Semaphia legutóbbi értékelései

I absolutely adored Touhou Luna Nights, so I was all in after discovering another Team Ladybug Metroidvania. Sadly TLN is a better game in just about every way, but RoLW is still worth playing!

Starting with the positives, the pixel art is done to a very good level, & the animations are spectacular. There's nothing truly memorable about the game aesthetically, but the art is clean, & never interferes with the gameplay in a negative manner.

The gameplay is snappy & fluid, with the two element system making for some interesting gameplay moments. There's plenty of weaponry to find, but the majority are simple stat-sticks with nothing really noteworthy about them. Spells are passable, & mostly just seem to exist as hard counters to certain bosses: None of them feel particularly meaningful to push outside of those few scenarios.

Game difficulty is very low without some sort of self-imposed challenge. I found several bosses to be comfortable one-shots, & while it wasn't comfortable, even the last boss died first attempt without the use of any potions. A no magic replay might be an option, & would undoubtedly offer a very tough challenge for those who fancied it, but if you're the kind of person who just wants to get through the game as fast as possible using the tools at your disposal, you might find yourself done in 4 hours.

Overall, it's not a bad game, it's just nowhere near the quality of Ladybug's previous title TLN, & my overwhelming feeling having finished it is wondering what could've been if the game just had that little bit more going on, both mechanically & length-wise. I'd still recommend playing it if you've finished TLN & find yourself wanting more, but if you're yet to play anything by Ladybug, certainly start there first.

A good time!

Starting off, the world of Reverie & its inhabitants are really, really well written. There's so much charm in the characters & their conversations with each other, & the plot, while soppy & predictable, still had me entertained throughout. The game also has a great sense of humour, with some incredibly fun references, dad jokes, & interactions with the world. If I had one criticism, it would be that the pacing for certain key scenes felt a bit off at times, & I do think it dampened the impact of certain moments, but that didn't detract too much from my enjoyment of the characters & the world regardless.

The attention to detail when it comes to interactions throughout the game is some of the best I've seen. I've interacted with things as seemingly benign as a sofa, & ended up with specifically written dialogue just for that one occasion. Talk to a tall NPC from the side instead of the front - Why would you talk to their armpit? Almost everything you'd want to interact with has something written specifically for it, & it's that attention to detail that shows you when a developer truly cares.

Combat is as good as I've seen from a retro-JRPG inspired title! There's plenty of abilities, synergies, & equipment choices that could result in a really solid amount of replayability, & the lack of randomized battles (outside of certain designated areas) might even lend itself to becoming a strong speedrunning title. There's no need to grind (or even engage in non-boss combat much at all) thanks to the games very forgiving difficulty, but there's a few equipment modifiers in-game for those who seek a harder challenge & really want to get the most out of the combat.

The world design, combined with the variety of environments, is very hit & miss. Aesthetically, the standard zones are very pleasing on the eyes & easy to navigate, though the same cannot be said for some of the glitch levels, where it becomes very easy to overlook certain entrances/exits due to the presentation (& while it could be argued that this is likely an intentional design decision, the end result feels needlessly frustrating all the same). Some larger areas of the map also felt like they were designed a little bit randomly without much thought, and though I doubt that's the case given the attention to detail in every other area of the game, it still feels like certain areas were made to look good before being made to feel good from an explorative POV.

And last but not least, the OST is VERY enjoyable, & within it you'll find even more subtle references if you listen out for them (no-one can tell me the library. The glitch tracks are especially fantastic, & I'm looking forward to hearing more from the composer in future titles. If I had to pick a favourite, it'd probably be "SCROMBLED", but the whole OST, from the traditional stuff to the wild stuff, is absolutely worth a listen.

Technically, the game crashed on me twice (one time losing quite a bit of progress because of two long enemy encounters), though there's plenty of save points to keep you safe. The estimated 10-15 hour playtime also seems a tad generous - I played the game on the default difficulty, did the majority of side content, spoke to NPCs regularly throughout the game/post game, & my final save was still sub 10 hours. Maybe if you decide to engage in every combat encounter you'll hit double figures no problem, but the game is easy enough that you needn't bother with 99% of enemies and instead can just go straight for bosses/unskippable encounters with little preparation. If you're not one for side content & decide to make the call to play on easy to experience the story, I reckon you could be done in 6-8 hours while still having a very good time.

Overall, SLARPG is a very good ride with some great highs, though a few design choices stop it from going down as one of the top drawer indie titles. It's still absolutely worth your time however, thanks to its strong characters, attention to detail, fantastic retro combat system, & a very good OST. With slightly better pacing/direction in key moments it'd be right up there, but hey, go play it anyway!

A surreal, atmospheric, narrative-driven puzzler with plenty to love & little to dislike. The puzzles aren't overly difficult if you're the kind who likes to think outside the box a bit, & they link together the whole story really, really well.

