Recent reviews by Jerene

Have some fun with Miku!

Although it feels like this game was released out of nowhere on Steam, it was a welcome surprise when I found it on the store page. I found the series through the Switch game but am overjoyed to have a version on PC. This game is gorgeous visually and is packed with content, along with a mode where you can enjoy the music in the music video mode or customize your experience with switching out the vocaloids and "modules" for a new feel for each song. It feels unique versus other rhythm games I've indulged in over the years. I love the variety of music from classic Vocaloid works to finding new songs I've never heard before. Definitely a must-buy for any Vocaloid fan, but I'm sure any rhythm game enthusiast would enjoy this game, too.

I have noticed the stuttering and some lag in my game experience which I want to address for transparency and with hopes that they'll look into it. It's been a rare occurrence, but still worth noting. I'd say other reviews fairly point out the stuttering and maybe some visual issues with solutions on how to make the gameplay experience easier, which I will be looking into myself. Otherwise, a fantastic game and a joy to experience again!

To preface: I was a Kickstarter backer for this game. Received code on launch day. I did not receive this game for free, as I was a Kickstarter financial supporter.

To summarize my Calico experience: This game is like having cotton candy left out in the rain, leaving you with a sugary drippy mess that you can't enjoy. A good vibe and pastel cutesy aesthetic alone does not make a game good. The execution is terrible with what this game could have been, and leaves much to be desired. Beautiful artwork and a cute style doesn't make up for frustrating game play I've dealt with in my two hours of play time. Calico is a game that is easy on the eyes but difficult to play, leaving you sore to the senses: full of bugs, glitches, and overall, a hollow experience. This game is absolutely not worth full price. Please consider waiting until the developers put in a LOT OF TLC to make this game more polished.

Now, some pointers and notes on why I feel this way:

Positives that kept me Optimistic

- Cool inclusive customization! The character customization is better than most AAA title games with plus size options and other ways to make your character adorable. The characters were my favorite part of the game and would have done better as a comic book series or some other form of media, even.
- Nonbinary character and a variety of well designed NPCs! See above, love the characters. The dialogue can be really charming and cute when they talk with you and interact.
- Cute 2D art! Everything art direction wise is very well done. But again, see my note: aesthetic does not save a game, which is a great point to transition into...

Negatives that Broke Me

- The gameplay is a frustrating experience. It's hard to navigate this 3D world. Before you unlock the mount feature (like riding a huge cat), it's tedious to run around to the town. The cat cafe is incredibly far away. Input lag is noticeable and sometimes buttons don't work.
- The 3D is unappealing and still looks like an Alpha version. I am convinced they just didn't want to push the development more than they already had. On October 2020 on their Kickstarter updates, they asked for more patience and delayed it again (it's okay, like, 2020 is a rough year, and I honestly would have been okay with waiting a BIT longer if they took more time to polish this). Their decision to release it now makes me wonder if they just wanted to not disappoint fans further. I was hoping that it was part of the charm, but it just looks...bad.
- The audio in this game, both sound effects and music, are atrocious. Sound mixing is AWFUL. The cries of the animals are poorly audio balanced, and the ONLY songs that play get grading after only a mere 5 minutes. Be ready to put on your own music if you want to play for a long period of time.
- I am also convinced that this game is not well optimized in the slightest: I may not have the highest grade gaming computer, but after an hour of playing, my system was HOT after playing. I could have roasted marshmallows over my gaming laptop after playing an hour of Calico.
- Dialogue boxes will randomly close when talking with NPCs. Apparently they did a hotfix on this since 12/15, but it keeps happening when I play. It's frustrating to progress in the story when this happens.
- The UI is bulky and tends to get in the way a lot. It's very distracting.
- I know that the ragdoll physics and "wonky" models are supposed to be part of the charm, but it lost its charm for me in a short duration of time. Birds placed on your head will T-POSE, polar bears will just spin endlessly when you get out the toy wand to play with them...there's so much chaos to these animals and their models, *you have no idea.*
- Speaking of the models, wow, your playable character model is a mess. They always look into the long distance with an empty look in their eyes. When you pet or hold an animal, it looks like you're constantly breaking your wrists, and the model is so low quality compared to the other NPC models that are adorable. It's a shame. I want to a pretty Magical Person, please let me look just as good as the other models!

