Käyttäjän david_aeon viimeaikaiset arvostelut

• Side-scroller
  
• Exploration
  
• Metroidvania
  
• Pixel Graphics
  
• Bloody
  
• Just enough secrets
  
• Devolver sense of humor
  
• It is bloody, duh
  

So, if you are still here... Let's get down to it:

Me playing this game lähetti viestin:

I've seen enough anime to know where this is- wait... Eeew!

Have you ever sat for a horror movie, and even though it is all happening on the other side of the screen you still feel the same discomfort of the innocent victims as the omnipresent and relentless evil, lurking out of view just waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike? Now, have you ever wondered how it must feel for the villain itself, does he feel anxious, anticipation... is it excited over the thought of so many defenseless humans, when each of them draws their last breath maybe screaming or pleading mercy, does it feel... joy, pleasure?
Ok, to put it straight this is not a horror game (else I would not be here, since I am a coward), because the protagonist, that being you, is the one causing all the commotion. Phobia Game Studio went ahead and coined this game as being a Reverse-Horror oriented adventure where, surprise: you are the monster and everyone else is, well... pretty much insects for you to squash. They are not entirely helpless of course, and it will take you a little bit of practice to make use of environmental obstacles and routes to advance past their defenses alive, close enough to do your thing... the thing being tearing them apart and chewing their entrails like a giant hungry rabid dog until the walls and ceiling is painted red, yep.
While some players might complain about the controls (which are complex enough for joysticks, so don't even ask about keyboard & mouse), I would say that I missed a map function, like you know, what every other Metroidvania does, that map stuff for you to track your route and positioning, to know where the hell you are? Well, you get nothing like that. Think you missed a secret back there or maybe a room you forgot to enter? Good luck making your way back out of sheer spatial memory. Even considering these flaws, the developers succeeded in delivering a fresh and concise take on the Metroidvania formula. One that hits every mark for a classic side-scroller without ever shying away from violence and does not overstay its welcome. I just hope that when and IF we ever see a Carrion 2, the devs shall push harder on this game as they did came up with something never done, with enough potential to make a chicken like me not only play through it but also complete every achievement. Take that, damned scientists!

TL-DR: I made them swallow my own fears, then I ate them.

• Short
  
• Open-world
  
• Exploration
  
• Relaxing
  
• Colorful
  
• Retro graphics

So, if you are still here... Let's get down to it:

Jamaica lähetti viestin:

Tell me more about yourself, please make it short and entertaining.

This game won my attention out of pure luck, while I surfed my humble library and realized I had a key from an old bundle that I forgot to redeem. Thought to myself "heck it, 400mb gives you 5 minutes to prove me your worth", and I took back my words. As the name implies, it is indeed a short game which you may complete in about an hour should you go straight to the objective, but we know that all adventures happens between the lines and this is no different... You play as a bird-girl named Claire (which I consider to be some kind of crow) who is taking some time away from the city to relax, but have to search for a place high enough to find some cellphone connection in order to check upon her mother in the hospital. So you start in your aunt's cabin and venture up the mountain meeting the residents while looking for secrets and ways to overcome the obstacles in your climb.
The game features a stamina system used for flying and climbing in the fashion of Shadow of The Colossus or Breath of The WIld, which you may upgrade by acquiring feathers while exploring or doing quests favors to the various residents around Hawk Peak. Each secret passage acting as a shortcut making your traversal easier and leading you higher... but this simple mechanic loop is where A Short Hike shines, because you probably will stick longer just to know more about the place and every animal that lives in it.
The resolution filter may scare some users but it can be turned off so there goes the only negative aspect I could think for this title, soundtrack is peaceful, dynamic and express very well the setting and mood of the game... but I cannot stress how much beauty resides in such a small game, from the bodies of water to the trees in the distance, and with every character and their unique personalities. Even though the story feels very "slice of life", you never feel pushed, the mountain isn't going anywhere so you get all the time in the world... Why not stay, listen to the wind brushing the leaves, and maybe get yourself a fishing pole?

TL-DR: You don't always need an expansive world to fill you with wonder, so for about 8 bucks, you can't go wrong with this one.

