Останні рецензії користувача talgaby

Spectraball is part of a very narrow subgenre which you may call “ball platformers” (they are also called "marble rollers"). These type of games usually are nothing more than glorified tech demos that showcase and engine’s graphical and physics capabilities.
In this regard, Spectraball is no different. You control a ball, have three possible unique powers to help you on the stages, and your goal is to try to reach the end of each stage as fast as possible.

Although the game says it has puzzle elements, in reality this is a pure old-school platformer on par of the most well-known ball-busting hard NES titles from decades before.
This also means Spectraball is an excellent game for those who like to speedrun platformers, especially since the game has online leaderboards.
Sadly, the game is short, with only seven stages and three survival challenge maps which each offer an achievement.

Overall, if you like challenging platformers and indie engines which utilise wonderful graphics, this game is for you. If you want a puzzle game though, you will more than likely be disappointed. If I had to add some numeric value to this review, I'd go around 60/100; the game doesn't really have many strong or weak points, it's just another indie platformer. A fun pasttime for a few bucks.

Blackwell Deception is the fourth (and possibly the one before last) instalment in the Blackwell series of point & click adventure games which follow the adventures of a medium and her spirit guide, who try to find lost spirits and help them to move to the afterlife.

While the previous games were a reminiscent of those indie titles that followed the footsteps of the classic Sierra games, Deception feels more like an indie copycat of the LucasArts adventure games. The graphics and audio went over a huge, huge improvement from the previous games, and the puzzles are more item oriented than before… though thankfully the clue interface is back again to make us feel like we are in a mystery game not just a run-of-the-mill point & click adventure.

Though the individual cases really show us how brilliant the writing can be – and they are easily the high point of the game –, sadly the need for an overall plot has its disadvantages.
This disadvantage culminates in the last part, where the simple premise turns into a major supernatural conspiracy, which, no doubt, will make up the majority of the next (and possibly) final game.

Overall, the technology behind the game improved a lot but sadly the storytelling is starting to slip. This is a bad sign but it may also let the fifth game to improve again and let us show why the Blackwell series is so loved among its fans.

Blackwell Convergence is the third instalment in the Blackwell series. Also this is the first title where you may feel that it had an actual budget, though the improvements are seen mainly in the quality of the background graphics.
Following the footsteps of Unbound, but yet again with the first game’s protagonist, we partake in yet another set of ghost stories where the goal is to learn the spirits’ woes and how to convince them to find peace with their deaths and move on to the afterlife.
Gameplay-wise Convergence is starting to veer back to the classic adventure genre, losing the clue-based puzzles and using item interaction instead. I have to admit, in my opinion it hurts the game’s atmosphere and story, even though the creator was getting better and better in writing character stories for the ghost. This part was always the biggest selling point of the Blackwell series – the ghost and the life stories behind them, which were always more complex than anyone would think from a short indie game – and thankfully the game does not disappoint in this regard.
Also by this time the overall plot of the series is really starting to take form, which is really nice to make you feel you are playing a multi-part epic, but sadly hurts the individual cases somewhat as they all need to be tied into something instead of being completely separate from each other.
Overall the game wasn’t as a big step up from the previous title as Unbound, but it is still exciting enough to keep people interested in Blackwell.

Blackwell Unbound is the second instalment in the Blackwell series, and interestingly, it’s a prequel to the first game, The Blackwell Legacy, set almost 30 years prior to the events of the first one.
Unbound is where the series really kicks off and start the format of introducing more than one separate cases (ghost you need to save) in one game that in the end tie into a bigger plot. This episodic format restricts puzzle elements somewhat but it also removes the frustration that comes with most adventure games, especially the indie title where finding the solution to one puzzle requires you to explore a dozen or more maps for that elusive clue.
The overall quality of the game is a step up from Legacy, the writing and the dialogues are improved by quite a lot, and puzzle solving still requires finding clues and combining them instead of the classic use Item A on Item B type, unrealistic adventure game method.
Overall this is a very good follow-up on a promising first game, paving the path for the future instalments.

