Recent reviews by theguyman

Asbury Pines is one of very few games with the "Idler" tag that I think need talking about.

--Gameplay--
Asbury Pines is an Idle game, a game mainly categorized by having progression that occurs mainly outside of player's direct control. The main reason for player strategy is to accrue resources most efficiently. There are three types of characters: People, Plants, and Animals. People take up most of the population of the pines, and are the human beings that all operate the pines to their own agendas. Plants are the flora of the pines, that grow throughout the ages, and typically have a high Nature stat but not much else. Animals do not use anything to live life except time, and are the critters and pets also living in the pines. These characters have 8 stats each, those being:
Life / Living - Characters live life by spending a resource. For People, its usually experience at the beginning but other resources later. Plants use experience. Animals use no resources. By living, characters unlock stories which can be read, as well as locations, other characters, and Artifacts.
Scavenging & Working & Nature / Exploring - All three of these work similarly. You assign one or more characters, and they will find new resources at the cost of spending other resources. As for their differences, Scavenging does not spend any resources, working requires the workplace to be built first, and Exploring can only be done by one person/location at once and usually produce a resource for the characters of the age you're in to live life.
Artifacts - Most artifacts can only be analyzed by specific people. One person can analyze each artifact at a time. Upon completion, the artifact provides instant resources.
Science & Governing & Religion - Each one is a tech tree that can be progressed by using up to three characters at once. Whenever each one is completed, they give a unique buff, such as increasing every character's life skill by 5. outside of what buffs they give, they all work similarly, except that governing slowly gives out it's buffs as you progress it.
Having a higher level in one of these fields increases a characters speed. Having a 0 means the character cannot do the action. the maximum stat is 100.
The main game progression occurs by Living Life. By progressing characters stories, you'll learn more about the town of Asbury Pines.

--Story--
Speaking of which, in a rare case for the genre, the game has a large draw from it's expanding story. The game entirely takes place in the small town of Asbury Pines. After getting introduced to some of the characters, such as Sheriff Rodney "Buzz" Snow, Mayor Van Eisen II, and Romina Zappa, the main crux of the game begins, as you learn of the murder of Everly Praetis. The rest of the game is spent through the ages, from Prehistory to the far future, trying to solve what really happened with her murder. Resources will flow forward to the future, to assist you in solving her murder. There isn't much more I can say without spoiling things, but the story blooms out into a large story about acceptance of fate.

--Cost--
When not on sale, the game is $13 at time of writing, and has no microtransactions. Both a rarity when it comes to the genre.

--AI Content--
I think most of us can agree we can get peeved at AI content, but I will say this game has no AI assets in its final version. AI was only used for early concepting, which is acceptable i think.

definitely reccomend.

A great short game exploring themes of tropes, identity, and self-determination

Each and every click was worth it.

Its UNDERTALE's parallel story. what do you expect? It has funny dialogue, an engaging story, fun gameplay, and has such emotional writing it actually made me cry at points. Expect the regular tobyfox charm.

Saw that it was on sale for $2 and even though I already own the game on switch and have played it for HOURS (currently, as of time of review I've beaten chapters 1-8a, 1-8b, 1-7c, collecting all secret hearts, regular strawberries, and the winged golden) I decided to get it on steam as well, However this game is well worth it, even at the normal asking price of $20. The story is a powerful narrative about Madeline overcoming her anxiety and depression while trying to climb the Celeste mountain, which hits harder since Maddy Thorson (the games creator) came out as transgender I believe around 2020, confirming the character Madeline was as well. The Visuals are beautiful, and the soundtrack by Lena Raine is amazing as well. The gameplay is also superb, being a quick and responsive platformer. However it is very difficult. Expect to die hundreds to thousands of times while trying to brave the mountain. In the end, it'll feel oh so worth it. And even if you have a hard time, there is the assist mode, which can allow you to have an easier time if you're having trouble.

10/10, Definitely recommend.

Inscryption is my personal GOTY of 2021. Despite Act 1 being, on its own, a fun rougelike, Being a Daniel Mullins game, there is much more lore under the surface. With many tricks and turns, the player is guaranteed to have a fun time. Even if you dont enjoy the story, there has also been a "Kaycee's mod" added as a full roguelike mode for those wanting to just deckbuild.