Recent reviews by fidwell

Supposedly this game got a lot of criticism, but I really enjoyed it. Few games have helped fill the 3D-space-shooter void that Star Fox 64 left behind, but this comes close enough. The combat is challenging but feels pretty good (with a controller, mind you), although sometimes it can be hard to aim at fast enemies in the disorienting 3D environment. Still, it feels really good to play, and the great soundtrack is the icing on the cake.

It's probably just me, but I hate (HAAAAAATE) timed puzzles. I wouldn't mind the puzzles in Cogs—they're simple and challenging and satisfying to solve—but when you time it, it takes ALL the fun out of it for me and it's just an anxiety trip. Although I loved the mode where you have to solve the puzzles with a turn limit and no time limit, you have to unlock them first, so that was frustrating.

However I must mention that the sound design for this game is really, really well-done. It makes the whole thing feel very snappy and responsive.

As long as you know exactly what you're getting into with DLC Quest, it's relatively fun. Yes, everything about it feels really cheap and unoriginal, but I guess that's kind of the point? Obviously the DLC mechanic is just a tongue-in-cheek poke at the modern gaming industry, but it runs a bit thin. Just don't take the game too seriously and it's kind of fun.

Run to this place. Shoot these bad guys. Run back. Repeat ad infinitum. No thanks.

Finally, a Metroidvania-style game I can really get into. The beat-em-up gameplay is simple yet satisfying most of the time, including some challenging and well-designed boss fights. The game's aesthetics are the real clincher for me, though, with the great blocky luchador art and FANTASTIC Mexican-electronic-fusion soundtrack. Totally worth it.

Not the greatest point-and-click adventures I've played. Granted, I paid maybe a dollar or two, but most of my time spent with them was disappointing. The humor and writing is pretty decent, but the puzzles are nonsensical and the gameplay is irritating (it's one of those games that has about six or seven actions you have to scroll through to find the thing you're supposed to be doing). The art is awful but I suppose deliberately so, and I got used to it. Still, not a ton of fun, unless you're hardcore into this sort of game.

I should probably preface this by stating that I'm not really a big fan of horror media in general...

But all the same I don't feel like Home really has all that much to offer. It tries to run solely on atmosphere, with story delivered through pages of text. I actually quite like this approach, allowing the player's imagination to really shape the story, but what plot DOES exist is sparse and ambiguous. It's supposed to be, but even so, that also makes it incredibly unsatisfying. The gameplay is just walking around, finding keys to open doors. With a bit more depth to that, combined with the atmosphere (which is admittedly pretty good) the game could have been really good. It's an interesting diversion for an hour or so if you can get it really cheap, but for the most part there are better games doing similar things.

A very engrossing puzzle-adventure game. Thanks to the fact that you can freely move in two dimensions, most obnoxious physics-puzzle tropes are avoided in place of a good variety of logic and object-combination puzzles. The environment is quite nice-looking, and even when the puzzles start to wind down near the end, the light story elements keep the game engaging. Definitely recommended at its price point.

Absolutely fantastic. Superb atmosphere and aesthetics, challenging yet satisfying puzzles, just an incredible experience.

Basically the most perfect platformer. Sure, it's incredibly challenging, but it's also very fair, rewarding, and entertaining. Not to mention very deep with tons of replay value. Worth every penny.