Recent reviews by KP557

Ikenfell can be a mixed bag at times but overall I think the positives outweigh the negatives for me to recommend it. It's also v e r y queer lol 80% of the main characters are gay and that's some great representation. So if you're the "my pronouns are kiss my ass" or "everything's woke" type.... ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ off lmao go play warzone or some ♥♥♥♥.
Breakdown as follows:

Pros:
-Excellent soundtrack. I don't know ♥♥♥♥ about Steven Universe but the composers also did the music for it and apparently that speaks for itself from what I understand.
-Graphically, the game is quite nice. From backgrounds to overworld sprites and battle sprites and everything inbetween, it's all pretty solid and looks really nice. It's a little strange that the art on the store page makes everyone look almost childish when most characters seem to be at least 18 if not older while the absolute youngest is I think like 16 and I might even be wrong about that.
-The battle system is fun and engaging. I'd call it a mashup between Paper Mario style timed hits and Megaman Battle Network-esque three lane combat where attacks have certain ranges as well as patterns that they can hit. there is a downside to this but we'll get to that in a second.
-There are quite a few secrets to find as well as hidden bosses. Most of them open up right before the endgame so it becomes a nice little break/wrap up before the end
-Puzzles are pretty simple for the most part, not too complicated. As well as generally the game does a good job of steering you in whatever direction you need to go for your current objective, usually by incorporating the party's current thoughts which is pretty cute ngl
-There's a lot of accessibility options, from auto-skipping battles to making to where you can't fail a timed hit and a lot inbetween. It's very approachable which I appreciate.
-Whatever else I missed lol

Neutral:
-The story is....alright. That sounds bad but bear with me. It starts out with a very easy premise: you're an ordinary but your sister's gone missing and you need to go find her at Hogwarts but good. To your surprise, you somehow obtain magical powers. so your quest begins, along the way picking up party members, opening up more and more of the campus and advancing the story. This is fine, but it gets very JRPG in the sense that you're constantly running around doing something else/getting some item/finding a person/etc. who will give you a thing/open up the path forward/blah blah blah you get the idea. it happens so often it gets pretty tiring. At a certain point I just learned to roll with the punches bc I was invested but from the negative reviews, people did not seem to gel with this which I can understand. The rest of the story itself is servicable, filled with the usual RPG stuff you'd expect: melodrama, occasional party infighting, there's an ice queen who defrosts over time, the characters are all kinda tropey to an extent but still enjoyable. Probably the highlight for me was the main character's depressive episode after a revelation and then subsequent recovery.

Cons:
-The mid to late game battle system. Towards the end, you really have to nail those timed hits or else it's gonna hurt, even with good gear. this also applies to your hits because if you miss, you're gonna do like 2 damage tops when you should be doing like 20. It can get very frustrating to the point that I would recommend changing your accessibility settings to be less punishing because of this. Timed hits can also feel inconsistent to where you swear you hit a great but instead you get an oops! but ymmv on that
-The game is also pretty over-balanced. It's like your power scales pretty evenly throughout the entire game rather than hitting that JRPG god-tier power you'd expect from a game like this. This is really exemplified around Level 25 or so when you basically get very few power increases, as if the game didn't expect you to get that high. it almost makes me wonder why they didn't just add a level cap. And sure, at that point you can stomp basic enemies into the ground with a one tap but at that point, why would you even bother?

That's really all I got. I'd honestly recommend giving it a shot, at least give it that 2 hour steam refund window. but if based on my or other's criticisms you think you're gonna bounce off it, obviously don't do that then. But like I said at the start, I think there's a lot more good than bad here, so I do recommend it in the end

It's.....good. Good but mixed. Level design and # of ways you can play are varied and well designed just like the rest of the franchise. Appreciate the little callbacks to the earlier games like with Duke Abele's painting and things such as. I actually enjoyed having a more limited set of powers and working within them to get ♥♥♥♥ done. Unfortunately the weakest part is the characters imo. Nice to have Billie and Daud back but as characters they just weren't very interesting. And the melodramatics and "philosophy" just get a bit tiring imo. the ending is also very anti-climactic. Your options are eitherstab the outsider or convince Daud to free the Outsider from his place in the void, with a little bit of added dialogue depending on your choice. it is cute how the mark is really just the outsider's name lost to time and history. but either way it ends in the same line about how "now the Outsider's gone but the void's still out just outside our reach and hey, who knows somebody just be affected by it somehow" as if to set up future entries. Sure I'm playing it so long later but t's been 8 years now. Sadly I don't think we're getting anything else Dishonored anytime soon. it just feels bad to have it end in an anti-climactic way, hard cut to main menu and that's it. in the end, worth playing for fans of the franchise, hard to recommend to anyone else

