Recent reviews by Grimr

Avoid at all costs unless you want to get addicted to rocking and stoning

The Immortal, The Mortal and The Weird West.
What can a man say about Weird West? The place is cruel, carrion everywhere you go, twisted things unfold right before your very eyes. The only thing standing before West's downfall is you. The Passenger . Oh, I shouldn't have mentioned it. Well, just keep that in mind and soon enough you will understand what I mean. Now for the fun part.

Gameplay :
How can one summarize the gameplay of Weird West? It's literally Dishonored but in a setting of the Wild West. Is it bad? No. Is it awesome? It is. Never thought that playing isometric immersive sim could be that engaging. See that shovel? Grab it to loot some stashes. See that pickaxe? Get ahold of it and mine some ore for upgrades and money (you can even do that in the ol' fashion way - like a prospector via dynamite; Oh, and be on the look out for these cracked rock piles while you're exploring caverns there might some loot you wouldn't want to miss out). Don't forget that rope that is lying there or you will miss some loot and a secret entrance. You might not understand where I am getting with, but I assure you that those items certainly will make you use them.

As for the shooting I can say that I liked it. Although, there is a catch - it can get quite repetitive if your only wish is to gun everything down. However, if you maintain the balance between shooting and stealth you would get more fun that way. Weapon abilities are a cherry on top even though some could be considered mediocre (actually there were only two "bland" abilities for bow and rifle that just amped up your firerate) and the whole melee tree is very situational especially when you're against something that can shoot you very hard (like a shotgun) or when you're up against one hell of a monster that can swallow you whole when you try to melee it.

Speaking of progression it does feel rewarding to just wander 'round and finding something useful like a nimp relic or an ace card for abilities and perks. The fact that abilities and perks transfer between characters is also neat. My favorite perks were Jump Height, Posse Strength/Health, Firerate during leap/dash and Locksmith. Found those were useful.

Story :
Have you ever dreamed about being a cowboy in a place where you can make yourself a name? Surely you did. We all did. In Weird West you can do that and even more. Why be a hero when you can be a villain? Weird West allows that, but don't blame the developers when bounty hunters come for your head (you get what you deserved). Although, those who preserve their righteousness get those juicy last minute saves from simple folk that you saved during your journey.

I won't spoil the plot in this review, although I will say that sinister atmosphere that the developers managed to create was alike to that mystery around the Outsider from Dishonored. I was happy to explore the weirdness of the Wild West. It was one hell of a ride and it's a shame that it ended quickly, but I'am happy that it happened nonetheless. I hope that you will enjoy your journey too, The Passenger .

"SKALD: Against the Black Priory" is a game in a league of its own. I do no recall any other CRPG titles that tried to convey that "indescribable" and "unfathomable" cosmic horror in such a way.

What was good:
1. The "Lovecraftian" atmosphere is easily the best thing in the game. You will see the horrors of the deep, twisted monstrosities, cultists and much more. The art style is a cherry on top as it enhances the experience through those pixelated “cut-scenes” that are full of gruesomeness and despair (although fonts can be unreadable sometimes, though one may say that it only adds up to the "unfathomable" atmosphere of the game I guess).
2. The companions were great (especially Roland), but do not expect them to be like companions in Baldur's Gate II or III (the game is relatively short with ~20 hours of playtime or less and other than witnessing personalities and some comments during narrative you won't get much character development).
3. There are nine classes with different skill-trees that allows for some builds and playstyle customisation (though you cannot create something like warrior-mage with a two-handed sword so the system is kinda restricted).
4. Combat is unusually fast for a turn-based game (unless you encounter monsters with immunities). It also feels very rewarding to win on the brink of death (when your whole party is injured and weakened).

What was debatable:
1. Scarcity of resources is good, but it falls off very quickly, thus becoming an inconvenience rather than a threat.
2. Attunement aka mana is easily drained by using some essential spells (usually the elemental ones) since they have higher costs than something like healing spells.
3. The game has a level-cap of 20 which can be restrictive for some players that want to tinker with the builds (there is also no respec mechanic at the moment), but you won't experience much trouble with that (reaching the cap) unless you grind for levels by getting into random encounters (my party was 19 when I finished the game).
4. Some end game fights are quite boring unless you have a team composition that can tackle enemies' weaknesses (beware of slimes). This is further worsened by the fact that those enemies have immunities that disable some of your signature abilities (backstabbing for example).

I highly recommend this game to those that are interested in a dark lovecraftian story full of different abominations and otherworldly beings. I had my own share of fun while playing this masterpiece of a game.

P.S Thank you, AL and Raw Fury, for creating this game. It was one of hell a journey, wasn’t it?