• Open-world
  
• Exploration
  
• Metroidvania
  
• Hack'n Slash
  
• From the makers of Viewtiful Joe
  
• Not a Legend of Zelda clone
  
• Cell Shaded
  
• Colorful
  
• Epic Soundtrack
  
• Who said this was a Zelda Clone?
  
• ...seriously.

So, if you are still here... Let's get down to it:

The Beatles lähetti viestin:

Little darling, it's been a cold and lonely winter...

If someone has ever had a Playstation 2(and pretty much every console after it) then you may at least have heard about it; Ökami is another title from the weird minds behind gems like God Hand who got discarded by Capcom before regrouping recently as Platinum Games, so if you are a fan of Bayonetta or Metal Gear Rising be thankful for Clover Studio. Just mix a handful of open world with hack'n slash and boil it under Hideki Kamiya's weird sense of humor then you get yourself the adventure of a console generation along with the likes of Shadow of The Colossus and Kingdom Hearts.
This game puts you in the paws of no one less than the sun goddess Amaterasu, awaken from her stony slumber to face another curse over the land of Nippon and bring back life, color and her floof to every mortal being; with the help of some guardian spirits and one or two celestial beings... maybe even some bugs, you get to find her scattered divine aspects in order to overcome the resurrected personification of evil. But make no mistake, lil'Amy is not your run of the mill shibe, with a wide array of celestial instruments from heavy swords to rapid-fire rosaries to fit different play-styles and keep you experimenting through the whole campaign to find the perfect setup. The highest point in it for me is how every skill you discover can be used to explore AND fight in some clever way, so you have to keep a creative eye out to get the upper hand in combat.
From the possible negatives, I would point out the inevitable mumbling sound for every character (since the game does not have voice-overs) which may scare some players; but its expansive world and narrative full of mystery, memorable characters and collectibles hidden in the most clever ways, it still lives up to the genre's expectation as one of the greatest open-world adventure game from its generation, alongside that Nintendo exclusive title with that dude wearing the green cap.

TL-DR: If you're looking for a wholesome adventure title with cool doggos full of razzle-dazzle, look no further.

• Early-Access
  
• Rogue-like
  
• Side-scroller
  
• Procedural
  
• Pixel graphics
  
• Dynamic environments
  
• Hard...
  
• Mercilessly, cold-blooded hard.

So, if you are still here... Let's get down to it:

StaticX lähetti viestin:

Corrosive, tainted by sin, I'm spilling blood and I can hardly contain it.

Given this is an Early-access title, I am just reporting my latest impressions, so this is prone to change as more updates arrive... But since it already is self-sustained at this stage, I am confident that my recommendation will stay positive. This game is the result of a group of code wizards research about dynamic environments in games, which they repurposed as a sand-box vertical dungeon crawler. It reminds me a lot about The immortal where anything can kill you in some way, but that's a farfetched comparison with a pre-historic Apple IIGS title.
In Noita (Finnish word for witch, or Jack "Warlock" Bauer) you control a nameless hooded mage going down a cave-system as a ritual of passing, although my character seems to be an Argonian rogue who is testing his stolen warlock's wand, I'm pretty sure his name is "Wind Sweeps Where The Sun Does Not Tan". So you get something like The Binding of Isaac, some RNG and a lot of dying... mostly self-inflicted.
What sets Noita apart from the crowd is its custom engine, the Falling Everything, although it may seem crude at first sight easily compared to the likes of Cortex Command, the F'd Everything creates a scenery where every visible pixel is simulated, so aspects such as mass, density, resilience, electrical conductibility and obviously flammability are all defined by the materials down to pixel level. So if you are clever, a single shot could blast an entire room of enemies without you ever setting a foot in the fight... well, not always because most of the time will be out of pure luck or not at all, as some shrapnel may ricochet back to your face and you know the drill, start over for you.
I have made a dozen attempts at it, delighted at how stressful it can get when you reach that new wand and feel that a trap or ambush is waiting so you check your surroundings like a SWAT veteran... or when I was silently reaching that glowing magic flask, guarded only by a zombie-like creature, suddenly I thought: "Look at this guy, trying to fling this flickering red stick at me... wait'a minut-OHSHIII!" I managed to evade the dynamite blast but the flask broke on my face, so I went blinking through space for what seemed like an eternity before materializing disoriented among a lot of monsters that I had never seen before. I died... and learned not to mess with flasks of Teleportium, ever again.
With more content to be added, new modes and polish this is by far one of the most promising early-accesses in recent months, and there are still a lot of undiscovered ways to scorch that lil' argonian tail.

