Recent reviews by Mivo

I finally played and finished the game after it sat in my library for a decade. I thoroughly enjoyed the ride. Everything was top notch: the art style, the voice acting, the writing, the characters, and the story. I loved the vibe of the game.

I played a good portion of the game on the SteamDeck where it ran perfectly right out of the box (the native resolution was recognized automatically), zero problems. It's also the first game on Steam that I got all achievements for.

Here's hope that we'll eventually get a season 2!

The game is often compared to Civilization and Crusader Kings, and that comparison does give a rough idea what the game is about. But it's definitely more on the Civilization side, so if you see Crusader Kings and that doesn't exactly thrill you because you're not really into the whole aspect of social simulation, don't let that turn you off.

The game is highly configurable, more than most games, and you can disable pretty much all of the CK-like features and play the game much like a Civ-like 4X strategy game. The major difference is that Old World doesn't span multiple eras, but for me this is actually a big plus. I find it much more immersive to play for that reason.

The game's AI is spectacular. It is perhaps the 4X game with the best, most interesting, non-cheating AI. It plays by the same rules as the player, has the same information as the player, and understands the game really well. That makes it highly effective at playing the game. Like everything else in Old World, the AI is customizable and there are many different difficulty levels for the AI, so if it's just too good (genuinely good), you can tone it down to a level where it gives you an enjoyable experience.

Old World also comes with a ton of content, numerous scenarios (and the developers keep adding more!), and extensive tutorials that actually work and teach you the game. These tutorials are among the best I've seen in strategy games. Really well done. There is also an actual manual, too!

The developers are active in the community, maintain and update the game even years after release (there are frequent patches), and they really listen to feedback too. You can tell that many of them have worked on Civilization and other games, really understand the genre, and they always seem happy to explain and reason their design decisions.

For me, Old World is basically a better, more complex, smarter Civilization made by more accessible developers that care about their game.

Fantastic auto-battler with a lot of depth. Even at the start of early access, there are already numerous heroes, characters, spells and items that enable many different builds and strategies.

The game supports both an asynchronous mode (no turn timer) and a real-time mode (with a generous turn timer). In both modes you face seven other players and try to get a top place in the lobby. At a low rating, you won't lose any rating points even if you come in last and you still gain points and in-game currency when you're second last. When you advance to higher rating brackets, you need to place progressively better to increase your rating. This makes the game initially very relaxing to learn, without stress or ladder anxiety while you're getting the hang of how everything works.

There are also interactive tutorials, a bot-only mode, seasonal leaderboards, stats tracking, and built-in scouting.

Best of all, Fairytale Fables is not P2W.

The "in-app purchases" are cosmetics (like player frames) and currency that can be used to unlock heroes faster. Currency to unlock heroes is also earned just by playing, at a reasonable rate. At the start of a match, you can pick one of four randomly chosen heroes with unique abilities or buffs. The heroes in the first two slots are always unlocked (even if they are still locked in your collection), slots 3 and 4 depend on whether you have acquired the respective heroes yet (e.g. with currency you earn by playing). The selection of heroes for each match is always random.

It's an addictive game that is easy to pick up and get into. Not quite so easy to master, just like all great strategy games. Definitely worth checking out if you're into card games, auto-battlers, or just good strategy games with a competitive element.

Fairytale Fables is worth your time, and I'm looking forward to all that's yet to come!

Amazing game.

I initially wasn't entirely sure if I'd enjoy it as I worried a bit that the game might be stressful or require fast reflexes. Neither is the case! The game can be paused (and saved) at any time and while there is always a sense of urgency, I never felt rushed in a frustrating way. In fact, the "timer" encouraged me to progressively play more efficiently, but without a sense to get pushed.

The difficulty increase is fairly gentle and selectable by the player, so whatever challenge you're after, the game will accommodate you. It also does a good job at introducing the player to increasingly more advanced concepts, and lower difficulties offer a lot of room for experimentation and learning. There is also a permanent meta progression system that makes you stronger and allows you to tackle more challenging difficulty levels. It's all organic and well-designed. You can't permanently mess up, either.

Unlike with traditional city builders (which this game definitely is not), for me there's never been a point where building a settlement starts dragging out and getting boring. Runs tend to end just around the time when settlements get to the point where they become large enough for fatigue to set in. There is an option to continue playing a town after the run is over for players who get attached to their settlements or want to try out something, but it's really not a traditional city builder and more of a logistic strategy puzzle.

