Recent reviews by DJ Dostoevsky

Yeah I had Approaching Infinity Wishlisted forever and the recent 1.0 launch inspired me to finally pull the trigger.

I can see it vibing with Starflight fans. It's certainly got the depth & micro-dev charm.

I wasn't prepared for how funny it is. Like it's not a comedy or anything but the writing is def wry.

Heard Infinity described as Star Trek: Away Team and I'd say that's pretty apt. Great production for classic space-sim fans (and new audiences too!).

I'm only a few hours / few days in and this thing is incredible.

I read somewhere that the dev has been working on this for 8 years and I'm starting to see the layers peeling back that point to the why of this protracted dev cycle. It's not 1:1 in design & structure but I'm getting serious The Witness vibes when playing Blue Prince. Like I see the same levels of ambition and complexity hiding in plain sight.

In my short time I've found that this is a game world that invites the player to come in and stay a while but does not guarantee progress on a linear scale. Def. see where this can be frustrating for those seeking more predictable reveals and progress milestones. Examining, exploring & creatively thinking are their own reward in this one, but the player has to be willing to not be given answers (or even clues!) in a more direct manner.

That said I've walked away from runs that were completely shut down with tangible progress, provided you consider knowledge for future runs actual progress. In that sense I'm always rewarded for time invested even when I stall out. Actively using Steam Notes to jot down hints & leads reinforces this sense of progress where no time feels wasted.

Impatience with these abstract mechanics will turn some away for sure, and I predict a lot of blowback from the mildly curious as this title is free on Xbox/PS gamepass variants. A BIG saving throw in my mind is how utterly wonderful this game world feels to inhabit. At least for the moment I am not bothered in the least when I reach a dead end because just being in the space is so satisfying. It's an incredible achievement in design & execution.

I will ding the game for no current 16:10 resolution support though, just 16:9 variants. Those dang black bars drive me absolutely nuts, lol!

Early going so far and my initial impression is Fantasy Forest is an appreciable step up from Tropical Island.

The first thing you'll obviously notice is the new art design that looks absolutely gorgeous. This is night and day compared to Island, which had its own folk-art charm. This time out the entire presentation feels far more professional.

I noticed there are more body regulation systems in place such as urination, etc. These takes the appreciable depth found in the original and goes even further, making the survival-simulation mechanics feel even more authentic.

Proper questing in now on the menu. Where Island was strictly a sandbox, now in Forest there are tangible goals that lead to increasingly complex recipe unlocks. I understand this was a controversial choice for some but I enjoy the smooth learning curve & direction it allows for. At the same time I think it was super-smart for the dev team to respond quickly and provide an alternate game mode that is strictly sandbox without questing elements or need to unlock recipes. Best of both worlds is now properly in place.

Based on the initial rollout of what is here now, and dev responsiveness to feedback I think Card Survival: Fantasy Forest is going to go down as a classic in the survival genre. It's such a unique take with an offbeat, snappy gameplay loop that makes the genre feel quite fresh.

SUPER happy with what is here now and can't wait to see the game evolve through Early Access.

Big thumbs up!

Shapez 1 was an unassuming darling hit for factory/automation fans. It presented a breezy take on the genre with boldly simplistic & easy to read presentation coupled with no-cost, infinite resources. It combined to make an awesome factory-lite experience where experimentation is encouraged and depth isn't sacrificed in service of accessibility.

Enter Shapez 2. Bigger, Better & more Bad*ss, it presents one of the more appreciable leaps forward in recent memory. Not only in going 2D to 3D, but also with rad new systems like tech trees, trains, multi-layer factories, fluids & more. Retaining that easy to read philosophy but blowing it out into a more sophisticated & mature platform. And for the raw design enthusiasts out there, this is some legit Nintendo-adjacent polish & presentation on offer.

BIG thumbs up so far.

Come for the cozy retro goodness.

Stay for the skilled Lovecraftian world-building and surprisingly talented writing.

Best XCOM-like since Troubleshooter: Abandoned Children.

An infectious mix of nu-XCOM and The Running Man (movie).

Tactically tight with great progression upgrades.

Thematically confident with a gritty swagger that makes it an endearing modern classic.

I spent the weekend and about a dozen hours on Planet Crafter and i can confirm this thing is the real deal.

Like legit real deal.

It did take a short acclimation period to adjust to the game's rhythms but once the gameplay loops fell into place I knew this was the kind of experience I'd be talking about at the end of the year.

The upgrade paths in this one are intelligent and addicting to chase. It gives the game a bit of a metroidvania vibe as the map is parceled out in various biome types that you have to be it distance (O2 limit) or obstructions (ice sheets, etc.). And it's always fun to get traversal upgrades that let you walk/jetpack faster or navigate the map more smartly (location markers, compass, etc.).

I love the scrappy feel of the game. Like a AA Subnautica, that sports the same complexity in design, only from a smaller team. Makes you really want to root for their success.

Thumbs WAY up. What a great surprise!

BGS delivers again with a gameplay loop that is uniquely their own, this time with a brand new setting & IP.

Absolutely love the NASA-punk vibe. They nailed the hard science aesthetic, and landing exclusively on next-gen hardware, the attention to detail is just out of this world. Bonus props to the retro-future industrial design, everything from computers/hardware to architecture & fashion design. The maps are a joy to navigate and lush with detail & ambiance. And the visual variety on offer from one planet to the next is absolutely insane with the number of unique topographical biomes.

Gunplay started seeing serious improvements in Fallout 4 (iD Software helped I think?) and Starfield feels like a natural evolution in that direction. Combat is brisk & snappy. Jet packs add a verticality to tactics. It's a blast. Great weapon variety as well in both look & feel.

Story and side missions are some of the best BGS has seen to date. Great writing and divergent storylines with more choice than I expected.

Starfield is what I come to BGS games for...that, Oingo Boingo-esq "Who do you want to be today?" open-ended freedom that lets one tailor their game sessions specifically to any mood of the moment.

And the official mod suite hasn't even been released yet! I can't wait to see how this game grows over the coming years. Much like Skyrim & Fallout 4, Starfield will be a mainstay on my hardware for years to come.

One guy made this.

One guy.

If I can step into my underpants each morning without losing my balance I consider that day a win.

Juxtapose this solo dev who decided to do Star Citizen completely solo.

And they actually did it.

It ain't perfect. But compared to me standing victoriously in my underpants it's a gosh-darn miracle

Big thumbs up.

Charming minimalistic logistics sim. Sports a clean & elegant presentation that reminds me of Shapez.io. Nice unobtrusive soundtrack that compliments the relaxing tone of the game.

This is a more laid back example of the logistics & resource management genre. A nice palette cleanser from the more intense & demanding variants out there.

If you can get on board with the more relaxing tone, Masterplan Tycoon is a great "Sunday morning with a cup of coffee" experience.