Recent reviews by Niirai

Fix your game SEGA. Teto deserves better.

This probably is one, if not the, worst new player experience I've ever had. And I've played Korean MMO's. You get thrown into an incoherent story. Cool CGI sure but it makes about as much sense as a drunk penguin. Also blasts your ears out by the way if you're using Windows volume mixer and that happens for every new CGI in each chapter. Then you get hard forced to do the introductory missions so you can't change the nauseatingly fast camera rotation or swap the A and B buttons. In general this is the worst control scheme I've ever seen. I understand why people care about controls on PC but I've never really been that bothered by it. That was until this damn game. Holy hell it's bad. I don't think they could've done anything less otherwise it wouldn't have been allowed on Steam.

But surely that's the worst of it right? Wrong. Now I'm looking at an ugly as hell UI with more icons than I have brain cells. No clue what to do, read 3 "beginner" guides thicker than the old testament. Talking about eggs and supply and how I shouldn't rank my SA's SS rank SP skill. Feeling more confused and dumber than ever. Having the weight of my parents disappointment on my back because I can't even navigate a mobile game. Meanwhile I'm getting popups for this great TIME LIMITED OFFER 60% OFF for something I have no clue what it's for.

In a way I'm glad it's not better. I'm sure there's an interesting game somewhere buried here but my shovel broke recently and I can't afford a new one because I spent my last savings on the Raiden banner.

EDIT: I decided to borrow my neighbor's shovel after I found the gacha and the game let me trial run some late game builds. Gambling is a powerful drug. The game is still awful though and I have entered the 2nd circle of beginner hell. I’ve gotten somewhat familiar with the UI and features but am now utterly confused about everything else. There’s like 20 different currencies spread out over 20 different systems and shops. And the best part is that everything has a timer on it, be it daily/weekly/version, so there’s this looming FOMO all the time. That’s not even mentioning materials and the ever present stamina management. The story somehow managed to get worse. Between massive time jumps, different(?) characters that look the same and an avalanche of name drops of characters that haven’t been introduced, I feel like I’m experiencing early onset dementia. It’s so incomprehensible that it made me not care about hot scantily dressed anime girls. Didn’t even know that was possible.

Then there’s the actual gameplay which is also really complicated. The game throws a lot of characters at you, which is definitely not a bad thing for a gacha game, but from a learning perspective it’s overwhelming. It doesn’t help that the difficulty is all over the place. Either I’m blindly button mashing my way through a level or get absolutely blasted and waste my stamina.

So why am I still playing? Because when it clicks, it clicks really damn well. Every now and again there’s a level that is balanced just right and I need to play well while utilizing all facets of the characters. And I’m well aware I’m not even close to scratching the surface here. The beginner experience might be indescribably abysmal but it also means there’s so much to do and see. The game has a lot of features in place to explain concepts and allows you to practice. It’s very scattered and not always immediately useful but it’s there. And the snippets of late game you get with the trials have some of the most disgustingly badass combat I’ve ever played. That might just be me being a sucker but from what I understand there’s a lot of ways to build and get characters. I think in about 10-15 more hours of play my current frustrations will have turned into giddy excitement for what’s to come. But for now I still wouldn’t recommend this.

A pretty little Metroidvania that is marred by many small annoyances that keep it from being truly good. I did my initial playthrough on hard and got my ass kicked frequently. Income wasn't very reliable and consumables were expensive. But that all added to the satisfaction of playing well in a long trek towards a save point or in a boss fight. The controls feel reliable and accurate which is vital in a tough game like this. I was impressed with how tangible my improvement was. When finding a new enemy I would pretty much always be in danger of dying but after a few encounters I could reliably kill them without getting hit.

The presentation is where this game shines. The music feels very nostalgic and has a nice variety in tone that's fitting for the different levels. The art is also gorgeous. The enemies and bosses have very detailed spites and are instantly recognizable. But especially the animation is top notch which is important for reliably reading attack patterns. I liked flicking through the bestiary to see the big baddies that I'd overcome. Unfortunately there's no flavor text for the enemies and the story is pretty forgettable too.

There's a lot of different genre elements thrown in here. A bit of RPG, a bit of procedural generation and some random loot drops but those don't enhance the experience. I think this game would've been better if the devs held more control over the power curve and level design. It happened quite frequently that I would backtrack to open a chest and get something useless while I would get a great drop from a random enemy. It's nothing gamebreaking but it just feels bad.

