Recent reviews by LordGandhii

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Video games are very complex. They take elements of producing basically every other art form, and add in the extra layer of making it interactive and engaging for the player. This complexity opens up new, exciting ways to experience stories unlike any other medium. However, video games are not the most flexible way to tell stories. That honor goes to tabletop gaming, where your imagination is the limit. As such, marketing your game by saying it can replicate the experience of a TTRPG like Dungeons & Dragons is generally a setup for inevitable disappointment for such a lofty goal, that is unless the name of your game is Baldur's Gate 3, one of the best games I've ever had the pleasure to play.


I would not call BG3 a technical marvel in this category, but there's no denying that some aspects are absolutely remarkable, namely the game's seamless way of blending top-down gameplay and mocap technology to give the game a uniquely detailed look. Environments are diverse and gorgeous to look at, and I love the expressive character designs & animations. I do not have any significant complaints about this section.


For as much as the letters "RPG" are slapped onto game labels these days, Baldur's Gate 3 is a right and proper roleplaying game. The character creator is one of the best I've seen in a RPG; there's tons of depth and variety in character builds, with 29 different subraces and 36 subclasses in total, each with their own abilities. It's also well-balanced, even weaker builds are still viable in their own right, both in and out of combat. I also think the game did a great job of translating D&D to a video game format, especially in how it speeds up combat while also staying committed to its tabletop roots by automatically rolling during combat while letting the player roll the die for roleplay-based situations.

Make no mistake, this game is as wide as an ocean and it's deeper than it is wide. The many branching storylines are consistently well-written, and there's a mind-boggling number of secrets that can significantly alter your playthrough. The game is constantly able to predict and react to whatever insane ideas you have, and choices do matter, quite a lot. Combats can be entirely altered or skipped with a single choice, and your companions can permanently change, leave, or die. You are given several opportunities to gain new abilities and allies, and just as many opportunities to forsake those abilities or stab your allies in the back. However, the stress in picking the "right" decision is brilliantly circumvented through the inspiration system (which is taken from D&D, but if you're like any of my tables, is probably not one you use very often), which makes situations more interesting because the game incentivizes you to choose based on what your character would do first and foremost, rewarding you with the chance to reroll in future roleplay encounters. It makes daunting decisions feel a lot less overwhelming while stopping choices from forcing you into a simple good or bad path like a lot of RPGs do.

Of course, a game this ambitious is prone to a few issues. The first is that, despite the remarkable post-launch support, BG3 is rife with game-breaking bugs. I've been softlocked, randomly lost powerful gear, dealt with crashes, and more. I also believe that the third act does have a tendency to feel a little too railroaded at certain points. As an example, Speak with Dead felt largely useless during the act outside of specific segments where it was effectively considering the "intended" solution. I understand it needs to conclude the story, but it felt like a lot of the tricks I could pull in other acts weren't viable here for basically no reason. However, these are my only two major complaints with the entire game, and neither of them really tarnished my enjoyment of it considering how well it did everything else.


My personal favorite thing about BG3's story is not just that you're granted so much choice, it's that you aren't shamed for whatever choices you do make. It tailors the narrative to the player, and makes it feel more personal, satisfying, and replayable. Characters are incredibly malleable because of this, rewarding you for spending time with them without punishing you for choosing not to, and there's so many decisions those characters can make on their own that can completely alter your playthrough in interesting ways. They all feel very multilayered, interestingly flawed, and compelling in their own ways.

If you've read other reviews, you may have noted some critical comments about the game's rushed final act and ending. I would've agreed with these comments up until the most recent patch, which added an extra ending segment that tied everything together in a far more satisfying and fitting manner. I do still believe that the game's third act is a slight drop in storytelling interactivity and quality, as some of the bigger choices felt a little too binary, but the bulk of the act is still very compelling and not even remotely close to the nosedive of Divinity: Original Sin 2's finale.


Once again, this is another category where BG3 excels. The music is a standout, with the "Down by the River" leitmotif that's present across the entire soundtrack. The sound design is also top-notch, giving spells and other abilities a uniquely satisfying sense of weight. My favorite element, however, was just how incredible the voice acting is. There are tons of subtle mannerisms that make each character come alive in their own way, and play a major role in making them so compelling and endearing. While Neil Newbon as Astarion is the obvious highlight, the depth he brings is found in all of the main cast, as well as a majority of the characters.


If it isn't clear from my own playtime or the playtimes of everyone else that has reviewed this game, you are getting the whole package here. It's massive and overwhelming, but the sheer amount of flexibility and choice gives the game a unique allure in replayability and memorability, and I walked out of my ~70 hour playthrough satisfied, yet wondering what I'd do differently on another run, as opposed to feeling satisfied and exhausted like other massive RPGs.


Part of what drives me to review a game is if I believe I can offer a unique perspective on it, as opposed to simply parroting opinions to drive engagement. I hesitated to review BG3 because you've likely heard my opinions on this game from dozens of other outlets and players already. It's a masterclass in interactive storytelling that pushes limits by rivaling the unbridled flexibility that serves as the prime appeal of tabletop gaming, something that I thought was near-impossible for a medium like video games.

As such, I've realized that this review's purpose isn't to argue that the game is stellar, because you likely already know that. Instead, its purpose is to confirm that praise is entirely warranted, perhaps even somewhat understated for just how remarkable its feats are. No, it's not perfect, because no game ever is, but it surpasses even my loftiest expectations to such an incredible degree that calling it anything less than a must-play masterpiece feels criminal.

Graphics - 5/5
Gameplay - 5/5
Story - 5/5
Audio - 5/5
Content Value - 5/5

.:10/10:.
"Masterpiece"

**PERSONAL PICK**

+ Deep & engaging story
+ Endearing, fleshed-out main cast
+ Amazing voice acting
+ Inspiration system adds depth to roleplay
+ Beautiful visuals
+ Phenomenal character creator

- Act 3 is (slightly) less interactive & lower quality
- Rampant technical issues

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Indie games come in many shapes and sizes, but many are made with the idea of being a modern take or spiritual successor on a classic game. Both Shovel Knight and Hollow Knight, for example, are modern takes on Mega Man and Metroid respectively. Pizza Tower, a successor to Wario Land 4 in particular is no different. I have not played the game it takes from, but I can still say with a great deal of confidence that this grease-covered gem has charged its way straight into the upper echelon of this niche, an echelon that arguably surpasses its inspiration.


Visually, this game is an assault on the eyes in the best way possible. It's sort of like Cruelty Squad in the sense that some of the initial learning curve is just processing what you see on the screen. However, I don't think Pizza Tower has an ugly visual style, rather it's just chaotic and messy - again, in the best way possible. The art style is best described as 90's Nickelodeon cartoons like Ren & Stimpy and Rocko's Modern Life in a MS Paint format. I adore the aesthetic, and think they captured that surreal, geometric look perfectly with this game, and it fits the unabashedly and comically insane feel this game goes for.

