Recenzii recente de Unredeemable Jank

Balatro is a roguelike deckbuilder that seemed to be THE indie game of last year. Not particularly enjoying rougelikes not named "Dead Cells" or "Hades," I went into Balatro with a bit of trepidation that I would be the ONE person who did not enjoy the thing everyone else likes. I can confidently say that while Balatro has not impacted me on the level as the other roguelikes I mentioned, it is a truly unique and beautiful thing that I can heartily recommend.

The main gameplay loop in Balatro is to build poker hands that generate points (chips) multiplied by a number linked to the rarity of the hand (mult). You can obtain Jokers that are cards that passively increase both the chips and mults in order for your hands to score higher and higher. You can also obtain tarot or planet cards to either change the makeup of your deck or increase the chips gained by playing that particular hand respectively. While the game may give the appearance of poker, you do not play against any other player but rather a swiftly increasing amount of points you need to get each ante (round). The gameplay loop is simple enough for most to understand but difficult to master which makes Balatro a very approachable game, even for genre neophytes.

At time of writing I have completed a handful of runs with different decks at the base difficulty. Even though I enjoy it, I cannot say I really want to ratchet up the difficult or delve deeper into the meta. In a strange way, base difficulty Balatro feels similar to playing Solitaire on my PC in the early 90s; a well crafted experience that is enjoyable to kill some time. To me, Balatro is not a gaming revelation that completely changes my view of the medium (as it was hyped to be) but a lovely way to spend an hour or two at a time. That alone is enough for me to heartily recommend Balatro.

Birds Organized Neatly is a lovely cozy puzzle game by DU&I. The setup is pretty simple- place and rotate birds in a 2D plane to all fit in the marked box. It is a very simple premise that gets increasingly more complex with each puzzle but never to the point where it felt overwhelming or "too much." In my eight or so hours of gameplay, there were only a few puzzles that really stumped me and the option to skip to the next puzzle is always very much encouraged.

This is the third in the series of "Organized Neatly" and I do have to commend the creators on the artwork. The art has always been cozy but it feels like they really kicked it up a level from their previous installments. Not sure if this is due to the greater biological diversity of birds or due to a soft spot from the creators, but it is very much appreciated. As an added bonus, there is daily puzzle that pops up once you have finished the base game, which is an aspect of this game I know I will utilize.

Birds Organized Neatly is very much worth your time and at the price point of 3$ USD, it is a steal. Don't wait- spread your wings and organize some birds!

Castlevania Advance Collection is a solid collection of games that is worth your time and money. Will break down the individual games below:

Circle of the Moon- Metroidvania with excellent presentation, both visual and aural. This said, the gameplay can be a bit of an adjustment. The movement of the protagonist feels incredibly stiff by modern standards, as best exemplified by needing to tap a directional input to run instead of holding down the D-pad. The combat is made interesting by the DSS system (a combination of two cards you collect and equpi). However both finding all of the cards and knowing how to implement them is intuitive at times, but often feels like you would need to use a guide. Feel like most people that love this game are those who played this game as their first metroidvania. I had a decent time with this game but it was easily my least favorite of the package.

Harmony of Dissonance- This metroidvania is almost the mirror image of Circle. While the presentation (both music and visuals) are lacking, the actual gameplay is great and fluid. Traversing the castle(s) can be annoying at times, but overall the movement and combat in this game is so excellent that it is easy to overlook the lacking elements. If a game had both the action of Harmony and visuals of Circle, that would a winning combination.

Aria of Sorrow- Easily the best of the metroidvanias. Awesome music and solid combat. The soul system is incredible- you equip the souls of defeated enemies to both change your active attacks, traversal abilities or passive abilities. Soma is a fantastic protagonist and the story is incredibel as well. This game alone is worth your money.

Dracula X- A 2D classicvania. Solid music and pretty great level design. I don't feel strongly about this game but had a decent time with it.

Yet another great installment of the "Full of Cats" series. A Shelter Full of Cats is a bit different in its other hidden object predecessors in that it is a little more narrative focused and has a little bit of nonlinearity similar to "Castle." Even though Shelter is not as ambitious in scope to say "Tower," the more narrow scope feels like it fits the rural setting. The pastoral setting feels very cozy and the strumming of the guitar on the soundtrack makes me feel quite immersed in the calm idyllic world of Shelter. Very much enjoyed this game. Cannot wait for the next Devcats outing!

