Recent reviews by Adventureflame

[Review after completing 100% of current content]

All hail the wicked one.

As the type of Cleaning Simulator beast the media fears, I've made my way through Viscera Cleanup, Cash Cleaner, Fresh Start and Powerwash! So with the experience I've gathered, let me tell you-this one shines above those like a beacon of hope the future of this genre. Let it be known: their Nightmare Mode update essentially added doubled the game content, full remixing stages and adding new mechanics that didn't exist anywhere else!

Good mechanics? BOOM. A fun story? BOOM. Cheesy voice acting? BOOM. Interesting environments that expand as you go? BOOM. The upgrades really feel impactful as you get through the game-such as duel-wielding sponges or being able to auto-clean your scrubber. The young pup you were entering the first stage becomes a distant memory by the time you're cleaning the aftermath of massacres or rituals.

Cute cassettes and music disks are scattered about for some treasure hunting, encouraging you explore each little inch of the map! Achievements are also tied to silly interactions with the environment-all that you can't be locked out of-which is always welcome. And that's not all, because as you complete the Nightmare mode / 'debuffed true cleaner' modes, you'll unlock skins that completely change the shape and animation of your tools!

That said, I would be remiss not to mention some drawbacks. The game often autosaves, which causes noticeable stutters. Your characters animations will snap and crack like puppets morphing into their own bodies. Sometimes the tools themselves will even lose animation? And the levels can feel long, especially when body disposals are farther from your work area than you'd like.

But overall, if these pushed you away, then you were in the genre for the wrong reason. BOOM. Here's the fifth big boom.

Consider me an industry plant for this one.

[Review after completing 100% of current content]

To start, I'm too much of a coward to truly live the way that I want, or to explore my identity to find the "true person I am inside". This game was a hopeful adventure for what having supportive friends, and a lucky escape looks like. The game-play is comprised of erasing your past, writing your future, and navigating in the dark to find your next story beat. Every stroke of erosion felt like a harsh reminder of the journey-and warbling relationships-Casio was made to go through as a young Irish queer long before my time.

The story beats really resonated with my own journey towards my current age of 25. The thoughts that your room was never yours; a void of personality that you convinced yourself was a "safe space" despite it retaining the same state it was when you arrived. Medical. How resentful I was of Casio's ability to lose herself in the hustle of a crowd, or have someone find you when hiding away, avoiding the noise around you. In the simple words of the game: "I could not hold on to anyone".

This is an incredibly well written queer story about the difficulties of staying loyal to yourself, all while a coinciding metaphor plays out about saving a world on a cosmic level. Or at least the one within ones self? It signs off with a wonderful epilogue showing the characters founding their place, ringing so close to people I've known that it left me enraptured. The beautiful Irish music gluing me to the words.

It's a story that there's hope even in hopeless moments, and even if it's idealistic, sometimes it's what you need to hear. Picking a flag that represents you. Signing your name in the short tearjerker of a diary. Seeing some people simply walk away for their own sake. It really did hit where it clearly tried, and if you give it a chance you'll surely admire that too.

[Review after completing 100% of current content]

First and foremost, a seizure warning: This game contains visual effects that may trigger epilepsy.

If I were to compare this oddity to other media, I'd start by comparing its beautiful art style with Who’s Lila-one of my favourite games-wherein the developer has cited this as an influence. While the writing itself evokes the quirky human surrealism of ENA series' oddities. The music beautifully captures the anomalous nature of its crumbling world, drawing you into a complex network of timelines that converge to reveal a realm of inter-planetary beings and the influence of impartial gods basking in indulgent depravity. I mean hell, in one "ending" a character literally saves earth on a whim at the promise of humanity developing better spicy food.

However, while I wish I could simply leave a mixed review, experiencing this as a game rather than as a conceptual art piece left both the story and system interactions feeling underwhelming.

