Recenzii recente de Dodolidot

Very short minimalist puzzle balancing 2 subset of numbers using the available numbers on each level.

Pros
+ Fun minimalist puzzle
+ Randomization mode

Cons
- Mathing

Two Digits is a very short minimalist puzzle game that may come off easy enough but is actually terribly difficult especially if you are bad with numbers. The gameplay concept is simple, you are given a board with 9 numbers and you need to separate them to find a 2 different combinations that gives both sides the exact same number to progress to the next level.
There are a lot of levels and personally I found that the higher levels seem to use much bigger or complicated numbers making it much more difficult to find the correct combinations to match up both sides. You are also not expected to use all the available numbers as long as you can make a correct match, sometimes I feel some numbers were just put there to confuse me.
If completing all the preset levels aren't enough for you, there is also an option for randomized levels for you to continue your fun.

Achievements are all pretty much tied to completing the game.

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Very short minimalistic puzzle game with great complexity and relaxed pacing.

Pros
+ Lots of Puzzles
+ Complex fair puzzles

Hook is a very simple minimalistic puzzle game where the goal is to simply activate buttons in the correct sequence to get them to pull in without hitting any obstructions. The gameplay is simple to understand and get into but the puzzles get far more complex and harder the further you progress. There are a ridiculous number of levels and as you progress the puzzles get more complex with the introduction of new mechanics needing more of your time to carefully think things through.
The game has no time or movement limits allowing you to leisurely figure out the puzzles on your own time.

Easy single achievement for finishing the game.

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Very short point and click in a noir style about preventing your own murder looping back whenever you fail.

Pros
+ Interesting mystery
+ Simple gameplay loop

Cons
- Same repeated zone

AWAKE - Definitive Edition is a very short point & click with a noir style where you don't play the detective but are instead the target of a killer. Game play is simple to pick up as you explore and collect items you may need like many others of the genre, what makes the game different is that most of the items you find is much more useful to set up before cutscenes such as setting up traps. As the protagonist has the subconscious ability to go back to the beginning of the loop each time he fails, every failure imparts a little bit more information each loop as to what you can and can't do and potentially correct paths to take and what to do to influence that path.
The game is super short as it literally just loops within a short sequence but the story is mildly interesting in its own right yet unfortunately isn't fully revealed even with the best ending, just giving you tidbits of what may be the reason things happened. Puzzles aren't particularly complex but you most likely will die a few times, then replay the sequences a few times just to figure out the optimal way to save yourself and learn more of the backstory. There are a number of endings and paths depending on what you do, where some will result in better or worse outcomes.

Achievements aren't the worst to get but does take some effort to experiment and get through all the different endings.

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Short zen puzzle game with very beautiful Japanese style music and Origami aesthetics.

Pros
+ Relaxing
+ Great puzzles

KAMI is a short very zen puzzle game with very beautiful Japanese styled music and Origami aesthetics. The gameplay is simple to understand, flipping colors in order to change the whole paper into 1 color to progress to the next stage. Although there are no time or movement limitations you are still required to get as close to the minimum number of moves in order to progress, getting the shown least number of moves will earn you a gold perfect sticker.
As simple as the mechanics are, puzzles ramp up in difficulty as you understand what to do not only from more complex designs but also the addition of more colors to change between.

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Free and short very simple idle digital pet raising simulator.

Pros
+ Tamagotchi
+ Simple enjoyment
+ Kid friendly

Cons
- Minimal interactions
- Time based

MatchyGotchy is a free actually a rather short simplistic idle digital pet raising simulator based off Tamagotchi.
There are a total of 7 Stars to hatch and take care of their hunger, happiness, and cleanliness, in order for them to grow up and reliably build rockets. Mainly the game is about raising the stars to adulthood and having them at their peak condition so you can build lots of rockets to send to the planet Xanadu.
The game has more of a cutesy style and is also more about having fun with the minimal interactions available to you, kind of why its more of an idle game after you took care of their needs. Just have it in your background while you do other things and come back periodically to take care of any needs, exactly like a Tamagotchi.

