Recent reviews by Twiggles

Sulfur is great. I always had trouble getting into extraction shooters like Tarkov or Marauders due to how punishing the learning curve was, and Sulfur gives the same feeling as those games but much more accessible and chilled out.

The artstyle is incredibly charming, the gameplay loop is really solid, and the music, while being a bit tough to like at first, has really grown on me with some really solid bops here and there. The potential is incredible, but there are some issues i have with it that i feel sully the experience a bit.

- Enemy aggro range is huge, and results in huge mob waves coming at you all at once in a tight corridor outside of their dedicated arena spawn. It can make for some frustrating combat scenarios where you spawn into a new area, only to be swarmed by incredibly fast dogs, ranged enemies, and trash mobs before you even enter the large open area. This issue is even worse with the fact that enemy sprites reset their "death drop" whenever you shoot them, so spraying into the crowd with a 100 round LMG is not an option, as the first enemy killed becomes a meat shield before the one behind them takes any damage.
- The draw distance is pretty low and cant be adjusted in-game. This combined with the enemy aggro range being so large means that you can walk into a room, and all the enemies will lock onto you before you are actually able to even see them. It makes sniper scopes and silencers less useful as the 12x zoom is less effective if you cant see that fair into an arena, and the "shots make no sound" aspect of silencers doesn't mean anything since you cant realistically get the jump on enemies.
- There's no real form of meta-progression in the game outside of shortcuts opening up and getting some money back, which means that losing a run basically sets you back to square 1 if you aren't stocked up on stash gear. Either having something akin to tarkovs insurance system would be a good start, but i'm sure the dev's have something in store based on their steam forum responses.
- Modifying weapons with oils and enchantments is really fun, but i think the balancing on oils could be tweaked a little bit. It seems like Sulfurs modding system encourages you to make a gun as wacky and insane as possible, but the way durability works really punishes you if you do want to go for that wacky sort of build, and since oils are permanent with no way to remove them, you can quickly turn a pretty useful weapon into a brick if you aren't careful.
- Performance is very hit-or-miss at the moment due to how corpses work which is a shame since FPS can be buttery smooth one moment, and then tank drastically if you look towards previous areas that are littered with bodies. Not sure what a fix would be for something like this due to the organ mechanic, but i really hope they think of something because at the moment this is the biggest negative for me.

Overall Sulfur is really fun and the good definitely outweigh the bad, and i think once things get ironed out and we continue down the roadmap presented by Perfect Random, Sulfur will really shine.

Mouthwashing is an amazing experience. Short and sweet that left me with this feeling of disgust and despair that few games have. It doesn't sound appealing, but that's because the story being told isn't appealing at all. It's incredibly sinister and profoundly sad, but portrays itself with a seriousness and sincerity that isn't easy to achieve without bordering on being edgy or bad taste. The gameplay itself is simple with the most complex parts being a shooting-gallery-esque section towards the end, but for the most part you'll be walking around interacting with set-pieces akin to a point-n-click. But since the story is so well written and tightly paced, a simple objective like "go here, get this" turns into a stress inducing task.

Towards the end of the game i was having mixed feelings about the story, since it really started to feel like the narrative was irredeemably evil with the amount of cartoonish narcissism that was being presented alongside the horrifying conclusions that were shown for the characters, but it ended up clicking for me after that final scene. Jimmy isn't the hero like we were initially led to believe. I don't even know if he's really the villain either. What i do know is that Jimmy is an incredibly broken person, on a ship of other broken people, just trying to find a way to redeem himself after running away from his problems for so long. He's reached a point where, whether he believes it or not, there is no fixing what he's done, and sweeping it under the rug is no longer an option. And in the end, he doe's what he believe's is the best way for him to take responsibility, even if it doesn't really change anything and may just prolong the suffering he's inflicted on the the last remaining husk of a man that is Curly.