As mentioned briefly, the developers have been addressing and fixing bugs and glitches (but again, I'm still having issues that apparently have been "fixed").

I wanted to believe in this game. I really did. The confusing mechanics, menus, and controls that make up the gameplay of Calico don’t feel ready enough. It feels like they released this game just to avoid another delay. Calico’s world was introduced to me through Kickstarter as a warm and cute game experience, being as bold as to say it would be similar to games that I adore like Animal Crossing and Stardew Valley, but I fell for the ruse and got nothing like that. Gamer pro tip: NEVER TRUST DEVELOPERS THAT COMPARE OTHER COMFY GAMES FOR THEIR COMFY GAMES. It fails. Miserably. Every time!

Overall, Calico has left me disheartened and disappointed. I could see the passion behind the team, but it's obvious the implementation of these whimsical ideas fell so short from their main goal.

I will not be returning to this game besides showing my friends how awful this game plays for a laugh, and warning them to wait until fixes get implemented: Many. MANY. Fixes.

UPDATE, 2023: Hey folks, this game is still bad. It's been three years, released on the Switch, and still disappointing. I no longer show this game to my friends because it is not even worth the time for a cheap laugh when so many other indie studios and groups create games with both the love and the skill to create a better experience.

I've heard of this game a few months ago through the Humble store and through Twitter and loved the premise of it. I currently am under an hour in play time, but this is a game released in 2019 that I cannot recommend enough. It is truly a heartwarming experience that I want to share with others. I hope that now this game is on Steam that this game will get more traction and more players in.

Kind Words is a game that solely requires the participation of players with a bit of time and also vulnerability. In the start of the game, you are greeted by a mail delivery deer that delivers letters. After that, the game gives you a small tutorial, as the postal deer needs some encouragement as this is their first day on the job and they are very nervous! You can write to the mail deer some encouraging words, which introduces how to write a letter. After that, the game makes sure to keep it a safe space, telling players of the rules and ways to report inappropriate or negative content, and even includes mental health resources and links as a reminder to reach out for help if needed. It's a very touching experience, even just in the first few minutes.

Once you're in your room, the gameplay is pretty basic and straight-forward from there: Kind Words lets you send words of encouragement or advice to players that send anonymous requests. You can send your own or reply to other's requests as they come in. You can even send small notes that take shape as paper airplanes with a quick line or two as a compliment or a favorite quote to send to other players. As they fly over you, you can "catch" them by clicking them and open them for a wholesome little surprise. Also, when you take on requests and if a person likes your response, you gain stickers to use to send to to others and even use to decorate your room.

The soundtrack is really great, too. As the title says, "lo-fi chill beats to write to". It's very soothing, to a point where the first time I played, I just left the game open as my character sat at their desk. Thankfully, you can listen to the soundtrack on Spotify and listen to it outside of the game. It's wonderful to put on for chill times set aside outside of the game.

I have never had a more wholesome and heartwarming experience playing a game. This is an immensely unique experience I want to recommend to everyone, from those in dark times to just needed a nice compliment or two every now and then. However, I have read of some suggestions that could add a bit more to content to the game, such as a more detailed thanking system to properly thank others to responding to requests. It would really add to the game and contribute to the game lasting long-term versus it being a novelty.

Some other changes I'd love to see added with updates:
- The thanking system is quite lacking besides getting a sticker that unlocks the interior decorations. Perhaps when we receive thanks we can see which request/response we are being thanked for. Perhaps when thanking someone, we could send them a very short thank you note, or at least choose from a list of thank you messages to send.
- There is a way to archive letter responses and save them as a .txt file, but it would also be a nice feature to have a option save/archive airplane messages and requests for future reference. Screenshots for airplane messages works just fine, but a text form would be nice as well.
- Would be a neat thing to have a "view count" for how many people have read our paper airplane messages, or even a way to reply with stickers or a similar system.
- Custom stationary, fonts, stickers, etc. to further personalize messages. Hopefully as a free update and not as paid DLC. Would also be nice to have at least a couple customize-able rooms.
- A way to import our own music files. I see there's been a recent update for more music, and would love for that to continue!

