Recent reviews by Catbag

Corpus Edax probably won't revolutionise the ImSim genre, but as a passion project by one guy who clearly wanted to make a cool game, it's a great title that I enjoyed playing.

Corpus Edax takes place in a futuristic setting where people are defrosted to perform their duty to society. Things look pretty boring for you, as you're resusitated to work in the food industry, but after you get a cryptic message from a rebel force that want to upend things, and thus begins your adventure.

The game uses a system similar to Fallout's SPECIAL, called AGNIS - that's Allure, Grit, Nerd, Intuition, and Strength. These then affect a range of skills which you can raise via performing big checkpoints or finding magazines in-world. In my playthrough, I went in on Grit and Strength, so I cannot attest to if an all-Nerd run is feasible or fun, but the game did seem pretty combat focused, so you may want some points in power.

So, how's the game? Well, it's a little rough on the edges, and I found a handful of glitches as I played. Also, no matter where you are in the game, civilians will quip on how hungry they suddenly feel and ask if you're "new here"; it seems the bank of NPC text is quite small.

However, I do really enjoy the combat. Corpus Edax does away with guns; instead, everyone fights hand-to-hand in a pleasing FPS punch-kick system. You can go in for combos or just do what I did and give people a hefty boot down a flight of stairs. If you enjoyed kicking people around in Dark Messiah more than you did fighting with a sword, you'll love this game.

There's also a good level of interactivity with objects around you when it's time to fight. You can chuck items at people, kick people through windows, and use the terrain to your advantage to punch people off of ledges for extra damage. Getting into fights feels really fun, and the developer has ensured that fights take place where you can either use environmental items, verticality, or both.

Will Corpus Edax win tons of awards for being the best ImSim ever? Probably not. Is it a cool passion project done by one guy who made something rough, but cool? Absolutely. I suggest you give the demo a go and see if you like the game as much as I did. Given how this was made by a sole developer, I'm really impressed by how many mechanics they managed to squeeze into the game.

Don't walk away because of the graphics: underneath that rough exterior is an excellent immersive sim that keeps me coming back for more.

Brigand: Oaxaca is set in a post-apocalyptic world, in the Mexican city of the same name. The game starts with you being framed for murder, then immediately being let out by the very people who jailed you in the first place. And so begins your journey through this wild and weird world.

Okay, let's address the elephant in the room: yes, the game is ugly. Between the PS1-level faces stuck on a mannequin head to the judicious use of an army-styled font, it feels more like a game I would have bought through a mail order in 1995.

But as I said earlier, don't let the graphics turn you around. Under that rough shell is a game full of lots of great detail and fun to be had. For example, you can follow the start of the game and protect a brewery from a bandit attack, or you can walk into the hills, meet with the bandits, and turn the table on your captors by stealing their leader's prized banana beer recipe. And then blow up the brewery.

I also really like the level-up system. Instead of an overall level, you have skills you can put points into. You gain points by doing quests and helping people out. However, to actually SPEND the points, you need to find someone who can train you. Different NPCs will have different levels to which they can train you. For example, the computer expert will happily level you to 50 on hacking, but good luck getting anywhere with strength training with him. You can also have NPCs tag along with you and train you on the go, but good luck keeping them alive.

Overall, Brigand: Oaxaca is a surprisingly deep game with lots of replay value and things to do. If you're still unsure, give the demo a whirl and see if you like it. For the price, I got a ton of enjoyment out of it, and will continue to do so.

While The Rise of the Golden Idol may split hairs among those who fell in love with its predecessor, it's still a fantastic game that has plenty of brain-bending moments.

The Rise of the Golden Idol is a sequel to The Case of the Golden idol. Unlike the previous game's 18th century setting, this one takes place in the 1970s, so the look and feel is quite different. However, it is welcome and allows the writers to explore the Idol's presence in a more modern-day scenario.

You do not need to play Case to understand Rise, but I do still recommend playing Case first, if only because the developers have added quality of life features over the course of the DLCs and sequel.

In Rise, you're presented with several chapters. Each chapter contains several scenes, which you need to investigate to solve what transpired in each. At first, each scene in a chapter seems disjointed from one another. Once you solve all the scenes in a chapter, the game gives you extra info and one final chapter puzzle that shows the underlying theme that connects each scene. The final chapter then shows the common link between all of the chapters, and what was once a mess of unrelated scenes becomes a timeline of events.