I don't have many gripes with Mouuthwashing aside from some really minor once. I will admit that the "Analog horror" elements that were presented in Mouthwashing are a bit played out in horror media, but that's not to say it took me out of the experience. The puzzle sections were fine but there were some moments that really dragged on. The catwalk section where you follow the blood trail while keeping quiet got really old after a while, and the last section where you avoid the "pollyworm" had a similar issue.

Overall, Mouthwashing is great. It's incredible characters and tightly written dialogue are the real reasons to play, with the gameplay being more of a vehicle to get you to the next story beat. It's messages are clear and thought provoking, and it makes me want to talk about this game and its philosophy more than most other games with a similar tone. It's sad, occasionally heartwarming, constantly dreadful, and consistently thought provoking. Everyone should give this a shot.

Update: After enough outrage Sony rolled back the update where you need a PSN login to actually play.

Its good! Helldivers 2 does a lot of things right. The gun-play is excellent and engaging, the enemy variety is really interesting, and the overall tone is consistently tongue-in-cheek and hilarious. I really like that there's a battle-pass type system that isn't intrusive at all. You unlock things fairly quickly and getting the currency needed for it is pretty passive since its all achieved through various missions. There is a premium currency (super credits), but compared to other games the prices are dirt cheap and barely worth it at this point since you can find them in missions and obtain them in the battle pass.

My biggest gripe is the fact that it's an "Always Online" type game. Don't get me wrong, I get it. It's a co-op shooter first and the solo experience is practically non-existent so online is the intended way to play. especially with the whole liberation mechanic that changes daily with player activity. But my issue is with the longevity of the game, and if we can really say that we "own" our purchase. If you don't have an internet connection or the servers are down, you cant even launch into the menu. The game is bricked at that point. It's worrying to me because if for whatever reason the servers for this game shutdown or something happens with the studio, Helldivers 2 essentially becomes lost media. I'm not alone in this either, look at the massive backlash Payday 3 got and is still getting due to its always online principals.

I dont know what the solution would be at this point, that's for the developers to figure out if they view it as an issue. But overall Helldivers 2 is an incredibly enjoyable shooter with a lot going for it, and the devs seem keen to keep updating the game and providing more content which i look forward to checking out.

Pretty cool little psychological horror experience akin to PT. Very simple gameplay. It's basically a "find the difference" puzzle but with more emphasis on memorizing your surroundings. Not necessarily scary but more spooky and atmospheric if anything. The anomalies are all pretty fun and can range from really obvious to unbelievably subtle. Took me about 45 minutes to get to exit 8 and probably another 30 to find the remaining anomalies.

Very good game that is absolutely not for everyone. Armored Core is tough as nails and has a pretty steep learning curve, especially If you are coming into this with the expectation that the combat will be similar to Elden Ring/Dark souls. Much faster paced with more emphasis on building and tweaking your AC for specific situations rather than having a one-and-done loadout. Compared to the souls games, AC6's combat is closer to bloodbourne where it's much faster paced and frantic. You will die a lot but the game gives you the tools to get an edge over your opponent and thats where the magic of AC comes in.

One example is the final boss of chapter one. It uses a massive shield that barely ticks down if you use kinetic or plasma weapons and fires a huge amount of missles at you constantly. This can feel practically unbeatable, especially if you are using a loadout that was tuned for the boss at the top of the wall in a previous mission. But, if you look in the shop there is a weapon there that says in the description that its useful against phase defenses like the bosses shield! So you grab that along with some explosive resistant armor and fight it again, and you find that the weapon shreds the shield, and the missles don't do as much damage as before. The fight is still hard, and requires good control of the movement mechanics, but by tweaking your AC you've evened the playing field.

Aside from that the customization you have is awesome and really fun to play around with. You can make a badass looking AC really easily. Haven't had a chance to play any of the multiplayer yet, but from what I've seen it looks like a blast. If you are interested, please give it a try. It takes some time to get the hang of and learn all the mechanics, but once you do It feels amazing to play and can be really rewarding.

