Recent reviews by cayreet

I've kept my notes on One Note for a long time, just so I could keep an overview over several series I write (the longest has reached 7 published books so far). Bought Campfire Pro on a whim when it came out on Steam and didn't look at it much for a while. Now I'm migrating all my notes to Campfire Pro. Why? Because the possibility to interlink different module entries in this one allows for me to quickly cross-reference and the possibility to make and save templates makes it easy to work in different genres with different layout needs without too much of a fuss - change your default template and every new entry in a module will have the layout you need.

Unlike most who gave positive reviews before me, I have never played the physical version of this game - I didn't even know it existed until I spotted it here on Steam. I like boardgames and using intrigues and fulfilling quests is interesting for me, so I decided to buy the game, including the two DLCs.

I've bought and played several boardgames over Steam, most of which I have never played physically, even if they (like Talisman) actually exist in real life, too. And, unlike the Witcher Boardgame, this game has a reasonable length to play, especially in multiplayer, even though I have not played MP so far. I hope to do so once a few of my friends have gotten the game as well.

I found the UI well done, too, and the tutorials (important for someone who had never played the game before in any way) understandable and interesting enough to play.

I usually don't review and I normally don't review for such a reason, but after the many negative reviews recently, I want to point out that I bought the game just now and it both activated and started perfectly well for me.

There are some things about 2070 which I don't like quite as much as I liked 1404 and 1701, but it is a good Anno and fun to play. I still hope Ubisoft will at some point stop binding their games to UPlay, if they are distributed over a platform like Steam, which functions as a DRM anyway.

Okay, I rarely post reviews on Steam, even though I recommend games I enjoy to my friends, of course. This time, however, after playing for more than 17 hours in two days (yes, I had that spare time), I want to give an impression and a review of sorts.

TL;DR version:
It might not be a good idea to compare the game too much to Stardew Valley or Harvest Moon, because both focus on farming and relationships and this one doesn't. But if you want a game to come back to just to enjoy the landscape and do some more stuff in, you will definitely get the price out of it in playing time.

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First of all, the bad.
- Yes, the game can easily be completed (main and side quests) without having any animals around long-term. You can even let the gruffle you need to catch go again afterwards. You can just let your farms stay empty (all but two of them still are empty in my game ... but I'm working on it). Not much farming necessary, if you concentrate on crafting and trading to get what you need for your quests.
- Yes, if you completely concentrate on the main quest, you can probably beat the game in a relatively short time. I spent the second half of my time in the game so far on side quests (mostly on the stone bridges).
- I can't find the last sprite, no matter how often I run around the western side of the island, which is driving me nuts.

Now, however, the good:
+ The world is beautiful. Don't misunderstand me, I like games like Stardew Valley with its 16-bit charme. Hell, I grew up playing these games while they were the norm, because computers couldn't do better than that. But the first time I left the cave you start the game proper in, I was just floored by the beauty of the world. And you know what? 17 hours later, I still enjoy it immensely. This game is so beautiful I rarey feel like actually using the Sage Stone portals for quick travel.
+ The game is extremely relaxing. There's no death, not through combat, not through accidents. You can't die from falling from great height, because you have an umbrella to save you. If you drown, you are placed back to the last safe area you were on. I like fighting in games, but having a game where I can just roam the landscape without worrying about monsters has its own appeal for me.
+ There actually is a lot to do. Apart from the quests (and I'm pretty sure I will need weeks to finish that cat quest), you can also set your own goals. Like having at least one of every animal on your farms or having fully planted all trees or having found all sprites (last one, where are you?!).

I think, however, that it is a little counter-productive to compare the game to Stardew Valley or Harvest Moon, since both centre a lot around farming and relationships and this game doesn't. You can hire farmhands and just drop in every now and then to actually fill up your backpack with the fruits of other people's labour. There's no real building of relationships, either. It's a game for exploration and to spend time in, because you enjoy walking around the island(s). If you just want to quickly finish the main quest, this is not a game for you, I'm afraid.

I rarely write reviews for the games I play, but in this case I definitely want everyone who comes across this game and likes good, scary stories to consider buying.

The pros of the game?
+ great story with quite a few choices to make
+ marvellous art which has nothing to do with your regular anime-style Visual Novel
+ perfect use of the mini-games

The game has a lot going for itself, but I'm going to tell you my only real grief, too:
- there will be a second episode and so there's no complete end right now

On the other hand, I will have something to look forward to. There also are few typos in the English translation and some of the achievement messages are in Russian, but that's not really tragical. In the achievement menue, all achievement names are in English, so no harm done.

I've especially fallen in love with the story which balances well between the tragic parts (and there's quite a few) and the funny ones (which provide relaxation between the tragic parts).
I've also fallen in love with the use of the mini-games which never seem to be put in 'because we needed a mini-game.' but are a logical part of doing your work for the story. There are runes to draw. There are sequences to find in order to advance. There are things to look out for or to use in the right way. The game is not 'only' a Visual Novel, it's on the verge of being an adventure.
I also adore the graphics which are proper for Victorian London and have a very distinctive and pleasing style. The characters are instantly recognizable, the background are details and, unlike in quite some VNs, both characters and background look like they belong together. There's no difference in style between them.

I'm pretty sure you will be well-entertained for the price of this game ... now, how long until episode 2 is released?

I already played this game for a long time before it came to Steam, but decided to buy it again, because I'm not sure where I left the full installation file.

The game was made with the RPG maker, so you know what kind of interface and movement you should be expecting. I'm not commenting on sounds here, because I usually turn those off. The game itself is very addictive, however, especially once you've found your first rare monster and have gathered a horde of normal ones, too. The guide is very informative and well-written.

I'm not sure how many hours I've really logged on this game - since I played it before my computer had problems and my harddisk was completely reset (long story, has nothing to do with this game). The 'just one more dungeon' drive is as bad as the 'one more day' drive in Stardew Valley or the 'just another five minutes' in The Sims. The dungeons are randomly generated and usually not too big, so you can just spend a couple of minutes with one dungeon, save, and leave the game (theoretically, that is). I also like the different outfits you can unlock, buy, and wear.

It's not a triple A game, but you'll get a lot of gaming out of the money you pay for it.

I actually liked the story a lot on the first playthrough. Yes, it might be a little easy to see through in parts, but I feel like that about a lot of stories ... I read a lot and you learn to recognize patterns after a while. I liked the writing, too, even though it might perhaps be a little better every now and then.

The fact alone that I'm rating this game should show I like it ... I usually don't write reviews.