Recent reviews by Virtual Turtle

I would recommend this game because it's really cool and unique, but I have one big caveat!

So let's just start with the negative right off the bat: the game's performance was terrible, there's no way around it. I was playing on modern hardware (GTX 1080), on 1440p and still had bad framerate on low graphics settings, despite having used the 'performance tricks' that are recommended in the steam guides. It's a shame because this game is pretty as heck and playing on low settings with bad FPS definitely takes away some of the immersion.

Another bad thing about the game is how slowly you walk. I have played every 'walking sim' under the sun so I'm used to walking, but this game's speed is just TOO slow. It feels like you're crawling and holding shift like others suggested didn't seem to do anything for me. I wish they had upped the speed just a little as the world is very large..

Now onto my experience with the game! It took me a bit to get into the rhythm of the game. The game seems like an open world when you first start playing, and it is to some degree. However, don't make my mistake of just running off everywhere at random because the developers have an intended path that you follow in order to unravel the story. I only learned this later on as I realized I had to follow the glowing orbs. These are only rough guides however, you have to deviate from their path a little in order to visit all the story beats.

Once I got into the pacing of the game it started getting really good. I loved how I started to understand the characters and how they interacted in the village. The voice acting is great and it makes this very enjoyable process. The story is mysterious and even a bit vague at some points, but the general idea is quite clear and very intriguing once it gets going. Once I was hooked, I just kept going and loved every bit of the game. The story is definitely where this game shines and if you like other walk-and-unravel-story games you'll likely enjoy this one too!

So there's my verdict, I'd recommend it but only if you have a good machine or are willing to suffer the consequences. I got the game at 50% discount and am very happy having spent that money!

I was excited as hell when I heard a new Life is Strange game was announced. Now I've finally gotten around to playing it and I must say: wow! Sequels are always hard, but they really hit it out of the park with this one.

'Life is Strange: True Colors' has exactly everything that I've come to love and expect from a Life is Strange game, but in a new, refreshing package! It even manages to even improve on a lot of stuff, mainly the stunning graphical fidelity and realistic character animations (especially the detailed facial animations).

What really sold the game for me was the world. It just feels so... alive and real! Everywhere you look you see stuff happening, every object you inspect has an interesting piece of story attached, all characters in the world has their own life, personality and struggles... Haven Springs just feels like a place that really exists.

What also really pulled me in was how interesting and varied the main cast of characters were. This is a modern game and the cast reflects that. No annoying stereotypes and no 'perfect' people, it feels good to see a game portray the spectrum and imperfections of humans, as that will ultimately far better connect to me, the player.

Lastly, I just really gosh darn enjoyed the story. It had ups, it had downs, it had crazy plot twists, and most importantly: all of it was paced in a really good way. These days I find it hard to really be engaged by a videogame, but I've all 13.5 hours of this game in 4 consecutive days and I loved each session. That's rare for me, and it's a true testament to how great this game is.

So... all in all, I'd like to conclude by recommending to any fan of the series! This kind of quality and detail can only be pulled off by an extremely talented and passionate team, so a big shout out to Deck Nine and for making yet another masterpiece.

This was hands down the best VR experience I've ever had. When I was one of the first people to get an oculus rift dev kit (1) back in the day, I was blown away, but never thought VR would come this far. Valve has innovated the hell out of this medium and it makes the whole experience extremely immersive! I did play with Valve Index controllers, which I would 100% recommend as they add just that extra level of immersion.

So, what did I think of the game's content? It's good. Really, really good. Of course from a VR point of view, but also definitely from a Half-Life point of view. The story was written really well, the locations you visit look absolutely stunning and realistic, the combat is fun and very intuitive after playing for a bit and most of all: that ending! I won't spoil anything, but if you've played Half-Life before, you HAVE to play all the way through this game.

I personally think this is the way forward. VR is such a perfect fit for this game series that it'd be a waste to go back to a 'regular' flat-screen sequel. The way you use your body to interact with the environment adds a whole new layer of immersion that you just don't get when playing on a monitor. And you feel like... you're there! The horror bits were some of the most terrifying I've ever experienced in a game, and I loved it.

Would 100% recommend this game to anyone with a VR setup or looking to invest in one. Valve is back baby!

If you are like me you will probably think "Virtual trucking, isn't that lame and boring?" Well guess what? It's not! I initially picked this game up because of the scenery and my love for American landscapes, and it didn't disappoint. This game, albeit a bit on the basic side sometimes, looks really good in general. The US states that they've managed to recreate feel real and vast, which makes them very relaxing to drive through for hours. Once you dive deeper into the mechanics of making money, owning different kinds of trucks and even setting up a trucking empire, the game gets even more interesting. Although for me, just driving around, delivering goods of different sizes is good enough. It's my go-to game to relax at the moment, would recommend!

Quick disclaimer: I played Ether One: Redux, which is why my playtime on Ether One (original) is only 10 min.

