Recent reviews by Kc

Decent little factory game but lacking in any agency. It's a very simple production chain builder, like Mindustry. What hurts it a lot for me though is the lack of any sort of threat or drive for you to perform better or make more effective factories. There's no biters or AI opponent competing against you or any existential threat to your run, it's just 'get the parts there sometime'. Sure this is satisfying enough for some people, but the game explicitly has to state in its tutorial that it *isn't* an idle game, it just isn't that fun for me.

One of the other big issues is the lack of continuity of its components. When you get a new objective to make a new part, sure, some of the previous parts can be used to incrementally upgrade your factory, but you generally have to tear everything out and make a completely new factory segment every time there's a new component. This combined with the clunky controls (playing this on a laptop is a bit of a hassle) made the game just annoying to deal with.

Can still recommend it on sale if you really like these sorts of simple factory games, it certainly has its own niche and audience, but I'm not one of them.

Very simple strafe-dodge game pretty similar to Run or Velocibox, the obstacles coming at you change as they approach, shrinking, growing or combining with other walls in an attempt to catch you off guard. Pretty decent, though it's certainly tough to get into it if you aren't already a bit experienced with twitch gameplay. Recommend it at full price if you like difficult and fast-paced movement games, it doesn't get much crisper than this.

Pretty good RTT which emphasizes positioning and contrasting unit choices in doctrinal combat. Compared to the Men of War and Company of Heroes titles, it carves its own niche through quick, lethal combat and very short times to kill. It's great to see airstrikes finally implemented in multiplayer combat in a somewhat fair system, even if they're extremely limited at the moment.

The DLC model is decent with the release of a full campaign and faction with each expansion, and I'm personally excited for the British forces, even if they're quite a ways out. I assume the game will maintain its relevance well into the end of the decade and I'm interested to see where it goes from here. Get it on a sale, the DLC aren't essential for a fun time but they're pretty worth it if you're a fan of the game.

A cutesy game with a casual cult-management side as well as a dungeon rouge-like combat side.

The management portion of the game is pretty lightweight, you have to keep morale and food to acceptable levels while progressing through the building tree and completing objectives to appease your cult members. You unlock augments for your cult doctrine over time, though they don't impact the gameplay too severely. The cult members are fairly autonomous day to day, which is useful since the game's time continuously ticks away, no matter the activity.

The cult system is fine, but it's pretty shallow. Not a bad thing persay, just doesn't allow for much replayability. Then there's the combat sections in the dungeons which are pretty fun, if punishing. You roll a random weapon and ability for every floor of a dungeon, and you gain cards throughout a dungeon giving you minor bonuses until you eventually die or live to kill the boss at the end of the floor, unlocking the next floor. It's a satisfying enough system, if a bit repetitive.

Recommend the game if you're a fan of the aesthetic and casual management games, look for a decent sale.

A cool little physics game, finally got around to playing it after it being in my library for ages and I think it's certainly worth the $3. Sure, it might have non-deterministic physics but it has no 'one and done' solution to a level. There's usually an intended solution that doesn't require any timing, but with a bit of practice you can usually finish a level quite a bit under par.

Reoffending chance: 100%

Prison Architect is an innovative simulation game that puts players in charge of building and managing a correctional facility of dubious ethical standards. The game isn't very challenging if you know what you're doing, but it's a nice little project to work on. I'm not a fan of Paradox's changes and their monetization policy but you get what you get, I suppose.

The game has a satisfying gameplay cycle, from planning the layout of cells, canteens, and other facilities to hiring staff and managing prisoner needs, the placement of everything impacts travel time and general unrest in the prison. Players must juggle various factors, such as security, prisoner morale, and budget constraints, to ensure their prison remains secure. Each prisoner is an individual with unique traits and behavior patterns, including possible gang connections or secret traits for extra problematic cases.

This is unfortunately just about the only dynamic and unpredictable element to the management process. Playing with the random events enabled is a must, they periodically cause incidents in the prison which puts your redundancy to the test, from the generators exploding or budget cuts outside of your control. Without these, the game is repetitive and offers little to entice the player once the prison is constructed. That's the main issue of Prison Architect, really. Every game just plays out the same, although the first prisons you'll build will be satisfying in the attempt of getting one that functions, and those first one or two dozen hours are where the game is best.

Regardless, the game is still a fun little management test, get it when it's on sale. I can't comment on the DLC since I never got any but I'm sure their respective reviews will do them justice.

