Recent reviews by Phyrebat

This is a very cute game with a soundtrack that goes way harder than I expected. It's not a challenging game, but if you're open to enjoying its characters and getting sucked into the story, than it is far from boring! Its story explores themes about imposter syndrome, living up to expectations, and expressing yourself.

If you're looking for a mostly relaxed game that's not afraid to be honest, silly, and very sweet, then Chicory should be right down your alley!

- Your Only Move is Hustle (YOMI Hustle) takes the strategy part of your average fighting games and brings it to the forefront. Every match is almost a workshop where you can plan and perfect the wildest combos the game will allow you to. Rather than memorizing inputs and matching your opponent's reflexes, you'll need to condition and read your opponents moves in order to win fights.

Pros:
-There is a FREE VERSION on Itch.io so you can get a feeling for it before committing to it!
-Simple in concept with tons of space for player expression.
-UI is clear once you know what everything does.
-4 basic characters all have unique play styles with lots of options
-Lots of Workshop support for new characters and backgrounds.
-So far, everyone I've fought has been friendly and open to offering advice even while they're dunking on me.
-Even matches that seem like instant losses at the start can be come back from if you can adapt to your opponent.
-The game format lets me enjoy the combo potential and mechanics of fighting games without requiring me to practice inputs and memorizing commands.
-The character customization is

Cons:
-The UI is a lot to take in at once, and there's nothing in the game that will teach you how it works. You are going to need to watch a couple Youtube videos or read a couple guides to learn how all of it works.
-If you're fighting a skilled opponent, you may just get combo'd all game.
-This game requires patience to play as you will either be checking all of your opponent's moves or waiting 30 seconds every turn while your opponent does it to you.

- Ultimately, this game does 1 specific thing and only that thing. And you'll either like it or you won't.

If a "Fantasy MOBA Sports Visual Novel" sounds interesting to you then Pyre is Well Worth your time and money! It's art, music, and voice acting are all top tier and the "MOBA Sport" gameplay has enough depth and skill expression to be engaging all throughout.

Admittedly, the main story may drag a little bit near the end, but if you get invested in the characters and avoid binging it too much at once, then that shouldn't be a problem.

If you hate reading, then Pyre may not be for you. All of its story is delivered through visual story text boxes and simple choices. To me it's a story well worth experiencing, but if you can't stand reading video game text then you will get considerably less enjoyment out of this game.

It's a little old and clunky at times, but even 12 years later this game is still well worth the time and money! The art, music, and writing are all TOP Tier and supported well by the gameplay that presents you with new enemies at a steady pace so it never gets too stale. The variety of weapon combinations provides you with plenty of options that all function differently from each other and the weapon customizations allow you to do a little fine tuning.

If you're looking for a solid Hack n Slash action game with a well written story, then Bastion is a good place to start!

Tunic takes its gimmick of having an in-game instruction manual and gets so much more out of it than I ever expected. Exploring the world of Tunic is a treat as you fight monsters and bosses, find hidden paths and new magical powers, and slowly piece together what you're on this island to do. It is a game about being a confused little fox, wielding a tiny little sword, and solving a strange overarching mystery. The combat can be difficult at times, but the checkpoints are fairly generous and frequent shortcuts mean you're rarely forced to run through the same enemies every time you die.

If you're looking for a game that that's not afraid to be a little obscure and leave the puzzle solving up to you, definitely give Tunic a try!

If you're looking for an open solar system with an intriguing mystery to be set loose on, this is the game for you!! Outer Wilds provides exactly what is promises to the fullest reasonable extent. A handcrafted solar system made of fascinating, sometimes terrifying, locations with puzzles that will grant you satisfying revelation after interesting clue after more satisfying revelations.

The game is incredibly open while offering just enough clues to always give you something to hunt down. And by the time you've found the answers you were searching for you'll have another lead ready and waiting for you.

Graphics: 3-4/5
Outer Wilds is a nice game to look at. Environments are all clearly distinct and landmarks stand out among the terrain they're settled in. Depending on what you're looking for this game's art may not blow you away, but it is more than up to the task of presenting this amazing solar system in all of its glory.