I do not often write reviews for DLC, but of late I have been inspired to do so and it makes me sad to see it current listed as a "mixed reception" on Steam. This DLC vastly expands the map of Blasphemous 2 in terms of adding a few new regions and expanding several. One of my main complaints about this game upon launch was that the atmosphere was lacking and it often felt like different zones were just different levels rather than part of an interconnected world. This changes that for the better. You also get three (but really two) new bosses, which may actually be two of my favorites in the series (which is an incredibly high water mark). Brother Asterion is a wonderful rival character on the same level as Esdras or Chrisanta from the first game (something this game sorely lacked). You also get access to Mea Culpa, your sword from the first game in all its glory. Strangely you do not get Mea Culpa until pretty far into the DLC which kind of bums me out a little. There are additional platforming and traversal challenges based off abilities you get in the DLC which feel pretty seamless with the base game. Oh and the music? Carlos Viola somehow keeps on managing to top his own mighty peaks. I have been listening to the Frozen Mausoleum and Sor Cautiva Del Silencio themes on loop after the DLC dropped. This may be some of his best work ever.

So for all of this solid content, why the "mixed" reception? The majority of the reason for the poor reviews is due to two things, both of which have been resolved. The first thing is that the DLC was released in a buggy state and the second is that the "new game plus" was more or less the same as creating a new file with additional burdens you can taken on over your new playthrough. Both of these have been modified- bugs have been fixed and the new game plus mode as it stands, is (for the most part) actually a new game plus.

While I was positive but lukewarm about this game at launch, the Mea Culpa DLC honestly has changed my opinion of the full game for the better. In spite of the buggy launch, I am greatly encouraged by it being listed as DLC1 with the implication that we may have a future pilgrimage to Cvstodia. If it is at the same level of polish and mastery that Mea Culpa is post-patch, I cannot wait to return.

The Kintsugi pack for Mizi NO! is a wonderful addition to the base game. Unlike the base game or existing DLC, when you put the pieces of the puzzles together, the puzzles in this pack actually shows the repair of the ceramics with beautiful gold, true to the theme. While I have completed five out of the twenty puzzles, I can say that the difficulty is less than the existing DLCs. While I would have preferred a higher level of difficulty, it does not detract from the experience and I had a great time. Cannot wait to see what DU&I will do next!

The Void Rains Upon Her Heart is an excellent boss rush based bullet hell shoot em up with roguelike/lite elements. While it being in early access and a roguelike/lite can make it difficult to give a definitive review, I can confidently say that I have had a fantastic time in my 20ish hours of gameplay and will easily double that time.

While being a bullet hell shoot em up, the art style of this game is...different than the usual. Instead of military jets or aliens, Void mostly concerns the exploits of monster ladies. Your player character is depicted in gameplay as a heart who fires heart bullets into the boss monster who apologizes for attacking you after the battle. In cutscenes between gameplay, your player character looks more like a nymph and speaks with the apologetic boss characters who are depicted in cute monster lady form. The art style isn't really my usual preference but hardly offensive. There are several player characters who have different weapon patterns and health pools which lead to runs feeling quite distinct.

The actual gameplay is nothing short of phenomenal. There are many monsters for you to take down...err...love in this game. Bosses exist at different levels, each level adding in additional health pools and new attack patterns to keep you on your toes. A level 1 version of a monster feels very different than level 6. Each monster has different weak points which you can attack to get additional points and make the battle easier. The game boasts over 100 bosses on the roster, which is true, though several are remixed variants of existing monsters. The variants add either new attacks, stage hazards, additions of miniature versions of the boss or something similar. While the roster is perhaps not as robust as I initially thought, the variants do feel familiar to their initial form while adding something new.

It is difficult to specify if this game is a roguelike or a roguelite. While your base abilities do not really change, defeating bosses earns you currency which you can spend to "radiate" monsters, rewards, etc. What this means in terms of gameplay is that when you start a new stage instead of choosing between two monsters whose identities you don't know with unknown rewards, you can eventually reveal the monster identities with the rewards you would get from defeating either and weigh your options as to which would be your ideal choice based on your build. As far as I have gotten in this game, there really is not much meta-progression, just expanding your existing knowledge of the game to make future runs easier. Whether you consider it a roguelike/lite, is up to your discernment.

Void is still in early access at the time of this writing (v8.13f) and while there is a great deal of content already well worth your money, it is not complete, especially in terms of overarching story. As it exists now, though, I can heartily recommend it as one of my most enjoyable gaming experiences this year. Here's to hoping 1.0 is not far away!

Record of Lodoss War: Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth is a atrocious name for an alright game. This is a 2D metroidvania that I have heard folks recommend as being similar to Symphony of the Night. I firmly disagree with that assessment but do think this game has some things going for it.

This game is based off the Record of Lodoss War franchise that I did not know anything of prior to playing this game. After the 6 hours of gameplay it took me to beat the final boss, I feel like I have no more firm a grasp as to the story or characters as when I began. Fans of the series probably will get a lot more out of this but I was completely lost. You control an elf named Deedlit who winds up in a castle populated by acquaintances both dead and alive. That's it- that's all I understood of the story and world.