Getting every ending (which range from one to six per chapter) requires slowly transitioning between screens, and skipping through dialogue trees with a fast forward feature so sluggish that it's faster to just hammer the mouse. The developer clarified he 'simply couldn't flesh it all out' in regards to the story, especially apparent in its forth chapter "Spider" being only loosely connected to previous chapters. While avoiding specifics, the ending proves fruitless against "PSG Ultima", a group capable of sidestepping the universal resets; some reviews call these aspects “weird and convoluted” but I think undercooked is a more accurate description. After collecting all necessary secrets and completing the final "Dragon" chapter, you find out this is simply a short prequel that is currently a narrative dead end.

I could recommend trudging through the experience on a solid sale as its own unique audiovisual experience-letting its fun designs wash over you without much thought-but attempting to look deeper and contend against its lack of accessibility might leave you disappointed. It was not long enough to be offensive, but not strong enough to be memorable.

[Review after completing 100% of current content]

Yearning. A lot of us were bullied growing up and shy away from society, so what does it mean to then connect with something from outside your own world? From the incredible writer of In Stars and Time comes their true passion for two women perhaps flirting or kissing or oh my god stoppppp-these ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ gay as hell. Good for them! Good for them.

This reeks of a first love, and if I'm not a big ol' bear going FERAL in that fetid stream, then put me down now. Behind the shed. I am no longer myself. Emulates that first time someone takes notice in your passion and truly cares, or compliments you in a way that catches you off guard it's so darn gentle.

An emotional art piece, punctuated with incredibly expressive animations and CGs that make this short experience more than worth your time just to support more soulful smile generators. If something makes you kick your feet and scream into a pillow like a kid getting their I-pad taken away, but instead it's lesbians? Being homosexual? Alright.

[Review after completing 100% of current content]

In a world where warrior cats are assimilated back into human civilisation, you will cry chasing down a pregnant cat to ensure she has a good home! We got Fofiño BrambleStar over here protecting ThunderClan from the great storm half way through the game, so truly what more can you ask for? Peak kitty hours.

Silliness aside, this is yet another adorable adventure into Devcat's ongoing support towards housing strays with their next level fluffy designs! This time leaning more into their love of games, anime, and methods of expression which always leaves a smile on your face. I'm talking a whole Portal level reference, and going into paintings to find cats in their individual art styles! Nostalgic callbacks to bands and games that will have you jumping at your screen to see them!

Cheap, for a good cause, and incredibly fun!

I'll note that I did experience a crash and some lag while entering some rooms. Also, these tasks don't indicate their requirements well: Knowing to go downstairs for the gym tasks / music sheets, finding more ghosts within the other rooms and finding the last two hidden cats outside of the building. But the game has been receiving constant fixes since it launched, and you'll quickly pick up on the rest to keep the flow moving.

[Review after completing 100% of current content]

Quick conclusion:
Akin to unpacking, if it were ruled by a tyrannical plant addict! But still stands alone as its own product. It allows you to create lovely scenes within its boundaries to prevent yourself getting overwhelmed. An emotional journey with cute pets and hugging jugs that you can't help but smile at. Just be aware that it IS quite a short experience, about five hours of content to the price of £12.79, but you gotta support your smaller devs.

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A truly wonderful soul created this game-someone who understands the difficulty of moving on from a struggling relationship and growing into your own independence. You'll go on a journey to redefine old possessions, discover how chaotic a lack of space can be until you almost have too much of it, and track your progress with pretty pictures along the way! The smaller details hidden inside the books and slideshows of the character's life really adds the cherry on top!

It's not often that you can stop and feel the fresh air within a game's environments and sink into the atmosphere the way you can here. Also, pets. Pets. Pet your pets, and pretend to assign them important roles around the camper-like the softest RTS. Your main girl is a cosy queen, and living through her unhindered economic freedom will offer some much needed escapism.

However, it's important to acknowledge the faults too. Some collectables really fade into the background, and getting good angles for your final pictures can be a struggle with how you're expected to pack! Occasionally, the background graphics will flicker or items will glitch, requiring a full restart. A few other small gripes: the tutorial could have a little expansion with more detailed controls, and items that you can properly interact with for a fun change could use some sort of visual indicator? Missing them hurts the heart!

