Recent reviews by TonicThunder

"Wires and chains
Starting to fade
Feels like a game
You have to play"

DLC could have been it's own game. Incredible storytelling, no black and white decisions, and Dogtown just feels like a whole different world. A decent chunk of side content and recurring grand theft auto missions.

I've completed all endings including Phantom Liberty, and got to 100% achievement completion. It wasn't the gameplay that got me there. It was the world building and the story. I'm among those who purchased the game on release and opted to wait for CDPR to fix the game.

The gameplay on its own isn't anything too special. It's a looter shooter with an abilities system. The vehicles could be better, as handling for the majority of them just feel really heavy and kind of bad.

But the story... the world building... the characters are so incredibly believable... The human experience is so vivid in this world. I wanted nothing more than to keep playing the game after getting 100% completion. But I'm ready to put it down now and let it become a fond memory. I hope CDPR continues to add to this universe.

If you want innovative gameplay, you won't find it here. A work of art? A masterpiece in storytelling? A story that has you questioning yourself and pushes your moral boundaries? That's Cyberpunk 2077.

Despite being in early access, Satisfactory is already in a feature-complete state. If they tacked on an end-goal to motivate a full play through, I wouldn't think twice. That being said, Coffee Stain is still working incredibly hard to add new content, bug fixes, and quality of life features to the game since its initial debut into early access.

This is definitely one of the titans when it comes to factory building games. It's a lot less like Factorio than it appears on the surface, and rather breathes life into a full scale 3D sandbox where you'll be making product chains, and making them look pretty too. It's easy to spend hundreds of hours on just designing the architecture for a factory, let alone working on the production line.

If I have anything important to note, is that while in early access, things change often enough that you may not want to get too attached to your factory. Until 1.0, create like it'll last forever, and be excited to do it all over again.

I'll be a longtime player and fan of this game, no doubt.

-----ANOTHER EDIT-----

Everything below this point was before the dev made some changes. Keeping the review here as it's important to know who you're supporting and how/why things changed. Hopefully one day this review gets entirely drowned out by positive ones, but the severity of the launch issues keep me inclined to leave this review up.

-----ORIGINAL REVIEW-----

Normally I like writing in-depth reviews for games, but I'm going to keep this pretty short and sweet.
The game uses in-game paid-for currency that's pretty much required to enjoy playing. You can equate it to "renting" a pool table with the way it's structured, and it feels very predatory. Also has pay-to-win cues you can buy that i'm really not a fan of. It's a shame, because the actual gameplay feels good.

For an already small niche in VR (and VR itself is a small enough niche... still...), it was a pretty big mistake for longevity and maintaining a player base.

-----EDITED REVIEW BELOW-----

The above section is my original review. I really was going to move on, but now I feel like I need to further make a point here after the dev's tone-deaf comment.

This review is not only in response to the dev, but also to help anyone intending on getting into this.

[The Rack] David: "But we are open for ideas, please share with us if you had any better than the current."

Okay sure, David, you asked. Before I get there, let me write the in-depth review that I wasn't going to write the first time.


As said by the developer, "We want to replicate the hustling experience in this game..."

The game is blatantly developed to prey on hustling / gambling with your real money. To play the game, you need to buy real currency and bet real currency. Sure, you can win a lot with the money the game starts you with and never pay a dime... but what about those who are losing?

As said by the developer, "On the other side if you playing good than you never ever need to buy anything for real money as everything can be payed with coins what you won."

I can't believe a dev genuinely responded with "Just win, bro" about their pricing model. Honestly, you can shove it.

This game is built on the grounds of gambling, and the only real winner in this scenario is the developer raking in your money as you hope you can win the next match. If you're looking to just play with your friends... oof.. wait until the later section, but you're gonna have to pay for that too.

Generally, if you want to play this game past your initial starting money or at all, you better hope you win, or you're gonna have to spend money to gamble away on more matches.

As said by the developer, "Just like IRL, you can buy the most expesive cue but it does not make you a better player... We tryed to reproduce this in this game." followed up with "You can make more fancy shots with a better cue but you can beat anybody with the basic cue if you are a good player. Yes the baseic and cheapers cues has less spin and more deflection (less accurate) but if you getting used to it, it works the same just like a more expensive cue."

