Recent reviews by Jetofo

Played the DEMO for 8+ hours, only a few hours into the main game, but it's 100% worth the 20 bucks, even the 25, here's a quick rundown:
-Roguelike FPS
-Fun gunplay
-Some light parkour
-Solid music and stage design
-TONS of weapon modifications (Enchantments, Attachments, Oils)
-Tons of fun weapons with interesting design
-Challenging stages and enemies
-LOOT
-Crafting system
-Overall satisfying extract mechanic that allows for banking of resources & gear
-Unique art style that complements gameplay

Overall this is somewhere between a FPS and a dungeon crawler, the aesthetic is on point and the loop is very enjoyable. I'll definitely get the hours of play out of this and can only hope/expect the devs to continue to show love to the title based on what they've delivered so far.

The short & sweet:

Without even having finished all the content yet, I can confidently say, even as the "Black Sheep" of the trilogy, this is an awesome title and deserves more praise. I will be sinking plenty more hours in. Can recommend.



The long explanation:

DS2 has a reputation among the souls community that maligns it, and that is upsetting having enjoyed it as much as I have. I came fresh off of a replay of DS1 to finish it, and the first 10-15 hours did feel a bit frustrating, until I stopped trying to play this title like its predecessor and listened to what it was teaching (As you should in any souls title).

It operates quite a bit differently, most areas aren't built for you to speed through avoiding all the enemies, grabbing loot and finding bonfires/bosses. This title wants you to fight those battles a lot more, but rewards you for doing so. You can actually "Clear" areas, as in, no more enemies will spawn (Unless you use an item to make them). Doing this becomes extremely useful for leveling up, gearing up, and getting loot, all the while slowly carving a path towards the boss. So you can legitimately just make any run backs a nice leisurely uninterrupted walk if you'd like. At the end of the day, I felt far more prepared and pretty strong in a lot of the bossfights for DS2 than I did in most of them for DS1. In fact, this method of farming your level up feels more reliable stage-to-stage and less gimmicky than many methods used in other Fromsoft titles.

There are more stats, some of which are highly important regardless of build (ADP), but as such you pick up levels more quickly. The hub area has an awesome vibe that borders on a restless melancholy, and this game has a less gritty more colorful cast of characters to interact with while still feeling like a souls title and hitting you with the dark fantasy tropes you might expect from time to time.

Finally, this is far less linear even from the start as once you make it to the hub you get this sort of branching outward in all directions feel, with a general goal given to you. You can immediately travel from any one bonfire to another, and I prefer DS2's inventory interface to DS1 by a large margin.

All of the above points combine to make a game that is very unique even when compared to the other 2 of the same trilogy and not just all fromsoft games. However, I would posit, that it is the difference that truly makes this title great and worth your play.

A true hardcore dungeon crawler.

This takes the gameplay of older roguelike top down games (Think Nethack, or Pathos if you like phone games) and puts it in a beautiful yet retro styled first person format. A format that supports wonderful co-op play to get that real party dungeon crawl vibe.

Make no mistake, death is common and it can restart your post-hour long run in an instant, but this gem of a game definitely shines with allies. The runs are easier and you can assist your friends as a ghost while they tote your belongings to the next level for you to respawn. But if you're forever alone, fret not, there are recruit-able allies within different levels of the dungeon, as well as shopkeeps.

Also, the classes naturally synergize to help the team overcome different puzzles and enemies. There are different stages and paths to take in the game as well, don't feel like carving through all that dungeon JUST for fighting the baron? Go to hell and fight a Demon king or something, maybe a Minotaur in a labyrinth as well. Plenty of class options that fit classic fantasy archetypes, and the DLC adds some nice class/race options that add flair and allow for greater build customization and maximization. Gameplay itself is surprisingly smooth and snappy, hit boxes and striking range take a bit of getting used to and vary based on weapon/spell, but end up feeling pretty satisfying and natural once you get the hang of it.

For those that want a more casual experience, this probably isn't it unless you have friends willing to carry you through every time. For those that came to carve through every level of the dungeon with battleaxes and fireballs alike and kick the Barons door in to stop his evil reign...Look no further.

This ended up being far more in-depth, enjoyable and unique of a game than I first anticipated.

Survival mechanics aren't too complicated and play into the tech tree/basic game loop well. Pal gear and base building makes every pal come in handy somewhere. It's not just about the guns, there are area bosses, tower/arena bosses, dungeons, and plenty of resources/loot to be found exploring. Some pals can be ridden, especially the giant or airborne ones, or even thrown like a grenade. The base building and pal breeding combine with the tech tree to make the late game path to victory visible and crazy fun with plenty of viable options for party loadout and such. Definitely one of those always something next to do type games that is hard to turn off, even in failure. The entire experience benefits from multiplayer with your real world pals too. Easy 9/10, took one off for the various bugs I'm willing to put up with but hope get fixed.

