|
Post by spanky on Sept 7, 2021 19:58:43 GMT -5
Day of the Tentacle Remastered (PS4, Replay)
A giant gap in my gaming history is the lack of point and click adventure games. I never had a PC as a kid and I never played the console versions of these games. So I never developed the patience or logic needed for these games. I have played a few games in the "canon" of this genre (Monkey Island, Leisure Suit Larry etc) but I find myself getting impatient and dropping the game or just following a guide.
Fortunately, DotT seems to be an exception for me. The puzzles seem a bit easier than most of these games and the characters are more likely to drop hints or references as to what you need to do next. Moreover the game is so charming that I never wanted to stop playing. The cartoon graphics are great, the voice acting is wonderful. The entire vibe of the game is just top notch. I feel like I'm not saying anything new or unique here! I will admit though this is my second time beating this (I played it a few years back), I still had to break out a guide once or twice.
|
|
|
Post by dsparil on Sept 8, 2021 7:13:19 GMT -5
Day of the Tentacle Remastered (PS4, Replay)A giant gap in my gaming history is the lack of point and click adventure games. I never had a PC as a kid and I never played the console versions of these games. So I never developed the patience or logic needed for these games. I have played a few games in the "canon" of this genre (Monkey Island, Leisure Suit Larry etc) but I find myself getting impatient and dropping the game or just following a guide. Fortunately, DotT seems to be an exception for me. The puzzles seem a bit easier than most of these games and the characters are more likely to drop hints or references as to what you need to do next. Moreover the game is so charming that I never wanted to stop playing. The cartoon graphics are great, the voice acting is wonderful. The entire vibe of the game is just top notch. I feel like I'm not saying anything new or unique here! I will admit though this is my second time beating this (I played it a few years back), I still had to break out a guide once or twice. LucasArts literally pulled people off the street to play test DoTT so they had a giant heap of notes on what puzzles needed tweaking or where hints would be helpful. It was their first adventure game to come out on CD so they really wanted to knock it out of the park although it actually didn't sell super well all things considered. That's ultimately the ironic thing about LucasArts's adventure games. They were all so well designed but Sierra always eclipsed them in sales despite being significantly less fair.
|
|
|
Post by Apollo Chungus on Sept 8, 2021 17:52:59 GMT -5
I'm not really in the headspace for writing much at the moment, so these are gonna be pretty brief.
Devil May Cry (OG on PlayStation 2, Played on Xbox 360; First Time; 4 hours 5 minutes)
This might be shocking, but I played through this on the Easy Automatic mode where the game is much easier and the controls are simplified to some extent. Despite what I initially assumed, it turns out that didn't change the game too drastically. I enjoyed my time quite a bit. The combat is straightforward but always satisfying with plenty to mess around with underneath, there's a nicely brisk pace that never gets too quick or too slow, and I dug the quietly gothic vibes meshed with the boisterous nature of Dante and the battle music. I'm definitely gonna try and play the other games to see what happens next.
Also, Dante is apparently inspired by Cobra from the Space Adventure Cobra series for his cool, confident, self-assured nature and how he always takes on everything no matter how tough things get, which is the best thing.
Quake Mission Pack 1: Scourge of Armagon (Switch; First Time; 2 hours 4 minutes)
I'm pleasantly surprised at how this went. The overall structure is more varied, with each episode having a distinct progression and vibe that makes the whole thing feel more like a journey rather than four weirdly similar episodes. It's also much tougher than the base game, featuring loads of enemies and plenty of tricky traps to throw you off. The final boss was hilariously anti-climactic, but I prefer this as an overall game to the main Quake (as controversial as that is to say).
|
|
|
Post by alexmate on Sept 10, 2021 8:29:57 GMT -5
Sonic Mania (Windows PC via EpicGames, timer: 5hr45, 1st time) I didn't get all the emeralds, but I hope that's ok.Some brilliant bits and a lot of surprises. The Titanic Monarch is the most tedious level I have played in any Sonic game to date. I do think it is an almost great game, but not up there with the first three Genesis games.
Rating: 8
Beavis and Butthead (GameGear, 1st time, timer: 24 minutes) This one is like mash-up of the Genesis game and the SNES game. It is a side scrolling platformer like Bart vs the Space Mutants, but it manages to be the worst b+b game I've played so far.
