Recent reviews by SexyPanther

As for as hidden object games go, this one is decent. Things I want to point out:
1. The voice acting is comically bad, enough so that I couldn't help but smile.
2. There is a two-part sliding puzzle towards the end of the main game that is incredibly annoying and does not provide a reference for the image you are meant to create. Thankfully, someone put together a reference for you if you check the "Guides" section for the game on Steam.

Without Fate, Torchlight and Torchlight II would not exist. It took Diablo 1, provided more variation, gave you a pet that could sell your gear for you, and introduced fishing. While the fishing isn't reason to buy the game, it was a really neat concept to feed fish to your pet to transform it into creatures with differing stats for better use in combat. The pet system was not a gimmick, as it reduced the need to go to and from town for selling items to free up inventory space. The tone and aesthetics were bright and cheerful, despite the fact enemies like vampires were trying to kill you. I appreciate Fate for what it is, and what it did, but recommend you buy Torchlight over Fate. Torchlight is to Fate, what Fate was to Diablo. I'd even go so far as to suggest that Torchlight 1 is essentially Fate but prettier. The pet system and gameplay loop are identical.

Not perfect, but Maniac is exactly what I wanted it to be. It is a love letter to the original Grand Theft Auto but with no story quests, more weapons, and different characters that each have individual stat/unlock progression. Each game is a GTA kill frenzy that more or less plays out the same regardless of character, yet offers enough options and Achievements to incentivize the player to use certain weapons, target certain foes, or hijack certain vehicles during a single play session. I'm 9 hours in at time of writing, and can vouch that the asking price, on sale or not, is apt for what you get.

Hellblade is an emotional narrative that makes the most of its limited scope. You guide Senua (the lead) from place to place, occasionally solving a perspective-based puzzle, engaging in combat, or finding and listening to lore by way of Rune markers.

The amount of stuff you do is quite limited, with combat more-or-less being the same arena fight just with different numbers and types of enemies. Visually the game is stunning, adding ample detail to the linear environments.

I won't go into the story, but suffice it to say it deals with mental health issues alongside themes of pain, loss, perspective, courage, guilt, and hopelessness. As someone dealing with a strong resurgence of a lifelong depression (separate and distinct from the game's protagonist), I must caution anyone in a similar situation that this game may strike a nerve. By the end of it I was in tears, and not because of the journey the game took me on, but because of the attempt in the narrative to culminate with positive messaging surrounding Senua's specific issues and traumas which, sadly for my circumstances, didn't align in the slightest. It is all well and good to tout notions of hope, but in my case it just shone a spotlight on the total absence of it and left me with more ache than when I came in.

That isn't the game or the developer's fault mind you. As it stands, I liked Hellblade quite a lot. It is an example of how good things can be if you keep your design vision focused. From the facial details of the lead character, to the grittiness of the environments, to the voice actor explaining the Rune lore sounding shockingly akin to Liam Neeson (is it just me?), I left my 8 hour journey feeling quite entertained.

One Steam Achievement may require re-playing certain chapters, but you can easily do so from the menu without losing progress. I wouldn't suggest you spent $30 on it, but if you can get it on a decent sale, I advise you check it out.

I enjoy the other Retro Army games quite a bit and definitely recommend people check out Super Trench Attack! However, this game, despite being dirt cheap, didn't fill me with a ton of joy. It works, plays okay, looks okay, and is exactly what it is described as. However, the inventory isn't explained as well as it could and the levels are a repetitive slog. This is made all the more annoying on Normal and Hard difficulties since collecting apples, think pellets in Pacman, also increases a poison meter for your selected character. What that means is that if you are aiming for 100% on Achievements, you will likely have your characters die off, not be able to revive them, and have to wipe the save and start all over again. I played on Normal and that happened to me in the last dungeon/gym. So I wiped my save and started on Easy where the poison meter is absent. Was able to get 3 stars on all dungeons that I could find, yet there didn't seem to be an ending, even a cut to credits, that I could find. Very glad I didn't waste more time trying to beat the game entirely on Normal or Hard. Not a terrible game, but not one that I'd recommend.

I enjoyed Iron Lung for the premise and the scant few areas of interactivity. As a game though, particularly from this developer, I expected more substance. That doesn't mean the game doesn't do a good job of what it does include. In my opinion, the game was made to capture a particular atmosphere. Claustrophobia, dread, desperation, futility, all of these things were indeed present, but not in a consistently gripping manner to last the length of the short adventure.

