Recent reviews by Lord CausticFoil

Been dreaming of this game for over 20 years

Quick saves don't save your game, they're checkpoints. If you don't go home to save your game and quit the game, you'll lose all your progress.
Make sure you keep walking.
This game has a bunch of oversights that don't seem to have been patched in almost 10 years. Hopefully somebody else can have a better time with it.
If you like Japanese folklore and monsters, you'll probably enjoy this.

Overwatch 2 recently re-introduced Classic 6v6, and that's been a huge learning experience. I've decided to rewrite my review. The old review will be included at the bottom. (tl;dr at the bottom too)

The Game was Never the Problem.

After getting the chance to play Overwatch 1 Classic again and directly compare it to Overwatch 2, I can say with certainty that they're both extremely fun in their own ways. I used to feel that playing Overwatch 2 was a downgrade to playing Overwatch 1. But now I feel they're both just as fun as each other, even with every change.

But the game was never the problem, it was everything outside of the game. Namely, monetization.

Overwatch 1 had an unhealthy lootbox mechanic that could leave people spending loads of money gambling and never getting what they want. But the pay-to-play model was healthy and receiving lootbox rewards after every game was so, so satisfying. Also being able to chat with people for a minute after the game and talk about who did well was so nice and rewarding.

Overwatch 2, on the other hand, turned free-to-play, included little rewards for playing and rewarded whoever chucked in the most money for coins. The one good thing is that players are now clear on their purchases instead of gambling but paying the price of the original game for 1 skin is just so despairing.

However, there is a reason behind this monetisation model we hate so, so much. And it is absolutely awful from the player's end. Overwatch 1 wasn't financially healthy. There were few new players buying the game and the existing players making purchases were in the minority. It wasn't making enough money to be worth keeping itself alive. Assuming all this, there's 2 options: 1. Kill the Overwatch servers so there's no more costs, but at the price of losing all of Overwatch. 2. Make Overwatch Profitable again. As a player, both of these options suck in comparison to Overwatch 1, where we could get everything for free.

Overwatch 2 is only bad when compared to Overwatch 1. Overwatch 1 was a generous gift and an amazing game to be a part of from 2016 through to its end. Overwatch 2 fails as a sequel, it's not as fun as Overwatch 1. It is better than the alternative option of never getting to play again, though.

If you have the time to spend getting into a highly competitive game, and the money to buy skins and accessories, give Overwatch 2 a go. Ultimately, the game is fun. I still feel the same way I do with card games. They're expensive, they take a lot of effort due to their competitive nature, but playing those high stakes matches and utilising everything you've learned is so, so fun.

Old Review:
[When you take something away from someone, they will be pissed off. Overwatch 2 is an absolute failure of a sequel. It's finally headed in the right direction though.
I wouldn't recommend this game for the same reason I don't recommend getting into card games that I love. It's an addiction and will eat your life away, but it is fun.]

tl;dr - Overwatch was headed for bankruptcy and Overwatch 2 was the answer. Overwatch 2 is lesser, but still fun.

I would be playing this game so much more if I wasn't so disturbed by teeth.

tl;dr - A phenomenal game with a price tag that flies too close to the sun. You could get 5 times the experience of bg3 for half the price.

The more I play this game, the more I realise problems with it. Immediately, I praise it for its incredibly lengthy and open story with multiple routes to take. By that aspect, I'm reminded of games like Detroit: Become Human and Undertale. The gameplay has quite a lot of issues with it, especially coming from the perspective of a TTRPG player. One of the biggest differences between a TTRPG and BG3 is that the game is not on your side at all. It's like having a DM that's trying to find every opportunity to screw you over. With how easy it is to accidentally make a mistake in this game, you're gonna want to quicksave every 5 minutes. That may seem like an exaggeration but that's being generous. For example, if you're playing a Paladin, the game doesn't make the Oaths clear and you could break your Oath with no clue you were doing so. If that happens, you better hope you hit F5 to quicksave or you're gonna need to do a lot of backtracking on an older save.

One thing I'm progressively realising, more and more, is that this game is built on its modding community. I was hesitant to try mods without completing the game, initially. Now that I've tried mods, I could never go back. The amount of quality of life that's completely overlooked and solved by mods is astonishing. The amount of content the mod makers have made for this game is truly incredible, too.

