Recent reviews by ready2b

Gris is a stunningly gorgeous 2D platformer that gradually becomes more beautiful as you progress. Similar to the likes of ABZU or Journey, Gris focuses on the artistic direction and symbolism rather than challenging or innovative gameplay… and I absolutely loved it.

Played with PlayStation 4 controller and my lovely partner

• Although I cannot claim to fully understand the symbolism behind the journey, it is clear that the protagonist faces an internal struggle (some sort of inner demon) that literally strips the colour from her world and silences her beautiful voice. You start the game devoid of colour and journey onwards to rediscover yourself. Overcoming obstacles and your inner demons cause the colours to gradually return until your world is vivid and bright once again. I find it exceptional that this journey was orchestrated not through dialogue and narration, but rather through a powerful application of colour and artistic direction. I imagine that this message/struggle will resonate strongly with many players.
  
• It should come as no surprise that Gris is drop dead gorgeous. As previously mentioned, the addition of colours seem to represent the protagonist’s recovery, but is also the driver of the most stunning cutscenes; like a magnificent symphony of water colours.
  
• While the game is fairly short (approximately 3 hours long) it is by no means repetitive. There are 5 very distinct chapters with unique color schemes (you regain a new colour per level), theme, and soundtracks that pair extremely well with the environments. Additionally, you obtain a new ability per chapter, which adds to the sense of progression and novelty. I really appreciate that Nomada Studio did not neglect the gameplay by focusing too heavily on the artistic direction.
  
• I am a big fan of the chapter select option, which becomes available after finishing the game. This allowed me to scurry through chapters to collect any mementos (hidden collectibles) I missed during my first run, for which I was rewarded with a secret cutscene.
  
• I love you block friend, you can have all my apples <3

• Fairly standard as far as 2D platformers go. Gris doesn’t do anything particularly innovative but the gameplay is not repetitive, the puzzles are clever, and the platforming is well executed. I would classify this game as: beginner friendly but can be appreciated by anyone.

• At times this game almost feels like a walking simulator, given how slowly the protagonist moves. My first run only lasted around 3 hours but it could probably be cut down to 2 if the protagonist picked up the pace. However, I can’t complain too much since rushing through the game kind of defeats the purpose. Funnily enough, swimming actually is the fastest way to move around.

Practically any synonym of “beautiful” would accurately describe Gris. There is no doubt that this game is intended to be a visual/auditory spectacle and in that regard, it excels. The platforming is well executed but not challenging by any means, so don’t expect to be mind blown by gameplay but brace for intense sensory delights. Highly recommended to anyone looking for a relaxing/enjoyable few hours.

PikuNiku is a bizarre adventure wrapped in an adorable aesthetic with some anti-capitalism glitter scattered on top. Given the silly nature of the game, I can almost guarantee that you will be entertained. However, perhaps more attention should have been spent on the gameplay as it is quite basic and has little replay value.
Side note: I still have no clue why the game is called PikuNiku (picnic in Japanese).

Played with Playstation 4 controller and my lovely partner

• PikuNiku emanates fun. The game immediately sets the tone by blasting you with an over-the-top slapstick cutscene, which is then followed by nonsensical events, silly characters, and countless bizarre encounters (battling giant toast, to name one). I never doubted that entertainment was the main focus of the game, from the wonky walk to ? soundtrack (don’t get me wrong, the soundtrack suits the game perfectly). Yet out of all the peculiarities, discovering the dancing insects was my favorite feature.

• Only about 3 hours of gameplay for the singleplayer adventure. I personally find that slapstick humor doesn’t work more than once. If you know what's coming, suddenly the humor is lost. This happens to be the case with PikuNiku, rendering away any sort of replay value. This is further enforced by the lack of a chapter select option, mediocre minigames, and a limited endgame (discussed in further detail below).
  
• There’s also a co-op mode but this also comes with its drawbacks. In adventure mode, there aren’t any instances (that I can recall) that require precision with the kick, which is great since the kick is unpredictable and unreliable at best. This is not the case in co-op. I came across many segments that required very precise kicking and ball relocation. Honestly this is a strange design choice if the purpose is to have fun. Needless to say, I did not spend much time playing this mode.
  
• Some items have no function, namely the doll and postcard that you can buy. Perhaps this is another jab at capitalism but the postcard seems like a missed opportunity. The ghost who guides you in the beginning asks you to send him postcards and there are numerous mailboxes around the world so my immediate thought is that it should be usable. Sadly it was confirmed by the developers that it cannot be sent. Perhaps this feature was removed?

