Recent reviews by Delasee

A game that works well as a prologue/demo for its companion game My Beautiful Paper Smile, Night in Riverager is an enjoyably spooky game. It could stand to be longer, and it's rather disappointing that the inventory system did not seem to come into play. Also, the possible bug of the character's feet being backwards (although, maybe that was intended). Nonetheless, playing this and My Beautiful Paper Smile's demo will probably give you a good idea of what the latter is like, and will likely be appreciated by any fans of said game.

It's short, but so are many fairy tales and fables, which I feel this to be a modern variety of. It may strike you as odd that this game has 4 endings, but each plays its role in the fable. Indeed, this manner of fable-telling is one most suited to video games. The art style and music design work well with the simplistic gameplay to bring this fable to life. If you've got half an hour free, I'd certainly recommend it.

Since this is a recommendation, I'll start with the downsides:
- Performance might be an issue depending on your hardware. Though it has much improved since launched, this is one of those games where checking the minimum specs and making sure your drivers are updated might be beneficial.
- Due to the level scaling in the game, you could easily find yourself in a situation where by upgrading your weapons effectively just makes enemies tankier and hit harder. I would recommend not upgrading past +5/+10 for boss/standard weapons unless you know what you're doing.
- Bosses in this game are more fond of one-shots than they should be. Most bosses I can recount have at least one 1-shot move. Some might not actually be 1-shots, but are due to the scaling mentioned above, and this can result in a situation where you either can't get hit or need to DPS-check the boss. However, there are a number of bosses which have genuine 1-shots, and only one I can think of where the attack being anything other than a 1-shot makes sense.
- Compounding the two issues above, having multiple players will only increase scaling, which can have the result of negating support roles based on difficulty.
- There is a cap on trait points, so you may very well come across traits you will never use unless you are being very, very creative with your build.
- Another issue which interacts with the scaling issue is that of material grinding. Scrap is not as easy to come by as it was prior. Given how level scaling works, until you upgrade a new weapon to the level you're using, it's probably going to feel like a water pistol or a pool noodle. That being said, there is a point that mitigates this, which I'll go into further below.
- Bosses are generated with modifiers (specifically in Adventure Mode). For the most part, these add a nice bit of change to each fight, but they are not the most balanced at times, and the right combination of modifiers can render a boss extremely difficult, even impossible, due to how these modifiers interact with its arena and design.
- Finally, at least one (maybe more) event that can spawn can only be accessed in single-player, as it results in an instant death meant to relocate the player. In multiplayer, however, you are just dead. And speaking of events, waiting for the Blood Moon event to spawn can be tedious to say the least (it is not a required event, however).

With that out of the way, here are some noteworthy pluses:
- Save for some questionable dialogue at the start of the tutorial (you'll know it when you hear it), Remnant 2's dialogue is much more expansive than its predecessor. While perhaps not winning any awards, the dialogue does what it needs to do and does it well.
- World level design is solid, and for the most part very good. There are some exceptions (notably near the end), but for the most part even areas with weaker designs still work thematically if nothing else. And to say each area feels unique from the others would be an understatement. You may even find yourself adjusting your build to better counter a particular world, though build overhauls should be unnecessary.
- Boss design is very good with fight design being great to alright, and there are far less adds than in the original. Modifiers in Adventure Mode add a bit of refreshing differences (with some exceptions as mentioned above).
- Multiplayer is very well integrated and very smooth, both when playing with friends and complete strangers.
- The main story is solid and does what it needs to do, though it won't earn any awards. If anything, the individual quest-lines of each world and their variations are where you're likely to find the most enjoyment.
- Finally, while farming for scrap can be quite tedious and more difficult, there is enough variation in each rerolled world to remedy this. You can go through quite a number of rerolls and still not have encountered every event or outcome a world has to offer (which may be considered a negative to some, and certainly does not help completionists, so mileage on this point varies).

To conclude, here are some tips:
- Don't level your weapons above +5/+10 unless you know what you're doing.
- If you're having real trouble in multiplayer with a boss. Try doing it solo, as this will result in less scaling and less erratic attacks.
- If you're having trouble telling when boss attacks (or any attacks, really) are coming, try turning off the in-game music, as enemies generally telegraph their attacks with very identifiable sounds which can get lost in the music (as good as it may be).
- Only upgrade your Relic Fragments when set to the highest difficulty world (Adventure Mode or otherwise) possible. You don't have to play through the world, but Relic Fragment upgrades scale to world difficulty.
- Unless your build is focused on damage reduction, ditch the armor and go for the light roll.

In summary, Remnant 2 is designed around a multiplayer experience but works as a single-player one as well. If you're looking for variations in your runs, then you're in luck. If you're a completionist, you better grab a guide after your first couple runs. That being said, for the most part it represents an improvement over its predecessor, and I have no qualms recommending this game, especially if you enjoyed the first one.

