Recent reviews by Velvet's Simp

Arzette: The Jewel of Faramore is a game inspired by poorly executed games for a gaming system barely anyone knows about: the “Philips CD-i”. The games are “Link: Faces of Evil” and “Zelda: The Wand of Gamelon”. These games are known for being awful, with terrible looking cutscenes and terrible execution on most everything, and became targets for memes, jokes, and many videos out there.

The definition of “Emulation” I’m using is “an effort to match or surpass through imitation”. This game is actively trying that which the CD-i games have done, but refining the absurd awfulness they have. What is a platform to jump/walk on is very clear, only sometimes it might be a bit cryptic. The way to progress is very clear and the game often hints on what to do next if the player gets too lost. The cutscenes of the CD-i games were bad, but became iconic and charming, so the cutscenes on this game emulates that. I would say this game shows that the CD-i games were just poorly executed, but had a decent enough foundation, which could lead to decent games. And yeah, this game is pretty good.
There are 15 areas to explore including the town, as self-contained levels, all of them with incentives to explore a second time as progress is made. There’s quite a few optional upgrades, as well as some sidequests. The game is quite a bit replayable as well, as long as the player wants to try different things. I’m not a fan of achievements, but they can be an incentive for some people to challenge themselves.
However, there is one piece of jank from the CD-i games that I hate that is being emulated: Melee Enemies. Melee enemy attack is instant. The moment the player is in their range, the first frame of the animation of the enemy’s attack is the first frame you take damage. Ranged enemies can also attack the player from off-screen, which means, even if the player cannot see the enemy, they can attack the player. It’s rare that this happens, but it does happen.
These aspects make the game harder than it should be. Even a boss is extremely obnoxious to deal with because of stuff like this.
Another thing that is a bit annoying, is that items don’t really describe themselves when hovering them on the menu. This is really minor and I only complain about this because I accidentally skipped the shield’s textbox, which explains how it works, and then I proceeded to struggle a lot with a certain boss.

What does this game bring that is new?
Honestly, it does not have to bring anything new to be worth playing. It just has to do well what has been done poorly before. The CD-i games it is inspired by are awful enough that the true potential the formula has have never been shown before. Before trying to evolve, there’s a need to see its true potential; that will tell if it is or not worth keep it going. Personally, I think it is.
So the sequel has to bring something new; evolve. The sequel has to take the risk to become more than just what it is trying to emulate. That includes making better enemies.
Not that the enemy design is bad, they’re fine, it’s just their attacks that are awful, as previously mentioned. I really like the serpent enemy, I think it’s cute, and it is standing on a skull of something. But that does not convey its threat level, because… you can just pass through it. For something that is meant to look terrorizing, being able to ignore it does not make much sense. Maybe it should bite if you get too close, like a Deku Baba from Ocarina of Time.

The music is pretty nice in this game, one of the few things that could be said in favor of the games it is inspired by. There’s no real dynamic music though, which is a bit of a shame. Dynamic music is exclusive to games and it should be done more often. The only thing that dynamically changes in music is the volume of the music, when entering a place.
The graphics are pretty nice, something very important to convey what is a platform and what is not, and it is done very well although… Some collisions are pretty generous.
The game controls well, very responsive. There is two pieces of level design that I hate: Fake collisions (that it is possible to go through to find a secret or something) and the fact that, sometimes, there will be enemies that will attack the player, and require the player to crouch to hit them, since they are either short, or they are on a different level compared to the player. This is not a problem as long as there are no LADDERS, which sometimes there are ladders, and instead of just crouching, the character will attempt to climb down them instead. Funnily enough, this could have been fixed with one decision that has been made in the game, but was done for entering doors. To enter doors, you have to tap Up TWICE. It would be a bit annoying at first to have to descend by tapping down twice, but it would allow crouching near ladders… Or better, just make it improbable to have this type of situation happen. It does not happen enough to be annoying though, it’s just a minor thing that rarely happens. It would be extremely unfortunate if it happened during someone’s No Hit Run of the game though.
The story is fine, nothing amazing, there’s a few jokes throughout the game, some references as well which are welcomed. However…
Ending a Monarchy and implementing Democracy? What kind of fantasy setting is this? You throw away the opportunity to implement the Proletarian Dictatorship, in exchange for an extremely corrupt system? Power to the People, and not power to the representative of the people, for the love of Talos. Hylia of the Heavens, please send your mercy upon us.