• I really dislike that the developers chose not to add a chapter select option after completing the game. This is another feature (or lack thereof) that makes little sense to me since there is little to do in the endgame, discounting a few tedious minigames. Furthermore, there are missable collectables scattered throughout the adventure, which can only be collected if you restart the game. I am especially sour about this because the game deletes all your progress if you start a new game (mind you there are no save slots either). Yes, you will have to recollect every trophy/insect you had already found.
  
• Near the end of the game there is a paddleboat chase segment that is uncharacteristically unforgiving. The villain can sometimes shoot projectiles faster than you can jump again and if you get hit once you have to start the ~2 minute segment over. Given the simple controls, forgiving gameplay, and focus on humor I had assumed this game was developed with younger audiences or inexperienced gamers in mind. I don’t see the point in making the final segment so frustrating.

PikuNiku is great… if you play it once and only once. Perhaps I’ve had enough of games rely too heavily on humor rather than gameplay. Overall it’s entertaining and worth several good chuckles but sadly is also littered with poor design choices that end up taking away from the experience. Would maybe recommend to younger audiences or anyone looking for something mindlessly humorous.

Dead Cells is yet another rogue-like that promises fast paced combat, a large arsenal of unlockables in the form of skills, mutations, and weapons, and hours of randomly generated gameplay. In the ocean of forgettable titles, Dead Cells delivers phenomenally and has rightfully earned the title of my favorite rogue-like to date.
Disclaimer: I haven’t played the Bad Seed DLC yet.

Played with PlayStation 4 controller

• Controls feel incredibly responsive, which allows for smooth, fast-paced, and fair combat. While deaths can be frustrating, I have yet to experience one that wasn’t my fault. Poorly timed dodge-rolls, unfamiliar enemies/bosses and overconfidence usually led to my doom.
• The game encourages you to maintain a high pace by introducing optimizations such as speed boosts after killing enemies, fast downward smashing, and numerous teleportation portals per level (to quickly relocate if you hit a dead end). Runs can take as little as 8 minutes (I believe this is the record at the moment) or as long as you wish.
  
• What I found remarkable is how flexible this game is in regards to playstyles:
  
  1. It should come as no surprise that there is a large arsenal of unlockable weapons, shields, abilities, and mutations for you to unlock and use. There are so many viable builds/playstyles that only increases with playtime. However, it is important to note that all these (with the exception of mutations) have item levels. To keep up with the powered up enemies, it is usually a good idea to pick up stronger weapons/abilities along the way. This often forces you to change playstyle and makes for very dynamic gameplay even within the same run. Additionally, you can pay to reroll your weapon/ability modifiers or reset your mutations to create a build that better synchronizes with itself. Stringing together an end-game build from bits and pieces that you found long the way feels fantastic.
     
  2. You are not punished for playing at your preferred speed (rushed or taking your time). Both approaches have their inherent advantages/disadvantages while playing the level: [rushed] lower risk of taking damage but you collect fewer resources (cells and money), and run the risk of missing items and power scrolls (health and damage upgrade); [slow] basically the opposite. At the end of most levels two bonus doors are available, one for completing a level in a certain amount of time (rushed), and the other for killing x enemies without taking any damage (slow). So regardless of your preference, you can be rewarded extra cells (currency to unlock new items/upgrades) and powerful items to pick from. If you play your cards right, you can even unlock both doors.
• Unlocking better items is not necessary to win a run. Sure, some items are inherently better than others; however, knowledge and experience are much more valuable. It is very possible to win your first run (no unlocks) at the default difficulty, which is not always the case in roguelike games. In my opinion, this shows how well designed and balanced Dead Cells is.
  
• While the end boss is always the same, the path you take to get there can vary. Essentially there are several different levels/biomes you can explore with unique layouts, visual styles, sets of enemies and environmental hazards. However, these only become accessible once you obtain the correct rune(s). Runes (permanent upgrades) grant you new abilities, such as wall jumping and empowered downward smash. Each ability grants you access to a new biome, which in turn leads you to a new rune. Stringing together the newly unlocked routes to then explore new biomes and face new enemies added novelty to each run and made my overall experience that much more enjoyable. Dead Cells manages to combine the random nature of rogue-likes with the feeling of progression seamlessly.
  
• The hidden nuggets of unexpected humor juxtaposed the gloomy environment and were a welcome interruption to the intense gameplay. I especially loved the Dark Souls easter egg.

