Recent reviews by ik3da

Summary: My first completed game of 2024! Left one achievement to grind for but my aching/cramping hand gave up. The achievements (and the game itself) are easy once I gotten used to few builds (ran tank with extra HP + double HP heal + magma/poison/onion/crit) that allow me to hit boss + over 100k score level regularly. Spent around 7 hours for a RM11 game (from sales), definitely good ROI for cost + fun overall.

Pros:
+Not as bullet-hell as other similar games and easy to pick up even for a guy who doesn't enjoy crazy/chaotic bullet-hell genre.
+Didn't hit any bug/crash through out my 7 hours playtime.
+Fun while it lasted and the RNG of ability + item drops are not as frustrating (thankfully).

Cons:
-Game is short and repetitive; especially once you got the hang of it (or unlocked all achievements).
-Ability/item descriptions could do with better or more detailed explanation.
-Not all ability/item seems useful; I often took the same familiar ability/items to ensure my score is high. The other ones like ghost, starfall, shuriken etc often just makes it harder for me to see enemy bullets.

BG3 = best game made for the third time, what else can I said. Buy, vote, and play (or keep if you are a hoarder lol).

Summary: Not worth the pricing without discount. Game is short and 'simple' where you fly from/to planets to get resources until you reach the last planet. However 'simple' is a relative term, for me, it is simple to learn/play and nightmarish to survive as I progress in the game. Overall, for a price less than a cup of tea, then yes, thumbs up as it is fun while it lasted.

Pros:
+Dirt cheap during sales
+Simple game play with a linear goal (go from A to Z and don't die) to get anyone start playing immediately

Cons:
-Difficulty spikes up as I progressed in the game and the simplistic fun flew out the window for me too

Summary: A game where you will realised how amazingly addictive pressing a button is. You will want to avoid any jobs that come with any emergency or launch button after this.

Pro: 1-second learning curve with no nonsense/complexity.

Con: X-minutes/hours/days game where you will find yourself clicking/pressing the button while your mind wonder why you are still staring and pressing the button... WHY....

Overall:
This was an early access game review previously but even after after released, I am still happy with this! Similar to Islanders, Dorfromantik is a fun and cheapo casual game with no specific end game except to keep placing/getting tiles or to challenge the scoreboard. A set of tiles will be given at first and you gotta do quests/tasks (and closing them) for more else the game ends once you are out. Would buy again but only during sales as there is nothing much to return for (at least for now).

Pros:
+The graphic is very simple yet detailed especially after you placed enough tiles to be surprised by what you have done. It is very enjoyable as the little boat/train go around your city/island.
+Surprisingly fun and addictive gameplay, you will wish for more tiles as you reach the end. Thankfully, you get the option to continue on creative mode (free build with no points counted).
+I often spent couple of hours on a run for achievements without even realising it =X
+Early access game but build is quality and game is bug/crash-free so far (fingers crossed lol).

Cons:
-You won't just wish for tiles; you will wish they tell you to close borders of quests/tasks for the extra tiles. You will also wish that you can undo mistakes or drop crap tiles (looking at the damned combination of train and river tile). Very frustrating when you only need 1 or 2 more tiles to complete the awesome build.
*Note: You can continue on creative mode but getting the points/achievements do float my boat thus don't mind me, thank you.
-Again, similar to Islanders, game is straight forward and you just place tiles given to complete quests/tasks. Other than that, nothing else for me except to chill and enjoy the view. Will go a few more rounds for higher scores (e.g. 30k) but after that, probably will not return till I need this itch scratched again =(

Overall:
Simple survival game in a zombie apocalypse where you manage survivors in defending (and running) the camp, upgrading characters/equipment, and exploring levels (where decisions can make a difference in game). The story is also surprisingly decent especially for the cheap game price. Definitely enjoyable until you cleared the main story once before getting bored of the repeated combat and exploration.

Pros:
+Roguelike design with characters permadeath (especially if you don't read the notes properly hahaha) with random drops and characters plus equipment upgrade and achievement medals kept me replaying repeatedly to farm a stronger character.
+Decent plot/decision making with actual outcome/difference in story (pity though that we don't get punished for romancing Lydia else it will be even more interesting hahaha).
+Daily camp activities need to be planned (resource management) in advance as you move closer to the ending else you will face yet another early game over (get used to it haha).

Cons:
-Turn-based combat is okay but as time goes on, you will get bored of it due to the repetitiveness. Basically, breakthrough one specific punk/zombie and everyone whack the same fella before moving on to the next. Ability differs slightly across all enemies and you will learn to know which one to aim first as times goes on.
-The dice roll can be really weird; failure or negative chance happens very often even if your character has 90% to 95% chance of success...
-Certain plot in game can piss you off especially you invested a lot of time in the character.
-They don't let you romance the best girl; Trish!

