Recent reviews by TheStakAttak

Chuchel is more a collection of interactive comedy shorts than a traditional point and click adventure like Amanita Designs' other games, and having seen just about everything there is to see in this game at the 2 hour mark it's kind of a hard sell even at its sale price, but I did have fun and laugh a lot while playing this so I would still recommend it especially to fans of Amanita like myself and their other games like Machinarium, Botanicula, and Samorost.

While there are a handful of point and click adventure layout levels like you'd expect, I was suprised to see a lot of "comedy gag" levels in which there may be only two or three or sometimes even one thing to click, and once you click it a few times a scene plays out and you're on to the next. There are also a lot of homage type levels to other popular games such as Tetris, Angry Birds, Pac-Man, and others. The character designs are very cute and weird and the voices and music are super charming just like Amanita games always are so it's hard to knock it, and I found myself laughing a lot. Watching a behind the scenes video for this game the creator expressed how he loved to draw but video games let you play the drawing. That may be true, but when there's so little interaction and so little choice in what happens, does it really need to be a video game? Like I said, I had fun during this game, but that is a question many people and maybe you will have while playing.

Chuchel is very funny, very short, super unique, charming, and features next to no gameplay at times. It's really hard to recommend but I can't deny that I had fun while experiencing it and don't regret spending $4 on it, but if you are interested I would watch a couple levels on youtube first to know what you are getting.

This is an extra level for Jazzpunk and is just as funny and bizarre as the base game. It is fairly short but at only a dollar on sale I feel like I got my money's worth. If you take your time and explore all the hidden gags it can take you maybe up to half an hour, but don't go into this thinking it's a large DLC because it is not. It's just another funny mini-level for people who wanted just a little more Jazzpunk. Check it out on sale if you could go for one more wacky mission in this weird world.

Do you remember when video games felt like video games? DOOM remembers.

Fast shooting action that requires you to be moving constantly and swapping out weapons and tactics to survive? Check. No "shift to sprint" here, you move fast and you're going to need to think even faster.
Power-ups that give you classic advantages like invulnerability, quad damage, even FASTER speed, or let you rip demon heads off with the click of a button? Got it.
A soundtrack and atmosphere that will whip you into a rippin' and tearin' frenzy? Absolutely. I've never heard a soundtrack more brutal and yet so fitting for a game.

This game really doesn't mess around. It knows what it is and what it is is a no nonsense first person shooter with difficulties that go ALL the way up and you're going to love exploring the levels to find upgrades, secrets, and every nook and cranny of this nasty world. If you like FPS games then you should have already played this, but if you haven't, you owe it to yourself to play this classic callback to a legendary series. A reboot that gets it right? Who thought it was possible.

Just a super endearing, classic point and click adventure. Charming art, memorable soundtrack, fun and simple story and characters, and never too frustrating. Not very long either but the sale price reflects that. I just love this developer for the creative and unique games you can always count on them to create and Samorost 3 is no exception.

In a genre like sci-fi where it is very difficult to create anything that feels "new" Deus Ex: Human Revolution does just that. In an extremely striking and memorable fusion of near future dirty sci-fi and the Italian Renaissance, Human Revolution honors its namesake with large, open play environments with a multitude of options to achieve your goal, story rich sidequests, and an immersive universe and an entirely believable near future. The story is excellent and is delivered in a very foreboding, mysterious way that makes you feel nervous when you begin realizing just how deep this conspiracy goes. Fans of the original had big, almost unachievable expectations of a prequel to such a beloved PC classic, and yet most fans (myself obviously included) would agree that Human Revolution delivers on most of those expectations. The Director's Cut fixes a few flaws (like introducing stealth options for boss battles, a strange oversight in the original that was due to the boss battles being outsourced to a different developer) and includes the "Missing Link" DLC and is the best way to play this currently. There are some strange technical issues with this version, most of which can be solved with some simple file editing, but this is still absolutely worth you time and money if you are a fan of hands-off, open ended stealth rpg's with a fantastically unique style, story, and atmosphere.