The best part of this game by a wide margin is the combat. Deedlit can swap between using a wind or fire spirit as her familiar on the fly. The wind spirit gives Deedlit better traversal while the fire boosts her attack. As you attack an enemy with a given spirit attached, it builds up a meter for the opposite element. Once that meter is maximized, you can switch to and slowly regain health in the process. While you lose meter each time you are hit, you can alternate elements to beat down an enemy, switch to heal and repeat. It forms a lovely cadence, especially during boss battles.

While this is a metroidvania which typically means that area of the map are gated off until you pick up a new traversal ability. This usually takes the form of a double jump, air dash or something of that ilk. In this game there is a bit of that, but mostly areas are literally gated off until you find the right color key. This isn't bad- just left me feeling disappointed at the lost potential. The one unique ability that this game has are shooting puzzles. Deedlit draws her bow and fires arrows into gear of sorts to unlock doors, move fan blades and reposition platforms. Unfortunately, I found the bow controls to be awkward and off-putting.

"Lost potential" does seem to be a recurring phrase in my head when thinking about this game. The sprite art is gorgeous but the backgrounds and music are so forgettable. The magic system is fun but the traversal is boring. The bow puzzles are unique but control poorly. This isn't a bad game- just a frustratingly uneven one. The one incredible part of this game is the combat system and I truly hope the devs use it in a less uneven game.

If there was an option to shrug instead of give a thumbs up or down, I'd give this game a shrug. I would recommend this game to folks who are familiar with the Record of Lodoss War series and/or prefer shorter games. At the price point of $20, there are so many better metroidvanias to play for that price or less, but I cannot deny that I had an enjoyable time with the game. It's that enjoyment of the combat system that gives it the slightest edge to recommend it, even with all the caveats.

Fantastic demo. Love the rustic setting. Can't wait for the full release!

Gal Guardians: Demon Purge is a 2D action platformer that has solid boss design and platforming with some questionable level design choices. Do not be misled by Steam's user tags- this is NOT a metroidvania. GGDP is far more similar to the Curse of the Moon games than Ritual of the Night.

You play as two sisters, who find that their school has been taken over by demons. Fortunately said sisters are demon hunters and resolve to take it back. The elder sister, Shinobu, deals with ranged weapons whereas the younger sister. Maya, is melee focused. While the game offers co-op action, you can play through the game single player and swap between the sisters at will. Both get unique subweapons that both work for offense and level traversal. Each sister feels like she plays uniquely and has situations both in and out of combat where each excel.

While the gameplay is level based, new subweapons are unlocked with each stage which opens alternate pathways within each stage upon replaying it. None of these, sadly, lead to unique levels or significantly new aspects to stages which is a missed opportunity.

Each level ends in a boss encounter and this is where the game shines. INTI CREATES has fantastic boss design in the Curse of the Night games and GGDP keeps that streak alive. The bosses are varied and while not overly difficult, are certainly no pushovers. However (at least on normal difficulty settings) if you die to a boss, when you reenter the boss room after respawning, a decent portion of the boss's health is still missing due the efforts of your previous attempt. While I embrace the accessibility this brings, I think there should be an option to toggle it on/off.

The game has a total of eight levels and to progress through the story you must play through these levels multiple times. The levels are solid but playing through them several times makes it feel a bit stale by the end. It should be worth noting that the story takes a huge left turn after your first run through these eight levels which may be a bit of a deal maker/breaker for players.

The reason for this sudden swerve of the plot is due to the game being a part of the GalGun universe. I was not familiar with that series before the game and if you are not either, I would strongly recommend looking it up before buying. For me, the aspects of this shared universe and its tropes usually prompted an eyeroll, sigh or occasional shake of the head but did not really negatively impact my impression of the game.

What does negatively impact my impression of the game is that when you replay it there are several collectibles that are tasked with picking up. In and of itself, that's not a bad thing. However there is no in-game map of each level, so it is impossible to tell which branching path you didn't take. Also there is nothing that indicates how much of each of the various collectibles you have actually picked up in each stage, and the names of a certain type of collectible are largely randomized so even using a guide is difficult. This caused me to loop through those same eight levels significantly more times that really should have been necessary and caused my good will towards the individual level design to quickly erode. Having an in-game map or even a vague checklist for each stage could have prevented so much frustration and I am flabbergasted this could have been overlooked.

Questionable game design aside, I had a good time with GGDP but would have had a great time with a decent map and clear checklist of collectibles even if they were not marked on said map. Even with that frustration, I did enjoy the game enough to recommend it, even if it comes with a sizeable asterisk.