Achievements aren't difficult but will require time and some effort to unlock them all.

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Short minimalist 2.5D puzzle platformer focused on atmospheric gameplay oriented story telling of a grim futuristic dystopian world.

Pros
+ Interesting world
+ Insane story

Cons
- Difficult achievements

Inside is a rather short minimalist 2.5D puzzle platformer with easy to understand controls that focuses on it's story telling told without any dialogue but instead through it's excellent atmosphere and gameplay. Puzzles aren't the toughest to figure out but there are sections requiring you to think on your feet and execute quickly with good timing. These segments are also where you will likely experience the most deaths but fortunately they aren't punishing enough to be a big deal.

Achievements aren't related to progression instead finding all hidden secrets so might be more challenging.

Gameplay
Inside does not have an overly complicated gameplay relying solely on running, jumping, and object interactions, so it isn't hard to get into. Puzzles are easily understood so you won't spend hours figuring out what to do just to progress, though there are moments where it is a little difficult to get through as the platforming requires you to time things correctly sometimes doing so quickly. There are a number of intense moments where you would need to think fast figuring out what to do and execute them in quick succession in order to progress. These moments are most likely where you will die as you play through the game, there aren't penalties other than having to try again if you do as there are plenty of checkpoints set for you to retry the segments.

Story & Setting
What really stands out about Inside is the vague story you're thrown into and how you slowly learn more about the world and what had and is happening around you. The game does not use any dialogue where everything is simply told through gameplay and atmosphere. As you progress further through the story the stranger things get culminating in the weirdest and most unexpected conclusion.
The game and story is actually quite short but since the developers wanted to give us a better perspective of the world, there are many moments that have us walking for longer than is really needed simply to show us a larger view of what is happening around us.
There is a lot happening in the game and it is difficult to explain the story without giving away too much of the mystique and masterful story telling of Inside and I encourage you to experience the story yourself.

There are also a number of secrets that are scattered throughout the game for you to find and they aren't the easiest to discover, definitely explore and probe around areas before moving on. These secrets won't be obvious as to what they are until the end and finding them all gives you an alternate ending that completely changes the perspective of the story.

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The classic pioneer story telling FPS of its time complete with both episodes in 1 package updated to modern standards.

Pros
+ Dated but still holds up
+ Great story
+ Solid FPS

Cons
- Still no Half-Life 3 :(

Half-Life 2 is a classic linear story focused FPS that was absolutely revolutionary in its time for introducing unique aspects uncommon in the FPS genre at the time. It also raised the bar technologically by simulating real-world physics and making the effort to create far more detailed and realistic models and animations to better convey its story and immerse you into its world.
Both Half-Life 2: Episode 1 and 2 along with Half-Life 2: Lost Coast, a short side cut content, have now been combined into the main game along with a slew of fixes and updates bringing the game closer to modern standards.

Though playing it now it may seem like any other FPS, though very dated, and possibly not as amazing as many have made it out to be (especially older gamers like myself) as it was the pioneer of its age inspiring others to follow suit. It is difficult to write how amazing and mind blowing the game is, remembering how I first experienced it years ago but the game still holds up well thanks to constant tech updates, its solid very satisfying shooting, and of course the great story telling it is known for.

I finished Half-Life 2 and both episodes for the longest time and now on its 20th anniversary it seems like the best time to finally write my review and pique peoples interest to experience the full game.

Achievements
For those that have gotten achievements in Episode 1 and 2 wanting to retain everything previously obtained:
1. Install Half-Life 2.
2. Go into Tools.
3. Install Episode 1 and 2 (It should instantly finish as both is now in Half-Life 2 and it will auto detect the files)
4. Run Half-Life 2.
5. Barrage of achievement pings.
*6. If not, in the main menu try going into the separate Episode 1 and 2 menus.

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A short and rather old classic point and click adventure game with a few difficult puzzles set in a beautiful world.

