Recent reviews by iMoo

classic 10/10 game

a really great example of how games used to be

while nostalgic, it still allows for depth of systems without being cumbersome thanks to the experience mechanics

a really good game, timeless because of its art style and dialogue

I definitely recommend playing with a controller though- the game was designed with controller use in mind

great game with progression you can feel and shortcuts back to help everything along

For anyone who enjoys ISLANDERS, this game is very similar, and nearly as relaxing. Very much recommend.

A really well made builder roguelite. The systems are deep enough on higher difficulties to provide actual puzzles, all while maintaining a peaceful and soothing atmosphere.

I've only completed 2 maps but already have achievements in the 25th percentiles, which mean people usually drop playing during or once they complete the first map, which is really a shame, considering how much there is.

For some reason I remember reading somewhere that the devs also donate some of the proceeds to conservatories or something, however I can't say for certain since I don't remember where or when I read that.

it good

Great graphics, fantastic character design (mostly).

Gunplay feels bad though, and the game in general feels half-baked. It feels like there's almost no polish. Interacting through the world feels kinda janky sometimes, and some abilities have deceptively small range that I couldn't get used to. Enemies are all fodder without much variability, and damage scaling is insane at low level.

It also, in general, just kind of feels like warframe, which is not my cup of tea.

TLDR; I do not recommend it, but only barely. Game is slow and rewards a methodical play-style, and I'm hesitant to continue because of how the devs prioritize gun-play over spells, in addition to boring rogue-like boons that don't affect game-play much throughout each expedition. Each run feels almost the same.

A pretty decent rogue-like extraction shooter combo, it has a lot of gun-play inspired aspects from Destiny (that is a good thing) like weapon frames. They do, however, also use a lot of "rogue-like" boons similar to destiny (that is a bad thing).

A lot of boons you earn throughout a play-through are pretty mild, and don't affect game-play all that much (including a whole whopping 1% extra drop rate for healing elixirs, wow), which makes each run feel nearly identical. Similarly, there is an emphasis on gun-play compared with the spells we earn and use, which I'm not a huge fan of.

The spells feel pretty weak, and seem to be secondary to guns (even though ammo is also sparse), as they have pretty large cooldowns and very low damage. None of the heavy spells I've gotten so far are very satisfying or useful, especially for how long they take to recharge, and very few light spells are very useful either. Mostly they seem to be used for staggering enemies, or afflicting them with an elemental affix, which isn't bad in and of itself, but if that's their main purpose, their CDs should definitely be reduced imo. If their damage is so low, I don't understand why their cooldown isn't lower either. I'm sure it has to do with the balance they want with how fast-paced the game feels, since it definitely feels like a conscious decision, I just don't think it's a very good one.

Speaking of pace, the game is pretty slow. I saw someone else mention how it's a very dad-game, if that makes sense, and I can understand that view. It's not a bad thing, but man oh man I wish the game was faster. Even just a little, but more than a little would be better. I really really wish stamina consumption was not a thing out of combat, and everything generally feels very slow/sluggish once you get used to the dance of things. I'm not going to speak on the balance of weapons, but some certainly feel stronger than others.

Ammo consumption is directly linked to how good at the stun mechanics you are, which is a great idea in concept, but feels kind of bad when you realize you're going to be doing 1/2 damage and losing ammo unless you're constantly abusing the stun mechanics, even when it doesn't feel necessary.

I'm not sure how often the devs update the game, although it's been one or two months since last I played and everything has been the same since then, and it's difficult to want to continue just because of how unbalanced the game feels with guns vs. spells. Maybe the later game is different, I don't know, but 7 hrs in and it isn't looking like it, even after unlocking the other inventory slots.

Falling off a cliff into void/depths also immediately ends your run, which generally I wouldn't mind, if it was my own fault. However usually, the circumstances are questionable. More often am I pushed horizontally by a projectile coming at me from a perpendicular angle than running off of my own volition. Projectiles *pulling* me forward and thus into an abyss is also an issue I have, especially when they look identical to all other projectiles and just behave differently for some reason. Or at least I assume they look identical, maybe they don't, but I've never noticed a difference.- look, I don't mind losing player autonomy, especially when it's purposeful, however when it happens for some willy-nilly, not-so-easily-identifiable reason, over and over again, it really knocks the wind out of your sails. Especially when that reason ends a long winded run unceremoniously. I'm not saying to remove the mechanic, but at least give only a specific enemy enemy the ability, or maybe give the projectile a very obvious look about it compared to the other projectiles. Something that allows players to know when there's a different threat to be aware of. Readability in games is a legitimate issue and one that isn't always obvious. When a unit that you've been fighting begins behaving differently when only in certain locations, maybe just make it a different enemy instead.

Sorry, I got lost in the sauce. It's a decent game, although there's a lot I'm left wanting for. Maybe once it's out of EA it'll be better, but it's difficult to recommend atm.

Great value, especially on sale.

