Recent reviews by ໂ‧͡‧̫ໃ

Tl;dr

⛧ DDV has enough content for the entry fee, but at what cost?

⛧ Gameloft has gone back on their word to make DDV F2P, and it's now a paid game. IMO, their business model has been altered in an unhealthy + bad faith manner.

⛧ I only purchased this game as it was eventually going F2P this year.

⛧ I would NOT have purchased it at all had I known they would go back on their word.

⛧ Unless you're a die-hard Disney fan, it's nothing special that you can't find many more trustworthy devs who make better games in the genre just without a fancy franchise.


Disclaimer: My rating is negative because DDV stated they’d have a F2P model upon launch that they’ve since gone back on. The only defining reason I bought this game in EA was its F2P model. I wanted to support the development, and people who otherwise couldn't afford to purchase it early. If I knew that it would not be F2P, I would not have purchased it. At the time, I felt the base game offered more than enough “free” content for DLCs or additional purchase options not to be an issue, which is no longer the case as they’re not going F2P. I won’t be playing this game past getting achievements. It’s ruined the experience for me, and broken trust that wasn’t earned but still given, and I don’t recommend it to any of my friends. I simply cannot trust a company that can go back on its word, especially when it’s so close to the “promised” launch date. Transparency is imperative to gamers, especially on Steam.

The review below isn’t finished at my preferred quality, as I don’t think Gameloft deserves more than the time I’ve already spent on this. So it’ll look like a jot-down of notes, but with all relevant details (just not my signature fancy schmancy polish). My original review below was going to end with a positive rating. I’m only posting it to reflect the state of the game outside of the drama surrounding it.

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DDV Reminds me of: Mat farming in Rust, Runescape chill, Genshin Impact minus combat, Animal Crossing: New Leaf & Pocket Camp gameplay loop, Torchlight fishing vibes.

Done Well:
In a nutshell: Genshin Impact with no combat.
Many Animal Crossing OG elements.
It activates the pleasure centres of my brain with the tailored nostalgic soundtrack per companion.

Done Poorly:
- Painfully timegated. If you have a job or a life, you won't be able to make certain time slots in this game without changing your system clock. It's a strange mechanic to have in 2023.
- Poor camera movement in general. Obnoxious transition camera movement.
- Causes mild simulation sickness leading to nausea or dizziness that I didn't get used to over time.
- You bump into everything and get stuck on everything and certain things like trees/rocks have invisible walls etc. It doesn't help with the nausea.
Fix: This is what helped me. Play on smaller Windowed mode. Reduce mouse/controller sensitivity completely in game settings. Reduce mouse sensitivity further through my mouse's software (or PC settings). Remove all the trees and foliage possible in all biomes after you've enjoyed it a bit.
Even then this game's camera movement is really poorly designed for a AAA third person game. All the clutter in each biome in the game is painful. It looks nice initially but causes eye strain and nausea. Your eyes will spin, and spin and you'll feel sick. Imagine being at a theme park and being there for hours on end, the sensory overstimulation is exactly what it feels to play DDV.
- EA related: A - Frequent crashes. I had to force close my game more than 5 times just within my first 35 hours. That means for me, every day that I played for about 4-5 hours I would ALWAYS get one or more game freezes where I'd have to force close. I haven't had any substantial issues with my saves at this point, but this many crashes is definitely an issue. B - Desync issues. At times you don't have correct visual indicators, parts of your crops teleport and stay that way. Clearly early access state, but not in a way that gets in the way of enjoyment. C - Buggy item spawns. Nothing game breaking yet, but you will lose things under other objects, get things stuck eternally etc.
- Needless Movement Momentum: When you run in DDV and change directions abruptly, it slows the character model down in an animation that is annoying and redundant in a non-action genre game. It’s commonly seen in genres like platformers and punish or aid the player to utilise physics in the game and make it look like natural momentum/movement. In an action game it would be understandable as precision movement is the whole point. In a casual farming sim, I don't understand why there is punishment for moving and changing direction fast. My only thought is this is linked to what visually looks the best or makes sense aesthetically. As someone who plays games at a relatively fast pace and am used to a lot of quick, efficient movement regardless of genre, it is confusing that players have to work around this in DDV of all games. It also adds to the myriad of poor design choices the game has made that causes simulation sickness or worsens it.

You start by squealing at the Disney bunnies and squirrels, but realise the best is when you notice two completely random Disney characters having a nice chat on a bench. Sometimes I'll just fast-travel and see a random turtle plod plod swimming away in the far ocean that I have to squint and make out and it's the cutest thing. The random genuine grins and smiles I got playing this game make it worth it. Once I found Wall-E (my fav in DDV) staring out at the ocean and then having a ridonculous chat with Ariel about which human thingamajigs might do what.

DDV is relaxing to play in different ways, whether you 1) reveal new biomes 2) meet new characters/worlds 3) finish Quests or 4) acquire Dreamlight and 5) participate in Events. You can just roam around and enjoy the Disney of it all. Have fun taking photos or screenshots.

There's a lot you can do, but the UI and gameplay loops make everything easy and clear to understand and stay interested in. I have a very short attention span and get very overwhelmed by details easily. But I've also been gaming for decades so I need something intriguing, fun and addicting. DDV delivers the MMORPG minus MMO that I'd been craving for years. That being said, no MP/co-op is saddening because I would've gotten all my friends on this game if I could've. All that being said, at the 160 hr point I am deathly tired of the game and just want to 100% it and be done.