In addition, the animations in this game are astonishingly good. Everything is incredibly fluid and expressive. There's so many blink-and-you'll-miss-it moments, for example seeing the basic enemies become startled and wide-eyed at the sight of an anxious Italian man surpassing Usain Bolt's top speed charging right at them.

Is it a Pillar John of art style and animation in games? Probably not, but this is a pie that knows a thing or two about presentation, and it does that point very well.


This being a platformer, nailing the movement is key, and anxious greaseball Peppino controls remarkably well. For as overwhelming as this game can be, Peppino's moveset is both varied and tight. It takes some time to understand how to control peak Italian athleticism, but it feels immensely satisfying to master. Going fast is fun, and far more engaging than the high speeds of Sonic's preferences for autopilot. While you certainly will accidentally launch Peppino into a wall and kill your momentum at least twice per level, the game revels in its chaos. Like many a fast food joint, Pizza Tower does not demand perfection, it demands efficiency. Getting the highly-desired P rank isn't obtained by making zero mistakes, it's done by embracing the breakneck rhythm the game sets its tempo at and finding the most efficient routes possible to maintain your combos. As an authentic meatbag that can't keep up with some of the robotic reaction times of some players, it's refreshing to play something that embraces the odd mistake if you can quickly get back into the fray.

While combat is rarely a priority, the bosses are a highlight. They test your skills in unique and interesting ways, and despite their challenge, were consistently fair in their mechanics and expectations. The final boss, in particular, was incredibly fun to fight and one of my favorite final bosses of recent memory.

The level design is also a major highlight, and lends itself well to the "efficiency over perfection" approach. The core idea remains the same: Grab the Toppins, destroy Pillar John, get out quickly. However, each level has a very distinct identity, both visually and mechanically, and provides unique power ups befitting the thematic identity of the level. These are usually nice breaks in the gameplay, and they generally adhere to the core idea of moving fast. However, a few of the gimmicks did feel rather undercooked in their uses or how they controlled. It's not a significant issue, but for how polished the rest of the core gameplay feels, I did find it noticeable enough to leave a slightly underwhelmed taste.

I think another point Pizza Tower can struggle with is in its difficulty. It's not too hard, just erratic in its expectations from level to level. I found a handful in the earlier stages of the game were more difficult than most of the later levels, even after I returned to them near the end with a greater familiarity of the mechanics and the level layouts. The game frontloads everything into its initial tutorial, which is fitting, but I still wish it did a better job of gradually introducing those mechanics. I can see this point being a turn-off for some players, which is unfortunate because I think the game's level design only gets better as you progress.

However, the game largely excels in what it sets out to do. It's fast, it's tight, and it's fair. Does it play better than Wario Land 4? Frankly, I have no idea, but I can tell you it's probably the best Sonic game I've ever played.


I don't think the story is worth considering in the rating of this game. Pizza Tower is a gameplay-focused experience that draws you in with its aesthetics, and it knows that. As such, the story is in the backseat and there isn't really much to talk about, other than it being present.


While your taste buds may not get the satisfaction they're looking for when playing this game, your eardrums certainly will. I think the sound effects perfectly fit the cartoon aesthetic. I'm especially fond of the taunt sound effect, both as a parry and on its own. The former has a "pow" effect that makes parrying feel satisfying, while the horn sound that plays in both makes it thoroughly enjoyable to spam.

The music, however, is the real star of the show here. It's playful, upbeat, and catchy, but there's also a remarkable amount of depth here. For example, the secret levels have a groovy, percussive backtrack that sets the surreal tone of the level, but each secret level has a different melody corresponding with the original level you found the secret in, which blew my leitmotif-loving mind. "It's Pizza Time" is the best track, as it perfectly encapsulates the panic of having to escape from a level, and the final boss theme is also a treat, not mentioning the Waters of Nazareth-esque track from a late-game level.


Pizza Tower takes somewhere around 6 hours to finish for a regular playthrough. However, levels are highly replayable and filled to the brim with secrets and hidden routes. While I did not go out of my way to P-Rank every level, it's definitely an appealing challenge that can easily inflate your playtime. While the game itself is pretty short, there's lots of side content and replay value to warrant the price tag.


This game and Wario Land 4 go together like pineapples on pizza. Some people will look at this strange creation and find it repulsive, but the garlic-scented freaks like myself that give it a taste will have their senses enlightened by a chaotic barrage of exciting flavors and mechanics. You do not need an attachment to this game's inspiration to appreciate it for the absolutely stellar title that it is, so I highly recommend smelling the garlic and giving this eccentric gem a shot because of that. Even with its impressive polish, Pizza Tower isn't quite the perfect pie for me, but don't let its minor shortcomings deter you, it's still remarkably close. Just remember, if you hurt Peppino too much, you can go to hell.

Graphics - 4/5
Gameplay - 5/5
Story - N/A
Audio - 5/5
Content Value - 4/5

.:9.5/10:.
"Amazing"

**PERSONAL PICK**

+ Excellent level design
+ Tight & satisfying mechanics
+ Great soundtrack
+ Fun boss fights
+ Fluid & expressive animations

- Level gimmicks are hit & miss
- Inconsistent difficulty progression

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To be blunt, I'm more of a Batman guy. Arkham City is my favorite superhero game, The Dark Knight is one of my favorite films, and I've spent a lot of time over the years consuming Batman content. However, Spider Man media crawled into my life when I was young and hasn't really left. I've probably seen Spider Man 2 at least 10 times in my lifetime, Into the Spider-Verse has given TDK a run for its money, and I've listened to so many friends and family members gush about the friendly neighborhood superhero's comic endeavors that I felt like I just had to give Insomniac's Spider Man a shot. Does this game surpass Bruce Wayne's adventure in Arkham City? No, but it's pretty close.


When it comes to visuals, there's no denying that Spider Man is a looker. It's a pretty impressive game on a technical level. It's gorgeous and detailed. While you are usually high up in the sky, New York City is portrayed incredibly well, with a dense population that can actually be interacted with. I really appreciate when games go the extra mile to let you do more with random NPCs than just a throwaway line of dialogue, and this game does that in spades. You can even high five people!

The animation is also impressive. Part of the fun of the game is seeing Spidey do acrobatics in the air as he swings across NYC. It's incredibly fluid and fun to watch. This also applies to the combat, which showcases a variety of different animations based on what kinds of attacks you're using, or what environmental tools are at your disposal.

My only complaint with the visuals is in regards to the loading times. While I understand there's limitations to an open world (especially NYC), the game will pause to load a section of the world, and it sometimes can feel quite slow. I was also softlocked by it thrice. However, this was more of an inconvenience than anything, and the game still rocked graphically.


Of course, polishing the mechanics of movement and combat is one of the most important parts to finding success with this kind of game, and Insomniac delivered. Movement, as basic as it is, does feel incredibly satisfying. There are a million reviews that will tell you that swinging across New York City feels amazing, and now there are a million and one! Spider Man is one of the few games that I actively avoided using the fast travel system in because of how fun it felt.

