Recent reviews by Jill of Trades

The options and saving progress is all bugged. Normally I love Pixel Puzzles, but this one is a hard pass.

A nice, short puzzle game where you solve a puzzle or combination of puzzles in order to pass the level. There's math, colors, patterns, and transmission ones. The only problem is that the level curve is a bit mixed up and there are a couple where you get stumped (basically 4 out of the 36 levels). Otherwise, nice and quick game.

"The Last Door" Season 2 is the thrilling conclusion to the series, where everything is coming together-and you know there is no turning back.

Graphics:
I found small improvements to the pixelated design in this game. The lighting and atmosphere has gotten better, and I find that certain objects in the background were in more detail than before. I am a sucker for the skies in this game as they are a beautiful, fitting blend of colors.

Story:
The story shifts to John Wakefield, a psychiatrist and doctor to Jeremiah Devitt. Concerned about the disappearance of his patient, he retraces the steps of his patient and someone who was a member of Devitt's inner circle: Alexandre Du Pre. Alexandre has left an imprint to many people-from a fellow doctor to the patients in the asylum. There is more to this "Veil" and more to this cultish group "The Playwright." Despite warnings from others, Wakefield continues and sought through the craziness. From traditions, to drugs, to the supernatural and haunting, Wakefield has gone too deep in the realm of insanity.

At first, I thought it was a bit of a downer not to continue from Devitt's perspective, but this really makes up for filling the holes of the story.

Gameplay:
The gameplay is the same as before, but with a new addition. You can travel and unlock different locations in each episode. I find that this adds more variety and more story elements to the game. One problem I have though in one of the episodes, one of the locations are temporarily locked which was Wright's Manor (first time I thought it was locked), and I restarted the episode to finish exploring there before the location was locked.

Another new element is there are a few timing features, related to light and talking to someone through a window. This adds a bit of a challenge to the game. However, I found that the puzzles and objects in this game were much more straightforward than before. In a way it was less nerve-wracking, but in a way it was a bit boring. This can be perceived as a pro or con to this game.

Music:
A fresh and new orchestral soundtrack. Still as beautiful and immersive as in the previous game. The only downer I have about this is that they used the same opening music from the first game. I was expecting something new in the opening. Also, don't know if it's just me but I find that the strings in the game have been toned down a bit.

Controls:
The controls are pretty much the same in this game. In order to travel to different places, you will have to exit a certain part of the location. There was also a lot of debris in some paths so it was a bit annoying to navigate. Otherwise, not too bad.

Overall:
If the first game wasn't enough for you, then this game will quench your thirst in solving everything once and for all. "The Last Door: Season 2" reveals everything and even adds a bit extra for enjoyment and immersiveness. The first season wasn't a gratifying ending, but this second season has made it up almost 100x better than the previous game. With a surprisingly working different perspective, more mysteries being unraveled, and a new soundtrack, this season was a enjoyable story we can close the book on.

Pros:
-More answers, more insanity, and a thrilling, satisfying conclusion to this game.
-Slight improvement of graphics and lighting.
-New gameplay elements and timing features.
-New (and also improved) soundtrack.

???:
-Easier Puzzles.
-New character perspective.

Cons:
-Some walking areas are difficult.
-A location that ends up being temporarily locked, meaning you can't go finish what you were doing.

"The Last Door" is a mysterious horror game centered around a secretive cult.

Graphics:
The graphics are smooth pixels with fluid movement. While at first it is hard to distinguish the people and objects at first, they become recognizable later on as you become more immersed in the game. I love the detail they captured in the horror aspect-making areas unsettling or sudden transformations with colors and symbols. The lighting they use in this game makes it really feel like you're in the old-time era.

Story:
The story takes place in the late 1800s Victorian England. Throughout this time, the students have delved deep into the subject of philosophy in a religious school. However, as they go deeper, they involve themselves into a cultish area where there is no escape. The game starts before Anthony's last moments. He was lost in his research and driven mad. After not hearing from him for quite a while, Jeremiah Devitt became concerned and went to visit him. While playing throughout the game, you slowly rediscover his memories from being sent to a boarding school to being a psychologist's patient to seeing the future.

The only problem is that I find there are more holes and mysteries in the story to the point where you don't completely understand what is going on. I do understand that this is just the first season, but it would have been nice to end it on a note where we have least got some answers of what we are exactly dealing with.

Gameplay:
You play as Jeremiah Devitt, a close friend of Anthony Beechworth. Throughout the game, there will be moments where you temporarily take the roles of other characters.

The game is point-and-click, getting to one location to the other. There will be objects to interact or examine by hovering your mouse over. You will need to combine items and keep a source of light to continue to guide your way. The walking back and forth is tedious, but thanks to a trick someone shared, you can quickly get from place to place by double-clicking to the next area.