• There is definitely a level of “Git gud” required to play, especially once you start adding boss cells (increasing difficulty). Beating your first run, which in my case took about 3 hours (approximately 8 runs), is just the beginning. Doing so unlocks your first boss cell, which is a difficulty setting that can be toggled before you start a run; default is difficulty is 0 boss cells, and 5 is max. Increasing the difficulty to 1 already made a significant change, where enemies are tougher and health refills are more scarce. Thankfully, as an added bonus, you are able to open random doors with a 1 boss cell mark on them, which often provides valuable items. However, I am currently tapped out at 2 boss cells. At this point I question whether the time investment to benefit ratio is worth it to me anymore. Sure there’s the challenge aspect to it but having already explored all biomes thoroughly, I don’t know whether I want to keep playing for the sake of “gittin gudder”. To each their own. Regardless, given how much I enjoy Dead Cells, I still have every intention to play it every now and again.
  
• This is probably just a personal issue of mine but I can’t help gravitating towards certain weapons and skills that suit my play style (if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it). It’s a shame that I don’t experiment with the many available weapons and practically left shields untouched.

• Couldn’t think of any ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Dead Cells stands several feet taller than most games in the same genre. The fluid controls, fast-paced action, level diversity and in-game progression are all top notch. The only real downside I can think of is: it’s a rogue-like - you might eventually feel like you have explored enough. Naturally, this isn’t a fault specific to this game, but rather to the genre as a whole. Would highly recommend to anyone who enjoys 2D rogue-likes.

Disturbing would be a conservative description of Blasphemous. Heavily embedded with religious themes, this dark and gruesome 2D Medtroidvania immediately caught my attention and jumped to the top of my “play next” list. Unfortunately, given the many similarities between Blasphemous and the Souls series, it was difficult not to set an unrealistically high bar for Blasphemous. Despite great pixel art and a refreshingly ominous theme, Blasphemous only comes across as OK.

Played with PlayStation 4 controller

• Very few games come to mind when I think of disturbing religion-themed adventures, and even fewer do it well (shout out to Resident Evil 4). The Game Kitchen does a fantastic job of creating this gruesome world by incorporating many theme-appropriate details, such as rows of crucified sinners, disgusting (excuse me for being blasphemous *finger guns*) holy relics (most of which are just dismembered body parts), prayer beads, beautiful environments and terrifyingly worshippable bosses.
  
• I particularly enjoyed the brutal executions, but found it a shame that these could only be done to a handful of enemies. It would have been nice if all enemies, and perhaps even bosses, could be executed.
  
• Controls feel very smooth and responsive, which is essential for the playability of any punishing Medtroidvania. It also happens to include my favorite kind of 2D moment, where your character does not carry momentum. My only criticism is that the wall-hanging (when you stick your sword into the wall) does not always register properly, sometimes leading to frustrating insta-deaths.
  
• I was very happy to find out that there is a true ending, since the first ending left me unsatisfied. Having experienced both endings, I now understand how both endings work in relation to each other and appreciate them more for it. My only real criticism is that I had to read a guide to discover this. I would have never known there was a true ending or how to unlock it otherwise.

• Voice acting and animation quality is variable. Some characters were beautifully brought to life with fantastic voice acting, others simply sounded like an unqualified neighbour reading some lines as a favor. Similarly, the pixel art for the gameplay was fantastic, especially when it came to boss fights or executions; however, some cutscenes looked cheap as they lacked the detail and quality I came to expect from the rest of the game. The lack of consistency came as a shock and sometimes left me disappointed.
  
• Towards the end of the game, salt flasks (the refillable healing potion) heal only a small percentage of your total health. Given how long the interruptible healing animation takes, there are very few instances that you can heal during a fight. Thankfully, there is a prayer bead that makes you invincible while healing, though this did not feel very balanced either. I would have preferred a slightly shorter healing animation instead of having to rely on an over-powered bead.
  
• Given the large amount of collectibles, (beads, Children of Moonlight, etc), it would have been nice if it was possible to mark the map, instead of having to rely on memory.
  
• I wouldn’t describe the world as a “huge universe” as mentioned on the store page. It took me about 9 hours of blind gameplay to reach the first ending, and then another 3 hours to collect and complete everything. At best, this is a medium sized Medtroidvania.

• Due to the largely cryptic nature of this game, it is very easy to lose track of how to proceed. It was frustrating to waste time wandering aimlessly, especially if you are in areas that are cycle based (and there are many of these). This takes from the pacing of the game and can demotivate players from continuing.
  
