Recent reviews by zxc

This game perfectly executes what it sets out to do. Also it's great with podcasts.

This is an amazing gem of a game which deserves to be noticed.

I'm really enjoying this. Great music, the item upgrade system is simple and sweet, and the sunlight mechanic is awesome. I'll try to give a more thorough review when I have more experience with the game.

Update:

This game's really good. It's actually my favourite coffee-break roguelike, even though it's *not* a coffee-break roguelike. What I mean is that it's really easy to jump into a run, and there's no item management or complex controls. However, it still has a ton of depth. In that sense I would compare it to TGGW, although they are wildly different games.

It's tactical and satisfying in several ways: to win the game, you need to enter special branches and kill their bosses, thereby getting special rings granting permanent powers, and the choice of which branches and when to attempt them is up to you. The classes provide some nice variation in runs but the real gem of the game is the branch and ring system, which are sweet and make the game stand out from other roguelikes.

The main game mode is 4-directional movement too, which actually works well in the game and allows for a good time on a laptop (but there is an 8-directional movement option - there are significant differences between the two in gameplay).

There are two complaints I sometimes see people make with this game. The first is that the game is too simple. While the game is certainly not as intricate as something like Cogmind, it's trimmed down to a very attractive set of mechanics, similar to Brogue. Generally the people who make this complaint (and I was guilty of this at first) never made it to the branches, which is where the game really starts to shine.

The second complaint is that the light mechanic is RNG. It's not. I thought this at first too, until jere explained it to me and I paid more attention. The clock is actually extremely important in this game. The direction of sunlight depends entirely on the time of the day, and is deterministic. It's a major part of the gameplay, so pay attention and learn the direction it shifts in and the times when it changes state. You can be very creative with this mechanic.

All the above was based on the game before this major update, which no doubt improves things *even more*.

Cogmind is an amazing game. I've been playing it since Alpha 1, way back in mid-2015. Hundreds of hours. Now it's finally hit Steam Early Access, but it's fair to call it one of the most complete games to ever go through EA.

You are the Cogmind, a strange kind of robot. In your bid to reach the surface of a mysterious underground complex, you attach parts to yourself, building yourself into a stealthy flight bot fitted out with sensors, or you know, a walking death machine. It's up to you and what you find. You'll encounter many neutral robots going about their business, as well as quite a few hostile ones who seem to want nothing more than to tear your robot core apart. The combat is tactically rich, and there are definitely more reviews which go into more detail there, but I want to focus on stealth, which is really my jam in games. The stealth experience in Cogmind is raw, and gets to the heart of what I love about stealth in games: gathering information you can use to avoid enemies. If you find and attach a sensor array, you can observe the movement of nearby enemy patrols and take evasive action. Perhaps you attach a terrain scanner and spot that a nearby wall is thin enough to dig through to the other side, bypassing a corridor crawling with enemies. You can use transmission jammers to silence distress calls, optics to increase your LOS range, ECM suites to lose your pursuers quickly, cloaks to reduce the range at which enemies spot you, structural scanners to detect hidden passages... I've had some intense moments where I've been cornered, hiding behind a machine, hoping that the hunters searching for me aren't too thorough with my room. It's such a unique experience for a roguelike, and really brings stealth to a new level. I haven't even mentioned the diverse hostile robot types, terminal hacks, or some of the absolutely crazy unique items you can sometimes find, which may completely alter your strategy. Also, you can reach movement speeds so fast that sentries won't even know you've flown right past them.