This is an absolutely phenomenal game, but the one thing pushing this down into a negative review for me is the price tag. There are other games out there that do what Baldur's Gate 3 do best for much cheaper. Detroit: Become Human is half the price, with a similarly impressive story and graphics. Heavy Rain is a quarter of the price. Undertale is roughly a tenth of the price with both its sequels being free.

What pulls me back into this game is its story and sheer amount of options for customisation. Going through hours of content across 3 different acts several times as different races, classes or even with different motivations or party members makes this a unique experience every time.

If this game drops in price, buy it. It's phenomenal. Otherwise, if you want a rich story experience with multiple options, try Undertale, Deltarune, Detroit: Become Human, Heavy Rain or many other story and choice heavy games. If you want to experience the game's deep levels of customisation and the combat system, play a D&D fifth edition game with your friends. If you don't have friends but still crave that fifth edition experience, this is the perfect option.

Context: This review was written on 07/02/2024. The English price is £49.99 and the lowest it's ever gone on sale is £44.99. The game hasn't received updates beyond hotfixes for 3 months.

The Negatives

(SOLVED) T̶h̶e̶ b̶i̶g̶g̶e̶s̶t̶ t̶h̶i̶n̶g̶ h̶a̶r̶m̶i̶n̶g̶ t̶h̶i̶s̶ g̶a̶m̶e̶ i̶s̶ a̶ l̶a̶c̶k̶ o̶f̶ c̶o̶m̶m̶u̶n̶i̶c̶a̶t̶i̶o̶n̶ a̶n̶d̶ r̶e̶f̶l̶e̶c̶t̶i̶o̶n̶. L̶e̶t̶'s̶ s̶t̶a̶r̶t̶ w̶i̶t̶h̶ t̶h̶e̶ l̶a̶c̶k̶ o̶f̶ c̶h̶a̶t̶. H̶a̶v̶i̶n̶g̶ n̶o̶ l̶o̶b̶b̶y̶ c̶h̶a̶t̶ i̶s̶ a̶c̶t̶u̶a̶l̶l̶y̶ a̶ g̶o̶o̶d̶ t̶h̶i̶n̶g̶ i̶n̶ a̶ g̶a̶m̶e̶ l̶i̶k̶e̶ t̶h̶i̶s̶. A̶l̶l̶ o̶f̶ t̶h̶e̶ m̶a̶t̶c̶h̶e̶s̶ i̶n̶v̶o̶l̶v̶e̶ m̶u̶l̶t̶i̶p̶l̶e̶ t̶e̶a̶m̶s̶. T̶h̶i̶s̶ m̶e̶a̶n̶s̶, o̶f̶t̶e̶n̶ t̶i̶m̶e̶s̶, o̶n̶e̶ t̶e̶a̶m̶ i̶s̶ a̶b̶o̶v̶e̶ a̶l̶l̶ t̶h̶e̶ r̶e̶s̶t̶ a̶n̶d̶ h̶a̶v̶e̶ a̶ t̶a̶r̶g̶e̶t̶ o̶n̶ t̶h̶e̶m̶. I̶f̶ t̶h̶e̶r̶e̶ w̶a̶s̶ a̶ l̶o̶b̶b̶y̶ c̶h̶a̶t̶, t̶e̶a̶m̶s̶ w̶o̶u̶l̶d̶ b̶e̶ a̶b̶l̶e̶ t̶o̶ c̶o̶-̶o̶r̶d̶i̶n̶a̶t̶e̶ a̶n̶d̶ w̶o̶r̶k̶ t̶o̶g̶e̶t̶h̶e̶r̶, t̶u̶r̶n̶i̶n̶g̶ t̶h̶e̶ g̶a̶m̶e̶ i̶n̶t̶o̶ a̶ 3̶v̶6̶. H̶o̶w̶e̶v̶e̶r̶, t̶h̶e̶ b̶i̶g̶ i̶s̶s̶u̶e̶ i̶s̶ t̶h̶e̶r̶e̶ i̶s̶ n̶o̶ t̶e̶a̶m̶ c̶h̶a̶t̶. T̶h̶e̶r̶e̶ a̶r̶e̶ m̶a̶n̶y̶ t̶i̶m̶e̶s̶ w̶h̶e̶r̶e̶ I̶'d̶ f̶a̶l̶l̶e̶n̶ i̶n̶ a̶ b̶a̶t̶t̶l̶e̶ a̶n̶d̶ r̶e̶q̶u̶e̶s̶t̶e̶d̶ a̶ r̶e̶v̶i̶v̶e̶. A̶ t̶e̶a̶m̶m̶a̶t̶e̶ w̶i̶l̶l̶ r̶u̶n̶ b̶y̶ a̶n̶d̶ i̶g̶n̶o̶r̶e̶ b̶y̶ b̶o̶d̶y̶. I̶f̶ t̶h̶e̶r̶e̶ w̶a̶s̶ a̶ t̶e̶a̶m̶ c̶h̶a̶t̶, I̶'d̶ b̶e̶ a̶b̶l̶e̶ t̶o̶ c̶o̶m̶m̶u̶n̶i̶c̶a̶t̶e̶ w̶i̶t̶h̶ t̶h̶e̶m̶ a̶n̶d̶ f̶i̶g̶u̶r̶e̶ o̶u̶t̶ w̶h̶a̶t̶ t̶h̶e̶y̶'r̶e̶ p̶l̶a̶n̶n̶i̶n̶g̶. W̶i̶t̶h̶o̶u̶t̶ i̶t̶, a̶l̶l̶ I̶ c̶a̶n̶ d̶o̶ i̶s̶ s̶p̶a̶m̶ t̶h̶e̶ r̶e̶q̶u̶e̶s̶t̶ r̶e̶v̶i̶v̶e̶ b̶u̶t̶t̶o̶n̶ a̶n̶d̶ w̶o̶n̶d̶e̶r̶ w̶h̶a̶t̶ t̶h̶e̶ h̶e̶c̶k̶ i̶s̶ g̶o̶i̶n̶g̶ o̶n̶. T̶h̶e̶r̶e̶ i̶s̶ a̶l̶s̶o̶ v̶e̶r̶y̶ l̶i̶t̶t̶l̶e̶ w̶a̶y̶ f̶o̶r̶ t̶h̶e̶ t̶e̶a̶m̶ t̶o̶ c̶o̶-̶o̶r̶d̶i̶n̶a̶t̶e̶, p̶l̶a̶n̶ o̶r̶ e̶x̶p̶l̶a̶i̶n̶ a̶ s̶t̶r̶a̶t̶e̶g̶y̶. A̶l̶l̶ t̶h̶e̶y̶ h̶a̶v̶e̶ i̶s̶ 8̶ l̶i̶n̶e̶s̶ f̶r̶o̶m̶ a̶ c̶o̶m̶m̶u̶n̶i̶c̶a̶t̶i̶o̶n̶ w̶h̶e̶e̶l̶ a̶n̶d̶ a̶ f̶e̶w̶ t̶h̶i̶n̶g̶s̶ t̶h̶e̶y̶ c̶a̶n̶ p̶i̶n̶g̶ o̶n̶ t̶h̶e̶ m̶a̶p̶. T̶h̶e̶ l̶a̶c̶k̶ o̶f̶ c̶h̶a̶t̶ i̶s̶ o̶n̶e̶ m̶a̶j̶o̶r̶ t̶h̶i̶n̶g̶ a̶b̶s̶o̶l̶u̶t̶e̶l̶y̶ k̶i̶l̶l̶i̶n̶g̶ t̶h̶i̶s̶ g̶a̶m̶e̶ f̶o̶r̶ m̶e̶. O̶n̶ t̶o̶p̶ o̶f̶ t̶h̶i̶s̶, t̶h̶e̶r̶e̶'s̶ n̶o̶ w̶a̶y̶ t̶o̶ t̶e̶l̶l̶ p̶l̶a̶y̶e̶r̶s̶ G̶G̶ o̶r̶ W̶P̶ a̶t̶ t̶h̶e̶ e̶n̶d̶ o̶f̶ a̶ m̶a̶t̶c̶h̶.

The next biggest thing is the lack of reflection. This game has no killcams and no replays, which is incredibly harmful to players. There will be times where I will have very little information to go off for what killed me, leaving me just confused. Other times, I'll see an enemy make a play that impressed me but I didn't quite catch. I have no way of watching and learning, unlike in other games of similar genre. A lack of killcams and replays also provides no way for players to check if somebody is hacking. I trust the anti-cheat in this game is good, but there are times cheaters will make it through. In those scenarios, it's vital that players have the tools to counter it. Being able to see a killcam and tell other players in the match there's a hacker is such a powerful preventative measure this game simply doesn't have.

