CitizenX3639 の最近のレビュー

Thank you to the devs and publisher of Total Factory, Total Craft Games, for providing a fun game that made me build, defend and farm.

My Steam review rating: Mostly Positive

Total Factory sits on a very, very small pile of automation games that proclaims it is fully complete. It's not labeled early access, it has a full achievement list, it all works as intended without basically any performance issues……

And then you get to level 7(of 8) and it all changes as minor issues arise with a confusing rushed ending that all need addressed for a more satisfying play through to the end.

Total Factory is a mix of genres that includes automation, tower defense, and farming. At the start of a new game you will begin by making a randomized world and choosing to include or exclude enemies. The world is not an open world but a connected 4x4 grid. As you explore you will come along a shadowed barrier that you simply enter and transfer into the next area. I believe this is done to keep enemies isolated and it is a seamless transition as you will be moving product via conveyor belts/power lines though these zones. The zones include different biomes such as desert, winter, forest, and plains which will have specific resources while a few can be found anywhere.

As with all automation games the goal is to gather resources, create, automate, combine and export 3 or so items so that will unlock the next tier. Everything from the genre is here from conveyor belts, drills, power lines, assemblers, mergers, splitters, etc. all works as expected and when upgraded I was surprised to see them aesthetically change, nice touch.

One of the most important aspects of an automation(or any) game is inventory and here it is very limited with exclusions of auto stacking and sorting. This is painful and a very, very major issue that will be highlighted in the late game. As I did fully complete the game with 100%, the ending feels really incomplete/rushed as you can craft a radar dish, enemy mortar and an enemy spawn point? It makes no sense.

There are only 3 enemy types in the game who are not really too aggressive but the more time you spend in a zone, the more will spawn. The 3 enemy types include a mortar which launches rockets in an area(highlighted on the ground) , a slow tank like robot and a fast robot who will try to steal resources from anywhere who will be your main nemesis.. They will also put down a pad to spawn in more enemies. They are not aggressive but necessary and a nuisance. Necessary because killing them will provide the ONLY resources to upgrade ALL equipment.and a nuisance because your weapon is terrible. The only weapon you will equip is a gun that shoots at a short distance with slow velocity and with even maximum damage it feels really weak making the play through longer than needed.

Luckily you will be given the ability to build 2 robot types,a healer and a fighter, alongside turrets and a mortar of your own. These are pretty cheap to build and will suffice in base protection for the most part. And as you will have smaller factories spread across the zones, make sure to have them guarded. Enemies again are not aggressive, but will spawn near bases and with no protection they will destroy it.

I want to briefly touch on level 7-8 which IMO, needs desperate rebalance alongside the inventory I already discussed. This is where you will begin farming whether that is harvesting oranges and apples from trees or growing crops such as corn, tomatoes, or berries. The problem is these levels take forever because there is no way to automate water to crops. You will have to manually go back and forth to a water source and with all of your needs in multiple zones it becomes an absolute chore.

As an example one crop(blueberry*) needs water (I counted) 13 times for it to fully grow and harvest. That harvest will account for an avg of 400+ berries. One of the last items you will need is 500 jars of blueberry jam. This required 30 blueberries for each jar, meaning you need a total of 15k blueberries. That is about 35 BB bushesx13 manual water ea x 45 sec(guesstimate) between ea water. This should explain why the last 2 levels took me over 15 hrs to complete.

*This is the most extreme example, other crops are quite abundant to find and dont require a lot of work to harvest.

Total Factory is a strong automation game for 75% of the time but the end game feels rushed with levels that are extremely grindy, unbalanced and inventory that is not optimized in a way to lessen the players time. There is still plenty of content to enjoy worth a sale price and for those who want to check out one of my favorite genres. It definitely is a welcoming game for new players and those who want to test their overall grind tolerance.

Positives

An automation game that isnt in early access.
Fun game loop , progression for 75% of the game
Nice visual presentation
No bugs or issues with performance
Choice to include/exclude enemies
Enemies cannot destroy conveyor belts
Fun achievement list to 100%

Negatives.

