Recent reviews by Desolate_Hawk

Dave the Diver is one of those rare games that catches you completely off guard in the best possible way. I picked it up during the Steam sale not knowing if I would enjoy it, especially since I’ve been hooked on visually demanding games lately and had almost lost interest in pixel art altogether. But this game changed that. It reminded me why I fell in love with gaming in the first place.

You play as Dave, a diver with a surprisingly hectic life. One moment you are exploring the deep sea, the next you are running a sushi restaurant that would make Gordon Ramsay proud. The mix of gameplay styles feels effortless, and each moment is filled with charm and purpose. The artwork and animations are absolutely beautiful, every frame bursting with personality and colour. As someone who owns marine reef tanks, I found it fascinating to discover new facts about fish I actually keep at home. The attention to detail is just incredible.

Dave the Diver is pure joy from start to finish. It’s relaxing yet exciting, simple yet full of depth. It rekindled my appreciation for pixel art and storytelling in games. To the developers, thank you for creating something so full of heart.

Gameplay 10/10
Art and Animation 10/10
Ambience and Overall Experience 10/10
A must play for anyone who wants to fall in love with games again.

Spec Ops The Line A Masterpiece I Almost Missed

I just want to start by saying what an incredible game. I honestly can’t believe I missed this gem for so long. It was actually my nephew who convinced me to give it a try, and at first I thought it was just another average third person shooter. The first 30 minutes felt like your typical run around and shoot type of game, and I figured the story was decent but nothing special.

How wrong I was.

This game is an absolute masterpiece that has only aged better with time. If I could give it an award today I would happily call it Game of the Year. I just finished it on my Steam Deck, and aside from a few minor issues like losing audio occasionally or the game crashing when I quit, it ran beautifully.

I have nothing but appreciation for the developers who created this work of art. And to all the people who like me overlooked this game when it first came out, you are missing something truly special. The story is rich, emotional, and thought provoking in ways that few games ever achieve.

It is rare to find a game that keeps you hooked purely because of its narrative, but Spec Ops The Line does exactly that.
10 out of 10 for story. Unforgettable.
10 out of 10 for graphics. Surprisingly impressive, especially given its age.
10 out of 10 for gameplay. Sure, it is not perfect by modern standards, but for its time the level of environmental interaction and attention to detail is outstanding.

What is truly baffling is that even with today’s triple and quadruple A budgets, so few games can capture the emotional depth and moral weight that this one delivers. I am honestly stunned and a little embarrassed that I did not play it sooner. But maybe it is for the best, because now I can truly appreciate the story on a deeper level than I might have years ago.

Without spoiling anything, this is a must play, even if the multiplayer no longer works. The single player experience alone makes it worth every minute. It is a shame that this game did not win any awards, because it genuinely deserves recognition for its storytelling, atmosphere, and emotional impact.

Long story short, Spec Ops The Line is a phenomenal game that I cannot fault. Hats off to the developers and designers for giving us something so unforgettable.