Overall, this game is incredibly well made. I wanted a chill time waster and I know this will be it for the next +600 hours (Edit at 164 hrs: +600 turned out to be incorrect and I’m now bored). There are too many properly done things in this game from features to sensory immersion that it's hard to list them constructively without simply saying it has everything you need, the accessibility you take for granted, and the happy feel-good world you've been craving. The devs have thought of everything and covered everything. I purchased this at full price standard though I knew it was going to F2P. I rarely do this. (Edit: Hilarious in hindsight as a lot of my enjoyment in DDV heightened by my knowledge of this going F2P.)

- Achievements tip
This game has several "currencies" as is usual these days. Dreamlight is one that is used to open up different areas and access characters. There is a Dreamlight menu when you press "esc." Whatever mini quests you complete in Dreamlight Duties and anything in that Dreamlight tab is what counts to your Steam achievements counter. Nothing else is counted. So don't worry about achievements, don't proactively do anything, just focus on your Dreamlight Duties as you play naturally. And especially for Dreamlight Duties, collect them immediately so you can get the next one in line available.

Cute timers are rare and this one is the most adorable I've found on PC. Would prefer more functions/features, but I appreciate how light, streamlined and minimalist it is.

How I use it:
After launching Easy Cat Timer, right-click the cat icon on your taskbar and click Pin to Taskbar. This way, you can always boot it up as necessary. I use it for work/study all the time.

Pros:
• Clean, minimalist design
  
• Shows duration bar/visual indicator below cat icon in taskbar
  
• Easy to use outside of Steam (no need to launch client)
  
• Very lightweight
  
• Cute cats
  
• Cute cats
  
• Cute cats
  
  Cons:
  
• Only goes to max 99 minutes
  
• No alarm clock function (can't set a time for alarm, only works as a countdown timer)
  
• Only 1 timer, no multiple timers
  
• No in-application volume control
  
• No re-sizeable window for timer/alarm notification (single size for each)
  
• It incorrectly lists "voice" in options. There is no voice for either of the two languages, it's just for the alarm sound.
  
• There's only one type of alarm bell sound. Pleasant enough, but only one.

My list only makes it look like it has a lot of cons, because I'm specified things it has/doesn't have. This is an application and everyone has different needs for timers.

For me, this is perfect and I use this timer all the time. It helps focus me on my work when I use it like an egg timer. I set a time, I focus on finishing my work, and when I glance at my taskbar I can see the cat icon give me a visual indicator of time progression/time left. I actually had to test the alarm sound for this review because in the over 23 hours Steam tells me I've used it, I've always finished my work before the timer went off. It's been great for my productivity. Idk, this sorta cuteness just works for me and my productivity. xD

Usually, I sit and write about games that fuel me enough that I don’t need to think about what I’m writing down. So, I’ll either hate it or, more often than not, I’ll love it. It’s neither for STONE. But I’m writing this because I’d like it to have more reviews and interaction.

STONE is clearly made and designed by people who are educated in and understand the various branches of art and art direction. Visually, it’s slightly barren compared to the gorgeous concept artwork provided in Extras. But it’s also incredibly indie. The hot pink really scarred my eyes, but it needed to be there. The pacing and progression are great despite the gameplay being non-existent like it’s a tech demo. The most stellar part of the game is the selection of licensed tracks that are on average a complete bop. Unlike the average indie adventure game, STONE’s plot is engaging and satisfying. The twists and turns in it are classy and subtle in the best way even though the dialogue is comparatively lacking. I can still pick out at least two distinct lines that were awesome (again, this is two more than the average indie). The supporting characters are well-developed, fleshy little things and yet this isn’t elevated within the game’s narrative or gameplay. My favourites were Smiley and Les. The public domain classic cinema available for players to sit down and watch (some at home, some in town) was a very cool and creative touch.

The tagline “a hip hop stoner noir” would get some people pretty excited. It doesn’t feel like any of those things, or those components combined. I think that would let some people down. For video games, you can’t really use taglines to hook people like that unless it’s actually going to happen. Yet it’s impossible to deny that STONE is an art-aware game. But then again, it constantly feels like you’re walking through a bare-bones house, in a bare-bones town, and going through bare-bones dialogue. This is a personal issue, but as a boring old pom, I have needlessly high standards for Australian humour, and this did not scratch that itch. Outside of Stone, the voice acting is mediocre the way truly indie projects tend to be, and it’s like how an artsy but bland school project might be. I did appreciate the clear and relevant achievements. I’d recommend trying out the Developer Tour in Extras and checking out the aforementioned art as well. I love that all the social links and Steam link pop up on your PC browser, not the Steam overlay browser. Sadly, the glossary page is very misaligned on my laptop screen. All in all, well executed for an indie, but somewhat void of personality in-game compared to the amount of potential it showed behind the scenes. It made me feel slightly uncomfortable that I’m a sucker for polished indie games that have hilariously well-written dialogue and art direction such as the Frog Detective series. Because despite that series having barely any real viable plot, it still is enjoyed more widely. It’s unfortunate that even with an interesting and deep plot with so much potential, and great music, STONE must suffer from the lack of everything else.

Initially, Eliza offers two main topics to ponder. 1. The “Eliza” software, an AI therapy programme that uses simple questions to choose therapy methods and medication for mental health. 2. The technology behind “Eliza” and the people who work to develop this advanced technology. The writers delve into the ethics of the technology and how it affects the moral standing and idealistic or realistic thoughts a company or individual working for said organisation may have. Through different characters, other themes are brought up like the science behind psychology and whether technology is capable of treating mental health issues. But one of the more intriguing notions in this visual novel is the simple understanding of the difficulties that professionals in the field of technology experience when creating anything that could vastly affect society on a social and moral scale.

