Recent reviews by DedalusRoot

I have just completed Eriksholm: The Stolen Dream, clocking in at about 13 hours of playtime.
Eriksholm's a realtime stealth game, in the vein of classics like Desperados or  Shadow Tactics (both the by the now closed Mimimi Games
(https://www.mimimi.games/our-final-game/).
Compared to those games, Eriksholm will feel much less complex and also significantly shorter, which honestly is one of the main reasons I picked it up. I wanted a game for the weekend that I cound finish in under 15 hours.

The other reason the game first caught my eye, was the fact that it is absolutely beautiful. The steam-powered industrial revolution world of Rosmark is lovingly modelled, resembling a tilt-shift model train diorama at times. It's an absolute delight to look at!

Though simple at heart and with a limited cast of up to three characters, the game mechanics felt interesting and challenging to me (though I have to admit, I'm no stealth game afficionado) and the character abilities were diverse enough to allow for some decent and intriguing puzzle action.
Still, if you're looking for deep mechanical complexity and a really tough nut to crack, I'm not sure this is one's for you.

What Eriksholm does beautifully tough, is the wordbuilding and storytelling. River End Games found a great way to weave information and lore into the game through experiencing both PC and NPC dialogue while exploring the levels or by uncovering collectibles and notes. I especially enjoyed how the story grows on me as a player as it grows in significance to the world.

I think I was never deeply invested in the character, even though the way the game depicts character relations, especially between the two female protagonists, was well done and always felt organic. There's a little caveat for Sebastian here, whom we haven't really met, until he shows up in the last third of game.

Unfortunately, compared to its overall game time, the game's price (40 Euro on Steam) feels quite expensive, even though the overall production value definitely justifies the price. Still, if you're not willing to pay that hefty price, better wait for a sale.

In summary: I thoroughly enjoyed the experience, especially due to the fact that it was short and sweet. Does it sometimes feel like a showcase of the studios capabilities in the hopes of gathering attention? Definitely, but I personally wouldn't mind if Eriksholm allowed River End Games next game to be a big one...

Having played a few hours, Dungeons of Hinterberg feels like a fun riff on the "dungeon exploration" formula, taking elements from Zelda and Persona to create a casual, almost cozy gaming experience while also providing some light commentary on capitalism, privilege, career choices and adult growing pains.

A few hours into the game and No Rest for the Wicked feels like a great mix of Action RPG, Soulslike and Metroidvania.

Pros
+ Classic Diablo style isometric ARPG with random loot drops
+ Weighty Soulslike combat with a great focus on challenging boss fights
+ Metroidvania style exploration with some unexpected verticality
+ Combine with an amazing, disctinct art style for something very special

Cons
- Read and heard about massive performance issues which I couldn't fully reproduce
- Crafting is currently not fully implemented but already feels like it could become a grind in the end game
- Still not sure what the purpose of creating and joining different Realms will be beyond multiplayer sessions

My Hardware
AMD Ryzen 5 3600X
32.0 GB RAM
NVIDIA Geforce RTX 3070 Ti
500GB Samsung 970 M.2 PCI-e NVME SSD

Venba is a beautiful little indie game about the immigrant experience, telling a really heartfelt story about family and heritage through the act of cooking and recovering family recipes. Even though it's a really small little game, I cried multiple times. I cannot recommend this more.
(Warning: If you're expecting complex puzzles and a playtime of more than 1 hour, you'll be dissapointed!)

I'm still hesitant to call it an absolute masterpiece, but I've played 30 hours since release and the game is near perfect.

I have a few hesitations regarding the velocity at which companion relationships develop, but that might be a result of the overall game length...

I was able to finish Hi-Fi Rush yesterday, and the game is an absolutely delightful experience. Stunning soundtrack, captivating crisp beat'em up rhythm gameplay (even for someone as bad as me) and a funny little storyline poking fun at corporate culture and giving off huge Scott Pilgrim vibes. Highly recommended, definitely a GotY contender for me

"An entrance, literal or metaphysical, cannot be undone."
A game like a Wes Anderson movie

Started playing this weekend and 7 hours into the game I'm amazed at how much I like it.

I was quite irritated by all the bad user reviews on Steam, so I was concerned spending that much money on a game that might suck, but honestly (and subjectively) the game is amazing.
I love the story telling, I'm really into the quirky characters and the Skill Check system keeps it all comprehensible while adding complexity as you level up (As opposed to, say Pillars Of Eternity, that hits you right over the head with its complexity, when you first start).
The crisis system is not that bad, since I only had two fights in six hours of gameplay (including the one in the tutorial).
I get how the lack of battle would be a downside for some people, for me it's welcome change and makes the rare battles feel quite "adventurous". ^^