Recent reviews by Mz Cookies

ToriDori 2 is a cutesy spot-the-difference game from developer Very Very Little Studio. These devs are well known for their Find All hidden object series and most recently, CatBox. I adored this little game and found the difficulty and level amount to be just right for one relaxing evening.


Pros

• 40+ different levels
  
• Varying themes and soundtrack to each level
  
• Average difficulty, not too hard nor too easy
  
• Cats!

Cons

• Sometimes the camera angles were a little finnicky

Whilst ToriDori 2 is a sequel, this was my first entry to the series so I cannot comment on the differences between the two.

Being a puzzle game, there’s not really any story and there’s no dialogue or extra things to interact with outside of the spot-the-difference gameplay. In the beginning, there are 5 differences per diorama to find, before moving up to 7 and finally ramping up to 10 differences. Achievements are quite easy with the hardest one involving not using the hint for 8 or so levels. The hint option also recharges very quickly and is handy for those who may not be looking for a challenge.

https://sp.zhabite.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3362039382

The camera can be rotated via mouse or keyboard and was mostly pretty fluid, but sometimes when trying to zone in on a section I had some trouble finding the right angle.


Playtime: I completed the game with 100% achievements in roughly 2.5 hours. I found this to be the perfect length as it doesn’t become too repetitive if you wish to finish it in one sitting.

https://sp.zhabite.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3362039433

ToriDori 2 is another cozy and casual hit from developers Very Very Little Studio. This relaxing spot-the-difference game is great to wind down to after a long day. Grab a cup of tea, enjoy the soothing vibes and get searching!

I tend to review wholesome, puzzle, horror and narrative-driven games. If that sounds up your alley, please feel free to check out my curator page Cookie Reviews.

Review copy kindly provided by IndieGems

Clock Tower: Rewind is a survival horror from 1995 and one of the genres pioneers. Being translated and released outside of Japan for the first time, having this title on Steam opens up the game to newcomers and allows fans to reunite with Scissorman. That being said, I did find this game very unfriendly to newbies, having not been acquainted with the original, it was difficult to enjoy this with a new set of eyes. To be perfectly clear though, this game is NOT A REMASTER. I repeat, it is NOT a remaster. It plays like an emulated title with awful controls and all the jank you would expect from a ’95 game, so I recommend keeping your expectations in check prior to launching!

Note I have not played the original, nor have I actually heard of it before. Therefore, this review will not focus on comparisons.


Pros

• Translated into English and officially released outside of Japan for the first time
  
• Minor additions such as a new animated opening, theme music and behind the scenes interviews
  
• Throwback to old-school survival horror

Cons

• Abysmal menu screen that resulted in me losing my save a few times and having to start the game afresh
  
• No options to alter sensitivity, rebind keys or adjust audio
  
• The game encourages controller usage but seems widely un-optimised for it
  
• Not very welcoming for newcomers

I tend to review wholesome, puzzle, horror and narrative-driven games. If that sounds up your alley, please feel free to check out my curator page, I'd really appreciate your support! Cookie Reviews.

You play as a teenage orphan named Jennifer who is recently adopted into the Barrows family. You arrive to a creepy, large mansion and are soon on your own… being chased by *dun dun dun* the SCISSORMAN! The Scissorman has a pretty apt name, he is a man who has a pair of huge scissors who chases you around the place… relentlessly! If you don’t know his lore, think of Mr X from Resident Evil, but without the menacing footsteps. He shows up out of nowhere and the chase is on. Hiding is the only option to escape this nightmare!

I know I am late to the party with Clock Tower, but as a newcomer, I had a huge smile on my face watching this lunatic chase me around while I slowly fast-walk away. I am sure this had a different effect on those who played the games original, especially those who played when they were young… but in todays day and age, there is nothing scary about him (which is fine with me).

Jennifer must explore the mansion to escape. Pick up bits and bobs, complete inventory-based puzzles and escape the blades of Scissorman. Although the latter is easier said than done. Your health is in the form of stamina, and you can stop moving to allow it to slightly heal. You can sometimes hold Scissorman back by button mashing, but it will cost a lot of stamina. Once he is chasing you, he is difficult to lose. You can only hide in very limited spots and often he found me there too. If you die, even if you haven’t manually saved, you will respawn shortly before (I appreciated this) but Scissorman will continue to chase you. This can be frustrating to escape him if you’ve found yourself in a dead end with low stamina as you’ll find yourself in an endless loop.

https://sp.zhabite.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3358815756

Puzzles were interesting and pretty straight-forward for the 90’s era, just be prepared to search every inch of your screen for some pixel hunting. One slightly annoying feature is that when you find something or unlock it, an obnoxiously big pop up blocks your entire screen to announce it. All is good and well with this unless you’re mid-chase with Scissorman. The popup completely blocks all the interactive hotspots and can ruin immersion or even lead to death.

When you die, you must skip a very slow loading screen but if you click multiple times, BEWARE, you may accidentally click “start new game” and not “continue game” (which is the next option below) and if you haven’t manually saved….. you have lost your entire save file and must start the game from the beginning – YAY! I could not open the menu to save on my Xbox controller as the usual menu button just paused the game (without bringing up any menu (?) so I didn’t think I could manually save…… Yes, I learnt this the hard, painful way.