Sound sets the mood as well as aids in navigation to detect obstacles. Audio changes are used sparingly, making them stand out all the more and to greater atmospheric effect. There is a console in a corner of your sub that can be interacted with, though I must admit I had no idea how until I had beaten the game and read about it online. There are a few in-ship events, like leaking pipes, a fire, etc. The problem though, is that much of the time you are simply moving your ship painstakingly slowly out of an abundance of caution, rather than doing anything particularly interesting.

While I've been writing this I've been trying to make up my mind on whether to upvote it or not. In fairness to the developer, I applaud them for tackling a challenging idea. Having gameplay set within the confines of a very small space is an immense task to try and maintain player interest. The premise of a starless, empty universe is a really bleak and unsettling notion. The computer logs do a good job of enhancing that core idea while keeping things vague enough to be disturbing. I also acknowledge that you at least tried to add a few in-ship events to break up the monotony of navigation.

All that said, I still wouldn't recommend anyone play this. Navigating to blips on a console only to reach a point where the map doesn't outline a way forward, is boring. What doesn't help is that the path forward is a narrow passage, easily missed if relying on blips and hugging walls. The ending felt unsatisfying in the worst way, akin to a cheap jump scare in a title made for Let's Play videos on YouTube. From the creator of Dusk, I expected more. And the price point, even on sale, feels two or three times higher than it should.

In conclusion, I'm not recommending this. It isn't the worst thing ever made, and I liked several of the included ideas. I just feel you can spend less money to attain the same level of ambience delivered in a more consistently interesting manner.

I only played this through for the first time in the past week. Here's my take:

Much like the best tasting pizza, Realms of the Haunting is enjoyable, has ample filler (needless backtracking), is hard to handle (cuz grease/controls unchangeable), and is absolutely layered with cheese. Unlike pizza, it could easily last about 20 hours and has high production values (who pays premium for pizza?). A pleasant, intriguing, first-person, narrative, action-adventure, FMV game thingy.

Time to go do Panther stuff.

P.S. Go research "Are You Afraid of the Dark? The Tale of Orpheo's Curse." Realms of the Haunting reminded me of it. It was much shorter, but had the same heart.

I enjoyed my 30 hours in Blacktail with one glaring exception, which is what prompted me to write this.

Overall, this was a wonderfully surreal narrative adventure. It conjured up fond memories of my youth, playing games like Kings Quest IV, seeing new spins and clever twists on classic fairy tales. Story is first and foremost. For a non-triple A title, this game was mechanically brilliant, with writing and most of the voice acting (about 95%) absolutely fantastic.

A few examples of what this game did well include:
- A codex whose quests re-write or add to themselves the more you progress
- Character entries get added to and further explained the further you get
- You unlock skills using collected materials, but most skills aren't described or able to be unlocked until you first find a corresponding scroll in the game world (ensuring you don't grind to max level in the first few hours, and always have something new to see)
- Side quests are based on exploring, and you need not worry about accidentally stumbling upon an area too soon, breaking a quest (things work as intended)
- The challenge is well balanced even after you've acquired most abilities
- You can backtrack to earlier map areas when you want to complete side quests, find items you missed, etc
- Music and most of the voice acting was great, particularly Jack and Borvy, the Voice (same person that did Megaera in Hades), and Yaga

This is a narrative action/adventure game, with story and exploration at the forefront. What is there is enough, and the side quests are sometimes even more interesting than the main quest.

I could explain the game, but so much of my enjoyment came from going in and making sense of the mechanics, the world, and the characters all on my own that I do not wish to ruin that for others. All Steam Achievements can be completed on a single save profile. However, it can take you hours upon hours before you unlock a single one.

I thoroughly enjoyed everything I did in Blacktail. I loved it. I was so excited to see how it ended and declare this one of the only "perfect" games I've ever played (and I've played 950+ commercially sold PC games from start to finish... I keep track).

But the ending... was terrible. I'm not going to spoil it, but suffice it to say, it went against the format of every other quest you did. After all game events, the codex updates, giving a recap, detail, clarity, on events, people, and backgrounds for everything that transpired. Often, the game does a unique spin on a classic fairy tale, and you can read about that too (particularly side stories from world collectibles). The game's ending though brushes aside key plot points, driving motivations behind why you just sunk 30 hours into this charming, colourful, and memorable world. Considering that everything else was fully envisioned and ultimately explained, that the ending cinematic is left vague and confusing, not to mention brushing aside, like I said, a key plot point prior to the final battle, left me massively saddened and upset. There is so much good. So many things done brilliantly.