One of the most surface level dilemmas of ethics produced as an example is “Eliza’s” Transparency Mode. It is an extended and personalised therapy option offered by delving into personal information to form a clearer picture of what’s going on in a client’s life. You go through Transparency Mode by looking through personal information (texts, emails), like if someone were to create a mini game for the Orwell games. It is especially focused on how ethical it is to use the data accumulated through “Eliza’s” service, or any similar software. Each major argument a) It’s too intrusive and b) It helps people, is thoroughly debated utilising several characters in Evelyn’s (protagonist) life. When given response choices in conversations with these people in their life to weigh the ethics behind each of the routes offered by “Eliza,” it leads players down an interesting and crucial part of a conversation which would otherwise have been static and constricted in a kinetic visual novel. It is also interesting to note that you have choices in dialogue when you speak outside of a therapy environment but when using the “Eliza” software, you have 0% choice but to progress like you would any kinetic visual novel.

Opening up Evelyn’s smartphone, you’ll notice Kabufuda Solitaire. It’s tucked in the corner, nice and snug with a few other vaguely interesting apps for self-reflection and social communication. Zachtronics (dev), is notoriously known for intricate and difficult puzzles. Therefore, I’m not surprised to state that this is probably the most fun and rewarding version of solitaire I’ve played. It's ironically more therapeutic than the counselling in "Eliza" and a fun way to stay chill whilst you go through the myriad of topics Eliza will stuff your mind with.

The next set of topics that Eliza presents requires a bit more rumination. Within this VN are introduced two subtly contrasting, futuristic software endeavours. Aponia and “Eliza” both represent applications with the intent of helping people and their mental health. But the direction and underlying goal for each shows a stark contrast. From a basic player standpoint, you will eventually decide which, if any, route you will take to fill a central role in the creation and realisation of either of these apps. Aponia is a project fuelled under the belief that people needn’t feel all pain and suffering to live a fulfilling life and given the ability to choose which ones to experience, we will earn more than we would in a natural pattern of happiness vs. grief. As Evelyn mentions about people who find themselves in this wormhole of pain,“A lot of the time it isn’t even their fault, the world failed them somehow.” On the other hand, “Eliza’s” core goal is to be able to form a larger database of comprehension into an individual client’s needs and woes. Thus, forming a universal grid of data for vast populations, leading to the development of the world’s most advanced smart assistant or artificial general intelligence (AGI). Aponia is socially daring and dynamic, dreaming of a world where people are simply more in control of negative emotions. “Eliza” is focused on mechanised advancement and corporal gain, social advancement is a perk, not a focal point. Yet both have scenes referring to the productivity increase in an individual user. “Eliza” is spearheaded over years by a seemingly soulless Rainer, fiercely business orientated and driven. Aponia is a new venture by a severely depressed Soren, with previous ties in the development of Eliza, but dissuaded to continue due to “Eliza’s” questionable direction and lack of ethics on the topic of privacy.

Eliza whittles the plot and story into non-existence, which was the only flaw I could really find and a necessary evil. The storyline at its core is so irrelevant, a shell making Eliza more approachable, that I was able to leave it out of this review completely. By sacrificing any sense of true narrative, it can focus on the ethical, philosophical and technological statements that Eliza is making as a visual novel. It is refreshingly apparent that Eliza isn’t your typical VN. Character relationships aren’t as important in this game as is commonly the case in this genre. You have an effect on people and your professional/personal ties branch out in varying manners. The conversations you partake in feel like listening to short snippets of interviews into the life and views of people you may or may not be familiar with in the tech development field. Surprisingly, Eliza uses the VN genre to talk more intensely about specific issues of increasing importance in this technologically advanced day and age. Something I’ve yet to have experienced before. A choice Eliza is truly blessed with is that the majority of the writing and all of the dialogue is voiced by actors. Simply having most of the words in any visual novel read to you by professional voice actors makes an enormous difference in keeping your interest, and in many sections you can simply let the dialogue run like a radio in the background as you sit back and relax (or even multitask).
It is one of those games, so little known but a definite gem, that several people asked me about it whilst I was playing and every single one of them found the description of Eliza engaging enough to be worth looking into. Ultimately, Eliza poses many intriguing questions and the views of different sides to an equation we will need an answer to sooner rather than later. It harbours a penetrative style of progression that will make you pause and ponder. We are left to reflect on the philosophy behind human creation and the future possibilities of technology capable of recreating or mimicking human sensibilities. Even in the basic sense, since it’s rare to find visual novels that tease one’s brain more than “other organs,” I feel my valuable few hours playing were very well spent well.

No Plot Spoilers.

It's a beautifully crafted premier of a three part horror series. Initially, I found it difficult to understand the entire plot since the fates of many characters are disguised, subtly intertwined with deceptive traps and certainly not straightforward. Primary playthroughs span 5-6 hours so it's a relatively short game that works well as an intense horror experience with a compelling narrative to leave players aghast. Though the in-game narrative execution can leave a player confused about the vaguer aspects of the story due to its many extended branches, it's worth subsequently reaching for thorough elucidation by replaying, re-watching and poring over the lore.

When first announced, people were mentioning the Clock Tower games and Rule of Rose. As they're both personal favourites, I was excited to play R:TF. Hilariously enough, the first Clock Tower game (obvious inspiration) lies proudly atop my attic ASMR stash. The melodic tapping of footsteps throughout is hypnotically soothing and the slow PnC progression induces a soporific effect. Contrarily, R:TF is forever tense with frequent chases in a mansion filled with similar looking corridors and many twists. Our elegantly clothed protagonist in classic high heels, donning a delicately accessorised style parades various film and video game references with her. As exciting as all the references are for a horror aficionado, I was most dazzled by how aesthetically fashionable the game is. True to form, this voguish Italian-made gem's every design aspect from the furniture to character outfits is purposive. It's hard to stop gushing about how gorgeous it is, especially within the drab and grey of Rosemary Reed's slightly nihilistic, anti-heroine persona and the sickening shade of secrets lying within Felton Villa.