Pros
+ Fun whimsical world
+ Easy classic gameplay

Cons
- Few frustrating puzzles

The Whispered World Special Edition is actually quite an old point & click adventure game that has been reworked and re-released with better details and various fixes that plagued the original game. Taking place within a strange whimsical storybook world, you follow the tale of Sadwick the sad clown and his pet caterpillar Spot on their adventure to save the world. It is actually a rather short game though becoming far more longer to finish due to having a lot of strange and difficult to figure out puzzles at times also having a very slow pace of movement and character dialogues.

Gameplay
Due to being a pretty old point & click, it uses the classic gameplay most of us are probably familiar with so new players will have no issue learning how to play as well.
A unique feature implemented is sometimes you wouldn't need to find and use an item to progress, instead relying on and figuring out the different forms Spot can take and using him like a permanent item you always have to solve puzzles.
Some puzzles require you to root around a little to find the solution and there are some that are just downright difficult to figure out.

Story
Now the story at first doesn't come off as anything unique or special following the trope of a nobody suddenly saddled with a quest to save the world, though it has an unexpected twist ending that changes the perception of the story as a whole. There are interesting little details happening here and there that allude to this but wouldn't be too obvious just strange at first.
Interestingly there is actually an alternate ending depending on your choice, fortunately they have made the decision conveniently at the end of the game making it easy for you to experience them both.

World
What's most interesting and special about the Whispered World is really the world that they have built and the presentation surrounding the story itself. Everything happening in the Whispered World, especially things in the background simply makes you wonder more about the world.
The hand drawn art and cartoon animations are beautifully done and benefited from the rework of the Special Edition.

Achievements are not the easiest to get as some require you to perfectly solve puzzles the first time.

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Free to play turn based tactical strategy lite mobile port with heavy gacha and interesting story and nice pixel graphics.

Pros
+ Interesting story
+ Good voice work
+ Easy tactic game

Cons
- Heavy Gacha
- Energy limit

Sword of Convallaria is a free to play turn based tactical strategy game akin to the old Final Fantasy tactics though with a much more simpler streamlined gameplay and comes off more like any run of the mill mobile gacha simply ported to Steam. It has some rather nice pixel graphics, voice work, and long and interesting enough storylines with branching endings. Unfortunately the mobile aspects and gacha elements kind of bog you down as you contend with time gating, energy limits, and power creep, if you are unlucky and/or unwilling to shell out some extra money as with most types of these games, even though it is a tactical game, you will eventually be left behind if you are unable to keep up with newly released characters or power them up and their equipment.

After playing since release I have decided to stop as the game became more of a chore to keep up with the barrage of new characters to attempt obtain and dailies and events you don't have enough energy to accomplish within a day unless using limited items that may also have their own timers.

If you are fine with shelling out some cash or to really put in the time whenever you have the energy to do things then it isn't a bad game but the tactical aspects isn't as big as what you may think, I find myself at most times just finding the correct counters and the strongest characters to win battles.

Gameplay
The game is a turn based tactical strategy where battles take place within different maps separated into squares where your characters can be moved between them. There is a system of classes for all characters though it is very simple and whittled down to 3 that counters one another and another 2 but only 1 counters the other. It isn't as complicated as it sounds as the countering is not as significant as one would expect and sometimes just having stronger characters is enough to negate the counter class enemy.

There are 4 game modes available to you: the first is a basic resource collecting from winning battles, the second is the games current story, third is a retelling of what had happened with branching storylines and endings, finally fourth is like a PvP but you are fighting against a set up by someone else controlled by the AI. There are also events that take place quite often that introduces different gameplay and sometimes play like challenges.

It is touted as a tactical game but there's really only some tactics going on as most of the time it eventually it feels like it just comes down to how well/lucky you were with your draws, strengthening your characters and weapons VS the setup of overleveled/outnumbered/unique skills you are put up against within a stage.