Alas, I felt they worked more to justify not having more than one ending (which they didn't need anyway, one good ending would have sufficed), than giving me what I was seeking all the way along. That being, their vision, their unique take on the Baba Yaga lore, their unique take on the characters and the world that they presented, just as they gave for everything else. I don't think "artistic intent" can be used as an excuse, when nothing else in the world was left vague or lacking.

Long story short, Blacktail was a whisker away from being perfect. I'm very saddened that all those pleasant hours are now tainted, much like the roots, by my last memory of the game, that being bewilderment and disappointment.

I review for fun and on my own schedule. Open this review in full-screen to see better formatting. Click SUBSCRIBE to smudge your monitor. Respect to all the review clubs out there.

Modern Tales: Age of Invention is an adventure game with hidden object puzzles, mini-games, and inventory management.

The Good

• Artwork
  
• Simplicity
  
• Collectibles
  
• Achievements
  
• Unintentionally funny

The Bad

• Illogical puzzles
  
• Unimpressive voice acting
  
• Short
  
• Creepy mouth movements
  
• Weak story

Buy or Try

• Buy on sale

Stability

• No crashes, graphical anomalies, sound issues, or frame rate drops
  
• My System: Windows 10, i7-7700 @ 3.60GHz, 16GB ram, 1060 3GB, played at 1920 x 1080

In Modern Tales: Age of Invention you play as Emily as she quests to save her inventor father and others from an unknown assailant. You'll collect items, solve puzzles, journey great distances, and complete a handful of logic-based mini-games and hidden object scenes. Tasks are tracked and updated in your journal, discovered locations can be returned to immediately via your map, and each scene contains a hidden collectible to find in the shape of an atomic symbol. The game boasts several difficulty options, fair Steam Achievements all attainable in a single playthrough, a number of characters each with voiced dialogue, and a story that feels complete while still leaving room for a sequel. Played on one of the easier options, this reviewer 100% the game in a little under 4 hours.

I play a lot of games as my Steam profile will attest. Many of my perfect games, that is, games I have attained 100% of the Steam Achievements for, are hidden object games. If you have ever played one, you'll know what to expect from any of the others. They all tend to follow exactly the same format. You'll be given a plot motivation at the start, either at the onset or after a short gameplay tutorial, then set out to solve numerous, seemingly identical adventure game obstacles in order to, usually, rescue someone, defeat a villain, or both. When I say "seemingly identical" I refer to the use of collected items to provide a solution to a problem. I can't tell you how many of these types of games I've had to collect an oil can to de-rust something, use a penny or screwdriver to remove a bolt, or use the old trick of putting paper under a door and a pin in a keyhole to pop the key out and collect it when it drops.

The term "hidden object game" refers to scenes where you are shown an assortment of items, then have to find and click on the correct ones from a checklist. Somehow, according to game logic, doing this is a way of collecting exactly the tool you need to proceed. Sometimes this is one of the objects you had to find, and other times it is just a randomly appearing tool from the ether that shows up when you finished your chores. Who gives you this list of things to find? This is never explained. I blame Canada, but that's an old reference and would also include me.

You might think that a hidden object game is all about these hidden object scenes, but you'd be wrong. Though all games with that tag include these scenes, they can vary greatly in the number of these scenes they include, and whether or not there is an equal or greater number of logic puzzle mini-games to complete as well. An example of this would be a jumbled up bit of rope with knots in it, whereupon you need to move the knots to "untangle" the rope. See, you can't have a line of rope overlap another, so moving the knots means moving the lines of rope until what you ultimately end up with is a man-made spiderweb that serves no practical purpose for anyone but the ether gods of object granting.

It is my opinion that Artifex Mundi, the Publisher of Modern Tales and too many other similar games like this to mention, sets a particularly good standard. Their games are always nice to look at. Their Steam Achievements are fair and not annoying. They typically include extras such as the ability to replay mini-games from the main menu or provide an extended game sequence after the main storyline. And most importantly, and the sole reason I wrote this review, have such weak voice acting and nonsensical writing, puzzles, and plot that I find myself shaking my head in confusion, disgust, and mocking delight.