• Ability upgrades seem unbalanced. My biggest beef is that the dash attack is far too strong and the downwards plunge is far too weak. It is also a shame that it is very difficult to use the upgradable combos. To clarify, Blasphemous is quite dynamic in the sense that enemies move a lot and therefore require you to move in response. The combos root you in place which either allows enemies to simply walk out of range, rendering the combo useless, or leaves you vulnerable to attacks. As such, there were very few instances where I could combo my basic attack. Instead, I mostly relied on the dash attack, since it is fast, has a gigantic range and is unbelievably strong (read: unbalanced).
  
• My biggest complaint is that Blasphemous is not as difficult as it initially looks. Regular enemies are generally quite easy to deal with since the parry timing is quite forgiving and the dash attack is too strong. The crown jewel of difficulty should have been the bosses, but these almost never took more than 2 tries (with a few exceptions of course). Sadly, the true challenge lies in [1] finding out what to do, and [2] avoiding the ever-present insta-death spikes and pits.
  
• Deaths are not particularly punishing. Upon death, you drop your Guilt, which only reduces your max MP slightly until you pick it back up. I never died before reobtaining my guilt so I have no idea what happens then, though I presume your max MP reduces further. Unlike Souls, where deaths are nerve-wrecking (since your currency is at risk), deaths here only felt like an inconvenience: “oh boy, I have to go through so many cycle based rooms again to get to where I was”.
  
• I have to wonder, is the camera intentionally awful? In many cases I died simply because I couldn’t see what was below me (inb4 I know you can look down but the camera shift is minimal). The limited visibility combined with the ever-present insta-death spikes and pits truly is a match made in heaven.

Blasphemous seems to have drawn inspiration from the Souls series but unfortunately pales in comparison. The biggest no-no is the abundance of insta-deaths that make deaths feel cheap rather than deserved. However, despite my many criticisms, my experience with this game was much more positive than negative: movement and controls are smooth, bosses are horrendous and fun, and the general theme and look are fantastic. This game had the potential to be exceptional, which might be the reason why I criticize it so heavily. Overall a solid mid-sized Medtroidvania that can easily be played through in a weekend or two.

Originally released for PlayStation 2 (2006), then for Wii (2008), Okami now hits PC (and current consoles) in glorious HD. This is another one of those games that I have seen others play but never managed to get my hands on… until now! Boy am I happy to have finally experienced it for myself. Despite looking a few console-generations old, Okami stands the test of time and proves once again that graphics are secondary to excellent gameplay.

Played with PlayStation 4 controller

• For a game that was originally developed for PlayStation 2, I was pleasantly surprised by how well the art has aged. By no means do the graphics compare to today’s standard; however, the art still has the same beautiful charm and fits perfectly with the theme of the game. What I find especially impressive is how delightful the sprouting/blossoming cutscenes are given the hardware limitations of the time.
  
• For those who aren’t aware, you play as Amaterasu, a sun goddess in the form of a wolf, who derives her divine powers from caligraphy/brush techniques. You use these by stopping time and drawing on a still image to evoke your powers. This mechanic is what makes Okami unique. It is a very fun and interactive way to use godly powers for both platforming and combat. The progression of acquiring the 13 brush techniques feel well spread out, tie in well with the difficulty curve, encourages exploration (revisit areas to discover new areas are now reachable) and adds to the combat system (monster weaknesses and such). Considering how powerful most of these techniques are, I also appreciated that they are limited by your ink pouch. Since there is no ability cooldown, you are instead forced to use your abilities wisely due to the “mana” restriction. You really want to avoid using up all your ink as it will strip you from your divinity (and weapons), turning you into a regular wolf.
  
• Okami would not be the same without the myriad of lovable characters, heartfelt moments and awkward situations. I can’t tell you how many times I laughed, cringed, and cried, but believe me when I say that storytelling is one of the main selling points. I especially loved the cutscenes with the celestial gods, since all the encounters depicted their flaws in a quirky way and made them more relatable/imperfect.
  
• I really like that you “level up” through acts of kindness rather than by killing. Praise and devotion seems to be a more appropriate representation of a God’s power, especially one known as the mother of all creation, rather than experience gained from slaying demons. Instead, demons only provide money and demon fangs (also a type of currency).
  
• There are plenty of side quests, mini games, quick time events, and hidden collectables, so yes, there is plenty to do with little repetition (except maybe fishing). I thoroughly enjoyed the 40-ish hours it took to explore the game in its entirety.

• In general I found Okami to be quite easy. I went through my entire first playthrough without dying or using an astral pouch (basically a 1UP). By the end of the game, I was swimming in combat items (healing items, temporary stat boosts, etc) just because I didn’t need them. Most enemies are fairly easy to deal with, and disappointingly, so are the bosses. Only the Devil Gate trials, long waves of enemies attacking you, proved to be somewhat challenging and forced me to use items. A difficulty setting would be a nice addition to the game.
  