There's a bit to unwrap there. In your comment, you've basically admitted that the game does indeed have pay-to-win aspects, and that these cues do indeed give you an upper hand. This makes me question the integrity of the physics. Are you programming the physics to work differently with different cues? That's pay-to-win, no matter how you phrase it.

So not only are people betting real money, but you're giving people the option to have a programmed advantage? Is this not just rigging the competition some degree? And for people to have that advantage, they can buy cues with different programmed efficiencies? Did you think about this... at all?

In real life you certainly can buy different cues for varying reasons, but they're not literally programmed to do certain things. You still have to use the cue like a cue.

And whether or not you can "unlock" them, you still need to partake in the gambling that this game's foundation rests on.

Wanna play with friends in a private space? Get ready to cough up some money on a VIP pass or whatever. Just like renting a table in real life, you can hate renting one in VR too! The pass also gives you varying advantages, but I touched enough on that topic above.

Like most games with micro transactions, this just seems like the dev's way of creating what feels like a better offer, only to ensure they're still getting your money in some way.

At every corner, this game is trying to take money from you. "Free to play" genuinely only goes so far here, and it's an incredibly greedy mess that panders to gambling. If you want to gamble, be my guest!

The issue is that this did not at first come off as a game dedicated to genuine hustling until I loaded it up. I wanted to play pool, and play pool with my friends. This is catered to a very, VERY niche group of VR players.

The game play loop is gambling. And to play more, you need to hustle more. If you lose, pay up so you can hustle more. If you win, guess what? You get to keep gambling.. You don't get to take this money home like you would in real life.

The only good thing going for it is that it feels like pool, and it plays like pool. Everything else is a mess.

So the developer asked how to make things better... I'll satisfy that part here.

There are plenty of examples of games that have gambling functions, but don't make you gamble your actual money as the means of being able to play. One example i'll mention is a game called Tower Unite. It's a game you buy literally ONE time, and everything else is in-game action. They have a whole casino in there and you gamble your in-game currency that you earn through other functions.

So what would make this game not the greedy money-sucking gambling machine that it's 100% intended to be, you ask?

1. Create a game mode that has nothing to do with gambling. I'd happily pay up to $20 - $30 ONE TIME to just own a VR pool game I can play with my friends.

2. Create an online mode where you earn fake virtual currency that you can use to gamble with. I could see a system where I earn 100 credits per match, then bet 1,000 credits in the "hustling" game mode.

3. Cosmetics! The only thing I could see me paying additional money on is cosmetics, and NOT game altering cues. Let me buy some cool looking cues! Make some cues you can only unlock by making a lot of credits in online matches. Make some that are paid-for only, I don't care. Just don't make them game altering. Maybe let us buy different pool halls to play with our friends in or something.

4. If people want to bet REAL money, again, make a different game mode for it... but also make it VERY CLEAR that the intent is to bet real money. Let them then use this real money on the mentioned cosmetics or whatever.

What I mentioned is practically a different game, but I really don't see this game living for a long time in the state that it's in now.

I have nothing left to say. Whatever happens here is in the Dev's hands. I'm glad some people are enjoying it, but with these micro-transaction issues, I don't see this game being well received in the long run.

Coming from other VR titles with grapple, parkour, and movement focused mechanics, this game is pretty disappointing even for $2 in 2022. The visuals are still nice, but the actual movement just doesn't feel natural. I only played for a few minutes and knew pretty quickly I wasn't going to enjoy anything further. Maybe I'll give the updated second title a try someday, but this one just isn't it. If you're looking for a solid movement based game, I'd look elsewhere unless you can deal with old-dev jank.

If you've ever wanted to be an exterminator / miner hybrid while being a stylish dwarf, then this game has you covered. With a really cool development team, continued updates, no micro-transactions, and varied game play, you'll easily spend hours in Deep Rock Galactic. You'll play as one of four different classes to mine, kill, and complete objectives as a team. If you're the type to go it alone, you'll have a cool robo-friend to assist you.

The art style, soundtrack, and gunplay all feel fantastic. I've never played a game post 2020 that felt so incredibly rewarding after every match... without affecting my wallet. You gotta hop in.

Rock and Stone!!