Game feels completed already, which is rare for an Early Access title, a very good survivor-like

First thing's first, the game is gorgeous. It has the best trees, mountains, and sky I've ever seen in a video game- truly, it is art in its highest form. The lighting, the shading- everything is beautiful. There are some cattywompus effect tearings at a distance, but otherwise the game is immaculate.

So far, the game has not been difficult, only sometimes frustrating. I'm going to continue since I can't refund the game at this point, and hopefully I'll begin to enjoy it more, but as it stands, it's difficult to recommend at full price. I would say this is closer to a $40 game.

I just finished the first chapter, and I've gotta say, for some reason, so far, I'm not enjoying the game, and I think it's because of the combat. Everything feels so...floaty; and the hitboxes are kind of jank. Snake-man's only hurtbox is his torso- his long tail doesn't have one. When you're fighting a giant frog or wolf, or a bear the size of a small building, or a 10 ft statue, you would expect them to have weight. If they move fast, they would probably have some wind-up before, or wind-down after- but no. A powerful attack comes and goes just as fast, and the movement in their models carry no inertia. More often than not, they're zipping and soaring through the small arena without any follow-through, before then sweeping next to you with a wimpy multi-hit attack that you can just roll or jump out of the way of.

Perfect dodges are a great addition to the roll mechanic, but sometimes feel like they can only trigger retroactively for some reason. It's probably a skill issue on my part, but I just can't seem to consistently trigger them. I trigger them a lot, probably almost least 40% of the time, but the % of times they've been on purpose is lower than I would like to admit. Roll 1 frame before the impact and it's just a regular dodge. 1 frame too late and you're hit/staggered.

The enemy staggers aren't dynamic, so even if you attack them from behind, they're gonna fall backwards over you, and displace your character. It's not a major issue, it just makes the fight look/feel cheap.

Enemies with any mist effect is going to sweep through into you, but their attack-boxes almost always feel a little too wide for the animation.

The range of some boss's attacks are also anyone's guess, since they have 0 tell until it occurs. They'll have an animation showing them doing something, but you'll need to keep your distance, at least 50 ft away, otherwise you might get hit by an invisible force for half of your health.

Almost all bosses have delayed attacks. I don't always mind that, I have over 300 hrs in Elden Ring, but something else is off about the enemy movement that makes the attacks worse. Some bosses track you a little too strongly, or get staggered lightly on the first hit, but not after, or almost always jump in a little-too-wide of a sweeping motion for the initial lift-off animation. Things that make you think "Hmm, that was...questionable."

There's no animation cancelling, which is fine; that just means combat has intent-- except since a light attack chain takes ~6 consecutive seconds of follow-through, and bosses only stagger for ~2 seconds before they begin a 10 second long combo, you're left with a hit-and-run strategy since your third light attack's animation in the chain lasts 2 or 3 seconds, and the game queues button presses. If you get stuck in that animation by accident, or because a boss got staggered lightly then recuperates, you're guaranteed to lose health from hitting your attack button one-too-many times, even before your character has reached that third hit.

I also haven't even mentioned the fact that, because of most enemy's strong tracking, even if you're behind them while they're in the middle of an attack combo, they'll occasionally spin around on a 180 swivel to hit you, instead of having a separate animation for different player positions that would make anatomical sense. Except for the frog. The back-kick on those got me ♥♥♥♥♥♥ up the first time I saw that lol.

The invisible walls also really suck sometimes, and there's a lot of them. For instance, your character has an animation for stopping right before a cliff edge to regain his balance, except the game won't actually let you fall or jump off. There are small little sections where it would be more efficient to jump over a cliff, or down, but the game puts invisible walls in some of the dumbest spots, like before a cliff with a 4ft drop, or the top of one rock and not another.

All in all, the game is...fine, but there are just so many issues I have with it that I can't seem to enjoy playing it. I know a lot of people enjoy it, and the shining reviews definitely show it, but I don't. =(

Thank GOD there's no microtransactions, holy MOLY.

TLDR; but it on sale, but still do recommend it as a good time

This feels like a true successor to the original Kingdom Rush games- top notch animations, voice acting, art aesthetics, you name it. Even map interactions are still here. And! You earn everything in game through progression- towers, heroes, and meta power progression! There's no hero shop!

Really fantastic game so far. Each level has ranged from mildly to decently challenging for 3 stars on veteran, but feels rewarding once you achieve it. To be able to stutter step your archer reinforcements if you care enough feels SO so good. Even just the ability to move literally everything around! Except imps, for some reason, but that's ok since they have a short life-span anyways.

One thing I would like to see, however, is the tower upgrades be able to branch into two different tower specializations again. I don't know why Ironhide just didn't add tower branches in this time. I really would have loved to have seen more tower dynamicism during a run.

I really hope there's an achievement to complete all maps on veteran because that's absolutely what I'm doing lol. I also wish we got something as a reward for completing the challenge runs. They do feel a bit easy as you level your meta progression, but I would imagine if you do them as you progress they are would be decently challenging

idk if it's worth $20, because of how few towers there are, since they didn't add the end branch specializations, but I would say it is at least worth $15