• Due to the size of the game, much time is inevitably spent running around, which can be dull at times. Thankfully, Amaterasu has 3 tiers of running speed, slow, medium, and fast, which automatically increases as she runs continuously. Furthermore, as you progress you will obtain two means of teleportation, which again lessens down time.
  
• I appreciate games with hidden collectables and usually go out of my way to search for them. While certainly self proclaimed, I like to think I have a keen sense for where things might be. Yet even for my standards I found some Stray Beads impossible to find without the aid of a guide. Maybe I’m asking for too much but in-game hints would have been nice.

• I don’t mind the dated graphics but I’m somewhat disappointed by the lack of other optimizations.I can understand the 30 FPS cap for the PlayStation 2 and Wii versions of the game but find it a shame that this is also the case on PC. I also noticed that the rendering distance is very low. The game tried to combat this by presenting a speech bubble with a generic face drawn in it to indicate the presence of an NPC from a distance, which I don’t hate, but once again, shows poor adaptation to PC.
  
• Awkward camera, the bane of any 3rd person game. This often made platforming sections or combat unnecessarily complicated.

It doesn’t surprise me that this game keeps being brought back. The exceptional story writing evokes all ranges of emotions and makes Okami an absolute joy to play.
The dated graphics still hold their beautiful charms, but disappointingly, the game was not well optimized for PC. Regardless, this is an incredible Legend of Zelda-style adventure that I will happily replay.

Develop your sisterly bonds while smashing some mechanized baddies in Full Metal Furies. This game offers a very satisfying beat-em-up experience that can only be won through good ol’ jolly cooperation. Although the story didn’t make much of an impact on me, the diversely entertaining characters and excellent combat more than makes up for it. Great fun online but even more so in a LAN party.

Played with Playstation 4 controller and as 2 player co-op

• It is true that women are usually under-represented in gaming. Not to say that women are not included but they are usually either oversexualized or need to be protected. Therefore it is really nice to see a team full of strong and very diverse women who kick butt. Their dynamic was entertaining and I especially liked that they all play different instruments.
  
• True-co-op experience, which basically means that you cannot win alone. In practice, this means that enemies can spawn a color-coded shield, which requires a specific character to break before damage can be done to the enemy. This is even true if you play single-player, where you are required to switch between two characters to progress. In many co-op experiences, one or two players will often be able to lead the team to victory but Full Metal Furies requires that every player carry their own weight. While challenging, I really respect this design choice as it forces good communication and synergy with your co-op partner(s). I also found this to be an excellent way to symbolize the strong dynamic between the Furies.
  
• Each Fury has 16 pieces of equipment (4 per category) that offer permanent passive bonuses and modify your abilities. All characters have 4 main abilities, but depending on the equipment, these are altered slightly. For example, the regular hammer swing (3-hit-combo) for the Tank can be replaced for an only big swing hammer (1 bit hit that sends enemies flying). It was fun to play around with the different abilities to come up with builds that either suited my playstyle or were more effective against certain bosses/enemies. It is especially nice that you keep all passive status boosts gained from levelled up equipment regardless of current equipment or character played. This really encourages experimenting with different characters and abilities (and once again symbolizes the strong team-bond).
  
• Nice to see Cellar Door Games coming back with another excellent game. I really enjoyed Rogue Legacy so it was a big surprise to see Charon in hell (spoiler alert). He was by far my favorite boss fight because of the implementation of the genetic mutations that made Rogue Legacy such a hit.
  
• It felt extremely satisfying to defeat the real final boss. I was very glad to find out that the “fake” final boss was not truly the final boss, since that battle was mediocre at best.

• Hitboxes are not always clear. This is probably due to the beat-em-up camera angle which takes some getting used to. Thankfully this does not take away from the experience.

• To reach the true ending, you are forced to collect a lot of cryptic and well hidden clues, which then need to be deciphered and entered into giant computers. Unfortunately I did not find the story very engaging (the dynamic relationship between the Furies was much more fun) and thus felt unmotivated to go through the trouble of doing so. This feature might be central to the storyline, but honestly, is completely unnecessary and takes away from the gameplay. I didn’t want to miss out on the final boss so I just looked up the solutions online. Not my cup of tea at all.

