Recent reviews by Fruke

Though a little rough around the edges, this game is a hidden gem and well worth a play-through.

I love the art direction and aesthetic. While visually impressive, performance does struggle at times, particularly in the more dense areas of the game. The video settings leave a lot to be desired - primarily the lack of an Field of view setting (can be worked around by using the in game console - F2, then using the 'fov' command, however this does break immersion a lot and has to be redone every time you reload a save). Also, having to restart the game whenever you modify the video settings is annoying. Alt-tabbing out of the game is a little buggy when using full-screen.

The story and lore have is quite good, although most of it is attained through reading journal notes, I would have liked to have heard them read out as I discovered them, would have made the whole experience much more immersive.

The voice recognition is works quite well, providing you have a decent quality microphone.

The puzzles in this game can vary from easy to quite challenging. On my first play-through I found myself getting stuck quite often. Top tip for new players, make sure to read those journal notes! If you see your journal has updated, usually it means there's some important information you need.

Overall I would definitely recommend for those who enjoy puzzle games.

Its ok

This game is really incredible. I think for me this is one of the most ground-breaking experiences I have had gaming in the past decade.

First, I'd like to go through what I really like about the game. The gun mechanics are on point; reloading a gun feels really satisfying and natural after you get used to it, it becomes just muscle memory.
Moving around in the game felt a little strange at first and does cause a fair amount of motion sickness - but after I little while I became fairly accustomed to it and really started to enjoy the movement mechanics. Being able to crouch before jumping to gain that little extra height so you grab onto a ledge and pull yourself up. Taking cover around a corner and peaking feels so natural and awesome to do. Force grabbing items like ammo and weapons helps keep the pace of the gameplay up as you aren't constantly having to grope around on the floor to pick up items.

However I do have a few gripes with the game. First of all, the melee combat does leave a little to be desired. I think having bodies that can be split apart - decapitation and dismemberment - would be a great addition. Knives are pretty much useless compared with other weapons.

The sound design overall is good but could be better - some sounds are a little overused and flat. Weapons that have a lot of weight to them don't align with the sound you hear when you hit something.

Having praised the climbing before I have to admit it sometimes annoys the hell out of me when I can't seen to pull myself up, since the only way to control my legs movement in the game is to crouch. I wish there was some easy way to move my whole body forward - pushing forward on the left analogue stick works sometimes, pressing jump also sometimes does the trick to pull my legs slightly closer to me for a second. Other times I get stuck trying to climb a ledge for about 10 minutes, and feel very lightheaded at the end of it.

Levels have no permanent save points in them so you cannot quit the game for a break and then jump back in where you left off - you have to start the level from scratch, losing all your progress for that level. This won't be a problem for long; Brandon at Stress Level Zero has responded to this feedback saying they will be working on developing save stations within levels.
At the moment though the levels take too long to complete in one sitting if you are like me and like to explore every nook and cranny - I needed to take a break every 2-3 hours. I had to replay Streets about 5 times in the end. The later levels were much easier to do in one sitting as I became much more accustomed to the controls and the motion sickness.

Pro's:
- Great gun mechanics
- Force grab
- Portal-esc vibe

Con's
- Lack of save points (soon to be fixed, see link above)
- Fair amount of motion sickness
- Climbing mechanics could be easier

8/10 - Best VR Game I own so far

An extremely atmospheric and challenging experience, the world of Hollow Knight is full of surprises around every turn. With an exquisite soundtrack that speaks of a broken, dying world, there are small moments of hope and reflection. You find charming NPC's hidden throughout Hollownest, each with their own story to unravel.

The world of Hollownest is interconnected, and traversing it can be a real challenge. Beautifully crafted, the different areas and connections change as the story develops, each of them interesting and diverse. Areas become accessible after defeating certain bosses and unlocking special abilities.

Finally, I have to emphasise just how good the game's soundtrack is. It is simply incredible.
10/10 - One of the best games I have played in a long time, I would recommend this to anyone.

Played it a little bit. Seems good so far.

Solid 7/5