Recent reviews by RadroachRudy

Let me just start by saying that you will never be as scared of pixels in your life as you will be if you play through The Last Door. There were more genuinely chilling moments in this point and click adventure game than in most AAA horror games. It is Lovecraftian which is a very endearing factor to me, but they introduce that factor in such a creative way. I truly believe that if H.P. Lovecraft were in the indie game scene today, what he came up with would not be far off from this amazing work of art by The Game Kitchen.


The cult scenes were some of the most frightening ones in he first season. They tell a story in such a way that you are at the same time perplexed as to what could be at the root of everything, while so drawn to the mystery that you can not put the mouse down. I do mention the mouse, but these games are also available on mobile if that is more up your alley. I thoroughly enjoyed the PC version, but I would urge you to play them however you are most comfortable. I personally started on mobile a while back but got so stuck that I didn't pick it back up until I got the first season on Steam. This is, I'm sure, much more a testament of how I am with mobile gaming rather than how well the mobile version plays.


I was so excited to learn that the second season is up and ready to go, I think it is worth saying that the first season made it into my short list of favorite steam games and with very good reason. It is not always easy to solve the next step of the journey, it sometimes takes tracking through the different rooms and pondering how you could combine your collected objects or use them to interact with the environment. I am honestly blown away by the level of emersion they were able to pull of with the graphics that are used and the point and click system. I am by no means a person who demands high quality graphics and resolution for games, but still the level of depth and story they were able to pull off with the most basic level of quality, is simply breathtaking.


I could rave about the reasons this game is a must play for any gamer for hours, but I really think that I would be wasting time that you could be using to just go and play it now, it is just that good. I seriously appreciated all the time and effort spent in making this game into a genuine addition to the Cthulhu Mythos. It utilizes some of the more eerie aspects of Lovecraftian horror in an unexpected way that made for one incredible experience.

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What I was looking for when I started this game last night was something I could be a little bit detached while playing. I stumbled onto a genre that I actually really love with this Artifex Mundi point and click style game. There are different puzzles, hidden object areas, and side games like Mahjong as you find your way through this haunted pirate adventure.



The hidden object parts were my favorite, I wasn't expecting to be so into this style of game either. After expecting to check it out with a passing interest I actually played through it almost 3 times so that I could get the 100% achievement. It isn't a game or series that you will be able to completely emerse yourself into the characters and story. However, if you want a more casual game to change the pace a little bit, this series is definitely worth a look.



The mini games are interesting, and you will definitely have to put on your problem solving hat from time to time. I found most of the game to be very asthetically pleasing, but there are some parts that don't look so great. The cut scenes especially tend to be very blurry and strange compared to the beautiful artwork displayed in the still scenes. I wasnt expecting to be blown away by that aspect of the game so not having my hopes up surely kept it from pulling me out of the experience.
The story is about a museum owner who brings in a pirate exhibit and runs into a barrage of problems. She is harassed by the haunted pirate who sold his soul to Davy Jones eventually ending up on Skull island fighting to right the wrongs caused by the ghastly fiend. It has enough there to keep you interested even though the games are definitely the driving force that keep you hooked.






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A Bird Story is a short story driven game about a small boy, in the realm of the shadow people and walking trees, and his best friend who is a bird that he saves from a certain badger death.


Had to get a pic in of the shadow people before I lost you. The walking trees you will just have to see for yourself. The game was over before I knew it but it is told in a very emotionally impactful way. You are lead through the journeys of the the boy and his bird in a very creative and artistic way. The visuals are very much like a retro RPG but it is very much a story book and not a game that you do any wondering of your own.


It can be a bit slow at times, for me it took a while to get going before I felt connected to the story. Once it gets going though it is a delightful experience and has a really wonderful charm to it. If you have a little over an hour to dedicate to it, expect to finish it in the first sitting.


It is definitely a niche type game and you will not get a lot of gameplay out of it by any means. However, if you are looking for a short game to play through and kick back while enjoying a nice little story, this game is worth a look. What it lacks in problem solving and a challenge, it makes up for with a unique charm and a beautifully told story.


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The Witcher was one of the most epic and well told stories out there. It has its technical flaws that we will get to in just a moment, but if you are one for a good long story mode then settle in and get ready for a masterpiece.


The glaring weakness for The Witcher, that certainly can ruin the experience for some people, is the clunky combat system. The longer I played and advanced my magic and strikes the more I actually became endeared to the system personally, but this is a noticeable problem and one that friends of mine have put down the game over. You have 4 different weapons available to you at all times, a steel sword to be used against humans, a silver sword for use against monsters, and two other weapons spots for hammers, axes, flails, and other things of that nature. In addition to these four weapons you have 5 magic signs that you can build up and use against your foes. There is Aard which is basically your force push sign, Igni which delivers a blaze of fire to ignite your foes, Quen which summons a force field to protect you from damage, Axii that can cloud the mind of lesser foes and have them do your bidding against eachother, and Yrden the sign of containment which can trap your foes making them easier to attack.