Quality of Life changes – ?
I do not recommend this game if you do not like old games, nor if you don’t have any patience. Perhaps there are some quality-of-life updates in this release, but I can’t say that I see them in the actual GAME very well. The UI is a mess and is very confusing. On controller, you must hold B and keep holding it alongside the thumbsticks to use an item? I still can’t figure out how to open the menu on controller to save my game (it only works when pressing escape). There’s a total lack of settings for basic necessities like sensitivity, audio and key rebinding. Using the thumbsticks to guide the cursor felt like running a marathon and often the sensitivity was way too fast that it just skips over hotspots entirely, so I resorted to playing with mouse and found this much easier (despite the game recommending controller on startup). I understand that these struggles may not happen to those a bit more familiar with these more classic games but alas, I don’t think it should feel this tricky, especially considering the $AU30 price tag.

https://sp.zhabite.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3358815851

On the storepage, listed “modern inclusions” are an art gallery, music player, behind-the-scenes creator interview, save states and “other modern inclusions.” AKA no additions to the gameplay.
I stressed it in the introduction, and I’ll say it again, this isn’t a remaster and plays like a direct emulation. I recommend setting your expectations accordingly before beginning this adventure and you shouldn’t be disappointed.


Clock Tower: Rewind is a 16-bit classic with large black bar borders. No real complaints about the appearance of the game, I quite liked that the visuals were preserved.

There is a new animated opening and vocal theme song that plays right at the beginning of the game, but the rest of the game is fairly silent. The shuffling of footsteps, loud shrieks, overdramatised groans fill the void but there is little else (unless Scissorman shows up). I enjoyed the simplicity and nod to the past.

This game was played using a a mix of controller and mouse (due to poor settings), and with the following PC specs.:
AMD Ryzen R5 7600x 5.4 GHz
32GB DDR5 5200 CL36 RAM
Radeon RX 6800 XT
2560x1440 resolution
NVMe 3.0 SSD
Windows 10

Replayability value: Yes, to achieve different endings


If you are a long-term Clock Tower fan, or if you wanted to play it but couldn’t due to the region lock, this game is definitely for you. If you like 90’s survival horror and are looking for a throwback fan-service, this should also suit you. However… if you are a newcomer and looking to dive in for the first time (like me), it may be a bit tricky to become invested in the game. Admittedly, I really struggled with the outdated UI and lack of gameplay quality of life changes. For the pricepoint of $AU30, I did expect a bit more than a direct emulation of a nearly 30 year old game which is disguised as a PC port fresh release. However as stated above, if you’re already familiar with Clock Tower or don’t mind the jank, this may still be a game for you

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**EDIT - You can now complete each puzzle straight away on hard, despite not completing them on medium difficulty first. Unsure if this was an update that happened on release but this now removes some of the grind for completionists!

Magic Cats Pots is a very cute jigsaw game with a cozy and adorable aesthetic. Puzzle pieces are easy to manoeuvre, and the three different achievement levels can create as much of a challenge as you would like. However, for achievement hunters or completionists, be prepared for a bit of a grind for that coveted 100%

Pros

• Cutesy themes with gorgeous pastels
  
• Cozy & medium difficulty are perfect for casual players looking to relax
  
• Procedurally generated levels

Cons

• Difficulties are locked behind completing the previous difficulty levels
  
• Very grindy and repetitive for achievement hunters / completionists

https://sp.zhabite.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3358095219


Gameplay is very simple, pickup pieces, right click to rotate them and piece the puzzle together. Pieces will snap together if they’re put in the correct spot. The difficulty level then determines the number of pieces there are.

There are different sections of puzzles you can do, including vases, mugs, pots etc. Each of these sections has various different individual puzzles within them, and each one has three difficulty levels. You must complete the puzzle in the lowest difficulty, “cozy” in order to gain access to the medium difficulty and then complete on medium to finally progress to hard. Meaning that you must complete each puzzle a minimum of three times, across all sections, if you wish to 100% the game. You cannot start with hard first to get the achievements that way, which I didn’t like.

The cozy difficulty was very easy and very quick, perfect for someone looking for an hour or so of not much thinking. The medium difficulty I liked more as it took more time but wasn’t too hard. Whereas the hard difficulty I find quite tedious, especially as I have already done each puzzle twice before. However I will have to persist if I want that 100%!

Playtime: Taking my time and playing this while watching something, I have completed all cozy puzzles and only have one section left for medium. Currently have 3.3 hours

https://sp.zhabite.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3358095142

Magic Cats Pots is a cute game to help pass the time and relax. Despite its grindy achievements, if you’re just looking for a casual puzzle game and like the look of the screenshots, I recommend giving this one a go.

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Escape Tales: The Awakening is a narrative puzzle game that is newly adapted to the digital form, being originally known as an escape-room card game. Whilst I am not aware of the original card game, this new game format seems to work well, but I did find the puzzles quite difficult. This type of game is perfect for the spooky season with its dark undertones, but I do think this game mostly suits puzzle aficionados as opposed to horror lovers.

Pros

• Digitalised format of a popular card game
  
• Creepy ambience and descriptions
  
• Different endings and playstyles
  
• Handy hint system if you get stuck.

Cons

• Puzzle difficulty (may be a pro for some!)

You play as Sam, a mourning husband after his wife has recently passed. To make matters worse, your only daughter has also fallen ill and is in a coma. Sam decides to do what all horror protagonists do, and to try and evoke the supernatural to get his daughter back. He obtains the book of rituals and begins performing an awakening ritual to try and wake his loved one. I am sure this will go down smoothly!

https://sp.zhabite.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3355645071

Along the way through different rooms, titbits of information is provided about Sam and the details of his wife’s passing. The entire narrative is coated in spookiness with each sentence having an eerie aura about it. The rooms themselves are creepy and off-putting which helped me visualise the descriptions of Sam’s surroundings.

