Recent reviews by RedsDead21

I wish I could give this a sideways thumb.

The typing itself is a really cool mechanic that could have been explored more. Everything surrounding it I feel has been done to death in indie horror games. Wake up, walk through the same areas (with progressively fewer lights and more noises as the days go on), and then type some increasingly 'spooky' notes. And even then, the game doesn't even set a baseline for normalcy before things get weird. It's trying to be spooky from moment one. I personally found it incredibly predictable, and felt no urge to go back through and find any of the other endings.

Maybe on sale, but it's a hard maybe. I think there's something to be done with the mechanic itself, but it needs a lot more fleshing out.

After clearing Sonic Generations I was ready to write off this whole package. Sonic Generations isn't bad, but I managed to clear the main story in about 4 hours and did not feel compelled to touch any of the remaining challenges. It was a firmly passable game that had some nostalgic levels, and way more bugs than a game made by a large publisher should be allowed to have.

Then Shadow Generations completely surprised me. Its open world hub was far more engaging, I found the side challenges it offered to be more interesting and less time consuming, the collectibles were fun to find, the story was entertaining, and its levels were of a much higher quality.

I don't know if the $50 asking price is worth the whole package, but I can recommend Shadow Generations even as a non-Sonic fan.

Much like the horrific creatures it asks you to burn away, The Thing Remastered is something of a grim marvel.

There are a lot of really cool ideas in here, and it's awesome that the game is now playable for a modern audience. But at the end of the day, a lot of its key features are just that, ideas. It's cool that your squad mates feel a bit more dynamic due to the trust/fear system, but really you just need to give them bullets until they follow you. Needing to damage enemies and swap to your flamethrower to finish them off is thematically appropriate, but the enemies have such low health that you'll fend them off without much effort.

And once you remove all of that, what you're left with is a firmly okay shooter that has a few frustrating sections. The story isn't that interesting, the voice acting runs the whole range from good to bad, and you could finish it in a breezy weekend if not a day. I will say the lighting and graphical improvements are very good.

I still want to recommend this game, if anything as a neat look at interesting attempts at game design. There's a lot to dissect here that I would love to see be tried in something new.

Buy it on sale.

Few games manage to be this consistently weird and funny, while also maintaining a consistent tone where you always know what's going on. If you have a pulse, there's probably a joke you'll laugh at in here somewhere. Westerns, games, and media in general all get a jab.

It is a bit simplistic on the RPG front, with it being really easy to get overleveled early on, which makes a lot of encounters feel too easy. The last chunk of the game I found to be too hard, as it was often a large group of enemies that could kill me in a few hits, and I lacked in a group-wide response. Could be operator error.

Easy recommendation, doesn't overstay its welcome. DLC is also fun, and can be played at any time during a regular playtrhough.

The first digital card game I feel comfortable deckbuilding in. The restricted deck and turn length keeps things tight, and cards synergize in ways that are easy to pick up, but complex enough that you'll still be discovering new things for ages. The collection system allows F2P players to constantly earn new cards without fear, though in later levels it does start to stagnate when they arbitrarily begin space out the rewards. Those later levels are also marred by the fact that you only have a chance to earn a card, sometimes just earning more currency instead.

A wonderful little project, that kept me entertained for the whole of its 5 hour duration. Every puzzle here felt intuitive in the end, though a few stumped me for far longer than I'm open to admitting. The voice acting is solid, and the mysteries are fun to unravel. A few of the 'twists' are foreshadowed a bit too heavily, but it felt like the game was constantly adding layers to either the game's backstory or the main plot. As a plus, there are additional secrets you can go back and search for if you want get everything you can out of the game.

A roguelite that thrives on its variety. Just when you feel like you've probably seen everything, there's something new to be tossed at you. Characters constantly chatter with new voices lines, always in a natural way that doesn't feel forced or robotic. New weapons are constantly being doled out, and once you have all of those the way you use them can be altered. New runs are given tweakable options to have new challenges and quirks.

All backed by an incredibly art style, wonderful story, and as expected from Supergiant, an amazing soundtrack.

Easily one of the best choose your own adventure style games I've played. The numerous routes presented to you feel distinct, though after awhile it can feel difficult to find new paths to take.

A short, goofy game whose controls may frustrate you at times, intentionally. Control Octodad (who is totally not an octopus in disguise!) as he navigates day-to-day issues and deals with his family, while trying to make sure that they never learn his deepest, darkest secret, which is totally not the fact that he is an octopus disguised as a human.

With a bit more seriousness, Octodad: Dadliest Catch provides enough humor in both its verbal and visual situations that keep it interesting. The controls don't take too long to get a hang of, even if some sections of the game can still be frustrating simply because you aren't given enough prior warning as to what is going to be expected of you.

The biggest issue I'd have to level at the game is the fact that it falls very much on the short side of things, with its multiple levels taking maybe fifteen to twenty minutes tops to navigate through, and seemingly ending far too quickly. There are a few bonus scenarios tossed in after the main campaign to alleviate some of that, but I still would have liked to have seen more going on in what little story there is.

The biggest thing Octodad has going for it obviously is its strange scenario and main protagonist, and the game does manage to use those two points well enough to remain enjoyable for what little time you may spend with it. There's a surprising amount of heart in the main story, even if it's a heart that's been slathered with a coat of cheese. There's a number of predictable cliches, but it's all presented well enough to probably get a grin out of you at least a few times. All in all I certainly don't regret having spent my time squirming around with Octodad's tentacles, and if anything hope the developers get the opportunity to make another, perhaps more expanded entry.

For those who are prone to multiple runthroughs, you might get more mileage than others, with collectibles scattered throughout the levels (which you may or may not be able to grab in one run) alongside par times to beat. If you're up for a true test of your relationship much like Octodad faces, there's also a co-op mode to see how truly coordinated you are.

All in all, a solid purchase, but if you're put off by the price tag, catch it on sale.

Humorous, hoping, heartbreaking, and somewhat horrific, Firewatch juggles a number of tones. It's a beautiful game, backed up by a gorgeous artstyle, that features some excellent dialogue, with a decent mystery to back it up. On top of that, it knows how to use that mystery to build tension better than some horror games.

If you're looking for a good story, and aren't put off by games with short lengths, it might be worth it to step into the shoes of Henry and spend a summer as a lookout.