Rating: 6
|
|
|
Post by Digitalnametag on Sept 10, 2021 12:05:59 GMT -5
No More Heroes III Switch FTP 11 hours
The main reason to play this is the batshit crazy story. The game play is still pretty mediocre and to on a whole a downgrade from II all those years ago. Instead of the decent retro style mini-games like II had III replaces them with jobs more like the first game has. You wanted to mow lawns in 3D with tank like controls again yeah? Game feels very bare bones too. Empty environments and little interesting to do outside of the main game. Not sure why they even bothered with the open world styled over-world.
The combat still doesn't handle multiple opponents well. I struggled more with the required minion fights than the bosses. The game is generous with checkpoints and continue bonuses at least.
So yeah it's another No More Heroes. The story had me laughing and saying 'what the f@$%?' a lot and the game play was kinda dull. "Welcome to the Garden of Insanity".
|
|
|
Post by dsparil on Sept 11, 2021 10:09:25 GMT -5
Apple Knight (Switch, First Time)
This is an action platformer starring a knight who is not made out of apples but throws them instead. You have upgradeable armor, melee weapon and ranged attack of which the initial one is an apple but most are some type of fireball. One issue is that about half to two thirds is fairly uninspired with only the last levels being of any interest. There's also a mode that randomly generates levels, and those are better than most of the ones in the game. The second issue is that this was originally a mobile game and the price to purchase equipment seems to still reflect the freemium nature of the original. It's also so easy that this doesn't matter in practice, but it is another example of a game being worsened by its mobile origins.
Rating: 6
From Heaven to Earth (Switch, First Time)
This is a first person platformer with some inspired but not always well implemented ideas, but the controls are such an issue the whole time. The big one is that you move way too fast making it really easy to fall off platforms, but there's a lot of miscellaneous issues. This feels like a really preliminary draft of a game that could be okay but not particularly worth it as is.
Rating: 5
|
|
|
Post by spanky on Sept 11, 2021 18:58:57 GMT -5
Soul Blazer (SNES, Replay)
Wanted a shorter RPG type game and I picked this off the shelf. It's a spiritual sequel to Actraiser, and I think it's actually a much better game than the actual Actraiser sequel! It's an action RPG. It's a bit formulaic - each world has you starting off in an area devoid of life. You go into a dungeon, kill monsters to gradually rebuild the town. You continue through the dungeon until you can't progress any further then go back into the town, talk to an NPC or two, then unlock the rest of the dungeon. The game rarely throws surprises your way but it at least nice enough to provide plenty of shortcuts so you never spend too much time backtracking. Plus, I really love watching the town gradually spring back to life and even as a kid I loved how the NPCs would ruminate on their own mortality. Like Actraiser, it's a very thoughtful game for it's era.
It's pretty fun to play too. You can't move diagonally but your sword has a nice wide arc which makes it easy to hit enemies. Less easy to use is your magic, which is represented by a soul that constantly circles your character. All your magic is launched from this soul and it can be kind of a pain to aim, plus magic is ineffective against bosses so it's never super useful.
The graphics are serviceable but a bit plain and drab in spots. It feels very muted. The music on the other hand, I love. There's some Actraiser-esque orchestral songs in the game but a good portion of the soundtrack is pop with lots of SNES slap bass (YES!). It sounds like it would be at home on a Rick James album and I'm cool with that.
I think it's a bit odd the king gets off as easily as he does. I mean, he literally summoned the devil and sold the souls of everyone in the kingdom for cash. I guess he feels bad about it though.
Blazing Chrome (Switch, First Time)
Been playing this one for a while and finally got around to beating it. This is a Contra clone done by Joymasher, who does some of the better "retreaux" style games. This is essentially a fan made sequel to Contra Hard Corps. And that's OK! It's technically a nice looking game. Big, multi-jointed sprites and all that but it does look kinda...ugly which is Joymasher's house style.
It apes Contra Hard Corp's weapon system, but I didn't think any of the weapons outside of the grenade launcher were that useful. I did like how you have a melee attack.
It's brutally difficult but on the normal difficulty you get infinite continues and each level has a few checkpoints meaning you are never sent too far back.
|
|
|
Post by dsparil on Sept 13, 2021 6:06:21 GMT -5
The Great Ace Attorney: Adventures (Switch, First Time)
This was excruciatingly boring for so much of it that I'm not even sure if I can bring myself to play the sequel. I take issue with many elements, but the major one is that there's less content than usual which has been heavily padded to extend the run time. Three of the cases also feel like filler which doesn't help either. Easily the worst game in the series by a country mile.
