Steam has once again put everything (on my wishlist) on sale. So I’m debating on grabbing a game or two that I don’t need.
But I’ve been playing through Baldur’s Gate 3, and I’m relieved to say that it’s as good as advertised. (Especially with mod support.) Strong characterization, plenty of solid set piece moments, and it’s good at rewarding you for exploration. And I’ve found this much easier to get into than Divinity Original Sin 2. So there’s very little to complain about, aside from how the “pseudo-RNG” dice are rigged to low roll constantly. So you’re practically encouraged to save scum at more important moments. (And maybe that encumbrance is a mechanic that only exists to be a nuisance in games.)
R.E.P.O (flavor of the month game) is entertaining, and I like its voice-to-text chat. But that laugh-cry emoji banner is one of those things (like doing a dumb face on a youtube thumbnail) that would’ve made me instantly ignore it otherwise. So I’m glad it was given to me. It definitely feels like a game where more players (a group of 6) would have an infinitely easier time to accomplish rounds (where the challenge is often having enough players in one place to lift heavier objects).
Other games that I’ve played recently, from best to worst.
Lorelai And The Laser Eyes: This game was almost nothing like I expected it to be. But it's about as good as a puzzle game can reasonably be. Has a solid atmosphere and soundtrack. Tons of variety and layers to its puzzles. And it was quite challenging, as many things required note taking/taking pictures on my phone. Though I found a lot of puzzles to be quite clever. (And I only had to brute force myself through one of them.) I do unfortunately think the game uses a certain maze too much & I think the finale (after the final puzzle) wears out its welcome. But this might be an easy recommendation to (hard) puzzle game fans.
Sanabi: An action platformer that has one of the better implementations of a grappling hook used as its main gimmick. The story (while entertaining and very stylish in places) is predictable, and frequently gets in the way of the enjoyable core gameplay. But its ending is sweet. So it’s an overall positive experience.
CATO: Buttered Cat: A decent puzzle game that takes a couple of worlds to become more challenging. The boss fights and rail sections are not particularly fun. But there’s enough customization options and charm in this to be worth playing.
Hollow Floor: A decent and fairly challenging metroidvania with a unique moveset. It’s content per dollar. (About 3 hours for 3 bucks.) Although, I do wish the collectable coins actually did something.
Plants vs Zombies: Battle For Neighborville: A far more enjoyable solo experience, and less appallingly/greedily monetized than its predecessor. But its hub world is worse and almost no one plays this version compared to the prior two games. So for the harder missions and objectives that seemingly require partners — you’re kind of screwed.
Ogu and the Secret Forest: Basically an easier version of Nobody Saves The World. I enjoyed it for a while. But it does get a little tedious in its exploration, and the combat is pretty lacking. (A good example of an average game.)
No Man Sky: 70 major updates later and…yeah this gameplay loop feels incredibly dull. With a bunch of pointless inconveniences that I question how it’s supposed to add anything to the game. (I can’t imagine how bad it felt to play at launch.) And I’ve given it more time and grace than I usually do for games like this.
The Thaumaturge (Demo): Surprisingly janky for those who claim its beginning is the strongest part of the game. With obvious graphical bugs in every cutscene. I appreciated the atmosphere and combat. But I’m not the least bit surprised that the combat is considered far too easy and becomes tedious later on.
The First Berserker Khazan (Demo): Unimpressed with the obnoxious first area and its sluggish combat. Platforming without a jump button leads to landable terrain that you cannot escape from. And Nioh’s garbage loot drop system is a bad mechanic to copy.
Frogsong: Boring game that almost plays itself. (NPC’s beat the bosses for you.) And the unlikable MC has a victim complex, that only becomes more ridiculous considering how many times people give her free items and services.