The story is nothing special, but it did scratch my Halloween-novel itch that I had. Perhaps I am not the right audience for this type of game as I wanted more of the narrative and choose-your-own-path gameplay, rather than the myriad of puzzles one after the other, but it is best to keep in mind that it is based off an escape room game.


Gameplay is very simple, you read text from the side of the screen and select the option at the bottom (sometimes a choice) to proceed. You will then find yourself in a small room where you can click on various sections along the rooms border to further explore the area. Each area is colour coded such as green for things to do/unexplored, blue for puzzle and grey for the area is complete/exhausted. You also have a limited amount of stamina slots which are used to explore different areas. If you run out, you can always meditate to recover some more but if you do it too often, it can negatively affect your ending. Therefore it is best to pick where you want to explore quite carefully.

Most times, you will need to explore various parts of the room to pick up all the necessary clues to complete the puzzle. There is an ingame little notebook and pen/highlighter which you can use to type any relevant notes or clues. You can also draw which is handy in some puzzles where you may need to trace a line or draw out a specific sequence. The puzzles will end with a digit code which can be deduced from the unique puzzles. They started off okay but got quite complicated quickly. You must read environmental clues to deduce what to do, but if you are stuck, there is a handy hint option to help guide you, or even give you the full solution if you keep clicking on it.

https://sp.zhabite.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3356147309

Having the inbuilt notebook reminded me of some more old-school games and I really enjoyed that. Being able to resize the different puzzle clues and format them on my screen like I would in a tabletop game on a bench was something new and fun.

Once you have completed the necessary puzzles and find the portal to exit, you have the option of remaining in the room to continue exploring, or you can leave. Note that you cannot return to any of the past rooms so it is best to make the most of your time in each.

This game was played using a mouse only, and with the following PC specs.:
AMD Ryzen R5 7600x 5.4 GHz
32GB DDR5 5200 CL36 RAM
Radeon RX 6800 XT
2560x1440 resolution
NVMe 3.0 SSD
Windows 10

Replayability value: Yes, for different endings and routes.


Escape Tales: The Awakening is a unique little horror-themed puzzle game that is sure to keep puzzle enthusiasts busy for a few hours. I recommend this for puzzle lovers who don’t mind a bit of a spooky theme, especially those who are aware of the original board game.

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Whispers of Prague: The Executioner’s Last Cut is a polished point & click adventure game that centres around contemporary Prague, Czech Republic. Developed by Czech studio, Shader Mess this game oozes quality with fleshed out characters, ample dialogue, and creative puzzles. Best be warned though, the puzzles can be tricky, and I could not find any guide at the time of writing this review.

Pros

• Excellent setting, right in the heart of Prague
  
• Creative & challenging puzzles
  
• Highly interactive scenes
  
• Abundance of dialogue with multiple lines per object
  
• Interesting story about treasure hunting, AI, executioners and more
  
• Saves frequently (manual & auto save)

Cons

• No task list so it can be confusing on what to do next
  
• Characters do not repeat important lines & dialogue is not stored anywhere
  
• Non-adaptive playstyle, you’re not able to do sequences out of order even if they are sensical. They can only be done in the order the devs intended

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You play as Viktor, a reclusive programmer living in Prague who enjoys treasure hunting on the weekends. Viktor is not too interested in his day job, but his passion lies in the thrill of finding relics. This passion soon becomes dangerous and leads him to become entangled in a mess involving his late grandma. What was she secretly a part of and why did she leave everything in riddles? With the help of his friends and AI assistant, ARNEAS, he slowly pieces the puzzle together as he starts digging up historical items that some people would prefer to stay hidden.

https://sp.zhabite.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3339125802

I found the story to be engaging, especially due to its gorgeous setting which felt like an authentic portrayal, very unlike many other games I’ve played. This makes sense as the developers are also based in Prague and have really done their city a service through this game. Mixing in true facts about current day Prague and of course, the executioners creepy story. These themes had me looking forward to each new area.


Whispers of Prague is a modern point & click that plays how you would expect. Find items, store them in your inventory and use/combine them to unlock something or proceed to another area. Gather clues to open a safe, read every tidbit of information and forth. There is a journal that Viktor writes in to summarise his actions and the happenings around him, however there is no checklist, or current objectives page. This had me getting a bit lost, especially as conversations are not stored anywhere, and they cannot be repeated. So, if you were not paying 100% attention when conversing with someone, someone who just gave a big hint on what to do next…… good luck getting that information back into your brain. This is mainly for phone conversations, but I also encountered this a few times with in-person characters. This is also the case when asking for hints, the AI will not repeat his answers (I learnt this the hard way). No looking at your phone or zoning out here. You snooze, you lose! I must say I was not a fan of this, especially as there are currently no guides available (at least that I could find) so it is even more brutal, and one of the main reasons I am yet to finish the game. If you have difficulties maintaining your attention in games, I recommend only playing this in short bursts.

https://sp.zhabite.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3339197667

There are ten, lengthy chapters with fairly logical puzzles that make the price point of $AU15 extremely worth it (a bargain I’d say!) However, sometimes I would get a bit frustrated that I cannot do actions “out of order.” For instance, I know a gravestone is important, I know it is a clue I need to progress, I have talked to other characters about it, and I want to use the AI to effectively Google the name on the gravestone to find out some more info. NOPE! The game will not let you ask about it until you do some other tasks first… but what exactly they are is unclear (remember there is no checklist/objectives page).

Conversely, I loved how interactive the environment is. You can click on most things in a room and have Viktor make multiple comments on it. Clicking on objects multiple times can feel rewarding as Viktor often has a tongue-in-cheek comment on something which had me chuckling. Even trying to give characters completely random items from your inventory will prompt unique (and humorous) responses, per item. I absolutely loved this as it shows the high attention to detail the developers have, and how much time they spent on each element, no matter how small.


