Recent reviews by Aurelia

Long long ago, I played a game called Majesty, and fell in love with the town/hero simulator genre, and spent a long time looking for similar games. There are many of them out there, some that just don't hit the right marks, and some that were very close (Dungeon Village), but there was always something missing or just not quite right. A need left unmet. I had given up on that search some time ago but then stumbled onto this game, and In only 2 days i have accumulated 37 hours.

Leviathan's Fantasy is about your journey as a great flying beast, that is host to a village that you carry on your back. This is a godgame, where you build your village and all inhabitants are their own entities, acting on their own accord. They will explore the village, purchasing equipment and goods, along with recreation, and journey into the portal to the ground for adventuring. Most all of the micromanagement of the villagers is done by themselves, save for critical components like bloodlline choices/advancedments, along with Skill Manual selection (important), but they will otherwise equip themselves, collect gear/items, buy, sell, level up and even enhance themselves without you. Meanwhile you can group them up, and post bounties (missions) for various adventurers to participate in.

The gameplay loop and game itself are both complex and simple, and there is so much here. There are a lot of tech trees to unlock, and so many goods and resources. Adventurer's have a lot of room to advance and customize just as you would expect from a player character in an mmorpg. Speaking of MMORPS, this is a singleplayer game with no networking, but it is layed out in a way that gives the impression of an mmorpg. you will encounter other city leviathan adventurers on the ground doing their own thing just as you do, which brings another very interesting element to it.

The price of this game is unfathomable. So much work has been put into this game, with so much depth that I would have easily paid twice or even more than the asking price. If you are into adventurer/town simulators, I highly recommend this, it is a must.

I had some great high hopes for this game. As an avid space fleet lover, this game looked like it would hit the marks perfectly. Building up a fleet, Large fleet battles, Epic excitement. And I was excited, until I actually played, and found out that it was none of these things.

In Lost Fleet, every zone you enter, you will be overwhelmed. Every ship you build, will be destroyed within a matter of minutes. You do not stand and fight, you do not get stronger. You build and deploy to distract the enemies long enough reach the gate and/or charge up your warpdrive and flee, and repeat this pattern until you are inevitably overwhelmed to impossibility.

This games tends to feel as though it is one of the roguelite genre, similar to FTL, or any other roguelite game where each playthrough you are augmented a little more and more until you can actually win, but this game does not offer any sort of meta progression. You play to fail, again and again, and again, with no improved survivability or means of making the game any more viable to play.

Maybe it is simply that it was just on the opposite end of the spectrum of space games i was looking for, maybe I am just bad, or maybe it's something else entirely, but this game is not about progression, fleet battles, or anything of the sort. It is about failing with nothing you can do about it.

I have played so many different survivor games, and in each one, there is always particular character or weapons that I find to be my favorite, amongst a roster that just seem to get in the way.
In HoloCure, every new character i play I instantly fall in love with and it is impossible to decide which ones I like I best. The Characters and weapons are all very unique and fun, and the side housing mechanic is enjoyable to engage with on the side.

I am not a twitch viewer, and do not know any of these vtuber entities, but even for someone who knows absolutely nothing about hololive, this is still an amazingly impressive survivor game, and I would absolutely recommend it to anyone who plays this genre.

After having scoured every corner of the land, and done (most) everything this game has to offer, reviewing it is quite difficult for reasons I'll outline.

I'm going to give this a positive review, mainly because I believe that as a standalone game, it has been worth playing, but I have very mixed feelings about it overall.
The Dialogue inparticular, has very well written humor, along with many moments that could even make you blush. In no other's of the series, have I looked forward to Private Actions as much as in this game.

The "divided perspectives" delivery is very well rounded and natural. Upon starting the game, the character you wish to play as, either the male "Raymond", or the female "Laeticia". This choice has a lot of meaning when it comes to integrating the character socially, and there are several parts of the story where the two "main" characters go their seperate ways to perform their various tasks, which you will or will not be a part of depending on which character you choose. The feel of the game also changes very greatly, from what I can tell.