It's hard to talk too much about it without spoiling what makes it so enjoyable, but at full price it's a deal, & on sale it's an absolute steal. If you're into fourth-wall breaking funky puzzle mayhem stories, it doesn't get much better than Pony Island.

Devilishly charming at times, Turnip Boy is a relaxing Zelda-like with a great sense of humour, tight gameplay, & wonderful presentation. There's not much in the way of staying power outside of a somewhat forgettable rogue-lite "infinite dungeon" with far too little in it to bother too much with, so don't expect much beyond the 1-3 hour range for credits/100% respectively.

Overall, I enjoyed my time with Turnip Boy. If I'd paid full price for it I probably would've felt a bit shortchanged given how I saw the credits in under 90 minutes & managed to 100% the game (with one RNG achievement) in under 3 hours, but on discount? Absolutely give it a shot!

If I hear "trespassers" one more time...

"Action Squad" is such a departure from the original Door Kickers titles, though clever little design choices make it feel like a true to the franchise entry throughout. There's a solid amount of customization & content here, & the endless tower mode makes for some interesting score chasing, though I do wish there were a daily challenge of some sort. The art is clean so you'll never get confused by what's happening on the screen, & the OST honestly goes a lot harder than it has any right to.

Combat is quick but never feels unfair. Some encounters can surprise you the first time you experience them, though every situation is playable with the right gear & an understanding of what counters what (PS, flashbangs are your best friends for hostage missions). With 84 missions, 6 unique combatants, Steam Workshop support, & star ratings to chase, there's a plenty of replability to be found throughout this delightful little experience.

A substantial amount of content for the best idler on the market. Long-needed reworks & quality of life experiences have been added to the base game so you needn't upgrade right away if you're currently progressing lower-tier content, but if you find yourself with a few high level skills & wanting more, you'll find it in abundance with Throne of the Herald.

Enjoyable, but heavily reliant on replayability (of which it has plenty)!

The core gameplay is easy to learn & difficult to master, with the weapon-switching invincibility period being the only thing keeping you alive besides your ability to dodge. It can be hard at times distinguishing between light blue enemy projectiles & grey-coloured flooring, but I never felt like deaths were anything other than my own fault, which is good.

The story... For once, I wish there was more of it! The characters have a cartoony vibe to their writing that I can't help but find endearing, but after the opening cinematics, you'll not see anything other than minor story tidbits until the end of the game. You can get there in sub 2 hours, though, so you won't be waiting long...

AAC's OST is deserving of praise - It amplifies the action, builds up hype for phase changes, & overall just kicks the experience up a notch or two. The game's also strong visually, with the silky smooth artstyle & framerate playing into the strengths of the title very well.

Overall, Assault Android Cactus is a thoroughly enjoyable gameplay experience, but one that relies heavy on replayability to feel worth the asking price. Thankfully, with nine heroines with different playstyles, daily challenges for 1-4 players (or AI substitutes), an endless wave mode, campaign+, unlockable modifiers, and per-level leaderboards, there's a hell of a lot to keep you going if you like this sort of experience. However, if you're the kind of person that likes to beat a campaign & move on, its limited (albeit enjoyable) narrative & sub 2-hour game length probably means you should be waiting for a sale.

The only solitaire collection I think I'll ever need.

There's quite a lot of variety in the 8 game modes available, especially when it comes to difficulty. Presentation is on point, though it feels like Cribbage Solitaire is sorely missing a new game option/keybinding.

Sawayama/Proletariat's/Cluj/Shenzen play like you'd expect from the visuals, each with their own little unique twist to keep things interesting - Shenzen is my pick of the bunch, & though it's marked as the most challenging returning title of the collection, I'd not be put off by that. Sigma's Garden is guaranteed solvable each time, so once you figure out the patterns involved it becomes a bit predictable a bit too fast. Cribbage Solitaire is so different from anything I've played before that I'm only winning one in every 6 games or so, but with a bit of practice & hopefully a button to start a new game, it might become one of my favourites. Kabufuda benefits from its difficulty options, though I'm personally a bit scarred from doing the expert win back in Eliza.

Fortune's Foundation is ridiculously challenging, & I'm yet to win a single game in 5 or so efforts or so far. There's definitely a lot here to think about, & it's amazing how much the inability to move cards more than one at a time impacts the way the game feels & plays. The art is fantastic, & the limited use undo button is a nice touch for a game of this complexity.

As it stands, I've done the 100 win achievement for 4 of the 8 variants, & I'm sure, eventually, one day, I'll finish them all off. This is one of those games that'll stand the test of time for people who just want to kick back with a collection of variations on a theme, & as such, is a game I'd overwhelmingly recommend to fans of solitaire/freecell/any repeatable card games out there...

... Now to just try & figure out how to play Fortune's Foundation properly!