I am a massive fan of the Jet Set Radio duology, and when i first heard about Bomb Rush Cyberfunk back in 2020, it quickly became my most anticipated game. The aesthetic, music, and gameplay was like something straight from the JSR franchise, with Team Reptile putting their own style on things to make it their own. I had the biggest smile on my face while playing BRCF for the first time and am still really enjoying my time with the game, but with it being such a strong spiritual successor to Jet Set Radio Future in particular, its hard not to look back at what that game did that i feel is lacking from BRCF.

In terms of gameplay, BRCF is pretty simple. You have a score multiplayer that you can increase by doing various things such as wall riding billboards, taking hard corners on rails, and using a few ramps scattered here and there. You can increase your score by doing a few different tricks assigned to 3 different buttons, or by utilizing manuals and both a ground and air boost trick. It's fine for what it is but can start to feel a little stale if your trying to hit a huge score. I will say its a bit better than what JSRF did which was you needed to press a single button in a rhythm to keep your trick combo going. The graffiti system is really cool. Depending on the size of the piece, you have to connect a certain number of dots in a pattern to put something up. What you put up depends on the patterns and you can unlock more pieces as you play. It's pretty satisfying but as you start to unlock more and more artwork it can be a bit confusing to determine which pattern leads to what. JSRF just had you run along a few spray points and hold R2, so i'd call this an improvement. My biggest gripe however is the lack of variation between the riding styles in BRCF. You can choose between a skateboard, BMX bike, or skates and all it really does is swap out the animations. Weirdly, the bike has an additional feature where it can unlock some random doors that lead to collectibles which none of the other styles have. It would have been nice to see that expanded upon in some way that gives each style its own identity.

In terms of style, BRCF is awesome. The artstyle, music, and animations are all really fun and really carry the experience. The dancing animations are all really fun and the character designs are really imaginative. The level design is great, but i do feel that overall the levels are a bit to big. not in the overall size of the level but the amount of space some areas have. Millenium wall is one example where the courtyard is huge but doesnt have a lot in it. I do wish that the soundtrack had as much variation as JSRF did. JSRF had not only electronic, dance, and hip-hop, but it also had punk music, Rock, etc. Don't get me wrong, the BRCF soundtrack is amazing and I've been listening to it a lot both in and outside the game, but having stuff like "Birthday Cake by Cibo Matto", "Aisle 10 - Scapegoat wax", or "I'm not a Model - Russel Simins" is what really made the JSRF OST one of my favorites of all time.

One thing I am curious about is why BRCF doesn't include some way to upload custom artwork or create artwork in game. JSRF had a super simple MSPaint style graffiti studio and i loved just messing around with that. It's minor, but as someone who likes that ability to customize the artwork or even put in some graffiti art of my own, it's a bit of a bummer. Hopefully this option comes in a future update since the current way to add custom artwork involves messing with the games textures.

Overall, I love BRCF. $40 is a lot for something like this, but JSR fans have been so starved for a solid JSR-like that it's barely a barrier to entry. It's cleat that the devs were huge fans of the JSR franchise and wanted to make their own take on the formula, and i'd say that they did a great job. It's a very fun and unique experience in today's gaming landscape. Buy it, play it, then download and emulator and play Jet Set Radio Future and see why a game like BRCF exists today.

Pretty fun battlefield 3/4-esque shooter. Controls well, lots of weapons and weapon customization, moderation is good which leads to a decent community, and servers are packed (positive or negative depending on how you look at it).

There are some issues I have with it though:

1. I wish weapons were unlocked depending on a Class rank system instead of overall rank. I would love to use the L96 or the EBR, but i cant until I reach rank 65 and will unlock weapons for classes I don't really care for in the meantime. It makes some classes feel limited in their weapon options, especially for Support which gets 4 guns total at rank 20-50-100.