This game is a great emulation of what could have become a dead formula, it’s fun although a bit rough in its difficulty. Hopefully it is also emulated into something even better in the future.

I'll mostly talk about my experience with this.
This game is meant to be an hour long? Didn't think it was meant to be fast paced at all. And it's not... really.
It is possible to dash through it, but I prefer to immerse myself in the idea. If I'm supposed to by hunting, I won't be dashing towards the prey to shot it. I'll stalk it. Slowly. Patiently. Shooting only when having a clear shot.
It helps not knowing if there's something out there, hunting you back. There might be. Maybe not. I started really carefully, because of that. Kinda wanted to have something else to shoot... well.
There's not much to explore, but finding those collectibles is quite a pain. I really struggled with one of them, and one of them I... didn't really had the time to search for. I'll get back to that probably.
Playing slowly was all well and good. I even think that is the best way to experience the game.
But that changed on the last day...

For God is Coming.

The game barely holds the player's hand, and throws them into an unknown world to figure out what to do by talking with neighboring animals characters.
But since there are no stakes at play, there is also no pressure into understanding anything. It's great to be able to just figure stuff out at your own pace, instead of having the game holding thy hand and explaining everything.

It came as a surprise to me that I did not need to have a hoe and a shovel for farming, because of the Pet. If it is a dog, or a cat, or both, I have no clue.
The pet acts as an Active Companion, different from other games that makes them passive. The pet is essential for playing, but also provides extra mechanics as the player progresses in the game.
There is a bit of a shortage of storage at first, for the player's own inventory. I don't think that's bad, but it may be a bit annoying to deal with initially. Fortunately there are ways of increasing it, and the pet actually has some inventory slots available.
The only problem would be not being able to Pet the Pet. That, is a real shame.

A Cozy game cannot be cozy without cozy aesthetics, so the graphic style is simple and colorful, but the game is also packed with some extra options for players to tune it to fit their needs better, although there can be more improvements in that regard.
Remember: Accessibility Options are made to make the game more playable for those who need, and not easier. The more the merrier.
Music is a highlight for me. Every tune is great to listen to. Each season has two tunes, and when it rains, there is no music playing, which I like a lot... although sometimes I felt like putting some music to play in the background during rainy days. However, the sound of rain is preferable to a music track, since it makes the music appear less frequently. Too much music can become annoying, so the rain comes in for a change.

But, my favorite aspect in regards to aesthetics, is how the world reacts slowly as the end of a season gets close. Turning to Autumn? Leaves on trees start to change color. Turning Winter? Some trees lose their leaves altogether. Turning Spring? They are getting their leaves back. It would be great if the seed shop would match that, and start selling earlier some, if not all, of the seeds for the next season before the season starts. Technically it does since there are some seeds that can grow in more than one season... but that does not count.

Sometimes, one Core Mechanic changes the game completely. This game does not limit the player on how much they can do in one day, besides the time of day, of course. I'm speaking of the lack of a Stamina meter.
Not being restricted with that allows this game to be stress free, for the most part. The only moment I had stress was with the Cooking Minigame, which many seem to hate, but I appreciate a lot. That is the only moment, in the WHOLE GAME, where the player should feel any stress at all, which changes the pace of the game for about 5 minutes or so. And it's just fantastic.
Stress is not a bad thing, long term stress is.
Please, do not change the Cooking Minigame. lol

There are farm animals the player can buy to raise and keep, but they're not essential for the game in the most part. To be honest, the essential for the game is just... playing and having a good time. There is fishing, which is mostly a fine minigame that can be tuned with fishing rod mods, and there are plenty of items to collect and display at the Museum, which completing it is... a RNG pain, as most games with these kinds of collectables are. But, in the struggle is where we find meaning, so I wouldn't go changing anything yet.
There is plenty to collect, but also to make. This is partially why the game can be overwhelming, since it is not very easy to know what to start with. But, as I’ve already mentioned, the player can take their sweet time figuring things out, and I think that’s the most enjoyable way of playing it.