ATS is really quite a fresh experience that surprised me. I'd often stay up late to "build one more village". Really a fun game that's unlikely to be similar to something you've played before. Try the demo if you're on the edge!

Worth mentioning is that the Profile Avatars are regular image files (PNG) that can be uploaded to a Steam profile. They are not in-game avatars.

The wallpapers and seven tracks are great (the full OST is available at Bandcamp, 40 tracks for $10). Would I recommend this DLC? I feel neutral about it. It's nice to have, but doesn't add anything to the actual game. I received it for "free" with the game purchase at launch. I love the game, so I might have bought it solely to support Tetris Effect, but it's very much non-essential.

Fantastic game. At first I hesitated to get it because I don't own a VR head and I wondered if I'd miss out or be at a disadvantage, but those concerns were completely unfounded. Even without VR, this game is a visual and aural treat. The best Tetris experience I've ever had.

Trippy visuals and a powerful soundtrack aside, the game is full of Tetris goodness. A campaign consisting of groups of themed stages (in three difficulties), numerous solo modes including standard modes such as Ultra (best score in 3 minutes) and Sprint (clearing 40 lines), relaxed modes without game-over or increasing speed, really fun, creative new game modes that require vastly different approaches, plus a number of versus and co-op multiplayer modes (online and local). Cross-platform multiplayer ensures a large player base across Steam, Epic, Windows Store, Xbox, Playstation, and soon Nintendo Switch. There's also an offline mode where you can play against configurable AI opponents. Weekend events with unlockable avatars offer long-term motivation.

The game features leaderboards for all modes, ranked matches, unlockable avatars both solo and multiplayer, XP with a leveling system, and extensive statistics to track one's performance (drops per minute, line clears per minute, etc). The visuals can be configured and toned down if they are too flashy or if you prefer standard pieces to the "skinned" versions. Controls (keyboard and whatever controllers Steam supports) can be fully configured, and you can even seamlessly zoom in on the Tetris boards to make them as big as you want them to be (and change the default zoom level as well).

At the core, it's "just" Tetris, but presented in an incredible, fresh way. The game runs well, is highly customizable, extremely attractive, jam-packed with interesting modes, and on top has solid multiplayer with good netcode. A lot of thought went into the game and it just feels really, really good.

Edit: Three months later, I still enjoy the game!

Nicely done DLC that was an unexpected but exciting surprise. Playing through the story mode in UVHM mode took around seven hours, with all side quests (minus the raid boss) and some of the Echo recorder/cameras//etc objectives. There's new loot, eight new levels, ten new OP levels, a new raid boss, and some memorable voice acting. Unsurprisingly, Tiny Tina war the undisputed highlight, as always. No frustrating zones or jumping puzzles, a definite plus!

I really enjoyed playing through the extended story, and there's plenty more to do now with the increased level cap, the new achievements and the bonus objectives for Badass Ranks.

Looking forward to Borderlands 3!

Actual download size: <100 MB
Nutrition values: 80% fun, 10% frustration, 10% boredom

Cat Quest is an accessible, lighthearted action-roleplaying game that doesn't break new ground. The simplistic combat hints at design with mobile devices in mind. In spite of these shortcomings, it is nevertheless enjoyable and fun to play. There isn't much innovation here, but the cuteness factor and good flow make up for it. The length of around 10 hours to complete the story feels just about right. If the game had been longer, the lack of complexity would probably have left me feeling bored. The "Mew Game" mode with various handicap-based achievements does offer replayability and provides "something to do" for dozens of additional hours, but when I beat the story and had done all the side quests, I was ready to dive into another game. Overall a satisfying experience. It's a good little game!

Pros:

• Cute graphics and theme.
  
• Accessible, no OCD elements, no missables.
  
• Doesn't drag, good pacing.
  
• Humorous and light writing, touching ending.
  
• Can be picked up and played in short bursts.
  
• Works equally well with keyboard/mouse and controller.

Cons:

• Mostly fetch quests that get a bit repetitive.
  
• Simplistic combat system that involves too much dodging/running/rolling away.
  
• Occasionally tedious boss fights with small reaction windows and spike damage.
  
• No co-op or other multiplayer features.
  
• Combat system feels mobile-y.
  

Update, July 2018:

The game had started to come along (teams were added, AI slightly improved, etc.), when 2k decided to add RedShell (a privacy invading tracker that shares information with a third party company) to the game. I would never have purchased the game if this spyware had been initially present, so sneaking it in after release feels underhanded. Other developers have removed RedShell based on community feedback, 2k/Firaxis so far have ignored community feedback (which, sad to say, seems to be typical for both companies).