Gacha
As will be apparent the game is still quite heavy with the gacha (gambling/luck based draws) when trying to obtain new characters. Good characters have low percentages to obtain even when supposedly there is an event that raises the rate of acquirement, unless you are willing to pay you will most likely spend quite a bit of time grinding the free currency to roll the characters you want. Although it has to be said that compared to other games of the kind they are fairly generous with ways you may slowly collect the ingame currency though it is still a bit of a slog to get enough currency for more summon attempts. Either way the gacha is still rather punishing as it is mostly timed if you want a better chance of who you're looking for.

Similar to mobile games of the kind I can already see the power creep that is slowly happening when new characters are released as they are marginally better or have some new skill that slightly changes battles. It might not be apparent at first but as more updates get released the new levels have also taken account of the new characters making attempting them without some newer characters far more difficult than they should be.

Story
There is actually an interesting story element weaved into the whole gacha, energy limited mobile game that would have benefitted from being a standalone part devoid of the requirement of an item for you to play and experience.
The story is set to explain what had happened and how things had ran its course, with most of the characters you can obtain and their parts in them with many branching paths that change the course of the story and ending. Each playthrough has you control a set of mercenaries that take jobs in the middle of a civil war and depending on your actions will align you and skew the story to a different path and end. Unfortunately it is hard to tell just what truly happened or what is canon with its multiple endings other than the fact that everyone eventually ended up at the same place.

Each time you have reached an end you are forced to restart either from the beginning to go through a different story branch or a checkpoint within the story arc so you can much easily experience the other ending of that story branch. But what I personally find annoying or more disappointing is you simply lose out on all the mercenaries you have collected and trained, having to restart from scratch even when starting through a checkpoint losing your "perfect" team.

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Very old classic top down RPG dungeon crawler with unique mechanics that's easy to pick up and play.

Pros
+ Classic
+ Simple fun

Cons
- Repetitive

FATE is a very old classic top down RPG dungeon crawler that is similar and takes many elements from others in the genre such as Diablo. It has implemented a number of its own unique spins on the genre while also having a more simpler and streamlined gameplay loop fitting for both casual and hardcore players.

Its gameplay is simple enough and easily understood as you start playing especially if you are a veteran of the genre. It is a simple RPG dungeon crawler with levels and stats for you to increase befitting your playstyle, with ever increasing difficulty of the dungeon the lower you go.

There is a story but its pretty much inconsequential as it mainly serves to keep pushing you deeper into the dungeon to reach the floor the story boss is on for you to defeat. After finishing the main story the game is practically open ended and you can just keep going deeper and deeper to continue leveling your character or finding ever more powerful equipment.

Unique features FATE implemented include fame, permanent pet, fishing, respawning, and retirement.

• Fame works like levels though you collect them by completing side-quests and defeating boss monsters, they give you more skill points compared to leveling up and also locks you from wielding some legendary equipment until you are famous enough to do so.
  
• At the start of the game you not only create your character but what's more interesting is the permanent pet that you choose to start off with, picking between a dog or cat and even naming them. They help you fight in the dungeon and can also help you clear your inventory by sending them back up to the village to sell your loot, streamlining the back and forth you'd normally do with getting rid of unwanted items you find in other similar games.
  
• Fishing is for the most part not very exciting as you only wait until a fish bites and pull it out, there is no mini game or anything really. Fishing does serve a purpose though as you can find loot and the fish you catch can be used to transform your pet into other forms to better assist you in fights.
  
• Now the Death system in FATE is rather interesting, after dying the reaper will appear and offer you 3 choices.
  The first will resurrect you where you fell but having a portion of your experience and fame taken.
  The second has you respawned on a nearby level which can be either up or down a level while taking some of your gold.
  And the third option has you respawned 3 levels up with all your gold dropped where you fell and a timer started having you rush back down before it disappears.
  There is however a fourth option to simply quit and continue wherever the game last saved.
  
• After completing the main quest you are given the option to retire the Hero and restart the game as a descendant, gaining perks and bonuses while also able to choose a single item to pass down that will also gain bonuses.

Achievements aren't particularly hard but time consuming and need a little effort to get them all.

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