Mega heart-eyes aside, how R:TF runs poorly on lower end systems is actually quite dreary. Severe nausea plagued me the first couple of times I played due to screen stutter but it improved over time. Additionally, there's a reason I didn't play R:TF back when it was released. It used to be a buggy/frustrating mess to play. "Current day", it seems as though everything is fixed because my playthrough was mostly smooth. Some areas can end up with bugs, forcing you to kill yourself to break a broken patrol route of 60cm or witness perpetually open doors, suddenly vanishing AIs and easily cheeseable segments that cut the suspense a bit too short. Yet these are few and far between. Save/heal points are rare but well placed. This is a first for me but the one true gripe I have is in the dialogue. Towards the later part of the game, differentiation between ground/first floor is suddenly terminated and it becomes synonymous. A character will tell you to meet them on the first floor. They must be the only secret non-European because they actually mean the ground floor.

R:TF's game mechanics are about stealth, navigating different floors and areas, working around patrol routes or using distractions to change them, remembering locations and figuring out which item goes where and where to find those items (in PnC tradition), with a few easy QTEs and plethora of tense chase-involved segments. Technically, the areas you can traverse aren't vast. If you pick through every floor and every room/area, you'll eventually find your objective. There is a clear set of tasks to follow but other than that you're on your own. As someone who has a mild case of directional dyslexia that hinders day to day tasks, the gradual learning curve for the locations in this game, especially for the first segment/tutorial to when you're introduced to enemy AI, is incredibly well done. Chases will recap locations and give you a better idea of the layout.

Tips: I'd suggest finding areas you can hide behind successfully and always knowing the closest/safest hiding spot. Upon release, R:TF's AI was too sensitive, but the current state is more than manageable. You can hide behind furniture in close proximity, yet detection is never forgiving when in line-of-sight/chases. You're heard when walking/running as well as AI gravitating towards your direction if you are crawling near. So remember to stock up on distractions and a weapon, and make use of items/options given to you. R:TF relies heavily on sound, with a magnetically composed soundtrack, and proficiently implemented directional sound. Your heartbeat monitor is basically the music's intensity and is the evil conductor to all your jump scares, of which there are many.

All the while, the whole plot has your mind boggled and mass producing the most outlandish theories... until you get to the actual one that is. Forming equally coherent and original storylines in a saturated market could be the hardest feat in modern storytelling. As inspired as R:TF is, it has built a dreadfully unique, cruel and morbid universe fit for old and new horror game fans alike. I was sad to finish the game but am all the more eager for the rest of the series.

The ultimate coop, multiplayer game to casually log onto with your friends, and yet here I am sat alone staring at a lobby full of strangers. As we wait around the campfire, the one named Claudette waltzes over and wields a flashlight. I immediately strap a toolbox on my Nea for good measure. Nope, nope, I take off the item again. My other two teammates have also donned toolboxes. I don't want the killer to be too on edge. Unsurprisingly, the killer's bright red ready sign temporarily dims and then illuminates our lobby's tally mark once more. Mind games litter this game like empty, cheap liquor bottles. But it makes things fun. Human interaction is why this game is enjoyable. Small lobbies of 5 people (1 killer vs. 4 survivors) demand mutual respect for fun games but those are few and far between. If you don't know anything in-depth about this game, my words will sound vague and meaningless. But it's always the mind games with DbD. Many have a love/hate relationship with it, almost as if it’s your sneaky, abusive ex. It’s the one that can't decide if they want to woo you or threaten you to return home. They want to do both but all they really know to do is smash their already bloodied weapon of choice against skulls as a show of affection(?). Either way, it’s hard to get rid of them once they’re in your life. That’s DbD. It’s menacingly addictive. Mechanically, it's a simple game of hide and seek under the guise of a horror fuelled universe full of saucy licensed franchise killers and creative, original creations. You are stuck on a map where the killer needs to kill and survivors need to survive. After 60 hours or so in the game when you actually have a grasp of the ins and outs and have opened your eyes to the overpowering meta stench, you’ll see just how in-depth and vast the strategies can be. After that, most of the fun is seeing if you can outwit the opponent using those strategies that you’ll pick up over time. Learn by spectating better players after you die, or looking to Twitch or YT.

The abuse was real. It took over 500 hours to feel like I could write anything about this toxic relationship that so many of the dedicated DbD players are snared in. Although skill-based plays require a good grasp of precision movement prevalent in action/arcade games, the basic controls are the most linear that I’ve seen in any online MP other than Agar.io. Thankfully, with the continuous release of new characters and their accompanying perks, the meta dynamics and strategies are wide-ranging. Optimisation is poor to say the least. The biggest con is with the improper coding and bugs that come with each patch that are worse than any other bug-ridden MP game I’ve played. Even without these bugs, a torturous chain of unavoidable RNG aspects mean trials/matches often come down to chance rather than skill. It’s still enormous slabs of fun, but shouldn’t be taken seriously. The gamer in all of us strives to make any game like this a battle of skill, but BHVR makes that impossible. An upside is that it’s a hugely fun game to meme or improve in despite bugs, within a large, active community that multiplies like wild rabbits.

At first, everything is a blur. DbD basics are so linear that this blindfold you think you’re wearing isn’t really there but you’re still flailing around, just praying nothing will hit you until the doors are open and you can leave. Being scared of everything when you first start out is immensely fun so forget everyone else’s opinions; flail about and enjoy yourself. There isn’t one way to play this game. Evolve in it and improve the way you want; seasoned players know to adapt per trial so don’t worry. Over time, taking a holistic approach to the perks and mechanics will help you and your teammates have a well-rounded, enjoyable experience whilst learning to play. Jack of all trades will fare better than being a master of one, and simply leaving through the gates/hatch won’t promise you the points and emblems that you need for a satisfying trial. If you’re used to action orientated games, you’ll be fine. Play intuitively. Take Meg/Nea/David. If not, and you find you’re dying too fast to practice, use “Claude”/Nea for stealth perks to hide and watch a lot of videos and streams available online whilst slowly moving out of hiding. Skilled stealth is an important part of this game at VERY minimal points. Once you get the hang of what’s going on in each trial, your cosmetics and perks won’t matter and you can focus on more game changing aspects of DbD mentioned below.