TL-DR: Keep an eye out for this one, it is set for greatness.

• Puzzler
  
• FPS
  
• Exploration
  
• Pseudo-metroidvania
  
• Colorful
  
• Philosophic
  
• Secrets
  
• Puzzles under secrets
  
• Secrets under puzzles
  
• High sensitivity to spoilers
  
• You have no idea...

So, if you are still here... Let's get down to it:

The Animals lähetti viestin:

There is a house game in New Orleans a pretty island, they call it The Rising Sun The Witness, and it's been the ruin of many a poor boy player... and God I know, I'm one.

This game is the realization of an over a decade-long project by one of the most respected indie developer forerunners, so before anyone else this game was made for himself, a personal life achievement... Gotta reaffirm it though, this game is a one-time trip so any gameplay or even screenshots aside from the trailer might ruin the experience for you, permanently, so in case you may be wondering, be careful. It can be described as that feeling you get when you come to realize the solution for something that you've struggled with, that brief sense of "eureka"; and Jonathan Blow does hit the spot, over six hundred times in a row, actually.
The Witness plays out as a seemingly random sequence of puzzles, line puzzles... so you get a maze and must lead point A to point B like you were unlocking a smartphone screen. Obviously it adds a twist or new rule every now and then as the difficulty rises ever so slightly, following a golden rule: Of all the messages you will find, none will show you any solution; for that, you have the entire world to teach you if you keep a curious eye out for every detail... and I mean EVERYTHING, from a single leaf to the sky, this game is visually stunning like a painting where every stroke from the artist has an individual meaning.
That brings us to the reason behind most of the hate towards this game, where some may call it pretentious for requiring that players should guess the solutions out of the developer's mind; these players can be sorted into two groups: The ones who played the game with one or more spoilers to blur their own learning process, sometimes getting stuck; and the ones with the spoilers who never tried the game. But with its fairly open-world where you may tackle a different sequence if you ever get stuck in any given area, along with a detailed world overflowing with mystery, this is a feast for someone fond of escapism, such as myself. Two different endings and an end-game challenge that really sets apart the ones who did learn from the ones who just followed walkthroughs serves as the cherry on top of what I am proud to call Blow's magnum opus... Ever reminding you that the real treasure is not in the summit, but lies scattered around the climb. I wish I could unsee everything, just to play it again for the first time.

TL-DR: If you hear the word puzzle and Bejeweled comes to your mind, you are a puzzle player... But if you are haunted by visions of The Challenge, then you are a person of culture as well.

• Adventure
  
• Platformer
  
• Side-Scroller
  
• Eh, Metroidvania?
  
• Colorful
  
• Cute AF
  
• 2D, I guess...
  
• ...hm...

So, if you are still here... Let's get down to it:

Murderous Mammons lähetti viestin:

Spin, twist, and flip... a pervert at every turn... on this god-fricking menage I haven't banged anyone...

You probably heard about this one, but if this review may be of use, then let's consider it otherwise. Fez is part of what could be called the Chaotic Trinity of indie forerunners (FEZ being the Chaotic-Neutral of them), back when Edmund McMillen was just another brick in the wall, Phil Fish decided to take a dip in the shark-infested waters of PC-gaming to realize the work of a lifetime. If I told you that here you play as a square-shaped kid who plays the drums and lives in a vertical village in the likes of a Ghibli film... you might think this will be your average colorful adventure platformer, right? Well, WRONG!
If you are used to the afore-mentioned genres, this is not your average everything there... FEZ unfolds like that quiet kid in school who gets cornered by bullies and suddenly rips them apart, and that is a major positive feature of the game. You can expect to jump a lot in these surreal landscapes, although it may not be as hard as his Chaotic-Evil cousin Super Meat Boy. Gomez greatest challenges lie in the search for fragments of the mysterious Tetragrammaton to restore order to his dimension under the guidance of none other than a little tesseract, and quite a few others just because he can, he is the guy with the FEZ after all.
Even to my addicted puzzle taste, this game is quite strong, ranging from simple decryption puzzles to ludicrous binary and hexadecimal sequences... I'm gonna be honest here, after two entire years I gave in and sought help for the last two secrets, without any regret since those solutions were so above human level, that I still believe that no one has actually solved them to this day, aside from data miners who pulled them from the source code. If that doesn't discourage your interest then you won't play anything like this elsewhere... My only gripe about it is the fact that Phil Fish hanged his keyboards after some unprecedented flaming and we might never see a sequel. Till then, we keep the old Spin, twist and flip.

