When the dice called up this game, I had no idea what I was getting into, but the concept intrigued me. Turns out it was for good reason: it's been a while since a developer got the concept of Lovecraft quite this well... come on in.
Showing posts with label puzzle. Show all posts
Showing posts with label puzzle. Show all posts
Escape from Monkey Island (PC) Review
After how much I absolutely loved Curse of Monkey Islands, I was actually looking forward to this game. Well I can at least say it was an eye opener for how fast a franchise can fall. Avoid this one, guys.
Filament (PC) Review
Here we have a game I picked up on a whim when Epic Games gave it away as one of their free titles of the week. It had that kind of trailer that suggested behind the bright colors and cozy vibe, it might just hide something darker for the observant gamer to pick up on. And to be fair, that kind of feel usually gets at at least a curiosity glance. This time, maybe I should have just left it at that glance.
Silver Chains (PC) Review
This title has been a few years coming. During the big yearly sales I make a point to add titles that have been sitting in my wishlist for a while to my collection, and so I wound up with this in my library a few years ago. And while first impressions were absolutely amazing, I have to say as I put down my mouse, I am glad I got it at that steep discount. The bones are very pretty, pretty enough in fact to justify the game even with so little to it... at least until the very end.
Shadowgate II (PC) Review
I have to admit, I've been lucky so far. Most of the time when I pick up a game, good or bad, I can at least see the people making it loved what they were making. Up until this moment I could point and laugh at the clear examples where this was not the case in the AAA world of gaming and the grilling the team got for their efforts. I knew that at least for what I was playing, the devs loved what they were making, even if they whiffed at doing it. I can't say that this time. This game just feels like modern day slop both in how it plays and how it treats the previous title it claims to be a sequel to.
Machinika Museum (PC) Review
Once again a relic that's been in my backlog has made it's way forward after years in the dark, presenting something rather unique compared to my usual fair of game to try. But the intrigue of what was in here kept my attention when the dice called it forward. And I can't say it was a bad call. This is what for me would be a very comfy game, and I'm glad I got a few hours with it. If you are like me and enjoy a little bit of technical tinkering, you might just think so too...
Beyond Shadowgate (PC) Review
When I was a little kid in the late 80s, my little brother and I, like many other kids, loved playing Nintendo. Enough so that our parents would not only get us a few games once in a while, but even a subscription to the now immortal Nintendo Power magazine. And it is in here we would learn many of the tips and tricks I did actually use to beat several of those games, but for me, it would do something more. Within the first few articles was a guide to find your way through the first part of a little title known as Shadowgate. I read through this guide top to bottom untold amount of times, excited to see the arcane tricks of the castle it wanted to show everyone how to survive. Enough so the game was a birthday gift that year...
I fell in love with this game as both a puzzle game that could be tough as nails and my first taste of horror gaming, and I even learned to speed run it before speedrunning was a thing before putting the cart away forever. But I never forgot the living castle and made a point to play every new entry in the franchise I could get my hands on, and even the 2014 remake. Now, nearly 40 years later, the perfect storm has happened and the original team who wrote the first game got together to make the sequel they were never allowed to way back then. It was worth waiting for. Welcome back to Kal Torlin!
The Talos Principle 2: Road to Elysium
When Talos Principle 2 was announced, I knew I was in. After all, I absolutely adored the original and would be there for a second helping... and then we got news of an expansion. I expected it to be like the extra content for the original and just be some puzzle packs, but I still wanted in. I'm glad I though so little of it to start, because it absolutely blindsided me on all points of just what was on offer here, actually expanding on the events of the main game as a PROPER DLC should. Step inside.
Now before we begin, this DLC is devided into 3 separate chapters with 3 separate storylines to cover. As such I have broken down this review to cover each in turn with links to each section on it's own, if you desire to skip to just the campaign you wish to see.
Squirrel with a Gun (PC) Review
The moment I saw the trailer to this game the first time, I knew I was going to have to play it. To think someone would make something this insane and release it... and still make it look that fun, I just knew I had found one of the handful of games this year I needed to get my hands on and play pretty early on. And yes, it lived up to my expectations.
Kraven Manor (PC) Review
I remember when this game first grabbed my attention. At the time, youtube had a lot of people in the gaming scene now that were only starting to become popular and of coarse horror games became a focal point. This is how it drew my attention... and how this game did as well. One of these youtubers played it long enough to show the way you can literally change how the mansion is laid out, and it was too intriguing for me to watch any further since it was going on my wishlist. I would pick it up later on a steam sale... only for it to sit on my backlog for years... long enough in fact for it to go completely free before I played it. Oh well, my fault there, but don't you miss out. Horror fans, come on in and enjoy.
