Recent reviews by derebelizer

I really liked this game, here is my list of pros and cons:

pro:
- good graphics
- captivating storyline
- very well built manor with lots of rooms with different interior and still fitting perfectly together
- the puzzles are acceptable and not too hard - I don't like games where I have to get my wife to solve the puzzzles! 😂

cons:
- only a single sound effect in the background whereever you are in the house, i.e. it's not very atmospheric when it comes to sound (i muted the music completely) - different background sounds in different areas would have been great!
- you have a map which is helpful to find out where you are, but it doesn't allow you to jump from room to room - that's why the games takes so long. Certain items in the rooms are pointed out on the map, but whether the rooms have already been unlocked is not shown, unfortunately
- translation: regarding the German translation: it's sometimes not consistent, e.g. the storage room has a sign that says "Storage Room" in English, but on the map it's translates as "Lagerung", i.e. "Storage" - then when you get the key in English the key is named "Storage Room Key", but in German it's an "old rusty key" - what the heck?

All in all I still liked the game.

I really liked this game as I like atmospheric games in general. The story unwraps slowly and I was only stuck twice for a short amount of time without knowing where to go next - which means that it is very well done and you don't waste time walking around cluelessly.
Also, the jump scares are not just stuffed in there, but follow the story very well and are logical.
The graphics are amazing and very detailed and the sound effects and music create a perfect atmosphere.

I've been searching for a long time for a game to play in coop mode with friends and as I like building and crafting it is a perfect fit. I normally don't play games like these but this one got me hooked - played for more than 33 hours!
I played ARK for around 5 minutes (until I died). The same with RUST.

Pros:
- good graphics
- no game-breaking bugs discovered yet
- you can play as PvE or PvP and in co-op mode
- except for a few times the framerate is ok
- no permadeath and you can continue playing where you left off when you die (at least in an online game even if playing alone)
- you can build your own power grid spanning the world to power machines etc. and connect power generators anywhere in the grid which is really cool

Cons:
- LAN game does not seem to work, but an online game is possible and works well
- drones say way too much but if you disable the dialog volume in the game settings they are muted
- a few bugs
- there could be more different types of animals in the game

I hope I don't run into any bugs like lost savegames or erupting volcanoes I read about here. But even then and even if I built so much already - it's early access so I except things to break. Would be horrific anyway if I'd had to start from scratch ;)

I did not play in single player mode but in multiplayer mode ("Host Game" -> "Online") which is still only for me and friends that join me but from what I read there's no difference currently between single player mode and multiplayer mode playing alone. The good thing playing alone in multiplayer mode is that friends can join now and then but it only works when you as the host have the game running. So I'm not playing on a specific server where everybody can join. I didn't test that.

I have posted a detailed review at http://www.walkingsimulator.games/caligo.html but here are quickly the pros and cons I see:

Pro
- Many different scenes: from very colourful to dark
- So beautiful sometimes that you can't stop taking pictures
- Dialogs can be skipped
- Theatrical music

con
- Not as immersive as it could be
- No choices except one at the end, no interactivity except picking up drawings
- Completely linear
- No dot in the middle to prevent motion sickness (had minor problems with it)
- Invisible walls in many places, especially in the fantasy part
- Unnerving auto-panning camera
- Sometimes you're moved unexpectedly
- Bug: fell off the electric chair area - had to restart the game as this resulted in an endless fall
- Only around 1-1.5 hours of gameplay

All in all the idea is good but it fails to succeed. It looks great but the subconscious connection just didn't happen for me unlike in similar games like The Stanley Parable or The Beginner's Guide. I played a game - I didn't experience something in my life (which was different in Dear Esther).

I really like this game which might be visible based on the hours I've played it. I have written an extensive review at https://www.walkingsimulator.games/the-painscreek-killings.html but here is a quick overview of the pros and cons:

Pros:
- captivating story with a lot of well-designed and believable characters
- intensive atmosphere (if you are the type of gamer who is able to dive deep into such games)
- deep story with many characters with different motivations
- feels as if you are there in person investigating - no unnatural or illogical actions to be taken
- a lot of secrets
- beautiful weather, you hear birds, the wind in the trees
- semi non-linear gameplay

Cons:
- most of the time you really walk around from place to place (but it's not as annoying as it sounds)
- there is only one music per scene/room/building
- no controller support (though I initially wanted to use XPadder I got used to the keyboard controls quickly)
- low framerate in certain situations (when there is a huge complex to be rendered like at the entrance to the mansion)
- extremely slow load times in several places - it takes sometimes minutes switching between the different areas - but it should be a lot faster using an SSD (which I didn't try)
- no translations into other languages (yet)

I like it more than Everyone's Gone To The Rapture and FireWatch (though the latter was as captivating to me as this game). If you like narrative exploration games you should give it a try.

Anyway, I really enjoyed the game and if there will be another game from EQ studios I'll buy it blindly.

I really liked the game and played it through in one setting as it was so thrilling. Got it for 5 bucks which is ok. I wouldn't pay 20 for it. But once again: well done! I love these kind of short games as I can just play them through in one setting or on a weekend.

One of the most wonderful games I played! Great story and I actually played it through in a single day because it was so suspenseful.

The graphics are good but still have many glitches (the stones on the sides flicker often and look like the texture on the side is missing - GeForce GTX 1050 Ti). I expected way more from the game than walking around over and over to find some items. Also it has a couple of UI bugs like you cannot turn off the music (when you turn it to 0 and then close the dialog when you open it again it shows 1.4 and you essentially cannot turn off the music). I purchased this expecting relaxing short game, however the monotonous awful way too loud step sounds which are much louder than the birds e.g. ruined this for me.
I expected it to be more like other "walking simulators" like "Dear Esther" with a clear path and I played a lot of those games. I didn't expect something like Firewatch whatsoever especially given the low price tag but I actually did not relax at all and was disappointed when it ended.

It's a short game (it took 56 minutes for me finishing it) but a very atmospheric one despite it feeling a bit like the old point-and-click adventure games (frames are faded, no real 3D movement, no animations). Very inspirational and with great voice acting. Felt like a short vacation for me.
It is like a walking simulator - just not 3D and reminds me a bit (just a bit due to its extreme shortness) of games like The Old City: Leviathan, The Beginner's Guide, Ether One

Definitely want to play more of this!