An excellent beat-em-up game sprinkled with great additions such as modifiable abilities, stackable passive bonuses, and required team-work. Perhaps most noteworthy of all, the game felt very well balanced; defeat is not uncommon and victories feel well deserved. The only downside, in my opinion, is the story/obnoxious decoding, but this can be avoided (there is a feature to disable the story and the puzzles can be found online). Great addition to any co-op library.

Unbound: Worlds Apart (Prologue) is essentially a short demo of a soon-to-be released metroidvania with a focus on puzzle platforming. While the art style is nice and controls are responsive, several concerns I have about the game design cloud my interest in the final product.

Played with Playstation 4 controller

• For such a short demo, I appreciated the inclusion of several applications of the portal. Your main ability, namely opening a circular portal to an alternate universe around you, had three different applications: [1]opens a stationary portal that changes the environment slightly (i.e. platforms appear); [2]opens a portal that follows you, changes the environment, and inverts gravity; and [3]shines light in an area that decreases when you move. To me, these show that the developers put thought into different applications and wanted to present them to the players.

The prologue is extremely difficult to judge mainly because it is unclear whether this is a finished product or not (obviously not the full game, just the prologue section). Given my experience with the 20-ish minute demo, I am hoping that Alien Pixel Studios is still testing and willing to make adjustments.

1. In terms of progression, introducing 3 variations of the main ability within the first 20 minutes of a game is very fast. I am concerned about the pacing of the game since it is unlikely they will be able to keep up this level of novelty throughout the game, and even if they do, it might lead to a confusing and incoherent end product.
   
2. The story felt lackluster. It seems that you come from a village of wizards who make the mistake of opening a portal to an evil alternate universe using a magic crystal. Why they had the crystal and what their intentions with it were remains unclear. All you are told is that the ceremony cannot begin without your brother, so you’re asked to find him. However, before you can even find him, everything goes haywire and suddenly you have to save villagers. At the end of the prologue, an elder tasks you with defeating the supreme evil. Yet I still have no clue why I am chosen. What makes me special or qualified to do so?
   
3. It made little sense to me that you have the ability to open portals from the get go (it doesn’t work, but the opening animation is shown). Maybe this should only be introduced once it is usable?
   
4. The light portal charges up when you are standing still and diminishes when you move. Unfortunately it is difficult to judge how much light you have left since it reduces from approximately 70% to 0% very quickly. This can be quite frustrating given that the light is essential for certain platforms to spawn and that you are expected to quickly maneuver on top of these. It would be nice if a sort of charge bar or percentage would be visible to make this clearer.

I was quite eager to play after seeing the trailer but, honestly, the prologue did little to impress me. Besides the 3 applications of the portal ability, Unbound: Worlds Apart (Prologue) felt like any generic platformer with a story (or lack thereof) that left much to be desired. While I’m curious to see more, I won’t be holding my breath for the full release. Regardless, given that this demo is short and free, I encourage you to try it for yourself.

EDIT: Say Hello To Tragedy (developer) reassured me that these design choices were done intentionally (just for the prologue) and that the final game will be rebalanced. Looking forward to the release!

The Adventure Pals is a 2D platformer adventure where you set off with your best friends: Sparkles, a magical giraffe that fits in your backpack, and Mr. Rock, a sentient rock. Your goal is to save your father from the clutches of the evil mastermind, Mr. B, who wears a fishbowl (with a live fish) as a hat and is fixated on turning everyone into hotdogs. No, I’m not insane but don’t think I can say the same for the developers.

Played single-player with Playstation 4 controller

• Cutesy art design and silly humor, the kind that is more suited for younger audiences but can still be appreciated by adults. The ridiculous characters and improbable situations were worth a good chuckle.
  
• Level design is quite noteworthy. I’m not saying the level design was spectacular or mind-blowing; however, the pathing/progression of the levels feel very natural and intuitive. Following coin trails will often lead you in the right direction and pressing switches will often spawn blocks that close paths that you have already explored. I speculate that this game was designed for more inexperienced gamers, so details like these are a big plus. I also appreciate the inclusion of a Cupcake Compass to make Cupcake (a collectable item hidden in every level) hunting less of a guessing game, especially in later stages where paths branch out.

• The game is far too generous in terms of how much money and how many items (usually bombs) it provides. Throughout my playthrough I was swimming in cash and almost always had a full inventory. Not to mention that the invincibility potion is far too strong for how much it costs/how easy it is to obtain.
  
• A big drawback is that this game is very linear, so the various side quests were a welcome addition to cut through the repetitive formula. However, even the side quests fall short since they require little to no additional effort to complete. The vast majority were easily completed simply by playing through levels normally.
  
