Recent reviews by iDesolate

I have been around the block, and played a great many titles and genres, but I have never encountered a game quite like this.
The Stanley Parable is one of the most fundamentally unique and sterling experiences I have ever had the pleasure of playing. Somehow, throughout my ventures on the internet, I managed to avoid any and all content about this game, thus receiving a completely blind experience.

At the time of writing this review, I have gone entirely through the base game, the demo, and the ultra deluxe edition. The actual gameplay is a walking simulator with unimaginable amounts of depth, where you prod the ire and interest of your sole companion, the narrator. He responds to your decisions in an expressive and impassioned manner; making him react to your decisions is such a magnificent feeling, especially when he loses his clips and enters a fulminating rage. At times he will punish you for your actions, even if you may not feel deserving... but on other occasions you will be at the helm manipulating his feelings instead. It radiates such a lighthearted and entertaining back-and-forth, and I cannot understate how zany the rabbit-hole gets.

This game also provides some commentary on the nature of choice, acceptance of your actions, and the quirks of game design. It pokes fun at the way circles spread information on endings and secrets, and takes full advantage of player instinct to make you feel like you fell into its traps time and time again.

I want to write this review here because the cohesiveness of this mod is remarkable, whereas the ultra deluxe would on occasion feel TOO meta for my tastes (That one is still worthwhile, especially if you enjoy the original game). With some wonderful layouts, a memorable soundtrack, and some interesting bigger picture implications to boot, this game is a multifaceted joyride of wonder, tenacity, and emotion. I recommend this experience to any and all ages, but pay attention, it will surprise you at every turn.

Do it for 427.
Do it for Stanley.

"The radio fell silent; our overwatch in the ship murmured through the line about growling in the distance, and that he didn't feel safe.
Looking behind me, I saw my partner ensconced in an orange jumpsuit on the walkway, carrying a giant axle in his arms.
In the dimness of the industrial back-light he hunkered down and whispered in my direction, "Slow down, I think something's waiting in that hallway to the right."
I nodded, and crept slowly across the grate toward the far exit, keeping the right hallway in my periphery.
Skittering noises emanated from the side toward us. We walked faster.
Suddenly, I heard a 'thunk'. My partner behind me stared down the hallway in horror. "IT'S THERE, RUN!"
I bolted down the hallway, heart thumping my ears, breaching closer towards the engine room and my escape.
Then, my partner's noises ceased. I heard more skittering, and a sickening crunch.
I wildly turned, and illuminated in the faraway light, a teakettle slowly rolled down the hallway towards me. It stopped a few meters from my shoe, and there down at the left corner of the entryway was a single, pale foot.
I backed away, hearing more skittering to my side.
Before I could react it latched on to my visor, and my vision went black."

This is an early access review, and for now, it is currently neutral. For starters, I CANNOT recommend this game to anybody who is completely immune to horror in videogames. If you are unable to live vicariously in the experience and feel some sort of attachment to your teammates through either roleplay or imagination, this is not a game for you.

Where this game shines, is when you discover context about a situation that is outside your team's knowledge. Stumbling across the corpses of your allies wondering what the hell happened, or getting separated from your group and being forced into a pulse-pounding excursion make this game riveting to me. However, I am easily scared when playing a videogame, and live for the experience of this one rather than the progression.

The game offers a good amount of unique threats and challenges. Learning about them through trial and error is actually really engaging and can sometimes be a great source of laughter. The industrial setting is gigantic and intimidating, and there is no end to the amount of possibilities for outstanding environments.

Where this game lacks is in the overall gameplay loop. The progression is very tight, and sometimes death is inevitable. Not only is losing very costly to potential earnings in the future, it can also mean not meeting quota, which can start your entire team from the very beginning. Playing this game to win will likely be a frustrating experience, as opposed to treating it like an horror movie, where bonding with teammates makes the world more palpable.