Yes, I need to dedicate a section for them. They are a core mechanic that, if used properly, can help a lot on resource gathering. So much so, if they are used optimally, the player will have so much resources available, they won't know what to do with them. They’re not essential, but incredibly helpful, even being able to mitigate bad RNG.
There's a dedicated pixie for mining, wood collecting, increased production of items and one that does all of these but better. The Rainbow Pixie is rare, but amazing. Even a single one can be enough for a lot if used properly. And since it can be used for pretty much anything, it’s the most powerful of the bunch. I think the 1% spawn rate is fair.

Very simplistic combat at the moment, but I do not think that's a bad thing. Actually, I quite like the simple nature of it. It needs some tuning, but as is, it’s fine.
With the use of jewelry, it is possible to increase a variety of stats, but coming across certain items will make most obsolete. I mean, it’s hard to compete with a slotted Dawn of Gaia. But getting them is completely random, so adapting with what you have is the way to go (until you get a slotted Dawn of Gaia).
The dungeons got me by surprise on how long they can be. I'm not sure but they look randomly generated, and they get new ore and stone spawns each new day, making them source for some of these materials, but not solely it. Remember Pixies?

The Neighboring animals can be really cute, and each has a different personality. There’s no deep social mechanics, and I wish for more, to be honest. These characters are great and some will be deeply involved with THE PLOT. Oh yeah, there is something going on, and has to be figured out. At the player’s own pace though, which is great.
Most of these characters know the player’s character for what seems to be a long time, but a memory loss of the character makes them not remember their previous friends. This sets up an interesting idea of these characters trying to manipulate the player, but, in reality, they are all trustworthy.
With the exception of Ren. Ren is completely new for the player’s character, which would be a great aspect to be explored. There’s the animals that know the characters for a while, and one that is just learning about them. It could have had some interesting intrigue at play. What is available, however, is just surface level for some extra flavor. I just wish it was a more intense flavor.
However, I do think some new dialogue options should be available after certain points of the game, as they will repeat a lot of things, and some might not make sense after a while too. Ren, all of that fuss has been solved, Freya is not that mad about you anymore.

I’m sure this game will only become better as the developers keep updating it. I highly recommend it for anyone, really. It should be good times no matter what. And there’s a Demo for it, there are no excuses to NOT try it out.

But the hero is lazy and did not even try to learn what was needed for that.
And yet, here we are rushing to The Nexus. You should backtrack, to get one of the most stupid chests I have ever seen in Jideo Bame, instead of going forward. Then you fall for a trap made by Pillows, that want to extort you for your valuables. Funnily enough, the chest actually had an item in it. Why? I don't have a ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ clue. Then you beat them, and the side-kick says "They're stupid and annoying".
They're stupid, and we fell for their trap. What does that make us?

They will NOT allow bandits to ransack their village.
"But we just want to get to the Nexus" thinks the player, as they destroy the village. Then the Main Character be like "We were just trying to pass by, we didn't want to kill anyone." Yeah sure. You didn't even try saying anything. This is supposed to be a RPG by the way. We should, hypothetically, have options. But nope. The RPG aspect is just characters with levels, stats, and equipment.

"OH HELL NAH."
No surprise. The Hero is lazy and unprepared, and the side-kick was not able to raise the army they were meant to. THEY HAD A WHOLE YEAR FOR THIS. The whole party just suffers of stupid.