• I am a big fan of games that score your performance upon completing a level, which was also incorporated in The Adventure Pals. As far as I could tell, the score given is based on completion (how many hidden collectables you found) and time to complete the level. The completion ranking is self-evident, but it seemed like the timer was almost a non-factor. Even when my completion time felt mediocre, I was awarded an A+. Perhaps the bar should be set higher?

I have two main criticisms for The Adventure Pals:

1. Easy to a fault in the sense that it is very difficult to die. Regular encounters can be resolved with button mashing and nothing does enough damage to be of concern (even bosses). However, on the rare occasions where you do take a lot of damage, there is no need to worry since potions auto-administer. So unless you are out of potions, dying is impossible. This was especially noticeable when I was intentionally trying to die (for an achievement)… it took much longer than it should have. Since the platforming is fairly basic and there is little risk of dying, everything felt like a (dull) walk in the park. In my opinion, games lose their trill if there is no fear of failure.
   
2. The general game formula is very repetitive. Every level has the same general formula: 5 mini stages with a ruby at the end (hidden collectables and side quests along the way, as mentioned above). You then finish 5 levels (collect 5 rubies) to complete the main world quest, fight a boss, rinse and repeat. I was already tired of this game halfway through the second world.

The combination of repetitive and easy gameplay does not make for a very entertaining experience, no matter how silly/goofy the game is.

I’m torn with my decision not to recommend this game mainly because it is not a bad game. The Adventure Pals has its own charm, i.e. slapstick humor, and relaxed/easy going gameplay. Additionally, the intuitive level design and difficulty progression are ideal for inexperienced gamers. What ended up tilting the scale towards “not recommended” is that it does not offer anything new to anyone familiar with 2D platformers. You are much better off playing something like Ori and the Blind Forest. I’m sure this game is a blast for the right audience but unfortunately I cannot recommend it to anyone who would like something with more difficulty/complexity.

If you ever lurked the interwebs, it is likely that you have at least heard of Doki Doki Literature Club. On the surface this game looks like another cutesy Japanese dating simulator, but appearances can be deceiving. Don’t let the adorable title and art style fool you (seriously, there are warnings everywhere), this game is out to haunt your dreams. The price-tag may be “free” but this game will tax you.

Played with my lovely partner

• For a game that is (seemingly) a dating simulator, a genre that I would consider nearly fully-explored, Doki Doki offers an experience that I never would have expected. Naturally, being an interweb lurker myself, I have seen enough memes and spoilers to have an idea of what to expect, but I tried to keep this to a minimum. Now having gone through the soul-sucking experience myself, I can’t say I was disappointed with the game as a whole. Once its true colors show, Doki Doki transitions from ordinarily bland to creepily thrilling. I just want to applaud Dan Salvato for adding such a creative twist to a very mild (or overly sexual) genre. Even more props for including two endings.

• I have played my fair share of dating sims earlier in my life (mostly flash games on the browser) and have grown bored of them. Although I can’t accurately summarize what the genre is like these days, I would imagine it hasn’t changed much. The first 1.5-2 hours of Doki Doki plays out like any dating sim and is extremely dull as a result. Regardless, I won't mark this as a negative point because the slow pace and buildup are necessary; you need the calm before the storm to truly experience the climax.
  
• BONUS POINT: this game gave my partner anxiety because she thought her laptop was bugging out/about to crash.

• Honestly this is more of a visual novel than a game. Besides the few instances where you decide which girl to pick, there are practically no gaming elements. This is probably why I found the beginning so dull.

…if you are not a child or easily disturbed. Doki Doki Literature Club is one of those games that shook the gaming community and will probably be referred to for years to come. This impact is even more astonishing considering it is a low budget game that is offered for free on Steam. Would recommend to any non-child or non-easily-disturbed-adult with 4-ish hours to kill.

My 100th steam review!

I have wanted to play The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt since its release in 2015; however, I was always hesitant to start because I knew that I would not be able to stop. It only took a few hours of gameplay for The Witcher 3 to turn into my newly discovered obsession. I found myself waking up early on weekends to get an early start. “I’ll only finish one quest tonight” often extended to two or three, and I starting doing something that I usually never do: replaying quests to try different options. 110 hours later (#noragrets), and I’m finally ready to put my controller down. What an experience. Never has a single-player game kept me interested for so long, which speaks volumes about how immersive this game truly is. CD Projekt Red set a very high standard for Triple A games and a strong reputation for themselves.
By far my favorite gaming experience of 2019.