2. Class identity could be expanded upon. There are 6 total classes in the game (squad leader, assault, medic, engineer, support, and recon). Squad leader and assault are basically identical minus a few tiny differences (squad leader can ping objectives and use DMRs). Medic is probably the best class at the moment due to its quick bandaging and infinite health kit. Engineer is fine for what it is which is a vehicle support and anti-structure class. Support could use some work. Suppression is barely a thing, the ammo box needs to be interacted with and doesn't give ammo passively (its also so small that it regularly goes unnoticed), and its weapon selection is massively limited compared to the other classes. Recon is odd. The mechanic where snipers deal more damage at longer ranges is cool but doesn't really make much of a difference since its still a two shot body shot. They don't really have any defining features aside from the long range, and would really benefit from having some sort of ping mechanic that marks enemies (especially with the air drone and advanced binoculars gadgets).

3. In-game information is kind of a mess. You see a little blue/green pip for every player on your team no matter the distance you are from them. This can be a real issue in 127 v 127 since these can clump up and limit visibility. Similarly, there's no real way to ping enemies. The least you can do is ping a location which if there is an enemy, it will turn red (sometimes). But the ping marker is so small that you wouldn't even really see it anyway, so its pretty useless. Snipers have a glint when using long-range scopes, but the glint shows through foliage which almost seems like a bug. There's no mini-map (which is fine to a degree) and the scoreboard lags the game in larger game-modes. Also you should be able to edit your weapon and character loadout outside of a match.

4. While the graphical style is charming, its got issues. Especially with visibility. There are no textures on anything except the ground, and buildings can blend into one-another at certain angles due to there being no ambient occlusion or outlines. Some maps have large generator type things on roofs which can look like a solid object until someone peeks out from behind the closest one.

5. It seems like the game cant decide between being a Mil-sim game like squad or more arcade-y like battlefield. The HUD is really sparce only showing important personal info (ammo, weapon, compass, squad) and doesn't show anything like the score or a kill-feed. The time-to-kill is super short and is pretty much the same across all weapons (aside from pistols) which makes weapons feel same-y. Certain weapon classes are pretty much pointless like the Light support guns or DMR's since the alternatives are superior in pretty much every way (The M4A1 being practically god-tier due to its versatility and seemingly infinite range). There's a bleed out mechanic which you can stop by using bandages, but there's no way to personally heal unless you use the medics infinite med-kit.

6. I wish shotguns were in the game.
Shotguns are fun and cool.

Overall, I like Battlebit. It's got some fun gunplay, the community is good for a game like this, you can get some hilarious moments with the hot-mic system, and the gunplay (albeit flawed) can be really satisfying (especially when you land a 1300M headshot with a sniper). I do think it could use some work, but it's early access as of July 2023 so that's to be expected.

I think with some polish and a few reworks Battlebit could be a real gem.

Nightmare Reaper is a weird mashup of Brutal Doom and those mobile Idle games that make billions of dollars. I say that because the game play itself is great, but everything really starts to drag on when the leveling systems start to pile up. It's one of those games that should have a 9-10 hr campaign but decided to overstay its welcome. Leveling up becomes incredibly costly and grindy to the point where you wonder where the currency shop is, which is a shame because the game at its core is so much fun. There are tons of weapons and abilities to find with different rarities and effects tied to them. Think borderlands rarities with diablo like stat bonuses. I think Nightmare Reaper is an easy recommend, but don't feel bad if you don't finish it due to the late game.

Signalis really is one of the best Survival Horror experiences in recent years. The gameplay, story, setting, and art style are such a treat to experience. The gameplay loop is reminiscent of classic resident evil titles with intuitive puzzles, expanding areas to explore, and some really challenging decision making that can make or break what you set out to do. For example, Signalis gives you a max of 6 items that you can carry at once. This includes weapons, ammo, healing items, puzzle pieces, tactical equipment, everything takes up 1 of the 6 slots. So every single puzzle not only requires problem solving to figure out the solution, but also planning out what you are going to bring as you find said solution. Do you leave behind the healing items and ammo to make room for a potential puzzle piece? What if you get into an engagement? So do you try your best to avoid combat and sneak around enemies, or do you rush through and hope that you can find some healing in another room. Its these in between decisions that really make Signalis' gameplay so engaging.