99.9% of the time, I solo queue by choice and at times it feels like the perils of inefficacious solo queueing is just #notworth. But from my experience, your strategic, split second decision making improves faster when solo. It’s obviously a great game to play with friends since there’s more control against RNG is otherwise frustrating, it’s easier to use perks to meme and it’s easier to ignore the repetitive parts of DbD. Yet the RNG is an edge that can be enjoyable if you forget the salt. Toxicity is the same ol’, same ol’- most neutral, few sweet, and a few have life issues they take out on the game. Ignore the negativity and embrace the chill. Most of DbD is a meme so enjoy it like popcorn. For a panic room effect, private your profile and press the >> button next to lobby chat if you want to close it. Entitlement is an issue even at high playtimes but try your best to stay zen (or scream your heart out, whatever works for you). I successfully play this as a downtime mini game and it took 600 hours to finally be one with myself.

The meta side of DbD is a spiral staircase down the mouth of hell as more content is released, but the basics don’t change. Each trial from a basic perspective: 1) Looping then evading, 2) Objectives. The stronger you and your teammates are at both, the higher chance of survival.

The first thing you want to do is understand the perks that both survivors and killers can use. You won’t be able to guess all of them, but eventually you want to be able to guess some crucial ones, esp. in terms of your opponent(s) within the span of every trial. Keep an eye on the bottom left status for each survivor. Solo strategic play is important but so is teamplay. Much of what your teammates do or do not do will be translated into your end score, granting you more/less bp.
The difference between a strong/weak player in DbD is heavily reliant on pathing and positioning. Each map contains different areas that you can use to loop and the killer and survivor are basically doing a dance around it. There are specific steps to that dance like you’re playing a rhythm game and the higher your accuracy, the longer you stay alive. It takes a huge amount of practice but the survivor tries to lengthen the loop at every turn, often linking two or more loop areas together. The killer does the opposite and works towards shortening the distance/loop. Eventually, you’ll get good enough at looping that the killer will lose you due to their limited vision. If you play lots of strategic action games, it’s an easy concept.

The majority of your skill depends on your strategies, reflexes and looping/mind gaming. Although all of them can be affected by perks, your baseline skill is what will win trials. Early on, certain healing/aura/exhaustion perks will help as you get used to the game. No matter what you end up with at the start, try adapting so you can learn to use all>any>no perks, it’s silly and lots of fun. Perks cause play style variety that adds flavour otherwise it’s like playing a time management sim whilst being chased down by a scary monster. 👍👍

From the perspective of a scapegoat child raised by a fearless serial self victimiser and self righteous narcissist, the following was my favourite quote playing Masochisia (Act I):

As eagerly as I jump at any chance to villainise those that abuse other living beings, the ones that in turn give a second birth to their now tattered and torn mentality as the outwardly damned through the rearing of unsound offspring are unparallelled against their madness out of all whom maltreat. Yet it is the almost egalitarian and equitably mature objectivity within this game which I hold with high regard and what makes it a superior experience. Self indulgence is a common ailment among talented creators but there is thankfully none in this game. It is clear and frank about the protagonist's descent towards damnation as a lost little boy to a fully fledged sociopath and the equation of abuse which causes it.

Being in a similar atmospheric vein to The Cat Lady and Downfall, I would fiercely recommend it to fans of that particular type of dark universe. It lingers on somewhat more egregious crimes, not to mention the level of psychosis experienced by our complex protagonist adding to the sombre theme. Hamilton is a child of abuse. He is lodged between the sagging bosom of his mother's equally flaccid interest in him and the infinitesimal "love" of his father blown to towering proportions in the form of his violent beatings. As Hamilton's psychiatrist mentions, this isn't so much about the mother (narcissism) and it's more about the father ("sociopathy") as the role he plays lays an influence deleterious to Hamilton's existence. Like with all siblings deafened by that of some domestic variation of psychological warfare, Hamilton's older brother isn't much luckier although the way the character outwardly exudes blood from head to toe hides self inflicted mutilation and a psychosomatic mutation described with chilling realism. Why this game wasn't called Sadomasochism instead we might never know but that is what it is about.

To those intrigued by the mentality of similar unsound minds and the ramifications of it, another release on Steam which portrays your friendly neighbourhood narcissist's distorted perception of parental love overwhelmingly well is CUPID. It is also one of the few well executed and excellently written visual novels available on Steam and astoundingly F2P.

But back to the game at hand, due to the depth the story shown in the form of this grotesquely, mentally misaligned family, I imagined it would be a longer game or have others in a series and was upset to find that wasn't the case. Spanning six acts to completion, it takes an hour and a half for the first play-through but retains replayability due to differing dialogue choices. Amidst pondering the unfortunate shortness in length it then wasn't surprising that Masochisia is a topic fittingly lone-made game by the twisted, edgy and perfectionist creative mind of Jon Oldblood. It is the most glorious form of independent video game creativity anyone could ask for (especially for their first game) and is reflected in the exceptionally unique storybook art style and gameplay as well as the hauntingly intense sound design and euphonious soundtrack which lingers between players' ears for many days after. It made me imagine what a polished and marketable version of a Kitty Horrorshow project like Anatomy might morph into one day in terms of atmospheric horror narrative games. It would be a challenge to find any other video game based on the unnerving topic of homicide quite the way Masochisia succeeds in completing the task. Very few of us endure the senseless force that tunes the appetites of darker souls that they may enjoy and yearn for the brutality and Godlike finality of taking the lives of others. As odd and eerie this family's life is to peer into to begin with, the game keeps the player on their toes throughout because of the alien and disconcerting nature of the world that Oldblood has built and forcibly thrusts us into. You will be engulfed by sudden darkness and even after your eyes become accustomed to the grit and grime of the disorders which weigh us down in this world, beholding the vermilion blanketed monsters we end up because of them is not a pretty tale.