Combat is also quite fun. Stealth and webslinger-blazing playstyles are both viable, and there's an impressive amount of customization and depth to combat thanks to the variety of suit abilities and other unlockables, as well as environmental tools and aerial combat to keep you on your toes. You unlock upgrades and more customization options pretty consistently throughout the game since the game forces you to do at least some of the side content. A very underrated feature about Spider Man is how it doesn't lock abilities to clothing. If you unlock a new suit and gain an ability, you don't have to stick with that combination if you don't like one or the other. It allows you to use your favorite ability and your favorite suit, which is a feature that more games really need to adopt.

The main issue with the gameplay is that, while combat and movement do feel great, that's basically all there is to the game. Side content basically just involves you doing a mix of looking at things or beating things up, and it becomes very repetitive very quickly. There are some cool rewards for completing those tasks, I just found the tasks themselves to be rather uninteresting. There is some gameplay deviations in the occasional non-Spidey stealth segments, but I largely found them tedious lore dumps that only rarely did anything genuinely interesting.

In summary, the game is very fun and nails the fundamentals, it just needed more meat on its bones when it came to gameplay variety and side content in ways that weren't painfully mediocre stealth segments.


While the bulk of this story is pretty basic, it works for what it is. There's a handful of twists to keep things interesting, I do appreciate that this game isn't a Spider Man origin story, and I liked how the friendly neighborhood web-slinger's repertoire of allies and enemies are portrayed.

There's definitely some weird pacing beats, though. One antagonist (who I thought was written pretty well) had a lot of buildup for a large chunk of the game, only for him to get sidelined in favor of a more bombastic climax that just gives the player an excuse to beat up more bad guys. I also wasn't really that big of a fan of that climax. Traversal became significantly more tedious due to a change in the environment, and it felt like the writers nearly forgot who their main antagonist was supposed to be with how much they built up the midgame villain, before correcting themselves last-minute.

What keeps the story interesting, in my eyes, are the performances of the characters, which I will elaborate more on in the next category. In every other regard, the game is just OK. It's serviceable, but not definitely not perfect.


The music is pretty run-of-the-mill cinematic music, but it fits the game well enough and it never interfered with the story in any way. Where I think this game is great, however, is its voice acting and sound design.

Considering how many Marvel fans are likely going to attribute the voice and face of Peter Parker to Tom Holland (or Tobey Maguire/Andrew Garfield depending on your generation), I really liked this portrayal of Peter Parker and didn't find the difference jarring at all. While he was certainly the standout, there's some top-notch performances all around. I particularly liked Otto Octavius, whose relationship with Peter gives this game's cookie cutter story a much stronger emotional core.

The sound design is also excellent. I think it best shows when you're slinging across town, as you can hear the sounds the bustling city below you reverberating into the air while the city feels far more peaceful and serene when perched at a high altitude. The little "thwips" from the wall-crawler's web shooters are also satisfying to listen to, and you can feel the weight of the things he throws at his enemies. Considering this game's main objective is to make you, dare I say the phrase, feel like Spider Man (I'm sorry my journalistic integrity is now gone), this game does an excellent job of nailing the sounds of both Parker and the world he inhabits.


I do appreciate that Spider Man is a fairly condensed open world game, all things considered. I do think it suffers from its repetition, but I finished the game in a little over 15 hours and I think that is an appropriate length for a title like this. However, the lack of gameplay variety does stop me from saying this is something that I would replay or 100%.


To tie up this web of information, Spider Man is a thoroughly enjoyable title that really captures the spirit of the beloved character. It does feel a little monotonous at points, and the stealth sections were pretty lame padding, among some other issues, but this is a very solid open world experience that I would recommend to most people. If you're looking for a game that captures the feeling of being a superhero, you'll have an amazing time.

Graphics - 4/5
Gameplay - 3/5
Story - 3/5
Audio - 4/5
Content Value - 3/5

.:7.5/10:.
"Good"

+ Stellar voice acting
+ Fun customization & upgrades
+ Stunning visuals
+ Fluid movement & combat

- Tedious stealth segments
- Rushed story climax
- Repetitive gameplay loop

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Despite the longstanding history of Atlus's Shin Megami Tensei series, the games didn't seem to find success with mainstream audiences until the Persona spinoff games released. 5, in particular, had so much widespread hype that it is a common joke about fans of Persona 5 is that they haven't even played it. This hype also applied to critics, who have called this Persona 5 one of the best RPGs ever, with the Royal version only solidifying that claim. Is it one of the best RPGs of all time? I'm not sure I'd go that far, but I would certainly call it one of the better RPGs of the last decade.


What Persona 5 Royal lacks in technical prowess, it makes up for by being one of the best-looking games ever purely from a stylistic perspective. The UI absolutely oozes charm, and is remarkably easy to follow. This loud and flashy presentation absolutely could've made it difficult to follow along with the game in general, but there's so much detail and depth that I found it quite easy to tell where I was in the midst of menus.

Another big area where this game excels is in its character designs. The equally flashy outfits your Metaverse-hopping party wears are also representative of their character arcs in subtle ways. For example, the character with the hardest exterior has spikes on her pauldrons, or the intelligent, watchful character wears the mask of a crow.

All of these little details really add up, and it's easy for the confidence of the presentation to start rubbing off on the player. This game is not the benchmark for visual presentation, because it goes so far beyond the benchmark that no other game could really compete.


The biggest improvement P5R has over its predecessor is in its gameplay. Gone are the days of randomly-generated dungeons (for the most part), and combat has been both sped up and expanded upon in ways that ensure that you never get bored. At the same time, the core gameplay loop remains intact. The game is split into two parts: a dungeon crawling, monster-collecting JRPG and what is essentially a visual novel. It juggles the balance between those two areas quite nicely, and new mechanics are given out at pretty reasonable rates.

The dungeons are significantly more enjoyable to go through compared to 4, however I wouldn't call them great by any means. I think 4's dungeons were one of the game's biggest issues because they felt like slogs to get through, so the bar wasn't high to begin with. The dungeons are victim to a more egregious issue with this game that I will expand upon in the story section, but otherwise they're passable for the most part. The quality of life improvements, plus the new attack types are all very welcome additions that expand upon the weakness-exploiting core of combat.

Of course, there's been some streamlining done on the less action-packed side of the game. It's very easy to identify who is available to hang out with each day, and I'm a big fan of the function that tells you what other people did that day. You'll also have plenty of time to max out your confidants, and the game does a great job of pointing out the confidant deadlines for characters that are especially relevant to the plot and may influence your ending.


