Recent reviews by Khavee

As a lifelong Final Fantasy fan, someone who grew up with these games, it genuinely pains me to give FFXVI a thumbs down. I so wanted to love this game, but unfortunately, the negatives far outweigh the positives.

While the graphics are undeniably breathtaking and the newly mature story is captivating, the gameplay and presentation fall drastically short. The voice acting is surprisingly bad, with characters constantly whispering or sounding out of breath, even during moments of intense emotion. It's incredibly distracting and pulls you out of the immersion — Almost like everyone is trying to be Batman.

The combat is also a major letdown. While visually impressive, it consists mostly of repetitive button mashing with little strategic depth. It quickly becomes tedious.

Coupled with mostly boring dialogue, it made it difficult to stay invested. I even skipped cutscenes, which is something I never do in a Final Fantasy game.

Lastly, the gameplay is EXTREMELY linear. There's very little sense of exploration or freedom. It feels like you're constantly being funneled from one scripted event to the next.

Dorfromantik is a gorgeous and seriously addictive puzzle game. It's super easy to get into, but don't let that fool you – The simple mechanics mask a surprisingly deep level of strategy. The game can be challenging at times, requiring careful planning and a bit of foresight to maximize your score and unlock all the achievements.

I especially love the Monthly Challenges – they add a fresh twist to the gameplay and keep things interesting.

It's so relaxing to just build and watch the landscape grow. The gentle pace and the focus on aesthetics make it a perfect game to unwind after a long day.

Highly recommended!

Ender Magnolia instantly grabbed me with its haunting atmosphere and gorgeous world design. I can't wait to see what's next!

I can confidently say it's a worthy successor to Ender Lilies, earning it a permanent spot on my "highly recommend" list already. Keep in mind it's still in Early Access, but based on the quality so far, I have no doubt the full release will be a masterpiece.

Pros

+ Huge map with visually distinct biomes
+ Challenging levels and gameplay
+ Exceptionally great soundtrack
+ Gorgeous design and graphics
+ Simple, but charming story
+ Outstanding atmosphere
+ No more contact damage!

Cons

- Inconsistent level of difficulty so far

If you enjoyed the exploration focus and lore-heavy worldbuilding in games like Hollow Knight and Blasphemous, you'll definitely fall in love with Ender Magnolia!
9/10 Highly recommended.

V Rising is a fantastic blend of survival, RPG, and base-building elements. The vampire theme is executed flawlessly, immersing players in a dark and mysterious world, while the gameplay is quite challenging yet incredibly satisfying.

I'd say one of the most enjoyable aspects of V Rising is the endless possibilities for base-building. The depth of customization is truly impressive, and it's easy to lose hours just experimenting with different designs, now that they added multiple floors!

While the game offers a great deal of freedom, there is one major drawback: character progression is tied to defeating specific bosses in a set order. If you struggle to defeat a boss, it can feel frustrating as it limits your ability to craft better gear and progress further.

Pros

+ Captivating gothic theme
+ Deep crafting and resource management system
+ Distinct biomes with unique resources and challenges
+ Strong community and active development
+ Beautiful and atmospheric world

Cons

- Can be grindy at times, especially for solo players
- Some balancing issues in PvP
- THE SUN

Overall, V Rising is a fantastic game that offers a unique and immersive experience. If you're a fan of survival games with a gothic twist and enjoy building and exploring, I highly recommend giving it a try.

Step 1: Tame your Pals
Step 2: Casually watch them catch fire at your base
Step 3: Unleash them upon the world with guns and a smile

10/10 Watch your morals fly out the window.

Guys! Don't let all the negative reviews deceive you - People are mostly displeased with the existence of an Item Shop plus the fact you cannot play it offline. The gameplay itself receives barely any hate.

If you're looking for a fun time with friends, this is your game.

And just in case you scrolled past Sounga Tepes comment:
– Kiko character skin
– Kato character skin

Would accidently yeet myself off a plane anytime again. ❤

The Outlast Trials is a horror game set in the era of the Cold War. Players take on the role of human guinea pigs who have been rather involuntarily recruited by the Murkoff Corporation to test methods of brainwashing and mind control.

It can be played by yourself or with up to three friends online. I highly recommend the latter. It is more action-oriented as there are more opportunities to fight back against the enemies you encounter, rather than simply running away. This makes the game more intense and exciting, but it also takes away some of the suspense and horror of the previous games.