Lack of space, sort or auto stack for inventory
Main weapon is super weak
Last 2 levels need reworked
No true ending
Proper balance from weapon dmg, healing time, crops growing, etc.
Bare bone settings
Cant export out of storage containers

Thank you to the developer INTERIOR/NIGHT and publisher XGS(never have said that before) for providing an amazing choose your own adventure story that is easily one of my favorites of the genre.

My Steam rating: Very Positive

This is one of those games that for whatever reason, price, timing, genre fatigue, mature story that's not woke AF, unknown developer, etc it really makes no sense how this was not a game more people were talking about in 2022. While it is extremely light on game play the story, writing, acting and your decisions will drive the outcome that I'm still thinking about days later, after multiple playthroughs.

**Warning: Do not read the achievement list as it has every spoiler imaginable. I didnt look until after the 2nd playthrough and was like, dang.

As the synopsis on Steam for As Dusk Falls proclaims, this is a game about 2 families that spans thirty yrs and begins with a botched robbery attempt. It is so much more but it is a 2 act choice driven story with 6 episodes. The two main families involved are the Holts who are trying to save their farm after their father has fallen behind on some gambling debts and the other is the Walkers who are moving to St Louis after Vince(the father) is under suspension/investigation for a mistake that caused an airplane crash. After a strong introduction to all the players involved, the families collide in a small town where both of their lives will change forever, depending on your choices. Now, to avoid spoilers it is more than two families involved, it is more than simply a robbery gone bad, the decisions here are what matters and a lot of them have major consequences. Those consequences feel real as do the actors, writing and world which for myself, I felt like I knew them all and felt something for everyone involved.

If you have played episodic choice driven stories, this is pretty much the same though its difference is you will play multiple characters and the graphical, artistic choice. I actually thought they shot this whole entire game like a movie and then showed every 20th frame? And had them cel shaded? I was close. They did shoot every scene, but it was green screened and then each scene(12k) that is in game was hand painted. Its crazy, looks beautiful and works extremely well with exceptional acting, writing and cast. This is definitely what I call lightning in a bottle productions where everything is close to perfection.

My only negative on the experience after 100% the game is I started to notice a few timeline infractions that really seem way off and are in fact laughable. You may not catch it the first time, but if you check out all the choices you will start asking yourself, how long has it been? When did she get from there to here? etc.

This isnt a game of superheroes, zombies, AI, or robots, it’s about family and I think they nailed it from start to finish. An incredible piece of entertainment that is not to be missed.

Positives

Top tier cast, acting, and mature writing
High production value
Unique visual style
Didnt see that twist coming
That one ending is hard

Negatives

Some timeline issues

Thank you to the developer Flying Wild Hog and publisher Focus Entertainment for providing another exciting and challenging action game for me to explore, fight, rage and rage again.

My Steam review rating: Positive

I have said forever Guns+Magic is a perfect recipe for any action game and Evil West proves that formula still works extremely well. It's reminiscent of some of my favorites in the genre(Outriders and Remnant from the Ashes) and never lets up in the action while told with a good story that is very familiar.

Evil West is a re-imagining of the old west where vampires, werewolves and demons are real. You play as Jesse Reinterre, a member of a Gov entity called the REI institute. This was established by your father where it is your Co. job to rid the west of the evil that has plagued the land. It's a solid set up, good voice acting, writing, characters and cut scene direction. The story reminded me of the movie Blade. There is even a scene early showing the two antagonists, an older Vampire Peter D’ Abano and his young daughter Felicity proclaiming to the elders, either rule the world or fall victim to the evolving humans who have reached the steam age. Their denial from the elders to start an all out war with humans chain reacts into the events that will be taking you across pretty exciting 16 missions and depending on difficulty 12-15+ hrs campaign(I have 60hrs thru 3 full playthroughs).

One thing on cut scenes is they sometimes will end abruptly or you will even approach what is a cut scene, and then you are back in the game. While it doesn't affect the overall story, either scenes were removed(you only see the elders at the start) or maybe they were not completed? I Don't know, its just weird.