Due to the game being solo-developed, there is a distinct lack of variation in the environments at the moment. You will probably attempt to travel to two different 'moons' and wind up seeing the same scenery: trees, dust, or desert. Development of these things are essential to making the players feel like they've actually traveled to a new place, and not just a re-hash of another environment. The interiors also possess a short amount of variety as well, with said indoors being the procedurally generated portion of the game. It almost feels like there's only twenty interior rooms, and when you sprint through fifteen of them in a single run, it can feel way too predictable on subsequent runs. Hopefully more variation is implemented in the future.

Another issue is how quickly you die. Death is almost always instant, and many times it can feel unfair, as you do not get a chance to counter the gimmick the enemy will toss at you. For now the methods to fight back are weak, and running away is usually your best chance. Hopefully long-term survival is buffed.
With that in mind, be aware that the game time is also very short. Runs are limited to about fifteen minutes or so. Rescue operations or deep exploration become very difficult without rushing through wildly. The limited time also means that biomes with larger complexes cannot exist in the future, as things are already very tight. Adjustable rate of time passage would be an interesting addition.

Overall the community is extremely friendly. As with new communities, nobody knows what's happening within the game, and everyone is there for the experience. I'm afraid of the loop being boiled down to uninteresting meta strats guarded by elitist pricks who only exist to minmax the game. This I believe would detract from the horror setting and elements, but to each their own.

There is very great potential for more unpredictability and scares. To me this is a game meant to be enjoyed through the loss of teammates, the piecing together of what's happening around you, and discovery of the unknown. If those things suit you, then suit up, shut up, and stick close with your team.

For a game called DREDGE it's not that deep.

After putting 300 hours into the game, I think I can finally figure out why it's got me roped in so much.
When I first played in the beta, the experience was hellish. Completing an A or a B mission felt taxing and insanely gratifying when we finally won, and at the time I could barely fathom surmounting a C-tier level. After playing it thoroughly for a while, I've gotten used to the adrenaline filled action and the hurdles the game regularly throws at you, to the point where A and B missions are an absolute breeze, and C-tier is my new standard.
It's a wonderful feeling, getting a palpable sense of progress, and becoming a more capable survivor for not just the benefit of yourself, but your entire team.

In regards to newer players, this game is brutal. It takes a long time to get into, and there are many nuances to the gameplay loop that fresh players will take a while to absorb. I recommend spending some time with someone already experienced, or having a whole troop of fresh players with you so you can figure things out together.

On top of being a ludicrous adrenaline surge, the dynamic music during stealth / combat is utterly fantastic. The sound design is utterly immaculate. On occasion I will play it solo just to appreciate how well put together the ambiance is. The guns are punchy, the effects are flashy, and the game's color palette is dark and evil. It also runs extremely well on even low-tier graphics cards.

Just when you think you've mastered every obstacle, the game will throw more at you.
Every threat feels avoidable, every mistake feels like you could've done better somehow, and it forces you down a path of improvement.

I feel as if the developers are finally figuring out what that truly want out of this game with the advent of Rundown 7. The gimmicks in the modern levels have gotten very fresh, and they are experimenting in ways that were inconceivable in times previous. All the mechanics developed from the previous rundowns are beginning to coalesce into a masterful experience.

As of right now my biggest complaint with the game are the bots. Sometimes you need to run a team with one bot on it to make up for a missing player, but the bots are specialists in holding onto ♥♥♥♥♥♥ utility items and avidly wasting ammo. On occasion their pathfinding will bug out and they will refuse to stand in a team scan, jeopardizing a whole hour's worth of work. These issues are conceivably fixable in time, and there has been talk of improving them further. To date a full team of bots could carry you through C-tier if you're attentive.

To close, I recommend a dark room, a friend or two, and some good headphones. A solid run can absolutely drain you when you finally pull through, so remember to stay hydrated.
Walk softly, and learn to love that sledgehammer.