Edit: Ahh, I'd misinterpreted one of the Fortune's Foundation rules & won a game almost straight away after figuring it out >.< As with all Zach games, RTFM!

A bright start, but there's a long way to go!

The ship building is the highlight so far, though playing the standard game mode & harvesting regularly, you will be upgrading/rebuilding your ship a bit too frequently. There's a decent amount of materials available to ship builders, & plenty more available through the workshop. It's all about finding the right balance of offensive & defensive capabilities, weight/size vs mobility, and micromanaging crew for efficiency - mostly by creating ship layouts that make sense, but also with unique orders. Combat is enjoyable, though you'll find yourself very overleveled & developed earlier on playing on the standard mode (if you're building regularly), so it's best to keep that in mind if you're looking for a challenge.

Current quests include mostly combat (destroy a target/liberate a base), exploration, & delivery. You'll travel between systems looking for more challenging content, though the value of the rewards dries up pretty quick if you take your time to harvest materials & rebuild your ship. The quest content overall is... Passable, at best. Nothing feels particularly memorable, & it doesn't feel like there's enough going on in regards to personnel to make for a Rimworld-like experience, either.

The community is fantastic & helpful/welcoming towards newcomers. The Steam Workshop integration is already offering up a plethora of mods from simple of quality of life tweaks all the way to custom ship parts & unique ship designs, though as always, I'd suggest playing for a while without before jumping in.

As it stands, it's a stunning ship building experience marred by a lack of meaningful questing/gameplay experiences, but what Cosmoteer lacks in content currently is more than made up for by the promise of things to come. Even if the developers were to fail on delivering their vision, the game has built up enough of a fandom that the included workshop support will allow for a bright future regardless. It's a bright start, & a solid recommendation for creative sorts, but if you're looking for a more fleshed out gaming experience, it might be worth holding back for a bit.

(I'm coming at this from the POV of someone who has Trails in the Sky/SC in their top 20 games of all time, but bounced pretty damn hard off of Trails of Cold Steel for several reasons [mostly related to the transition to 3D]. There will be no spoilers, & the focus will be on what it's like entering the world of Crossbell as a Sky veteran. While you can play Zero before Sky, in my opinion, you'll be doing yourself a huge disservice if you do, as the discussions of Sky's plot points, along with recurring characters, make Zero a lot more enjoyable overall).

From the get go, Zero demonstrates many of the same qualities that make Sky as charming as it is; colourful, well-illustrated, meaningful conversations with even the most random NPCs, & a level of attention to detail that'd make most game developers blush. It's as close to a living world as you can expect to see in a JRPG, & the amount of dedication it must take to put a world like this together cannot be understated.

The leads in Zero are all well-written, with each character having developed backstories that lead perfectly into their position within the game. The protagonist, Lloyd, is perhaps a bit more of a regular character than angry staff bashing nutcase Estelle (who is no doubt my favourite of the two), but he still manages to shine in a world full of great characters. The playable cast is quite a bit smaller, which on the one hand leads to more potential for deeper storytelling, but on the other, potentially limits the replayability if gameplay/narrative differences are you main motivator.

The story develops slowly, starting off with mostly menial chores & odd jobs, but thanks to the quality of the writing & the charm of the characters, it flew by as I found myself engrossed with the world of Crossbell. It really ramps up towards the end however, & delivers a finale that's both satisfying in the short term, while leaving plenty of questions to be answered in Azure next year. Side content is great, with tasks varying from monster extermination to deeper, more meaningful content that adds to the story the further into the game you progress.

While not a criticism by any means, Zero feels like less of an adventure than Sky; while Sky has you travelling the world from city to city in a manner perhaps similar to Pokemon, Zero instead prefers to focus its attention on a central hub, with a few paths that branch out into surrounding areas for quests & story development. This change in pace, along with the detective theme/deduction moments, make Zero feel like a game that, despite feeling very true to the franchise, stands alone as its own unique experience.

Combat is as enjoyable, & there's plenty of variety to be had despite the limited pool of playable characters, but if you do a lot of the side-content & understand how to prepare yourself, be prepared to find some of the latter fights noticeably easier than some of the earlier encounters.

Durante's efforts, most notably arbitrary resolutions/refresh rates, are a welcome inclusion, & the included high-speed mode is borderline essential. I used it throughout for combat & character movement, & if I had to ponder how much time it saved, I'd have to say 20 hours+, based on me completing the main story & all the (obviously available) side quests in around 30 hours on normal difficulty, while HLTB has the game's main story alone at 41 hours, & 63 hours with sides included.

Overall, Zero delivered pretty much everything I hoped it would; strong characters with defined histories & motivations, a masterfully built world, political intrigue, & more charm than I know what to do with. The change from a globetrotting adventure to a more centralized tale results in something that feels both unique & incredibly familiar at the same time, & now the setting is established, I'm expecting big things from Azure in 2023.