I finished in about 27.5 hours.
Rating: 5
Sumatra: Fate of Yandi (Switch, First Time)
This one the other hand, is a pretty good and unassuming adventure game obviously set in Sumatra. The main character is unsurprisingly named Yandi and is a logger who's gone through a land slide and ends up far into the Sumatran jungle. It's a bit on the short side and a little too easy, but the setting is non-traditional enough to make up for it. I do wish that this was actually Indonesian instead of British since the specific cultural details are on the thin side.
Rating: 7
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Sept 13, 2021 7:19:15 GMT -5
2 strategy RPGs this month.
Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together (PSP, First Time, 36:19) It is difficult to approach writing about Tactics Ogre: LUCT and keep a balanced view. On the one hand many Tactical RPG's were influenced by it and drew directly from the innovations it brought to the genre. On the other hand in playing the game it is pretty clear that various elements of the gameplay have been outdone. Whilst initially I found myself having a nice time with the game it's weaknesses shone as the game went on. Taking into account this is a more modern remake of the game however I feel it is fair to criticise it as such.
The game brought an interesting approach to elevated terrain by utilising an isometric view and unit positioning having an impact on accuracy or being able to attack. It works well in of itself as many of the maps give the enemy the higher ground in the start of battle; but is balanced by a focus on ranged combat being of greater use to the player than close attacks. Where I feel the game goes wrong with it's heavy use of terrain is that player movement is incredibly slow, and therefore the limits imposed from the system result less in making strategic positioning decisions, and more a feel of being funnelled through particular routes on many occasions.
Being an RPG there is a strong focus on preparation for battle as stats have a huge impact on your chances of success. It's imperative to ensure units have the best skills for the job, and there is a nice system where each individual unit can gain, although I'd argue there is an issue wherein the same skills are generally going to be helpful to most characters. Equipment should also be kept up to date, with limited funds. I think the equipment system is a little over deep, as there are many classes with different weapons they can use, and therefore many items your units are unable to equip. It makes for a laborious setup process, and even when adjusted to that you will later be met with the tedious crafting system, wherein each crafted item must be created individually, which often involves a whole chain of crafted items just to get to the one you want. The classes themselves have the welcome system of levelling classes rather than units, however this is counterbalanced with new classes gained throughout the story starting at level one. Should you wish to get a class up to speed it will take a number of hours of grinding, which will involve sitting this class unit in a corner for the most part. Whilst doing this it's important to ensure you don't over level other classes, since there is enemy level scaling in place - level too much and the game will become harder, rather than easier. As a result we have a game that presents the player with a great many options, but actively punishes any experimentation and I found myself using the same units throughout the story because that was just the more enjoyable approach.
As for the games greater issue, there are many maps in quite a slow paced game that will take more than 30 hours to complete the story alone; however the goals are almost always the same: defeat the enemy leader. Considering that the story (the more acclaimed part of the presentation) has it's high points in the beginning and end of a 4 chapter story I can't help but feel that cutting down a chapter would have benefitted the pacing and left for a less repetitious feeling in the gameplay.
I feel I must touch on the story, because it did deliver some heavy choices and capture my interest initially, the various political backstabbing between leaders of factions became a bit hard to follow for me. Perhaps that is because this is not the kind of storytelling I would normally enjoy, especially without really getting into character motivations. For what it's worth it seems there are more detailed explanations of characters backstory's etc can be found in the games 'Warren Report', however they simply are not usually presented during story and gameplay scenes, and therefore many of the characters feel flat or uninteresting. Whilst digging into the written lore is something many players find joy in, for me the game has to grip me in a certain way for me to want to explore that deeply.
For that reason, along with the fact there is a great amount of post-game content (which, again, I did not explore) I feel Tactics Ogre: LUCT is a game that offers much to those who want to get hundreds of hours of play from the game and explore everything it has to offer despite it's shortcomings, it similarly does little to entice those who would just want simply play through the story.
Score - 6/10
Valkyria Chronicles 4 (Switch, First Time, 35 Hours Appx) With a feeling of being bogged down in Tactics Ogre somewhat I decided to balance it by playing what I assumed would be a more light and altogether more fun tactical game alongside it. I've played the original game before, and skipped the sequels because I really need a great deal of screen real estate for a game with as much going on as this. The original game was, in my humble opinion, absolutely wonderful and so another game offering some more of the same was in order, just on consoles this time around.