It's hard to recommend but I think there's enough to recommend over not recommend in the end. There's so much that's just really mid about it and the difficulty can be a slog. But the rogue-lite elements are cool, the actual flying around is fun and if you can get past the early-game difficulty and start racking up upgrades, its not the worst thing ever.

Pros:
-actual flying around is awesome and fun
-the rogue-lite system of upgrading both my pilot and my ship(s) is well done and does feel impactful
-the environments are pretty damn stunning

Cons:
-enemy difficulty is rough. without good upgrades it feels like you can get chewed through in seconds, magnified more if you don't find useful weapons/equipment/consumables from the RNG
-speaking of which, RNG is rough. It is not fun to have your run ended because you can't destroy a warp-blocking craft before the inevitable ♥♥♥♥ you up reinforcements arrive because you didnt have a good enough kit to take it down in time.
-This one's personal but I don't really like locking craftable upgrades and mods behind random schematics dropped from enemies. it took *28 hours* to get a mark 2 shield, a direct upgrade to the basic one. this was long after i had beaten the game for the first time. like wtf.
-as alluded to, early game with no upgrades sucks. little power for all your stuff, you're slow, not a lot of health. bad early game

The Just Ok:
-The story is fine. The grammar and writing itself is very odd and at times feels like it was made by folks who don't have English as their first language and others feel like it was made by . since it'll jump from normal to disjointed and back to normal randomly at times, it tends to stick out. (no shame if the writers don't have english as their first language btw but i can find
-Similarly the vocal performances are just....ok. Odd writing extends to dialogue too. I think probably my favorite performance was HIVE the AI who was pretty consistently good but everyone else (thankfully not many) just isn't great.
-Music also is just....ok. sometimes it even feels like they brought in music made for the wrong game because it doesn't always fit or make sense where its played. this mainly applies on the warp screen imo

If I had to give it a score it'd probably be like a 6.5 or 7/10. It's alright, not earth shattering. Pick it up on sale, as of writing it's legit $1 on GOG right now

Don't let the negative reviews dissuade you. Blue Fire is good. Really damn good I'd say. It has some jank and some issues but I still think it's worth playing through, especially at a sale. Also play on a controller if you can, I think it makes things a lot easier.

If you like 3D platformers and Zelda-like adventures, then Blue Fire's gonna hook you up real good. You're gonna be dashing throughout the world, picking up items, equipment, cosmetics and that key that's gonna unlock the next area along the way. The boss temple design is straight up classic Zelda. Now the puzzles and the combat aren't anything to write home about. They're serviceable. IMO, the platforming takes center stage. After you start getting special items and building out your moveset, the sky's the limit. By the end, I was combo-ing 3 high jumps, two dashes and still being able to wall climb on top of that. However, it is a bit of a shame the environments are mostly linear or after one exploration don't offer a ton more to find. But the voids, basically Super Mario Sunshine-esque platforming challenges, make up for that imo.

That being said, there comes the jank. Wall jumping can be a bit finnicky and you'll occasionally jump in a different direction than you intended. The lock-on camera for enemies in the air is a bit janky too. Personally I also thought the parry system was a little inconsistent but ymmv. I'm sure there's more I'm forgetting but just know that there's some jank here.