*On Difficulty, you can choose from story, normal, hard, or Evil but the game is meant to be played thru multiple times. If you DON'T want to reach def-con 5 levels of rage, start on Normal. You will thank me later.

The heart of all FWH games is fast, manage cool down, arena style combat and it is all here, maybe just not as fast. The difference here prior to their other games is this in 3rd person and while you still get that dash move, you also get to roll. All weapons are on a cool down and your special abilities and upgrades evolve around the power of the era, electricity. This is why I love their earlier titles such as Shadow Warrior and Hard Reset, and why I love this game. You will constantly be switching thru every weapon which includes revolver, rifle, crossbow, gatling gun, grenades, and flamethrower in almost every fight. However, the main weapon of the game is the Reinterre Gauntlet which is fully highlighted in the main menu. You will be pulling, throwing, slamming, punching everything in sight and it's fantastic. All weapons have upgrade trees which require blueprints and money to unlock but the gauntlet will be upgraded as you level. Its tree is unique as it will give special abilities to perform those massive damage combos by collecting glowing orbs that drop from defeated enemies.

https://gtm.steamproxy.vip/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3009149573

As an arena game the enemy variety, the mob and boss fights have to be fun and it does so here almost perfectly. There is a large variety of enemies to combat and early game is pretty manageable with basic cannon fodder but around mid game the real challenge begins with enemies who shield the mobs and also heals them. That’s to name a few of the many types you will encounter and all when mixed together provide a good challenge. You will be rolling, dashing and doing everything you can to collect orbs so you can unleash your ultimate. I can guarantee one thing in this game, in any fight you will never be standing still.

I saw some early reviewers complain that the linearity of Evil West was a weak point but I totally disagree. While the game is very linear in design, this game proves that style can still work but having to get a button prompt to climb and jump in only highlighted designated places feels weird in 2023. As the levels are linear and decent size, there are many branching paths that could lead to extra fights, money needed for upgrades, or secret cases containing blueprints for weapons. This makes exploring every corner of the map a must and while there is no map for any level, there is a lore tab that provides info for how many collectibles there are for each level. Some levels will also require solving a few puzzles that open a path which will require shooting an object or transferring electricity to power poles. These are not difficult in any way but are there to provide a breather from combat.

You will be fighting in many different locations from the expected Old west town, oil fields, to lumber and train yards to name just a few. Each location will also provide different weather conditions(just recalled that) and it will either be day or night. I think the game looks amazing as the art direction is top notch and as it is an unreal game, expect a crash or two(always happens to me).

https://gtm.steamproxy.vip/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3005781665

If you are a fan of the genre or of FWHs previous titles, then this is a no brainer. A solid story, great atmosphere and hard hitting combat from start to finish. I was never bored, but challenged and the pay off at the end of 3 full playthroughs, I wanted more.

The game is priced at $40 and if I knew of the replayability that is a fair price but I got it on sale for $20. That was a steal.

Positives

Awesome SP action game from start to finish
Complete game, no DLC needed(last patch was a month after release)
Jesse is a Hero we need today
Story, writing and characters
Every location looks amazing
Good variety of enemies
Fun achievement list to 100%
NG+, Chapter select and info on collectibles

Negatives

2 late game mob fights feel added

Played at 3440x1440 High settings
Avg 100FPS
Radeon RX 6700XT
Amd Ryzen 5 3600
16GB Ram

This is a true horror game diamond, A simple story, great atmosphere, incredible sound all completed in 2.5 hrs. The majority of game play is also simple as you explore 2 small locations, reading notes, pictures and doing some simple tasks. A perfect weekend game for the month of October with a small entrance fee of $2.

Thank you to the developer Spiders and Publisher Nacon for providing a new fun action game for me to escape, explore and enjoy.

*This review also includes the DLC.

My steam review rating: Positive

A couple of things first, this is not a souls like game. Second, performance is still weird even 6 months from launch. I tried to lower each option in the graphics setting(low or off) one at a time and nothing would ever change. My solution was to set everything to low and it fixed the problem. The strangest part of that decision, I couldn't tell the difference between max and low settings(besides FPS), none.