Speaking of the story progression, this game in the series has both very good points, as well as very bad ones. From the perspective of a standalone game, I would have no major complaints with it. The story is well written and fluid, and very easy to follow with no true loose ends or confusion. It flows at a courteous pace from one step to the next without you feeling like you're being contested by an inpatient friend who won't stop reminding you that you aren't keeping up with them, and (playing as laeticia atleast), I felt like the world around me really was my own, that i was a very integrated part of it, rather than just some random adventurer in a foreign land.

It felt very "real", and the fact that the other protag (who came from space), starts talking about things to people you don't know about things you don't understand, without any real explanation at the moment pays heed to this reality that your perspective as the character is limited to what only you would tangibly know at the time.

However, the "bad" points of the story, is mainly the plot. The plot is very simple, and far too "down to earth" for a star ocean game. There are no real ties or references to any of the deeper lores, such as 4d space, or anything of the like. The best we get is a couple of cities offworld (only a city), and flight through space on a spaceship. Furthermore, the plot (without spoiling anything) is nothing truely otherworldly, or ever gives you the impression of a mysterious looming force greater than you. Infact at no point in the story was the "true threat" ever really a fear. Not to the players, and not even really the party. Most of the "fear" was more centered around the inevitable departure of friends, or whether laeticia will be a good princess for her country (which, mind you, isn't such an awful thing, as the details of the characters and their lives are one of the greater pluses in this game.

And that brings us to the characters... At first, when i started playing, I was a little disappointed in their design. I absolutely hate hairbuns. Yep, I hate them. And for a long while I was just telling myself that eventually I could probably change outfits, but unfortunately she seemed to be stuck in that armor, even through midnight inn cutscenes (how in the world could you sleep in that...), with only one story moment's exception.

But as time went on, I started to see how powerful the characters definitions were. They all have very strong personalities and motivations, and their dialogue and lines are all very fruitful. This goes back to me loving the PAs, because they add so much color to the lives of the characters. They all feel like real people that you just have to be connected to (atleast I did).

Now... For the very very bad...
First and foremost.. I don't really know what's going on in the development universe, but this game felt very "rushed" or somehow, was just not really invested in. The game feels very much smaller than any of the other installments. And with how bad the plot is along with the nonexistance of any meaningful ending, be prepared to be very disappointed if you play the Star Ocean series for the story. Because you won't find Star Ocean here.

In closing, I wish to say that I don't regret picking up this game, and I did enjoy it for what it offered. It offered something very very different than what I was looking forward too, but what it did offer was still worth the experience.

The dialogue and lines are exceptional, and it was worth playing if not for those alone along with the characters.

The combat was interesting and enjoyable, however the skill alottment is very lacking, and does not have the "spark" and "awe" of skills in the previous games. They are all very "tame" in comparison.

The map design had many beautiful places, but it seems that the earlier maps have a lot more detail than the later areas, who quickly become open spaces with very little "filling". They do get more and more scenicly beautitful though. The puzzles in this game are almost nonexistent. There are a few places you need to go and hit a couple of buttons to open doors, and one dungeon that offers an actual puzzle (or so it appears), but you will only get that puzzle if you select Ray as your main character.

The plot was very mundane and down to earth, and is just not one of those things that I would find myself talking about later down the road with friends, as there's really nothing there to talk about. It was just too straight forward and plain.

Graphics: 8/10
Combat: 8/10
Level design: 6.5/10
Dialogue/VA: 10/10
Character design: 10/10
Plot/story: 3/10

My overall rating for the game is probably around 5/10, due to how much weight I put into lore and plot for these things, it truely was the dialogue and characters that were it's saving grace for me.

Seeing as how I have over 1k hours in conan exiles, I suspect this review is long overdue..

