Recent reviews by Shadow

I've never played any of the previous titles, so the Sims 4 is my first introduction to the series - aside from Freeplay, which was on mobile (I enjoyed it at the time, but let me start by saying that Sims 4 blows it out of the water, at least if you're aiming to not spend a single penny in either game). I also did not play this game when you had to buy it, so I can't speak from the perspective of someone who had to purchase the game for who knows how much.

That being said, I have enjoyed the time I've spent with this game on the days where I boot it up. It's not something I regularly play, although when I do play it, I often get sucked in for hours, building out different homes and - most notably - customising my Sims to my heart's content. I would say this game will appeal a lot to creative people who want to create characters based off people they know, based off characters from movies/tv/games, or based off their own characters. I'm not sure how much value a not-so-creative person would gain from a game like this, as I myself am a very creative person who likes to live out entire storylines with my own characters in this game.

Which brings me on to the main thing I have to say about Sims 4, I think. The things I enjoy most about this game are the creating aspects of it. I love to make Sims, and I love to build their homes (especially when I figured out how to give myself infinite money). The other side of the gameplay, where you tell your Sims what to eat, who to speak to, and who to marry, is something I care less about. It can get a bit boring, even. And I can see what many people mean when they say the Sims 4 feels like an "incomplete" package; without buying some DLC, you may find that the careers you can choose from are very limited, not to mention how a couple pieces of furniture have very few alternative options if you don't want to spend some money.

Ultimately, though, since this game is now free, I would still recommend it to those who are curious. There are lots of things to do and discover in the Sims 4, I just get the impression you may be a bit disappointed if you've grew up on some of the older "classics." It's worth mentioning this game has a huge modding scene that adds more depth to the gameplay for those who are curious, although I myself have never tried downloading one. One of the most popular Sims 4 mods is the "WickedWhims" mod... I'm not going to explain it to you in this review, but it makes quite a few changes to those interested in the game's intimate romance features.

Five Nights at Freddy's is viewed as a bit of a joke by a lot of the internet now, but the first game was genuinely revolutionary for its time, which led to a huge shift in indie horror, for better or for worse. Let me just say, there is a reason why this series is as popular as it is, and it all started here.

The first game is masterful at creating an immersive atmosphere and utilising subtle, implied horror. There isn't any visual gore here, save for a vary tame game over screen, and very little of the somewhat infamous "FNaF Lore" can be found within the game. As I said, much of it is implied; a lot of what makes Five Nights at Freddy's special is how it uses your own imagination, your own paranoia against you. It does all of that, and it still takes itself somewhat seriously, which cannot be said so much for the later games in the series... Hence where a lot of the memes come from.

If you're into influential games, indie classics, or you just want to see what all the fuss is about... I recommend this game to you. You won't rack up a huge playtime in this game, but the experience is still surprisingly tense at times, particularly if you know very little of the mechanics.

I also recommend FNaF 4 and Freddy Fazbear's Pizzeria Simulator (the latter of which is free) if you're looking for two games that are on the scarier end of the Five Night's at Freddy's spectrum. No, seriously, these two titles still creep me the hell out; most of the "lore" can be ignored if you're not interested in it, particularly the former.

When I think of the most "indie game" indie game of all time, Stardew Valley comes to mind, and I'm sure I'm not alone in thinking that. Not only was its original version programmed solely by one guy (it has since seen a couple of other collaborators in future updates), but its art direction, music and narrative was, too.

"Developed by one person?" One might worry Stardew Valley is a small game, very limited in scope. I assure you, this game is anything but that; if you, for whatever reason, do not want to engage with the farming-based gameplay whatsoever, it's theoretically possible for you to get quite far in the experience without even planting a single crop. You can make money in other ways, like foraging, mining, and fishing. You can also choose to do as little from each of those as possible and instead talk to all of the game's NPCs, levelling up your relationships with each of them as you decide on who you might want to marry.

With recent updates, the game has become even larger than it was at release. There are new areas to discover, new items to uncover, and a couple of new quests to complete. I will say that the gameplay can become a bit repetitive if you've played this game for as long as I have (my review may show I only have 12 hours, but I assure you, I have over 10 times that on console), but if you're looking for something that scratches your Harvest Moon itch (or even a bit of Animal Crossing itch) Stardew Valley will not disappoint.