TL-DR: To this day this is the only way to experience Phil Fish's unique genius.

• Adventure
  
• Platformer
  
• Side-Scroller
  
• Colorful
  
• Pacifist
  
• Cute AF

So, if you are still here... Let's get down to it:

El Chavo del Ocho lähetti viestin:

I would rather die than to lose my life!

This was another one of those indies which got people puking rainbows with no apparent reason. I have managed to ignore it until it popped in my Humble Monthly, so I gave it a try hoping to get disappointed soon and move on... The straightforward story revolves around a bard mistakenly chosen to save the world, being unable to fight he must survive the back and forth between two rival characters on the same quest who can actually fight to save the world, each with her own perspective.
Wandersong is what one would call a pacifist adventure platformer with some Toby Fox vibes, you travel across a varied map navigating obstacles and fending off opponents only with your voice which is ingeniously well designed, less of a spectacle but way more amazing than swordplay, period. For platforming veterans, it might look too easy but that was never the objective for the game... So, what is there to enjoy in an adventure game without fights and death penalties? The strife is right there in the face of the prancing bard, a seemingly useless bystander of the armageddon. The story kept me as I followed the nameless bard named Elan (nicknamed Lil B., but since it was my playthrough, his name is Elan, deal with it), trying too hard to get the attention of his etherial crush who "almost" chose him, while dealing with ghosts, monsters, pirates, mermaid traps and even the cornerstones of existence.
The game shines with a breathing world full of memorable characters and some fantasy creatures so lovely that will stay with you long after you finish the story, and a message that, no matter how grim life may be... it only takes a little bit of hope to light the way, and determination to keep trying. I only wished that both of the characters around Elan would get an equal "ending" but still, I got carried away into finishing the achievements and finding the last secrets... so that makes this game a huge YES that reached me as few others did. And if you ever wondered what the word wholesome means, then play Wandersong and you will know.

TL-DR: If you like touching stories, be my guest. If not, be ready 'cause my buddy Elan is going to sing your @ss.

• Puzzles
  
• FPS
  
• Exploration
  
• Is this also a Metroidvania?
  
• There are secrets inside those secrets, believe me
  
• Mind F's...
  
• Seriously, be ready to get your mind F'd

So, if you are still here... Let's get down to it:

Desert Rose Band lähetti viestin:

One step forward and two steps back, this kind of dance can never last...

I'm not trying to mislead anyone here, just stating upfront that Antichamber makes no effort to be your friend, or leave you comfortable. Much like that very intelligent, mysterious and sexy exotic person of interest in your job/school... who treats you neutrally out of good manners but will never give you a real chance because at heart they don't give an F to you. Looking for that puzzling exploration in colorful settings blended with upbeat music? Well shucks... Okay, nihilism mode off now, nevermind it. Just trying to keep this as spoiler-free as possible:
Antichamber is a first-person puzzle adventure that prods you out of the box by removing its bottom while holding it over a chasm, literally. But don't be fooled by its black and white minimalist architecture, for its non-euclidean brutalist corridors might be just as sexy as that exotic colleague (if you are into that). Got my copy on sale eons ago ( but gifted so many others that I lost count ), for the humble price tag you get a solid puzzler with a meditative soundtrack which teaches you its mechanics by small hand draw signs along with existential quotes. So you get a huge sticker album poster to complete and a map that's just as elusive as my chances your chances with that exotic colleague, and that is my last personal life reference, fine!
Surprisingly, it is not purely linear giving you the freedom to choose where to focus so you won't stop progressing in case you hit a brick wall... If all else fails, then maybe your idea of succeeding is mistaken.
Aside from the amazing soundtrack, the highest point of it for me was that besides zero hand-holding, the game makes it clear that there is no wrong way and no failing, even when you fall into the darkness there is still something to be learned from that. Some could argue about its length, but I'd rather have a brief but sweet memory than an experience that overstays its welcome. So just follow the signs and remember: You are NOT here .


