Recent reviews by Grumpy Bear Gaymer

Mechanics about as clear as mud in a darkened room, andit has an AI that makes a potato-clock look hi-tech. It's a game that takes umpteen hours to understand, and even then, the AI of your enemies and/or allies just screws you over, with rolls and multipliers that make no sense or are wrong/lying to you.

I get that this is a niche grand strategy game, and that it's SUPPOSED to be complicated and complex, but it's just not fun when the game just decides "HAHA F**K YOU" after you've put hours into trying to get to grips with things only for everything to fall apart.

Complex doesn't mean better, especially as the cash cow of infinite DLC tends to just makes things even more unstable and worse.

Absolutely abysmal to solo play. Nothing but constant flaming, screaming, and people not realising it's a team game. If you've got some friends to play with, it can be a lot of fun. But otherwise, the player base is mostly a cesspool of toxicity, especially in competitive mode.

It's an absolutely shame because all it's effort in the variety and inclusivity of its heroes, and good game design, it's wasted on players who are literally rabid about chasing a digital accolade that has literally no bearing on life whatsoever. They'll burst into balls of rage at the slightest inconvenience, using this as an excuse to insult, abuse, and use slurs. Smurfing is also rampant because why be good when you can be lazy, right?

You'd be better off sticking your face in a pool of sulphuric acid for all the pleasure you'll get out of the "community's" interactions, regardless of how good the game can be.

If you love misery, then OW2 is the company you need.

"The Room" and "House of DaVinci" series of games have many imitations that are seldom matched in quality. "Boxes", on the other hand, is a happy exception.

One thing to expect is...well...boxes. The next thing to expect is challenging puzzles designed around incredibly complex objects. And yes, there is an intriguing undulating narrative as well.

The main draw, as always with this genre, is the sense of satisfaction you get from solving things, and the joy of witnessing the intricacy of said boxes slowly unfold as you inch closer to a resolution. And this is something that game does well.

My main criticism is that it doesn't really offer much different from the forerunners of the genre, but neither does it doesn't do anything bad like many other titles in the object puzzler pool. Any additional complaints I could make are ones I could make about better known series too: similar puzzles/solutions, some puzzles being frustratingly ambiguous and convoluted (although, what's super contrived for one person is wantonly simple to another). But there's enough variety and creativity to not make it feel at all like a piece of copypasta.

If you've got a "The Room" or "The House of DaVinci" itch to sate, this will definitely scratch it, without making you feel cheated.

"Spot the difference games/observation games but let's make them creep" have definitely become more popular since the success of the "I'm On Observations Duty (IOOB)" series (which I ADORE). But while many rely on jumpscares and horror tropes as cliche as Lovecraft was racist (ie very), this one understands what make the IOOB series so successful: wierdness.

However, this game is not content with being a mere simulacrum of IOOB, but puts a spin on it of wondering through endless identical corridors constantly looking for something out of place, and having your progress reset if you miss it.

It's a simple concept that is actually quite difficult in execution. Mix the gnawing doubting your own judgement, the anxiety caused by the outright strangeness of some of things that happen, and the subtlety of some of the anomalies, and you have a captivating game that's also unexpectedly challenging.

My only complaint is that, given the RNG nature of the events, some of your playthroughs/attempts will be more creepy than others, and the game could definitely do with a wider gamut of anomalies to shake things up more. But here's hoping that this will be something any future instalment will include.

Until then, for what it's costs, it's a great little game to add to your library!

Disclosure: I've only played the one playthrough.

Pools are very much a staple of the backrooms universe, BUT iirc correctly, this is not a game set within said universe. This means you shouldn't expect anything too spooky or obviously "horror". Instead, what you should expect is a lot of walking and wierdness.

Once you set your expectations well, you're greeted with a game that's pretty unique, and wonderfully mysterious. What the game is actually about is left very much up to your own interpretation, but in trying to reach that understanding, it's never easy or predictable, and will leave you curious for more.

As for the creepy factor, the game delivers, but not in ways that you'd think. The main sense of unease comes with just how odd it is. There is nothing comfortable or familiar about the game, leaving you always unsure of what you should be feeling or what to be expecting, akin to the "wtaf is going on" vibe than made horror classics like "The Birds" and "The Shining" so iconic: not overtly scary, sometimes even a bit naff, but never pedestrian.

The only complaint I could make is that sometimes the ambiguity of what you should do/where you should go errs on the side of frustrating rather than challenging. But thankfully, it never reaches the point where you'd rather give up than persevere.