Deep Rock Galactic (DRG) is a hard game to sell by simple description. It's definitely the kind of game you'll need to play for yourself. You'll spend your time completing assignments to progress your armory and cosmetics selection. These assignments are usually guided tracks that help you play through the varied missions and game modes that DRG has to offer. There's a well rounded selection of weapons and classes to choose from without throwing too much at you to focus on.

Overall, the game play is really quite simple... but it has a skill ceiling and can be hard to master on the higher difficulties. Teamwork and communication play a massive role in DRG, and if you have a tight group of friends, you'll have a blast.

The two major components of the game are gun-fights and mining. All of the weapons feel fantastic and have plenty of upgrades to chase. Each class has unique weapons and equipment that define their role, and this is where communication comes into play. You'll finish every match receiving the same rewards, so selfish play yields no results. This is a great system for a game like this.

There's a good balance between gunfights and mining. The game will throw waves at you intermittently as you progress through missions, and on higher difficulties... these waves could be the difference between you winning or losing depending on how you deal with them.

The mining feels fantastic and genuinely satisfying. There's raw minerals on the walls, as well as minerals / gems you'll need to dig out. There's varying cave complexities that will define how easy or difficult some of these minerals are to access.


The soundtrack and visuals make for a blend of retro 80's sci-fi combined with the fantasy nature of dwarves. This game has a really unique overall style that leans into the "voxel" look, adding to the goofy and fun nature of the world. The voice acting and quotes made across all the characters are fun, memorable, and you'll find yourself throwing them around from time to time. All of the sounds, music, and visuals feel so complete and well put-together to make for a truly unique experience.

The cave generation also deserves quite a lot of praise. For a game that's randomly generated, all of the caves feel incredibly well designed and sometimes even "hand-painted" if you will. The varying complexities and details build an ominous, yet sometimes peaceful sci-fi setting. The colors are also quite vivid across the whole game, and that's really refreshing after years of dull-gray games.

DRG is incredibly fun, charming, and addictive. If you're looking for a game that doesn't want to siphon money from you constantly but still has a solid progression system, DRG should be at the top of your list. Make sure you grab some friends along the way, this game is a wild ride.

I'm a huge fan of Dominion and actively working on collecting all of the expansions. This digital version plays very well, and it's free to boot. Access to the digital expansions are also a steal as the real-world box sets range from $30 - $40 per expansion.

I think the AI might be too well designed as it seems to play the game almost perfectly even on easy. I suggest playing online more than with AI - though it's good to learn with AI if you're new to the game.

To The Top is a different kind of climbing game. The mechanics are a bit more like leaping from surface to surface instead of the expected hand-over-hand movement. The courses are fun, challenging, and plentiful for the style of play. If you're looking for a game focused on mobility, think about picking this one up!

Overall, I do recommend this game to anyone looking for a challenging VR platformer. The gameplay is simple enough to grasp, but hard to master. There are some hidden secrets to find and cosmetics to unlock, but can be skipped if you're not into that kind of thing.

I spent time getting 100% completion on the time trials and secrets. It was fun, but sometimes more frustrating to go that route than to just enjoy the basic gameplay.

The mechanics are simple and work well for the courses provided. There's a nice selection of courses that challenge you in different ways and introduce new obstacles as your progress. What I like the most is that a good selection of the levels provide a few different ways to get to the finish line, and it's up to you to find which route is the fastest.

Generally, there isn't one. This is a gameplay-focused game with a little bit of lore to give you a sense of the world. Otherwise, don't expect anything groundbreaking here.

The soundtrack sticks out as unique and kind of unexpected. The tracks work pretty well for the "open and free" feeling that this game tries to go for, however they might lean a bit to far into "music taste" instead of a game theme for some. You'll notice the sound effects are reminiscent of retro platforming games which is a nice touch. They're fun, lighthearted, and cartoony.

To The Top is a great mobility game that's easy to pick up, but hard to master. If you're enthusiastic about mobility focused games, you'll find that in this title. Even after completing this game to 100%, it still never fails to pump the adrenaline.

Until You Fall has some of the most satisfying, kinetic, and punishing gameplay I've seen in a VR title so far. You'll generally be running through the same line of stages per run, however the difficulty and great gameplay is what pushes this game front and center. I decided to play on the "Relentless" difficulty from the start, and it was an extremely satisfying experience finally making it to the end. The soundtrack, sound effects, and visuals are pure candy to boot. This is a VR must-have.