For achievement hunters, the good news is that you can play by episode, so if you miss a certain area, you don't have to play through the entire game again-as all the secrets, notes, and easter eggs are registered when you first discover them. Just be aware that there are a lot of missable moments and achievements.

Music:
The music is heavily orchestrated. I adore the piano pieces and waltzes in this game. The only problem I have is that the music that plays before each episode officially starts has an overwhelming amount of strings in it, which becomes more annoying to hear than the other pieces of instruments behind it. Chances are you will have to lower the volume a bit. Otherwise, the music is relaxing and fits well into the setting and atmosphere.

Controls:
Majority of the game is point and click, and you can pause by pressing escape. Sadly, you will have to go to the title screen each time you want to change options or check your stats. You will continue close to where you originally left off in each episode, but the loading back and forth makes it annoying.

Overall:
The Last Door (Season 1 of course), despite the flaws it has, is a pretty good mystery horror game with some great story elements. If you are a fan of religious horror, historical stories, and/or plain mystery, then this might just be up your alley. Regardless of having some control and option annoyances, this game has a spot to be alongside the shelves of the respective genres above-and it might be even close to consider this "a classic."

Pros:
-Simplistic, yet beautiful pixel graphics and atmospheric lighting.
-Orchestrated pieces of (mostly) beautiful music.
-Episodic, meaning you can play by chapter and certain points of the game.
-Stays true to its history setting.
-Going deep...deeper...deepest.


Cons:
-In order to change options, you have to go to the main menu each time, navigating away from the game.
-Music may be loud and opening is annoying.
-Holes and more unanswered questions in the story, making this an inappropriate time to end a "season."

A relaxing beautiful game for any type of puzzle player. Slide the dot to collect all pearls and find hidden gems in each stage. Need a break from that hardcore achievement hunting? Need some therapy? Quell will let you do all of that.

You chop trees.

Graphics:
Pixel. You chop trees.

Story:
You chop trees.

Gameplay:
You chop trees.

Music:
Russian tree chopping.

Controls:
Left-click right-click or a d keys to chop trees.

Overall:
You chop trees.

Pros:
-You chop trees.

???:
-You chop trees.

Cons:
-You chop trees.

Mind Games is a puzzle game that states that it will exercise your mind, but to the point where you want to pull your hair out.

Graphics:
The graphics remind me of the nostalgia 90s pc games. Some are crisp and some are cheap. Not much detail going on.

Music:
This is a mixed subject, as some people have said that they ripped music from other pc games. Reviewing it standalone, it is basically Midi-style music. The problem is, when you minimize and maximize the game, the music changes and/or repeats itself, which is annoying.

Gameplay:
I love how this game has a variety of puzzles. Battleship, switching all lights off, picture puzzles, checkers, chess-enough different types to keep you occupied. That's one thing I love about this game...well the only thing.

Now here comes the infuriating part.

The puzzles are chosen for you. There is no menu to select a puzzle, no hints in case you are stumped or stuck. Want to skip the level? No problem...just click retry 100 times. Also, the Steam Overlay does not work on this game (the achievements unlock-it's just the overlay that doesn't work).

Controls:
Mouse...enough said.

Overall:
Mind Games had the right idea for the type of puzzle games for everyone to enjoy. However, it has major flaws that affect the gameplay of the entire game. No way to select a level, no menu, no hints, no options, and a few bugs lie around in this game. If the game had an update that fixed these flaws, I would recommend it. However, until then, this is not Mind Games-this is Infuriation Simulator 90s.

Pros:
-Variety of Puzzles

???:
-Music (sounds good, but buggy and probably ripped)

Cons:
-No menu
-No hints
-No choice of puzzles

A casual tri-peak-style solitaire game with fun minigames, powerups, and many unique stages! If you're a fan of solitaire games, this game is a must-have in your collection!

Mad Father is a psychological journey that tests and measures the questions about morals, loyalty, and love. This horror game is a well-known classic among the indie game community.

Graphics:
The graphics are 2D pixel with darkness and light atmosphere added. Portraits and in-game picture scenes are added during the course of the story and they lean towards the anime style. I love the details in the areas of the game. Each sprite and character is detailed in this game, so no stock npc stuff added or anything like that. As for the horror? Perfectly pictured. I could explain more, but alas, spoilers. You would have to see the game yourself to understand what I'm talking about.

Controls:
The controls are pretty fluid in this game. You can navigate to places pretty quickly, and you can interact with objects if you have a ! above your head. You can use Z and X to confirm/interact or cancel/key items respectively. You can use the arrow keys to move.

Story:
You follow the story of a girl named Aya, who has a father who keeps his specific "research" to himself. Aya's mother passed away a year ago and doesn't have much left when it comes to someone to talk to. At the stroke of midnight, the day when Aya's mother passed away, strange things start happening around the mansion: dolls coming alive, zombies entering the house, and ghosts wandering around. Aya hears her father scream, knowing that he is in trouble. As you progress to try and rescue him, you reveal details of the past and witness the viewpoints of victims before their lives ended. Your loyalty, love, and morals are tested throughout this strange and corrupted mansion. The story and ending: love it.