This game scratches an itch I didn't realize needed scratching. Somewhere in between Minecraft and Rimworld lies the level of settler management. But as lucrative as that is, it becomes a background element to delving for loot and boss fights that helps you enchant gear and fend off raids in the meantime. If you enjoyed top down RPGs like some of the classic Zeldas from NES, or just top down movement in general, this will feel very smooth and fun for combat. Personally platformers were never my full jam, and the Terraria influence here is obvious, but top down 2D always suited me as it still felt "3D" in a way. The general gameplay loop is surprisingly enjoyable and in depth for a game that still touts "Early Access" on the store page. Definitely worth 5 bucks on a sale, even worth 10 base price. I got post 60 hours for the early access content and while I'm in "Endgame" I haven't farmed it out yet. Shines with friends that enjoy similar game types as you will all spend waaay too much time playing a sandboxy game that draws from all the favorites in the genre to create something truly special and comfortable. Hope the future development does justice here, because this game deserves to shine with it's full potential. Soundtrack rocks as well, It isn't a boring clone but instead masterfully draws from other games in the genre. I have way more playtime than I thought I would get even in just early access. 10/10.

An absolute co-op masterpiece. A hardcore horror game solo. This game redefines ambiance in a video game, and is amazing vanilla while having super solid mod support. Really a game changer when it comes to games you can have fun with friends on, and also try hard on. Everything from audio to balance to interface feels purposeful in the best way possible.

10/10 I should've died for that last piece of scrap on Titan.

It's just a great game, from top to bottom. Elden Ring takes the souls game format and makes it more accessible to a wider audience and allows for absolute free reign for character building or just playing the game in general. It still has some level of difficulty to it, but if you get tired of slamming your head into one wall, you can literally go a thousand other places and do something else. The game world is beautiful, the enemies are beautiful and terrifying, there are some breathtaking moments the game can put you through. All the while still giving you fun and varied combat and puzzles, alongside a massive list of secrets and side quests. There's a reason it won Game of the Year. If you've ever thought about buying a Souls game, but always stayed on the fence, this one is the sole reason to hop off that fence.

I've enjoyed similar games to Dwarf Fortress over the years and always put off doing the deep dive required to play the game in it's previous state. The steam version solves that problem effectively and makes it very palatable, you'll likely still find yourself quickly memorizing hotkeys, but it isn't necessary to actually remember them because there's a GUI you can simply click through if you prefer. Great music, simple pixel UI and tons of Steam Workshop support already. Dwarf Fortress is all about the possibilities and crafting an amazing story with your burgeoning society of dwarves. You'll feel somewhat responsible for every dwarf's greatest achievements, or even when they meet an untimely demise because you designated them as the Fisherdwarf and there are crocodiles about.

Dwarf fortress is an amazing game that has been slowly built into what it is now over years and years, but the finished product is a game with literal endless replay value.

tl;dr-I was enslaved, escaped, faced racism and hate. Then I one-by-one captured leaders of my former captors and razed their cities to the ground, a Shek army at my side.

10/10 would brave the skimsands as a stickman again.

The Details:

Kenshi is hard to put into words, and isn't for everyone, but maaaaaan, for those of you that aren't filthy casuals.....what a great game! Emphasis on sandbox and survival, though it's much more. This game can take you through a thousand journeys, tell insane stories, and let you experience the rise of an empire, from the first broke dude with a dream, to a whole faction running a city and repelling bandits at your borders with harpoons. It can feel like a grind at times but Kenshi is an amazing survival rpg that flourishes if you build a squad and try to be an agent of change in this terrifying and unique post post apocalyptic world. Though it can be enjoyed running only a single character as well, the stakes are just a bit higher.

PROS:
-Dismemberment
-Smuggling Hashish
-Beep
-Robots
-Cannibals
-Cannibal hunters
-Robots that hunt humans for their skin
-Samurai
-Ninja
-Superspeed Naruto Running
-Death, often
-Enslavement (Great way to level stealth, lockpicking and....toughness..)
CONS:
-I can't enjoy the madness with friends because there is no multiplayer
-Kenshi can be frustrating and unforgiving at times
-Passion project from one main dude leaves a few bugs and clunkiness (That mods can address)

Recommendations for Max Enjoyment:
-Watch a few playthrough videos before buying
-Save scum (You can new game, continue, or load from pause menu, it isn't dark souls)
-Download Mods

If you are a fan of the ARPG genre, Grim Dawn is your next ARPG to no-life and nerd out about. Everything is handled by a development team that genuinely cares about the game and the genre. Loot, big numbers, fun combat, memorable bosses and fights, a macabre but awesome story, it's all here.

For the casual player, there is still plenty of fun to be had with Grim Dawn and it's class/skill combinations. The DLC only add more depth to class customization, loot, and dungeons to crawl. You can keep the difficulty low and still get lost in the world/have a blast fighting back all the horrors Cairn has to offer.

For the veteran ARPG player, once you hike the difficulty up you will be exactly where you want to be, min maxing damages and resistances for the big juicy fights, trying to get the biggest numbers, and most prized drops.

Grim Dawn does everything right for an ARPG. IMO it crushes the competition, and the price tag with all of the DLC (Highly recommended) is worth every penny. The hours you can pull out of this game might make you wonder what you're doing with your life, but never mind that, just slurp up that next untouched meal and keep slaying, Cairn needs you.