Visuals are quite decent for a P&C, from exploring Prague’s dimly lit cobblestone streets to the interior of a corporate building. Character portraits are also nice, being quite comic-like with over-exaggerated expressions but much softer shading.

https://sp.zhabite.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3339126208

There is no voice acting but given the amount of text, I imagine having all of it voiced would be far out of the devs budget. Overall, I do not notice the backing ambience too much as it is quite subtle.

This game was played using a keyboard & mouse, and with the following PC specs.:
AMD Ryzen R5 7600x 5.4 GHz
32GB DDR5 5200 CL36 RAM
Radeon RX 6800 XT
2560x1440 resolution
NVMe 3.0 SSD
Windows 10

Playtime: Devs expect this game to be around 10 hours long.
Note: I am currently stuck and without any walkthroughs, I am at a loss!

Controller Recommended? No (+ unsure if supported).


Whispers of Prague: The Executioner’s Last Cut highlights the gorgeous city of Prague whilst telling a story filled with intrigue and treasure-hunting. Its high attention to detail and polished narrative at the price of only $AU15 is an absolute steal. Despite lacking some helpful mechanics such as an objective task list / dialogue scripts, I highly recommend this game to puzzle enthusiasts and point & click lovers. Just keep in mind that as of the time posting this review, most characters do not repeat themselves so you really need to pay attention when playing.

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From the developers of the popular Orwell games comes Closer the Distance. Except this time, the team at Osmotic Studios have decided to steer away from politics/corruption themes and into a slice-of-life sim about human emotions and relationships. It focuses on the tenderness of grief; how different people process tragedy and how this can impact communities. Closer the Distance is an excellent narrative game that kept me enthralled from beginning to end. Its thought-provoking gameplay had a profound impact on me, despite the immense performance issues I experienced.


Pros

• Unique gameplay, controlling multiple characters simultaneously.
  
• Thought-provoking, emotive, and melancholic narrative about processing grief
  
• Balanced mix of personalities amongst characters
  
• Excellent voice acting
  
• High attention to detail in all scenes with the way all characters and their actions are woven into a coherent story

Cons

• Immense FPS drops and stuttering after playing for an hour
  
• Multiple conversations overlapping
  
• No manual save

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A peaceful small town named Yesterby is rocked by the unforeseen tragedy of losing one of its young residents. The townspeople struggle coming to terms with what has happened, and the story follows their individual journeys, as well as how each of their path’s interconnect. Despite being the victim of the fatal car accident, Angela watches over those she left behind, guiding their decisions and pushing them forward, until they are strong enough to continue on their own.

https://sp.zhabite.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3335768950

The story is clearly, emotionally charged, and immersive, highlighting how different people manage grief. The relationships between characters can be complex but rewarding if you persevere down specific friendship routes. Perhaps the most impressive element was how much impact each of the characters you control has on everyone. How their actions will impact another one of your characters. Whilst the main story is about Angela’s loss, there are many different “side quests” or plots to further explore to better understand other characters. If you neglect a character’s basic needs, they can fall into a deep state of depression and can end up feeling neglected. This can have consequences to other characters who are close with that person, creating a sombre domino effect.


I think the best way to describe Closer the Distance is that it plays like The Sims. You are responsible for making sure characters basic needs/wants are met, controlling what side quests and activities they do, such as finding a balance between meeting a deadline for a quest and having enough exercise and food. Take this, and add some choice elements, multiple characters and an overarching story about loss and there you have Closer the Distance.

I found its storytelling poetically beautiful, but extremely melancholic (I do not recommend playing this while sad). Watch the younger sister slowly recede into her shell and break down, silently, and in solitude. Observe the mum busying herself in pointless activities, only to never be fully satisfied, so she attempts to employ others into her futile tasks. See how these characters closest friendships and relationships suffer because of their actions.

https://sp.zhabite.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3335768584

Acting as a sort of “God” over the townspeople, I tried to console everyone, to balance their needs so they can be OK. Soon enough, I realised that there is just not enough time in the day to do it all. Sacrifices must be made, which is hard for an amiable personality like my own. Admittedly, this did give me a sense of stress, but in a good way. Waiting for a character to wake up so he can immediately cook food so he can go to work ASAP to meet his project deadline, is kind of amusing, looking back. I felt this sense of stress because I was completely enthralled into these characters lives. I wanted them to succeed, and when they did not, I felt at fault… and that is powerful.

Cycling through each character, it is easy to control them simultaneously, always making sure they are doing some sort of task. Although, I would have liked it if it were easier to spot at a glance if they were currently travelling to complete a task, or doing one.

Many choices did not have as big of an impact as I was hoping, and often if you did nothing, the storyline would sort itself out without harsh consequences. Perhaps the game would have been too sad and grim if it had brutal consequences to characters actions. Yet sometimes I felt a bit letdown, especially when I replayed specific scenes to see how it played out if I did the opposite. Closer the Distance certainly can have an illusion of choice.


Visually, Closer the Distance is quite basic. Characters do not have facial details, with their faces being blank slates, except in their character portraits. The focus is instead on the landscape and environmental details, which are bright and blocky.

https://sp.zhabite.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3335144153

Dialogue is fully voiced, with the voice acting being especially notable. Delivering believable and heartfelt performances across the cast with the pain in many of their voices being palpable. One small gripe is that sometimes if you lead more than one character to the same location, they will commence their dialogues, talking over the top of each other. They will be having different conversations, but because they are in the same room, we hear each group clearly and it can be hard to follow along with each.

