Recent reviews by Sumludus

Machinika Museum is a surprisingly competent puzzle game. It nails the difficulty curve with progressively harder levels without demanding the player jump through obscure hoops to move forward. Looks good, sounds good, even has a plot that doesn't seem contrived as long as you're willing to see the game through to the end (2 hours give or take). I'm looking forward to seeing what Littlefield Studio does with the sequel.

As far as walking simulators go, this is definitely above average. If you're a fan of the genre, you won't regret playing this game. Hidden objects are aplenty, but in a much more restrained way than what you'll normally find. You won't have to dig through countless drawers and cabinets to uncover all the story has to offer. But if you're looking for something to frighten you, you won't find it here. No jump scares, no near death experiences, no threats to your safety, just a gentle stroll down memory lane. And gentle is the key word there; the main character doesn't have great mobility, so walking around the grounds is more of a slog than it should be. It plays a bit clunkier than what you may be used to.

The visuals capture the grounds of an abandoned asylum well, though as is tradition in this type of game the decorations and furnishings rely on copy-pasting the same models over and over. I appreciated minimal the soundtrack and effects which never interrupted the story, but didn't like the English voice actress. She gave an inconsistent performance throughout the game. It was hard to tell whether her character was meant to improve in mental capacity as she relived her memories, or be pulled deeper into madness, since she seemed to bounce between the two. Probably more of an error in direction rather than her ability.

The plot averages out to be fine. It tackles a sensitive subject in a blunt way, which adds the story. I'm not sure if this was a purposeful design choice, an artifact of a first-time developer getting a feel for what works and what doesn't, or a greater cultural acceptance of the subject matter in Italy compared to USA. No matter the cause, the final scene left me with a supreme feeling of unease, so it was successful in dredging some emotion out of me. After I finished the game, I wanted to replay it to uncover the roads not taken, which is probably the best compliment I can give for the game. It kept me interested enough to want to learn more about what happened. I don't recommend this game to general audiences, but if you like feeling miserable, this game should deliver for you.

I played this game after watching the trailer for Martha is Dead to get a feel for what kind of game LKA develops. I'm curious to see how they evolved after making this, and am much more interested in following their future releases.

Close to the Sun is an ambitious game that ultimately gets in its own way and falls flat. As great as the environments are, you won't get a chance to enjoy them because the lighting does not cooperate to show off the work the developers put into the game. It took me 5 hours to get through, and too much of that time was spent getting lost because I couldn't see where I was going. This is especially frustrating during the chase sequences where failing to find the right path quickly transforms fear into aggravation. What's worse are parts where you need to interact with the environment, as missing the click to progress means an unskippable 10 second death animation followed by starting the event over again. It felt like surviving those threats were meant to be trial-and-error situations rather than obstacles I could have been able to complete on my first try.
The plot is an exceptional letdown. There was enough story given to lay a solid foundation, but it was barely explored at all. Character motivations don't make any sense, and some actions taken are even more confusing. The player is required to suspend a substantial amount of disbelief while playing through this game, and by the time I had gotten through chapter 4 or 5 of 10, I was completely disinterested in what was being presented. I gave the game the benefit of the doubt and continued playing only to end up disappointed.
I also had issues dropping frames. There were pregnant pauses throughout the game, and large lag spikes when entering an open area for the first time. If too many light echos spawn, the game would grind to a halt. I’m playing with a 5700 non-xt on 1080p, so this should play like butter. But even during the ending credits, I couldn’t get the names to scroll smoothly; every few seconds a few lines sputter out before going back to a regular crawl.
This game has a lot of good going for it, but the issues are so overwhelming that they’re really not worth mentioning, and I can’t recommend playing it. If you’re curious about what this game is like, there’s a 3 hour longplay on YouTube without commentary. It’s a much better experience watching someone who knows what they’re doing walk through the game than it is trying to manage it yourself.

If you have not played the game and are reading reviews trying to figure out if this game is for you, STOP. Just play the game. The less you know going into it, the more satisfied you'll be.

If you have played the game and are looking for misery porn from people describing about how much Doki Doki messed with their head; I am naming my daughter Monica because of this game.

A little over half way through the game, two characters Morgellon and Ekbom share "a conversation of no consequence". That sums up how I feel about Beckett: a game of no consequence.

Finding something positive to say about the experience, the visuals are unique. In some ways good, but most ways bad. The approach to character design made meeting new people interesting, though the writing made everything they had to say bland. Spliced in footage of 1950s-esque reel-to-reels will be cringe worthy to some; I just found them bothersome. They were only inserted to disturb the viewer, and carried no weight with regards to the plot.

The sound effects are done well, and do a good job of making every clickable area and scene feel more lively, which almost seems antithesis to the tone that the game tries to convey. The music is the polar opposite; terrible to listen to, but fits with the overall theme of the game.

Depending on your point of view, the game will either play methodically (fitting for a detective game) or slow. I didn't mind the speed for the most part, but there were some scene transitions which took too long to get over with. I wonder how much game there would have been if it wasn't slowed down artificially, especially after how shallow the game feels during a replay where you can quickly click through text you've already read. There are also mini-games scattered through the main game, but they are too few and too far between to be noteworthy.

For a visual novel, the plot is severely lacking. While the game does well at not over-explain things, so little is conveyed coherently that I never felt for Beckett or any of the other characters. I was watching the plot unfold with no emotional link to the protagonist. Whether or not he succeeds or fails, how the lives of those around him are effected by his actions, even his ultimate fate are all things I never cared about while playing. There may be a nihilist message hidden within that I'm not meant to care, though it that would mean 3 hours of my time were wasted playing through a game that built up to nothing.

There's just enough replay value here to be annoying; you'll get 16/18 achievements for simply playing the game through, and you'll need to backtrack to two scenes in order to make the alternate choices for a full completion. There are several places where there could be a potential plot branch, and places where the game could have been expanded, but your choices only affect the plot twice in the game. One point you'll realize as soon as you come across it, and the other is in a very unlikely place which is only hinted at by the name of the achievement you get for beating the chapter. If I were asked to replay through the entire game with more branches, I would have enjoyed it. If it was a simple railroad with no branches I would have taken it better. But the illusion of choice is presented throughout the game, and makes me come back to how I described it originally; a game of no consequence.

I don't think Beckett is worth playing regardless of what it's priced at. The 3 hours I spent playing were at least 2 hours too long. I hope reading this will save you time better spent playing a different game.