Recent reviews by microcake

One of the most wholesome games out there on Steam. Sometimes it's hard to communicate your negative thoughts and feelings, and having a game that encourages people to uplift each other and be present for them (even if it's momentary) is really refreshing. The music is also GREAT. It really does make it easier to just chill and respond to people with kind words. You never know what others hvae been going through and how much your words may mean to them.

Really delightful puzzle game! It's not terribly long, but the interesting game mechanics and gorgeous visuals make up for it. I'm notoriously not a fan of puzzles, but I liked the way the game dealt with perspective and visuals. Each level gives you a new puzzle mechanic to consider when solving it. Would highly recommend!

I first saw this game during the 2015 Playstation Experience event and was instantly smitten. A year and a half later I was totally eager to play the game and I'm so glad I took the time to sit down and try it out.

PROS
- The artwork is STUNNING. The details that exist in the world's environment, the character designs, the masks, all of it is wonderfully opulent and rich. The designs really work into the storyline, so no part of it really feels arbitrary. The animation sequences are done in an animated comic book format, which was really neat.
- The story and lore are great! There are some people who complain that the story is discovery-driven, vs. hand fed to the user. I personally really liked that, since a lot of the main plot and snippets of lore are fed through dialogue sequences. If they had tried to cram more of the lore and backstory in the dialogue options, it would've been quite bloated and conversation-heavy. Instead you find bits and pieces of the game's lore and character relationships with the main character in little points around the map. Reading through them is completely optional and won't detract from the story, but provide a lot of richness to it.
- Characters were enjoyable. They all start off a bit abrasive, but as you interact with them more, their depth and personal woes really come to light. Learning about the things that drive them and keep them going in that kind of society was a fantastic experience.
- The game is mostly (or fully? can't completely recall) voice acted, with a great cast of actors who really bring the characters to life. The music was also wonderful, and I would generally recommend it as a whole soundtrack.

CONS
- The game is, IMO, fairly battle-light/clunky. The mechanics are there, in which you have a skill bar, skill tree, and basically auto-attack near enemies. There are some skills that require specific targetting, which was the clunky part for me since single-clicking targets in hordes was annoying. It was still FUN overall, just not the most refined aspect of the game.


Overall, would highly recommend to anyone who enjoys solid stories and experiencing a game with enjoyable characters. If you're looking for something that's game-mechanic heavy, I wouldn't suggest it, but maybe watch a video or two to enjoy the sights and sounds of the game.

Amazing game mechanics with incredibly intelligent and well thought out puzzle designs. Despite all opinons about the developer and the crazy drama surrounding it, Fez is one of the best games I've played. The art is rich in detail, the sound design and music are top notch, and all of the secret hidden puzzles really challenges you. A must-play for any puzzle lovers.

Firstly, this review is independent of any opinons I have of the developers and their opinions.

I feel like this game is somewhat under appreciated. It's a game that you have to value and appreciate for its mood, story, and the methods in which they tell this story. I'm not the type to be into games that are overly preachy, which this game's dialog can be a little more of, but I found the way in which you unveil the story to be a lot of fun. Every day you're given a set of chores that you can do in different manners: warmly or coldly. The choices you make affect how your employer, Ortega, feels about you as a housekeeper and a person.

SPOILERS PAST THIS POINT

The story of the revolution and political climate is expressed through the entire environment. Nothing about this game is explicitly spoonfed to you. You listen to the gunfire, watch the skyline fill with smoke, observe the newspaper headlines scattered around the apartment, and so much more. It's a complete experience that isn't for people who are waiting to have a story thrown in their faces.

I rather liked the writing in the game, as it felt personal and the way someone of that era and background would be talking. I never had any problems with doing the chores, except for one day in which it was actually impossible to do everything listed (this is intentional, as Ortega will note the following day). I was even able to do more than what was asked of me by actually being a housekeeper and maintaining the home, such as changing the date on the calendar and turning on the lights every day.

Overall I thought this game delivered everything I expected it to when I kickstarted it. Yes, it is not a game for everyone, but I loved it anyways. I played it twice over: once doing whatever the heck I wanted and second to actually try to romance Ortega through my chores and replies to his notes. I wouldn't hesitate to play it again and take the time to explore more of Angela's thoughts and narrative.

Cinders is a lovely and charming game. I'm a sucker for fairy tale retellings, and this one really does do it for me. The variety of endings you can get based on your choices makes this extremely replayable, and none of the endings or paths are directly linear. Of course this does mean you'll have to revisit a lot of conversations again, but luckily there is a Skip function that will glaze over scenes you've already seen.

Needless to say, the art is beautiful. So much love and care went into the details of the environment, as well as making sure the characters properly emote. Writing is pretty good, with my only complaint being that the dialogue for Cinders felt a little out of place from the setting. (Possibly an attempt to be more relatable to the player?) It's a small nitpick in a sea of praise though. I loved this game, and would be all over another fairytale retelling from the developers.

SUCH a fun game. Yes it's frustrating because crazy legs and arms moving in every direction, but it gives you such a sense of reward to actually accomplish going up a ladder or escalators. The storyline is simple, but cute, and I really felt like I got attached to the charactres. It's only about 12 levels or so, but there are a lot of little things to pick up along the way or achievements to chuckle through. It's a great humorous game, and I think it's done quite well. The only thing that bothered me was that sometimes I felt like I was stuck due to my leg being thrown *through* an object and not being able to get out. But it happens rarely, and isn't such a big deal.