I'm wary of every VR title I purchase. Until You Fall was no exception, as trailers and descriptions can only do so much to convince that the game isn't another watered down duplicate of what we already have. After picking it up on sale, I regret not buying it for full price.

This title lets me accomplish something I couldn't do in the real world while still being difficult AND feeling like a bad-ass. Creating a game like this is a very delicate balance, and the devs pulled it off.

The combat could be compared to that of a rhythm game, but still mixes in free-form attacks. Dodges, parries, and critical attacks are given indicators for you to follow. On paper that sounds really easy, but that changes quickly as you make it to the later levels on higher difficulties. Enemies will attack faster, get more powerful, and even try to swarm and overwhelm you if you're not careful.

As expected of a rougelite, you'll be upgrading your weapons through a basic progression system and per-run. The upgrades feel evident and worthwhile as you make your way up the ladder, and everything warrants good consideration based on your play-style.

If I had anything negative to say for this section, it would be that there is an occasional bug I experienced with one of the high level swordsman. They swing flurries of attacks at you, and sometimes the first parry indicator would not show up - yet I would still take damage. This would lead to a domino effect of me taking a lot of hits purely out of disorentation. This was common enough that it did ruin a few of my runs.

If you're looking for a game with an in-depth plot, this isn't it. There's enough to set up the world design and overall conflict you're dealing with. Minor bits of information regarding the world are introduced to you via the narrator, but those moments are far and few between.

Not to say that this is a bad thing. This game really isn't trying to tell you a compelling story as much as it's trying to provide excellent gameplay. I'd say that was a good move, as there's enough to motivate the game.

The synth-wave soundtrack, vibrant colors, beefy sound effects, and glowing fantasy world all come together to create an incredibly immersive experience. It's honestly a pleasure to run through the stages time and time again just to look around. Every weapon has great character and the abilities feel powerful on visuals alone. There are some moments where the audio was a touch too loud, but it wasn't anything that couldn't be reduced through in-game settings.

Until You Fall is going down in my personal VR Hall of Fame. The replayability, challenge, and aesthetics are so well packed together with some of the most satisfying VR gameplay to date. The team really knocked this one out of the park, and other developers should take a critical look at what they're doing here.

(Experienced with Valve Index)
I Expect You To Die is very clearly a product of its time... an early-bird VR title that kept things simple as an entry-point to VR gaming. While i'm late to the party and have played countless advanced VR titles to date, this game still captures a fantastic premise with the spy themes, design, goofy voice acting, and genuinely challenging puzzles. Trial and error is the name of the game, and you'll certainly encounter quite a lot of error. As the title suggests, I also expect you to die - a lot.

Don't get me wrong, this game definitely feels aged at this point. There's no question that the majority of these mechanics are nothing short of the 'bread-and-butter' VR interaction. What makes this game stand out the most is how well they executed the trial-and-error style of puzzle solving. Every step you solve feels like a real victory, and you'll be wanting more of that feeling with every level.

This game was designed to be a seated VR game, but it plays just fine while standing. With this in mind, the control scheme surrounds a telekenetic control set, where you'll be grabbing items and controlling switches from across the room. You're generally stationary as you solve all of these puzzles. Some of the interactions can feel a little clunky and not as precise as other games get nowadays.

Once you get past some of the jank, things feel like a VR game should. This game is very short, though the Death Engine update did add a little more worth experiencing. There's some extra challenges in each level such as speed-running or looking for secrets if you want to get a little more playtime per-level, but nothing groundbreaking on that front.

You're playing as a secret agent trying to stop an evil corporation from doing evil stuff. If you're looking for in-depth lore or story, you won't find it here. The dialogue is generally light-hearted and awkwardly quirky at times. The spy-theme is spot on and feels great, however.

As mentioned, this is a product of its time. The graphics lean in on the cartoony-side with little bits of realistic shading. The design and color choices all feel really cohesive across the game, and they nailed the warm and formal "James Bond" style.

What sticks out the most is the music, especially the opener of this game. The overall soundtrack really seals the deal and adds heavily to the spy experience.

If you're into puzzle solving games with great flair and style, I Expect You To Die delivers. The age shows, but the style is timeless. If you can set aside the awkward and sometimes cheesy voice-acting, you'll have a great experience.

And really, you're gonna die a lot.