Recenzii recente de Unredeemable Jank

Divine Dynamo Flamefrit is a topdown 2D action game with first person boss battles in the style of SNES/Genesis games. It has a bit of a unique history in that its initial announcement was believed to be an April Fool's joke from INTI CREATES. It seemed like the concept had potential so the likelihood of the game as a joke did not set well with me, only to find that the DDF was being attached as a pre-order bonus for another game (Card-en-Ciel) in addition to being sold on its own. As a pre-order bonus, I think DDF is a steal. If not, I would still recommend it but with a few qualifiers.

The visuals of this game are very much a throwback to the 90s as is the excellent soundtrack. The gameplay in both the top down 2D segments and first person boss battles are great. The 2D combat is fluid and dynamic and the boss battles (while occasionally having seriously padded health bars) feel fantastic. The biggest thing that does have me qualify my recommendation and cannot be overlooked is that there are exactly three not especially long levels levels and four bosses in this game. I took my time and it still only took me 3.5ish hours to beat it, some more skilled players could easily clear this in 2 hours. What's there is a fun time, but there really isn't much of it. Another frustrating aspect is that the final boss battle ends with a quicktime events where it is not clear at all what input you should press to complete the final battle. Is it RB or LB, commonly used for blocking in the mech sessions? NOPE. It's up on the D-pad. I would have never figured that out without posts on Steam. On the bright side, the quicktime event restarts every time you fail it so your (likely) multiple deaths can easily be avoided once you figure the input without slogging through the final battle again.

These qualifiers aside, I did enjoy my time with DDF. Most would likely clear it over the course of an afternoon and that's ok. I was just expecting a ton more, which hopefully this game works as a proof of concept that allows for a sequel. If INTI CREATES announced a sequel, I would pick it up instantly. Until then, I would still recommend DDF knowing that while its fires burn bright, they do not burn for long.

Ender Magnolia was one of the games I was most looking forward to in 2025. It is the sequel to Ender Lilies, a dark fantasy metroidvania, that I quite enjoyed whilst waiting for Hollow Knight Silksong. Here we are several years later, and no Silksong. Ender Lilies was a fantastic time so expectations were riding high going into Ender Magnolia. I am happy to report that Ender Magnolia not only meets the high bar set by the prior game but exceeds it in every way.

Comparisons to Ender Lilies is inevitable but I will try to keep it to a minimum. Instead of the prior game's dark mideval fantasy metroidvania, Magnolia is set in a dark fantasy steampunk environment. Both take place in the same world though Magnolia is set many years into the future. Like in the prior game, you control a small girl (Lilac) who has Homunculi fight for her much in the same manner spirits did for Lily. There are far fewer Homunculi but their personalities are better explored than the prior game's spirits. The Homunculi also operate on cooldowns while a number of spirits had a certain amount of ammunition. As a result, Lilac feels significantly stronger than Lily, though her healthpool feels smaller. Lilac is very much a glass cannon with most boss fights ended up in me destroying the boss easily or the boss killing me in two hits.

The Ender series is a triumph in not wasting the players time. As in the prior game, you can warp to savepoints at any point during gameplay. You don't lose half your money upon death, you just die. The map and UI of the Ender series are my favorites in the genre. The map and UI are remarkably clear and the map rooms change color once you find all items and pathways leading out of it. Unlike in the prior game, the story is fairly straightforward and the environments are dynamic and varied. Magnolia may start in an underground research facility but shifts to a forest, a sorcerers academy, an eastern feudal lord's estate among many others. While the color pallet is muted, it definitely stands out from it's mostly monochrome predecessor.

I cannot think of any complaints one could have about this game. The worst thing you could say about Ender Magnolia is that it does not innovate a great deal from its predecessor, which admittedly was not a terribly innovative game in and of itself. This said, every idea in Ender Magnolia is so executed so perfectly, that I am really not sure where said innovation could take place. In my 20 hours of playtime, I have had a phenomenal time with Ender Magnolia and this is my early leader for game of the year. If you liked Ender Lilies, you should check this out. If you didn't enjoy Ender Lilies, I would still recommend giving Ender Magnolia a try- it's just that much incrementally better that you should give it a shot.

Mind Over Magnet is a short and sweet puzzle platformer. Admittedly this is not the usual type of game that I'd pick up, but I have quite enjoyed Mark Brown's videos over the years and felt like giving back. The action and puzzles are charming as is the animation. While I did not often use it, the hint system was clever and perfectly implemented.

The only thing that seemed a bit curious is that the game was over in about three hours, right at the point where I felt like the puzzles were going to kick it up a notch. That said, the time I spent with the game was fantastic, but it almost felt like right as the game got going, it ended and the back half of the game I was expecting did not exist. I do suppose it is better to be left wanting more than wishing it was over.

Short runtime aside, Mind Over Magnet is definitely worth your time and money. Highly recommend checking it out.

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!