Recent reviews by Words @TNEQL

Game is currently busted with massive performance issues on most PCs, regardless of specs.

Do not buy the game until they are fixed. I'll update when they are.

I bought Zenith about a year and a half ago, with the understanding that I was financing the development of a VR MMO.

Recently, the devs announced that they'd be transitioning Zenith to a small scale F2P multiplayer experience. I was okay with this. I know game development is hard and not all ideas are financially sustainable. I was fully onboard to support this change...

...until I learned that the devs were deleting constructive criticism about these changes. Entire threads with politely expressed ideas from people who has already financially supported Zenith were simply being removed.

(none of these comments were mine)

Even worse, it was then discovered that the same people were up being banned from the game for leaving negative reviews. I will likely be banned myself, just for posting this.

When you build a multiplayer experience, your community is everything. In and out of the game. Nurturing that is your biggest priority, other than developing the game itself. The devs seem hellbent on destroying what little goodwill they still had left however.

Without a thriving community, without people to champion your game and convince others to join them to play it... you have no game.

Devs, please remember this when your game is dead and you're financially broke, because you were busy actively killing your community.

Edit: As of July 2024, the game is dead. Called it. 🤷🏻‍♂️

I wish I could adequately explain why playing Tetris Effect: Connected in VR is one of the most transformative gaming experience that you'll ever have in your entire life, but I lack the words to do so.

With every passing day the winds might blow stronger.
And Carry us away but we will hold on to
Joy to light the way to keep the reminder
That love does not escape...

Ar its most basic level, Tetris Effect is a visual treat, elevates by the the beautiful synesthesic blend of audio and visual fusion that characterises all of Enhance and Tetsuya Mizuguchi's games. This on its own would be enough to make it a must buy, but Tetris Effects - much like Rez and Child of Eden before it - elevates itself so far beyond simply being a visually appealing experience.

Beyond the stones and the seas
The sun and the breeze.
The stars and the galaxy.
Beyond the time that we take
The days that we make.
I'm always gonna to be with you.

Tetris Effect is a profoundly thoughtful experience. I never thought I'd be saying that about a Tetris game either, but here we are, and here it is.

From the very first level of the Journey mode, Tetris Effects demands you pay attention to its message. It's one that's difficult to ignore; from the earliest days of human existence, to the millennia of cultural diversity that have grown out of it, beyond the hustle and bustle of city life and beyond the dim glow of galaxies light years beyond our reach... love is the one universal constant that keeps us all connected.

Even if each of us are miles and miles away
We'll build a bridge from our love.
To come back home again.

Add a VR headset into the mix and you'll be surrounded by this message in a way that can only be conveyed through experiencing it directly. Every pulse of every beat overwhelmes your vision and your senses, burrowing their way through your eyes and into your cerebral cortex, demanding to be internalised and understood... and absolutely no drugs are required to enjoy it.

What could you be afraid of
If I'm right here with you?
You know everything will change
Show me what you are made of,
'cause I'm always with you.
Come on, we could leave today

You might fairly assume this is just some experimentation in an otherwise simple game, but these themes exists throughout every single element of Tetris Effect.

Effects Mode presents a globe of the earth, with everyone whose played the game flying around it, expressed through their own unique avatar, pulsating in time to the music. Every week, this mode opens up a community event, wherever everyone can come together to unlock new avatars for everyone.

Look at this world we're made for.
Come with me, we'll take tomorrow.
Everything you want is waiting for you
Take it in, the light surrounds us.
Perfect love is all around us.
Everything you need is waiting for you,

And it still doesn't end there. "Connected" mode contains what I legitimately believe is the greatest mode ever added to a Tetris games - a 3 way cooperative game against increasingly challenging AI, where successful play leads to all 3 Tetris boards connecting together to create a screen filling horizontal board on which you all play together to decimate the AI.

It's utterly sublime.

Please play Tetris Effect.
Then go outside and touch some grass.
Then come back and play more Tetris Effect.
Preferably in VR.

This is one of the greatest games ever made.

I went into Lost Words with few expectations, at the recommendation of a friend. I knew that it was written by Rhianna Pratchett, but beyond that I had no preconceived notions about what to expect or how the experience would play out.

Its a simple game by design, but this isn't a criticism against it. Lost Words has a very specific story that it wants to tell, and it focuses on no more and no less than it needs to in order to tell that story.

As the name suggests, you have to find words to complete the writing that appears before you. This ultimately boils down to carrying the right words onto the right places on screen to activate events, but the game constantly comes up with novel, unique ways to approach this, and the experience is paced well enough that it always remains fun.