Then there is the navigation issues. While the map is functional, it doesn't show why a path is blocked and you can't place useful markers so you'll be completely reliant on memory when backtracking. It's also hard to read. For the 100% map achievement I spent ages staring at the map to find the last area to explore. Then there is the stupid travel system where you'll waste a ton of time going into the wrong door or having to go to the single save point. And while I think the enemy design is good you'll encounter really unfair situation. Enemies might be edge-guarding forcing you to reload an area or tank hits. And playing optimally means simply jumping over everything and not interacting at all,

With all that said, I 100% it and had a decent time while playing so it gets a small recommendation. But with so many excellent Metroidvanias on steam it's on the bottom end of the list.

Rover Mechanic Simulator isn't so much a sim as it is a clicker. The tutorial explains that you can restart missions if you mess up. But that is literally impossible due to the game shoving all the actions in your face and you only having to right or left click.

Each mission follows an investigate-disassemble-repair-reassemble structure. The start of the game is super fun. The rovers are imposingly complicated and you're slowly exploring and learning about the different rovers while battling a timer. Sure, the game hints that the camera has an issue but good luck finding that on a rover with a ton of weird looking components. And once you finally found the bugger trying to take it off is also a mystery because it's attached to other components which are also attached to components etc. The first time you explore all the different parts of a rover and manage to repair that faulty part is really satisfying. And you'll be sure to remember where that part is and what it does.

But then the game introduces a ton of systems and mechanics to make the game so easy that you barely have to interact at all. Here's a way so you can print an entire part so you don't have to repair, here's an upgrade so you don't have to investigate, here's so much money that you never have think about what you spend. The devs idea of rewarding the player is to make the game worse and have you play less. It's absolutely baffling.

There is clearly potential here which is why I'm so disappointed. The concept is great, the rovers are awesome, the game looks good and the core gameplay structure is enticing. But the execution of it all is just so shallow, repetitive and tedious. I imagine this game with building manuals and tools so that you have to think about what you're doing instead of mindlessly clicking. Make an upgrade system that allows the player to explore and repair more, not less. What a shame.

EDIT: While I stand by everything I said in my original review, I feel I was too harsh on this title and have changed my recommendation. After having played more simulation games I've discovered the charm of tedious, repetitive gameplay loops. It's very relaxing and satisfying. This game allows player agency to play this game in a passive way or more active way. And in my original review I wanted a more active experience which was taken away by the upgrades. But I feel it's unfair to condemn the game so completely because of the way I personally chose to play the game even though they give me options. I still think it should've been balanced/designed differently but that doesn't take away the fact that at it's core, this is a really cool and unique simulation experience.

I had hoped for a visual novel with picross puzzles but it's actually picross with a bit of story. The game starts of strong with a bold style and fast paced story. The 1st chapter is exactly what I hoped it would be. The puzzles are short and sweet and there is a good balance between both modes. However halfway chapter 2 the puzzles get on increasingly bigger grids so you spend a lot more time puzzling. This leads to huge breaks between story segments and completely kills the pacing. I'd say about 80% of the play time is spent on picross and then rest is scattered story.

The writing itself is decent, it's very quirky like the Phoenix games. The mystery elements are not anywhere close to the level of those games though because it's way more predictable. I personally quite enjoyed the picross puzzles but I'm a complete beginner so I don't have any reference points. I found it quite difficult to start but once I figured out a few tricks and knew how the hint system worked everything was very doable. Definitely put on some of your own music though because there's only 1 track that repeats endlessly. It has quite a lot of content too. I clocked 35 hours and still had a bunch of bonus puzzles left. The achievements are super easy and only require you to complete the story.

I'm giving this a recommendation if you want to play mainly for the picross puzzles. If you're looking for a VN, this game is sorely lacking. Go in with the right expectations and you'll find a very charming game.

I remember being a bit disappointed the first time I played Limbo. It was unique, punishing and gorgeous but it didn't floor me like all the awards and praise would have me believe. It lacked the satisfying and fun gameplay from Bastion or emotional gut punch from To the Moon. It was one of the indie classics that just didn't click for me. Having replayed it this week with less expectations and baggage I liked it a lot more.