Gameplay: 5/5
I got exactly what I was looking for from Outer Wilds in terms of gameplay. The overarching mystery is strong enough that I was driven to chase down every clue and history log. Every planet has an entirely unique atmosphere and look and every one inspires awe in one way or another. Piloting the ship and jetpack are difficult to learn at first, but with the time loop mechanic you will have plenty of time to figure them out. Resource management and danger are balanced super well allowing you ample room for taking your time and making mistakes without allowing you to get too careless. Every problem had a solution and I was given just enough information to piece them together.

Writing: 4-5/5
Seeing as a fair amount of this game is reading old alien logs, the writing is super important. Outer Wilds keeps its text concise enough that I was never overwhelmed or bored, while maintaining enough character in the writing that I wasn't just reading to look for keywords. I was also enjoying the stories that played out. The characters you actually talk to are all interesting in their own ways as well.

Music: 3-4/5
Outer Wilds' soundtrack felt mostly atmospheric to me. Incredibly fitting for the type of game it is, but nothing that I feel I would listen to on its own. So depending how you judge a soundtrack your score will vary. Other than a few specific tunes and songs, most of the soundtrack seems to play at random while you are exploring certain areas creating a unique atmosphere and really immersing you in the game.

A solid strategy Rogue-lite game about saving the world from giant bugs known as the Vex! Into the Breach makes the most of every pixel and input to clearly broadcast what your enemies will be doing next turn so that you can plan and respond effectively. Each battle will push you to manage your positioning and the unique abilities of each mech you bring to best defend your cities and other objectives. Through a combination of direct damage, status effects, and positional manipulation you'll be tasked with defending Earth's last cities and saving the planet! Pros: -Pixel art is solid! Every mech and Vex has a unique design that clearly distinguishes one from the other. -Good reply value. Each new mech squad heavily changes how you'll play the game and the upgrades and pilots you pick up during a run further add diversity to every play through.-Customizable run length: Each time you play you have a choice of completing between 2-4 islands before the final fight. which can range from roughly 40 minutes to 2.5 hours.Cons: -Final battle can feel repetitive.-The spiders are real A**holes.If you like strategy games and/or rogue-lites I'd highly suggest giving this game a shot.

It took me a while to really get into it and dying CAN feel cheap when you get swarmed by enemies and stunlocked to death, but the overall experience was positive once I found the rhythm.

Pros: -Difficult (if you're into that sort of thing)
-Solid variety of spells to experiment with
-Game looks good. (The pixel art is clear and the effects are striking and vibrant)
-A good variety of enemies (Both in terms of individual designs and elemental variations)


Cons: -Learning curve is a little steep
-Controls aren't always as forgiving as I'd like them to be (Pressing attacks a little too early doesn't queue the next attack, you'll just stop attacking)
-Visual effects can get overwhelming (especially if you're fighting a boss with the same element)
-Levels can be tedious to maneuver between combat rooms
-Certain enemy combinations can easily chain hits together, killing you instantly.

Overall a solid experience that I would certainly recommend if tough rogue-likes are your thing. Just know that there is next to nothing when it comes to growing in strength between plays. The only thing you'll really gain between runs are different options. Victory relies largely on you learning the game and getting better at it. (And finding a build that suits your playstyle)

A great party game that's only as hard as your party wants it to be! Ultimate Chicken Horse is all about making wacky obstacle courses and proving to your friends that you are THE Ultimate Chicken/Horse/Elephant/Squirrel/Chameleon/Monkey/Sheep/Robot Rabbit/Skateboarding Snake!

It's easy to pick up and play with anyone. Even friends who aren't great at platforming can have fun tormenting and challenging those who are.

The game provides a wide assortment of blocks and levels and an even wider assortment of obstacles so that every game is never the same! On top of that there are in game modifiers to change how it plays and workshop support to boot!

Supergiant Games has done it again, but this time it's a Greek mythos themed Rogue-lite!

Between gorgeous art, awesome music, and now a full cast of grade-A voice acting, this game is an artistic masterpiece!

And if you want more than amazing artistry, the varied weapons, trinkets, powers, enemies, and bosses are all wrapped up in cohesive, snappy, and tactical gameplay that will keep you engaged for hours upon hours of hack and slash (and shoot) fun! Not to mention the bosses are not afraid to beat you into the dust! If challenge is your thing I'd say give this one a gander!

The only reason I would tell you not to buy this game are if you don't like rogue-lites as a genre. But even then, the narrative is structured so that every death reveals more of the story and characters which helps to alleviate the feeling that you're simply playing the same game over and over.