The visuals are also top notch. The blend of PS1 era graphics with excellent lighting and volumetric effects work amazingly well with the setting the game takes place. I also love the wild concoction of WW2 era German and Japanese iconography that is prevalent throughout. It really makes you wonder how it all came to this before the events of Signalis that resulted in this cultural mash-up. Everything is so grungy and utilitarian in its design at first, but takes a crazy turn into the surreal and horrific as the game progresses. It's one of the few games where i was so drawn in that i took the time to read through every single document i came across to better understand what is going on. Which is basically mandatory to even have a baseline understand as to what the hell is going on.

Spoilers from here on out, but before that i highly recommend Signalis to anyone with even a passing interest in survival horror as a genre. You wont regret it. Also, going in blind and taking the time to really experience the game and its world is a must, because things get really weird, really quick.

There are a few points in Signalis that i feel important to bring up, as they did take me out of the experience just a tad, but not enough to really sully my opinion of the game. There's a fake-out after ACT 2 that is really surprising at first, but mainly because it's not obvious it is a fake-out. After ACT 2, a cutscene plays, the credits roll, and you're sent back to the main menu. At this point I had actually thought the game was over with, and was confused as to why there were so many unanswered questions, so i googled it. Luckily, i didn't get too far into my readings to spoil the actual ending for myself before hitting continue, but i can see how some people would drop the game at that point without a second thought. It's a fake-out so good that it almost loops around to being bad. Another small issue i have is the inventory system in the game. In Signalis you encounter a few of these things called modules which you can equip to help with progression similar to a metroidvania. However, unlike a metroidvania, these still take up a precious inventory slot. I don't really get why they do either, since one of them is a flashlight that literally says you mount it to your shoulder, and the other basically acts as an eye implant that allows you to take pictures of any scene in the game. The real issue is that the flashlight module becomes essentailly mandatory to keep around since the game can be incredibly dark sometimes, making everything much harder without using it. I would have preferred that these become permanent upgrades like the radio that you get early on which becomes a part of the UI, since you regularly need 2 or 3 inventory slots just to solve the puzzles that solve other puzzles. Luckily, save rooms with storage are fairly abundant that it's not a huge problem.

What a wild departure for RGG to make with the Yakuza series. Going from a beat-em-up style game featuring Kiryu Kazuma (a criminal who is very bad at doing crime) to a "South Park: Stick of Truth" style turned based RPG (starring good boy Ichiban Kasuga) was not on my RGG bingo card. And the surprising thing is that its probably one of the best thing they've put out.

It's wild how DENSE this game is. There is a lot to do and see. The main story and gameplay are solid. Cut-scenes can be a little of the long side (especially when its just an exposition dump) but that's to be expected in a JRPG like this. But, if you're tired of the main story? Well then...
- Go to the batting cages!
- Play some golf!
- Manage a fledgling company!
- Go go-kart racing!
- Prevent Ichiban from falling asleep during a movie by shooting goats trying to put him to sleep?
- Play some casino games!
- Be a part time hero!
- and more!

Yakuza has always been a whacky series full of heart, and Yakuza: Like a Dragon delivers. I mentioned South Park: Stick of Truth earlier because the style of game-play and how its presented is similar. You fight enemies but their all "gamified" normal dudes. Instead of goblins and skeletons, you fight things like low-rank Yakuza, bikers, flashers, dudes who wear trash bags, street buskers, chefs, and others along that line. Its really silly and charming. The character classes are the same too. Instead of knights, fighters, and mages. You play as hosts/hostesses, break dancers, office clerks, foreman, and Chefs! So many chefs!

Its a lot of fun. Plus, since its sort of a spin-off game, you don't have feel like you need to play the other 6 games. You won't be missing anything aside from some minor references to previous characters and settings (still play them though, they're all great).