Since I'd forgotten a lot of the puzzles and traps it was once again a satisfying experience getting to the end. The puzzles are well designed and achieve that magical "aha!" moment. The platforming feels reliable and tight. All these years later I still remembered some specific sections because they are undeniably brilliant. The ending also hit me different this time around and left me watching some analysis about the game that made me love the atmosphere and setting even more. It's also a very fun game to achievement hunt since it rewards you with more content and tests your skill while being reasonable in time taken.

A classic for a reason that everyone should play but maybe you should be in a certain mood for.

Small and charming visual novel that tries really hard to be edgy but ends up being about as sharp as a butter knife. The art is super inconsistent with well done CG, lower fidelity in-game models and ugly battle art. The music is about as generic as it can get and there is no voice acting. The gameplay is a basic stat builder but there are enough systems to feel like you're actually playing. The writing is also not great. The tone is all over the place, it's badly paced and the characters are all victims of tropes and stereotypes.

Yet, though all my criticism I enjoyed it quite a bit. There is enough twists and turns to stay interesting and the girls are cute. It's no secret where this VN draws it's inspiration from. While not nearly as good as that famous VN, this is very serviceable if you're looking for more of that.

Everything has already been said about this game by people more eloquent than me. A showcase for indie games where the experience is not determined by scope or skill but by creativity and passion.

Looking at the reviews and VNDB rating I felt pretty confident going into this because I knew it was going to be a significant time investment but what a waste. Let's go over the good first. The art is really nice, there's a boatload of content and the save system is really good. The music is decent but mostly goes unnoticed. The voice acting is a bit of a mixed bag. Some roles are well cast and well performed while others are generic and obnoxious like the MC. I also liked how easy it was to achieve and see bad endings. Mostly so I could experience the MC die in horrific ways.

However the reason why I play a VN is the writing and the story. And the writing is bad. The story is action driven which I feel doesn't translate well into a VN. Even though the visuals are nice, the entire experience lacks impact and ends up being boring. There are story elements that attempt to build a sense of urgency and tempo but the actual progression is just the characters going from one place to the next. But I stuck with it because the story hints at a larger mystery and this is where this VN fails miserably.

The root cause is, like it almost always is, the characters. You have a cast consisting of 2 elite rescue workers, a teacher, a nuclear scientist and they are all as dumb as bricks. The characters are always 10 steps behind the reader, refusing to ask obvious questions or look at the larger picture while running around like headless chickens. On top of that, the characters are inconsistent going from strong and competent to emotional, illogical wrecks. Sometimes it makes sense in the story, mostly it's during sections that feel out of place and tone in an attempt to fill 50 hours of playtime. Plot holes the size of craters and terrible writing in general during climactic moments, for example:

White knight MC: Ugghhh, I can't hold out much longer...Tell me to be strong!
Kawaii meak girl: Ehhh? g-g-ganbare
White knight MC: YOOOSSHSHHHII
Good ending achieved

I know writing a review without finishing it, is bad practice but I feel I've played enough to get a good sense of the quality. I will attempt to finish it because I've played a significant amount of time and am curious if there's a twist that might invalidate my points. But I've been waiting for it to get better pretty much since the start and it's only gotten worse. I feel this would've been a better title if it was half the length because there is so much unnecessary sections that stifle actual progression which leads to boredom and frustration.

Wonderful little action RPG with tons of charm and love thrown into it. The writing is filled with terrible catpuns, 4rth wall breaking but has a surprisingly good buildup when it comes to the nature of it's setting. The sound effects are cute and the music has that nostalgic adventure magic to it. The combat is satisfying and responsive but very easy once you get the hang of it.

The game's biggest weakness is the quest structure. Every quest boils down to walking somewhere, beating up some mobs in a dungeon or on the map and then walking somewhere else. The only variation is the amount of walking and fighting. I know a lot of games could be boiled down to that gameplay loop but here it is definitely too noticeable.

It is a very short game however so it never actually gets boring or dull mostly because it's just so charming. I 100%ed the game in 13 hours and the difficulty modifiers definitely make perfecting the game a bit of a challenge. I got exactly what I expected of this game looking at the footage but I didn't anticipate how much fun I'd actually have with it. Highly recommended!