Steelrising is a reimagining of the French revolution where King Louis and his advisor Caligistro have assembled a robot(called automats) army and declared martial law against all who oppose his rule. In the game you will play as Aegis, a automaton who has been assigned by the King to be the personal guard of his wife Maria Antoinette. Maria and her helper have been exiled by the King to a nearby city as they watch flames and smoke of Paris from afar. Maria worries the King has gone mad from the loss of their young son and is being led astray by others. She orders you to seek out those who understand the automatons' function and to help stop the King.

A strong story set up and setting makes for a really great adventure, and it is, but the story is…Ok. There are two major issues that I couldn't ignore. The first is once the King and Caligistro are aware that you(Aegis) are causing all the havoc they could simply have pulled the plug, to avoid some story spoilers. The other major issue is the total lack of any amazement(there is a little) that an automaton has free will of their speech, actions, and thoughts. So much so, Aegis will be asked her opinion on certain political issues multiple times which have consequences to multiple endings the game provides. The story is not the worst ever and with good voice acting, tons of lore, and actually a story that I did find interesting, I think it was just a missed opportunity. This is also magnified by the DLC which feels like a stripped away chapter of the game and would have given some more insight into the real enemy of the game, Caligistro.

After receiving your orders to go to Paris you have the ability to customize your look which is minimal and choose between 4 classes: The Alchemist, Bodyguard, Soldier and Dancer. This choice really only affects your starting equipment but keeping an eye on stats and how you distribute points as you go will determine how you want to play. I chose Dancer due to it being the class with fast mobility and agility which is how I like to play these games. Aegis would use light/medium class weapons and be able to dodge(dash) and strike quickly. You of course have a light and heavy attack and if you hold in for the heavy it will give even more damage. As I played through the game multiple times, I tried almost everything and found any class to be fun.

As a third person action game, not too much is different from what we have seen the past 10+ yrs in the genre. There is a stamina bar, a very good parry window, if you die, experience points you have gained will drop at that spot and enemies will respawn. You will be distributing points into 6 categories(I never added any into health on first playthrough) which consist of Power, Vigor, Engineering, Elemental Alchemy, Agility and Durability. There are plenty of weapons to enjoy from dual wield, two handed, guns and others which are all perfect for the steampunk like setting that has been created. Each weapon also will come with unique and different animations for each attack variation. All are very cool and the integration of Aegis' dance moves is pretty awesome. My favorite is probably using the morning star as Aegis will do a ballerina spin move and then kicking it at the enemy.

https://gtm.steamproxy.vip/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2945015180

All combat will be against other automats who come in all shapes, sizes and wielding all sorts of weapons and even musical instruments. The creativity that went into the automats is definitely one of the highlights of the game. The enemy variation however is slim as they all will be used multiple times. As an example, the first enemy may only wield a ball and chain but later the same enemy and weapon will have elemental attacks like electricity, fire or ice included. Also when entering an area you will have a mini boss fight and once you have defeated that enemy they will become part of the rotation you will encounter while exploring. As the game is not the long slog like other titles in the genre, it didn't bother me but a few additional enemy types or just some different animations would have propelled the experience. I was disappointed the dlc did not include new enemies, but just more reskins with a few new tricks. One being a necromancer to raise fallen enemies and one to heal their friends during encounters, yea I'm sure to not be anyone's favorites….ever..

As I stated earlier graphically the game looks gorgeous even on the lowest settings but I just have no idea how your system will react. The created world of Paris and surrounding bureaus are fantastic to explore and while a majority are just cobblestone streets, housing complexes and large gov. buildings you will also explore the sewers, a mining operation and grounds of large estates all in a very destructive state. One thing that I did not expect was the verticality and hidden pathways. Some bosses will drop equipment that will allow you to unlock doors, break walls and reach higher areas you encounter on the journey(avoiding spoilers). The DLC does offer a more countryside setting and definitely breaks up the confined city look of the main campaign.

https://gtm.steamproxy.vip/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2941659950
A brief talk on bosses, unlike the common enemies you will engage with the bosses here are all well thought out, unique and fun. There are 8 major must beat bosses with an additional 10 that are tied to side missions. If you are either new or veteran of the genre nothing is really too difficult and unlike others most save locations are seconds away from retrying if you fail. I may have died only a few times until encountering the 2 last bosses(and the DLC) which definitely requires more patience compared to the others.