My two most used signs were definitely Igni and Aard, but there are so many different possible fighting styles and combinations. While on the topic of fighting styles, I should certainly mention the different Witcher styles that can be used for your swords. There is a fast attack for faster foes, strong attack style for the beastly competitors, and lastly the group style when you are attacked by a swarm of enemies which *spoilers* happens a lot.


So let's get to some of what makes this one of the best games out there, the amazing story. I have got to shout out one of my favorite elements that always delights me in any story, the Lovecraftian horror. It is everywhere to be found in the Witcher, from the cult of the elder Gods, to the worshippers of Dagon, and to the monsters looking like something climbing straight out of innsmouth (the drowners), this game is full of winks and nods to the great H.P. Lovecraft and that is something I always love to see.



Beyond the Lovecraftian influence there is much to be said for everything The Witcher's story does right. You are Geralt of Rivia a mercenary who slays all the monsters and gets all the girls. As you travel along your journey you encounter many interesting characters and make many decisions that affect the face of the game as you see it. You encounter a group of knights reminiscent of the Knights Templar who are known as the Order of the Flaming Rose. There are Witches, Dwarves, Elves, and an evil terror organization names the Salamandra whom it is your duty to destroy, or perhaps aid depending on the direction you take.


The voice acting is very questionable at times and can ruin the mood of a dramatic scene, but it does not take away from the joy in fulfilling the steps of your quest. I was very fond of the way that you learn about new beasts and plants to be harvested, you can learn about these things and much else in the way of lore and character development by reading books that can be bought or found all over Temeria. The stories are very interesting at times and of course in some of these books there were more nods to my man Lovecraft.


As for the ending, let me suffice it to say it does not disappoint by any stretch of the imagination. To match the rest of the quest it was incredibly inspired, well thought out, and grandiose, with much left to be wondered by the imagination. Without spoiling anything it will make you question everything you have done in the game and see the points to be made by your adversary in a way that I have never seen before.


All in all The Witcher is not a game to be taken lightly. It is something that every RPG fan must experience and is quite an amazing way to start of what has become a critically acclaimed franchise. In short, if you are an RPG junkie stop what you are doing (including reading this blog) and go download it now. Nothing is more important than beginning your journey as Geralt of Rivia, may the Eternal Fire guide your sword and the old Gods allow you a successful and prosperous campaign!


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I have been using my Steam Controller for a couple of months now, I can hands down say it is my favorite controller that I have used for several reasons. The touch pad controls work wonderfully and make for the easiest typing experience on a controller out there to my knowledge. A keyboard is brought up onto the screen while you use your thumbs to point and click your way though whatever you are typing, and I think its one of those things you just have to try for yourself to understand. the paddle controllers in the back are a great touch and have come in very useful for me thus far. If a combination of buttons you need to press are hard to access at the same time you can substitute one for a back paddle, I did this in Guacamelee and it came in very useful. Being able to set your own controller layouts is something that in itself comes in very helpful in many games. I don't support ripping off game developers and studios, so if there is a game that is available for purchase and easily accessible I believe that you should do the right thing and give the developers what they have earned by creating a game that you want to play. However, if the video game is dead and hard to find in any other format I think that playing the game on an emulator is a great way to keep the spirit of that game alive, for inspiration and pure enjoyment and I am sure that I am not alone in believing that. That being said, this controller also works great for emulators and is an all around great tool for PC gaming. If you have been on the fence about grabbing yourself one, as I was, I would urge you to buy the thing and give it a shot. It feels in your hands almost like an OG XBOX controller, but with more innovations on the game pad front than I had previously given it credit for. Its definitely just one of those things you have to experience before realizing how much you have always needed it, and I am thoroughly pleased with the experiences my Steam Controller has delivered thus far.

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Bastion was an amazingly artistic game its been added to my favorites list on Steam and for good reason. I started the game on my Mac Book Air before running into some hardware issues and not getting back into it for quite some time. I have a windows computer also but was afraid that i had lost my progress from the Mac and did not want to start over. Luckily Steam Cloud saved the day and i continued right where i left off before this week and finished it in 2 or 3 sittings. The first thing that captures you about Bastion is the way the ground appears beneath your feet while you take off down the path, between this and the narrator who speaks about your journey as you move along, Bastion has a style all of its own that captivated me right from the very beginning. There is a variety of weapons at your disposal the deeper you get into the game, both melee and ranged. These along with the special abilities that you are permitted to have one of at a time along with two weapons make the combat ever changing and very enjoyable. There are many things they have integrated to make Bastion re-playable as well, i plan to do so after a short break. You can continue on the Bastion with your same weapons, open the different buildings in whichever order you like, and of course the split decision ending leaves you wondering what might happen when you choose the other option. There are Gods that you can activate at the shrine to make the game more difficult but more rewarding, Drinks that you can activate at the distillery that helps by giving you some perks that come in very handy during game play, and the forge where you can make all of your weapons sheer instruments of doom. I played at first with a mouse and keyboard, and when i came back to it with a Steam Controller. I had great fun with both, but for this particular game preferred the game pad. This games truly an experience like no other and it isn't held as one of the best things to come out of XBOX Live Arcade for no reason. I was able to catch it on sale on steam but it would definitely be worth the full price tag if you are wondering and on the fence. Highly addictive, re-playable, and full of different weapons and abilities, Bastion has it all and delivers in a big way. This isn't a game that is one of the best on the indie scene alone, i would venture to say it is one of the best period on par with its big budget / large studio counterparts.


