Recent reviews by ChaosEve

If you like detective games, and using deductive reasoning, I can't recommend this game enough. Kept me entertained for hours. Now on to the DLC!

I was really enjoying this game. Sad the devs decided to ruin a good thing and sabotage their community's trust. Fun while it lasted, I guess.

Update: So they reversed the decision to force PSN account linking, but still haven't allowed the 177 countries that the game is restricted in to have the game back. The devs are fighting to get it back, but it's an uphill battle. I'll change my review to positive again when Sony and Valve let everyone have their game back.

It's been a long time since a game has surprised me as much as ELDERBORN did. I was surprised by the simple, yet satisfying combat and even little touches like getting to pick your character's gender. The story was fairly generic at first, but ended up actually being good with a few twists I didn't see coming. Narration was a little wooden, but it wasn't enough to detract from a genuinely enjoyable action romp. Smashing faces and slicing off heads, I felt like a barbarian queen crossed with a ninja (once I found the katars, that is). The metal soundtrack was great too. Definitely adding this to my list of favorite games, while hoping and praying that Hyperstrange decides to make a sequel. I'd LOVE to see what happens next!

Very impressed with this game! Not your typical survival game, as it's not open ended, has a storyline, and is rather short, but a masterpiece nonetheless. I'll try to keep this review spoiler free, as giving away details will ruin the experience.


You play as a pilot who's plane crashes in Antartica. Heading for a nearby research outpost, you discover it abandoned, and must find a way to survive and escape.


Graphics aren't top of the line, but are decent enough. The game makes liberal use of the snow effects, using it to obscure far away distances, but does so in a realistic manner. Most of the interiors were fairly generic, but given that it's supposed to be an Antartic rescearch facility, it didn't need to be unique, in my opinion. Exteriors were better, but that may be because I didn't take too much time to examine them, as you're almost never safe outside, and can rarely see very far in front of you.

Lighting was well done, not too bright not too dark, enough to make me have to make use of my flashlight, but not so much to where I was leaving it on all the time.

The game offers a few filters in the options, which I thought was a nice touch, however, I don't recommend them for your first playthrough. It's hard enough to get your bearings in the storm without extra filters.


One of the high points of the game. From the foreboding music, to the near constant howl of the wind, to every creaking metal door you open, even the crunch of snow as you walk, the sound design of this game did an amazing job of setting the mood. There wasn't much in the way of voice acting, but the little there was sounded realistic and well placed. The deep gasps of warm air after trudging through the snow and nearly freezing to death are incredibly satsfying to hear.


The story wasn't deep, but served it purpose of driving the game foward. It consists of your character's correspondence with home base, which is where you get your objectives and information on where to find suppiles. The teletype machines, reminicent of old spy movies, made the choice of minimal voice acting interesting. Still, I felt connected to the character. Her sarcastic wit, to her reassuring herself she can make it, and even her sighs of relief when she finally gets warm, really helped put me in her shoes- er, snow boots.


Controls were simple and intuitive, consisting of WASD keys for movement, C to crouch, space to jump, 1-5 for selecting items and left clicking to interact or use your equipped item. The game did a good job of making me feel like I was stumbling and having trouble walkng in a straight line during strong winds, afraid that I wasn't heading in the direction I thought I was, just like a real storm.


Another high point of the game, arguably the best point. Sound and graphical design did a good job of immersing me in this game, and gameplay mechanics did a good job of keeping me there.

The heat/cold system was well done, rather than giving you a temperature gauge, gave you audible cues from your character to let you know when it was time to stop and get warm and if you were warm enough to continue. I usualy see games like this trying to add monsters or creatures creeping around in the shadows trying to kill you, instead this game decided to make nature itself the antagonist of the story. As the game goes on, the storm gets stronger, and you start to wonder if you're going to make it.

The crafting system was simple, but interesting. Supplies were just sparse enough to force you to manage your inventory carefully, lest you run out of something important like kerosene for your portable heater or batteries for your flashlight. New recipes were unlocked by finding folders stamped with the research facility logo, or a couple of times by finding a new item. There were even a few upgrades for your gear, such as a manual that details how to make your parka warmer so you can last longer in the cold.