There are three primary reasons one can choose to buy this DLC: 1) You like the art. 2) You want to support the creator (the main game is free, after all). 3) You want a pancake/crepe recipe. These are all valid reasons and may be applied singularly or in any combination you so desire.

This game was made for the primary purpose of spawning the creation of art and other fan-works about its characters.
But this does not mean it is a bad game. It's core game play loop, while simple, is executed well, and even when it deviates from is standard format (quite out of left field, for me at least), the core focus remains the same: complete the level with as few movements as possible.
And of course, it helps that the art style of both the characters and the levels are well done, and the characters suitably quirky to be memorable. Not to mention the music, which is easily one of the best parts of the game, earned well its nomination for Best Soundtrack in 2020.
Finally, it's free! And will only take you about 30 minutes to complete. Or four hours. Depends on your puzzle-solving skills and memorization/reflexes.

I can honestly say I don't think I know of a game quite like this one. Of course, as the first of its kind, it is a bit bare bones in all departments. But it is well done. The game play is well-polished and quite enjoyable. So with solid play value and novelty, it is sure to be an enjoyable, if short, experience. Finally, the graphics and world design is solid, and the music, voices, and sfx are quite well done and implemented. It's a shame npc mouths don't move but that's a small nit-pick.

As a side note, if you started out like me by keeping the train in almost constant movement, I would recommend using it as a mobile base instead. Utilize movement it to get to new locations and escape Charles only. Although, I suspect this is how many people will play it to start out with.

Addendum: The most glaring issue with the game is perhaps its price tag. While I, personally, do not mind having paid $20 for it, realistically $10 is a more appropriate price. So if you do not think the novelty of the game is worth $20, then I would recommend waiting for a sale. That said, if this is on sale, definitely pick it up.

The music contained in this soundtrack is not bad by any means (if understandably simple and repetitive), however it is nothing noteworthy enough to recommend purchase in my opinion.

Disclaimer: I did not finish the game, only playing up to C3 M3.

At its core, Gun Rocket is a simple game where you control a rocket that operates under realistic physics that aims to be a difficult challenge. In both of these areas, it is a success, however not necessarily to its benefit.

The control and movement system are, at the end of the day, not complex nor unique enough to warrant recommending this particular game. No doubt there are many others with a similar system. In addition to this, the added features of the gravity drive and shooting mechanic are (at least up to the point I played) sorely under-utilized.

In regards to challenge, it is indeed challenging, though not always in a fun way. Boundaries can be difficult to discern at times, made worse by the chosen graphics and the fact that crossing small stretches of the boundaries is required at times with no indication of where the true boundary is. The unforgiving nature of the controls also does not help, though this may be up to preference.

Finally, a true problem with the game is that your ship will explode if you do not immediately move from your position at the start of each mission and subsequent re-tries. I presume this is a glitch, however it is one that provides repetitive frustration.

As it stands, if you are looking for a challenge and aren't concerned about much else, this may appeal to you. Otherwise, it is my opinion that you are best passing on this game.

Having never played Psychonauts before, I have heard a lot about it over the years. And I have to say, it lives up to expectations. It's art style is unique and consistent, and the game both in story and design manages to capture and utilize many aspects of human psychology to weave a captivating world.

Of course, it is a bit dated when it comes to how it controls, but that did not impair my enjoyment of this game. The only exception for me was the last level, which felt to me to rely too much on the game and boss mechanics rather than on the level-size puzzles the game is famous for, and which I think it excels at. Of course, level design across the board is spot-on and great, to say the least.

I'd say this game has well earned its standing as a classic. So, if you haven't played it yet, I would highly recommend. For those of you who played games of this type in its era, it'll give a bit of nostalgia. For those of us who didn't play many games at the time, it'll provide a window into a past parallel to ours.

So grab it and enjoy!

I was going to give this game a good review thinking I had basically finished it - then I found out I was only a third of the way through. Needless to say, the first third was my favorite. The atmosphere and sound design were on point, and the idea of an ancient being of the forest capturing travelers and forcing them to play its game only to result in death after death was captured nigh flawlessly.

Of course, I did mention that it was only the first third [see post-Kaycee's mod addendum at bottom]. The other two thirds are strong in their own rights. Different enough from the first while still maintaining a common theme. Even the meta story (of which I first thought I was going to ignore - given how much I liked what I thought was the initial premise) was carried out in such a way to make every aspect of this game's story enjoyable.

And, of course, the gameplay is solid. A bit janky at times, but that should not hinder your enjoyment of this. Just keep in mind, what is advertised on the store page is only the first third of the game, and it is the first third of the game that reflects the store page description the most. Of course, if you're like me, you'll play the first third for a number of hours and feel you already got your money's worth.

Post-Kaycee's Mod Addendum: With the addition of the FREE DLC that is Kaycee's Mod, the critique with only the first third of the game being what is advertised is remedied. You can even use a cheat code to activate the DLC should you not want to play through the remaining two-thirds of the game (though I recommend you do so). The content of Kaycee's Mod and the first third should be more than your money's worth.