This game was played using a keyboard & mouse, and with the following PC specs.:
AMD Ryzen R5 7600x 5.4 GHz
32GB DDR5 5200 CL36 RAM
Radeon RX 6800 XT
2560x1440 resolution
NVMe 3.0 SSD
Windows 10

Technical Issues: My biggest concern with the game was that I had continuous stutters and FPS drops (120 down to 40 and jumping up and down). This only occurred after an hour or so of consecutive playtime and was fixed with a restart, until another hour passed, when I would need to restart again. Stutters were horrid, happening every few seconds, delaying dialogue, watching characters lag in their walks etc. Note that after looking at other reviews, it seems this issue is not widely experienced, but I succeed minimal system requirements [32GB RAM / 16GB VRAM]

Playtime: 12 hours – 100% achievement completion.

Controller Recommended? No – but there is controller compatibility.

Closer the Distance is a melancholic slice of life sim with gameplay reminiscent of The Sims, where you are responsible for each character’s basic needs and actions. Its atmospheric and emotive scenes are exceptionally hard-hitting and are sure to strike a chord with narrative lovers. Although its premise is simple, gameplay never felt repetitive, and I was completely immersed in each character’s lives. The performance issues I encountered do not seem widespread across players, but hopefully a fix can soon be implemented. Despite the devs taking a vastly different turn from the popular Orwell series, this is an easy strong recommendation to all story enthusiasts if you do not mind a bit of a sad plot!

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The Land of the Magnates is an action-adventure with heavy platforming sections, developed by a two-person Turkish studio, Permanent Way Games. The story is heavily inspired by Middle Eastern myths and is deeply routed in the history and culture of Arabia, Persia, India, Byzantium and others. This unique premise attracted me to the game, however my overall opinion is rather mixed. This game is buggy with awkward camera angles and controls and poor voice acting. Yet, the game does improve after the introduction with a myriad of fun platforming activities that kept me coming back for more.

Pros

• Unique & interesting settings
  
• Abundance of platforming moves
  
• Relaxing sitar music that are also incorporated into minigames
  
• Entrenched in Persian mythology
  
• Fast momentum and fluidity (after the introduction and first level)

Cons

• Awful, set camera angles
  
• Repetitive combat that is difficult to lock onto specific targets
  
• Ample loading screens
  
• Locked to 60 FPS and often dips under
  
• Poor voice acting with many of the one-line side characters outshining the main characters
  
• Lacking shadows when platforming, making it difficult to ascertain your position

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https://sp.zhabite.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3334907197


You play as Shahbaz, a young prince from the Land of the Sun. Once known as a joyful, bright place but has since become a dark and unwelcoming since the death of its queen and the Kings sudden illness. Shahbaz must travel to distant lands to not only cure his father, but to return the sun to his homeland once more.

The story is relatively basic with the usual motivations we see for main characters beginning lengthy and otherworldly quests. I did not feel any sort of attachment to the characters, most likely due to the subpar voice acting. Lots of the story is told through comic strips which were nice and provided some new visual elements to enjoy


As stated in my introduction, my opinion on the game is heavily mixed. Whilst I have many critiques, I kept wanting to come back to the game and greatly enjoyed the fast momentum in later platforming sections. Yet, this is a far from polished game and some issues are very noticeable, which I will discuss below. The main gameplay is traversing 5 different levels with combat scenes scattered throughout. Dodge spikes, jump on moving platforms and use your musical abilities to interact with the environment. There are some collectables to find that will increase your health and mana which is used for special ability attacks. These are very easy to find as the game is exceptionally linear.

https://sp.zhabite.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3334376563


Combat
Combat starts off slow, with only one enemy type at a time where you just hit the same button 3x and its dead. However, this improves as new enemy types are introduced. Combat sections are held in small, locked areas. You fight by matching button icons in sets of 3. Each enemy type has a combination that it is weak to, which is displayed above its head. For example, on an Xbox controller, one could be BBY, or YYY and so forth. This does get repetitive quickly, but the main issue I had was trying to target the right enemy.

Camera Angles
Camera angles are nonadjustable by players, they are fixed and move with the character movement. When walking around corners this was the most frustrating and sometimes blocked the view. There are also invisible walls everywhere to try and avoid exploring off the main path.

Platforming
Perhaps the most enjoyable part of the game, platforming. In the latter half of the game, you will find yourself swinging through the air, speeding up ramps, sliding on pipes (Ratchet & Clank style), using your abilities to freeze platforms to jump across etc. This is where the game is at its best and feels rewarding as you glide through with speed and ease. My biggest gripe with this, is that the protagonist does not have a shadow. So, when jumping between platforms, I found it quite difficult to judge how far away he is from the ledge. Do I double jump or is a single jump enough? The camera angles don’t help this perception and often platforms are actually much closer than I thought, so I would often jump to my death.

Minigames
There is a sitar rhythm-based minigame which I really enjoyed. It is the classic, hit x button when it reaches the green section. These were simple, but with the unique sound of the instrument, I found they were a welcome quick break from the combat/platforming sections.

https://sp.zhabite.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3334376760


Each level has its own distinct visual style, from a dark underground, dusty desert, colourless industrial zone, a dark mysterious forest and more. I liked the variation in setting, but wish there were more options to explore them without hitting invisible walls.

The traditional sitar music helps give the game standout, however the poor voice acting had me completely zoned out of the story.