I do love this game, but this is unfortunately the game's weak point, which is a major issue for what is supposed to be a very story-driven game. The main distinction with the Persona series compared to the SMT series is the former's emphasis on characters as opposed to the latter's emphasis on themes. I would consider Persona 4 to have one of the best RPG casts ever, and unfortunately 5 does not quite live up to that for me. The characters aren't bad by any means - their arcs are believable and fun to watch for the most part (barring Morgana, who is only slightly less insufferable than 4's Teddie). However, something I noticed is that main characters are very quickly sidelined to introduce new ideas, and some of them very much dominate scenes over others.

The antagonists aren't much better. The manner in which the main characters, the Phantom Thieves, attempt to change society has a lot of interesting ethical implications that don't really get expanded upon (besides in the Royal content) because the game chooses to make most of the antagonists irredeemably, almost comically evil. I don't mind when completely evil antagonists, but this game really wants you to hate almost all of them and only managed to succeed with the first one.

And how does this game try to get the player to hate these baddies? With Royal's biggest issue: the incredibly repetitive dialogue! You will sit through several minutes of conversations where characters repeat things that were already established several hours ago, or try to make a "grand" reveal about things that were blatantly obvious. This game's insane length is primarily due to this issue. Dungeons are bogged down by characters saying things like "What is that on the wall? Is that a slot for a keycard? I think it is! That must mean there's a keycard nearby. Where do you think the keycard is? Oh, maybe it's that glowing thing over there making a sound effect! Joker, let's go get that keycard!" Most of the villains will tell you how evil they are, but I can't bring myself to care about anything they're saying because it's very obvious and there's nothing to show for it.

This issue is especially noticeable because of the antagonists that don't fit that bill are some of the most interesting characters in the game. I did like most of the main story, I just wasn't a fan of how a lot of characters were handled or the equally terrible and repetitive writing that plagues most of the game. The Royal content absolutely saves this game (the antagonist especially), but also really highlights how much better this story could've been.


Thankfully, while the writing isn't great, the voice acting definitely is. The characters are really brought to life by their performances. Akechi, Maruki, Ryuji, and Ann are all major highlights here. The soundtrack is also incredible, and there are a few tracks that I've added to my Spotify playlists, which is a feat in itself because I usually hate adding video game music to my playlists. I wish I had more to say here, but this was always an area this series excelled in and this game is no different.


Persona 5 is too long. The bloat lies in the insanely repetitive dialogue, and I think skipping through some of the pointless stuff is the sole reason I finished this in under 100 hours. That said, if that bloat was cut, there would still be more than enough content to warrant a $60 purchase. Again, this is a series norm so of course it's worth full price, I just think it went a little overboard this time.


Ultimately, I think Persona 5 Royal is a stellar game with some stratospheric highs and some disappointing lows. I did end up loving my time with the game, but I wanted to emphasize my criticisms for this review as opposed to parroting the praises of the game's incredible strengths. It's bloated, messily-written, and wastes the potential of multiple characters, but it still stole my heart, and will likely steal yours too.

Graphics - 5/5
Gameplay - 4/5
Story - 3/5
Audio - 5/5
Content Value - 4/5

.:9.0/10:.
"Amazing"

+ Incredible visual presentation
+ Great character designs & performances
+ Amazing soundtrack
+ Fun & addictive gameplay loop
+ Lots of QoL improvements

- Repetitive & poor writing bloats the game length
- Mishandles multiple characters

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As someone who happily spent most of 2020 enveloped in Hades and Animal Crossing: New Horizons, Cult of the Lamb was quick to grab my attention. Being a mix of a roguelite and a colony management sim, this game feels like a natural evolution for the roguelite genre, which already distinguishes itself by offering progression between runs. Combined with the adorably unsettling art style, Cult of the Lamb has the makings of a smash hit in the indie scene. But does it succeed in its premise? Yes, to an extent.


The thing that will draw most people towards this game is definitely the art style. Taking some cues from things like Gravity Falls and Over the Garden Wall, while using adorable animals for characters rather than people, I can say that Cult of the Lamb completely succeeded in this area. I think you could even make an argument for this game being one of the best-looking indie games ever.

While the popup book-esque visuals grab your eye immediately, there's an impressive layer of polish and depth hidden underneath. Characters are remarkably expressive, and even things like movement look so incredibly smooth.

A concern of mine going into the game was that the art style would be too expressive, getting in the way of combat, but I'm happy to report that this was not an issue, and I was generally able to keep up with what was happening on screen. The only times where I felt overwhelmed were bosses, but that's due to the camera being zoomed out. Regardless, that's a pretty minor nitpick for what is an incredible game visually.


As previously mentioned, Cult of the Lamb's combination of colony sim and roguelite feels like the next step in the latter genre. The idea of doing more than just buying upgrades and talking to NPCs in between runs was something I was really excited to see unfold. And the game does a generally solid job of it! Both parts of the game really complemented each other, and it was really easy to get hooked on the core gameplay loop.

However, this also reveals this game's core flaw that holds it from standing among its highly-rated peers: It lacks depth. The combat, while mechanically tight, doesn't really evolve much. During runs, I feel like the success of it was dependent on what items I got in the first room, and upgrades (In-game they're tarot cards, which I love) felt generally insignificant outside of things like poison or flat damage/attack speed boosts. Weapons also felt a little samey to use, and the curses (basically spells) were very hit and miss. Repetition is a core element of rogue games, but you can definitely feel it in this game since the lack of interesting progression tends to kill the variety of runs.

I found the colony sim half of the game to be more enjoyable. You have a lot of customization options, from dictating the beliefs and rules of your cult, to the appearances of your disciples, and decorating your plot of land. While progression is fairly linear, I didn't mind since there were still so many ways to make my Fortnite-worshiping cannibal cult feel like my own unique creation. However, the colony sim portion felt like it ended earlier than intended. I had endgame-tier upgrades before I had finished the second area, so I basically beelined through the rest of the game without paying any attention to my cult. I felt like there needed to be another tier of upgrades, or at the very least slow down the progression there just a touch.

Outside of that, there are some side modes, which I found to be pretty neat even if I didn't really mess with them too much. They do give you more to do, though, which helps offset the lack of depth just a little. While I am being critical here, I should say that I did have a lot of fun with the game. The gameplay loop is very addictive, so much that I think this game just needed more to it.


I think another reason why this game's repetition can wear on the player a little bit is because of the story. Using Hades as an example, what made that game so engaging was the staggering amount of dialogue, and the game never felt boring because you always felt like you progressed to some degree by seeing how character dialogue changes each run.

Now, Cult of the Lamb isn't a reading-intensive game (though it was surprisingly funny at times), and it does actually try to break up some of the tedium with the antagonists occasionally taunting you, but I think the game could've leaned into the worldbuilding and lore much more.

The story itself is pretty predictable and straightforward, which is fine, but they created this uniquely charming world and hid a lot of the interesting stuff in between combat "floors" so to speak, when I think these lore segments probably could've just been a separate room during those combat floors since you're already incentivized to explore them thoroughly. Overall, while it's a little disjointed in execution, the story works for what it is.