There are actually two ways you can play SteelRising and one is sticking to the main story(no side missions) which will probably take around 15hrs max but if you go down the rabbit hole of exploring and doing all the side missions and DLC it will equate to around 30+hrs. After around 21/2 playthroughs to complete one of my favorite achievement lists, I never was bored or felt like any of my time was wasted. That my friends is what i like to call a good game.


Positives

Fun, cool action game
Unique story and setting
Excellent enemy and weapon creativity
Fun RPGvania
Solid combat
DLC
UI is simple and informative
One of my favorite achievement lists to 100%
Not a 100hr boring slog


Negatives

Weird graphical performance
Some story elements
Enemy variety
No area maps

Thank you to the developer and publisher of Somerville, Jumpship, for providing a solid good game for me to escape, explore and enjoy.

My steam rating Positive

*Apparently at launch there were some issues? I had none.

An absolutely beautiful 2.5D side scrolling, platforming adventure game that hits all the right marks, Somerville is an easy recommendation but a few negatives could sway your time and money.

The story of Somerville is a simple sci-fi story about finding your family after an intense event occurs. There is no voice acting or any sort of lore to read so your take from the story will come from your actions and visuals. This all works like in most of the genres other titles such as Inside, Little Nightmares, Black the Fall to name just a few. The problem though with this title, it comes with 4 endings(There is chapter select so only one play through needed) which IMO was a bad idea and weakens the ending's impact. In addition the last chapter where this choice occurs seems to drag. While the ending was not for me it only slightly lessened the complete journey.

As mentioned you will be controlling a man as you wander the above and below grounds of Somerville. You will receive a brief tutorial at the start of the game where you will learn to move, grab and pull objects that are visually identified with a gold/yellow mark. As you venture you will receive the ability to manipulate solid objects into a liquid form and then be able to put it back into a solid form but will require a light source to complete. This ability will be for solving the handful of puzzles which for the most part will open up a path to proceed in the game.

All of the above works fine but I wanted to mention the walking speed of the character. I understand for storytelling purposes you want to keep a certain pace but with a slow walking speed It really felt like the whole time I was in quicksand. There is no run option, it's done automatically in sections, and with mud and water making you even slower it for myself was a little annoying and I def would have preferred an ability to run and a bump in walking speed.

I don't know how this genre does it but this game easily gets the screenshot simulator stamp of approval. The game uses that abstract, realism painting aesthetic that makes every scene pop in its use of colors and lighting. The lighting really shines in some scripted chase sequences and when using your abilities. All of this of course is great but becomes even better with the amazing sound work that is included. Truly top tier sound engineering at work here.

If you like this genre there is absolutely no reason you should not play Somerville. It’s a simple sci-fi story about finding your family with amazing visuals, sound design and scripted sequences. I would have preferred one ending and a little bump in movement but these are minor issues to my time spent in Somerville and overall it was pretty amazing.


Positives

Good sc-fi story
Simple controls and puzzles
Screenshot simulator-Looks amazing
Sound design
Perfect game time 4 hrs


Negatives

Multiple endings
Last chapter seemed to drag
Movement speed-No run option
Weak achievement list
No replayability

Thank you to the developer and publisher at MS GAMES for providing a fresh WW2 FPS adventure for me to enjoy again.

My Steam rating: Negative

As I watched the reveal trailer for CoD WW2 in 2016 I simply rolled my eyes as it was going to be another American campaign. I have been saying forever, why dont devs explore soldiers from Japan, Russia, England, heck even a Germany POV. Well, finally someone heard my cries as MS Games gives us the story of Poland and the heroes who defended the country as it was being invaded by Germany at the start of the war in 1939. I just wish it was better.