Here's one example. Emily, our protagonist and your player character, discovers her father is in an airtight chamber lacking oxygen and is desparate to save him. Rather than do the logical thing, such as find a stone and, you know, break the glass on the chamber, she leaves the building, walks to a creek, takes a raft across it to meet some friends that may or may not have blown up (don't ask), finds them and asks them for help, and is told by one of them that they had smelling salts that will be needed to wake her father but that they were left in a little shed that just happened to have exploded. So Emily spends several minutes hidden object-ing and whatnot, finds the smelling salts and an oxygen tank, and then returns to save her father who is perfectly fine after experiencing at a minimum 5 minutes with no air.

My next example is about character development and hats. Prior to the above events, while still trying to find her father, Emily sees what looks like a gravestone with a skull on it. Clicking on it, Emily says, "The skull would look better with a hat." Isn't that the most profound thing you ever heard? Isn't that what any sane person would say in this situation? Later on, you find a hat and put it on the skull and somehow this helps you. Amazing. Triple AAA quality right there. But neither of these examples compares to the relationships Emily makes on her journey.

I tend to only review games that left an impact on me, and as you may have guessed, I consider Modern Tales a carbon-copy of any number of similar titles available on Steam. But after beating the game, and reflecting on the experience, I had to say something. Emily meets a handful of characters, including Albert Einstein. Coco is a woman she meets at a train station. This stranger, asks you for a cup of coffee. Later on, Albert Einstein is injured, and asks you for a blanket. Then he asks you to tend to a wound on his leg. Both Coco and Albert are main characters but they may as well be Oscar-winning performers whom you are just a personal assistant. Since Emily, you, do all the work, they didn't need to be included. They are lumps. Worst of all, they gave Einstein normal hair. Unforgiveable.

Hidden object games, at least by Artifex Mundi, are fun. They are colourful, consistently dumb, and an easy 100% for Achievement hunters. I wouldn't recommend anyone buy any of them at full price. But they can provide a welcome respite from more substantial games with complex systems and larger price tags. I suppose you could consider them akin to Archie Comics. They aren't deep, nor well written, but are an enjoyable way to pass the time while you work up the strength to jump into the next big thing in gaming.

In A Word

• "Rote"

I review for fun and on my own schedule. Open this review in full-screen to see better formatting. Click SUBSCRIBE to smudge your monitor. Respect to all the review clubs out there.

Overload is a first-person spaceship shooter set indoors with an emphasis on freedom of movement, secret finding, and combat.

The Good

• Secrets
  
• Soundtrack
  
• Challenge modes
  
• Weapon and ship upgrades
  
• Pathing guidance

The Bad

• Difficulty
  
• Forced weapon swapping
  
• Secrets in timed level sections
  
• Powerup locations
  
• Blocked upgrading

Buy or Try

• Buy on sale or seek an alternative

Stability

• No crashes, graphical anomalies, or sound issues
  
• Frame rate drops encountered noticeably in later areas
  
• My System: Windows 10, i7-7700 @ 3.60GHz, 16GB ram, 1060 3GB, played at 1920 x 1080

In Overload you control a spacecraft within mining facilities on Saturn's moons. You'll fight your way to rescue captives, destroy reactors, and then escape before they explode. The game's 16 levels are labyrinthine interior environments full of cramped spaces and variable lighting. Navigation is aided by a hologram wayfinder, automap, flares, and headlights. These tools will prove useful as you'll need to explore thoroughly for weapons, energy, armour pickups, audio logs, security keys, and upgrade points used to buff your weapons and ship between missions. Rescuing captives is optional though provides rewards and impacts the game's ending.

Your 16 weapons are split evenly into two groups. Primary weapons are your main guns ranging from gattling lasers to flak cannons. Secondary weapons are explosives ranging from missile launchers to time-slowing bombs. Separate weapon wheels for each group makes for convenient swapping. All weapons have two tiers of upgrades, the second of which is a choice between two options. For instance, you could opt to improve your missiles' homing ability or instead go for a straight damage boost. Enemies vary in their own weapons and maneuverability posing ever-greater threats. In addition to standard foes are three boss battles spread evenly across the campaign.