This game had me so sucked in that even though it was 70 degrees in my house, I was getting chills, and when I paused to take my dogs out, I was fully expecting a blast of cold air to hit me when I opened the back door. At points, I'd recieve another objective and would just stop and stare at the door for a few seconds, mentally preparing myself for the storm raging outside. The sense of dread that you might not make it to the next safe space to get warm hangs over you right up until the end. The thought of "Did I get everything?" that crosses your mind right before you step out into the snow to trek to the next building, because you REALLY don't want to have to come back because you missed something. The thoughts of, "Will I make it?""Should I use my meager supplies now or save them?""Oh God, I hope the next building is close" all cross your mind as you focus on trying to stay alive, and trying to escape.

This was probably one of my favorite purchases in a long time, and my only regret is I waited so long to pick it up.

I should start by saying that I enjoyed this game. It is very short, it only took me 13 minutes to complete, but still worth your time, if only to get an idea for how this developer would make a full length game.

There isn't any story explaination at all. All you know is you are guiding a small, white, grape-shaped creature through a strange environment that appears to be a combination of the inside of a tree and, what appears to be, a hotel for insects and small robots.

Graphically speaking, this game has some interesting and beautiful visuals. It started with a sense of awe that I couldn't shake until the game was finished.

You do not directly control the character, but rather you manipulate the enviroment to help its progression through the game. Your charge seems to know exactly where to stop and wait for you and where to go next, as if by instinct or memory.

A lot is implied, or perhaps I assumed, about the character and the story. It's a shame there wasn't more to it, but for a free game, I don't feel like my time was wasted. If anything, it just made me seek out the developer to see what they would do next.

By the way, the same developer is actually realeasing a full length game called Tales of Cosmos. It follows Purseus the Dog and Professor Gagayev (a monkey) as they explore the universe. Given how this game turned out, I'd say it's worth the time checking out their demo.

Tormentum - Dark Sorrow was an amazing experience for me. I loved every minute of it and was a bit sad when it was over.


In Tormentum, you play as a hooded figure that has lost all his memories, save the memory of a dream of a strange statue on a hill. He awakens in captivity and is told he is to be punished for crimes he doesn't remember commiting. The game follows his escape and journey to the the hill from his dreams, in the hopes of restoring his memory. Along the way, he meets many strange characters, visits terrifying landscapes, and is presented with moral choices that shape his jouney, and eventually, his destiny.


Graphics: The art style was what caught my attention initally and is arguably the strongest asset the game. The characters, set pieces, and landscapes are all so alien, yet disturbingly beautiful. Unlocking a door or opening a new area was exciting, not just because I was progressing through the game, but because I would be rewarded with new and beautiful art that would leave me staring with a sense or wonder and horror rolled into one.

Music/Sound: The music is haunting and when combined with the art made for a really good atmosphere. The sound effects are well done, from opening of chests to the squelching of blood to the soft growl of a monstrous creature, each one felt solid and immersive.

Gameplay/Mechanics: The moral choices, while interesting, is probably where my biggest complaint with the game comes from. It was obvious in most cases which choice was good and which was evil, which I did like, because I never worried that I would make a choice that would result in an outcome I hadn't intended. However, there is no grey area: one wrong choice automatically gets you the bad ending, even if all the other choices you made were considered good. Because of this, there was almost no motivation for you to make the evil choices(except one of them where the evil choice saves you time). Not to mention the fact that (minor spoiler) you steal objects from people that call you "friend" and kill several creatures.

UI/Controls: The UI is simple and minimalistic: you have an inventory bag in the lower right corner for items you find and a notepad in the lower left that copies any puzzle hints and intsructions you come across. Arrows on the sides of screens and door icons clearly highlight where you can go, so you never feel at a loss as to where you can explore. Your cursor changes to a skeletal hand when you can interact with something and occasionally a soft glow emanates from interactive objects as well. All these elements did little to interfere with the art, which is good, as the art is one of the strongest points of the game.

Controls are simple and easy to pick up: you click things. That's it. I didn't have any trouble clicking exactly what I wanted to click,

Overall, the UI annd controls, while not innovative or particularly engrossing, was well excuted and functioned adequately.

Story: I felt story to be the weakest part of the game; not bad, but it could have been better.

The characters, while beautiful and interesting, aren't deep and left me wanting to find out more about them, but with no recourse to do so. Other than the moral choices, your own character's personality and story doesn't develop at all either. You're trying to reach that statue from your dream. That's it for the whole game. There isn't any way for the protaginst to express himself, short of deciding if he should senselessly murder someone or not.