More of the same is exactly what is offered. The same presentation in all aspects, the same kind of strategies put into play and even early on the levels themselves were aping the original to an extent. Now being perhaps over familiar is perhaps Valkyria Chronicles 4's greatest weakness, however it is still welcome in it's delivery overall. Valkyria Chronicles formula just works, in large part because for every bit that the strategy combined with action commands makes for complex gameplay which can create some stress and take some figuring out, it is balanced with plenty of downtime between missions where we are presented with something of a soap opera in getting to know the characters and seeing their interactions. Is the writing anything spectacular? Nope. Is the story great? No, and I'd say a step down from the original. Still though, it provides that time to unwind. It presents some light entertainment, which doesn't bog down the player even when things get rough.
On the strategy gameplay, what allows Valkyria Chronicles to stand out is that it's core concept allows it to be hugely dynamic. There can be presented all kinds of terrain options, various one off gimmicks and the systems allow for it and it works. This means the player will be tasked with coming up with new ways to deal with new obstacles as the game progresses. A couple of issues I have with it are the orders, which essentially allow you to cheese the game, and the bosses, which are incredibly spongey to the point of getting in the way of the strategic play and are really the reason the said orders exist. The game really shines in levels where no bosses are present, where it's all about how to approach an enemy and defeat them undamaged.
I was glad to see Sega return to Valkyria Chronicles, and even more so that I went along for the ride. Whilst there are some missions here and there that aren't my cup of tea, the overarching formula the game offers is immensely enjoyable and having played it alongside a more classic style of strategy game I am now able to appreciate what makes this series shine all the better.
Score - 8/10
|
|
|
Post by JoeQ on Sept 13, 2021 13:17:01 GMT -5
Hypnospace Outlaw (PS4) - First playthrough, Time: no idea A puzzle/adventure game featuring a lovingly created slice of alternate history nineties internet. You're essentially a moderator patrolling primitive Geocities era sites and meting out (corporate) justice when required. Along the way you lean about the indvidual stories of the various netizens, "download" tons of music, programs and useless trinkets, and just generally soak in the atmosphere. The ending felt a bit anticlimactic and blunt, but otherwise I thoroughly enjoyed my time in Hypnospace. Did two playthroughs because I missed a bunch of optional stuff on my first go and got the platinum trophy, which was a bit of a pain. Also, thank god for the game having mouse support on PS4! Most definitely not recommended to be played on a controller. Rating: 4/5 Alphabet Challenge: A--D--GH---LM-OP--ST--W--- Number Challenge: 0-23------
|
|
|
Post by personman on Sept 13, 2021 15:45:11 GMT -5
WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Microgames! (GBA, played on 3DS; first time; 2 hours)
I decided I wanted to continue going through the Wario Land series and move onto 4 once I finished 3. Well the issue with that of course is the GBA offers on the 3DS were only given to early adopters of the system and I never had one till a friend at the time made me get one for Pokemon X&Y. Which then I reacquired a 3DS proper for Sun&Moon. Anyways, that won't do so I ended up modding my system just recently so I can get a hold of these titles. I got it done without a hitch and now a have a nice small handful of GBA to get nostalgic with and try a couple I missed.
I noticed WarioWare was being given out. This game always stuck out in my mind because while I wasn't too impressed with Wario Land 4 I loved the character himself and wanted to see him get another shot at a better game. Back then I was a rom downloading fiend and fired it up in visualboyadvance and boy was I not expecting what I got. For the longest time I hated it and was always pretty miffed the series was so successful because that of course meant my fav Mario character was going to be stuck doing this junk. It was probably a miracle that Wario Land Shake It happened, I hope that gets a port sometime I wanna try it more than ever now. But anyways since I'm in a huge nostalgia mode for handhelds lately I thought hey, it's free and I'm looking to give things I've seen before a second fair shake.
I don't hate it I guess. It's still pretty charming and I can still appreciate the absurdist randomness tinge it has which I remember being like the only kind of humor you'd see back then. The games themselves, I dunno its clear that this isn't the type of game you play for that. None really challenge much or have any substance, how could they? It's like a collection of memes that you play only its Nintendo instead of YTMND (anyone else remember that place?). I did smile pretty wide when it made reference to Mario Clash, yeah who the hell was gonna remember that one eh? It does stick in my craw that with how simple these things are that so many of them repeat. Really doesn't feel like theres a good excuse for that even if this project likely had no budget at all. I got through it fairly painlessly. And I guess I can see why it took off. It's a cute game and all but I'm glad its over, there's just nothing of substance here.