Pros

+ Fun and challenging multiplayer horror game
+ Addictive arm wrestle + chess simulator
+ Unique gruesome level design
+ Great graphics and sound design
+ More action-oriented than previous Outlast games

Cons

- Long waiting periods w/ unskippable cutscenes inbetween trials
- Some minor QoL issues can be frustrating at times
- Not as suspenseful as previous Outlast games

The long loading times before and after each trial are a major downside, breaking up the flow of the game while making it feel slow and sluggish. I hope that Red Barrels can adjust this issue in a future update.

That aside, I would recommend The Outlast Trials to fans of horror games who are looking for a quick, fun and challenging multiplayer experience. It is a good addition to the Outlast franchise, but it does not quite live up to the high standards set by its predecessors. Yet.

Tetris® Effect: Connected is an absolute masterpiece - a perfect blend of classic Tetris gameplay with modern graphics and sound. The visuals are stunning, the music is incredibly immersive, and while the game gets addicting the levels are challenging but not too difficult. The controls are smooth and responsive and the overall experience is very satisfying. You get a wide selection of modes, including the classic Marathon + Sprint as well as new modes like Connected, allowing you to play with friends.

Overall, I highly recommend Tetris® Effect: Connected to anyone looking for a great puzzle game as it enhances the classic Tetris formula with crisp and clear visuals + spot on audio effects.

It's a must-have for any Tetris fan. 10/10

PSYCH is surely a quite interesting horror game that has potential which it didn't quite live up to yet. As it is right now I cannot recommend it to anyone. It starts off very promising, with good atmosphere and mystery surrounding it, but once you enter the sewers, it just falls flat and this is where the real horror begins. Not in a good way.

I am a fan of slow atmospheric games, but when you make me walk from A to B, back and forth, mostly covered in oppressing darkness to advance the somewhat story with no meaningful actions other than collecting plain keys / valves, even I start getting bored. Resulting in me literally getting a headache, twice.

Pros

+ Far above average sounds for an indie title
+ Stunning visuals, wonderful job!
+ Easy on the pocketbook

Cons

- Lots of navigating through the dark
- Lack of tension / suspense
- Poorly executed gameplay
- Rapidly falls off after Chapter 2

All in all, its biggest weakness is the horror aspect and the very little actual gameplay - which is normally OK in a walking simulator but I don't think the rest of the game is scary enough or interesting enough to carry the lack of gameplay experience. The devs clearly tried their best giving the story more depth but reading through a bunch of lengthy newspaper articles did not make me feel anything for the characters involved.

Overall the graphics are pretty good and I can confidently say it has potential to get better, so I wouldn't say it's a bad game per se. Nevertheless I dropped it for good after forcing myself through the sewers twice due to the savepoints not working (according to the patch notes they fixed that though).
That said, I might give it another shot in the far future, once I feel like the game developed enough! Other than that, I have no doubts that some might actually enjoy the game, don't let me scare you with my review. It's cheap and you can waste a little time with it, after all.

4.5/10 - With room for improvement.

Welcome to Omega Hockey Waifus Strikers! This game is incredibly fun, very fast-paced and easy to pick up / beginner friendly with intuitive controls and solid mechanics. Despite it being a simple concept with lots of action, the gameplay manages to be executed well enough to make a rather strategic game with numerous possibilities for different playstyles.

On a side note: Queues might be taking awhile depending on what time you end up playing at, resulting in you playing with or against the same players multiple times in a row. Once it catches the attention of more players, it sure has some big potential though!

Pros

+ Fun as hell
+ Dynamic gameplay
+ Cosmetic-only Cash Shop
+ Cute characters with fun abilities
+ Cool art style and music
+ No ingame chat

Cons

- Playing goalie feels everything but rewarding
- Needs a little balancing here and there
- No ingame chat

Now go and give this game some well-deserved attention and love, there is little reason to not give it a try! Make sure to queue up as 3 though, since Omega Strikers is currently a strong case of better-with-friends, due to random people purposely leaving or going AFK every now and then.

Aɴʏʜᴏᴡ, I ᴄᴀɴɴᴏᴛ ᴛʜɪɴᴋ ᴏғ ᴀɴʏ ɢᴀᴍᴇ ɴᴏᴛ ᴋɴᴏᴡɪɴɢ ᴛʜᴀᴛ sᴛʀᴜɢɢʟᴇ.

What used to be an addictive little time killer, turned into a severe case of one-more-match real quick.
9/10