Probably the shortest way to describe the Blackwell series is to call it the point & click adventure game equivalent of the TV show ‘Ghost Whisperer’, after all, the premise is quite similar: the female protagonist is able to speak with the dead and she uses this gift to help the deceased find peace and move to the afterlife.
What makes is different is the overall plot in later games and the permanent sidekick: Joey the fedora-wearing ghost, the spirit guide of the protagonist Rosangela.

The game itself is a classic adventure game, really reminds me of those indie titles which tried to cash in on the success of the Sierra adventure games decades ago. The writing is shoddy sometimes, the dialogues don’t really feel natural, the puzzles are a bit far-fetched, so overall it’s not a “professional” game.
But what it lacks in sheer professionalism it makes up in passion. You can see that the game was designed and created with love, and the main idea behind the plot is very sound.

Overall this is a quite short (even for a Blackwell game) start of a nice little series, the foundation on what later games built upon. Probably not the best hook to reel new gamers in but believe me, it will be worth it.

The game has a wonderful atmosphere aided by astonishing visuals, excellent soundtrack and a very incredible overall art style. The puzzle mechanics are unique and although they rely on one specific mechanic, the additional elements keep up the challenge and introduce new ways of thinking into every new level visited.

So why the negative review?
Because this particular *puzzle* game relies heavily on twitch reflexes. A puzzle game should be something you play to use your brain, not your shooter skills and hand-eye coordination. And this plagues the vast majority of the game, including each and every bonus level. Sadly, after a time (and lots and lots of resets on one level because you just missed the strict time limit) all the fun and challenge turns into nothing but pure frustration and anger, which is a clear indicator when a game fails to be a game.

The main levels are worth a few bucks for the design and the utterly charming narrative that tells a funny, yet somewhat bittersweet story, but for hardcore puzzle gamers and achievement hunters I advise against buying this title.

Before I start I want to state that I'm usually the person who thinks game reviews give way too high scores for lots of things.
But this time I feel 65 is too low. Yeas, the game has its problems, but it makes up for it big time.

– The atmosphere and the level designs are top-notch. The future is futuristic but not far-fetched, and the memory-excange aspect is really thought out on how it may affect society. The graphical design really helps too.
– Remember Me is almost purely story-based and it shows. The voice acting is decent at worst, great at best. The story itself unfolds in a perfect rythym and the two large and several smaller twists are not too clichéd to make them tiresome.
– The Memory Remix minigames add an easy but very unique puzzle type in a somewhat "timetravel changes the future" kind of way. Depending on your taste they may be the absolute high or low point of the game. (Though in latter case you probably wouldn't pick it up in the first place.)
Granted, the combat difficulty may vary for people. It's usually pretty easy even on highest difficulty but there are two ro three arena fights that are gimmicky and really frustrating.
– The music is just plain awesome.
– The achievements beside "kill n enemies" and "do x move n+1 time" are really fun to do, a rare thing in most games.

– Unskippable cutscenes. And since the game is story-heavy it makes up almost half of NG+. It really hurts replayability.
– Linear level design. The levels are very unique and make up for it somewhat but you are always on a corridor no matter what.
– Short. Playing it casually can net an about 8 hour gameplay, I finished every achievement in little less than 20 with two playthroughs.
– Combat and camera system can be against the player soometimes.

– Though many people complained about the controls I found the PC controls very well ported, combat was easier for me than in the Arkham games. The only bad point is the Spammer (your "gun") which most of the times would simply not go into aim mode.
– Combat may seem repetitive as you use only four combos over and over but the Combo Lab customization system is pretty innovative and makes combat a somewhat tactical challenge that can be adapted to various play styles.

Altogether I'd say that the game is worth it for the story only, it's so good that you can replay it over and over again just like your favourite movies. If I'd have to give a numerical verdict it'd be around 72/100.