in several other projects. There are very few graphical settings (mainly Resolution, Fullscreen, VSync and AA toggle) and only the turkeys look very good in my opinion.

Music/Sound Design:
While music quality is decent it is also quite repetitive and gets old fast. Very fast. Sound effects are good.

Pros:
-Funny.

Neutral:
-Some artwork assets do not look original.

Cons:
-Clunky combat
-Very repetitive gameplay.
-Repetitive music.
-Very high price for what it is.

Conclusion:
I can not recommend this game at its current price of 14 Euro. Perhaps bundled or on sale for the comedy value alone.

Score:
Gameplay: 4/10
Graphics: 5/10
Music/Sound: 5/10
Concept/Story: 6/10


More game reviews @ https://cassus.org

This is a game that brings memories of my teen years at the arcades. An on-rails shooter like a few of the games that were very popular late 80s/early 90s.

Gameplay:
You're a gunner in the wild west. Shoot everything that moves and is flashing red. Shoot anything in the environment. Shoot, shoot shoot. That's the basic concept behind the game. It sounds simple yet the game is not easy.
As an on-rails shooter, you have no control on your movement, you keep moving forward on a set path and you have to shoot things that pop up on your way plus projectiles that may also come your way. There are also things that you must not shoot so it's not just go-trigger-happy.

Graphics:
The game's graphics are simple with cartoony style. There are no graphics quality control options to speak of but, despite this, the game looks good.

Music/Sound Design:
Music is energetic which works to keep you on your toes (or should I say on the trigger? heh) and the sound effects are also fitting and what one would expect.

Pros:
-Not a genre you meet very often, specially on the PC.
-Very funny.

Neutral:
-No graphics quality options but visually it works as it is.

Cons:
-This game really needs a gun-controller like the old arcades. Mouse control is as good as I could ever imagine such a game to have but the game would be so much more fun if you could point and shoot instead.

Conclusion:
Recommended. It's a fun game and if you're an old fart like me you probably have lots of memories playing games like these.

Score:
Gameplay: 7/10
Graphics: 6/10
Music/Sound: 6/10
Concept/Story: 7/10


More game reviews @ https://cassus.org

Let me start by saying that this is the most polished/visually appealing indie game that I have ever gotten my hands on so far. And with currently 1515 titles in my Steam collection alone, I have seen quite a few..
The Butterfly Sign is an adventure/detective type of game with a very interesting mystery story to solve. It is in episodic format so this is only chapter one with chapter two expected during the first quarter of 2017.

Gameplay:
You play as someone with no recollection of your memories, found in a situation where you are forced into taking an experimental drug in order to relive your memories and prove your innocence.
This is the basic premise behind the game which evolves around exploring and doing detective work in your memories. This usually entails examining the scenes and selecting the correct answer in a multiple choice question about what you have deduced by studying the scene.
I must say I found the puzzles to be very easy. But this is one of my favourite genres, I grew up with text and later point and click adventure games, so I imagine not all players will find it so easy as I did. The story in itself is very interesting and mysterious. I will not say anything more about it though to avoid spoiling anything for anyone.
I did complete it in about 1.5 hours then went back at it hunting for the remaining achievements.

Graphics:
The game uses the Unreal engine and it uses it well. Graphic-wise the game is simply amazing. At a level hard to believe for an indie title. The photography alone is superbly composited.
Artwork assets are also of very high quality. Which explains the whooping 19GB of space this game needs despite the fact it's only the first chapter hence rather sort.

Music/Sound Design:
Sound design, ambience, effects, all of great quality and contributing a lot to the game's eerie atmosphere.

Pros:
-Amazing graphics.
-Great atmosphere.
-Very interesting story.

Neutral:
-Puzzles are not very challenging.
-Episodic format.

Cons:
-The game is rather short as it is only the first chapter and 19GB of assets for this length seems excessive BUT the redeeming factor is that it looks absolutely beautiful.

Conclusion:
Highly recommended for fans of mystery/story/puzzle adventure games. Although only the first chapter, the price is appropriate.

Score:
Gameplay: 7/10
Graphics: 9/10
Music/Sound: 9/10
Concept/Story: 8/10


More game reviews @ https://cassus.org

123 Slaughter Me Street 2 is, in general, an improvement from the previous game in most areas although it seems it is a bit easier to play than the first title.

Gameplay:
Gameplay has certainly evolved from the first game in which you were navigating what seemed like the same corridor again and again. This time you can free-roam inside a house. Huge improvement right there on its own.
Now the game is played in 3 stages. Hide, Seek and Exit. All three are exactly what they suggest. You have to use hiding spots in the first phase until you get your green bar up. Then you have to follow the purple trail fast in order to seek and lastly you have to exit the house via the door.
Jump-scares are much better than the previous game as well both in presentation and execution.
I did manage to notice a very annoying bug though, in the "Pre-Game" phase (which is right before the game starts), hitting escape does not open the game menu but instead I see a mouse pointer. This is rather annoying as you have to wait for the Hide phase to start before you can quit.

Graphics:
In this department the game has stepped up, by a lot. Resolution has gone up and so did the quality of the monster models who are much more scary now.

Music/Sound Design:
Like the first title, there's still not any real music in the game while the sound effects/design are good and fitting the theme.

Pros:
-Step up from the first title in the series, in almost every aspect.
-Better graphics and monster aesthetics.
-Jump scares are MUCH better.
-Stage area is now a house instead of a corridor. Although it could be bigger.
-Flashlight is no longer annoying like the first game.

Neutral:
-Difficulty is decreased. But considering some of the aspects that made the first game more difficult (eg the flashlight being randomly wonky), this goes in neutral.

Cons:
-Controls feels clunkier than the previous title at times.
-The house is rather small.
-Exit door in the house is always at the same location.

Conclusion:
If you liked the first game, you will almost definitely like this one as well. It is certainly an improvement at an already interesting game.
As per my review of the first title as well, recommended to fans of horror and jump-scare based games.

Score:
Gameplay: 7/10
Graphics: 8/10
Music/Sound: 8/10
Concept/Story: 7/10


More game reviews @ https://cassus.org

123 Slaughter Me Street is an interesting horror game. You play as a criminal on the run who while evading the police, manages to get into an abandoned building with "tenants" far worse than the police.


Gameplay:
Gameplay evolves trying to cross corridors to the next floor while being hunted by monsters.
You can only go forward but you can turn to look to your sides/back and utilize a flashlight which sometimes works immediately and sometimes not. And yes the flashlight being wonky like that is a design choice meant to agitate and frustrate you.
What is interesting is how each level requires a different "tactic" to complete. I will not get into details though as people may want to figure out each level on their own.
Worthy to mention that the game is entirely based on jump scares, although after a while you kinda become used to them.


Graphics:
Graphic-wise the game looks average even on the "Fantastic" setting. Enemy models look a bit low-res and the art direction is a bit funny. Not sure if this intended or not.

Music/Sound Design:
There is not really any music. Sound effects/design are quite good and the general audio atmosphere is suitable for the genre. Initially the developer's note tells you that the game is best experienced on headphones. I would have to agree.

Pros:
-Interesting mechanics

Neutral:
-Flashlight mechanic is controversial. After a while it doesn't agitate you but rather annoy you.
-You can possibly get used to the jump scares easily.

Cons:
-Controls feel slightly clunky.
-Level aesthetics is repetitive.

Conclusion:
Bottomline, the game is fun and hard enough. Recommended for fans of jump-scare based games and horror in general.

Score:
Gameplay: 8/10
Graphics: 6/10
Music/Sound: 8/10
Concept/Story: 7/10


More game reviews @ https://cassus.org