Dispite the few points I didn't like, I still highly recommend this game. The wording of the title, to me, suggests the possibility of a sequel, One that I would absolutely play if it comes out.

So, I JUST finished this game as I'm writing this, and I gotta say, I wasn't disappointed. This game walks a fine line between an adventure game about a young girl exploring a spooky old mansion, and a scary story told around a campfire, and does it quite well.

The story sucks you in. You play as a 13 year old native american girl named Elena looking for her father, who has gone missing some days earlier. The last place he was seen was the old mansion where he is groundskeeper. Investigating with a shamanistic power passed down from her ancestors (astral projection, I think), she finds that the history of the mansion, and the town she lives in, is darker and more sinster than she ever could have imagined. The story is told through conversations with the spirits that haunt the mansion, as well as diary entries Elena writes and notes found on the grounds. Fortunately, you don't have to look hard for the next piece of the story. I found them all in one playthrough.

The art was beautiful, from the cute little spirit form your character has, to the friendly but often times horrorific looking ghosts (Lets just say, it's usually very easy to tell how they died), to the set pieces of the rundown old mansion and its grounds.

Puzzles aren't difficult and usually consist of, go here, get item, take item there, get another item, etc., but this is dispersed between a few environmental puzzles, like using your spirit form to access rooms you couldn't otherwise get to, and a couple that require some thought/observation.

The music and sound effects were wonderful, setting the mood quite well. Creaking floors, thunder and lightining, ghostly whispers, haunting music, all made for an amazing experience that really helped set the mood.

The only gripes I have with the game are the length (But that's my complaint about almost any game I enjoy :p ), and the fact that Elena is apparently so well mannered that she won't run indoors.

All in all, if you want a short, but excellent story, you can't go wrong with Whispering Willows.

TL;DR: WHY HAVEN'T YOU BOUGHT THIS GAME YET???

Where to start? I'll first say, this game is incredible. Graphics are the first thing you'll notice about this game. It's just as beautiful, if not more so, than the pictures and videos make it out to be. The first time you see a T-rex about to chomp you, you'll be staring up at it in awe of it's beauty and majesty, just as the realization that you're about to die sets in.

Next is gameplay. It's everything you'd expect and more. Hunt dinos, tame dinos, run from dinos(I find myself doing this one a lot. XD), explore, build, and craft; it's everything you always wanted in a survival game. There's so much content it's almost overwhelming and the devs are adding more all the time. You'll spend hundreds of hours in this game and STILL feel like you have stuff to do.

And the dev team? One word. AMAZING. I mean, what early access game dev team actually LISTENS to their player base, FIXES bugs, IMPLEMENTS suggestions, and realeases almost DAILY patches to their game? They post frequent updates about upcoming features and stick to their timetables as well. Not many do some of those things and I can't think of any others that do all of them.

The only grievances I have with this game are, 1. Insanely long load times when logging into a server(5 minutes+ for me) and 2. Apparently, PvP servers are a pain in the butt to play on. Now, I personally haven't experienced this because I play on a private a couple of servers with friends, but it seems to be the biggest problem people have with this game. That said, there are plenty of privately run servers out there, set to PvP that are good about policing griefers and trolls. If you're looking for a good one, message/friend me here on Steam. We're always looking for people to join and help populate the server.

There is are several insanely good reasons why this was the number 1 selling game during the last Steam Summer Sale(Even though the game was only 17% off).

I love the atmosphere and the soundtrack. The story is very interesting too. It sucked me it from the start. I'm definitely going to pick up the full version or the game to see how it plays out.

With a title like "Don't Starve", you'd think you'd only have to worry about finding food. And you would be sorely mistaken. The maps are randomly generated, so what was a problem for you last time you played might not be such an issue for you now. That said, the things that came easy last time may not be so simple this time. For example, I frequently found myself running out of food on my first few attempts, while things like developing new technology came easy. However later on food was a bit easier to find, but I had trouble finding the stone and gold needed to unlock new recipes. THEN once I'd finally found a balance, I made the foolhearty mistake of taking too long to light another torch at night. This game is extremely difficult and while normally a frustrating mechanic such as having to start over everytime you die would put me off, I found myself going, "Well, that sucked. But I wonder what's in store for me next time?" If you're like me and love a good adventure, even if it tests your patience a bit, check this title out. You won't be disappointed.