Also, because it's a very simple game, this is a game I'd recommend enjoying in small bursts, not hours on end. I check in on it once per day and find it satisfactory to only do a couple minutes per session. This is not a game you'll need a few hours every day to get the full experience out of. This is definitely a game where you'll need breaks.

Final Verdict: Please buy this game. Buy this game for a friend or person in need. Play it at least once. Share Kind Words.

Update: It has been one year since I purchased this game! I updated this review to clean up grammatical/spelling errors and add a little more feedback, along with a final verdict. I still come back to this game every now and then when I need to relax or want a little pinch of joy. Review below!

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As soon as this game was announced, I knew I wanted to reroll Katamari Damacy up into my life. From the moment I rolled my first 10 cm Katamari back on the Playstation 2, I fell in love with the game and have adored the series since. I never thought this series would be given new life until they announced it for both Nintendo Switch and PC. It was almost surreal to hear that one of my favorite games of all time was getting its own encore.

In short, I would recommend this to any diehard fan: the updated graphics are gorgeous and beautiful as you roll along, the soundtrack is timeless, leaving you humming along as you roll on. Even after playing this game multiple times, I still find something new rolled up or find some hidden treasure within the game that makes it a joy to replay over and over again, whether it's the unlockable Royal Presents, beating a previous time or score, and unique challenges in the constellation levels. Please buy this game if you have any interest, because it is worth the experience. It's such a creative concept from the mind of Keita Takahashi, and I am crossing my fingers for a We Love Katamari remake as well.

I am no expert reviewer, but here's a run-down of pros and cons to consider from my personal time put into Katamari Damacy REROLL:

+ This game is a treat for the eyes. Colorful, creative levels and vibrant designs, from the characters to the items. The imagery and silly visuals never get boring, and the stage designs are all unique.
+ The game is optimized very well and runs fantastically, which is a HUGE improvement from the Playstation 2. The screen feels wider, the colors more vibrant, and even some of the original textures are kept but still finely tuned to match with the game's aesthetic and creative direction. Also, works fantastically with my USB Xbox controller. Honestly, not sure I'd recommend playing with a keyboard.
+ The soundtrack is a treat in itself. The tracks never get repetitive and the Shibuya-kei inspired music, as mentioned, remains a timeless sound.
+ Overall, this game is marvelous. It's happiness packaged into a single gaming experience.

- The full price is steep for some people, especially considering its age and it being a remaster. If you are still unsure on the game, wait for a sale.
- A small complaint: you cannot change the volume of the game until you're done with the tutorial on first boot-up. Be prepared to be blasted playing the first time (I found this out the hard way when I first streamed the game).
- There will be moments of frustration. Unfortunately, there are times where you can get stuck, collide into objects, and camera angles can (though rarely) be a frustration, but not often enough to make the game unplayable. This game still suffers from its terrible collision mechanics, which slightly improved in later games.

Final Verdict: Please buy this game if you're a Katamari fan, or a fan of whimsical visuals and design, and want to experience a unique game that still holds up since its 2004 release.

I wanted to give this game a chance, I REALLY DID, but Magical Drop V is more of a Magical Dud than anything. Instead of getting the casual puzzle-like game I've been wanting for Steam and fulfilling whatever potential it had, the reality of is Magical Drop V is a dry, unfinished, and boring short experience. It's hard to explain, but the best I can convey how the game plays is "soulless". Story mode got boring quickly, and to this day, I still don't know how the ranking system works. I would pull a flawless run against someone only to get a "B" rank. No endless mode, so the only way to play consecutively is on Story Mode, since Online mode is pretty much dead. The most people I've seen online recently is 5. Grammatical errors abound, uninteresting characters (in both personality and design), and cheesy, bland music. I have discovered through the forums and game discussions section that this game was supposed to get a game-changing patch that would fix the majority of these problems...but this was promised a year ago (EDIT: Maybe even longer now since this review!). There are some Magical Drop V players are still trying to stay hopeful and are still waiting for the patch, and I think it's rather upsetting to realize this game may never get that redeeming game update. No matter what the price, just don't buy this game UNLESS the miracle patch comes out. I only bought this game for a few cents through selling some Steam cards and I still regret it. The "full-price" .99 still doesn't make this game worth it. If I can give a recommendation for another game to try besides this, try playing Magical Drop 3, or even the original Magical Drop. Far better experiences than this game.