That all being said, I'd still put Blue Fire at an 8.5/10 or so. You can finish it in ~10 hours and there's even an additional DLC that takes about 2-3 hrs on top of that. the gameplay is solid if janky, the story....exists, its really nothing crazy. But it's fun and the music especially is excellent. I also personally like the aesthetics and art design but you may not. Again, pick it up on a sale and have a fun time

Once more with feeling. Story spoilers below

The overall production, video quality, physical and voice acting is far better than that of Simulacra 1, if still a bit goofy or maybe cringey at times. but the story is....kinda stupid? 1 felt a lot more grounded (which sounds funny now that I think about it) by having an entity essentially take advantage of people who are lonely/single/craving connections. It felt more believable that someone could fall for it in times of desperation or weakness or just trying to meet the right person. Contrast this with.....a service that can boost your likes/follows on social media but requires a sacrifice to do so, inevitably killing/absorbing that sacrifice into it. Like. Maybe I'm crazy. Maybe it's cause its 2024. But I feel like most people on the planet don't really give a ♥♥♥♥ about likes/follows/engagement on social media anymore. It makes sense to the characters in universe and their motivation to y'know, keep their "job". But I look at it now and its pretty ridiculous.

Also the fast forward mode is just worse than Simulacra 1. I miss being able to skip past dialogue/cutscenes that dont change at lightspeed. while it is a lot faster compared to the default speed, it could be better.

Puzzles are fine. I do appreciate not having 50 word scrambles, some of which you can only get behind certain dialogue choices, again. What you get is a lot of what there was before, use little pieces of info you're either fed or dig up through social media/the internet/documents, pick apart people's statements and ultimately solve a mystery while trying to figure out how to get that best ending and save everybody/defeat the entity. But also like.....there really isn't much horror to it? The jumpscares there are here are pretty ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ weak compared to Simulacra 1. You really don't get as many times where the phone glitches or acts up. most are mandatory like the TRM quizzes/cards, the police report jumpscare, maya turning around, etc. etc. but the most notable ones don't occur unless you meet certain conditions like getting locked into any bad ending and especially pitting Arya, Rex and Mina against each other, the latter of which being the only thing that even mildly spooked me, as well as accusing one of them of taking the deal

That being said, If you liked Simulacra 1, puzzle games in general or lost phone games, odds are you'll find something to like in Simulacra 2. It is pretty short, like the first, you can finish a first playthrough in about 3-4 hours, and full completion took me just under 9. $8 is fine, but consider grabbing it on a sale and trying it

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ awesome. I loved 90% of my time playing through it. Almost everything is a treat for the eyes and ears. A must play imo


The Messenger is an 8 bit-style action platformer in the style of Ninja Gaiden or the original Castlevania......for about 3 hours until it becomes a 16-bit/SNES-style Metroidvania. I've seen some complaints about controls and while it took me some time to adjust to the controls, I think they make sense as is. Jump with space, run with arrow keys, tools/attack on ctrl, left shift, etc.. Except for the ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ rope dart, that was some ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ on left alt. Still, when you get used to it, the game performs fabulously. It's fun and feels good to run, jump, launch yourself forward and cut up enemies to some banging tunes. As you play you'll get new gear letting you do things like climb up walls, hook onto the "lamp of the area with cash"/little rings that'll propel you forward and even enemies. and also boots that you can literally be Jesus and run on water and more. This also applies to upgrades for your character, which can be as simple as getting an HP/Ki boost for your shuriken to an underwater dash, better defense, the ability to attack while you glide and so on. And even if you die, the reward for doing so just means you don't get to earn as much currency for a little bit, its not that bad at all.

Every area is beautifully created, from backgrounds to enemy design, to stage design and everything inbetweenin both 8-bit and 16-bit, I cannot state this enough. This also applies to the soundtrack created by rainbowdragoneyes. seriously, its so good. The game itself is really well designed, including the use oftime travel for puzzles, optional collectibles and accessing new areas/parts of stages.

The game's humor and writing also largely lies on subversion but it was still fun and funny to go through.

Biggest problems are thus:
1. last couple areas suck ass or are pretty damn annoying, spoilers for late game content/reveals Elemental Skylands, The Music Box (kinda fair for being the last level), Riviere Turqoise, even Temple of Time to an extent 2. Following that, certain bosses also kinda suck assBarma'Thazel for being a damage sponge, Clockwork Concierge for being a ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ Cuphead level that strained my damn hands, Butterfly Matriarch can suck my fat nuts for confusion mechanics. Being that these are largely near the end of the game I can cut it some slack, but still annoying. And 3.As soon as you hit Metroidvania land, you're gonna be going back and forth A LOT trying to find certain items, open shortcuts, rescue a couple people and generally progress the game. however, this will probably account for 80% of your playtime. if that ain't your jam, you're probably not gonna like it.