If you're a big fan of Case, I recommend giving the Rise demo a try and see if you can stomach the changes. The main game doesn't deviate from the demo's formula, so you can get an idea if it's for you or not, For me, it was a delightful game, and I can't wait to see the DLC.

If you've finished Home Safety Hotline and your main wish was "Gee, I sure wish there was more Home Safety Hotline," then this is the DLC for you.

Home Safety Hotline: Seasonal Worker adds more cases to the game, but gives it a yuletide twist. This time, you play as Rebecca who acts as HSH's Christmas worker. The cases happen on and around Christmas, and comes with some new Winter-themed monsters and remixes of the original HSH songs with a more festive jingle. Even the calling noise has a bit more cheer in it.

Speaking of cheer, the DLC's new mechanic is the Cheer Level. This acts as the main failure mechanic for HSH:SW, and every time you mess up a call, the bar decreases. It never refills, even between days, so you'll want to keep it up. You don't want to see what happens if you don't.

HSH:SW brings the familiar creativity and puzzle-solving acumen as the base game, and it's an easy recommend if you want more of it. My only complaint is that the developer didn't add a 'behind the scenes' section to HSH:SW as they did in the base game; I would have loved to see their thought processes behind some of the creepier entries. However, between releasing the base game, a free update, and a DLC for it in the span of 9 months, I figured they didn't have the time to squeeze in some production shots.

Regardless, HSH:SW is an excellent addition to a stellar game, and well worth a shot.

When I played the demo for The Operator, I knew I was onto something special. I gave it a spin on release day and liked it so much I did a second run-through to pick up all the pieces I missed and see the alternate paths I didn't take the first time.

The Operator's premise is simple; you're an operator for the FDI who handles agent's queries. An agent on the ground will send you photos and videos of what they're seeing, and you have to find the information the agent wants. This includes finding the data or the discrepancy and clicking on it, Papers Please style. And your first day doesn't even finish before something seriously odd starts happening.

The Operator comes in at 3-4 hours of playtime, with an extra hour or two if you decide to replay for all the tidbits like I did. At its price point, some people may dislike that it doesn't hold up to the golden ratio of "one dollar for one hour of game time." Fortunately, this game proves the positive side of the adage "you get what you pay for," because it's by no means an ordinary game.

From the excellent story, to the gripping twists, to the fully voiced characters and the brain-melting puzzles, The Operator is well worth the asking price. My absolute favourite part of the game is its sound design; there are musical stings when evidence appears, and little ramp-ups when a case progresses. My fave parts in the game happened because the game detected that I'm on the right track with solving a puzzle and ramped up the music in response. It gives an incredible cinematic feel that makes you feel like you're in a movie.

I understand that most people will probably feel uneasy paying what the developer asks to get 3-4 hours of gameplay, and if that's you, I recommend wishlisting and coming back when it's on sale. But if you can bite the bullet, you'll find that the game will be more than happy to make every last cent worthwhile.

IF YOU LIKE THIS, TRY: Home Safety Hotline
This game shares a similar length, premise, and price of another fave of mine; Home Safety Hotline. While The Operator builds on suspense, thrill, and high-stake moments, Home Safety Hotline is surreal, fantastical, and even a little but humorous. As such, if The Operator leaves you wanting more, I recommend this one, too.

Before you play Night Signal, I recommend you try the developer's newest game, Home Safety Hotline. If you really enjoy it and want some more games in the same vein, then give this one a shot.

Much like Home Safety Hotline, the game may come off as a little pricey for the length. Fortunately, the game doesn't try to hide how long it will last; the description clearly states it lasts 45-60 minutes, and my own experience matches with that perfectly. However, much like Home Safety Hotline, you get a unique and imaginative game that is nothing like you've ever played before.

The concept behind Night Signal is that your character has just purchased a new television. The daytime TV consists of the usual news, sitcoms, and gameshows, with really entertaining graphics and dialogue. However, when the sun goes down and broadcasting ends, something else begins using the signals for more sinister purposes.

Being the developer's first Steam game, it's quite rough around the edges. I encountered a few glitches and bugs during play, including dying during the end scene which I couldn't avoid! This is why I recommend Home Safety Hotline first; it features a lot more polish as the developer took what they learnt from this game and applied it there. Despite the odd issue, however, this was a very imaginative game unlike any other, and I highly recommend it.

I managed to grab it during a 50% sale, and I feel that was around the right price; if the game is a little too steep for its length, add it to your wishlist and snag it for less. However, if you played and adored Home Safety Hotline, buying this at full price won't let you down.