Conan Exiles is an openworld survival builder game with a heavy focus on combat and building. The world (default map: Exiled lands) is very well made, offering various degrees of atmosphere and feel, without making you feel congested or that you've just "seen this down the way already", with beautiful detail, everywhere you go is different and meaningful. The "progression" detail of the map also gives a sense of guidance and goal without feeling constrained or forced that you 'must' do this or that. It has a story and lore you can follow if you choose, or you can just play freely without any consequences or missed objectives from not following it.

The combat system is collision based, which means that if a weapon physically misses, it misses, without any obscure "hit/evade" stats. This means that it's very combat skill focused. While attributes and gear play an exceptional role in achieving victories, a very skilled player may still defeat some of the most powerful foes with very weak equipment or low levels, giving you a lot of freedom in how you play and progress.

For those who like minions, conan exiles also offers a playstyle of both pets and "thralls". By raising (or hatching) pets, you can take them on your journey with you to level them up to make them stronger. Thralls are npc enemies that you can capture and submit to your domi will as your "servent", who will gracefully accept your hospitality and live on to serve you as your personal royal bodyguard on your journey, equipped with what you either find or craft for them, or just simply stand guard at your outpost as an archer on your wall.

The building of conan exiles is fairly extensive, offering a lot of possibilities for the creative mind, letting you build almost anything you can imagine, and then defend it from invaders with your army of beasts and servants, or to just shield you from the environment.

I have really enjoyed conan exiles, as it has given me a place to be. To explore, to challenge, to achieve, or just to do none of all that, and just chill in my cozy little room filled with pottery and candles.

Pokey pokey, mate~

Imagine you are obsessed with werewolves and vampires, and you hear of this new amazing book, showing off and talking about a great war composed of drama, tragedy, adventure, hope and a great light at the end of being caught up in the middle of two great warring tribes. You pick up the book and are completely drawn in by it's introduction, full of mystery and intrigue, and a great encounter that leaves you needing more..

But more just doesn't come.. You find yourself living with an abnoxious sister in law, dealing with family affairs, trying to restore the relationship with the couple next door (that you don't even know) by helping the x-husband keep his positition at a job where he has some co-worker that's trying to steal his promotion, all so he can afford to pay tuition for the broken families kids to go to school, all the while you have another neighbor that sneers through the blinds that is lightly mentioned once or twice every 3 chapters for the next 12, of who is given the impression of being a vampire... (or something), working to ultimately restore the relation with a happy ending, hazzah!.... But wait, wasn't I reading a book about werewolves and vampires?

That is the story layout of lost ark. This game takes the idea of "filler" so far out of proportion that it makes the original FFXIV's mainline quests look fantastic, by making you spend all your time playing a story that has nothing to do with what you signed on for, no explanation or justification why you're even bothering, and just flat out seems to want to make you completely forget what the "plot" was supposed to be.

The gameplay is great, but the "main story" is really just something about helping a prince in a kingdom that means nothing to you, retrieve the crown from his meanie brother who's trying to steal the throne. I am sure there is more to this, but after 15 hours of painfully being dragged along this dull empty story I just couldn't stomache it any further and gave up over the abyssmally awful storyboard.

I've rather enjoyed this game thus far. It's a gentle and soothing sandbox game that has helped me relax with it's soothing music, atmosphere, and fluid feeling of flight. The combat can be quite difficult if you take on a challenge before you're ready, but it is not so overly complex and does not demand unfathomable skill to get through.

Falconeer has an openworld where you can freely roam on a large bird over the oceans, or take on specific challenges and goals, and is not very confusing with direction. The story is easy to follow with brief to the point dialogue and quests that do not flood you with the urge to hit the skip button, or make you wish things would just get on with it. I did run into a difficulty spike, but that was a result of me just flowing through the story without even realizing it, and had neglected to explore and purchase upgrades (silly me).

