Recent reviews by Bad Doctor

Easily the best puzzle game I've ever played. I was a big fan of The Talos Principle as well as the Road to Gehenna DLC (as difficult as it was) so I had high expectations going into this, and Croteam VASTLY exceeded them.

Each area eases you into new mechanics and lets you discover how everything works on your own, and prepares you for the next set of challenges ahead of you. The difficulty progression is noticeable, but not frustrating, and every solution left me feeling genuinely satisfied. Nothing felt repetitive and every new mechanic felt fun and intuitive to use. Everything has its purpose, and with a bit of proper planning I feel each puzzle is fair for when and where you encounter it in the game.

The worldbuilding in this game is incredible. Similar to the first game, each area has plenty of space to roam the land and discover what the island has to offer. Hidden puzzles, audio logs, and more lore than you can shake a stick at. At no point in this game did I ever feel like plowing through the puzzles and ignoring the environment, I always wanted to go off-path or follow a path with no signage.

The story is also wonderful. I wasn't sure at first what the story would actually involve, but as the game progressed I wanted to see more of the story as much as I wanted to keep solving the puzzles. There are multiple endings and they are all very well done. I implore you to spend the time to unlock them, they are very much worth it.

The movement is reactive and intuitive, the controls are fluid, and nothing felt even remotely awkward. That being said, be sure to mess with your settings if you start to get motion sick. I typically don't get motion sick from first-person games, but I needed to adjust a few settings after I noticed myself getting a bit queasy.

This game is a must-have. It can be enjoyed without playing the first, but doing so will really help you appreciate how much they have improved since. Everything feels incredibly polished and I didn't run into a single bug during my entire playthrough (seriously, think of the last game you played where you didn't come across a bug in almost a day's worth of play time).

Did I get it on sale? Yes. Would I pay full price had I known what I was going to get? In a heartbeat.

If you enjoyed the first Supraland, this is an excellent follow-up to it. If you're sticking to the main story line of the game, the puzzles feel fairly intuitive while still requiring you to think outside the box. The side quests are more difficult, but leave you with an "aha!" feeling when you finally finish them, whether it be from a creative solution or a challenging parkour trial.

If you're on the fence, try the demo. If you like the demo, you'll DEFINITELY like the full game.

I want to like this game. I really, really want to like this game. I just cannot recommend it.

The game should have ended significantly earlier than it did. The end levels turn into mundane fetch quests with frustrating new mechanics that are explained poorly. The story is bland at best and the amount of work needed to be put into the last level consumes more time than the rest of the game.

The controls are clunky and glitchy, which can be forgiven early on, but only get worse later. Additionally, there are WAY too many things assigned to the Left Shift key. Wall running, climbing, slow motion, and platform spawning are all assigned to the SAME BUTTON. There are a lot of keys on a keyboard, and a mouse button that is never used, it's not like they ran out of options.

I started off hopeful, and ended up being so frustrated by the end that I merely wanted to beat it because I was so close to the end. Once I saw one of the endings (there are 4, and each one will take significant work to see), I closed the game and uninstalled it. Pass this one by.

Phenomenal game. Great if you want to kill a few minutes, or a couple of hours. Controls are smooth and responsive, and feel surprisingly natural after a few rounds. Deaths aren't punishing at all, and allow you to restart the map at which you crashed. This means if you're working on an especially gutsy stunt, you have as many tries as you want. The quick replay button is an added bonus. The lack of music is PERFECT. You're focused entirely on your actions and your surroundings, and the ambient sound pulls you in, never to let go.

Some important notes:

START OUT ON ZEN MODE - I didn't, and I was focused more on my score than the actual gameplay. Once i got all the score achievements, I turned Zen Mode on and realized that this is how the game was meant to be played. After about a dozen rounds of Zen Mode, I had actually beaten my high score. Playing around and taking it less seriously actually rewards you in the long run.

PLAY WITH A CONTROLLER - Seriously. Keyboard controls are great and accessible, but a joystick is going to feel remarkably better. Your movements aren't as drastic and you will immediately feel more in control. Again, I started out on Keyboard controls, and I cannot tell you how much of an improvement using a controller was.

DON'T RUSH GETTING THE ACHIEVEMENTS - You can probably tell by now that I'm just listing things I had done differently going into this game. Because each map is procedurally generated, you'll never experience the same world twice unless you save seeds. Take time and actually explore each map that comes up. Not every map will suit your style of play, but the ones that do will make you feel incredible as you navigate through obstacle after obstacle. Most of the achievements are going to come to you naturally by the time you explore 100 maps, and if you want to pick up any you missed, by all means hunt them at this point. Just make sure you give yourself time to enjoy the game.

Get this game. It's inexpensive, it's easy to learn, and will fit anybody's play style.

Absolutely delightful game! The puzzles are fairly intuitive, but still require you to work for the solution, and the back-and-forth you need to do with your partner feels incredible when a solution is reached. Just as one person reaches the end of their rope, the other starts theirs, and the way you move forward together is perfectly balanced. Not once did I feel cheated by a puzzle, nor did I feel that a solution was reached by means that felt unnecessary. This is a great game to play with a friend.

Total Play Time: 90-120 minutes, depending on how you and your partner work together.

This game is absolutely stunning. I saw a clip of it on YouTube, and immediately bought this game.

Graphics

The graphics for this game are delightful. They're simple, yet have so much hidden detail in them. Nothing seems forced, and anything that has an icon is a clear, directional hint to something important you need to know. Even the hidden areas aren't THAT hidden once you look closely. The overall atmosphere is unique with each level, and is such an incredible thing to experience.

Soundtrack

The music for this game is impeccable. It boosts your drive to continue exploring, and even changes subtly when entering hidden areas. It doesn't overpower what you're doing or serve as a distraction, but rather helps you get into the rhythm of the level you're facing. Having B-Side levels include remixes of songs was an incredible decision as well, and just adds to the incredible soundtrack.

Gameplay

The controls for this game are very tight and responsive. The momentum is just right, and it truly feels like your character is doing what you ask it to. The tutorial is simple and interactive, and makes you feel like you already knew what to do before even entering it. Each level has its own unique mechanics, and does an excellent job of introducing each one.
Everything feels very refined and intuitive.

Difficulty

You are going to die. A LOT. Be well prepared for this. The difficulty factor is a gradual climb, but boy does it climb. By the end of the game, you are doing some very complex and precise maneuvers, and they can be very tough. The B-Side levels are extremely punishing. If you've played any other platformers that are "iconic" for being extremely hard or punishing, then B-Sides will make you feel right at home. That being said, at no point did I ever blame the game for what happened. There weren't any issues with hitboxes or non-responsive controls, it was always 100% me that was messing up. This game gets hard, but the reward is so worth it.

Final Opinion

This game is absolutely incredible. The story finishes quicker than I had expected, but still allows an immense world to explore. Can you blow through this game in a few hours? Absolutely. Can you 100% it? Eventually, but it's going to take a lot of time. Put away the guides for this one, because the rush of discovering things on your own is going to be your biggest motivating factor in this game. Love what it has to offer, and embrace the natural challenge that comes with it.