Cult of the Lamb's heavy emphasis on visuals means that sound design isn't necessarily the biggest priority, but it is solid. It all fits the creepy atmosphere very well, and I think the way the game handled character voices was a clever way to add some extra charm without being overbearing. On a side note, one of my favorite gags in this game is how the "charismatic" sheep cult leader you play doesn't speak, they just bleat.

The music is quite good, though. While it's more atmospheric than anything, a handful of tracks were definitely standouts, namely the theme that plays while back at your home base during the colony management sim portion of the game. The music particularly does a good job of setting the tone here, as the recurring "hoos" from the chorus throughout many of the tracks seemed especially fitting for a game about cults.


As I said before, the game's biggest weakness is its lack of depth. There's a lot of variety overall, sure, but it feels as wide as a lake and as deep as a puddle. The customization is really nice to keep you somewhat hooked, but the game really needs more for its two core parts that you may want to be cautious if you're looking for something to play for a long time.


Overall, I really enjoyed Cult of the Lamb. It succeeded in most of the ways it needed to, and I had a lot of fun managing my funky little flock. That said, I do hope this game gets a lot of long-term support, as a few content updates/DLC will really do a lot to give this game the extra oomph it needs. It's extremely solid, and with time, this game absolutely has the capacity to be a major standout for the roguelike/lite genre. I just want more of this game really baaadly.

Haha, get it? Please laugh. I don't care that I used the same pun in the title. If the devs ever see this review, can you add a doctrine category for jokes? I would like a way to sacrifice my haters, please and thank you!

Graphics - 5/5
Gameplay - 3/5
Story - 3/5
Audio - 4/5
Content Value - 2/5

.:7.5/10:.
"Good"

+ Incredible art style
+ Addictive gameplay loop
+ Tons of customization outside of combat
+ Fun side modes
+ Great music

- Combat felt too simple
- Generally needs more content (especially end-game)

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First person platformers are a genre that I've always wanted to enjoy more of, however a large majority of the standouts are still generally unremarkable or deeply flawed titles. Cyber Hook was fun until it started throwing overly-cramped levels at you and locked the ending behind DLC. Valley had a really fun movement system, but most of the game played like a mediocre FPS. Neon White stands head-and-shoulders above its peers. And while that isn't a very high bar to pass, what was more astonishing was just how good this game actually ended up being.


While obviously not a technical marvel by any means, I find Neon White's visual style to be a strength of the game. It's simple, but I really like the flair of the HUD. There's enough to tell you everything you need to know, but adds a little extra charm with the titular White's portrait. I also think the choice to use cards instead of actual weapons was more creative than it lets on, as it's a great way to quickly establish how the game is meant to be played (discarding them to use abilities being a major point), and also keeps your screen clearer because there's no weapon covering the bottom right quadrant of the screen.


More than anything, Neon White is a gameplay-focused experience, and it's in this category where the game excels. The mechanics are incredibly tight and responsive, and this is complimented nicely by great level design. For a game this overwhelmingly fast-paced, nailing the level design is an important point in order to make sure the player never gets lost or confused halfway through the level, and this game did a great job of guiding you without holding your hand.

It is important to note that the game is far closer to a first-person platformer than a shooter, though. Most enemies do not pose a threat and I think I've only died to them a couple times at most. There's a pretty solid selection of weapons that are all very fun to use, and it feels like you really get to make the most out of each weapon and ability. Another interesting observation is that Neon White is surprisingly addictive.

The core gameplay loop generally consists of playing through a level casually, playing it again to get an Ace medal (done by reducing your time), and then playing through the level at a slower pace to get the hidden gift. The first two parts of this process are incredibly fun, and highlight just how satisfying the mechanics are.

Getting the presents, however, was a far more tedious process. While I did enjoy it initially because it was a nice change of pace, later levels had a tendency to hide gifts in completely random areas, forcing you to explore the entire level just to find a tiny nook hidden away behind a random building in the background. Giving those gifts was also an annoying process, because you generally could only give one at a time, and had to skip through the same dialogue before you could do so. It became an incredibly tedious process, and I wouldn't have done it if it didn't affect the game's story. However, that is the only blemish on what is otherwise an incredibly satisfying and airtight experience overall.


"By freaks, for freaks" is Neon White's slogan, and nowhere is it more prevalent than in this game's story. When talking about the story, the developer said to Washington Post, "I wanted to do something that was just stupid and over the top and really self-indulgent," and it shows. The story has more cliches and tropes than acne on a teenager's face.

You've got the generic cool guy character with a trenchcoat (also voiced by Steve Blum to fully complete the stereotype), you've got the silly quirky psycho girl, and even the edgelord villain, down to the anime villain[static.wikia.nocookie.net] haircut.[i.ytimg.com] There's even a scene where the aforementioned psycho girl is singing My Chemical Romance's Welcome to the Black Parade. So, obviously, the game isn't trying to make a compelling story. But even if it's intentionally cringeworthy and grating, it's still cringeworthy and grating. And most annoyingly, it gets in the way of gameplay, and rather than being a nice break in between sections, I felt that it largely bloated the game and I think I would've enjoyed it more without the story.

However, I will at least admit that it's not offensively bad like, say, Borderlands 3. It will appeal to a very specific subset of people, and I'm aware of the intention behind making this story incredibly dumb. Those people will find this game endearing, but for people like me who don't have that connection, it's grating and something I wish I could've turned off completely.


On the bright side, the music is another major highlight. Machine Girl is a perfect fit for what this game was going for, and it's arguably my favorite soundtrack of the year so far. The voice acting is also quite solid. As previously mentioned, Steve Blum voices the titular protagonist, but the entire cast has decades of voice acting experience. There's only so much you can do with cheesy 2000s anime writing, but they did quite well with what they were given.


Despite the $25 price tag seeming a little steep at first glance, this game has a surprising amount of depth to it, and the gameplay loop is so addictive that you could very well get extra playtime just by trying to finish levels as quickly as possible. This is not a criticism of the game, but I think Neon White would really benefit from a level editor. Community-made levels could give this game some impressive longevity, especially with how good the core mechanics already are.


Neon White is an unapologetically cheesy game with a story and feel that will only resonate with a small subset of people, but is worth playing for anyone who likes fast-paced games just for how stellar the gameplay and music are. For those two aspects alone, this is easily one of 2022's finest games, and I hope it gets some rightfully-deserved recognition during awards season. And maybe a Heavenly Delight ticket as well. How fun!

