Recent reviews by bikedog

I think auto-battler concepts don't really mesh well with higher paced gameplay. Generally, with an auto-battler, the appeal is to theory craft cool builds and unit combinations, which requires taking time to consider your options. FLERP doesn't provide enough choices, nor space to make what choices there are, for it to feel like much more than an idle game.

Facebook and Twitter have proven that people will waste a lot of their own time for a few likes; small moments of recognition from others, even complete strangers. Death Stranding reduces these already superficial social interactions to their most mundane, encouraging players to buy-in to the game's conceit so that maybe the experience of others will be a little less miserable. The implication being, of course, that the default experience of the game is, in fact, miserable. You will find no argument from me.

The quickest way to complete a route is to bring almost nothing with you; to completely disengage with the core of the game. Why? Because the higher your cargo load, the slower you go, and the harder it is to traverse the world. Planning your route makes sense if you expect things to be slow and difficult, so naturally you will grab a bunch of ladders and weapons and building materials. But you only need to move slowly if you take these things with you in the first place. If you play as a minimalist, the job becomes much easier, and the entire game falls apart.

Deceptively complex. Frustratingly difficult. Supremely delicious.