And the story it has to tell is a beautiful, sincere and heartfelt one. I won't go into specifics on that, because it's better to experience it for yourself, but it's a story that I think all everyone will be able to connect with strongly, no matter who you are or the life experience you've had.

Highly recommended.

Katana ZERO is a trip... quite literally, in fact.

Your character's drug induced experiences - and the multiple branching paths of the story - makes for an acid fueled adventure that you definitely won't be forgetting in a hurry.

Mortal Kombat 10 has a robust and fluid battle system. Though it doesn't hit the technical excellence of fighters such as Virtua Fighter, it is still a satisfying fighter to play.

Mortal Kombat 10 has a fun and enjoyable story. Its shorter than the last game, but its still incredibly enjoyable to play.

Mortal Kombat 10 has a tonne of game modes, which will keep you entertained for weeks, especially if you have friends to play it with.

If the game is that good then, why am I giving it a thumbs down?

Because the release of this game has been atrociously bad. From terrible optimization, frame rate problems even on high end machines, crashes, day one problems that made the game unplayable, to patches COMPLETELY wiping people's saves, its been a bit of mess. I was lucky enough to avoid losing my saved date, but I can empathize with those who had to deal with this ridiculous blunder.

I consider myself a patient gamer, I don't get bent out of shape over bugs and problems, but the number of issues this game has had to contend to reach a playable state is well beyond the point of being acceptable.

Even if the game reaches a solid state at some point, I cannot give this game a thumbs up. Developers need to be accountable for the state they release games in, and that will not happen if these kind of problems are given a free pass.

Go go Chroma Squad!

Now that the game is finally done with its Final Wave of beta-testing, the Super Marvelous Super Sentai inspired RPG is in everyone's hands, and it was well worth the wait.

Only vaguely similar in structure to the also wonderful Knights of Pen & Paper (also developered by Behold Studios), the pixelated adventure takes your through the many misadventured of your own custom made team of Sentai / Power Rangers inspired actors who have abandoned their previous, terrible acting gig to create their own series.

The director? You, of course!

The game is rife with fan service, and if you have any love for the original Sentai series or the Americanised Power Rangers interpretation of the show, you will feel right at home with this game. A great amount of customistation and developement is under your control, from the genders and colours of your team to the overall look of your costumes.

The main game is a RPG treat, bringing you through numerous seasons and many episodes of your own hilariously awkward show. No trope is left untouched as you battle and "chromatze" your way through hoards of enemy lackies and boss monsters in the well designed turned based RPG gameplay. Though the pixel art may not be to everyone's taste, the humour behind the game's inspiration shines through beautifully.

This is a highly recommended game, and one I encourage every Sentai / Power Rangers to check out. If nothing else, its a better Power Rangers game than any official branded has ever been.

P.S. I make absolutely no apologies for the puns used in this review.

Steam is full of many indie greats. Brilliant, inventively crafted games that spring out of nowhere, and create gameplay formulas so well refined they earn themselves a place within the halls of all the greatest classic.

Whether its the addictive simplicity of One Finger Death Punch, the relaxing, almost zen like experience of playingE uro Truck simulator, or the stylish assassinating that makes Mark of the Ninja so great, there are countless titles on this services whose quality is very difficult dispute.

Crypt of the Necrodancer is one of those games.

The game hits you right from the get go with its gorgeously bright pixel art, which serve far more purpose than simply being a retro aesthetic. The sharp, bright visuals bring the levels to life in a way that serves the gameplay perfectly, the vibrantly animated enemies movement (and dancing) to the beat in beautiful detailed fashion.

The distinctively detailed enemy sprites don't just look great - they serve to help you plan your attacks, always allowing you to quickly figure out what is going on, even when the hectic beat of the game's brilliant music threatens to eclipse your hand eye coordination.

The bosses especially are a treat, but I don't want to spoil those here. You'll just have to buy the game and discover what they are like for yourself!

Don't be at all surprise if you lose track of time playing this game. Progress is undeniably challenging but it has the "one more go" feeling down to perfection. The more you play, the more you learn the important strategies needed to beat the dozens of different enemies you encounter, the best items to help you progress, and the endless number of secrets. Then you unlock a new character, and the cycle beings all over again.

There is nothing else like this game on the market, and there may never be again. On the surface it is like many rogue-likes, challenging and requiring plenty of time, patient and skill on your behalf, but its rhythmic beat is an addiction that completely changes the way you explore, the way you fight, and the way you win. If you have no sense of rhythm, this is not the game for you.

This game deserves you attention.

Did I mention Crypt of the Necrodancer's music is amazing? I did? Well, I'm telling you again. The music is amazing. The game is worth it for the music alone.

This is quite possibly the greatest games you will ever play in your entire life.

No, really.

Just take my word for it.

Seriously.