A superlative exercise in delivering something that looks old hat, but is impressively anything but.

Disclosure: I've only played PvE.

I started off really hooked to this game. Interesting story and mechanics. Some super creepy moments.

But after 170+ hours, the shonky build and the repetitiveness of it all become VERY apparent. Graphics are poorly optimised with persistent glitches. Tamed animals keep disappearing. Server optimisation is poor and there's constant rubber-banding and lag (while they promote a paid service to reduce your lag...very sus).

There's a lot about this game that's straight up lazy, too. POI's are literally copied and pasted across the map, being essentially identical to the last town/area with the only variety being a couple of different furnishings here and there.

Not to mention there are entire phases (each being a week) where nothing really progresses, so the only thing to do is grind.

I'd moan about the hideously expensive micro-transactions too, but that's such a major issue with so many F2Ps that it's almost not worth bothering to kvetch about. But if you can pay $50 for building skins or $30 for a character skin, or $100+ to roll enough on the exclusive loot crates to get the rewards, then be my guest.

Being free, the game very much attracts people looking for something fun and casual, but the mechanics of the game seem to illicit more involved engagement (seeing seasons through to the end, grinding to be powerful enough to advance through phase content). But there's just not enough mid- to end-game content to do that doesn't grate, irritate, or bore.

It's still early days so a lot CAN be tweaked and fixed, but right now.... meh.

Rating: 3/5

Short review: A fantastic game to play with your friends, a miserable one to play by yourself.

Long review:
The game itself is an incredible strategy game. Complex and incredibly engaging but simple enough in its concept that it's not at all overwhelming or needlessly obtuse.

However, Splendor is best played with friends online (who will need to create an online account, which feels pretty unnecessary to play with just your nearest and dearest) if you can power through the various glitches. Otherwise, the game is more an exercise in testing your patience than anything.

This is because the solo experience in the game is less than great. Either you play against an unchallenging AI, or you play against people who mostly employ a meta to wipe you away, taking away the deep sense of strategy that the game has.

Then, there's the ranking system that does things like -16 for a draw and -6 for losing depending on the rank of who you were up against, which is infuriating (if that matters to you, of course). But many players only play ranked games with a minimum score to play with meaning you'll have to wait longer for a match if you find you're losing match after match after match, which you definitely will at first. This means that playing online unranked isn't really an option. And if you do play ranked, you need to be good and perfect your meta play pretty damn quickly.

As for the expansions, very few players, if any, play with them. This makes them a waste of money, even though they add interesting variations to the how the game is played.

There are "challenges" in solo mode that you won't get with a physical copy, which are incredibly challenging. But once those are done, there's little point in doing them again.

But overall, I hate having to put "no" for a recommendation, as it's fantastic with friends, and if you can get at least one other person to play with you regularly, it's worth it. Otherwise, it's definitely not something I'd recommend if you're planning to go it alone. For that, I'd say stick to solitaire.

I will be talking about this game for years to come....mostly in therapy.

Great concept and looks are undone by baffling AI.

The difficulty of this game isn't strategising your resources, but trying to counter an AI that is often infuriating. Households will hog food, starving citizens will wander past stocked barns/markets to then die, sprites will walk all the way to something only to suddenly turn around wasting a lot of time, etc

Yes, I suppose combating the AI IS the game, but rather than difficulty it brings frustation and bewilderment. When the entire goal is essentially one long end game to expand your town ad infinitum, its baffling nature wears down an enthusiasm to continue playing because plans are undone by AI stupidity.

It's a shame, because the graphics are good if you've got a decent machine, and when it does work it's a gentle and engaging game. There's real potential for a deep and complex management/strategy game here, but the game just begs to be a lot smarter.

Continually engaging, and narratively epic.

It's difficult to leave a review for something that is still "ongoing", but so far, FFXIV:ARR and Heavensward expansions are, narratively, some of the Final Fantasy series' strongest work. At the end of the base game, the 90 minute cutscene was of movie theatre quality, and left me gasping. Furthermore, areas, world, and artwork is stunning. Moments in the game may make you jaw drop open.

As for the gameplay, its varied, intriciate, and indept enough that it doesn't becoming overwhelming and complicated, like FFXI. There's plenty of stuff for the more casual MMORPG players and also the hardcore.

Without going into more detail, it's an absolutel corker of an MMORPG.