The fatefully tragic tale of Masochisia ends with a twist that scrapes through into reality. There hasn't been a single experience with a point and click type adventure game of this style where I have been influenced out of the game so actively and directly by the developer. Given it feels more like the developer than the character communicating with me in meta game format, it is a wonderful new style that I've not personally had the chance of knowing before. The haunting ending will make you jump one week later at that random moment when you suddenly come across something on your desktop...

Whether or not there is an evil demiurge stalking the thoughts of psychopathic murderers, we will eternally enjoy our own morbid curiosity for the macabre. If you are the sort of person looking up serial killers and crime documentaries deep into the night, it would be a mistake to pass up the chance to delve into such a sinister sounding indie game and true hidden gem.

TL;DR - It's unparalleled by other titles like it. But so are the performance issues. Buy it, try it, and refund if meh.

- Kitano-sensei
Battle Royale was my biggest dread throughout my teens. I watched it with friends around the turn of the 20th century, fell in love with it but was convinced that it'd really happen at some point. Mum would ship me off to an island full of murderous youths and I'd never see the light of day. At 5'4" and less than 7 stone, I was scared I might have to pimp myself off to random horny guys so I could slice their necks as they tried to rip my knickers off. Boy was I dark teen. Given that I got so immersed in the idea of dystopian survival you'd reckon I'd have played more survival arena games, but no. This is the first time I've felt like I've found an actual "Battle Royale" game that I enjoy and am excited to play. Despite my freakish intoxication with simulated high stress survival environments, no game has felt like I was "in" Battle Royale. This feels like I'm playing the media franchise. I love it to tiny ripped shreds as I scream with intervals of girly giggling, blood splattered all over my face.

Spawning on an island that moonlights as a lobby, population 100, you can practice combat using weapons available at set locations most easily obtained when joining early (±35P). The island has nooks and crannies to explore but most games start within 1-2 minutes of entry thanks to the current massive inflow of players. You can see this lobby/island on the far right corner of your map and actually return there once you start a match if you want. It's really meta... Once the game starts you'll sit in a plane with everyone else and parachute to your area of choice on a much larger island (aka Erangel). You loot buildings and other players (after killing them) for gear/weapons/consumables (buff) and drive all over the island in the process while keeping an eye on the safe zone that exponentially shrinks until there's only one surviving player/team. Get caught outside it too long and your health will plummet quicker than a suicidal anchor.

Writing about popular games always bears with it the possibility of sounding like a broken record. You already know the negatives, the positives and the performance tribulations from the countless reviews and forum posts. To top it off the game is in EA, each patch bringing along a band of changes voiding the initial points within previous reviews. Transposing from strategy to action, the sub genre is inconstant. In one patch the former glorious ascendancy of strategy was forcefully removed, whittling the mind blowing chessboard it started as down to headstrong tactics only because of a slight shift in quality weapons loot placement and its spawn rate. It's since been revamped with higher percentage of crate drops and loot. The smallest changes make you choose divergent plays from one patch to the next. It went from mostly strategy to mostly twitch shooter in a single patch and then backed up towards a middle ground trying to maintain equilibrium. It might end up less like the initial brilliance of a Battle Royale simulator and more towards another generic arena shooter. Who knows? EA multiplayers are hard to keep alive. Unavoidably awful optimisation reeks of EA, testing the patience of most systems and players. Server side latency is fine but too often it'll fail to sync (what I see on screen = not actually happening). One thing is for certain, I'm having an insane degree of fun playing PUBG, and even if it ends up like every other heap of goo I won't regret it because it's great right the eff now. I bought it at release because it was already a well done game and pretty much complete in terms of gameplay mechanics. All it desperately needs is to get a handle on performance issues and just how system heavy it is. Running a tight ship exterminating hacks/cheats is a given and they seem to be doing relatively well. PUBG knows no other flaws.

It's potently engaging if you favour the tactical twitch shooter, and don't shy away from strategy. It's not solely for genre veterans. If you like the speed of Overwatch but love the tactics of XCOM, you'll be surprised to find yourself appreciating just how much brain power PUBG requires. If you like strategic board games such as chess or Go and FPS games as well, PUBG will ooze allure. It's less intimidating than military tactical shooters like Arma while being more serious than your run-of-the-mill survival arena. Having a blast even if you're not super into positioning and favour the run and gun approach is uncomplicated and doable. Often I'll jump into populated landing points just to have some fast fun shooting, killing and mauling people where everyone is just enjoying the game in an arcadey manner and having a riot. This game can cause uncontrollable laughter (you've been warned). Suffice to say it'll be harder to win without strategy seeing as even a good shot will run out of bullets in a 100P arena eventually. A growing majority of its players are strategic, skilled and smart enough that trolls actually burn out faster and get bored. Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me. I kid you not, PUBG players are the poster children of this phrase. The median skill level has risen over the past month but it's moderately easy to get into for new players even if you aren't genre familiar. Cheating isn't as prevalent as other similar games. I witnessed a blatant hack only once, nude and gliding across the grass like super speed Jesus... More serious cheats have arisen as of late but generally it's refreshingly vanilla, and is subjected to comparatively infinitesimal griefing thanks to the toil of both devs + community.