Overall:
The birds are really there despite how many times you swore that you checked everything! For the discounted price equivalent to a teh tarik, yup, thumbs up else no.

Pros:
+Slight interactions/mechanism works that add in a bit more interest when you look out for the birds.
+The drawing is definitely nice and it was fun while it lasted.

Cons:
-Just one page/drawing, it is a REALLY short/quick (I took over an hour cause I let my boys looked for it first) before you are done and this is the first game I am eligible for refund after finishing it *lol*

*NOTE: I didn't refund it, I am not an jackass =X

Overall:
You will manage various characters with attitude and ego that strives to make you mad.
You will experiment with different tactics and strategy to find the OP strat before enemy somehow learns how to break it and make you repeat the loop again.
You will fight enemies with more money, better stats/skills, and often able to charm away your best characters with money.
You will have people expecting you to defeat stronger enemies, win all challenges, and eventually dominate the world.
You will be a hero...oh wai- I mean a football manager (again)!

Side note - I skipped FM2021 so this will be a considerable change from FM2020. Overall, it is fresh enough for me but I probably wouldn't think it is a release/change good enough for those from FM2021.

Pros:
+New details and feature (e.g. data hub with stats and data like xG and xA that tend to confuse you till you go read/Google it out).
+Changes are streamlined to make it more faster for changes/tweaks to be done on the fly (especially during match game time).
+Enjoyed the in-match control and maybe it is just me, but the VAR decisions (as annoying it could be), it is quite a fair bit of fun too.
+The good bit of FM fun is still there despite the X-th iterations.

Cons:
-FM2022 Ole is not the same as per his real-life equivalent (at least in my beta version), hahaha.
-More and more clubs getting licensed and if you don't mod it or add in the pics/emblems/logos into the game, it is really annoying and you simply will not enjoy it as much.
-The randomness can sometimes be overwhelming to the point that you wonder if your physios are asleep or your players are simply fragile glasses that broke at the slightest contact...
-The numerous conferences/journalists will bore you as you choose the fake lines to make your whiny players happy.
-You might not find enough changes/improvements despite the X-th iteration of release, and if you never enjoyed the past FM, chances are, it is unlikely for you to enjoy this too.

*WARNING: Spoilers*

Overall:
Makes me relive/play a moment of their life/memory.
Makes me think the house is cool/amazing.
Makes me scared (Barbara/Sam), emo (Lewis/Edie) and worried (Molly/Greg moment) as I played on.
Makes me think the house is ♥♥♥♥♥♥ scary on second thought.
Makes me play till the end (and more) even though the FPS movement makes me nauseous.

Makes me buy (WITH DISCOUNT) and play again if I am to choose again. Sadly, not at full price though with this ending.

Pros:
+Short and simple (possible to run thru it in a sitting around 4-5 hours continuously). I took much longer as I get motion sickness after a while...
+The story makes you think/feel a lot (like not leaving a baby alone in a bath tub, you moron).
+Music/scenes/overall look and feel just fits perfectly (the family tree is a nice idea).
+The game interaction and slow walk do make me feel like I am really living there for a moment (and I would literally swing the clutch at anything that moves).

Cons:
-I hate such story/ending with open interpretations/inconclusions of what happened. Was betting on some inherited mental illness that leads to ♥♥♥♥ happening so easily but I guess I will never know now.
-Nothing to play further or to come back for after you get to the end.

Overall:
*Norm with Supergiant Games now, yet another game with all the right reasons to spam our hours on.
*A roguelike game where you repeatedly fight/die over and over to escape Hell, responsibility, and well, your dad (LOL). You will die a LOT but as the saying goes, if it doesn't kill you (at least, not for good), it will make you stronger (and eventually beat the crap out of everyone)!
*My 2020 GOTY!

Pros:
+Story is short and simple; you are a teen who is sick of the your father who is always hiding secrets and you long for your mother who apparently left you when you were a kid. You also have a lot of rich/powerful (and often weird) uncles, aunts, and cousins that are out to help you when they are happy and out to kill you when they are pissed.
+Lots to do; you collect and level up weapons+artifacts, you fish, you deco+build up Hell-house, you bribe people for hearts and so on.
+Quite fun to play on mobile (or via Steam Link app)!
+Random reactions due to your actions and the voice actors play a very good role (narrator is fun as always).
+Fancy battles where the different weapons + random power ups changes your battle style, and each run thru Hell feels interesting/unique for a while.

Cons:
-I do wish that the campaign story is longer/expanded even if it means DLCs (yes developers, I would buy additional DLC for Hades if it comes in such standard).
-It does get annoying as you repeat the same Hell levels over and over especially Asphodel; I hate lava floor especially when I am playing on my phone...