Recent reviews by Messy Karma

Convinced everyone I'm a god... malakes

Never played a round of Gwent past the tutorial

This game is an extremely interesting and intriguing game.

+ Awesome storyline
+ Beautiful graphics and scenery (very nice screenshots)
+ Engaging gameplay
+ Learning curve isn't steep
+ You get well used to the mechanics of the game before they chuck more at you to learn and use
+ Overall, well thought out 'save' zones
+ Engaging characters
+ You can choose the map/level you want to play to get all the collectables
+ Nice music/sound effects
+ Different and contrasting environments
+ Very touching ending which I highly approve of

- There are quite a few bugs (the most annoying ones are the ones that cause you to get stuck)
- Some maps are hard and frustrating
- Voice acting was lacking (not the best)
- Gameplay is short
- No real replayable factor (unless you want to explore the environment which you can't really do much of)
- Somewhat unfinished ending (explained below)


I felt like some of the things in this game was meant to be a big part of it but it lacked depth and it seemed more like a passing feature. This game is really about your grapple and parkour - moving around the map to reach your destination. With the voice acting, I felt that the narrator lacked emotion and depth but it wasn't too bad - the rest of the main characters sounded good. I'll reiterate... The graphics/environment/sound effects/music are all so, so, so beautiful. This game has come a long way from 2012, and it has progressed wonderfully, however I'm not sure if it's an oversight but at the end Uncle Fred is seen with the old grapple device. I'm not sure if it's done on purpose to show the evolution of the suit/grapple device but it wouldn't make sense if it is because you go after your Uncle quite quickly and arrive in a span of a day... The character design is quite outdated but the main focus isn't really on the character's appearance.

Okay, so the point of this game is to go after your Uncle, Fred. You do find him eventually but after that you never actually see him again. It annoys me that you never actually see him, talk to him etc. ever again, yet this adds to the game which frustrates me but makes me admire the devs. The ending was touching, extremely touching however feels slightly unfinished (especially with Maddie and the Maddie and Uncle Fred interactions, we never see what happens etc. and I really want to know...).

Whether or not this game is worth the full price really depends on how much you like these types of games.

Score: 8/10

A beautiful game that hits you like a wrecking ball in Episode 5 - especially when you near the ending. 10/10 would get hit by the wrecking ball again. I actually legit cried a little during the end. The only reason I wasn't bawling was that Episode 5 took a while before it came out so 1. I was emotionally prepared (expected the sad stuff) and 2. It's Life is Strange.

Although this game includes many choices - some major and some minor - the ultimate ending or whatever ending you choose are all unaffected by the choices you have made. The only way to affect your choice for the ending is with you playing the game and making your own decisions, assumptions and learning the truth.

Morality is a big thing in this game. I think that most of the choices you make are based on your morals, or who you want to be. Ultimately, this game goes crazy at the end and you can end up being confused. The music and sounds in this game is beautiful and fitting.

A big bug that appeared in my game was during going back in time through photographs. It could never 'focus' per se, because the picture already was focussed perfectly so I had to keep mashing all 4 keys and sometimes I just gave up. Thanks to the recent update in preparation for Episode 5 however, if you get close enough you can just use the spacebar to auto-focus. Also, I feel that not being able to skip parts that you've already done, but doing it again to change a little choice is tedious, just going through the motions (sort of fixed by collector mode).

The graphics in this game is not outstanding, but it's not bad either. It's definitely above average and it really grows on you because it suits the game. The storyline definitely felt like a wrecking ball at points. The feels... it's intense. Sometimes some plot twists just hits you and stuns you and leaves you reeling. The best thing about purchasing all 5 Episodes now is that you don't have to wait until a new episode is released!

The biggest concern of mine is how messed up the adults are (hilariously so) and how mature the kids are compared to the adults. I'm pretty sure the caretaker is the craziest. Actually, I take that back: everyone is crazy. Overall, this game leaves me with no regrets and exceeded my expectations which is why I am recommending this.

Also, heads up: watch for the all 5 episode offers. It's worth it at full price because even then there is a slight bargain on the 5 pack episodes, vs buying the first episode and then 2-5.

Overall score: 9/10 + tears.

Edit: still crying in 2018

The Contrast Collector's Edition was gifted to me for $4.99.

Now, Contrast is a relatively short indie game with a few glitches here and there. Puzzles may take some people a long time, but for the most part they were easy and entertaining (in my opinion). I would not buy Contrast for the base price, however at a discounted price, of course I would, no doubt.

The storyline is quite deep and a complete analysis of what's going on/has gone on/will happen will take forever because of the unexpected plot twists. Again, like some Indie games, the focus was on Dawn, the supporting character you play. Technically the main character is Didi as she is the one you're helping.

I still have many questions and am quite frustrated because my questions cannot be answered. I would love to have some sort of a sequel of this pleasant Indie game which focusses more on Dawn and Dawn's predecessor (Aurora). I want to know more about the Shadow World and how it works, along with information about Didi's interactions, and why no one in the 'Shadow World' can interact with Dawn while she is a Shadow etc. But a good game, just like a good book. leaves the player with unanswered questions that you feel a burning need to get answered...

I hope the new game that Compulsion is developing will focus on the Shadow World. There is a giant plot twist at the end of this game, by the way! I give this game a 8/10.