**UPDATE: Since my review, the developer has added a 'survival mode' that unlocks after beating the game. This mode picks from a library of randomly-selected cases and asks you to solve it within 2 minutes, with a scoring system to encourage streaks of right answers.

The cases don't have voice acting due to the nature of adding a surplus of cases to the game all at once, but it still scratches the itch I felt when I first wrote this review, and I think it is an excellent addition.

Original review now follows.**

While some people may balk at the price tag for a 2 hour game, I feel the charm of Home Safety Hotline plus its excellent puzzle-solving gameplay make it well worth the extra money.

Home Safety Hotline has you take on calls for people concerned about the safety of their home or themselves. At the start, you're diagnosing household issues as evidence of mice, black mold, and other common issues. However, the further you go in the work week, the more issues you can diagnose, and the more wild and fantastical those issues become.

Solving the calls is a delight; the caller will give you a few nuggets of information and you have to scour through your book of issues to find something that matches what they're describing. Some callers will present red herrings, or information in an odd way, which makes the "aha" moment feel so much better when you figure out what the problem is. Sometimes that is quickly followed by an "oh" moment when you read the full issue entry and realize the caller on the other end is about to suffer a terrible fate.

The only complaint I have was that I wish there was more! Each day has pre-set callers calling in, with no element of randomness. I would have liked either for each day to have a larger bank of randomly-selected callers the game could pick from, or more days of the week with pre-set callers. Either way, the game does have some replay value by giving you a selection of "cheat sheet" options so you can go back to days you flubbed and get a perfect score. And the art book at the very end is a lovely insight to the developer's mindset while making the game.

If the price tag for 2 hours of gameplay is a bit too steep for you, I recommend adding this game to your wishlist and grabbing it at a more agreeable price. Otherwise, I feel the quality and character of the game was well worth the price tag.

I really enjoy 40K games where you can play as Orks. I had high hopes for this game, but all in all, it kinda just left a sour taste in my mouth.

First impressions were good; the game gives you a taste of how the Orks play and lets you pick a loyalty to the race you want to play. You can also get booster packs for your specific faction, which is great if you want to focus on one faction.

The problems began creeping in when I started trying to build my collection. Your deck features a warlord - think of the hero in Hearthstone. These warlords have special abilities that define how you play your deck. I wanted to experiment with the other Ork warlords, but they're locked behind packs/wildcards. Meaning I was stuck with one guy and his playstyle until I pulled the others.

Fortunately, there is a special 'campaign' track that allows you to earn rewards for specific factions. This includes wildcards and bonus packs, so I thought I could build up a nice collection with it.

I noticed that each campaign had a 'premium' version, which unlocks additional rewards like a battlepass. The problem is, the premium track for the *Ork* campaign is $20. That's not for every faction's campaign; just the Orks. If you want the premium goodies from other tracks, it'll be another $20 per faction.

After a few games I started getting the feeling that Warpforge gives you *just* enough to actually play games, and then locks the rest behind packs and purchases. I didn't really feel motivated to explore and enjoy the game when I bumped my nose against the paywall the moment I came out of the tutorial.

All in all, the game doesn't really feel like it's worth shelling out a lot of money on.

An excellent game with a lot of style and a unique take on the immersive sim genre!

At the time of writing, Fortune's Run is in Early Access and contains one level. However, the level does take a while to beat; it took me 7 hours to do it. Granted, I'm absolute dogwater at the game, but it was still a very in-depth level with a lot to explore and discover.

The game gives a simple combat and movement tutorial with lots of foreshadowing and then lets you loose in a derelict space station. The game's "no handholding" manta really kicks in here; there are a lot of parts that the tutorial doesn't cover that you have to learn as you play, from objects in the world to boss mechanics.

The "no handholding" mantra does make you feel smart when you work things out, but it does also mean the game has periods where you're wondering where the hell you have to go next, or why the boss is stunning you, or how to approach a fight. As such, there are periods of frustration, but it's nothing you can't step away from and work out with a clearer head.

This is definitely a game that will see you die a lot, even on the normal difficulty. My suggestion is to not be afraid to reload a fight if you took a ton of HP/limb damage. The healing items are a little sparse, so it's best to refine each fight so you come out of them in the best condition possible.

All in all, I'm very excited to see how Fortune's Run develops through Early Access!

The only thing I hated is that it ended.