And yet, the enemy will be on your level.
Thanks for the hint? I guess?
And I get it, they're just saying "go get other items". But, the problem is not difficulty. The problem is how stupid these battles can be.
Some battles, enemies can show up as backup. That wouldn't be a problem, if the whole point of the backup was to surprise the player. Then if the player gets mad and quit (like I have done plenty of times), or dies, or reset the fight, they will already know about the backup, which makes it pointless. Now the backup will be ambushed instead of being a surprise.
One thing that made me giggle was the archer enemy hitting my character through a wall. That was fun.
What about enemy Aggro? You're in a fight, and yet, only a few enemies who have noticed you can act and attack you. Even if the "cutscene" is literally the dumbasses ambushing you. Yeah, makes a lot of sense.
In this particular fight, in the Dumb Vault, which was the last drop of stupid to make me quit, you can choose where units will be placed. Makes no sense. The point is to separate them, and yet you can choose where they will be more advantegeous to you.

This shouldn't even be a problem for a player of games that have hit-chance like Morrowind and Xenoblade Chronicles. But fire is just so underwhelming that makes me sad.

This one is a big problem. They exist to create FOMO and discourage defensive play style, like what happened in XCOM 1. I actually lost one chest, and could not even be bothered, but then... I unlocked a spell card in a timed chest.
So you're telling me that, if I don't rush to the chest, I might lose game mechanics forever? Actually, even items can change gameplay, which means no matter the chest, you may be missing out an actual decent or interesting item.

I shouldn't even be so mad at this. The game is not bad, but I can't TANK how this game makes me feel stupid while witnessing so much stupid in it. It's a scripted game where I have to deal with consequences of stupid that I cannot prevent happening.

Made for a Game Jam, Pseudoregalia delivers fun platforming gated by Metroidvania style progression.
While the Metroidvania progression isn't a hindrance per se, the game does become more fun to play with more abilities. Exploring will lead to many dead-ends at first, but most are a hint on what's to come.
Controlling Sybil is mostly precise, and extremely fun the more abilities are collected. There's no set path, so there's some figuring out where to go needed. Most paths will seem impossible to traverse until certain abilities are acquired, but some creativity and skill can lead to some sequence breaks. And sure, there is no set path, but it is clear when a place is not meant to be reachable in certain moments. I got a few upgrades by unconventinal means. Later I found out "hey, I didn't need to do all of that". But, I did it anyway, which is pretty cool. Some games would not even allow to go too far without something.
The addition of Time Trials is cool, although I dislike most of them. They just get on my nerves. Regardless, they are a great excuse to try out the different movement options, and it's bound to have one or another that will entice whoever plays the game to try and finish them faster. Or, at least that's my Speedrunner Brain saying.
P.S.: The game has a lot of replay value as well, since there's no set path. Different areas can play differently depending on abilities available, so replaying the game is definitely an interesting idea.

And, that's it. That's the game.
The combat is not very enganging, there's barely a story, the music is fine, the graphics are ok. The different costumes available can be fun to hunt down, and Sybil looks pretty good in most of them. What stands out in this game is the platforming which is a lot of fun. The parts of the game that are lacking in quality should not get in the way of the real fun this game can deliver. Also, 5 bucks for this game is a DEAL.

Never reviewed this DLC huh.

Quickshot is the strongest Fire Lilliput out there, and apparently Hanzo is very, very good for speedruns. I don't like him though.
The items are more balanced but still very powerful. The attack boots are pretty good. Costumes are cute too. Little Noah tunred Anime Horse girl would be better if it had an element but, oh well.
Sometimes you just gotta have Noah Little Anime Horse Girl.

That's so unfortunate. They don't blend with the background at all. I finished the first map in less than 2 minutes and had to pass some time to be able to actually review the game.
The cats are just there dood. I'm guessing devs actually took criticism a bit too serious, when people said that the cats didn't even looked like cats in previous games.
Sure they didn't looked like cats, but that just made them harder to find which is kinda fine. Just tune the drawing a bit.

Anyway, cannot complain about an extra 100% game on my game list that was free. But the other ones were much better. Even the Dino one is great.

No hints though. Anyway, I have to agree with another review that, yeah, the cats are actually hidden this time around, instead of being weird shape around the image.
Really like the music. Pretty Chill. It was a bit sad to not have night mode, but turning the brightness to half was good enough. Also, kinda mean to allow the player to set the brightness so low it's impossible to actually see the game. How are they gonna turn that back on high if they cannot see their mouse cursor?

Y