Voice acting:
Not much voice, but sometimes there are voices played, mostly by Aya and her father. I love the voice acting and it was done pretty well! It sends shivers through my spine. Only thing is sometimes Aya's "hmm" is a bit annoying, but otherwise great voice acting!

Gameplay:
The gameplay is pretty casual with a tiny bit difficulty. This is due to scenes where you must press arrowkeys in a certain order in order to escape. In order to progress, you have to collect items to open the way or to satisfy the spirits' wishes. There is an optional sidequest where you can collect gems to unlock a special scene and unlock two sections grayed out in the main menu. For a puzzle enthusiast, this is pretty much child's play, so anyone looking for an easy or hard game-this does not disappoint the play styles. There are plenty of save points in this game and save slots to help you, so if you mess up either way, it's not too difficult to do it over again.

Only problem is certain sections of the game is where you have difficult enemies. They move too fast and you have to act at a split second in order to avoid them. This can take a couple of tries, but otherwise easy to avoid in the end.

Music:
Oh my god the music spoke to me. I know it sounds weird but the music is PERFECT for this game. It matches the emotional and horror parts of the game and it sounds so beautiful. No disappointment and not tiring to keep hearing the music.

Overall:
Mad Father is a masterpiece in the psychological horror genre and indie community. This game has everything to piece together a great horror game. With a complex story that makes you question and have suspicion, a gameplay suited for everyone, correct strings pulled for horror, great visuals, and beautiful/horrifying music, this game does not disappoint and it is a must-have in your collection whether you are a horror-enthusiast or indie-enthusiast.

Pros:
-Beautiful and horrifying music.
-Complex, deep story.
-Detailed areas and scenes.
-Great atmosphere.
-Awesome voice acting in some parts.

Cons:
-Some enemies require you to act in a split second, which can take a couple of tries.

Crimson Room: Decade is the return of the popular flash escape room game: Crimson Room. Returning to the place after 10 years, there are still some secrets unsolved. While plenty of love was given to the flash game, it seems like the same doesn't apply for the recent version.

Graphics:
I love the atmosphere of the game and the details of the items. There are a few problems I have with it, however. One thing is because of the ways items are placed or scattered, it can affect movement. For example, the drawer on the floor and opening the drawer. The delay of closing and opening and picking up moves the character, which I will get into detail on controls. The way some items are hidden, like the bed lump at the beginning and the pencil at the end, makes it very hard to spot. Later on in the game, it seems like some scenes and items were thrown together in haste...literally...

Controls:
ASWD to move, right click to look at the item you're holding, left click to inspect an item, shift to crouch. The controls are slow and delayed. As mentioned in graphics, sometimes the items force you to move to the side or back. Sometimes, you can barely maneuver in the room when stuff is on the floor, which feels like an obstacle course.

Story:
You play as a frenchman, who is investigating the Crimson Room once again while leaving his pregnant wife back at home. The notes hint his relationships with the captain and crew with suspicions of brainwashing and such.

Gameplay:
I hate to say the gameplay is a bit infuriating. As stated before in graphics, some items are hard to find. One instance that I got ticked off was figuring out how to wipe the numbers clean. Well, obviously I have to cut the curtain and put it in the water. Nope. I had to make the safe numbers say that I have to clean it in order to first cut the curtain. Why do we need a prompt for something so obvious? Some cases are the same with other items and actions, which makes the game hard to figure out. Another thing is items spawn in the dark drawer only when the light is shine. It's common sense sometimes to reach out or squint in the dark, but in this case...apparently not. I can understand a flash game...but a 3d game?

Music:
I love the music used throughout in the game, except for the ending them...which I felt it took a sudden turn on the type of song and notes. Otherwise, great music you can get into.

Overall:
I remembered Crimson Room fondly. It was something to play and fool with in spare time and something enjoyable. I was stoked when I found out about Crimson Room: Decade. However, I was disappointed after I played it. While the music was good and it did try to stay close to the original, it just didn't catch up to the present day games. With stiff controls, graphics interfering with movement, and some graphics cheaply made, Crimson Room: Decade should have added a few more years to prepare itself to come back. If there is a good sale (if it's under 4$), I'd say it's worth getting. Otherwise, it's not worth the $10 price tag.

Pros:
-Great music (except for the ending).
-Atmosphere staying true to the original and to present-day games.

???:
-Graphics (some parts are good. some parts are cheap.)

Cons:
-Stiff and slow controls.
-Objects interfere with movement and can get you stuck for a bit sometimes.
-You have to keep inspecting the same thing for some things over and over in order to progress.