Grow Home is a charming little adventure exploration game about a robot climbing, gliding, bouncing, and growing plants upwards to reach his lost mothership. The real draw of the game is the momentum and freefall physics you experience when traversing from one floating rock island to another. The game nails this; It is just so much fun to bounce off a giant mushroom, freefall through a collection of floating asteroids, glide to a flower, and have it launch you across the map into your next platforming obstacle. The main objective is to grow an ever ascending flower called the Starplant so that you may climb it into outer space to reach your mothership named MOM. I know, not THAT old story again, right? You do this by ascending its stalk and grabbing one of its many budding offshoots which then grows rapidly in a direction that guide it in. There are glowing Star rocks that you must guide these offshoots into to give the Starplant nourishment and fuel its ascent towards outer space. You may not always get it in one shot, the offshoots only being able to be riden so far before stopping, but then you can ride the offshoots of THAT offshoot to get even further. In this way you really create the world of Grow Home. When you are freefalling through these winding vines connecting every which way you realize that this is the design that you have created. If you grow plants every which way with little direction or planning, your world will be a mess to traverse, but a fun little custom mess that no one else has. The climbing is fun; There's no obnoxious grip meter or anything like that. The character you play, a little robot named BUD, is a gangly little guy when you control him. You may get some Octodad flashbacks, but it's more endearing than annoying to explore the world with him. Grow Home is not very long or complex, but it's an experience you will likely never forget. It typically is very cheap so check out a trailer and see if you'd like Grow Home or its far more expansive sequel, Grow Up.

The Stanley Parable is less an actual game and more a deconstruction of common video game mechanics, philosophies, and tropes. It can be enjoyed by everyone, but those who play and think a lot about video games will get the most out of the game's fourth wall breaking gags and self referential humor. It's not long, being able to be "beaten" in under 5 minutes, but that's not what the game is about. There are anywhere from 15-19 endings (depending on what you consider a real "ending"), some of which are simple, some requiring you to do things you would never even consider doing, and even one that requires using console commands to reach an unreachable room. The humor ranges from snarky, British office humor to surprisingly amusing commentaries on the act of playing games and on gamers themselves. The achievements drive this home wih tasks such as "Click a door 430 times" to "Don't play the Stanley Parable for 5 years". While playing through the different endings the game will shine a light on game mechanics, the importance (and occasional futility) of player choice, and why we even choose to play video games in the first place. I found myself laughing quite a bit at some of the dialog and events in a few endings while the game subverted what I expected a game to do and flipped many mechanics on their head. It never goes quite full blown mindf*ck as in games like Antichamber, but expect some trippy, bizarre, and mindbending occurances and story beats during your time with the game.

Do I feel like I really learned anything I didn't already know about player choice, narrative, or video games as a whole while playing the Stanley Parable? No, not really. Was I surprised and delighted by how bold, hilarious, unexpected, and cheeky it can be? Absolutely. While I don't personally think the game is as genius or insightful as many people thought when it first came out, I definitely believe the developer took their idea and squeezed out every bit of juice it had in it, and is totally worth your time and money.

Oh, and did you get the broom closet ending?

Hollow Knight is the truest, most natural progression of the Metroidvania genre to date, the logical endzone every indie game strives to reach, and the crossroads of many gameplay philosophies first charted and set into motion by games such as Dark Souls, Super Metroid, Ori and the Blind Forest, and many, many more. If that sounds like high praise, it is, and deservedly so. Hollow Knight packs in more creativity, discovery, gameplay refinements, challenge, and value than most AAA $60 dollar games, and as far as I can tell by a team of only four indie developers. Not only that, but the game has received a steady stream of excellent, free DLC additions with still more on the way to keep players coming back. To top it off, at only fifteen dollars and ten dollars on sale this game is an absolute thievery and it is a crime for you not to experience the crafted experience developer Team Cherry has laid out for you. At 34 hours myself and nearing 100% completion on my first save I feel like I can safely review this game, but also like the game still has a few more lessons to impart to me, a couple more well earned deaths in store, and at least one or two secrets still hiding behind a cracked wall or breakaway floor for me to unveil. I could (and did) write for hours about all the genius, deliberate, and nuanced achievements Hollow Knight manages to cram into its little indie package, but at currently over 22 thousand reviews, I will do this game a severe injustice and just sum it up briefly for you.


