Recent reviews by englitcrit

KILLING ANIMALS ISN'T COZY. I don't see how a game can claim to be cozy, but have animal killing not only a feature, but a requirement to progress in many areas. Example: I decided to try a game free from animal murder, only to find that I'm required to use animal skin to create a sawmill to build my cabin.

To the devs: other games feature hunting without the killing of animals. Rune Factory, for instance, makes it clear that when you defeat an animal, its spirit goes back through the gate to where it came from. In order for me to be able to recommend this game, we need animal killing to either be optional (focus on gardening and crafting) or make hunting a non-lethal activity to the animals, the way RF does.

We seek cozy games as a way to escape from the hectic, negative parts of live. Sure, some people hunt animals for sport because they enjoy it, but a consequence is that the animals have to suffer and die for it. Please don't put that in a cozy game.

I played the entire game with just a keyboard, even though it was designed for a controller, and doing so created an even more challenging dynamic that made me love it even more. The story is amazing: beautiful, and yes, truly epic. The puzzles are spot-on and I was never bored. I don't think it would even be possible for it to overstay its welcome. It ended rather suddenly for me, and yes it is heartwrenching. One of the best games on Steam, let alone indie games. The music is a cherry on top.

Oh, how I love this game. It's primarily a detective game, for people who are fans of other detective games like Sherlock Holmes, and who don't require endless action sequences. In fact, for a detective game, it has more action sequences than most others. It's like if Sherlock Holmes were a tattooed ghost who had to deal with demons (but with considerably easier mysteries to solve). Plus, because you're investigating your own murder, it gets so much more personal than other detective games. Plus, it's a helluvalotta fun being a ghost, walking through walls, possessing people and such. There are some things they could have done differently, but those things are mostly superficial, like using more character models for the citizens randomly roaming around a town where so many murders have been taking place (these side characters also could have had more fun inner dialogues, to make it more fun to possess them and read their minds). And the story itself was very short and ended rather suddenly. But I've never played a game where I wanted so badly to get every single achievement and solve every little side mystery I encountered. I enjoyed dealing with the demons, and squealed like a little girl every time one caught me trying to execute it. It's fun trying to avoid them and leap from hiding place to hiding place. Overall, as a fan of classic detective stuff (like S.H.), the game was refreshing and invigorating all at once. I just wish I could've made the citizens' lives a little more scary when I poltergeisted or possessed them.

I love it. Enjoyed myself immensely. The atmosphere, the music, everything. My only complaint is that it was too short. I want another installment in this era...or at least something else very much like it.

EDIT: They have updated the game, and now every single complaint I had about the game is completely gone. Well done, guys! This game rocks.
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I have not gotten to play very much of this game; my only complaint is the controls. Otherwise, it's grim, grotesque, bloody, gory, delightful play. I wish it were more forgiving; I hate having to restart a chapter when I die (especially because the crappy controls are the reason behind EVERY ONE OF MY DEATHS, but I recommend this game to anyone in the hope that they'll someday fix the shoddy control system. The story, the puzzles, the atmosphere are all perfect, outside of a small number of grammatical errors and typos. One of my favorite games I've gotten on Steam...just need Run to extend to the /right shift/ key, instead of confining it to /left shift./

There is so much more to this game than what you see on the surface.

I really had no idea what this game was about when I first got it. I don't think I even read the reviews. But it was on sale, so I got it. This game is so, SO much more than a platformer. As a matter of fact, there isn't even anything to fight. You run around, switch between dimensions...every single "world" (I'm calling them worlds...they're more like floating islands, only accessed by doors from other floating islands) is a puzzle in itself. It's relaxing yet challenging at the same time...relaxing for the lack of any immediate threat (and how forgiving it is...drop from a platform and die, and you reappear one second later), challenging because of the puzzle-solving and the dangers of misusing doors (which I will explain below). I get a sense of pride every time I swap dimensions and I'm positioned perfectly to climb higher up the tower.

But this game does have a drawback. So...WARNING. I made the mistake of attending college while playing this game, so I had to take a break from it. Having separated myself from the game, it's nearly impossible to get back into it. It's pretty unforgiving as far as door-venturing is concerned. Maybe I don't pay quite enough attention to the little window that shows what's on the already-explored island. I have no way to re-orient myself and get back into the game without that gosh-darn cube telling me I'm tearing holes in the universe or something. This is dangerous stuff. Seriously.

Anyway. I don't know what you're waiting for. Buy the damn game. Love it. Don't abandon it, even for a couple of weeks. You'll regret having done so.