I would describe Ether One as one of those games that perfectly fits everything I'm looking for in a videogame. On the surface it's a ´walking simulator´ with environmental puzzles, not unlike Myst, but once you start digging deeper you´ll find a rich world full of stories, history and hidden drama. The world of Ether One is extremely compelling, as the devs did an amazing job with the world-building and subtle storytelling! Because of the underlying subject of the game, and the fact that these environments show a lot of signs of previous human activity, yet are miraculously void of life, the world can feel a little 'creepy' at times. However, I found that over time, as you'll be walking around in these environments for hours and hours (16hrs total for me), you'll get used to that creepy vibe. You'll see that there are no jumpscares, no monsters chasing you or other horror elements, just the reflection of a broken mind.. And for me that became quite comforting. Peaceful. This game became a world I could escape in whenever I felt like it, and it always offered me more story to uncover, and more puzzles to solve. I love games that build worlds like this and give the player the agency to figure everything out themselves!

Alright, onto the puzzles: how are they? I've seen some other people say there are some really obscure puzzles, and I'll have to agree with them. There were definitely 1 or 2 puzzles that I needed a hand in solving. However, the majority of the puzzles can be solved by thinking logically, or just generally walking around, inspecting stuff, investing yourself in the story and the world, and I can definitely appreciate that about a game. This ties well into my first point about this world being one that rewards walking back and forward, pondering about possible solutions and story implications, just generally chilling out and enjoying the atmosphere. If that's something for you, you'll enjoy the story part of this game for sure :)

So then, the final conclusion. I very much enjoyed my time in Ether One and would recommend this experience to lovers of environmental puzzle games for sure! Take your time, only play the game when you're in the mood for some deep engagement and inspect every nook and cranny in the game! Hopefully after playing you'll look back with as much nostalgia as I do writing this review.

Lightmatter is an excellently executed environmental puzzle game in the vein of Portal and The Talos Principe, with a strong narrative to support the whole experience. The artstyle is unique and beautiful, the puzzles are top-notch, but not too difficult, and the voice acting is incredible. It's basically all I want in a puzzle game, and thus I would 100% recommend it to anyone who likes similar experiences. One thing I do have to say is that in the end of the game there are some parkour-heavy bits where you have to be quite fast. I personally enjoyed these as I'm an FPS player, but I can see how someone could say it contrasts too much with the slow-paced puzzle solving in the rest of the game. Just a heads up :)

Yes.. recommended, but with caveats. First of all, the game is gorgeous and the music goes along with it very nicely. At it's best, the game flows really well and draws you into it's meditative world full of wonderful things, which is the real selling point here.

Now then, my critiques. At it's worst though, the game can completely halt your momentum, leaving you searching for the path forward or even allowing you to throw yourself off of a mountain that you've been climing for the last few minutes. I expected this game to be about movement and momentum, and in my opinion it could have handeled those aspects better. The most important thing is that the base moment speed of the character is extremely slow. You can boost your speed by clicking on trees and such, but that can become quite tedious after a while. I expected the 'path' to be layed out more in front of you, allowing you to see the world without ever stopping, but the game deliberately makes you stop to activate 'ruines' in order to rebuild a path for you to walk on. Missed opportunity in my opinion.

Summary: still a beautiful game, but the meditative experience and momentum of the game is hindered a bit by some of the design choices. Still worth playing in my opinion, but try to pick the game up during sale.

Fantastic. I was in the market for a space sci-fi thriller that wasn't purely horror, and got exactly what I was looking for! The environments are expertly crafted and look beautiful. That in combination with the top of the line sound design makes this an extremely immersive experience. The storytelling is great, engaging and doesn't overstay it's welcome (meaning it's left me wanting more after it ended, which is a good thing!) A very underrated hidden gem; Would recommend for sure!

I must admit, I played Eastshade first, and only then discovered that this little gem existed! I absolutely loved Eastshade, so for me it was a no-brainer to also buy this short game. Discovering it was made in 2017, it's truly incredible to see that this demo already had the graphical fidelity that we now know and love of Eastshade. I think this game will make a great introductory game before playing Eastshade, but playing them in reversed order (like I did) is equally interesting. Very cool to see what came before the main game, and the attention to detail that went into the story and lore (if you pay attention, you'll see quite a few setups that pay off in the final game). Very cool little experience this was, equally relaxing as the main game, I'd recommend you check it out!

What a lovely experience this was, an absolute joy to play! Embracelet is a game about growing up, finding your own way, making your own choices and finding people that you want to keep in your life, and all that wrappeed in a beautiful story about visiting Slepp, a remote Norwegian island. I was genuinely surprised by the amount of gameplay and story (~4 hrs for me) there was, and none of it felt like filler or drawn out content. I also can't believe this whole game was made by one single person; I applaud them for it! Definitely recommended if you're looking for a fun and wholesome game to play.