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Space Pilgrim II kept me hooked from beginning to end. It was a late night shuffling through Steam games before deciding that it was time to take a look into the next Space Pilgrim episode. 2 hours later & before I knew it I was finishing the game. There is a creative story in this episode involving religious fanatics, mad scientist like doctors, and crooked cops. It has two of the main characters from the previous episode, especially Gail Pilgrim the main character. It gives you more of the interesting story telling, simple but fun problem solving, and interesting plot twists that you would come to expect from playing the first in the series. I appreciated the little astronomy lesson in the titles of the games as well. The style is obviously retro/RPGmaker, but the dialogue has some winks and nods to modern situations and delivers with the humor and suspense. These aren't the epic time consuming games that you will spend huge portions of your time to dig into and finish, but for a short narrative driven experience Space Pilgrim has delivered twice for me and I look forward to seeing the rest of the series.


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Space Pilgrim is a series made with RPG Maker that got my attention on Steam with the low price tag. This old school RPG has some problem solving, a good story with some twists and turns, & left me ready to continue with the rest of the series.
The series was a steal for the price that it was on sale for, and remains very low even when not on sale. If you still love the classic RPG style this Sci Fi type game delivers with a charming story and a few laughs and unexpected turns.
Obviously, there is nothing cutting edge or advanced about it. What you see is what you get. A short, simple game without too much difficulty whatsoever. If you are lookin for some push back or a game with a lot of depth, probably give this one a pass for the time being.
Basically you can tell by looking at the above art style if this game is for you. If these types of games are up your alley and you are looking to kick back with a good story and not much of a challenge for a few hours, give Space Pilgrim a try.

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Ok let me start by saying any criticism aside, that I straight up loved this game and look forward to playing the next 2. However there are some pros and cons to the beautiful Trine: Enchanted Edition. As just mentioned this games design and beauty is what immediately drew me in and is what compelled me to buy the trilogy on steam and give it a run.
Trine is a platformer that uses three main characters who you are able to swap between to complete different tasks in the level. The Mage who can summon different items that become very useful, the Thief who is the archer of the group, & the Warrior who can take on foes face to face.
The flaws in Trine are minimal but almost all have to do with AI. The enemies wander into their own demise quite often, which doesn’t take you out of the game experience quite as much as when the bosses stomp right off the cliff. This usually happens when he is chasing you and your character falls off the cliff as well, but when you swap characters or respawn the boss is still gone which leads to some overly simplistic battles.
The story in Trine is kind of throw away, and serves more as a loading screen filler than anything. For this kind of game though that is actually a pretty good fit & did not leave me wanting more narrative. There is a narrator who explains the heroes plight and what they are about to delve into before each level.
So as you can imagine, the enemies and bosses killing themselves of can make for some pretty easy levels. I flew through the regular levels with relatively no problem, but when you come to the last level prepare to strap yourself in for a doozy. No matter how far you get, unless you reach the one check point at the very top, you will be sent straight back to the beginning over and over. This type of push back on the last level always endears a game to me I think the completion of a game should be a challenge and in that area Trine delivers.
My experience with the first of the Trine trilogy most definitely has me looking forward to the other two, & with the company partnering with GameStop for publishing on a new project, now is a good time to dig into the games if you haven’t already.


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Updating my review of KOTOR for the Steam Awards. I have nominated it for the Test Of Time category and I highly suggest it for that category to anyone who is going to vote. This is a blog post from May The 4th from my reviews bog. http://www.SublimeGameReview.wordpress.com


In honor of "May The 4th Be With You" day, I am doing a review in homage to Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic. It is available now on so many platforms that there is no excuse for not having played this classic RPG.


They even have this game on iOS now, which if you would have predicted to me years in the past, I would have laughed manically in your face. I have not played KOTOR on iPhone, but I have played the first 2 Dragon Quests & a Bards Tale on iOS and thoroughly enjoyed them so a great port of this seems likely.

I finished KOTOR for the first time a year ago on my honeymoon or shortly thereafter on Steam (sorry babe 😜). I was revisiting it because I had played but not finished years earlier on XBOX. It has all the elements I've ever wanted out of a Star Wars game and does a great job capturing multiple worlds in the Universe and exploring some great stories within the mythos.


My wife and I just finished re-watching all of the Star Wars movies a couple of weeks ago, & if you haven't played KOTOR, maybe this game should be your way to celebrate "May The 4th Be With You".

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