The story for Land of War starts as you assume the role of Pvt Kowalski and his squad as they make their way to Morka, site of one of the first fights of WW2. If this game is anything, it's a constant history lesson, adrenaline and well, other things we will discuss later. As soon as combat begins you will be bombarded from all angles and be barked at to complete tasks during the fights. When given an order a small mark will appear, sort of a trigger for the game to begin the next phase, it is imperative you hit these marks. During this opening you will learn to use a med kit, which you can also request from medics, use standard rifles, mounted weapons and grenades. This will be pretty much the crutch of the gameplay as you go through the 4-10 hr campaign, depending on the difficulty you choose and the luck you possess.

https://gtm.steamproxy.vip/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2923611414


Each chapter begins with a newsreel with photos and explaining the mission at hand. While I was excited to go down this part of history we never have gotten before in a game, we still got the super soldier who can do it all. You will be able to use any gun, fly planes, drive tanks, sniper expert, and sniff out assassins and spies. I guess I was hoping to follow more of that one soldier's Audie Murphy story than of the normal video game hero. The missions themselves are fine but veterans of these games have done them all before and much better.

The issues with Land of War are long and it begins at the start with voice acting. I really was disappointed in the VA BUT when I changed it over to Polish with English subtitles(as I do with certain games) it made the experience so much better in every way. The writing and acting is still weak, but it made the experience much more tolerable.

Other issues include the following:
Poor optimization- probably avg around 50 FPS for the entire game
AI will sometimes just stand or hunker down and do nothing. BUT there will be occasions when ghost snipers will find your back.
Your AI ally however, will stand and fight but never hit anything and simply gets in the way.
A couple of late missions I had to restart because the mission would be bugged and not continue
Difficulty is all over the place
You cant holster weapons or turn off any icons in the game which for myself is infuriating

https://gtm.steamproxy.vip/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2923610401

I can live with all that, no problem, but my #1 issue is the checkpoint system. There are a couple of missions that are just horrible as in most cases will return to the start of the mission. So if there is dialogue or a cutscene you will have to go through it all again.

I really want to give the game a recommendation, but just cant. It is way too janky for even a person who doesn't mind a little jank…and jerk, if you know what I mean. What maybe the worst crime of all is they make you pay for a Thompson MG and another weapon which are needed to get a few achievements.

Positives

Finally a WW2 story that most haven't heard before
Good level design and some missions
Polish VA and sound is not bad
Old school WW2 action is fun at times

Negatives

Optimization
A little dated in design
Checkpoints
Be warned some missions will make you reach defcon 1
Simple options in the main menu excluded
Major WW2 weapons are behind a paywall
Jank

System
AMD MSI 6700XT
Ryzen 3600
16GB Memory
3440x1440

Thank you to the developer and publisher Dan and Gary Games for providing an excellent adventure for me to escape, explore and most importantly, have fun.

A 2D RPGvania(phrased by the devs and I like it) action adventure game that went completely unnoticed and lost in my backlog is borderline criminal. What I thought was going to be a pretty standard adventure turned into one of my all time favorites.

The first rule of Super Daryl Deluxe, no spoilers

The game begins with a tutorial dream sequence as you take control of Daryl. You quickly learn how to swap powers in your locker and use them in combat while doing some simple platforming. This ends as Daryl is daydreamin during a story from the janitor of the school. The janitor continues with the prologue of the main backstory story which involves 2 geniuses from your school Eli and Kent who are responsible for world peace by writing a self help book but later are responsible for destroying it with another book called How to communicate with others. Funny, right? You then learn students and teachers at your new school are mysteriously missing and it's up to you to find out why. The game has a lot of comedic lines, tone and characters but around mid game it turns somewhat dark. And while Daryl does not talk nor ever change his emotions, which is very funny in a lot of situations, I really wish there was so much more voice acting(there is very, very little). It would have given more life to some really good characters that are everywhere in the game. I liked the story overall as it really kept me wanting to know more and the ending leaves some questions we probably will never receive and is kind of sad in all honesty.