Graphics - 4/5
Gameplay - 5/5
Story - 2/5
Audio - 5/5
Content Value - 4/5

.:9.0/10:.
"Amazing"

+ Tight and satisfying mechanics
+ Addictive gameplay loop
+ Excellent level design
+ Amazing soundtrack
+ Impressive visual style
+ Great voice acting

- Obnoxious story & writing (even if it was intended)
- Tedious gift collecting

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While I try to be as honest and fair about the games I evaluate, I am but one little dictator writing these reviews, and thus I am prone to biases. One of the main preferences I have, in particular, is my love for games that place an emphasis on exploration. Skyrim, Elden Ring, and Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild are all comfortably near, or at the top, of my list of favorite games. With that in mind, I walked into this game knowing fully well that I'd enjoy it. What I did not expect, however, was how much I was going to enjoy it. Tunic is a brilliant gem with a fascinating and mysterious world that slowly unfolds itself with each button you press.


Tunic utilizes a minimalist art style, reminiscent of last year's Death's Door. In particular, the standout is how well it uses color. Initially it adds to the dreamlike feeling of the game, but eventually I picked up on the brilliantly subtle ways color is utilized to guide you in the right direction. The character designs are also top-notch. Your playable fox hero is absolutely adorable, and I really liked the extra touch of seeing them look at things and react to them as I passed by.

My only criticism here is a minor one, and it's that the final boss was obnoxiously hard to follow at times because the game went a little too overboard with the effects, and all of the attacks kind of blended together as a result. However, this didn't significantly ruin my enjoyment by any stretch, and was only noticeable because of how well-done the rest of the game was visually.


Since Breath of the Wild, I think games have started to embrace a "less is more" approach with open worlds, where you're thrown into the thick of things and you're forced to learn and adapt on your own, often coupled with a minimal or nonexistent HUD. Tunic is one such game, but takes this philosophy in a very unique direction.

On top of the aforementioned staples of these games, Tunic adds an additional layer of complexity by making most of the game in a foreign language you can't easily translate. Instead, you need to find pieces of a manual to gradually piece together how to play, and what exactly you're doing. The manual mechanic is, in my opinion, probably the best thing about this game. It's such a creative way to ease you into the game's mechanics, and it keeps gameplay fresh because learning the controls is part of the mystery.

The game is pretty much what it looks like, but the important thing to note is that it plays much more closely to a Soulslike than a 2D Zelda game. You're mostly exploring and fighting monsters, but there's enough environment variety that this never felt boring to me. The combat is pretty simple (though it takes some getting used to), but it works well enough. There's a handful of bosses, and while they were cool, I did find it very annoying how frequently they would move just out of range, or dodge your projectiles. The stamina system was fine, but I always felt like my attacks were just out of range, and I couldn't really do anything about it besides try to get lucky with my positioning. The bosses were all fair to fight, but I felt they were slightly overtuned since it felt like I barely ever got windows to attack them.

Later in the game, you'll begin to encounter more puzzles. And while these puzzles did feel pretty obtuse at times, the final one was extremely satisfying to pull off, and one of my favorite puzzles I've ever seen in a game. In regards to that, yes, I do think Tunic gets a little bit too obtuse at times. The game generally does a good job of keeping you on track with subtle cues, but there were a couple of points where I had absolutely zero indication as to what to do next, and had to consult a guide. I cannot get more specific without story spoilers. Speaking of which...


Tunic's narrative is pretty basic. It's just "ring the bell" or "get the thing", but I honestly don't mind that. The game is intentionally vague and mysterious, but I think the developers were more concerned with nailing the feel of exploring an unfamiliar world rather than the "why" of it. Translating some of the language, I found it kind of amusing just how surface-level a lot of the text was. That said, there definitely is some worldbuilding, although a lot of it is left open to interpretation. The world itself is quite fascinating, and there's a lot to explore, so I feel like the story is more about discovering what's going on in this enchanting little fox world. While there isn't much to this story, the devs seemed more concerned about the world and the feel, both of which were handled quite well.


Another major highlight of Tunic is the surprisingly stellar soundtrack. It plays a crucial part in setting the tone of the game, and the best word I can use to describe it is ethereal. For a game dead-set on trying to sell you on the world you explore, the music carries a lot of the weight in making that feeling work. It's otherworldly, and emphasizes synths more than traditional instruments, but at the same time entrancing enough to keep you focused on the game. This very well could be one of the best indie game soundtracks in the last couple years.


While my playtime seems low, it's important to note that I tend to finish games pretty quickly. You can definitely get double the amount of playtime, if not triple. Tunic has multiple endings, and I was compelled enough to get all of them. There's also a ton of secrets, and it feels like I barely scratched the surface with that. I think the game is most interested in the first playthrough, but I do think the build variety is rather disappointing. I would've liked to see one or two more weapons that you could use instead of the sword. It hurts the replay value, although I do think this game could be interesting to watch speedruns for.


Tunic is an amazing labor of love that should be talked about more. Maybe it's because Elden Ring released a few weeks prior to this and drowned out any gaming discussion for a solid month, but this game was a constantly satisfying experience with some incredibly brilliant ideas, and executed those ideas extremely well. It didn't exceed in every front, but it did so in most of the areas it needed to. If you enjoy games that don't hold your hand, this is absolutely a must-play. Besides, how can you say no to a face as adorable as that little fox?

Graphics - 5/5
Gameplay - 3/5
Story - 4/5
Audio - 5/5
Content Value - 4/5

.:9.5/10:.
"Amazing"

**PERSONAL PICK**

+ Brilliant manual mechanic
+ Clever art direction
+ Enchanting soundtrack
+ Incredible final puzzle
+ Adorable character designs
+ Satisfying exploration & progression

- A little too obtuse at certain points
- Bosses were slightly overtuned
- Lack of weapon variety

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In retrospect, while I've always absolutely adored Undertale, I would also go out on a limb and say that it's one of the most influential games of the past decade. While it wasn't the first quirky RPG with a rather dark underside, it's the game that showed players the incredible potential of indie storytelling with how the story subverted player expectations by toying with a simple morality system. Its influence bleeds into other games, a prime example being Omori, which released in late 2020. Everhood clearly takes a lot of inspiration from Toby Fox's breakout hit, but gradually grows into its own unique experience to varying levels of success.


This game is, quite obviously, a kaleidoscopic assault on the eyes. However, I think this a major strength to Everhood, especially when it comes to help building its own identity. I'm generally not a fan of when games use the visuals against you (I consider it a major fault of [i[Cuphead,[/i] for example), this game does a good job of making sure the inherently cluttered and chaotic mess of colors doesn't interfere with gameplay. I think the character designs are also quite good, which was another important point for them to succeed in considering that the character roster is, comparatively speaking, fairly small. My big complaint with the visuals is more in the overworld. While I don't have any issue with it being simple or lacking cohesion (as it fits thematically), I do wish some of the areas had a bit more of a visual flair to them, rather than just being colored footsteps on a black background that don't even do that great of a job of guiding the player. However, everything else was done quite well in my opinion.


While I thought this would be an area where I'd have more mixed opinions, I'd actually argue the contrary and say this is the area where Everhood succeeds most of all. The game is presented as more of a rhythm game, but I'd say it's closer to a bullet hell game with the presentation of a rhythm game.

