Recent reviews by MicahWeil

A few hours in, and you'll find yourself proud of the simple factories you'll be making.
In the first fifty hours will see you scrambling to figure out fluid dynamics and optimization.
In the first hundred, you'll be designing for aesthetic and wondering if this wasn't just a building design tool they slapped a game onto.

And after all is said and done and you have Saved the World, you're going to start all over and try again.

And you will love every second of it.

Potion Permit is one of those games in the same vein as Stardew Valley and Graveyard Keeper, in that you are given your tools, directions, and told to go have fun. In this case, you're running a clinic in town, going out into the wilderness and collecting ingredients to brew potions to heal townsfolk that show up at your clinic. As you progress, you'll learn of the town's ills and craft solutions for them, eventually bringing the valley back to its full glory.

A lot of the game is rather simplistic, so it makes for a great "relax" game. Resources are plentiful, so you won't have too much of a hassle filling out the puzzles to create your potions for your tasks and patients. There are recipes for health and stamina boosting foods. There are plenty of townsfolk to make friends with, including a cat.

Yes, a cat. That you can do tasks for in order to improve your friendship. Three guesses as to whom I maxed out my friendship with first.

Also, you have puppy. Noxe, who is quite the good boy, can locate townsfolk and dig up patches of dirt for even more ingredients (once you've maxed out his love for you). Be sure to give the pup some meatballs when you get the chance to make them.

If I had any complaints, I would have to say that the interactions with the townsfolk are a little bland. You have so many people, but for the vast majority of them, only two stories or tasks to do. Three if they're available for romance. There are clearly things going on, and they're teased in the stories, but very few of 'em come to a satisfying conclusion.

Otherwise, this is a fantastic game and I wholly recommend it. At the time of this review, there is no expansion. Hopefully, there will be one to address the above and give us more to do and explore.

*glances at time played*
...well, at least I find it enjoyable.

Is it loot boxy? Yes. But, you can buy the loot box keys with in-game currency (a bit expensive for a single key, so prepare to grind). In addition, you can trade in-game currency to buy cash currency and get the store ships. The process is just a bit...slow. Plus, they regularly have events to earn or just straight give away perfectly serviceable top-tier ships. You will not find yourself at TOO much of a loss.

Is it content rich? Yes. There are several very well written story arcs (some of which get the Star Trek actors back to reprise their roles), a couple of side stories with worthwhile gear, and events to keep you going.

Is it grindy? SWEET Q does this give korean MMOs a run for its bloody money. It's easier to deal with if you're heavy into Star Trek.

How does it handle the extra stuff? Well, you can walk around Deep Space 9, play Dabo at Quark's, and get stuck listening to one of Morn's long-winded stories. While there's nothing to really do, you can walk around your ship's bridge, engineering department, med bay, and mess halls (which is something I like to do with the few friends I have who play this game). It's great for actual roleplaying, if that's your interest.

How's the canon? Plenty of adherence to the TV canon, as well as the extended universe. TOS? It's there. DS9? Sisko's still in the wormhole and Quark is still Quark. Discovery? Red Angel's there. Plenty of races to play as for characters - from the classics like the Vulcans, the Andorians, and Klingons, to others that made scant appearances, like the Pakled and honest to Q Ferengi! Not happy with any of 'em? Make one of your own!

I find myself a bit biased as I am a huge Star Trek fan, but I still recommend giving this a go.

When I say "dumb fun", I mean dumb fun.
The rules are simple: do your tasks and keep an eye out. Or...you know...slay everything you can and then lie through your teeth about it. Depends on what role you draw.

It's almost like Werewolf, or Mafia, or Salem (depending on which one you've played) in that regard. If you liked those games, you'll love this one.

And remember: pink is always sus.

I grew up playing the old X-Com games - UFO Defense (at least in the US) and Terror From the Deep. Both were hard as nails - especially since UFO had programming errors that made things tougher. This new version smooths out all of the kinks, gives the original games a big ol' injection of personality, and most importantly, makes it fair.

Even after all these years and a severe improvement with XCOM 2, it's still a must play.

I...ended up going to the dance with a Snake that was three seconds away from quoting Marx. Put so little effort into it, too.

Snek/10

Do not go in and expect the Stanley Parable.
Do not go in and expect a game.
This is a story.

It's one you need to hear.

This is going to be tricky, so hear me out.

Have you played Flashback? How about Out of this World? Semi-platformers with light puzzle elements and the occasional frustrating action sequence? You're on the right track.

For what it is worth, the game was pleasant. The setting is perhaps this game's strongest point, and definitely felt what I, someone who is old enough to have watched the Soviet Union collapse, imagine what the USSR would be if it ever stuck around to become a cyberpunk dystopia. The set pieces are okay, although the story seems very bare bones.

The controls are okay...annoying at points, but they get the job done. Some of the action sequences are, as I have stated, frustrating, and the puzzles offered are not too challenging. They're definitely not Myst puzzles, but you won't be seeing them on Sesame Street, either.

Just don't expect it to last too long. That extremely low play time? That's how long it took me to finish the game, even with me restarting because I was afraid I had missed something midway through.

I'll be perfectly honest here: the first time I was introduced to this game, it was in the late 90s, early 2000s under the name "Exile: Escape from the Pit". This is the third incarnation of the same story. If you've played Exile, or the earlier version of Avernum, you know what you're getting into, and you're walking the same steps you have before. This is the same story that they've been telling for decades now.

Even so, it is still worth a play. The new mechanics and polished visuals make it feel like a new beast. The world is expansive, with plenty to see and do. The characters are likeable and sympathetic. There is very little to not love about it.

Payday 2 is a co-op shooter game with a bit of a twist. Instead of facing off against zombies, or goin' up against one of the many, many faux terrorist organizations that the gaming world can cook up, you're playing the bad guys. Your objective are quite simple: Steal something and get out alive. You get a set of tools, skills, and weapons (even in vanilla, you get quite a bit) to do the dirty deeds, and get (in-game) rich.

The heists are rather varied, ranging from simple bank jobs to more elaborate "break into museums and steal artifacts" and "bust some heads while looting a casino". One issue some may find with this, however, is quite a few of the bigger heists are locked behind DLC. It's rather cheap DLC, however, and when they go on sale, they're dirt cheap. It's worth a wait for most of them.

It's a game worth taking a swing at, really. It's a lot of fun, even when you're playing by yourself.