-The gameplay is simple but subtlely complex. Your limited combat options expand inwardly to give you many, many options to approach any fight. Factor in different builds with the unlockable charm upgrades and you've got a game that truly lets you play it how you want.

-The animation and visual design is top shelf. You've never seen a world like Hollow Knight's. The denizens of this place are all insects or mushrooms or generally things you would not expect yourself to become as endeared to as you no doubt will. The different areas are dead or disgusting or unnverving or all three, and that's okay. Not every game has to be rainbows and sunshine, and Hollow Knight will make you revel in its creepy crawly world.

-The soundtrack lends itself well to the game world, story, and gameplay. The soundtrack never takes center stage, but it compliments the gameplay and atmosphere which is all it needs to do. There's nothing upbeat or catchy here, and it would be misplaced if that was so. The game is desolate, grim, and unforgiving, and it has a soundtrack to match.

-There is such a wealth of content in the game it's hard to believe that you paid only $15 (most likely $10) for it. The world expands as you explore, and you will be continually shocked at how far it continues to unravel, and these are big, fully fleshed out zones with tons of new enemy types, bosses, and secrets. All in all I think there are 28 unique bosses, and extra hard variants of those bosses for those who are gluttons for punishment. The amount of value you get for such a seemingly small little indie game is astounding.

-The challenge is real. For those who welcome a game that pushes back, and are willing to be patient and learn from their mistakes, Hollow Knight is what you've been waiting for. For those who rush into battle half prepared and will hurl themselves at an obstacle repeatedly while ignoring what the game is trying to communicate to you, Hollow Knight will sort you out until you yield to its gameplay vision.


-The tradional staples of Metroidvania games are all present, with all the trappings you may love or hate. Within the first few hours after getting a few necessary items and upgrades, the game essentially opens up in all directions which will inevitably lead you to many areas you just can't access. For some this is a draw of Metroidvanias, but for all the game philosophy progressions and logical improvements to the genre that it incorporates from many other well thought out games, I am surprised it sort of just left the idea of the map at the pass. You purchase icons for your map at the store which will mark things of interest automatically, but it would have been helpful if I could manually mark things myself that the game doesn't provide icons for like in many dungeon crawling games such as Legend of Grimrock. Marking save points and vendors is helpful, but was I really expected to remember that one ledge I couldn't reach 15 hours ago? Some would argue this is part of the fun of Metroidvanias, the retreading of old areas and rediscovery of areas you thought impassable previously, but I would have liked Hollow Knight to apply its forward thinking to the map in more than just purchasable icons at least as an option for players.

-The story. This is going to be where those who have played the game either vehemently disregard this review, or quietly agree with me. The story takes not a page but a whole chapter from Dark Souls' book in its subtle storytelling. Yes, there is a story that will be told to you (whether or not you understand or enjoy it will vary), but there is a much larger story hidden vaguely throughout the game world. I feel that when I replay it I will have a firmer grasp on what things said earlier meant now with context, but piecing together vague quotes from stone slabs and contextless jabber from random insects is difficult for me to get behind. As a concept, subtle background storytelling is something I love, but there has to be a middle ground. Many players, after finishing the game with little to no understanding of what was achieved, had to resort to online discussions to get some sort of closure on the game they just completed. This is another wholly subjective point as many players enjoy that sort of "community deduction" aspect of the story and lore. It really is up to you whether or not this is something you are going to find enjoyable. If it sounds like an interesting way to convey the game world and story to you, then you are probably safe. If you are more the type who would like to play a game by themselves and get a full grasp on the plot and lore without any need for discussion or scrounging the game world for answers, do not expect the story of Hollow Knight to do much for you.