Played with Playstation 4 controller

• For a game that is 4+ years old, the Witcher 3 really looks amazing. From the strands of Geralt’s hair, to the different landscapes and cities (I especially loved Toussaint), to the weather/lighting, you can really tell that a lot of time was spent to make this game feel as alive as possible. I have never seen a game do the sunspots in your vision as well as this game has managed.
  
• The biggest selling points, in my opinion, are the characters and story telling. Without the magnificent writing and voice acting offered, the Witcher 3 would not have been such an immersive experience. Given how many characters are introduced in the series, it’s amazing how many unique personalities there are. Literally none of the main characters are repetitive, dull, or lack personality. There are countless quests and wonderful moments that I remember vividly and am very fond of, for example, when I received a drawing from a little girl I saved. More impressively so, you even feel a part of the game while in the overworld. Many NPCs will interact with you as you as you walk by. Depending on the city and progression of the game, they will either call you names, spit at you, or praise and greet you. I especially liked that cats hiss at you (Witchers are mutants of sorts and animals dislike that).
  
• Although this may sound contradictory, it is also great that you are allowed to skip dialogue. This is perfect for those who don’t care about the story, but in my case it makes replaying quests (to choose different options) a more pleasant experience, since I don’t have to wait through long cutscenes that I have already seen.
  
• There is SO much content. Even in the base game alone (which took me approximately 75 hours to play through), the world is so vast, full of quests, treasure hunts, contracts, and even fun easter eggs. The Skellege isles alone has over 20 islands that you can explore individually. My favorite discovery by far is when I found dead Tyrion locked up in a cell. To my surprise, I even enjoyed playing Gwent, the card game introduced as a mini-game. Initially I ignored Gwent as a whole, but once I learned how to play it, it quickly became an addiction. I remember spending two full weekends roaming around only to play Gwent and collect new cards. The fact that CD Projekt Red chose to release Gwent as a separate game really goes to show how successful it is.
  
• I absolutely love that the DLCs introduced (Hearts of Stone and Blood and Wine) are fully worth their price. Both DLCs add more than 20 hours of gameplay just through the main quest lines alone, but even more if you want to delve deeply into each (highly recommend to do so). I don’t want to give away too much, but both main quests are spectacularly written. New monsters and quests are introduced, and in the case of Blood and Wine, a whole new area, new upgrades (both to your character and weapons), and the opportunity to have your own villa are added. Not to sound too biased but some of my favorite quests are included in Blood and Wine. It is also a nice touch that the developers included a feature which allows you to start the game directly at the DLC (start at level 30 with average equipment) but honestly I would recommend playing through the main game first, as it will make the DLCs that much more special.

Note: Given the ginormous amount of content the Witcher 3 offers, it is easy to nit-pick things that don’t work perfectly. Unfortunately I could not include these in the review (due to the character limit) but want to stress that there was nothing I particularly hated and that the “Positive” points heavily outweigh the “Neutral” ones.

• The combat system is fantastically complex. You have access to your swords, signs (magic) and skill trees but in reality, information is your greatest weapon. Every monster has a different weakness which can be exploited in the form of oils (for your swords), bombs, potions, and signs. Reading and applying information from the bestiary weighs heavily in your favor. Ignoring it kind of defeats the purpose of the game, since you are a monsters-specialist (witcher) after all. While I do love the whole combat system, there are also some downsides to it, namely, having to look through the bestiary and inventory during combat. Having to apply oils and equip the correct bombs and potions really breaks the flow of combat. The number of potions and bombs you have available can also be overwhelming, despite their useful effects. As a result, I ended up only using a handful of potions and bombs mainly because I was too lazy to manage my inventory often. Furthermore, the combat does not have the best difficulty curve. I personally felt that the game started off quite difficult, perhaps in part due to the steep learning curve and the lack of decent equipment (or money to buy anything decent). However, once I completed a few contracts, earned some money and found decent equipment, the difficulty dropped significantly. Thankfully there are some features included that allow you to ramp up the difficulty: turning enemy scaling on and/or increasing the base difficulty. Both DLCs also bump up the game difficulty significantly, so the end-game is still delightfully challenging. The final boss of Blood and Wine was monstrous.

The Witcher 3 is a hell of an experience that will remain deeply engraved in my memory. I mean there aren’t many games out there that allow you to have sex on top of a taxidermied unicorn. I also cannot stress enough how much this game offers for a single-player experience - I could easily spend another delightful 30-50 hours on my current save file without replaying quests or starting a new game (+). Highly recommended!
This game is a steal at full price, and even more so when it’s on sale! What are you waiting for?