Overally, I am really happy with the layout of the game, and the flight model deserves quite a lot of praise. I use controller as is highly recommended for this game (you may have difficulties with K&B as I hear, but I have not tried that), and the flight feels so natural and fluid I really feel like I'm flying atop a large beautiful feathered creature, or am just the bird, since the character is pretty small in comparison :)

If you're in the market for soaring above the ocean, and engaging in some aerial combat in a natural manner that differs from metal and wirring, this might be a game for you.

What a fantastic game.
What I figured would be a fun 5 minute laugh, turned into a full substantial plalythough, as not only the layout and design of the playthrough is done fantastically (contrary to how it looks), this game conveys a very strong meaningful lesson that I think some could seriously benefit from. This was well the time, and made my day.

Star Sonata 2, is a top down space shooter in an mmo world, with lots to explore and lots to do. With so many different ships and so many different pieces of equipment to mix and match, I don't feel it's very likely that any two people will be the same. The customization is extensive. There are different classes to choose from, which focus on different components of playstyle, though the classes do not lock you out of other playstyles. Respecing is also very inexpensive and readily accessible.

Coming past 200 hours on this game in 2 weeks as a free to play, I can say that while a free to play account does limitations on accessing extended areas and access to the last couple of skill levels, as a free to play player, you can still expect to play a full game here. Even still after the 200 mark, I took the Starter pack for 3 months of sub, and was entranced by the numerous additional areas that just unlocked to me. Overall, I feel like it's set up in such a way to feel that you get the normal game for free, then to pay a sub for an expansion, rather than feeling like you're constantly being shafted or blocked from normal gameplay until you subscribe like other mmos out there.

The gameplay is very fun. It has many various themed areas that I've really enjoyed playing through to collect themed gear and defeat themed bosses, and suiting up my fleet along the way. The only real struggle I've faced is some UI annoyances, where item menus can be a little buggy at times, and fighters for a carrier class being hard to access early on. Despite this though, i've not run into much to complain about. This is a game i've been unable to put down since i've picked it up, and I suspect I'll be continuing to play it for quite some time to come.

The community seems to be on the smaller end, and despite being an openworld pvp game (or seemingly), unlike every other open world pvp game out there, you can expect to wander and play freely without being gunned down by the random passerby. The community is very friendly and helpful with the occasional mature bar brawl in the discord, without the toxic waste, which is very refreshing, and is mostly focused on the end-game team vs team wars in the dedicated endgame areas, so you can expect to play without any rude interruptions. Imagine a place where people can legitimately dislike eachother and fight with eachother without constantly sounding like an immature toxic preteen brat. That's Star Sonata 2.

If you're into top down shooter rpg-style games, even if you're not into the mmo scene that much, i'd still recommend giving this a go. The game seems fully playable alone without demanding you join up with others, and anything you may struggle to obtain on your own can usually be purchased from userbases of users who spend time crafting blueprints and selling. Enjoy the bulk of the game for free, and subscribe if you stick around to reach endgame.

"Freedom of build, infinite customization", but what it does not tell you is that neither of those two things will let you succeed.

PoE while giving the impression that you may build your character and class your way, does not logistically allow you to do so. Instead, it confuses you with a large sklil grid that gives you the impression you can choose your path, but even focusing and dedicating towards a specific idea, even if not very abstract, making sure your defenses and offenses are specific, you will still find yourself getting one-shot, and your damage output to be insufficient.

This game used to be enjoyable, but now it is just frustration and nothing more, as over the years it has pandered to streamers and elitists who I suppose have never played any other ARPG in their life, failing to see everything that's wrong with it.

This game does not let you play your way. If you want to get anywhere, you are required to follow a specific build that has been studied in and out by people who have nothing better to do than pour days into going over every number and modifier just to get through it.

Oh, and don't forget to trade with other players, because that is the only way you'll ever get all the very specific unique items that are required for your specific build to be viable.