Recent reviews by Callum

This is a review I feel a bit complicated about.

It has taught me an incredible amount about computer science and I now "get" a lot of things about computers - I'd go so far as to say it's to the level where you could replace a whole semester's university course with this game. Getting the "turing complete" achievement is something I'm genuinely proud of.

This game is a labour of love by it's sole developer, he has genuinely written a robust computer simulator that allows incredibly complex circuits to be built and simulated, and is doing so what I can only assume is his spare time.

But. The game has been in early access for years and years, because the dev is tinkering with the engine (in his spare time, I presume) to support immensely complex sandbox computers. This is the sort of thing that games like Factorio have spent years on, and is one reason they are so much loved. So I'm not complaining about the goal, but I do think there is an issue with priorities.

According to achievements, only 2% of players have finished the game. (though 20%). How can it be so good but so few players finish it?
- The difficulty curve and pacing is inconsistent and the game only drops you in with basic explanations, which is great for people who are already good at programming and have some excellent intuitions around maths, logic, and computing in general. It would benefit from a tiered difficulty / handholding structure
- Half of the levels don't have a button to show you what the solution is, and no hints, for when you get stuck.
- The game is missing some quality of life features around managing the IDE, around laying wires, etc.
- Each level teaches you about computer science, so it would be great for each level to then teach educate a bit more formally about what you have just learned and how it fits in to the greater picture.

Obviously this is a project of passion, but I think if the dev put more effort into the game QoL and worked with some playtesters to get the main game down, rather than endgame content which <0.5% of players will engage with, then we would see many more players get to the endgame!

You're a fortunetelling witch in exile from your coven in a little asteroid home, with your tarot cards confiscated. And you make a deal that will let you craft new cards of your own, and interact with those who visit you, reading their fortunes

It achieves that rarest of things of having really really diverse choices, and having choices matter at the same time.

Lots of feels, queer friendly, visual novel style game

Not perfect - there are pacing issues and if you're not into the tarot building it can grate a little at times. I found the tarot system a bit confusing and didn't really felt like I had the control the game wanted me to have.

One of the best features I think is the way your choices interact - it feels very emergent and there were some genuinely shocking moments where decisions you made previously came back to save or bite you. So depending on how those choices line up, you might get more or less emergent narrative.

One of the reviewers said "nothing is your fault but everything is your responsibility" and it kind of really resonates here

Despite being heavy - it's a quick play - I knocked it over in 6 hours. Highly recommended.

Tricky but satisfying puzzle builder in the style of Frostpunk with an intriguing sci-fi horror mystery going on for the observant.

The base game is a fun play and a great foundation.

A fun twin-stick shooter with a unique battery mechanic that makes the game accessible for casual players whilst still leaving higher challenges for the hardcore. Great shared screen coop multiplayer. For added amusement and hyperactivity, turn off the music and play some Nightcore in the background.

Excellent art, music, atmosphere and solid, replayable mechanics. Netcode is occassionally buggy.

Particularly good with close friends.

Challenging, atmospheric gameplay, that rewards careful thought and caution.

The endgame is letdown by grind and a somewhat arbitrary gating system that prevents lower level and higher level heroes working together. On the plus side, this keeps the game challenging and stops twinking. On the negative side, this means repeatedly levelling entire parties up again... and again..

Review Done on Veteran Difficulty (Normal) - savescumming only used to check mechanics (eg can I hack this remotely? Lets test)

The Good
- Turn timer removes the extremely dull, slow overwatch to win method that is a test of your patience rather than skill. Expect nail biter endings. There are some missions that still permit this, which allow a more cautious approach now and then.
- Missions less of a win / fail binary. Easier to extract or half complete missions.
- Tweaks to classes introduce new choices and mechanics - pistol snipers are now a serious class, the specialist can basically heal from anywhere on the map, whilst still staying in combat, reducing medikit micro
- Enemies harsher, but more predictable - they signal who they are going to attack, their attacks are nastier but tend to give you a turn to deal with them (eg snake binds you, sectoid mind controls a dude or revives a zombie). Deaths feel more fair than thin man plasma rifle crit across map
- Actual variety in geoscape strategy - spam satellites is no longer the path to victory - game encourages carefully balancing a variety of resources (engineer, scientist, alloy, elerium, cash, intel)
- Soldier customisation rises to new levels
- New setting is a little derpy, but mostly brilliant. Allows new worldbuilding and character exploration that builds on XCOM 1, while presenting a different and interesting premise.
- Abductions are gone
- Game now indicates when enemies can shoot you and where they can't, and what moves will trigger enemy overwatch.

The Bad
- Optimisation (protip, turn down AA and turn off DoF to fix 80% of problems) - this will challenge your computer
- Not knowing some mechanics will get your men killed a few times in a first playthrough (same as original XCOM)
- Missions start to feel pretty abstract - hack mcguffin X, shoot VIP Y, Feels transparently like a gameplay mechanic rather than strong link to story
- Enemies can be a little binary. They use their super move, it either a) Ruins you, and sets you on course for a wipe or b) You kill them in the next turn.
- Animations can be a bit slow - long term players will likely get irritated with the wait

The Misc
- Storyline kind of just pops you in 20 years after the occupation. Oh no, the aliens are about to do something super bad? Kind of feels a little odd. What has the resistance been doing the last 20 years?
- Still derpy XCOM animations. Stepping off buildings to take a shot. Attempting to smash already broken windows. Firing through the tinest crack. At this point I basically consider it part of the charm.

The Things People are Complaining About that Are Rubbish
- Reducing number of classes. Yes they got rid of the SHIVs. Deal with it.
- Turn timers allowing only a mad dash to the end. Nope. Amount of enemy groups you have to deal with are quite small. Moderately aggressive playstyle has not caused me to miss a deadline yet.
- "The RNG is lying" - Hahahahahahah
- "The RNG is predetermined" - HAHAHHAHAHAHA, (no seriously, go read about save seeds on original XCOM. Stop whining that your savscumming is not supported by default)

Things I'm Not Sure of Yet
- Commander difficulty (yet to play)
- The full plotline