Rating: 3, also I hate Wario's design from this. It's not bad but I just can't stand it and I don't know why and it bothers the hell out of me that its his default now. Blah.
Wario Land 3 (GBC, played on 3DS; first time; 13 hours)
With that quick diversion out of the way I continued on with the proper Wario series and on the complete opposite side of the spectrum I was damn impressed with this. At the start I was a little put off since you have none of the abilities from 2 and I ended up getting stuck pretty early because I kept getting distracted by all the things I couldn't get to. I went to good ol' GameFAQs and ended up finding out that not only will I get all the old moves back but depending on which treasure chest you grab in the first level will set you on different paths through the game. And on top of that it looked like there were several times you could diverge down the road as well. How about that, the thing as actually pretty non linear! And with how some treasures act as key items that unlock and change stages as well as granting moves well you know what that means:
We get to brandish the goddamn Metroidvania label for this! *confetti*. Sort of I guess, it's not like you're doing much exploring but the spirit is there and it pulls it off rather well. They even had the mind to add a function on the world map that'll remind you what stages had changes in them when you find something that opens stuff up. It's really satisfying to go through. The stages themselves are great too with a greater emphasis on puzzles than ever and they're great to figure out. Nothing terribly taxing but they make you think just enough to be satisfying. Only thing I would count against the game is since you are completely invincible this time around (save for the last boss which you can get a game over from) they decided they had to challenge you not with difficulty but just being annoying. You know those cheap platformers that have enemies just barely off screen ready to attack the split second you see them? Yeah this game loves to do that, often resulting in you being shoved off platformers to go and climb again. It's not too terrible but it can get pretty obnoxious in a couple instances, especially with a couple of the bosses. Some people say this game would have been served better with a health system and I don't know. Maybe, personally I think it's fine they just could have made the enemies less aggressive just a tad. They also make you play this dumb golf mini game that's kinda annoying to progress in some stages. Its not often though thankfully.
Otherwise I really loved it. Was not expecting much after the rocky start and I always got the impression 2 was the best. But personally naw, I feel like 3 the series truly came into its own and nailed its niche. Which just makes me sad because I know where the series went and oh man, what could have been if they didn't take such a step back with 4; let alone the damn WarioWare series. Sigh, still I'll give 4 a fair shake again.
Rating: 9, super surprised and happy with this one and I think its the finest GBC game I've played.
|
|
|
Post by ZenithianHero on Sept 13, 2021 21:01:12 GMT -5
Yakuza 0 (PS4, First Time, 59 hours)
What a rush. The prequel of the series, is fantastic. I loved the origins of these characters. It was neat to see a different side of Majima. To see early stages of Kamurocho. The game deals with the fight for control of the empty lot, and discovering who owns it. The later portions of the story never lets up, the twists and outcomes are so well done. There is so much care put into the writing and direction of this game.
I played various entries over the years but I'm going through the stories now I have the whole saga in one place.
As usual, the series minigames and quests are top notch. Very important to go through them too, as earning money doubles as your means of leveling up. I didn't care for Kiryu's real estate side job, kinda boring and slow. Majima's Caberet Club on the other hand is very engaging and has a fun time management minigame behind it. I would buy a spinoff of that if Sega is interested.
What I missed from going back into the series is how well done the sidequests are. I love the idea of stumbling into other people's problems, or discovering a quest by just trying to eat. Kinda annoying if you are pressed for time, but its charming. This entry has plenty of clever and funny moments. It brings up your mood after how heavy the main cutscenes can be.
I like the combat options in this one. Kiryu has a fun "rage" style that focuses on random objects and bulldozing into enemies. Majima has a breakdance fighting style that is fun in crowd control but tricky to master. Majima also has the slugger style you fight with a bat but also learn to efficiently fight with other weapons. Until you master the style, you have to deal with breakable weapons unfortunately. Doesn't offer full potential until late game in this case. Combat in this game is about what I expected. Some main event battles can drag on with large crowds of enemies but also annoying gun users.
In my quest to go through the series I may skip a couple I only interested in the story of (1, 3) and revisit them much later. I'll take the time to visit the Caberet Club in Premium Adventure, as it was my favorite diversion.