The Positives

This game is fun. From a design perspective, it's not too ambitious or different from other FPS or Hero Shooter games. You have 3 classes that can have customised loadouts to fit your preferred playstyle. The objective is a simple gold rush style game. Where the game gets truly interesting is how well it does these things. The game maps are almost completely destructible. If you don't like where an objective is, you can completely remodel that part of the map. If there's an opening you can get flanked on, you can bring down a ceiling or cover it with goo to block it off. On the other hand, if there's a wall in your way, you can pick up an explosive barrel and throw it into a wall to bust it down. The game does suffer from balance issues. In my experience, Sonar Grenades and Defibrillators are too good to pass up. However, this isn't too much of an issue since the balance between players is a small part of the game. The bigger part is how well the players use the tools available in the map to their advantage. Scattered around the maps are barrels that can turn the tide of a battle. On top of that, there's jump pads, zipwires and even a huge crane the players can use to reach stronger positions. Battles feel extremely satisfying and fun.

Monetization

The game is free and includes microtransactions. Compared to other titles, these microtransactions are very healthy. Mechanical gadgets, weapons and abilities are only unlocked through progression, so there is no pay to win. Cosmetics can be unlocked through playing but it's minimal in comparison to what the microtransaction currency can get you. However, there are many bundles that pay for themselves, and more. The battle pass, for example, costs 1,150 coins but rewards 1,575 through completion. The free battle pass also rewards coins so cosmetics can be grinded to without ever paying a penny of real money. I despise microtransactions and would prefer to pay £30 for a game and never pay again. This system of microtransactions, however, I can make an exception for. It's very much favoured towards the player.

tl;dr

Lack of t̶e̶a̶m̶ c̶h̶a̶t, killcams and replays kill the game. The game is incredibly fun and an impressive delivery of FPS and Hero Shooter mechanics. The microtransactions favour the player. 9/10.

This is not a game, this is a story. An absolutely phenomenal entry into the Freebird series. I would highly recommend playing To the Moon, A Bird Story, Finding Paradise and each of those games' extra content before playing this.
As a long time fan of the series, this story felt like a true love letter, even if the prologue was absolutely terrifying.
If you're looking for a gorgeous story over an intense game, pick up this series.

I had heard that this was a great game and seeing that is was suddenly free to play I decided to give it a go.

Starting off I was looking at some deer and it took me about a minute to realize I could play since the character wasn't actually on screen. At this point I had 2 controls. Left and Right. It was fairly boring since all I was doing was moving forward but eventually I came to some coins and a fire and began on the core mechanic of the game. I was concerned that "watch" was a feature in the tutorial and annoyed to find that my concern was not misplaced since a lot of the game is simply watching your workers build your kingdom or archers completely miss their target.

By the time I had some fortifications I decided to go exploring to see if I could find more of the game. I thought that maybe I would find a sword and fight some monsters. I then ran into a monster and in an attempt to escape my crown was stolen and I lost. So right away I was punished for exploring, noted.

In my second run, I decided to play it a bit safer. I built a bunch of walls and would spend the day going out to hire people and spend the night inside of my kingdom waiting. I got into a routine of monsters invading at night and repairing the damages while building minor improvements during the day after they had ran off. I was about to have my second catapult on about day 22 when I noticed the monsters weren't running away. In fact there was a huge one that kept spawning more enemies that I had no chance against, mostly due to the fact that I couldn't fight and all of my citizens walked right into it. So I did the only other option and ran away, leaving all of my citizens to sit there and die.

At this point I thought the game was about to start again and that I would find another fire with coins but instead I was met with a giant rock wall and eventually sandwiched between it and all the monsters which then killed me again.

From what I can tell, this really isn't a good game. I spent most of it being stressed rather than having any actual fun. A large part of me wonders how this ended up on steam rather than a flash game website. If I'm missing something big then the game didn't teach me it and in fact punished me for trying new things.

tl;dr
-Premise of the game is boring and stressful
-AI is poorly done
-Monsters don't fit a solid routine to tell you when you are and aren't safe
-You are taught the bare minimum and left with a bunch of questions
-Trying to discover new things gets you punished

To end this with a good note, the game's soundtrack did cheer me up from time to time and it's art style is kind of cool.

Never play a game called Doki Doki Literature Club.
Never.
Never.
Never.
Never.
Never...

...
It's too late...
My retinas...
Already scorched with a permanent copy of the meaningless image...

My money goes twoards the devs adding Computer Friendly Controls and Online Multiplayer.