Before we dig further into the game, I want to make some brief points on the difficulty and learning curve. This game is a traditional roguelike (despite the modern ideas and polish), and it has all the difficulty you'd expect of one. You're going to get brutally butchered in this game, and rightfully so. It's going to take a lot to get good at Cogmind, but the pleasure from mastering difficult games is one of the main reasons we play them (and especially roguelikes). The game starts off simply, and holds back the coolest areas, lore, and items for later. This is to avoid overwhelming the player at the start, and makes a lot of sense within the context of the game. But you'll probably still get wrecked early on if you don't apply good tactics and positioning. As the game goes on, it gets harder, and the items become more diverse and build-enabling. Cogmind has a much wider set of strategic variables to consider than other roguelikes I've played, and pure tactical ingenuity won't be enough to save you if you make grave strategic misplays down the road. If it's too hot to handle, or if you just want a more chilled game, Cogmind has two easier difficulty modes in the options. There is also a mix of challenge modes in case you really want to be stretched to breaking point. ;)

Story isn't a major component in most roguelikes, and it's been a while since I've played a game with a story I've connected with, regardless of genre. Somehow, against all the expectations I had, Cogmind tells a stellar story, one that has kept me absorbed and thinking about the implications away from my computer just like the best sci-fi films do. You learn bits and pieces about the world and its inhabitants through terminal records scattered throughout the game, but the real gems of lore and story come from exploring the hard-to-reach places in the game. The story is so tightly and expertly woven into the gameplay that you can't help but get drawn into it as you play. Your choices have a large impact on the story and its resolution, and the story has a large impact on your choices. It's kind of hard to explain, so I'll leave you to discover it yourself. On a related note: Cogmind is filled with secrets, and some of them have a huge impact on gameplay and also how the pieces of the world and story fit together in your mind, so I highly recommend you play this game as unspoiled as you can. You have to do some proper detective work to figure everything out, and it's all the more rewarding when you do.

Now let me tell you about the production values, which are immense, starting with sound. I normally keep sound disabled when playing roguelikes. Not so, with Cogmind. Playing this game without sound is unimaginable. There are sounds for everything, and they're so authentic. They really ramp up the atmosphere and draw you into the world. The satisfying sounds of dying robots and the deep rumble of a chain of nuclear reactors exploding just take the cake for sound design in a game. It's the little things, too, like the subtle audio cues when interacting with the interface, and the forbidding ambience of the caves.

Next: the visuals. You have two ways to view the world: the tile set, and ASCII. I myself use the ASCII, which is beautiful and clear. Both options are highly expressive. The animations are grand as well. Most of the combat in the game is ranged, but between the sounds and animations, you can tell pretty much all of the weaponry apart. The explosions are glorious. Even in their aftermath, the walls have collapsed, rubble is strewn everywhere, and the floor is burnt to a black crisp. Every single item has special ASCII art associated with it, and it's phenomenal. There's even a gallery to view all the items you've ever equipped in all their ASCII art splendour, complete with item stats. Gotta equip 'em all! (there's a lore-dex for the lore you've found too)

Now, for the user interface. UI in this genre is too frequently a barrier to players rather than a welcoming conduit between you and the awesome gameplay you know is there somewhere. Fortunately, Cogmind knocks this one out of the park, I mean, seriously, AAA game studios could learn a lot right here. In a game largely about items and information, the UI is vital to get right. Mouse users and keyboard users alike are first-class citizens here. I play exclusively with the keyboard, and all the controls are efficient and polished. The HUD is aesthetically pleasing too, fitting right in with the sci-fi setting of the game. All of this must've been a nightmare of work for the developer, but it's paid off dearly for the players. Lucky us!

This game is a work of art. It's remarkable that one person made all of this (apart from the tile set). You've got to check this out.

RECOMMENDED!

One night I was stuck on a puzzle, and the following day, I solved it while in the shower. That's when I realised I loved this game.

The setting is wonderfully gothic, and the game drips with atmosphere. Almost everything about this game is great. Play it properly, on a dark and windy night, with all lights off, and alone.

The strategy game I've always wanted to play. This game is a dream come true for history enthusiasts and arm-chair generals like myself. Don't be put off by metacritic ratings -- EU3 has come a long way with multiple expansions and patches. There is quite a learning curve to this game -- youtube tutorials and let's plays should take care of most of that. This is a game which punishes reckless decision making and diplomacy, so be wary, and take the time to learn it properly. The multiplayer component of EU3 has offered me some of the most fulfilling gaming experiences I've ever had. If you see this on steam sale, you know what to do.