Super Daryl Deluxe(SDD) is an absolutely beautiful game that begins simply with the touches of bright orange on Daryl's pants and headband down to the white cowboy boots. These touches help you stick out in every scene whether it's simple conversing, exploring or combat.There are a ton of locations to explore all with different themes, styles and enemies. The game follows every 2D action game with some locations requiring X(a key in this case) to unlock certain paths. These keys are rare at the start but will become more accessible later in the game. The map you are equipped with is nice and easy to follow, but it will only show the region you are located. There is no full world map and no fast travel for a long time depending on how you play. This can have you running around on occasion of where you need to go next. I would caution those with sensitivity to bright flashing or abstract shaking as late in game this effect is everywhere and no options to lessen or disable.

At the start you will be given a school ledger which is your inventory, map, info on friends and enemies, quests, and a diary that will update as you proceed in the game and will be a book by the time you are done. There is a ton of lore in the game, in fact there is a quest that will unlock a 20 page written diary that provides even more background info. The one missing element however is really about Daryl himself. There really is nothing that proclaims who he is or how he has these abilities, he is just the new kid in school looking for friends.

This is a very no hand holding game with 47 main and 105 side quests with nothing showing on the map where to go. Majority of the time if you read back through the quest conversation in your diary you can figure it out…sometimes, but make no mistake you can get lost easily. The quests have lots of variety and I never was bored, however, a few late quests required constant backtracking and like the writing, a little cutting would not have hurt.

As a 2D RPGvania Daryl excels in combat with a huge variety of enemies to defeat and large amounts of skills(46 total) to utilize. At the start you can equip 4 skills and a dodge mechanic but that will increase to 8 after completing a quest around half way. The skills all work on a cooldown, so butting mashing will not get it done. It's more of a rhythm dance of (using controller) RB(super), X(slash),B(range),LT(dash), Y(heal when needed) repeat as an example. Skills will be earned from completing main/ side quests and can also be purchased from the store. Each skill also comes with a grade from trash to excellent. The other thing is as you upgrade skills the animation for the power will change. As an example the ride the tide skill when activated at first shows you simply surfing over the enemy but once the power is maxed, you will be riding them over on a shark. These are very quick animations but knowing this happens for all 46 is amazing work from the dev team.

https://gtm.steamproxy.vip/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2921002612

Combat in SDDis not too difficult, especially after you get some healing powers and there are no difficulty options, everything that flies in this game is a nuisance and there are a ton of them. But doing your button dance of powers and then enemies exploding into health and money balls is super satisfying. The hardest sections would be a few of the challenge rooms set up by your friends at the Dwarves and Druids club. Here you can choose battle training which requires(and equips) you with specific gear and powers but quests are for your current level and gear. These are both waved base challenges and you can earn Xp, PP, gear, weapons, etc. This can actually be exploited at the start to level but there is no reason. Also after beating certain bosses the same club will give you the option to defeat the boss again. It will be the same fight and each time will offer a piece of gear and collecting all of that boss's gear gives a nice bonus(if you wear them). Again, cool this option is here but with no change to the original fight it feels added for really no reason.

Leveling is normal by completing quests, killing enemies, doing challenges, etc. There is a cap at 46 which I probably hit 2-3 hrs before the end. As you level you will instantly gain more health, defense, power and popularity points(PP). These PP points when reaching a level(15 total) will unlock a passive ability. The most important will be the double jump as it opens up so much more in terms of combat and exploration.

As you level, explore and fight you will be given tons of loot to ponder(everything is instantly picked up btw) which includes the gear you will need to battle forward or items to complete quests. In your inventory you will be equipping 5 pieces of gear that includes the head, body, fists, and 2 trinkets that will offer bonuses to your stats. Some of these will come with passives and there are gear sets to offer even more bonus. I cannot recall a 2D game in which I was swapping gear and comparing stats so often. And while Daryl's look in game never changes, there is a hand drawn Daryl in the inventory that will show the gear you are equipping. Again, these little details highlight the attention the devs took for this title.
https://gtm.steamproxy.vip/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2924240944

Currently Super Daryl Deluxe has only 187 reviews and no guides on steam. How is this possible? A game any player of this genre would enjoy that is filled with tons of content from its story and lore to the world, exploration and combat, SDD exceeds and checks those boxes plus many others. It's a very highly polished title in a game package that is complete, which is rare. If looking for a hidden gem I can't think of too many titles worthy of that phrase like SDD.