To further explain, the main character and all of whom he speaks to in the introduction just sound very off. Not because of their accents, but the pacing of their dialogue is everywhere. There are awkward gaps, the tone usually did not match what they were saying, or it was very dramatized, but then the character they were speaking to did not match this same demeanour, making the conversation feel very uncomfortable. I can only assume that the voice actors did not get, or understand the context of their lines in an actual dialogue situation. That they did not know what the other persons lines were. What made this even more noticeable, is that there are ample side characters who only say 1 line, and some of these characters were British (or speaking with a British accent) and absolutely outshined the protagonist, and all of the leading characters with a believable performance, of just 1 sentence. Despite it being very odd to hear a British accent in the game, but I don’t think I have ever played a game where such a minimal character was able to outperform a protagonist who speaks constantly.

I looked for an option to be able to play the game in the developers native language to avoid the English cringe, but unfortunately the full audio is only available in English.

This game was played using a controller, and with the following PC specs.:
AMD Ryzen R5 7600x 5.4 GHz
32GB DDR5 5200 CL36 RAM
Radeon RX 6800 XT
2560x1440 resolution
NVMe 3.0 SSD
Windows 10

Technical issues: FPS has a 60cap and often dips slightly under. There are also lengthy loading screens if you die which ruin the fast momentum.

Playtime: 5.5 hours for 1 playthrough (72% achievement completion).

Controller Recommended? Yes

If you’ve made it to the conclusion, you’re probably wondering why have I given this a thumbs up, despite heavily listing my many critiques with the game? This is because despite its issues, I still liked it. I wanted to finish it, and I kept coming back for more. There were many sections that I had an absolute blast with, admiring the unique setting. Being the first project released by a small, two-person team has some associated budget constraints, but I hope to see these issues improved upon in their next project.

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Midnight Ramen is a narrative-heavy game that is most similar to Coffee Talk, except you make ramen, not coffee. I was pleasantly surprised by the decent writing and intriguing characters, with the ramen making minigame being very simple, but lots of fun. Note that there are many sensitive topics discussed and the game can be quite emotionally evocative.

Pros

• Decent writing & fantastic characters
  
• Covers sensitive topics
  
• Inspired by Coffee Talk & VA-11 Hall-A
  
• Cooking ramen was fun & simple
  
• Easy to replay chapters from a branching path & unlock new endings and routes

Cons

• Soundtrack can be repetitive

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You run a late-night ramen stand and listen to your customers stories and struggles, trying to help them in their journeys. Each character is very unique, but doesn’t fall precisely within specific stereotypical boxes and feels as if they are their own person. As the story progresses, cracks begin to surface in the protagonist’s own life as well, as she begins to truly understand her purpose, and what lies ahead.

https://sp.zhabite.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3296451376

Clearly inspired by the likes of Coffee Talk / VA-11 Hall A, Midnight Ramen will make you feel attached to each of its characters. Although there aren’t many, and the game only lasted just over 4 hours (including 100% achievements), the stories were captivating. I was completely engaged reading every piece of dialogue to better understand their perspectives. I specifically loved how after finishing the game, you can go back into the branching chapter paths and replay specific levels and even find different endings for some of the characters. The attention to detail in Midnight Ramen surpassed my expectations and it left many options available to players to explore.

I was sad when the game was coming to an end, because of the story but also because I wanted it to continue. I wanted to hear from new characters… I just didn’t want it to end. This is very rare for me and demonstrates the games excellent storytelling abilities.


If you have played Coffee Talk, you know how this game will play. Lots of conversations between customers and also between the stall owner, which you are an apprentice to. And of course… cooking ramen! I absolutely adored this minigame and the layout was very easy to use. With bright, large buttons and easy, uncluttered ingredients to choose from. However, I do wish that more ingredients and options were added as the game continued, as the ramen making minigame does not change from start to finish.

Choose your level of noodle softness, abide by the ramen recipe book…or don’t, it’s up to you! Add sides of chashu (or others), mix your broths and don’t forget the seasoning! After finishing the story once, going back to play specific chapters to slightly change their orders and witnessing different dialogue was satisfying and displayed further depth to characters that I thought were not as developed as they could be… but it was just under a hidden storyline for keen players to find.

https://sp.zhabite.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3297113136

Dialogue can be automatically skipped by holding S, and the dialogue boxes were clean and easy to click through. Saving occurs frequently at the end of each chapter which was very handy as well.


Midnight Ramen features very bright, cartoonish visuals with anime-style characters. The simple style helps to focus on the dialogue and felt fitting for the setting. The ramen made me hungry and I appreciated the small details such as seeing the ramen slowly disappearing infront of characters as time passes, the cursor is in the format of two chopsticks that pinch together when you click and so much more.

Sound is ok, it has low-fi beats, similar to Coffee Talk once again, but it did feel slightly repetitive at times and lacked some variation. However, this is only a small gripe and is just something I noticed towards the end of the game.

This game was played using a keyboard & mouse, and with the following PC specs.:
AMD Ryzen R5 7600x 5.4 GHz
32GB DDR5 5200 CL36 RAM
Radeon RX 6800 XT
2560x1440 resolution
NVMe 3.0 SSD
Windows 10

Playtime: The game took me approximately 4.5 hours to achieve 100% achievements and finish the game.

Controller Recommended? No, but it is supported if you wish.

Replayability value: To witness different story paths and for achievements only.


Midnight Ramen completely surprised me with its quality story-telling and engaging characters. I knew it was heavily inspired by the classics of the genre such as Coffee Talk, but I did not expect the emotional depth and polished ramen minigame that it provided. I barely have any qualms about the game, mainly that I just wish it was longer. I would love to play a sequel or hope to see new content added in the future. I highly recommend this game for fans of conversational, relaxing games...just prepare for some emotional scenes ahead!

