Recent reviews by esdin

Knuckle Sandwich is an absolute treat of a game. Earthbound meets Warioware with an extra helping of character, charm, weirdness, and personal touches. While the difficulty is a bit surprising in some sections, you can always almost make your way through with a bit of cleverness, and if all else fails there's a huge number of gameplay options that can make KS accessible no matter your play preference.

Had a great time bouncing around Bright City, and strongly recommend you take a trip there yourself.

As an avid fan of deep board games with too little time to regularly get folks together to play them, The Banished Vault really scratches an itch. From the wood-like buildings and gorgeously rendered flat maps, to the figurines that represent your ships and the vault itself, the whole thing drips the feel and aesthetic of an old-school, hours long space tabletop game of yore.

The mechanics, too, match this feel. On the default difficulty, a mistake here or there won't end your game, but can be devastating when you take on harder challenges. Learning how to capitalize on resource placements, maximize your Exile's moves, and produce the "right resources" for the solar system you find yourself in take a practiced hand. Definitely lean hard on that "Restart" option during your first few playthroughs; this is a game where you will learn lessons the hard way, and can try a different tack when you figure out what you were doing wrong.

The resource management is never unfair, as long as you set your goals appropriately; trying to be greedy will absolutely ruin your day in The Banished Vault, but setting a target per system, whether that's stockpiling Stasis, Elixers, and Alloys, working to maximize your Knowledge, or even just producing massive amounts of fuel, will see your Vault through many trials.

Just don't forget to get a Scriptorium up when you have the chance.

Cassette Beasts is to Pokèmon what a good cover is to one of your favorite song, intimately familiar while being it’s own jam.

The art is stellar, the combat system is deep, and the music is a vibe.

Spent two long play sessions making my way through the main story, and have continued to hop in to enjoy both the authored and procedural post-game content. And, with only 120 monsters to catch, I might actually do something I haven’t done in a ‘Mon game since I was a kid, and “catch the all”.

There is DEFINITELY a bit of a learning curve about the type matchups, which here take the form of a dizzying number of buffs and debuffs instead of simple “not very effectives” and “super effectives”. Thankfully, the game has great UI around each move, so you can get a rough idea of whether you’re about to hit the enemy hard or shoot yourself in the foot.

The “sticker” system is also kind of ridiculous, allowing a level of customization that similar games can’t possibly compete with.

High marks all around.

Varney Lake is a perfect bite. With art and audio that would be at home on your childhood console or late 80s PC of choice, and a story that deftly weaves the mundane and supernatural, it's a perfect way to spend an evening.
Played on my Steam Deck from a cozy chair

SNKRX is surprisingly deep and phenomenally fun, and at the current price point a must-buy. Started poking at it, and found myself coming up for air hours later.

A terrible crime has been committed.
An expert investigator is called back to the scene.

Paradise Killer is an incredible experience, allowing you to discover the facts and build your own truth in a truly free-form detective story.

Meet a cast of strange characters, discover clues, and uncover the TRUTH!

Griftlands is an excellent deck building game wrapped up in a gorgeous world with fantastic animations and aesthetic. Each of the characters play uniquely, and each have multiple ways to approach deck building. The psuedo-random mission generation and character placement helps keep each run fresh and exciting, while the prestige system adds a decent amount of replayability and challenge.

Cloudpunk is a game dripping with style. If you grew up as a fan of Blade Runner, had fun with the Fifth Element, or just like neon, don't miss it.

Disco Elysium's snappy writing, rich world and characters, and refreshing take on internal monologue all make it one of the most unique things I've ever had the pleasure to play.

PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS is a fantastic game, especially if you are a fan of cowering in a corner with your hands shaking as you train a gun at a door.

Experience the thrill of pissing yourself as bombs explode outside.

Feel the rush of having only 5 bullets left as a jeep full of heavily armed dudes pulls up.

Be amazed by the guy that somehow kills you and your teammate through a wall!

PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS: "Oh god, oh god, I can hear them coming up the stairs"