When picking this up during beta I was looking for something to replace The Division's adrenaline fueled Survival mode. The Division was a rare retreat where I had my fill of 200+ hours and suddenly felt content enough to move on. After that I sat there sucking my thumb wondering what I could do to fill the void. Along came PUBG. The only things I need to worry about here are looting, players, the shrinking field, positioning, endgame + luck. The field isn't as lethal since fatalities only come from my miscalculations and the dexterity of others. Yet PUBG understands the greatness of simplicity and it's wildly entertaining. The realism gauge is pronounced the way jumping from a fast moving vehicle will knock you down. On the other hand, I could ragdoll into oblivion by rolling down a tame hillside riding a motorcycle too fast while being able to survive multi flips of insanity like a gymnastics ribbon aiming for an Olympics gold medal, barely scathed while boosting a Dacia off a steep cliff...

If you can master the art of laughing in the face of frame rate issues like a true masochist, you should be playing now rather than later. Needlessly tweaking balance like mad could leave us with Frankenstein's monster and most combat orientated multiplayer EA games on Steam don't prevail due to this. Despite the train wreck performance, it's amazingly fun and I feel like it has made me laugh the most out of any game I've ever played. With EA, people throw around the word "potential" like if you say it enough the game will magically nurture itself from dust. PUBG is what potential actually looks like. It's acceptably tense, wholly satisfying and loads of fun with a mate(s) or alone. Solo is mighty strategic, squad wreaks havoc and duo is the middle child. I feel dead inside when things lag, but again I've had some fantastic matches that made it all better. Also, zero simulation sickness!

Tips in comments

Despite having a comically named high quality graphics setting option upon launch penned, "I have a Titan. Bring it", X-D (did cause the beast I was using minor stutter) the title of this game is literal and serious. After Life is tear-jerking.

Sappy ♥♥♥♥♥ (and I use that term lovingly) pull at my heartstrings until even my soul is numb from all the weeping so I am far from new to it. Of the many mawkish games available on Steam: Brothers - A Tale of Two Sons; Life is Strange; That Dragon, Cancer; Dear Esther; Narcissu; planetarian; and The Walking Dead among other greats; After Life - Story of a Fatheris probably on the more unpolished side. Yet in stark contrast to its obvious theme it offers a refreshingly creative insight into the ideas of a seldom imagined afterlife using what our protagonist Rick goes through after dying 12 years prematurely.

Set in Ireland, Rick's life flashes before his eyes in a manner that is not so typical for the phrase. He lingers in limbo having died before his time in a place that looks very much like space. In a sort of space-time vortex, Rick traverses the past, present and sees the future of his loved ones. It's more like how we'd imagine Scrooge might go forth towards the light years after the events of Dickens's A Christmas Carol. Rick takes his last journey to make peace with his death through knowing the thoughts and fate of his loved ones.

One of the most intriguing aspects of the game isGavin, the mysterious voice that talks to Rick and guides him through this voyage. Their short, semi-philosophical colloquy between levels while floating through nothingness serve as an elegant passageway connecting the player between each set of experiences and the characters Rick introduces to us. The ending unveils the long awaited meaning of Gavin'sexistence in Rick's after life and is a heartwarming and fantastic idea that will delight players to realise and comprehend in their own manner. Uncomplicated as the dialogue may be, it boasts a sturdy framework and is never insipid or needlessly drawn out. The length of one playthrough without skipping any of the dialogue/credits is 2 hours so it isn't a long game. Absent save options mean you'll need to load chapters if you quit midway but since it only consists of 5 parts, each a duration of 20-30 mins (where each time you head to a corner of the world significant to Rick and his family), who needs saves!

One nuisance does arise due to this however, and this is because of the "blink" mechanic and the sole gamified feature of "memory collection" in-game. This isn't blind, spoon-fed progression with a "walking simulator" granted all you require is a mouse to play (no offence PnC games ;D). Choose direction by moving your mouse, click LMB to float forward slowly, click RMB+LMB together to drift forward swiftly and click RMB to toggle "blink mode". You need to blink to see where memories are and collecting these experiences in the form of dialogues leads directly to progressing in-game. You need them all and they trigger in a specific order meaning you'll revisit certain areas. When you blink the world fleetingly turns monochrome and you will be able to see beacons of dazzling phosphorescent light shoot to the sky. This beacon is so strong that it even blasts through floors when you're in a building but amusingly cannot be spotted if you're too far away. A few flaws present themselves at this point because if you don't find all the memories, you can't get to the next level, and even if you could I expect most people would rather not skip any important events in what is a wholly story, and character-driven affair. It isn't much of a bother until you get to the last level as Level 1 is easy enough as a tutorial, but by Level 4 I got worried and was bordering on irritated for a few minutes while searching the last few rooms. With no map in a weirdly designed and gargantuan house, it felt a bit eerie and long searching for those vexatiously well spread out final missing memories. It didn't give me much trouble in hindsight, but I have an inkling that was pure luck because I have absolutely naught sense of direction. How wonderful it would be if Rick could see past the wall like a proper little ghost! Other than Rick's disappointing lack of blinking prowess the controls are as smooth as a baby's bottom and in tune with this brilliantly paced game. It offers a broad FOV range which removes any sense of nausea and straight from the beginning I was having a ball. At first look the atmosphere funnily reminded me of what the Heaven Island games should have been considering they are actual walking simulators with an addition of bad design causing simulation sickness instead of Zen meditation. After Life contains a relatively plentiful selection of varying scenes and insightful dialogue for the small team indie game it is and never once did things feel overused, dull or repetitive. The voice actors most likely (seems done by an amateur but capable team) ironed out most of the grammatical errors as they recorded since the mistakes are only sporadically present in the captions.