TL-DR: If you like to re-learn your spatial notions, this game is for you.

• Igavania
  
• Yeah, THAT guy
  
• Side Scroller
  
• ARPG
  
• Huge, varied map
  
• Secrets... secrets everywhere

So, if you are still here... Let's get down to it:

Mr. Igarashi lähetti viestin:

What is a publisher? A miserable little pile of money... and copyrights.

After the Mighty N°9 fiasco, one could justify my doubts about this one. Bloodstained starts on a rather humble setting, when your ship is attacked by a storm and a demon army, the usual... So forget all the dashing hero entrances, and kick your high heel boot through some demon arses.
Copyrights aside, Igarashi-sama had no guilt in following the recipe created and perfected by himself through generations. By the price tag (I got preordered it at full price, result of debt recovery ... still I am grateful, Sir mw64) you get a tight adventure platformer focusing on exploration, masterfully designed map and visuals, competent battle and crafting mechanics... and a shameless amount of references, all in a B-movie styled, cartoony script ironically voiced over by a legendary cast, just because they could afford it.
Being a veteran of the genre, I was surprised when I had my tail handled by the very first boss in the game, forcing me to grind levels and just "git gud"... a feeling that was kept along most of the campaign (when most similar games have a wider comfort-zone). The responsiveness of the controls keeps all the blame for missing a jump on the player, and makes a nice couple with the vast equipment and build options, where one could go for more strength-based weapons, I went with a high luck/critical chance set (resulting in my poor character spending half of the game wearing a Xmas hat).
The major point of this game for me was how much care was given to every detail, if you manage to get the extra boss fight DLC, you may end up like I did, caught like an animal in a trap while trying to backtrack and finding yourself hitting an obviously locked door, of the boss fight type. It has as many tributes to the best of the games that came before it (from a franchise of which we may not mention here, but starts in a Castle and ends with a Vania) as it also has acid jokes about the same franchise's dreaded fate.
Like the Fairy Song says: "Rise our champion... Arise!". I really hope that this game may give way for a sequel or maybe other projects from Igarashi-sama, because the proven fact is that he still has the touch... And I believe he is back into the business.


TL-DR: Igarashi is back, and you can try to beat him in his own game, literally!

• Free title
  
• Farm Manager
  
• User-Friendly
  
• Colorful and cute aesthetics
  
• Did I forgot to say this is free?

So, if you are still here... Let's get down to it:

My nerdy mom lähetti viestin:

Look! How cute, so many chocobos...

Cheeky Chooks remained for years as one of those games that I kept in my wishlist because it was promising, but never had the time to try it. Well, Odin blessed my boredom because now I know that I should have tried this earlier.
With amazing examples of farming managers out there, it would be obvious that this one does not try to best giants like Stardew Valley or Slime Rancher... mainly because it is a free game (no caveats, a full game and you won't spent a cent on it) but also because it aims just to be a colorful and relaxing experience, no more than that. And, oh boy, does it delivers!
Starting you off with a straightforward tutorial on interface and unit placement, you are free to focus on either growing your chicken collection or decorating your limited space in order for them to be happy and give you higher profits. From there, you are pretty much on your own, only guided by a "to-do list" which gives you challenges specific for your farm level and unlocks more upgrades and larger building area... so you can get more buildings to house even more chickens and cool things to get them entertained.
There are tiers of eggs, where you get a large amount of different looking chickens and each one has better trade-offs that benefit the entire farm and change how much and how fast you make money.
The best part of the experience for me was the fact that the game never punished me directly: forgot to fill their feeders? You get less profit, so just fill them again and your back in business, no problem. The two minigames available are nice ways of getting money fast in the beginning, and seeing the little ones helping you out to bust some pumpkins is a charm.
After getting the last achievement for the game, I still come back to it to place new units around my coops and getting newer and cheekier chooks.


TL-DR: If you like cute and colorful chickens, then what are you doing reading all this?