Recent reviews by Gulyus

Remember the heyday of the Xbox 360, when shooters were a dime a dozen, and a few of them raised to the top? That's Warhammer 40k Space Marine 2 - it would fit right into that era / genre.

Not to say it is a perfect game - the difficulty ramp in multiplayer from tier 1 to tier 2 can absolutely destroy a group that isn't read for it. Melee is a key component of combat - but locks you in place just often enough that you not only need to learn enemy timings, but also your own. Things that you can get better skilled at, at least.

Otherwise, the game is a straightforward shooter. Literally, sometimes, with only a small number of paths forward, each filled with xenos you need to punch, slash, shoot, or otherwise maim to protect the Imperium of Man. Just remember to check off the beaten path for stim packs, you will need them.

Think Vampire Survivors but with anime girls instead of not-Belmont: and instead of not-vampires it is fans,

Not quite it - the two games have plenty of distinctions between the two. Unlike VS where you fuse weapon and specific passive items to get more powerful weapons, in HC you fuse specific weapons together to get (what is supposed to be) a more powerful weapon...they were rebalanced recently and now the base weapons might be on the same level as the collab weapons.

Maps are 20 minutes (with a 30+ minute option - but good luck with surviving post 30 minutes without knowing about it lol) instead of the 30 minute maps of VS. Waves are balanced rather differently - tends towards fewer enemies with moderate levels of hp, with occasional bursts of high survivability enemies Passive items are slightly more powerful.

I feel like both are worth playing (you should probably buy VS anyway tbh its good) as they feel just differently enough to make them worth. If you dislike anime, Hololive, or Bullet Heaven / Wave Survival, though just look elsewhere. If you like any of those three things, is worth checking out, Price is right for just checking it out, after all.

Vampire Survivors is that sort of game where it falls into your lap and you either vibe with it or can't understand why people like it. I fall into the former category; I loved the game even though I sucked at it. Fell into using the Garlic weapon on every character (it gives a damage aura that knocks back, which saved my bacon more times than I can count.) But over time, the game opens up. Once you get enough gold to have some upgrades, monsters start dying quickly enough that you don't need Garlic to knock them back. You get Skip, Reroll, and Banish to curate your drops a bit more. You start evolving all your weapons each run. There is always a new mechanic to use to improve your gameplay; a lot of them also can be toggled off for more "basic" playthroughs.

I can't even begin to express this though; guides are great to learn the game, but your OWN personal experience matters more. If you want to use a particular weapon that the community considers bad, stick with it! Most of the fun in VS is about finding the things you want to do within it.

Dorfromantik is a relaxing little puzzle game. I tried out the demo during the steam demo...event?...last year and quite enjoyed it, so I picked it up. From the music to the basic tiling laying gameplay (you can put anything except rivers and train tracks anywhere, but you need to keep in mind that you need to finish the mini missions attached to tiles to get more tiles to keep playing) the game is satisfying. However, as given by the price point, it is also a relatively simplistic game. A little closer to Tetris (randomized pieces that you need to slot in to get points) than a logic puzzle, y'know?

Being basic isn't a bad thing though. It is what I was looking for in a game at the time, and my did I get what I paid for. It is something to just open up sometimes and play 2-3 games, only to realize you played 6. Definitely suggest it!

So I grabbed the Hexcells bundle during a steam sale and have to say, I enjoyed the games as a veteran fan of logic puzzle games like sudoku and picross, and I definitely enjoyed the series.

The game is basically picross meets minesweeper; almost every level has a logical progression that, given enough time, would allow anyone who wants to learn said logic will allow you to pick the lock and get through the stage with no mistakes (without gambling.) This is exactly what I am looking for in a puzzle series; a slow upticking in difficulty that gently drags you into the game but doesn't frustrate you until close to the end.

Of course, there is some problems; minor ones, but they are still there. Despite being like Picross, there is no note function or lock that allows you to say "I think this is a blue hex (equivalent of a bomb in minesweeper) and this other square is a hint hex (which you left click to uncover to see how many surrounding hexes are supposed to be blue)" or to prevent you from accidentally clicking a hex incorrectly. That is mostly all I have against the game, so I would say a good series at a good price!

Fun, humorous game that harkens back to the old era of Ninja Gaiden. Substantially less difficult, but not easy by any means (especially the side challenges...) than that era.

Do bring a controller though. Keyboard controls work, but a controller is the de facto method of playing platformers for a reason, y'know?

Gameplay is tight with controller, I can attest to that.

Worth the playthrough, and remember to pester the shopkeeper whenever you get a chance!

Gato Roboto is what I wanted out of a Metroidvania game; or I suppose a Meowtroidvania game.

It is a cutesy, yet short game that has plenty of charm. Thankfully, it just long enough to enjoy but not so long that it over stays its welcome.

Controls are as tight as your controller (I sadly suggest a controller for this game). My control sticks were loose, so I used the dpad which was...hell on my thumb. Otherwise though, game controls well.

That said, there are things that are downsides, but are a lot less of a problem than they may sound.

So..you are a cat...so you die in one hit outside of your mech. Including contact damage...which is annoying at times when you have to weave through enemies and end up dying because of the floatier cat controls. Doubly so because the game goes out of its way to put enemies in ways you literally cant dodge them unless you know they are there. Thankfully you get back into it VERY quickly if you save often...

Very little weapon variety, eventually getting a second weapon, a screw attack variant, and a short dash...all while in your mech. No upgrades for your cat form at all.

Collect the cartridges, but don't apply them. They have an alternate use...and the color schemes hurt my eyes. YMMV of course.

+Pluses
Charming
Tight controls in mech
Get back into the game quickly when you do fail
Challenging enough to enjoy, but rarely frustrating
Rocket jumping is SUPER satisfying when you get it down
There is a couple challenges to try for cartridges / health addons for your tank

-Negatives
Die in one hit while a cat, have to be a cat just enough that this is annoying
Low weapon variety
Alt color schemes make it harder to see
Enemies are the same color as the background, as the pallets are only 2 colors apiece

And the one thing that is very hit or miss; the Metroid/Castlevania elements are very sparse. No missile pickups, just hp. Cartridges give color pallete swaps and have a second use...and hp containers only affect your mech. No other real collectibles.

Rogue Legacy is an interesting game/rogue lite. A variety of classes (which you don't choose but from possibly up to 3 each death), a huge amount of upgrades on your castle, and a touch of nostaglia in terms of graphics AND controls leads to a ... pleasant? experience. When it isn't causing nail biting discomfort, that is. Game can be tough.

Pros:
Nigh infinite replayability, with no two zones the same, no two characters the same, tons of upgrades.
Interesting story wrapped in a few neat little bundles, and hidden throughout the game.

Cons:
Can be hard as all heck to get anything as certain classes.
Some of the negative qualities can make the game unplayable.
Dragons were underpowered when I played.