Pony Island (PC) Review
Once again we have a game that's been hanging around in my backlog for a long time. In this case, it was a game that was on my radar when it launched, but actually came to me as part of a HumbleBundle back when I was subscribed. It would sit unused in the backlog for years until the dice decided it's time had come. So like the old arcade in the game itself, it's time to dust off the cabinet and click power...
Metrico+ (PC) Review
Once again, we find ourselves at the reverse end of a game I picked up back in the day via a humble bundle. It looked interesting so I figured "why not?" Well, it's not the worst decision I've ever made, but whether that's because it wasn't bad or it was short is up for debate. Probably a bit of both, though.
The Talos Principle 2 (PC) Review
Way to start the new year with a bang! Ok ok, I was playing this through the end of 2023, but really how else can I put when I finished it? Now don't get me wrong, this did not come out of left field or anything. I absolutely loved the game it's a sequel to, but after my time so far playing with Unreal 5 (in the form of Starship Troopers) I had concerns about performance and general game quality this time around. Thankfully I was not only proven to be worrying over nothing, the game carried by the engine is arguably my favorite game of 2023, taking even the title from the CyberGoddess of Citidel Station's outing! Well done!
Into the Dangerous World I Leapt (PC) Review
Once again we find ourselves at the end of a game picked to show off for Extra Life, but turned out to be a single sitting game. In this case, we sat down to a class project that looked like it was going to be an intriguing little horror game to play for the Halloween holidays.... I was hopeful since I have played other school project games that not only left me ecstatic, but hyped to see the game read a full release (incidentally since they treated it as an update, that game is back in my backlog now). This time, however, while I can appreciate what was attempted and even achieved, it didn't hit nearly as well.
Only If (PC) Review
While this title has sat in my backlog for quite the length of time, it was not picked through normal means. If you've followed the site for a while, you know that in honor of Extra Life, I am streaming a different game every weekend. The idea is to simply show off the sheer variety of possibilities you may see gamers playing throughout the year and during the 24-hour gaming marathon that marks the end of the event. If this encourages you to join us, thank you. If you decide to help us help sick kids while watching me, I'm beyond humbled. Even if it just pushes the event out there so more know about it and spreads the word, I am happy to be of service.
That is how this game was chosen: not as one of my main games, but as something to show off as an oddity for the big event... and it was finished in a single sitting. And while sometimes these short games prove awesome and something for all to play, sometimes, it's a bit more mixed. This is one of those titles that proves the latter, and for all the actually cool things it does, it's a shame it is.
A Boy and His Blob (Wii) Review
Curiosity got the better of me. When I was a little kid playing the 8-bit NES system, one of my school friends had the original game and I had read about it in a Nintendo Power. So of course we had to give it a go... and neither of us could figure it out or play for more then 10 minutes. Still, it was an incredibly unique game that stuck with me, so when we got a new take on it in the days of the Nintendo Wii, I picked it up. Sadly I didn't get to it while I had my actual system up and running. Rather the dice called it now, so play I did.
Now please keep in mind, I did NOT play this on original hardware. Rather, I ripped my disc-copy of the game and played on the Dolphin emulator connecting a real Wii-mote with classic controller to it (yes you can do that.. Bluetooth connections work). However, I don't think the difference is going to be very strong, even in the visuals as this game is all hand-drawn. There is no 3D rendering work for the computer to upscale beyond what the Wii originally did.
The Vanishing of Ethan Cater (PC) Review
And we finally come back to another game I got free from the Epic game store. In this case, I didn't walk in with the highest hopes for the title: I knew it was supposed to be a horror game and that reviewers liked it a lot, but I don't hold a lot of faith in what reviewers say these days. But still intrigued, I installed... and I'm glad I did. While much more gloomy then scary, this was absolutely an experience to have.
Q.U.B.E 2 (PC) Review
When I played the first game in this set, I found myself wanting more at the end. It was a fairly easy game, but was over all too quickly. So when this game came up, how could I say no? I gotta admit, Im glad I didn't.
The Fall Part 2: Unbound (PC) Review
I do not know when I picked this game up, but I certainly know why I did. The first game was not the most impressive thing to me, but it was intriguing, especially as a story of survival, not from the point of view of the human who needed help, but the AI who's whole goal in life was to protect and ensure that life would go on. So to see it go on, it really was only a matter of time before I picked up a controller for this one too. And yes, it was worth the trip....
Tri: Of Friendship and Madness (PC) Review
Curiosity killed the cat... or in this case the fox. I picked this game up years ago for that curiosity, and at first saw the promise remain. But as I played and got deeper, it became more and more clear that something was horribly wrong with the game itself and not just in it's world.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)