The game is almost entirely made up of these rhythm "battles", each one with its own theme, but this game took its basic premise and absolutely ran with it, taking it into some incredibly creative directions by bending the genre in unique ways. It makes a gameplay loop that could've been incredibly repetitive into one with some impressive variety. It does take some time to get used to, but the best way to get into the game's rhythm is, ironically, by rejecting the rhythm of the music. While I do wish there could've been a couple more minigames and/or overworld puzzles, I found Everhood's gameplay loop to be a delight that consistently found ways to surprise me.


However, the story is where things fall apart. The best way I can describe it is that it's the antithesis to Undertale. I liked the game thematically, as it covered topics that most games wouldn't even hint at, but I still had a few issues.

Around the halfway point, the game goes into a completely different direction. From a gameplay perspective, the switch is near-seamless and quite clever, but I felt the story didn't do the best job of justifying this switch. The characters, while entertaining, usually lacked the depth and complexity they really needed to justify your actions in the second half of the game. There were a few exceptions to this, and it made their involvement in the second half noticeably better than the rest of the game.

On top of that, Everhood's final sequence has the Death Stranding issue where it goes on for way, way too long. It got excessively self-indulgent and masturbatory, to a point where it slightly soured my taste of the story, even if I was fine with the actual ending. The story still works, but it could've been told much better, and it really shows.


Obviously, the emphasis here is on the music. It starts simple enough, to a point where it feels a little bland and repetitive, but it gets miles better after a certain point, and a few of the end-game tracks are absolutely phenomenal. There's no real cohesion with the music, but I feel that actually makes sense within the context of the game. It also kept me on my toes because it meant that I couldn't really predict what kind of theme the enemy might have, and it led to some very pleasant surprises. That's really all there is to say, here.


Surprisingly, there's a decent bit of meat on Everhood's bone. I finished the game in 5 hours, but what did surprise me was the amount of side content it has to offer. Some of it is brutally difficult, too, and players who like to 100% games may want to proceed with caution here, as it expects you to do these challenges without taking a single hit. It's short, but for $10, I think you're getting a great amount of content for the money.


While Everhood doesn't quite find land in its story, this delightfully psychedelic bullet hell oozes so much creativity in every other aspect that it still won me over. For what appears to be the first game from these two developers, I'm very impressed with the end product, and I will be watching these two developers more closely for their future projects. Highly recommended.

Graphics - 7.5/10
Gameplay - 9.5/10
Story - 6.0/10
Audio - 8.5/10
Content Value - 9.5/10

.:8.2/10:.
"Great"

+ Incredibly creative gameplay loop
+ Great soundtrack
+ Tight controls
+ Trippy visuals don't interfere with gameplay
+ Lots of secret content

- Underdeveloped characters
- Lack of variety in environments
- Ending dragged out for way too long

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While horror games have generally never been my jam, I've grown to really appreciate just how consistently good Resident Evil games tend to be. I played through 7 back in October, and I enjoyed it, but couldn't help but feel that its limited scope actually hurt the game a little bit, as things like basic enemies weren't that fun to fight, and the story had largely lost my attention by the end. When I got this game, I was eager to see how these criticisms were addressed. And after playing through the game in just about 8 hours, I realized it is basically just an expanded version of 7 in pretty much every way.


I loved this game visually. It's stunning, just like the previous game, and nails the atmosphere its going for. It's a lot more mysterious and intriguing, but it also knows when it can be scary. I also really liked the designs of the characters, especially the antagonists. "Vampire mommy milkers" memes aside, each villain got my attention just based off of their appearances alone. The game looks good. There's not much else to say here.


Village, if you haven't been able to deduce it already, has a lot more action elements compared to its predecessor. The core gameplay mechanics are essentially the same, that being a perfectly competent first-person shooter. However, everything else is improved upon. Generally speaking, outside of one segment, there isn't really anything that hits the same high points that 7 hits, but the whole experience feels so much smoother here. There's a great amount of variety in the game, and while Resident Evil seems to have always had a "mediocre second half" problem, which still exists in this game, I found that I had far more fun getting through this game's latter half compared to 2 and 7. And I think part of it is that this game absolutely nails its pacing.

As said before, this game has been compared to being at a theme park. Each of the four lords you're hunting has different gameplay mechanics. One is more of a pure survival horror experience where you're unarmed, another is more akin to classic Resident Evil where there is a particularly powerful enemy that's constantly hunting you down, and so on. I never felt that the game overstayed its welcome with any of these mechanics. Some are definitely longer than others, but by the time I'd start feeling bored, the game would end it with a boss fight or throw in a curveball to keep things interesting. Enemy variety actually exists in this game too, which I think helps keep the game from ever feeling dull. I also really liked the level design, as the game emphasizes and rewards exploration in multiple ways, from upgrades to lore, and I felt very compelled to stop and look for secrets.

Where the game stumbles a little bit are in two areas: the boss fights and the puzzles. The bosses are less egregious, because I wouldn't say they were bad. More than anything, they were just a little disappointing. Considering how good most of the ones in 7 were, I found it a little ironic that this game excelled during its fights with basic enemies and stumbled with its bosses, where its predecessor was the opposite. Most fights were too straightforward, but hey, I'll at least appreciate this game's final boss for (RE7 spoilers) not being a glorified QTE. The puzzles, however, were almost always way, way too easy. If I wasn't sure of what to do, I'd just trial-and-error it and accidentally get the solution, and I'd say there's only one puzzle that actually made me stop to think for a moment, and that's only because I'd overlooked something obvious. Most of the puzzle answers are basically handed to you, so the puzzles felt more like brief distractions more than actual breaks in combat and scares. But ultimately, it did not break the game for me.

As I said, while the game doesn't often hit the same high points of 7, it is a more consistent title with better game design in general, as well as great pacing. Overall, the gameplay is largely smoothed out and it made my experience mostly better.


Resident Evil games don't really have great stories most of the time. They're pretty corny, but weirdly endearing in the process. I think 7 was the exception to that rule, because while the final boss did disappoint me, I really liked the way the main antagonist's motivations were built up (as well as the rest of the Baker family), so I think [i[Village[/i] had some high standards to live up to. And it mostly does.

Ethan Winters, the protagonist of RE7, has an actual personality now! He does have a tendency to make silly one-liners after surviving yet another near-death experience, but that's part of the Resident Evil charm in my opinion. The villains were also pretty entertaining, but another big issue I had is that I don't think they were as interesting in the end as the Bakers. They got my attention almost immediately, but I think all of them, barring fan-favorite Lady D who was the highlight character in my opinion, needed some more screentime. I liked all of them, but I wanted to see more of them.

I also liked the ending, and there was a really cool reveal towards the end that answered a major question I had while playing, and I love when stories explain gameplay mechanics. I will admit I am a bit concerned about where the story goes from here, because I'm aware this series struggled once it derailed into pure action, but I still liked the story overall. It's not amazing, but it's got some stellar twists and turns and I still liked it a lot.