(May you have a thousand good things) - Irish Saying
By the end of the game it feels like a low budget That Dragon, Cancer. Both made me cry the same way since I lost my father to a terminal illness when I was young, and each of these games in many ways are about the dad and what they endure whether or not they are the ones dying. Thinking that perhaps my own father could have gone through what Rick did made me want to bury myself under the covers and bawl my eyes out as it is such a splendid and artistically original thought that this developer had. I enjoyed this game more because it isn't a one dimensional look into the pain and suffering of families going through unutterably calamitous loss. That is such an obvious, irrevocable thing that I for one don't need to be reminded of any longer. Instead you will grasp the concept of loss through the eyes of the one that has left us. This game exhibits an entirely different perspective by putting us in the shoes of the loss itself. The person no longer there but unable to leave too quickly guides us through the journey of leaving their life behind much too early. Still it delves less into the emotions of Rick and more of what goes on with those around him after his death and how this affects his moving on with his journey in the after life, which is what makes it all the more thought-provoking and distinct. We hear little brother Rob talk of them chasing skirts as young lads and enjoying life, the wise words and undying love of Rick's mother Aoife, his three children and loving wife Shauna's brave venture into a world void of him, Rick's best friend Vincent with his difficulty handling the trauma but slowly learning to grow from it, and Anlon the loyal guard dog forever waiting for his master to return. These are 12 years filled with remembering, yearning, changing, learning and moving on with life, narrated from a wonderful variance of characters. Satisfyingly well done endings are rare but I felt this had one, which makes all the difference. It ties everything with a pretty ribbon but lets players choose the colour of it.

Tip:

Glancing at the store page it felt like a merry mingling of Tetris and any match-3 game flushed with block pastel colours. Now I feel satisfied with my length and depth of a playthrough to write this review, it no longer bears the resemblance of any game I'm accustomed to as it primarily had. Swapperoo takes the simple idea and timeless arcade gameplay of combining three blocks of an identical nature, adds both manifold and idiosyncratic features making it a truly distinctive puzzle game. Containing a plethora of tile types and multitude of goals (a new one per level) within a robust collection of game modes this kept my interest for hours. It took approximately 16 hours to complete just the community achievements offered (two extra available in-game) minus idling time. Basically around 11 hours were spent playing the hard level since incidentally I am not good at puzzle games and the hard level is moderately challenging. It never once frustrated or bored me which is saying a lot for a puzzle game with this much content.

The following has been spoiler proofed as some parts are revealing and specific about the puzzle features.

The main game offers 25 "Normal" levels which act as a tutorial for what is to come, with an additional 13 "Hard" levels that are tough but fair. The player needs to match tiles of the same colour regardless of the shape (▲,■,●) to fulfil the objective of each level. The goals keep changing since new types of tiles and additional rules are introduced to make it more trickier. There are normal tiles, skull tiles that detonate after a certain number of moves, padlocks that can appear both on normal/skull tiles (you'll need to clear them twice to eliminate them completely), star tiles, wormholes, "dead" grey tiles, and fixed tiles that can't be moved until broken. Three different skill types exist dependent on the number and type of tiles you remove with successful matches: swap (▲ tiles), delay (■ tiles) and detonate (●tiles). It is imperative to apply these skills strategically in your game to complete the more demanding latter levels. The ▲ triangle tiles also point in all cardinal directions and appear as part of the many variations of aims for each level (e.g. destroy 40 ◀ left triangles etc...).

Consider it an arcade game as well as being a puzzle since like Tetris your moves can be made within a certain time frame using quick reflexes synchronous to puzzle solving skills saving the day an inch from a deathly bomb explosion. To recapitulate, a skull tile wouldn't be constricted to a precise number of moves if timed correctly; with only 1 move remaining on a skull tile I could easily make 2 swift successive moves to remove it before detonation.

If it gets hard you can do what I did and skip to the 3 different "Challenge" modes each with 25 levels totalling 75 levels. Despite the name it is a fun break from the original game. Challenge levels offer less of an arcade experience and more of a classic puzzle experience. The puzzle has a set solution (you can find your own too) to complete the level by destroying all blocks in a certain number of moves or less. Unlike the main game this automatically comes a lack of replay value but a much more simplified experience for the classic puzzler. Although figuring out a solution does get perplexing at some points it is a yet more tranquil experience and easier than the main game. If all fails, there is a skip and hint button, or an auto hint depending on the mode. The hint button for challenge modes uses points gained while playing the game and there is no lack of them to need to farm any in advance. The auto hint which pops up during the main game after a lapse of time is rarely the best answer unless it is the only move available on your current board. The skip feature only works on the next level of a level you've already completed. Like previously stated, Swapperoo isn't an aggravating or taxing game the way many longer puzzle games can end up so requires less of the hint/skip option. Extremely enjoyable, I did my very best to lengthen my playtime even more for levels like one would add days to a relaxing holiday in the Bahamas. Taking my laptop to bed and smiling blissfully at the screen while being able to play Swapperoo lying on my side with easy clicks from my mouse is the reason I started playing it. It's a splendid and addictive game to amuse yourself with before bedtime or even when bedridden, suffering through a ghastly cold. With Swapperoo you needn't have to sit at a PC or even sit at all.

After all that you might even start playing the extra difficult modes provided by the game in forms of an "Endless" mode, "Gauntlet" mode (playing through levels A-Z with one life), and last but not least, an extra difficult and timed version of the "Gauntlet" mode. There is a kick ass leaderboard for each game mode and gloriously brilliant and useful Steam Cloud save feature which I usually find syncs horrendously unreliably for other games but worked exceptionally well for Swapperoo across multiple devices and several re-downloads.