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The Cub is a post-apocalyptic platformer that is set in the same universe as the highly acclaimed Golf Club Nostalgia. I found it was mostly an improvement over its predecessor, but some of the platforming sections did leave more to be desired and the narrative barely scratched the surface. However, if you’re looking for that familiar and chill, Radio Nostalgia From Mars tunes, you will certainly find it here.

Pros

• Great custom soundtrack
  
• Radio Nostalgia From Mars is back!
  
• Bright visuals with appealing backdrops
  
• Interesting narrative premise

Cons

• Very short 3hr playtime
  
• Some platforming sections are clunky
  
• The cut and dry opinion /social commentary pieces are extremely surface level

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You play as an unnamed young boy on a post-apocalyptic Earth who has been raised by wolves. Wealthy humans fled Earth long ago due to their own environmental destruction and overuse of resources and went to colonize Mars. Left behind to survive in the toxic environment were those underprivileged and who didn’t have the connections or wealth to secure a spot on one of the coveted rockets.

https://sp.zhabite.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3288292482

However, when majority of humans left, it appears that Earth was able to flourish once more, and the protagonist can breathe the air without equipment. There are animals roaming around and nature is returning to the now abandoned cities and concrete jungles. All is well, except one day, Martians return to Earth looking to play some golf (yes, golf). Here, they discover the boy and are amazed by his seemingly natural ability to breathe the toxic fumes. This begins their hunt for him, believing he is the cure to be able to return to Earth once more and claim the land they believe to be rightfully theirs.

Although the story is intertwined in the universe from Golf Club Nostalgia, it is a standalone game and can be enjoyed without playing the previous title. Note that there is a third part in the series, already released called Highwater.

Opinion Pieces / Social Commentary
Throughout the game, the radio will be playing in the background, giving the game a more low-fi, chill vibe. Mixing with music and conversational pieces or monologues, and was generally interesting to listen to. The protagonist also explains his perspective through narrated segments between chapters. These segments are where most of the story is told to players (although there is lots of environmental storytelling). I would have liked to see some more depth in the commentary as it is very much shown that big, conglomerate companies such as Google, Amazon etc are the big bad guys and they destroyed humanity/Earth. That “they” and billionaires are the only ones who had the opportunity to escape Earth while the rest of the poor folk were left to die. There’s nothing wrong with this being the story, but it very much lacked any depth and was extremely surface level. This is what players and moviegoers have seen time and time again. No other perspectives are shown, no further descriptions, only that those rich Martians = bad and deserve to die. Being only 3 hours long, it’s not surprising that so little is actually explored, but considering the inclusion of this narrative, I would have liked to see more effort to create a more three-dimensional reality.

https://sp.zhabite.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3288292725

The Cub is a story-heavy game but with large platforming sections inbetween. For the most part, platforming is ok, but it does not feel very responsive nor reminiscent of the Classic SEGA games of the 90s (as mentioned on the store page). It’s fun with spikes to slide under, toxic goo to jump over and ropes to swing from. But sometimes, the character just will not connect with a handhold, even if you are jumping right into it. Do the exact same thing again and it will work. Its main problem was consistency, especially with in the plastic bag areas.

There are tonnes of collectables to discover, and most will be very obvious in your direct path, only a few will require you to venture out. I enjoyed the collectables, specifically the books and newspapers as it helped get a glimpse into the last remaining days on Earth and sense what the general public’s perception was like.

I did not find the gameplay difficult. Only slightly vexing in regards to the responsiveness of the controls and handholds, but as I played more, I became more accustomed with how the game operates. It just lacks the smoothness that other platformers have but I did get used to it.


The Cub looks gorgeous with its light, pastel environments with watery hues mixed with bright neon signs. There is a lot of variety in environments from swimming underwater, to abandoned cities and houses or luscious, green open fields and all were very aesthetically pleasing.

https://sp.zhabite.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3288292615

The soundtrack and of course, radio, is many players drawcard to the game and I was no different. The music is fantastic and especially memorable in some areas. Each song perfectly matched with the varied gameplay and the radio was fun to listen to. There are cutscenes between chapters, narrated by the protagonist which were interesting, but is mostly where the lack of depth is shown (as mentioned above).

This game was played using a keyboard & mouse, and with the following PC specs.:
AMD Ryzen R5 7600x 5.4 GHz
32GB DDR5 5200 CL36 RAM
Radeon RX 6800 XT
2560x1440 resolution
NVMe 3.0 SSD
Windows 10

Playtime: 3 hours

Controller Recommended? Yes

Replayability value: For achievements only. Note that although there is a chapter select, it does not state where missing collectables are or keep track of how many you collected each chapter.


The Cub is a decent second entry into the Golf Club Nostalgia series. Featuring varied levels, environments and gameplay with a fantastic soundtrack and aesthetically pleasing visuals to boot. However, it is hindered by some unsatisfactory platforming elements and its short three-hour story leaves the narrative to only explore one perspective. Despite this, I enjoyed my short playthrough and am looking forward to trying the third and final entry to the series, Highwater.

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Horror Tales: The Beggar follows on from its predecessor in the Horror Tales saga, The Wine. Solo developer CarlosGameDev is back with his familiar style, showcasing breathtakingly gorgeous environments and a graphical finesse so uncommonly seen in Indie one-dev horror games. The horror elements do take a bit of a back seat here, and there are some shared flaws with this game and The Wine, but overall, I very much enjoyed my playthrough. The level of detail is phenomenal, even if the gameplay is a bit wonky.

