Recent reviews by GeekTechMedia

Stellar Blade – A Stunning Ride from Start to Finish 🎮🔥

What can I say about Stellar Blade? The combat is absolutely fantastic—even for someone like me who usually struggles with action games. It's smooth, satisfying, and constantly keeps you on your toes.

I’ve completed the game once, but there’s still so much left to explore—plenty of collectibles like photo challenges and cans still waiting for me. Pro tip: try to find all the photo challenges and cans during your first run, and don’t skip the side missions—they’re worth it!

The graphics are top-tier, the environments are beautifully crafted, and the soundtrack? Incredible. I still find myself listening to it outside the game—it’s that good.

Easily one of the best gaming experiences I’ve had in a long time, right up there with Forspoken. Highly recommend it!

Not recommended, slow progression. World is empty and the game has no clear direction. Worst RPG I have ever played at this point.

This is my first experience with MySims, and I absolutely love the cozy vibes, guided gameplay, and adorable characters. The art style is cute and colorful, making it such a relaxing and fun game to play. The only issue I had in the game, was the right clicking in the building mode did not want to work every time. It was a bit hit or miss. This game is a keeper!

⭐ Overall Rating: ★★★★☆
A Magical Mix of Chaos and Creativity! 🪄✨

If you're looking for a co-op party game with a whimsical twist, Retail Mage is a delightful treat. Developed by Jam & Tea Studios, this game puts you in the shoes of a wizard working customer service at MageMart, a magical furniture store. What starts as a seemingly simple task quickly becomes a chaotic frenzy of crafting, searching, and serving customers—all while the clock ticks down!

PROS

Inventive Gameplay Loop
The gameplay combines frantic running, crafting, and problem-solving in a way that feels fresh and engaging. You’re constantly on your toes trying to satisfy quirky customer demands, making it perfect for both casual and competitive players.

Generative AI Crafting
One of the standout features is the ability to create magical items using Generative AI. This adds a layer of creativity and customization that feels unique and modern.

Vibrant Graphics
The art style is colorful and charming, immersing you in a magical world that’s visually appealing and fun to explore.

Multiplayer Chaos
While it’s enjoyable solo, the game shines brightest when played with friends. Up to 4 players can work together to create and deliver items, leading to plenty of laughs and memorable moments.

Replayability
Each round is different due to the varied customer requests and random elements in the store. It keeps you coming back for "just one more" game.

CONS

Mic Recording Issues
The voice-to-text feature, while innovative, can be a bit hit-or-miss. Misinterpreted commands can lead to hilarious but frustrating moments.

Single-Player Limits
While it’s fun solo, the game feels designed with multiplayer in mind. Single-player fans might find it lacking the same level of chaos and camaraderie.

Learning Curve
New players might find the pace overwhelming at first, especially during the initial rounds.

Final Thoughts
Retail Mage is an innovative, chaotic, and creative co-op game that’s sure to bring laughs and fun to any gaming group. Its mix of colorful visuals, unique mechanics like Generative AI crafting, and cooperative gameplay makes it stand out in the party game genre. While it has a few rough edges, particularly with its voice-to-text system, the overall experience is magical and highly entertaining.

If you enjoy games like Overcooked or Moving Out, you’ll love the frantic fun of Retail Mage. And if you have a group of friends to play with, this game becomes an instant recommendation.

Recommended for:
Fans of co-op chaos and party games
Players who love creativity and crafting mechanics
Groups looking for a fresh, fun multiplayer experience

Rating: 4/5 Stars

Buggy mess. I was so excited for the game but what a buggy mess. In the first hour of the game, four monsters that I was battling just disappeared in the ground. There is very little direction on where things are located. Also zones are not marked very well for level purposes. I had high hopes but was sadly disappointed. Refund requested, I will watch updates to see if I will purchase again at a later time for a discount.

First, I would like to start by stating the obvious. Everything written below is my opinion and I am not a game developer. I have no idea how hard anything is to program but I finally wanted to leave a review on Subsistence after almost 2 years in development.

I am giving this a positive however, I see many issues with this game even after 2 years of Early Access. Let's get this started with a pros and cons list.

Pros:
1. Great game idea. I like the idea of being thrown into the real world with the immersion of live animals and the hunt or be hunted mentality.

2. Hunters. I enjoy the task of having to dodge the hunters a few days after placing your BCU. I like that fact that you can kill the hunters and raid their places.

3. Building. I enjoy the building aspect of the game and feel it has been done well.

4. Fishing. I have not had the ability yet to try the fishing but I do look forward to the ability to fish to find food.

5. New Content. I am very happy that ColdGames is adding new content to the game and has great ideas. I can't wait to see what is next.

