Recent reviews by DMNinja

tl;dr: Playing Bulwark Evolution is an introspective game, moreso akin to Death Stranding than a simple sandbox.
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Bulwark Evolution... It can best be described as an experience. When i purchased it, the dev's avatar greeted me and let me know that the game is about chaotic creativity. I didn't understand what that meant.

9 hours later, by floating above the waves, thinking about what i want to do and how i want to do it, who i want to be friends with, enemies with, where to build and what to get in my army, i now understand why.

I hate sandboxes, as i'd rather be told a story than make one up myself. Bulwark Evolution has a story. You're just not the main character of it (arguably). The game is hard to pin down to fit in a specific niche as it's so interactable, so i'll just list its features as i see them:

- No penalty in city organization: Cities can grow and be aesthetically pleasing, while you're not penalized for misplacing or organizing your buildings
- Lore exists: It's there! You can reflect and act upon it as you please!
- The developer is VERY interactive and listens to the community on these very steam forums! Franly, that's astonishing in itself
- Tactical options exist: When gearing up for combat, it's not vaccuous. Building an optimal army is the cornerstone of successful warfare
- The game is introspective. It's a highly personal opinion, but i like games that hold a mirror up to me and my actions
- DLC is fairly priced and no specific DLC feels compulsory to buy

I suggest you try it out, and know that no songbirds sing in the palace of the king. You might understand this differently than i did

Initially, i bought Melvor seeking a suitable replacement for Legends of Idleon. As to why, I refer you to my review of the game over there.

After 800 hours of active gameplay, i can tell you that Melvor is so much more than what meets the eye. A criminally underrated game, meticulously crafted with a ton of content, it can truly be considered a single-player solo RPG. As a non-Runescape player, i'll refrain from making such comparisons.

I've found the progression of the game to be rewarding, most if not all skills affecting other areas of the game, and i enjoy the freedom the game gives you with regards to tackling your own progression. Simply put: It doesn't force you to do things a certain way to get past its challenges.

A minor point of contention is the DLC: Fairly priced, providing a ton of content, but i feel it's extremely challenging to mesh them well with the base game. As of writing this:

- Atlas of Discovery: Runs concurrently to the base game
- Throne of the Herald: A continuation of the base game
- Into the Abyss: A completely isolated DLC, accessible after completing the base game

I can understand why that's the case (old accounts could blow through the DLC) but i'm also not certain what i'd do different.

Overall Melvor has given me an amazing experience and i'd not hesitate to recommend the game to anyone that enjoys a good RPG!

Let me get something out of the way:
The game is janky, has bugs, is still in active development and the community is located in the steam forums.

That being said:
Raptor Claw Games have encapsulated the MMO experience with "MMO Grind Simulator" being a very descriptive subtitle to the game. You can get all you'd expect out of it:
- Character leveling
- Gear progression
- DPS checks
- Character partying (between alts)
- Dungeons (= Raids)
- Exclusive gear

I can't say it's the best game ever, but it certainly is worth its asking price if you're not turned off by how the game presents itself. My playtime and achievement count speak to that. I just wish the game gets a bit more love and support, and it could easily become a game comparable to Melvor Idle

First of all: This is a dozen-or-so hour game. It's also an isometric point and click.
That being said: Unless you're extremely averse to the above, this is a complete gem[/g] of a game! I hardly ever bother maxing a game's achievements, and this was one of those games.

Its story could easily span a movie duo/trilogy easily. The characters were all enganging and relatable, all explored through their interaction to the amazing setting. I followed them on their highs and lows thus having achieved great empathy. Not many games actually create characters, not just placeholders.

I'll always fondly remember this game, will buy and play Stasis and Caine. The game was that good. It'll stay in my favories alongside personally memorable games like Subnautica and Darkest Dungeon. Your time is well worth this game. Highly recommended!

Cryptmaster can be described as a highly stylized hangman's game with added riddle and wordplay-related elements.
It's a well-crafted labor of love and it shows. The fact that no LLM was used to generate dialog and all of the VA was done (quite successfully i might add) by the developers themselves goes to show that you can deliver an outstanding game, very much worth remembering for years to come!

Highly recommended, even at full price!

tl;dr: I really hate doing this but i can't, in good conscience, recommend Idleon due to the recently added gacha system that is the pet follower update.

I really love this game, and what it has been ever since its steam release. I love the fact that i can ramp up/down progression to fit my schedule and needs. I love that i can have fun at my own pace. But i also have to stand up for my morals and what i think is right. I can't stay silent and tacitly endorse this behavior. I have to draw a line in the sand. That line was gacha and we are now past it. That makes me sad. In all cases, i urge you to do your own research. You'll surely notice the negative reviews are coming from people with (mostly) 1k+ hours in-game and are (mostly) in-depth, whereas most positive ones came from people with (mostly) 100- hours in-game and are (mostly) short, shallow and sometimes gibberish. This update really upset a lot of players, myself included. As of writing this, there is zero communication from the dev, who's stonewalling the community, and waiting for all of this to blow over. This is not a healthy response to a community being upset.

But moreso, i'm sad that i got into this game with the promise that it wouldn't include scummy corporate practices. Sadly, this bit has been scrubbed from the store description. It's a shame. It was one of the main selling points that got me into the game. Few things leave a bad taste in one's mouth like a bait-and-switch.

I have little to add to what's already been said:
- No word from Lava since the update,
- A lot of discord/reddit scrubbing,
- The introduction of a pure gacha system with that allows duplicates and no pity drops
- Said system introduces extremely overpowered bonuses that will fundamentally change how the game is balanced, or will trivialize the content if not changed,
- Said system offers pets on rotation with no a-la-carte option, thus inducing FOMO

All of that being said, i want to play the game, contribute to its metrics, and support the dev. But i won't. That way i'd be sending a message that it's alright to do whatever he wants, and that i'll always be around. Stern words do not convey a message. Actions do.

Thus, i'll stick to my principles come what may.

This game is a highly enjoyable experience. From the depth of customization to mission variety, this game has got something for the avid turn-based gamer. Highly recommended!

Amazingly relaxing game! It always soothes me every time i am stressed :)

UPDATE: With each gaming update, the game keeps becoming richer in every aspect. It's hands down my favorite casual steam game of all time!

Well, what can i say? I bought this game for $10 and i got 600 hrs out of the story and single-player activities alone. I don't feel rushed to do anything and i don't feel like my time is wasted in menial activities.

An amazing game!
I honestly expected it to be a 1337 h4x0r h4ck$ th3 w0r1d, but it was a hacking game turned into a mystery,
with a VERY gripping plot, and a ton of easter eggs.

The game was so good, i ended up re-running it, just to get all the achievements.
And i do not tend to do that.
For its price. i wholeheartedly recommend it.

10/10 in my book.