My main issue here is not so much the presence of RedShell. If a developer wants to implement it, fine. But it should be done when the game is released, not later on, as RedShell, and other spyware, is a dealbreaker for many people. In a way, I feel set up.

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Old review below, some of these issues were addressed by summer 2018:
If there was a "neutral" rating option, I would have picked it. Since there isn't, I went with the thumbs down because of three issues that to me are important and would affect my own decision on whether or not to buy the game again. Decide for yourself if these are aspects that matter to you:

- As of writing this, the game still does not have a UI/font scaling option that works with all resolutions. It appears to be available at 4k, but at 1440p (2560x1440) the upscaling option is disabled and can't be enabled by editing the config file. Text and icons are uncomfortably tiny.

- No teams. Surprisingly, the co-op option was removed in Civ6. You can only play against your friends, but not team up with them to play against the AI. You also can't form teams with the AI.

- The AI is peculiar and has major trouble with combat and diplomacy. Yes, just like in Civ5, though just more so. It also doesn't understand districts well and seems to be mostly focused on spamming missionaries.

It's fundamentally a good game and rather promising, but since we pay for games the way they are now, not for how the may or may not turn out in a year's time, I gave my recommendation based on the game as it is (it's not an inexpensive game). I'll update the review as the game evolves.

When I bought the game at release, I was kind of reluctant. The setting didn't appeal to me, the graphics were bizarre, and I wasn't a shooter player. But I got it anyway. You know how it goes: Relationship went down the drain, you need some distraction, and killing stuff that screams makes for great distraction.

I can't say the game grabbed me right away. It didn't. The first few levels were tedious, I got killed (just what my damaged ego needed), I got lost, and I had no clue what I was doing. I kept playing, though, and after a couple of hours the game really opened up. Another two or three hours and I was hooked. Borderlands 2 was the only game I played for several months, and when I discovered co-op with a friend, it advanced into the top-3 of the greatest games I've played to date.

So what makes it great? The gameplay, the loot, replayability, and the characters.

The gameplay: Like I said, I'm really not a FPS player (old, slow, awareness of a potato at times), but it's all fluid and it's not particularly punishing when you start out sucking like the ex that dumped you. The various classes all have a distinct playstyle, so you're bound to find at least one that you get a good handle on and that you'll have a great time with. The game does ramp up in difficulty, but so will your skill (and failing that, your gear will get better and you'll feel as if you got more skilled).

The loot: While shooters typically don't work out for me for long-term fun, Diablo-like ARPGs always suck me in, in absolutely no time. The main reason is the loot. They are all giant slot machine, and every mob you slay might drop something fantastic. Borderlands 2 uses the same random loot (and loot tables) system like the best ARPGs, and it's like candy for those of us who never get tired of the thrill of the treasure hunt. You can play this for years without finding every item you desire, rolled just the way you want it, but you might get your most sought after drop after your next boss run. You never know, and it never gets old.

The replayability: The game has a ton of content even in the base game, and so much more is added by the DLC. Over the years, the level cap was raised twice, and we got a gauntlet to get from OP1 to OP8 levels to really test our skill (and it's hard). There are raid bosses (that can eventually be done solo), there's co-op, there's dueling, and there are three difficulty modes, which you can even reset and re-do the quests (to farm for quest rewards). You can play this for hundreds of hours without running out of stuff to do. This also includes increasing your Badass Rank (grants passive buffs to all your characters) by completing challenges and collecting all unlockable skins (many of which are drops).

The characters: If I had to nominate the game with the best NPCs, Borderlands 2 would be my undisputed choice. No other game I played comes close. NPCs like Tiny Tina or Mr. Torque, or even Handsome Jack, are memorable -- with lines that will pop up on your mind even after years, making you wonder where you had heard them before (like Jack's "I don't even know what to call you!"), and you probably won't be able to watch the news without exclaiming "Exploooooosions!" at one point or another. Really, the characters are hilarious, inappropriate, and downright fun. Great stuff.

So if you like loot, if you want to experience some crazy stories with messed up NPCs to tell your kids about, or if you just want to kill some sh!t for fun, this is a wonderful game. It stood the test of time well, and is unquestionable one of the best games I've played. I can only highly recommend it. You won't be disappointed. Promise!