Recent reviews by Faraday

Grind for permanent upgrades.
Underwhelming magic skills.
No idea why this received so much praise when there are much better games out there.

This is a top tier hidden gem.

Addictive game.

Haven't had this much fun with a tactics game since Into the Breach.
It has a lot of bugs, especially when you reset a turn. I hope they fix it quickly.

Awesome game, exciting soundtrack, cool pixel art.
If you like walking to the right and shooting stuff, this game is for you.

I bought this game in 2013, played a little bit and got tired of the repetition required to proceed. Flash forward to 2024, Volgarr the Viking 2 was released and I decided to give it a second try.

Now that I finally finished the game, I feel compelled to write this review.

This game is not for everyone. It is not a hard game, it is not a game of skill. It is a game of patience. It is an uphill battle from beginning to end. It does not play like an action game, it plays more like a slow, methodical puzzle game. Stage design is very tight. There is always a solution to each section that may require you a few tries to figure out.

Despite being an awesome game, the lack of checkpoints will force you to play again several times parts of the game that you already figured out.

I think this is not so bad in the normal game path, but this will probably be a torture in the secret stages, considering that you have limited lives.

I recommend this game, but it is not for everyone. I do think it should have a "training mode" where you can practice the stages before attempting the true run and aim for the best ending possible.

Liking it so far.
The first game made by this developer, Diabotical, is not so famous.
It is an arena shooter, or Quake clone, if you prefer. Diabotical is an amazing and polished game.
Diabotical Rogue was made using the same engine, but using this roguelike progression during matches instead of the pickups and powerups that were found in Diabotical.

I miss the health and armor powerups, but Diabotical rogue seems like a pretty good and exciting game. I wish this game becomes popular.

Gud game.
Simple and fun. Despite a retro inspired shmup, it has modern game design. The challenge is on point.
There are two drawbacks for this game:
1. Binding the controls for the first time is a little annoying. The controller settings are a little buggy.
2. Some enemy projectiles have poor visibility. It is not a very serious issue, though.

I am positively surprised about this game.
I had a very underwhelming experience with the first Granblue Fantasy Versus, however, I am really liking this one. From the current generation of fighting games, it is my favorite one, even compared with the amazing Street Fighter 6.
I do not understand exactly why I like this game so much after a bad experience with the first one. It just feels good to play. Moving speed could be a little faster, though.

As for content, I think it could have done better single player modes. It is certainly falling behind the likes of SF6 and Tekken 8.

Awesome game. The villains are pretty cool.
I think that the only gripe I have with this game is related to the weapons. The handguns and shotguns feel redundant. Spending your resources upgrading those weapons feels like a waste after you acquire better weapons of the same category. I would rather have a single shotgun and a single handgun that can be upgraded and scaled for the late game.