Did I hear detective work? I love detecting! Got a solid PI resume.

Maretime Bay Adventure is a cute little game making the debut of MLP on Steam. There's not too much to say about it that you can't see in the trailers and screenshots, it's a very simple platformer with some action sequences, fitting for the developer's history of kid games. It's incredibly overpriced for at best a couple hours of content, but it goes on sale from time to time, and I'd recommend getting it if you're a fan of the franchise for the steam items if nothing else.

So much for the Emperors; the rest of this history must deal with the Monster.

Total War: Rome II builds upon the extremely successful Rome I formula with some modern Total War quirks, to questionable success. In summary, Rome II attempts to make individuals in an empire feel unique similar to Rome I's trait system, but tends to fall short in certain areas. The game's combat plays well and the graphics are excellent as usual, but as with most modern interpretations of previous Total War games, the UI is very clunky and I believe it detracts from the gameplay experience overall.

Rome II expands on Rome I's factions and playable area, venturing a bit further into the British and Indian territories and adding more factions to boot. Rome as expected has a great amount of content, along with the Hellenic empires and Carthage, but otherwise other empires feel lacking in much content. Units are at times repetitive between factions but most factions feel unique enough to warrant playing. The game has a lot of effort put into its reworked diplomacy system and although it is one of the best in the Total War series, the AI is still problematic regarding alliances and supposed friendship.

Rome II revamps several tactical and formation systems from previous titles and it has generally been a positive change, though the units themselves are somewhat problematic. The game has gone through several fairly large balance changes but still has pretty blatant unit balance issues, especially in the campaign. This isn't exactly a new thing for Total War titles but Rome II just has some units which feel utterly useless and others are completely overpowered.

I'd recommend trying the game out if you're a fan of the time period, but otherwise other Total War games would probably be more to your fancy. The game is a very rough around the edges in some spots, but very smooth in others. Get it and its DLC on a suitable sale if you're up for it.

Total War: Rome is a classic that remains a cornerstone of the Total War series and a beloved title among strategy enthusiasts. As one of the original installments in the franchise, Total War: Rome helped lay the groundwork for the series' signature blend of turn-based strategy and real-time tactical battles while immersing players in the captivating world of the Roman era.

Rome puts great effort into its rich historical setting and attention to detail. The game transports players to the ancient Mediterranean, where they can assume the role of one of three Roman families or take command of various other factions, each with its own unique strengths and challenges. The real-time battles are where the game truly shines, as players engage in intense clashes that require tactical finesse, unit positioning, and an understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of different troop types to win challenging fights.

Despite its reverence, Rome's aging graphics and user interface continue to lack in features compared to modern titles. Diplomacy mechanics are relatively bare and the Total War AI as usual cares little for diplomatic plays, which hasn't changed much since the game's release. Despite its aging I'll still gladly recommend the game to those who are fans of classic strategy games or want to see the origin of the series. Though you can't purchase this edition anymore, I've heard the remaster is great.

Total War: Empire stands as an ambitious installment in the Total War series, taking players on a journey through the Age of Enlightenment and the dawn of the modern era. With its vast scope compared to previous titles, the game took a large step up from the localized regions that situated Rome and Medieval.

Empire's focal point is the variety and scale of its playable regions. The game covers three continents, allowing players to control a historical faction, each with its own unique starting position and objectives. Empire's attention to historical accuracy and detail is commendable, and the game captures the essence of the time period, from the technology and weaponry of the era to the political tensions and global conflicts. The game handled the introduction of gunpowder weaponry to the series very well, and the game has laid the framework for firearms in future games to come.

However, Empire is certainly not without its grand list of flaws. The game's AI can be erratic and inconsistent, sometimes leading to questionable decisions and actions by the computer-controlled factions. Adding onto the annoyance of dealing with AI is the rather useless diplomacy, with AIs happily breaking alliances and agreements the second your back is turned. Several battle mechanics are also frustrating, notably naval and fort battles which both feel clunky and greatly show the games' rough spots.

Despite its imperfections, Total War: Empire remains a enjoyable experience for veteran Total War players seeking a grand strategy before Napoleon's era. The scale of the game, historical units, and scope ensure that each campaign is drawn-out conflict, for better and for worse. If you're really into the time period, I would recommend it at a decent sale as it comes with all of the DLC.