Can you splash a little cash, need of a chill vibe, or spot it on a good deal? I can't see you being disappointed.

[Review after completing 100% of current content]

Quick conclusion:
As someone who enjoys rogue-lite genre, I'd absolutely recommend this short stint for £5-or even less on a deal. But don't let it overstay its welcome by trying for all the upgrades that quickly surpass the difficulty and breadth of content. It can be paused with a simple click, and runs on very low-end machines!

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Overall, it's a game made to optimise the consumption of both trash media and your own trash gameplay! A nostalgic dip into the past, where you play as multiple gorgeous cursors, reminiscent from toolbars that would brick the family computer, and utilise weapons resembling the pipes wallpaper to your favourite spaceman pinball game; always an absolute joy to see them consume your screen. It's a shame that the enemies don't embody the Windows 9x/2k style or the frutiger aero aesthetic, but you'll find yourself excited to discover what else the game has up its sleeves from gambling mini-games to high powered corruptions!

Reviews mention repetitiveness and difficulty in the early stages, but isn't that an intrinsic part of the genre? Within a few runs, you'll find yourself dancing through the .exe's, even if you're using a laptop track pad! You'll be using your own mouse to kite enemies around the screen and dodge through pockets, which ends up being half the fun and a difficulty curve that you simply need to get used to. The mini-games that offer additional options, and the cursors that quickly scales to immortality, will help those who struggle with the more intensive stages.

However, a few small design choices and a lack of modifications confuse or slightly annoy me. For example: the second level, Hollow.exe, is one of the hardest in the game, with some of the most punishing patterns, making it guilty of bouncing a lot of people off the game. The "blue screen" power-up is a cute idea, but its full screen (and overly long) visuals feels at odds with the game's main concept of being something you can enjoy 'overlaying other media'. As exciting as getting new weapons can be, you'll quickly find some are just bad picks and since the genre is built around variety, don’t be surprised if you lose a run or two experimenting with new options.

This is a personal problem, but I don't understand the need for the bosses designs to descend into body horror when it is already tapping into such a juicy vein with old Windows knick-knacks?? Alongside being just a strange way to do your finale.

All in all, the unique visuals and engaging, active play style makes it worth the money-even if you do end up bouncing off closer to the end! Doesn't ask for much of your time to show you a good one.

[Review after completing 100% of current content]

The art style is absolutely adorable, and I could see local play or single player being a lovely journey through its imaginative stages! It's an easy feast for the eyes, letting you indulge in the nostalgia of past LBG games, alongside writing that is simple and easy to digest! I feel like younger children and casual gamers would both leave with a smile if that's the experience you're looking for. Especially with the hop-in-and-out feature being so seamless for those unable to give full focus.

While the constant drag over to the FUNNY STORE when you reload to the world map gets annoying, the actual costumes themselves are a joy!

So:
While Epic Games is obviously a problem, unfortunately most play-station games come with launchers, so let's move beyond that to the real problems. Prepare for your ankles to shatter as your poor coop partner gets desynced into the nearest building. Online punishes you for merely attempting to exist in the same space, and as someone who played through it this way, I find it HARD to recommend if you're doing the same.

Now. If you find yourself hungering for the ghost of completion, know the hubris of sharing such a feast with your online brethren. Together you will stand at the gates of final stage in the Knight’s Trials. To share. To thrive. To fall.

A test of faith so ruinous, I no longer believe in my own independence from the strings of wandering gods. The developers spilling their sticky glue between already flawed challenge stages, demonstrating nothing new, yet still delivering worse. Pray, teach me how a gold medal on the funny kids game could possibly make a grown adult ball up their fist and weep tears reserved for their future children taken from this earth too soon. Chase the dragon, and feel its flames.

[Review after completing 100% of current content]

"I don't wanna die... What a crappy life... I never got to enjoy it even a little bit... What a joke... What was I even born for...?"