Positive

Beautiful, polished RPGvania world
Tons of content
Attention to detail
Story, writing and characters
No hand holding for quests
Fun from start to end
Nice achievement list

Negatives

Some editing to writing and a few quests
Fast travel doesn't open soon enough
No 21:9 option
No disable options for some late game visual effects


System
BenQ 3440x1440 Monitor
MSI 6700xt
Ryzen 5 3600
16GB DDR4

Thank you to the developers KoukouStudios, Faber Interactive(also the publisher) for providing a dark and atmospheric game for me to enjoy.

Lethe Episode One is a first person survival horror game that for all intensive purposes is another one of those and while I enjoyed my time a shorter experience would have sufficed.

The game opens with a few paragraphs explaining you are Rober Dawn, a journalist, who while cleaning up his deceased fathers belongings finds a letter that disavows everything Robert has known about his life. This falsehood has driven him to search for truth and leads him to an island that you will crash upon to start the game. The remainder of the story will be buried in notes and only notes. While a majority of the writing is good, the documentation of the torture scenes easily stick out. It's pretty standard in most terms with horror tropes of experimentation, drugs, dire effects, etc. and the story doesn't end really on a cliffhanger, as this is episode one, but more of, ok I’m out. .

The graphics and color palette for Lethe does not stray too far from gray, black, candle and torch light but the areas have nice detail and feel realistic. This game is dark and that's fine as it sets the mood perfectly, but would have liked to see more change to the levels. After the first chapter, as you awaken on the beach, all remaining levels are inside traversing cramped corridors of mines, caves and dungeons. The game looks great and never had any issues in performance. I just needed a break from the dark.

Get used to it

https://gtm.steamproxy.vip/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2922589760

Gameplay revolves around simply exploring and solving a few simple puzzles to escape so you can get to the next area. This is usually about restoring power and you will need to locate canisters to repower machines. This is done really well as it makes you explore everywhere not knowing what lurks around the corners. Of course sometimes around a corner you will be stalked by one and only one enemy that you cannot kill. Like in other horror titles the enemy just wanders a certain path and if you are seen they will pursue. The enemy only spawn a few times and near the end of levels so not much of a threat but when they enter the area their scream, breathing and gurgling will keep you crouched and silent.

As you will learn, your character has no inventory, can save at only certain stations(1-2 per level) and has 3 stats: stamina, health and power. Power becomes available after a few chapters where your character evolves with the ability to cast telekinesis. I have no problem with the power as it works as expected(though you cant turn items which is needed in a puzzle), but why can The power cores for example, is a simple fuse like item, but I have to use the telekinesis to carry it? Also using Telekinesis the items are super sensitive so any interaction with the world you will more than likely drop it.

This is not a favorite genre I crave but enjoy once in a while. The game does a great job of setting atmosphere and tone while providing some decent levels to explore and puzzles to complete but the biggest criticism is the length. For myself, it's too long and should have been edited down to 5-6 chapters max. If you are not looking in every corner for achievements or letters for the story you can run this game in less than 3 hrs.(guessing) Time is never a measurement of good or bad, but it lost that sense of tension and unknown as levels became redundant. A perfect example would be the last level which introduces weighted switches. Why do this now?

This is a very, very light recommendation. I hope they address and review some of the concerns and bring a much tighter experience for episode two because I would like to see where they go from here but I still had fun and that's still the main criteria for a game.

System
BenQ 3440x1440
MSI 6700xt
AMD Ryzen 5 3600
16GB DDR4
100+ FPS indoors, significant drops in the first chapter outdoors
7hrs to complete using guide for getting all notes

Positives

Beautiful environments and lighting
Excellent sound design, atmosphere
Good writing
Exploration and puzzles
Good level design
Good achievement list

Negatives

Too long loses tension
Levels become redundant
Inability to simply pick up or carry items
Spoilers in achievement list
End is weak