Recent reviews by remption

A neat story wrapped into a simple-yet-involved sort of chill gameplay loop, and the game doesn't over stay its welcome. Good stuff!

I really wanted to like this game - it has a vibrant art style and vibes, and seemingly good folks behind it. But the core mechanic of traversal wears its welcome quickly. There aren't many interactions, nothing is reactive, and there are very few interesting set pieces.

I love walking sims and story games - I could have trudged through the lackluster, time-filler gameplay if there'd been more environmental storytelling, or if the world or story had grabbed me.

But it didn't. I like the story this game is trying to tell, but some awkward lines and voice acting, combined with choices that never seem to particularly matter let it down. When it worked, it really worked - there were a handful of scenes and characters I ran into that piqued enough interest for me to push through the tedium. But, in the end, those were just too few and far between. At ~70% completion, I don't think I can bring myself to go on.

I wanted to give a positive review, because a small team put a lot of work into this game. And, if the other reviews hadn't been overwhelmingly positive, I might have, because there's a lot of good work here. But man, honestly, I just really didn't vibe with this. But hey, maybe your mileage will vary.

Was feeling some nostalgia that left me with a hankering for the good old Nancy Drew games of my childhood.

I was pleasantly surprised at the quality of writing - there were some pretty funny, almost meme worthy bits, that felt really up-to-date. I was impressed by the quality of the characters, and was crazy impressed by the subtle lgbt inclusion. I maybe wish there'd been a tiny bit more intrigue/dangerous situations?

A little on the fence about the quality of the puzzles, but ultimately my only serious gripes - the navigation system is the same old clunky thing, which I don't mind too much, but as I was playing with a few non-Nancy Drew fans, there were parts where they really struggled. And, there is a lighthouse puzzle that, on hardmode, basically comes down to luck.

But regardless, was fun enough that I'm probably gonna have to pick up the next game... :3

Got it in a Humble Bundle - haven't enjoyed a point-n-click this much in years. Doesn't drag, the puzzles aren't obtuse, and it has a great, fully voice acted story.

This game is fantastic.

I was a little hesitant getting into it - I'm not the biggest pixel-art fan, and modern 2D RPGs reminiscent of old Gameboy titles have usually been a miss for me - they rarely live up to the nostalgia. Plus I was a little worried about the fact that it was made with RPG Maker.

However, this dev has proven yet again that any tool can be used to make a great game.

Solid and nuanced random-gen puzzles, a plethora of characters, great dialogue, and a high-stakes tale are rapidly turning this into my newest addiction. There's are enough details and alternative outcomes that I foresee myself getting several playthroughs out of it, and I feel like I've barely scratched the surface.

First time I've written this excited of a review in while. Definitely loving it.

A really, really enjoyable game with great replay value - a great progression on the first with really improved maps and great new powers.

As for all the graphics issues - I played it on a GTX 660 - it wasn't pretty, but it wasn't ugly and I had no issues. Now that I've upgraded to a 8 GB 1070, I can't wait to see the results.

I'm pretty new to the world of graphic-novel style games, but this is thus far one of the best I've played. A great way to set the bar for a series.

It has a substantial number of choices, a large cast of characters, and a decently long plot. RPG elements like a traversable world map and turn-based combat, while both rather limited and admittedly mediocre, still gave this game a huge value boost. And while it's true, as several other reviewers have pointed out, that it's plot is rather close to Dragon Age's, I didn't mind. The game felt different enough, and fantasy all to often is all too similar.

I hope sequels have better realized cities, more side quests, a more honed level-up/combat system, and more character interaction outside of camp.

A decent little adventure game, with an interesting premise and good atmosphere.

Only criticism - some of the puzzles, or rather, some of the places where you find the information to solve the puzzles, aren't particularly logical or obvious. Instead of always logicking where to go next, it's sometimes just expected you explore every area and every piece of the screen.

Really enjoyable short - Holly is totally deserving of a full-length production.

Valiant Hearts has charming art, charming characters, and a theme/setting that is both powerful and important. And at times, these things come together to create touching experiences.

However, on the whole, I would give this game a 2.8/5. I'm not sure why it has such a high rating, beyond it playing the "war is so sad and terrible" angle. It was hard to choose between the recommend buttons on this one.

Much of the gameplay winds down to running painfully slowly across relatively empty maps in the first hour of the game, along with painfully easy minigames. However, I'm somewhat glad I made myself continue playing; things do get better on the gameplay front, with only the occasional lapse back into empty tedium.

Yet those lapses are still hard to forgive. There is a lot of rich source material, and they clearly had the visual and auditory artists to pull off something fantastic. Adventure games (speaking rather generally) sacrifice complex gameplay for story and observation - there are no combos or other mechanics, and little strategy or skill. Yet this game didn't fully earn that sacrifice. Characters felt painfully shallow at times, and rather than provide voice-overs that might have made the tedium of traversing the maps more than tolerable, much of the information comes in short diaries and encyclopedia entries that might have been written by an eighth grader. The missed opportunities are painfully obvious.

Regardless, the handful of truly enjoyable, charming moments won me over.