Light spoilers:

Welcome to Kodaka's wild ride: Danganronpa with unavoidable character development. The confusion that comes from the seemingly lacking main selling point of multiple endings—while you're stuck in a 25-hour prologue that moves in a straight line—hangs above your head like the sword of Damocles before you realise the Zero Escape had infected the mainframe with its "60-novels-long-script". We're talking 600 unique CGS compared to 310 from all Danganronpa games combined.

But this isn't just a novel: the Fire Emblem adjacent combat is engaging and each character gets to shine in their own scenarios, backed by music that’ll have you kicking your feet like a giddy kid.

Speaking of the OST. ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥, the OST. Masafumi Takada shows their mastery of atmospheric songs that really tune you into the mood of a scene, and battle songs that get you lock in against even the softest of mobs. Not even accounting for the constant leitmotifs and remixes beyond the prologue. Not often in such a VN focused medium do they stand so strong on their own.

Then comes excitement of realising that these blorbos you adore (or love to hate) will get over 100 hours of content. They tackle all kinds of brutal situations as the echos of their smallest actions strangle them through time. The experimental insanity of constant 'what-ifs' forcing characters to stretch their limits—who they are or what they actually stand for when the chips are down—making even the sometimes wobbly writing hold firm.

However, it isn't without faults so let's discuss some cons: To start, The game outgrows its own combat system. Battles become one turn slogs, with characters that can navigate the entire map within one turn making it redundant, becoming just a time sink that you can thankfully skip after one run through. This slog also infects the board game used for gathering resources, taking far too long with its luck-based results. Additionally, the gift giving and '''bonding scenes''' fall short, mostly repeating information already covered in other routes.

While the aforementioned skipping of battles is possible, with even the smallest variations you'll find yourself repeating the entire fights. There are FAR too many free time events and announcements that should have their own dedicated skip option. Admittedly, the grind of “catching up” with route variations will get monotonous if you’re aiming for that 100% completion.

But remember: Kodaka intended for this to be a game you stop when you're satisfied and return to when refreshed. It’s like screaming you're being threatening you with too much good food while pointing a gun to your own head. Just step away, and work at your a comfortable pace!

Everything said, this was a relief to me—that aside from one [scary/purposefully toxic] route, the game doesn’t unnecessarily sexualise its characters, which is something Danganronpa notoriously struggled with.

Heavy spoilers:

I adore the culture and background behind the previous wars drip-fed to you, but BOY do I wish they done more with it. V’ehxness' individual route that shows the interplay between commanders, hinting at their religion / background, but ends far too soon. Really do wish that we got to see more of the villagers and empathise with their lives among the ruins.

While I enjoy the branching consequences tied to character hubris, especially shown in the "battle route", they lack incentives and turn into slogs. These paths could’ve reached their unique concepts much earlier, and perhaps utilised the admittedly pathetic amount of three story locks to tie into an overall satisfying narrative?

Especially since a massive part of the G'ie story line in Kako ends with... a white coated women who supposedly worked in the lab, but otherwise isn't expanded upon? Come on. At least there's hints as DLC with more paths that might give more life to this.

The loop concept is CONFUSING. With Takumi and Hiruko’s loops existing separately, shown in the Retsnom and Coming of Age routes, why are some exempt like the 2nd scenario route? Especially with the rocket that destroys the artificial satellite referenced in the S.F. ending. I wish they’d leaned harder into the theme of escaping the cycle as a karmic form of planetary death. As it stands, it doesn't gel with the rest of the meat that was otherwise juicy narrative meat.

Finally, when you learn that these characters are part of the same genetic family with Shion? It slightly taints romance routes as some slightly incestuous slurry. Boy, the truth ending wasn't kidding about its impact.

An amazing game to enjoy with friends testing memory, and getting jumped by things only a single person notices! Nothing worse than escaping an intruder on one camera just to get blasted by another on the next.

The pineapple man deserves more out of life.