Recent reviews by Telmi

Pros: it's Skyrim.
Cons: it's Skyrim.

I don't even like racing games that much. But FH5 is something special... it's so rare to see a game that focuses first and foremost on allowing you to just have fun. Sure, there are a few bugs here and there but that's par the course of any AAA release... I have high hopes they'll get fixed fast. It looks pretty, runs like a dream in almost any reasonable PC configuration and, most importantly, is an absolute joy to play. One of the best games of 2021 in my opinion.

Dagon is an incredibly polished experience which, if you're a fan of Lovecraft and cosmic horror like me, you're sure to enjoy. It's short but a faithful rendition of the eponymous short story that works really well in the format it's presented in. The voice acting is great and the visuals complement the narration splendidly. I'll be sure to revisit this in VR once I get a headset, it's bound to be even better than how it is in a flatscreen.

Turnip Boy Commits Tax Evasion is a short and sweet Zelda-like adventure with a rather unique brand of humor.

The story, which starts off rather interestingly (how many games approach the topic of tax evasion, even jokingly?), is full of unexpected twists and turns and memorable characters. The game world is filled with rather deep lore that explains a lot more about the premise than you would ever expect it to. I absolutely love how Turnip Boy, when he finds any document, no matter it be a love letter or an important memo from a major character, has the option to only rip it up to pieces after reading it. And you can skip the reading part. This is hilarious bordering on ridiculous, and the game uses this 'gameplay' mechanic to great effect. The entire game is jam-packed with increasingly silly jokes, some of which are absurdly funny.

Gameplay is basic Zelda: you get few items and weapons, some occasional enemies that need to be killed, and some puzzles that need to be solved to exit each room. The combat is rather easy and unfortunately somewhat one-dimensional in terms of depth. The puzzles were a much more enjoyable aspect, since they need a bit of lateral thinking about the items you have and how best to synergize their use. Not a single puzzle was what I would call difficult, but all were satisfying to solve. Keyboard controls are supported well but I preferred my DualShock 4 for the movement and combat (thankfully PS4 button prompts are supported, not many games officially do that!)

The art style is amazing. It's a love letter to SNES-era Zelda in every aspect: from the trees and grass to even little details like the signposts and fences. Character and enemy designs are unique and just as silly as the rest of the game. The music was another highlight: I really liked some tracks that played during boss fights and a certain section at the very end of the game that was suitably epic.

My only (minor) gripe is the length of the game: just 3 to 3.5 hours to finish the main story and the few side quests within. Collecting all the stuff for 100% completion may take a bit more time. A recent update added an endless mode called Limitless Line, and about half of my playtime was spent in that section trying to do everything I could do in the game. I don't think the length is a major issue since the game intentionally goes for a quality over quantity approach, but it is still something anyone wanting to play it needs to be aware of.

I personally can't wait to see more adventures involving Turnip Boy. Surely this is just the beginning of his journey?

WHAT THE GOLF is a "golf" game for those of us who hate golf. Really.


You don't need to know a single thing about golf to enjoy this. It might even make you a bit sad if you love the real sport, since the game makes an absolute mockery of golf in so, so many ways that its almost criminal.

When you start the game, it looks deceptively like the real thing. You quickly realize that this is no ordinary golf... Everything you knew about the sport is thrown out of the window fast, as you progress through the levels. You would think that golf here was about putting a ball in a hole. You would be wrong.

It's hilarious how the game keeps subverting your expectations up to the very last bit of content. You don't even really strike a ball for most part. What you do strike instead is something I'm not going to spoil that much since it's part of the appeal to discover that yourself. Suffice to say that it's ridiculous, silly, surprising, and sometimes even a bit evil. So many genres are parodied that it is a joy to discover just what nefarious plans the developers have for each level. My favorite levels involved those resembling SUPERHOT and first-person shooters. Yup, this game even is an FPS. Technically. The sheer silliness of the concept works brilliantly in the games favor.

Interestingly, while the game never wastes a chance to mock golf, it is entirely, unashamedly, a game of golf. Literally *everything* you have to access in the game is through you playing golf. Want to get to the next level? Putt your ball in that hole. Want to open a door? Hit that switch with your ball. Of course, this assumes that you are controlling a golf ball to begin with... which you may not. Your golf "ball" may be a cat. It may be a bomb. May be a car. Or even a house. And why not a crab while we're at it? The targets you have to hit are even more bizarre than what you hit them with. It's also jam-packed with more puns than you could ever think about golf. So. Many. Puns.