Story is delivered between missions and during play with additional details found within collectible audio logs. The game provides quicksaving and manual saving, with no in-level autosaving (that I'm aware of). Overload includes a campaign, newgame+, multiplayer (not reviewed), and two challenge modes. Challenge mode is a series of 12 separate maps to destroy as many enemies as possible either within a 5 minute window or as long as you can survive. XP earned from killing foes in all single-player offerings go towards permanent ship upgrades in challenge mode. Weapons in challenge mode are levelled up from scratch each time you play a round.

An uptempo soundtrack complements the action. Overload includes 50 Steam Achievements with the majority attained by less than 1% of players. In a little over 16 hours I beat the campaign on the 3rd of 5 difficulty options as well tried most of the challenge mode maps.

Midway through the campaign I was having a blast but upon beating it was left underwhelmed and disappointed. A good first impression made me willing to overlook a misstep or two. But the further I got the more problems arose to the extent they could no longer be ignored. The freedom of movement, the combat, and the majority of the level design was well executed. Hunting for secrets was just as fun as winning battles with both offered in equal measure. Though I amassed a series of minor gripes what killed my enjoyment was a lack of consistency and, more glaring, an unfairly balanced difficulty.

Upgrade points are mainly found in secret areas, a design I've hated since 1997's Jedi Knight forced secret hunting to improve Force powers. That said Overload is a lesser offender, for though it's doubtful you'll locate every secret you'll still find enough to upgrade all the things you'll actually use. During my run I was able to upgrade my mainstay weapon to maximum, all of my ship upgrades, as well as most of my preferred secondary weapons. Annoyingly, around mission 9 you'll lose your ability to upgrade entirely, despite the fact you'll still be acquiring new weapons.

Like in the campaign, when you level up your weapons in challenge mode you are granted a choice between two options. Unfortuntaely the options aren't described, instead referred to with generic names like Missiles XL. Lacking a Codex to review upgrade options you won't have a clue what you are choosing. Since enemy and weapon descriptions are often provided before campaign levels I found the lack of a Codex strangely absent.

All of your secondary weapons have their own ammo counts and you'll use them all. Primary weapons don't have ammo that is collected, but rather that is pulled from one of two of your HUD's status bars. This was confusing, something I only figured out for myself after beating the campaign, reading the manual, then going back to play around some more. Some weapons use energy while others use "ammo" represented by the white bar. You won't need to swap primary weapons since enemies don't have particular weaknesses and most fights will be fought in a confined space. Because of this, slow firing weapons are terrible. My preferred weapon was energy based and energy is in great supply. Frankly I feel the white status bar could have been removed.

Secondary weapons are the most inventive yet some are lackluster with others downright annoying. The Vortex is one of the last acquired yet barely deals any damage. The Time Bomb is the worst offender as it literally slows things to a crawl. Three time-limited powerups can also be found consisting of a weapon boost, invulnerability, and cloak. These work fine but not when placed in a secret area you'll never locate when beset upon by enemies when entering a new location.

Overload's biggest issue is that it is less about skill and more about managing saves. Without autosaves you'll rely on quicksaving, and should you not make additional manual saves at high health, you can find yourself in unwinnable situations. Certain level sections make avoiding damage impossible, such as when you are locked or teleported into a small room surrounded by enemies. These moments are made worse by the fact that found health pickups are finite. I'd often quicksave with less than 100 armour expecting to find a boost later on, only to instead be thrust into a confined space where enemies would destroy me in seconds before I could get my bearings.

Enemy spawn stations and wall turrets that can't be destroyed, secrets tied to time-limited escapes, and forced weapon swapping to open doors can all be attributed to poor design choices in what I initially thought was a really good game. And don't get me started on the story. Oh, a virus has turned autonomous machines against the crew of an expensive mining outpost? Rather than just save the crew and destroy the machines, blow the station up too. That makes perfect sense.

The level design is good. The soundtrack is apt. And the challenge modes make for quick and fun combat. In light of its problems I can only recommend it on sale. Should you buy it, take my advice. Set the difficulty to Rookie, don't obssess over every secret, find a weapon that works for you, and make manual saves too. EVERSPACE and Sublevel Zero Redux offer similar combat with more consistent design and can often be found at a discount. I would have been happier had Overload been outright bad. It nails some of the hardest things to do right. I'm saddened by how little it would have taken to transform my frustration into complete and utter delight.

In A Word

• "Decent" - instead of "Descent," get it?