Recent reviews by Tax the Poor

Very fun game that mixes hack-and-slash with souls-like elements.

The animations, particle effects, and boss designs are incredible. Graphically, this game is spectacular. I think where this game stands out is its sheer variety of unique enemies.

So many AAA studios will recycle enemies throughout the entire playthrough (FF16 comes to mind), but this game absolutely kills it with its near 100 boss fights, each beautifully animated and UNIQUE. I can't overstate how refreshing it is to consistently fight new enemies over a 40 hour playthrough - I think we've just been conditioned to accept that that much variety isn't feasible in modern day game development.

That's not to say this game doesn't have its shortcomings. Invisible walls everywhere makes exploring feel janky - you'll find yourself walking for 20 seconds thinking you found something, just to have it be an invisible wall. The armor upgrade system also feels needlessly restrictive and discourages trying out different playstyles. Another thing that annoyed me was the talent tree. It would have been better if you could just switch between different loadouts instead of re-allocating points constantly. Eventually I just stuck to one build because it was too much of a hassle.

Besides these shortcomings, the rest of the game is incredible and extremely impressive considering this is Game Science's third game, with the other two being from completely different genres. I hope they learn from this game and make their next one even better.

Amazing game - love the gradual buildup of the madness throughout. The graphics are amazing and the voice acting is phenomenal. If you're looking for a high-quality, story driven game that you can beat in one evening, Still Wakes the Deep delivers.

So I'm reviewing this game half a year after I beat it, which I think shows how much staying power this game has.

Pros :

• Well-written, distinct characters. Charming and funny interactions throughout.
  
• Intuitive battle-system. It's simplicity lends itself well to the short playtime.
  
• Frustrating mid to late game (By the end of the game, you will appreciate why it is like that.)
  
• Some parts are surprisingly grim.
  
• Good representation of LGBTQ+. Natural and not shoehorned.

Cons :

• Frustrating mid to late game (LOTS of repetition and monotony)
  
• Wish there were opportunities to explore the world.
  
• Would have liked to see the story get darker.
  
  Initially I disliked the game, I felt like the repetition and monotonous backtracking was too much. The main character reflects your frustration however, and it makes the dialogue oddly relatable. I think this game mirrors a work of art more so than a traditional RPG, and it isn't afraid to make the player feel outraged and exhausted in order to send it's message home. I still think about it to this day, which I can't say for many other games I've played.

Wonderful game, polished to an insane degree. Although the game is short, it still packs a punch and left me wanting more.

Pros :

• Incredible pixel art. Everything is extremely well animated and bursting with energy! The color palette of each level is unique and full of flavor; they really nailed the aesthetic of an ancient world imbued with magic. Enemy designs, colorful levels, and lively animations really make this game a treat for the eyes.
  
  
• The story is engaging and has great sense of humor throughout! The dialogue rolls off the tongue, however I do have some critiques which I'll leave for the next section. The world of SoS is charming and wistful, and at times very dark. The primary antagonist is fantastic and stole the show whenever he was on screen. The story itself is a bit linear, however there are some really cool plot twists and set pieces. There's a story beat midway through left my jaw on the floor - needing me to walk away from my computer until the sparks flying in my brain calmed down, just masterfully done.
  
  
• There's a minigame called 'Wheels' which slaps, and is something I looked forward to every time I discovered a new town.
  
  
• The core combat system is fun, using timed button presses to do extra damage or block incoming damage. This timing system applies to both basic and special attacks, giving the combat an engaging, action-based component which is only hindered by its lack of variety. There's also a lock system which makes each turn of combat a puzzle in itself, and I enjoyed planning out ways to optimally maneuver through the fights. This works in conjunction to a power-up system that lets you amplify any move based on a temporary resource, giving elemental powers to basic attacks and creating a balancing act between resource conservation for lock breaks, or dishing out extra damage.
  
  
• It's an extremely polished product - the game runs so flawlessly you'd be convinced it was made by Nintendo if you were visiting from a parallel dimension. The devs clearly put a lot of time and effort into making sure the game was a bug-free, seamless experience.

Cons

• The dialogue can be bland at times. The two main protagonists never argue, never disagree with each other, and are always on the same page. It makes me wish to have seen more of a human side to them, and often you could swap the dialogue for each character and not be able to tell the difference. The other characters that join your party are rarely fleshed out themselves, as the pacing of the game never allows for a moment of respite, or for quests that aren't tied to the main story. There was a little spice of flavor for each character near the end but I feel the game needed more of that.
  
  
• The combat is punchy and fun at its core, but its simplicity proves to be its downfall as the game progresses. In Super Mario RPG, you would get different weapons for each character and each weapon would have different timings, as well as a long list of special abilities that would have their own minigames attached. In SoS, each character has 4 abilities total, and the timings of the weapons stay the same throughout. You end up using the same few abilities per character throughout the entire game, which leads to a repetitive combat experience earlier than you would expect.
  
  
• There was a distinct lack of variety in minigames to do outside of the story. The Messenger controlled buttery smooth as an action platformer, so I was really hoping Sabotage would use those skills to add some spice to the games optional activities. For example, FF7 had chocobo racing, snowboarding, a squat contest, and many more. This game doesn't have nearly as much which is a sorely missed opportunity in my opinion.

TLDR;; the game is fantastic, however it's missing an extra layer of depth which leaves the overall experience feeling like they forgot to put the lettuce on the burger. If you're looking for a visually breathtaking, entertaining RPG in the same vein as games of old, I highly recommend getting this, on sale or not. If you're expecting an epic, 80+ hour adventure with really in-depth, multi-faceted characters, you may want to look elsewhere.

This game is a completely different beast than the first one, however it's still good in it's own right.

If you enjoyed the surreal world and trippy music from the first game, this sequel delivers in spades. The new environment is otherworldly, with ancient mysteries and lore throughout. Platforming is fun, and discovering more about it's fallen civilization was engaging to the end.

Combat is much different than the first game however, which I think will be a disappointment for some. It's more melee focused this time around, with heavy emphasis on 'hacking' enemies during fights to swing the tide. Through exploration, resources can be found to upgrade your weapons and hacking abilities, which makes fighting less of a chore.
The intricate boss battles from the first game are instead replaced by 'strong enemies' which kind of just exist in the overworld. They're distinct visually and look like bosses, however they're no longer a puzzle you have to figure out, and can easily be defeated spamming melee attacks once you find their blindspot. It's kind of repetitive, but they're interesting to run into nonetheless, if only for their unique visual designs.

Even with the lackluster combat, I still recommend this game if your a fan of Axiom Verge, or Metroidvanias in general. The environments and enemy designs are fantastic, the platforming is fun and rewarding, and the story expands upon the original whilst adding it's own layers of depth.

If you're a fan of the original, I recommend this game as a solid sequel. The combat takes a backseat, but the universe and worldbuilding holds the game up with ease.

If you love 3D platformers, you cant go wrong with this game.

Pros:

• Crisp, responsive controls
  
• Artstyle is nostalgic and well done, runs like butter
  
• The tunes are catchy and upbeat
  
• The time trials let the smooth controls shine!

Cons :

• A bit on the short side, finished the main game in about an hour.

For $1, this game is a steal. Highly recommend if you enjoyed games like Crash Bandicoot, SM64, or Banjo Kazooie

dark souls combat
dinosaur killing
smelly puking habit

10/10