Still, if you're a fan of the genre, this is a must play. I'd go as far to say its a must play even for those that would like to get into this type of game. Even the music alone is worth playing for, shoutout Hills of Destiny and Bamboo Boogaloo. Similarly, I'd even say its worth it at full price, but even with a discount, yeah go for it obviously. id put it somewhere around a 9/10 and definitely recommend it.

tl;dr, if you liked the first game, odds are you'll like this one more. Tho the plot won't make sense if you didn't. still if you don't care bc you'll prob have enough issues with it anyway, buy it on sale or something, especially if you're a fan of resource management games or XCOM style games, we got both here.


This is the Police 2 improves on This is the Police 1 in almost every single way. The portraits have never looked better as has the town map, music's still great, you still got ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ Duke Nukem himself chewing up every scene he's in. It's great isn't it? Well it isn't perfect.

I think my largest complaint is that until the third act, the story largely lacks the urgency or immediacy of the first game. There was a real tension to balancing out the Mafia and Town Hall while keeping your own crew happy and alive. Felt like there was something new to worry about every single day. There's just not as much of that weight to be had here. It really grips you at the beginning when a cop puts a gun to your head and says how much he hates people like you while we as the audience know how wrong this guy is because he doesn't know Jack B-I mean Warren Nash. And outside out of some similar moments from time to time, its usually just in a cutscene and then back to the gameplay. A shame really. Also who tf is Fry. why does he matter outside of he knows who we are and wants cash every week? itd make more sense if it was someone we knew before but i digress.

Also the voice acting is really a mixed bag. Jon St. John brings his A-game as discussed above but just about every other character varies considerably. There was one point in a cutscene where two cops are standing 4 feet from each other but sounded completely different from one another despite y'know, that not making sense. It's decent for the most part but you notice when it isn't.

That being said, just about every other element of the game is an improvement. The gameplay has been overhauled and adds so much more depth than before. cops now each have stats that matter based on the crime they're responding to as well as each call having a minimum professionalism to be answered. So it's not just a game of "try to figure out how much professionalism this job needs and pray you make the right choice/it goes well". and every 50 professionalism points they get a stat boost. that being said, not all stats are created equal looking at you Strength/Stealth but they all matter in some way. Also you no longer have dedicated Investigators. Now it's up to you to assign a cop to an ongoing investigation at the start of the day and near the end they'll update you on their findings. You can have them look for clues or investigate possible suspects, giving you frames just like the first game and its up to you to figure out who did it and the order of events. There's also a whole batch of special cops too. Some don't like other genders and will refuse to go with members of said gender, some have hygiene issues, some are just pricks and won't go on calls because they aren't loyal to you or are LITTLE ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥, KUROSAWA- anyway. I haven't even mentioned outfitting your cops with equipment every day, managing storage and cash, the XCOM style assaults, there's so much here thats just better and new tbh.

After about 23 hours of gameplay, I recommend This is the Police 2. Also don't be afraid to save scum, its not as clean as the first game but it still works.. If you can turn your brain off a bit and not think too hard about the story and some real logical leaps and issues, damn near Kojima-adjacent cutscene lengths, a little bit of repetition in the gameplay and are a fan of resource management/XCOM style scenarios, its worth playing through. I'd put it somewhere around a 7.5 out of 10

And never forget, Jack Boyd always wins.

I don't think I've ever had a puzzle game twist and distort and melt my brain more than Baba. try to play it without one if possible but look at a guide if you're seriously stuck. it'll happen, trust.

KE GEN DI SUC
KE IS UINE CK KER

Very good. Never got to play the original, I had Battle for Bikini Bottom on PC, VERY different experience let me tell you. But the platforming here is solid. no real significant issues, just some questionable design choices or minor gameplay gripes here and there. Finished 100% in 12 hours. Just good turn your brain off and ♥♥♥♥ around fun.

It's ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ Tony Hawk Pro Skater mixed with guns and Max Payne bullet time. You do tricks to get more ammo. What more do I have to say. It ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ rules. RIP Roll7, taken too soon