Hollow Knight is probably one of those games that you can watch a trailer and tell, quite honestly, whether or not you will enjoy or despise it. Hollow Knight is not a game to play if you want to relax. Those types of gamers are completely justified in wanting that experience, but this is not it. Hollow Knight is not a game that is going to give itself over to you easily. You are going to have to work for it. Gamers who want a game to have fun and breeze through are also justified in desiring that experience, but this is not it. Hollow Knight is an exacting, challenging game full of unforgettable areas, visuals, characters, and enemies. If you push, it will push back, but it is not insurmountable, and for those willing to commit to it you will find an amazing experience absolutely deserving to be ranked among the very best games on Steam, and in general. I'll quite frankly say that it is personally up there with Super Metroid and Castlevania: SotN. If you have any interest whatsoever in any aspect of this game and think you would enjoy it, please, do yourself a favor and try this game. If 4 guys can make a game like this, it deserves to be played by everyone. Don't miss out.

Abzu is a spectacular experience from start to finish, as brief as that may be. Make sure you are aware of what this game is before you purchase it, and also how long you can reasonably expect it to last. This is not a Subnautica or Endless Ocean; Abzu is a semi-linear underwater exploration and adventure game that is more about the feelings you get while playing rather than what you actually do or what occurs. Think ThatGameCompany's Journey but underwater. In fact, my only be real complaint is just HOW similar the two experiences are. Obviously on the surface they are completely different, but the way the game unfolds, the story arc, how music interacts with the environment and gameplay, and those feelings you get just like up so parallel with Journey that I felt like I was playing, well, another Journey. That's not necessarily a flaw, especially if you've never played Journey, but I just felt myself distracted by all the similarities which was a shame because Abzu uses everything in it's power to pull you into it's world. The art design is a pastel stylized world where the creatures and ocean may not always be hyper realistic, but always feels like ITS ocean and ITS creatures. The music is stellar, the controls are surpsiginly well done (an underwater game done right!), and by the time you reach the end you feel like you've really been through something special. The length may be a concern for some. I personally finished it in about 4 hours and that was taking my time exploring and finding secrets, but your own playtime may vary widely. There are some incentives to replay but on the whole you're not going to be getting 10-20 hours out of this, typically. It's the type of game you may enjoy replaying maybe once a year when it feels fresh and its beats not so familiar.

If you're going to buy Abzu you need to know what you really want from a game and if you'd actually enjoy what it is. There are people who hate these types of games and I can completely see their point of view. For those of you willing to let a game take you on a beautiful ride, where gameplay may take a backseat at times, and the story is secondary to the experience it expertly imparts to you, you owe it to yourself to try Abzu.

If you're in the mood for a couple hours of silly, hilarious, nautical shenanigans then it's time to spend the weekend with your new aquatic father figure. Octodad is a game built deliberately with horrible, slippery controls (no pun intended). Whether or not the moments where Octodad spectacularly fails make you laugh or scream reveals a lot about you as a person. You're not supposed to be good at Octodad, and that's okay. Octodad's life is hard, what with keeping up appearances with his family, in his community, and dealing with the chef of course. What made you think you could just walk right in and do what he does flawlessly? It's funny when he flops around and makes a complete mess of his situation. It makes completing your tasks as a father pretty difficult, but that's the fun of it. The situations they put you in are tailor made to put Octodad in ridiculous scenarios he can't possibly navigate without making an utter disaster.

You're going to trip over things and it'll be hilarious. You'll probably slap people in the face a couple times. That comes with the job. Just revel in the absurdity of Octodad's daily life. It's hilarious, it's fun, it's not terribly long, and it's frequently very cheap. Definitely pick it up if you've never had the chance to try out this bizarre concept that is Octodad.