Cons:
1. Hardcore. This game should be noted that it is completely hardcore. There is nothing easy about this game. You will die, you will lose everything and you will have to rebuild your base multiple times. Very grindy, do not get attached to anything. I played the game on normal mode because I never play a game on easy nor have I ever tried hardcore mode. I feel maybe there should not be an easy or normal mode. I would reccommend normal become hardcore and hardcore become "Hell on Earth" mode.

2. Sound. There is no way to adjust the different sounds in the game. There is only "Master Volume". I believe that there should be ambient sound, animals, weapons and tools and weather sounds. I do not want to go deaf listening to my axe hit the tree just so I can hear the animals growl as I get near.

3. Saving. Be warned that when the game is automatically saving there is about a 2 second delay during this process and your game will cease to function. This does not really affect you unles you are running for your life or reloading your weapon to kill the angry animal behind you.

4. Balance. I do not feel the recipes are balanced. You recieve 1 to 4 logs per tree, which is not a lot to begin with but okay no problem. But then it takes 3 logs to make a plank. Immersion broken. Then 1 log to make a stick. My suggestion: Make each log make 1 plank if you want to make it difficult but allow the bushes that are all over the mat, give you 1 to 2 sticks. That seems more realistic to a game like this. The food is very hard to find, you will die of starvation at least once. You will also die of the cold at least once as well. I believe the fiber needs to be recalculated as well. Fiber is probably "THE" hardest thing to gather in a day. Once again maybe the bushes could allow 2 to 3 fiber as well as the sticks. Just a suggestion on my part.

5. Almost 2 years. I understand that this game only has a single developer and ColdGames probably has a full time career and most likely a family to take care of, however, it has been in early access fro almost 2 years now. My opinion is that ColdGames should fix the issues with the game before moving on such as balance and sound. I feel after almost 2 years this game should be further than what it is. I played this game again today after waiting about 6 months expecting to see a big difference however I still feel it is the same as what it was when I purchased it near the release date.

6. Animal Spawns and the BCU. Earlier today when I was playing Subsistence, after 3 days in game I had finally built 2 floors, 2 walls, a BCU and a storage chest. Morning of Day 4 a Level 3 bear spawned in early morning within 20 feat of base, chased me away and tore everything apart. I have no desire to spend 3 more days to try and rebuild the part I had done, with the hunters coming in less than a day. At this point I would rather start over with a new world. In my opinion the BCU should keep animal spawns further away so that you can exit your property and not have to worry about the bears tearing it to shreads while you are gone. This is another reason I said this game was hardcore.

I really want to enjoy this game. I think most of the game mechanics work wonderfully. It runs smooth for the most part and will be a great challenge once the game is completed. I honestly hope ColdGames will read my review and give it some thought. If you are considering buying this game, I say YES, please do. Support the developer because I believe it will be worth it. I tried to give not only my opinions of the negatives but also the my suggestions for changes so that it does not look like I am just bashing a good game. I am still giving this game a positive review because I believe in the game and the developer. I understand that this is being developed by one person but by now I expected more.

Overall I would give this game a 7/10 review if there were something like that. I feel that this game would be great if the immersion were not broken by some of the recipes as well as resources were a tiny bit easier to get ahold of, especially if a bear can destroy everything so easily. This has been my 2 cents worth of an opinion and even after all of this said, I would still but the game again in hopes that it gets better. It is only Early Access after all.

I need to lead with, this key was complimentary. After 15+ hours in the game. I have thoroughly enjoyed the playthrough thus far. I see many people comparing this game, stating that it is a cross between Minecraft and Stardew Valley. My answer to them is.. Yes (Keep Reading) It has many aspects of the same play style however, it also has unique features that those games do not. I love the quests given, (only seeing the Fall Festival) the events are okay, and the currency is well balanced. I like how easy it is for friends to join my world.

Positives:
1. Balanced Currency
2. Fantastic Graphics
3. Great Quests (thus far)
4. Multiplayer
5. Teleport Home anytime (Saved my butt a few times)

Negatives:
1. Moving items in inventory a little to sensitive.
2. Event Quest (Finding Wisp) very difficult
3. Mine has no function as of now (Remember Game is in Early Access)

I hope this helps in your decision whether to purchase this game or not. If you like Stardew Valley, Minecraft, Terraria or anything such as those games, I believe you will love this game. I can not wait to see what else they have planned for Staxel.

This game is excellent, tons of fun and should be on your playlist if you love music and "Zelda" like play.