Recent reviews by Mehaz

With 50 wins I think I can safely say that this game is actually quite good. The biggest draw isn't even really the difficulty, but the unique control scheme which, while frustratingly hard to learn, is deterministic and has a distinct learning curve. I had a lot of fun grinding to 50 wins, and even managed to get a ~6 minute time on run 48. I can safely recommend this game to the clinically insane, and those who are looking for something refreshingly unique.

aa

Remember when the dev footage for this game came out a couple years ago and we all laughed at how terrible it looked? Risk of Rain 1 is an absolute masterpiece and to this day remains as one of my favorite games of all time. How could they possibly go to an entirely different genre and preserve the core of that heart pounding thrill ride as you balance on the edge of destruction, running away from hundreds of mobs at a time.

Well, by some miracle that I can't even begin to comprehend, this sequel is like, at least twice as good as the first pixel platformer. It's so intense and immersive and amps everything we loved about the first game up to eleven. The soundtrack, the scaling, the item combos, that desperate feeling of one man against an army. This game has it all, and succeeds in this 3D environment so effortlessly.

It's great to see constant updates to the game over the past year. I've just dove back into it now that a lot of the main important content has been added. (Final boss, Artifacts, more characters, etc.) From everything I can see, the developers are paragons in their field and are committed to making a fantastic game even better.

10/10

Add CHEF

Journey is the type of game that I would give so much to just experience again for the first time. Absolutely impeccable.

Fish, if you're out there, I'm sorry you had to go before we could finish our Journey. I hope you ate some good pizza or something.

10/10

It's simple really, just win. Farewell isn't hard at all. Just get the Moon Berry. It's fine. Everything is fine.

10/10

This is an excellent little gem that combines deck building mechanics with a real time, fast paced, unforgiving combat system. Graphics are great, the music eggs you on, and the sheer variety of options and polish of those options really sucked me into this game. I definitely think there's a lot more mastery to be had, and that I was really not very good even after thirty hours of play. This game is absolutely worth its price and I would recommend it highly. It is a shame there is some balance problems (I'm looking at you, Gunner), but that tends to be the case with any roguelike.

9/10

This game is an excellent platformer that turns into an excellent metroidvania. Messenger does something unique with its design choices and exploration mechanics that is reminiscent of games like Portal or Antichamber. Its story isn't afraid to be cheesy, and its NPCs aren't afraid to comically break the 4th wall or reference our outside world. Three of the achievements, even, require you to get philosophical advice from "The Shopkeeper", the main NPC in the game, and it's actually rather heartwarming. The soundtrack keeps you moving forward, the fast paced combat and quick enemy kills combined with ramping speed and an arsenal of abilities unlike many other metroidvanias, The Messenger cements its place as an amazing indie game and I look forward to seeing what its developers can come up with next.

Also the DLC is pretty good too but holy God I hated the Star Messenger achievement.

9/10

Senua's Sacrifice is a game everyone should at least attempt playing. It's not a game for everyone, and it's not even really much of a game, but if it clicks for you it will be an extremely rewarding experience.

Empathy is the word. If you have a shred of heart, and are willing to look past some gameplay flaws including: monotonous puzzles, a rather basic and not all that enjoyable combat system, and not all that much variety in the enemies during combat, you will bear witness to one of the most unique games ever created with possibly the most human character I've ever seen. You will not watch what she experiences, you will experience it, in a way no other game has done. And you will be glad you did.

I picked up this game and played about the first 10% over the course of a couple days and 2.8hrs out of my 7.0hr playthrough. I moved slowly, taking frequent breaks, not really having a drive to continue. I misunderstood what this game was meant to be, to its very core. I put the game down for roughly two months. I thought about it a lot, kept telling myself that I needed to sit down and play it at some point. I avoided all spoilers and all discussion about the game during that time. When I finally picked it back up, I played the next 85% of the game in one sitting. I played the last 5% the day after.

Hellblade is not really a very fun game. It doesn't have a lot of gameplay depth. It's mostly walking, cutscene, combat, puzzle, repeat in varying orders. I don't think it was meant to be. I don't think it has to be, or even should be. The meaning and enjoyment you will derive out of Senua's Sacrifice isn't about its gameplay loops. You derive it through empathy, feeling yourself become attached to the story and to the quest and desperately needing a conclusion, tension about losing your save file completely and having to start all over once more, and pressing Focus for a minute just to get a break from the voices, realizing Senua could never do that herself. You derive it from watching another person in shambles, desperately trying to piece herself back together, and push forward against all odds. You derive it from watching the pain and torment Senua's condition inflicts upon her, and knowing that's what real people deal with every day of their lives. You derive it from the best final thirty minutes to a game I've ever had the pleasure of experiencing.

It's been half a week now and all I can think about is the story. I'm listening to the same two songs over and over just thinking about what I witnessed. I've probably watched something like five hours of documentaries and YouTube videos on the topic of psychosis. Empathy is most certainly the word.

Play it. I promise you won't regret it. Knowing what I know now, I'd easily pay sixty for this game. You'll be thinking about it for years to come. I know I will.

10/10

This game is easily worth 60 dollars. I could drone on for paragraphs talking about everything that this game does right, but you should probably just play it yourself.

10/10