Don't Starve Together is quite possibly one of the greatest survival games I've ever played, up there with titles such as Subnautica. While the game doesn't have a "narrative" for you to follow like Subnautica, it boasts so much more replayability due to the expansive nature of each randomly generated world, the wide roster of survivors available to you for free (with a few exceptions), and the extremely high learning curve that has prevented me from reaching "end-game" areas, despite the amount of experience I have with the game on console. You will die a lot in this game. And the intention is for you to die a lot with your friends. Some might find this aspect of the game rather frustrating, but for those who find other survival games too easy once you've set up a farm, I can assure you that Don't Starve Together is not that kind of game.

Additionally, the game boasts a wide array of customisation options so that players may tailor their worlds to their preferred gameplay experience. You can choose the length of each season (even making seasons asymmetrical, so that winter and summer lasts for only a few days while autumn and spring stretch out for several weeks), you can select how frequent particular enemies spawn, and you can even select an overall gameplay setting if you don't like the thought of permadeath (or if you want to make the game take place at night at all times). I haven't even mentioned the huge modding scene that exists behind this game; Don't Starve Together's dedicated community is always cooking up new additions to the experience so that fans may play as characters from other franchises, with one that comes to mind being Frisk from Undertale. Not only that, but there are a plethora of mods to improve your quality of life... Healthbars, a grid-based construction system, and more all await you in the modding scene.



- - - TL;DR - - -
Don't Starve Together is an incredibly hard survival game by default, which can be tweaked (without mods) to be easier or more difficult depending on your playstyle. Upon purchasing the game, you will have access to a large roster of characters to play as for free, each one rather distinct in their gameplay style, with a handful of survivors locked until you spend enough time to pay for them with real money/ingame currency. I heavily recommend this game to anyone who wants a survival game that continues to challenge you, even late in the game.

(Typed at 45 Hour Playtime):
This game is a horror game, but it's not a very scary one, so if you want a terrifying experience, I don't think DBD is the right game for you. You'll also encounter quite a few toxic players when playing public matches; I can't tell you how many times an entire group of survivors has teabagged me at the exit gate, left, then told me I was an excellent "tutorial." I've come across many exceptionally nice survivors (and killers) out there too, just make sure to be prepared for anything when heading into these matches.

That being said, I personally think Dead by Daylight really excels when you have a friend group (ideally 5 people in total) to play with. Custom games allow you to access every perk and every add-on for free, coupled with the fact you're able to manually pick maps if you particularly despise (or enjoy) a specific one. Custom games with friends turn DBD into a fun "party game" with a horror twist, where you'll probably be laughing (or getting annoyed at that one friend) more than you are screaming. Each of you will still have to purchase the special killers in these types of matches, but with four free killers to choose from, there's still lots of enjoyment to be found here if you don't feel like spending more than you already have. Not to mention, most of DBD's original killers can be unlocked through iridescent shards with enough grinding.

Whether you primarily play custom games or public games, I do think you will enjoy this one if you are a fan of horror movies. This game is essentially the horror movie simulator; get to live out your fantasies as the final girl or the relentless killer, your choice. And while you may not frequently get 4 kills as killer, just remember that isn't necessarily a "loss" as long as you had a good time—how many horror movies out there end with the bad guy winning?



(Typed at 275 Hour Playtime):
Many, many, many hours later, I am still enjoying this game. As I stated elsewhere in this review, the community can sometimes be a bit unpleasant, but as long as you're making an effort not to take anything too seriously, I think you'll get by just fine.

I've now spent most of my hours playing public matches. I still get most of my enjoyment out of customs with friends, but public games really aren't that bad, either. I will say that if you want to enjoy this game to its fullest potential, you will need to do a bit of "homework" to understand a few of the mechanics (especially when facing killers you've never played against before), since Dead By Daylight is one of those rare games that isn't really like anything else on the market right now. Other games have tried to replicate the DBD formula, but only the original has stood the test of time.

OH YEAH there are also a lot of unwritten rules when engaging with other players in public games. You may want to know some of them, but at the same time, don't let anyone spoil your fun.

- Sincerely, a Demo, Ghostie and Sadako main :]

This game is beyond brilliant; stop reading the reviews and just GET IT if you're interested. It's one of the best Sci-Fi things I've ever seen, and it got me really interested in the genre (as well as space in general) again.

Look... Just play for an hour. Spend one hour in the game. If you're not already hooked by the time that hour is over, then you're free to refund the game.

BTW I recommend getting Echoes of the Eye as well! Seriously, go consider it!