What surprised me the most (aside from the usual "expected" surprises) was the sheer volume of content the game has. Sure, if you rush through the game, you can finish it in less than 7-8 hours. But if you want to see everything the game has to offer, including the daily challenges and extra levels added by later updates, it'll take you more than 15 hours to do them all. The main campaign consists of themed segments each with a "boss" (yes, you defeat bosses in this game). When you reach the end and defeat the final boss, it feels like winning in the sense of defeating the sport itself. Which is a grand thing. You can tell the developers had and are still having a lot of fun designing all the unique gimmicks of each level. Ever since being released the game also got some major content updates and even community-made levels.

It is quite relaxing and very Zen-like in the sense that you can just play a bit every day to chill. Sure, the harder levels are practically puzzles where you have to figure out the right way to win, but even those aren't that punishing.

This game was originally released on Apple Arcade for iOS devices. It was basically the best game I played there when my subscription lasted. Not a big fan of renting games so I was happy to buy it a little bit more permanently on a superior platform. This steam version is the best one just because of the more precise mouse controls and that you won't lose access to the game when your subscription runs out.


Would love to see a sequel someday.

Little Nightmares II is an incredibly well-designed horror platformer.

The gameplay is pure trial and error. You're thrown into this unforgiving and creepy world. You experiment with stuff, interact with the world, and maybe even take some risks. And those approaches either work, or they don't and you die horrifically. This makes perfect sense from a meta-narrative perspective: you essentially play as a character who wants to know how the game world works and how to escape it. There are enemies, living and non-living, and they all want to cause you misery. It's up to you to escape that. Simple yet effective. It's not all perfect though; there are moments where the game becomes punishingly hard which may feel bit unfair. Difficulty spikes aside, the game is generally quite easy as long as you keep in mind how the world works. There are plenty of checkpoints scattered throughout that even dying isn't really that much of a setback. Alongside the usual collectibles, each level also introduces new gameplay mechanics, used rather effectively.

Graphics are fantastic. The forced 2.5D perspective gives the levels a foreboding sense of mystery that would probably be lost if this was a fully 3D platformer. Each level is densely packed with detail and you'd be surprised just how interactive some objects are, even the ones that you absolutely don't need to use. Many, many scenes are visually striking. I'd even use the word 'cinematic' to describe the best ones.

Sound design is exemplary. True to its name, the game has many creepy moments and the sounds just accentuate those perfectly. Directional audio is utilized exceptionally well, and it's often necessary to follow the sound cues so you can escape an encroaching danger safely.

I don't want to spoil the story at all as it's best to discover it yourself. It has some genuinely disturbing moments that caught me off guard. Over the course of your journey, you may become quite attached to some characters and will feel anxious about their ultimate fate. Achieving that without a single line of spoken dialog is quite a feat. There are enough mysteries and secrets that I'm looking forward to the next game (one can hope we will get that!)

The biggest issue with the game is the occasionally frustrating controls. Because you don't move in a 100% 2D plane, it can sometimes be difficult to 'sense' where you're going to go. This problem can be mildly annoying in case of a failed jump to downright unfair in chase sequences where there is little room for error to begin with. I hope you see why that is a major roadblock in a purely trial and error game. Thankfully it gets better with a controller: analog sticks significantly improve the precision of movement. There's excellent controller rumble support, making you feel every jump, every heartbeat in particularly tense situations. While you can play this with keyboard & mouse, I don't recommend that for the reasons mentioned. You'll just have a much more pleasant time if you fully stick to a controller.

As long as you can tolerate and familiarize yourself with the controls, LN2 can be quite a ride.

A short and well-made RPG Maker game. It has adorable characters paired with a story that's interesting and even slightly spooky at times. Doesn't have any battles, just some simple puzzles and exploration. Was well worth the time spent for me.

And it's free, which is just the cherry on the cake!

Repent! The end is nigh!

Short, sweet and well-written VN. It even managed to make me cry a little bit, which is... something.

For the price of admission (free, and just about 2 hours of your time or even less), I found this VN quite worthwhile.

I'll certainly be checking out other works by ebi-hime.

its ok