10/10
|
|
|
Post by Apollo Chungus on Sept 14, 2021 16:13:13 GMT -5
I Am Alive (Xbox 360; First Time; 5 hours 10 minutes) I'm genuinely so pleased at how this one turned out. I remember reading about this one back in the day and how radically it had changed from its original concept and dev team, being a game by Darkworks that had you surviving the immediate fallout of an earthquake, to now being a game by Ubisoft Shanghai where you explore a city almost a year after a series of terrible natural disasters. I was curious to check it out after watching a video by ThorHighHeels discussing survival horror games from 2012, where the tension-filled climbing and atmosphere seemed like they could be really cool. And god dang, this is definitely a cool game.
I wish there were more climbing segments and less sections of trying to take on groups of enemies with limited resources, but the tension is excellently maintained throughout and there's just enough items that you can afford to be a little reckless but not too much so. There are some optional nooks and crannies to obtain more lives or items, and I really like how some of them encourage you to climb despite it draining even more of your stamina. Aesthetically, it's also very well considered, using possibly standard ideas like desaturated visuals and heavily ambient music to nail its overall mood in such a memorable way. I do wish this had a physical version so you could buy it second-hand and not give Ubisoft any money, but I'd definitely recommend it if it's on sale for a fiver.
Sonic Robo Blast 2: Equinox (Windows; First Time; 44 minutes)
This is a five-stage mod by akirahedgehog that tells an out-there tale of multiple worlds created by an Aztec god, the flooded ruins of Atlantis, time travelling monks, and the resurrection of Rasputin (yes, that Rasputin). It's not particularly great or notable in terms of its levels, and is definitely more worth checking out for just how weird it is. mb.srb2.org/addons/equinox.3172/
Sonic Robo Blast 2: The Emerald Isles (Windows; First Time; 2 hours 11 minutes)
This is a 10-zone mod made by Kuja back in the late 00s for earlier versions of the game, and has been ported to V2.2 by Sirexer. Levels are decent enough, but something I particularly dig is how the end of each zone offers you an easy route and a hard route. Each route leads to a completely different zone, so while you technically make it through six zones on a single playthrough, you have a few options for how most of them play out. I think the easy route zones are over way too quickly, and the game generally has a problem with level designs that are hard to follow, but I really admire that concept and feel it makes for a very replayable title. (Except for the final boss - that can go bugger itself with a rusty cactus.) mb.srb2.org/addons/the-emerald-isles-port-for-2-2.207/
|
|
|
Post by dsparil on Sept 15, 2021 8:17:51 GMT -5
Star Wars Episode I: Racer (Switch, First Time)
I had remembered liking Racer somewhat when it came out, but I fairly quickly remembered why I had never finished the tournament mode back then. On a certain level, it does appeal to a younger "go fast, turn on a dime" mindset tied into one of the only good parts of Episode 1. It's a little fun at first, but the later tracks are too frustrating with collisions doing such hugely varying amount of damage that a glancing blow on one track that barely does anything might instantly destroy you on the next. On the other hand, the opponents are so easy to beat that they might as well not exist for the most part. Every race is yours to lose since you always start in second position and quickly overtake the leader. If you keep up with upgrades, they're always slower and accelerate less rapidly plus they can't seem to boost. Most of the time, this feels one step away from just being an autorunning platformer, and this might have worked better that way. The tracks have a lot of alternate paths that seem pointless since there's no collectibles unlike Sonic R. This version also has some miscellaneous bugs, graphical glitches and missing environmental effects which doesn't help things either.
Rating: 6
Edit: I'd still give the original a 7, but this version specifically get dinged for its new issues.
|
|
|
Post by Woody Alien on Sept 16, 2021 10:05:42 GMT -5
Dr. Atominus (PC, first time, 40 minutes)
One of the games I bought during Steam's weekly sales, installed and immediately finished it. To be fair, the Metroidvania Review site said that it was short but sweet, but to me it seemed just short and nothing else. It is a pixelated game that kinda reminds of old shareware titles, but the progression is too linear, the various upgrades are used basically only in the area where you find them, said areas look all the same, the map is tiny and the few puzzles are way too easy (there's the option to restart a screen by pressing R but I've never used it). The chiptune melodies are okay, but the graphics are too minimalist, the bosses look like crap and the humor is awkward (but the developer is Finnish or something so maybe it just doesn't translate well). There's coins scattered everywhere and basically they act as currency to resurrect you every time you die for a paltry sum, but they respawn every time you go back to a screen so what's the point of it? I also got the good ending at first try.
I bought it on sale for €1,99 and it just seemed too much, so imagine buying it at full price. Just forgettable. 5/10
|
|