Pros

• Absolutely beautiful & extremely detailed visuals
  
• Photomode
  
• Variety of differing environments
  
• Unusual story that seems creative (but a bit hard to follow)
  
• Element of player choice in your actions
  
• Variety of impressive powers

Cons

• Slightly buggy powers that don’t mix well together
  
• Enemy/character models are a large visual drop in comparison to environments
  
• Physics bugs

https://sp.zhabite.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3277785942

Continuing on from the story in The Wine, The Beggar is a sci-fi adventure set in a post-apocalyptic world in different environments. Without discussing spoilers, the game encourages players to think for themselves and piece the story and its characters together as the game progresses. Make choices, see the happenings of this broken world from a different perspective and bend time and weather at your will.

Note: I highly recommend playing The Wine before jumping into this as it is a direct continuation of the story and does not go back to re-explain things.

The story is ..strange. Things make a bit more sense at the end, but it ends quite abruptly, like it is a main teaser for the next game in the saga, Iron Reich. There are not many notes or lore to read and no collectables like in the first game. The protagonist has a robot friend following him around and guiding him in the right direction for most of the game. He speaks very uh, rudely and it just does not feel like it belongs in the game. They try and explain his rudeness by his “polite module” being broken, or something along these lines but it is just strange as he seems to swear for the point of swearing and it does not make a lot of sense or seem to fit the rest of the game. Despite this, I like the story that the game is trying to portray and I am looking forward to see how this continues in the next release.


The Beggar is similar to The Wine in that it is mostly a light puzzle and exploration game, except this time, you have powers to control time, weather, levitate objects and more! There are many less jumpscares or scary moments in general, particularly in comparison to its predecessor. This time, Carlos has added in combat scenes. These felt perhaps the most cheap or non-quality scenes in the game. The model for Morvin (bad guy) is pretty stock standard and nothing special. The reason why I focus on this is because the environments are absolutely GORGEOUS! Then the next thing I see is green neon-skull-man??I found this quite jarring but I suppose everyone has their strengths and weaknesses and I do applaud the plight of the one-man team. Without spoilers, there are also some light moral choices which are not super obvious to players. I loved this as an addition and would like to see more of it in the next game.

The combat was ok but as aforementioned, did not have the same merit as the rest of the game. You use your powers to throw objects at him. Do this multiple times and eventually he will falter. The physics on throwing is a bit tricky to navigate at times but is mostly ok.

https://sp.zhabite.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3277785380

Puzzles were fairly straight forward and involved manipulating the time of day or weather to proceed. Change the day to noon to open solar-powered doors, flip circuits to ensure power is on, rain will flood certain areas to allow access. Different times of day will cause platforms to move around etc. Most of the powers worked with ease and I loved watching the day switch between noon, sunset and night. However, the protagonist also has a power to illuminate the area around him, but the button to do this is the exact same button as attracting objects towards you. This means that if you’re just trying to see where to go, you will have chairs, desks and whatever else coming flying at you. This seems like it would be an easy fix (I could be wrong) but the physics of the game were a bit off. Sometimes I would walk into something only to be scared for my life as the bucket or random thing ricochets off the walls with the loudest of sounds

I wouldn’t really say this game is a horror game (except maybe for the games wonky physics). It does not try to build the tension or atmosphere as seen in the last entry to the series. Morvin is semi threatening but I wouldn’t say he was portrayed to be frightening. I don’t think this is a negative, but it does seem like the saga is going in a new direction which I do think is for the best, but the title is a bit misleading.


The game is undeniably gorgeous and this is by far, the best element to the game. Just like the bright sunny visuals in The Wine, Carlos delivers here too. However, the beginning of the game is in a very dark and bland looking environment that made me worry. I was looking forward to seeing the visuals I had come to expect from this developer. Thankfully, as soon as I reached an outdoor environment, woah! The sulphur crested cockatoos flying across the barren wasteland, the detail in lighting, shadows and textures on the Australian outback. I spent much of my time walking around taking in the sights. Despite this area being quite literally, a desolate wasteland with nearly nothing in it, the environment felt so meticulously detailed with every texture on rocks, fallen trees or cliff faces being extremely realistic. Watching the breeze lightly sway the plants and how the sun changes the horizon between noon and sunset was relaxing. The photomode is also excellent and the amount of technical settings is reminiscent of much larger studios. Indoor environments absolutely pale in comparison to the outdoor environments, but I would absolutely love to see this developer release a walking simulator game with a pure focus on the visuals.

https://sp.zhabite.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3277169977

Audio was a standout during the “boss battles” and felt almost unnecessarily hyped for what was actually going on but nevertheless, I enjoyed it!

This game was played using a keyboard & mouse, and with the following PC specs. I played on maxed out settings averaging 100 FPS :
AMD Ryzen R5 7600x 5.4 GHz
32GB DDR5 5200 CL36 RAM
Radeon RX 6800 XT
2560x1440 resolution
NVMe 3.0 SSD
Windows 10

Playtime: 3.5 hours or less to complete and 100%

Controller Recommended? Player choice.

Replayability value: No. There is a chapter select to mop up some last achievements if you missed them.


Horror Tales: The Beggar is a short game, with a short story and some outstanding visuals. Being developed by a one-man team, I am blown away by the attention to detail and creativity that has gone into this game. Although it has its shortcomings, namely its issues with physics and controls for powers, this is a great little game and exceeds the quality of most small-team horror titles here on Steam. Although the horror factor is no longer the focus of the game, I am really excited to see where CarlosGameDev takes the game next, and I applaud all of his efforts thus far.

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