The sound design and music are both pretty good. There's really not much to discuss in those terms, as they fit what they're going for very well. The voice acting is what I'll be focusing on more here. As I said, Ethan actually has a personality now, and I think part of why it shows as much as it does is due to the solid performance from his voice actor. But, of course, the highlight here is the much-loved Lady D, who completely took control of every scene she was in. However, I was not a big fan of Heisenberg's voice. It felt like they were trying to go for something cool and intimidating, but the accent came off as being overly corny more than anything. However, that's more of a nitpick, as I still liked his character, and the rest of the performances were pretty good. *Sniff* They've come so far from "Jill sandwich!"


All RE games are pretty short, but I think Village makes the most out of every second of its 8-10 hour playtime. There's a lot more fun side content this time around, and there's also the potential for additional story DLC, which there is none of at the time of writing this. While there's only 1-2 moments in Village that really stuck out to me compared to 7's highlights, this game feels much more replayable due to the overall polish. I'd say it's a safe buy despite the length, especially if there's even a light discount.


While it may not be quite as interesting as its predecessor, Village is a more polished experience overall with much better game design. The "better" game comes down to preference, and I personally prefer this one because it was still memorable in its own right. It's a great time, and I'd easily recommend it if only for Lady D.

Graphics - 9.5/10
Gameplay - 8.5/10
Story - 8.5/10
Audio - 8.5/10
Content Value - 9.0/10

.:8.5/10:.
"Great

+ Intriguing atmosphere
+ Fun side content
+ Good level design
+ Solid gameplay variety
+ Great pacing

- Puzzles were too easy
- Mediocre boss fights

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This review is spoiler-free.

I love card games. I spent a lot of time playing the Pokemon TCG as a child, even more Hearthstone as a teen, and just this year, I casually dumped over 60 hours into Slay the Spire over the span of a month or so and adored every second of it. Inscryption got my attention shortly after release because I heard Daniel Mullins, the guy who made Pony Island, was behind it, and Pony Island is still one of the most interesting games I've ever played from a story perspective. Spoiler alert, this game's even better. But, it also has the OMORI problem. Everyone will tell you it's good, but no one will tell you why.


One of my favorite things about Inscryption are the visuals. It's unnerving, has a unique style, but also does a pretty good job of making it clear what is relevant to you as a player. It's sort of low-poly, but it adds to the weird charm of the whole game. I love the atmosphere, a lot. There are occasionally these, we'll call them "creative deviations" with the visuals that help play with your expectations, in classic Daniel Mullins fashion, and really help enhance the story. I have a few minor complaints, but to dig into that would be spoiler territory so I won't elaborate on them here. Overall, the visuals are a high point for this game.


Inscryption is described as a psychological horror roguelike deckbuilder with puzzles reminiscent of an escape room. This is true, to a degree. The card game itself is about sacrificing fodder creatures (usually squirrels) in order to summon stronger creatures to fight for you. It seems confusing, but it ends up making sense pretty quickly.

There's different species of creatures, like insects, wolves, and deer, that all have different abilities. In the "overworld", each run plays out more like a tabletop RPG story, although there aren't really any roleplaying situations you're placed into. It's a pretty fun loop that, while tough initially, becomes pretty easy to exploit after a few runs. It's apparent that Inscryption's mechanics aren't quite as deep as they seem, especially considering that your decks will get quite large fairly quickly, and card removal is a pretty uncommon occurrence. It works for a game as short (compared to other deckbuilders) as this.

However, the game also likes to add new mechanics and twist things a little bit as the story progresses. This is especially apparent in boss battles. While they're generally just okay initially, some of the later game bosses are extremely clever, and absolutely carried the game towards the end. While they didn't sway my opinion in terms of the overall depth, they did help keep things consistently interesting during my playthrough with the impressive amount of variety, but also showed me how much potential there is in the system of this game, so I couldn't help but feel I wanted more. I also enjoyed most of the puzzles, though there were a couple that I felt were a bit too trial-and-error for my liking.

While Inscryption's gameplay is a bit too simple and easy to break, I was still impressed by the numerous ways the game changed the mechanics up.


This is a Daniel Mullins game. Fourth wall breaks, toying with expectations, and a constant repeating of the phrase "What the ♥♥♥♥?" are par for the course. It's one of my favorite things about Pony Island after all. And in Inscryption, it's even more interesting.

However, it's important to note that there is a point in the game where it will totally go off the rails, for better or worse. I loved it, personally, but if my description of a Daniel Mullins game appeals to you, then you'll like it too. I liked the antagonists a lot, but I do wish that the other supporting characters got a bit more screentime. I did absolutely love the finale of the game, though, which was so far off from what I expected but it completely gripped me, and did a great job of tying everything together. I wish I could elaborate further, but again, the less you know, the better. Just know that it's absolutely insane, and also really, really good.


While the soundtrack isn't all that remarkable, the game absolutely nailed its atmosphere and that's down to the great sound design. For example, whenever your captor speaks, there's this little synth sound that makes me tense up a little, and I absolutely love it. Like the visuals, it has a tendency to deviate every so often, for better or worse, but again, I liked it. Outside of that, there's not much to talk about here.


Unfortunately, this is where Inscryption lost me a little bit. Now, the main story itself is actually very well-paced and nothing overstays its welcome. It also has a story that will most definitely stick with you for how creative it is. However, I couldn't help but feel that I wanted a bit more out of the game.

The game is definitely at its best towards the beginning, and feels like a Resident Evil game in that the latter parts aren't as interesting, although they're still quite good in Inscryption's case. But considering how much variety there was in such a simple system, I feel like I could've gotten a few more hours of playtime and still loved it just as much if they introduced/fleshed out some of the mechanics.

It's a rare case of a game being really good, and my biggest criticism being that I simply want more. I'd love to see some kind of an endless mode, or have a separate game be made focusing solely on the card game with some more fleshed-out mechanics.


Inscryption is really good. It's, above all else, a love letter to card games of all forms. What it lacks in gameplay depth and content, it makes up for with its uniquely unsettling atmosphere, fascinating story, and gameplay variety. It's definitely one of 2021's highlights, and is absolutely worth your time if you even remotely enjoy card games. It's so far beyond what you may think it is, and as a result, will likely be one of the most uniquely memorable games I've played in a year where I've played things like OMORI and Death Stranding. Just roll with the game's antics, and always pick Mantis God.

Graphics - 9.5/10
Gameplay - 8.5/10
Story - 9.5/10
Audio - 7.5/10
Content Value - 6.5/10

.:9.1/10:.
"Amazing"

**PERSONAL PICK**

+ Unsettling atmosphere
+ Fascinating story
+ Amazing finale
+ Clever boss mechanics
+ Uniquely charming visuals
+ Great gameplay variety, but...

- Skill ceiling is too low
- A little lacking in content