Recent reviews by *borat voice*

It is truly an impressive feat to turn the alluring premise of "Hotline Miami but it's a John Woo actioner" out into a dull, repetitive headache. The total lack of creativity and variety on display must surely be an intentional choice: how can you attempt to mine an idea so rich and come up with nothing worthwhile? Not even by accident?

2 / 5

Surprisingly really enjoyable. Instead of attempting to preach to you, it presents you with the reality of heightened surveillance in the modern age and it's just left up to you as to whether you agree with it or not.

Highly recommended.

the only memorable part of this game was when "building steam with a grain of salt" by dj shadow started playing and ruined an emotional moment because i alt-tabbed out to see if spotify was still running and i felt my last shred of interest in this game disappear

I spent my twentieth birthday playing this with a couple of friends.

Time well spent.

A really enjoyable game that succeeds on the merits of simplicity. The story is engaging, well-paced and never feels particularly boring. The gameplay is a basic point-and-click adventure, but the puzzles are genuinely interesting. It's pretty hard to fault, in all honesty.

For what it is, I strongly recommend it.

7.5/10

What do you do if you really want to make a detective show but you only know how to programme games? You make Virginia of course!

If it wasn't for its unique (if perhaps a little uninteresting) art style, Virginia would be pretty hollow in every regard. There is no issue with wearing your influences on your sleeve, but all of Virginia's attempts to be enigmatic on anything deeper than an artificial level just leave it feeling like a cheap knock-off of Twin Peaks. As a player, I felt next to no engagement with the story. It's just Lynchian cliché after cliché after cliché. It brings nothing new to the table, and in the time it took me to complete it, I could have watched an episode of the show it so desperately wants to be -- that would have at least left me feeling satisfied.

Just watch a walkthrough on YouTube for free -- if it's meant to be "treated as a film," then do exactly that.

3/10

It's Early Access, so don't expect a finished game by any means. Near the end of the rather brief campaign something vaguely resembling an interesting story rears its head, but due to the fact it's unfinished it unfortunately just goes nowhere. That said, what is there is pretty darn great.

It's surprisingly well optimised, looks great, and most importantly it's enjoyable to play. It's gearing up to be a pretty interesting science fiction story and comfy puzzler.

Considering how cheap it is, I'd recommend picking it up, but just know that you're not going to be getting much. I have faith, though, and I hope it's not misplaced.

7/10

I bought this game as something to play when I can't find a video on YouTube to watch and want to do something pleasant whilst I drink my coffee in the morning. It's exactly that.

A neat little 'puzzle' game that's simple and enjoyable to justify the 66p I spent buying it. There's not much to it, so take that into account if you're looking for a challenging puzzle game instead of just a passable time-waster. Score is cool, too, and the aesthetic's a plus.

It's fun at first, when you're kicking guards all over the shop and punting them off high ledges, but this wears off soon enough and all that you're left with is a generic fantasy game with uninteresting characters and a plot as dull as dishwater.

The game is split up into ten chapters/levels. The first four - five at a push - are great fun. They allow the game mechanics (especially the kick attack, oh baby) to really shine and I had some of the best fun I've had in a video game in a long while. Unfortunately, you spend the rest of the game navigating claustrophobic dungeons fighting boring enemies.

Overall, Dark Messiah is the product of wasted potential. There are some really great gameplay and level ideas present, that, like I said, flourish primarily in the first half. I'd strongly recommend getting this game on sale as I did, because you'll probably justify the price tag from the fun you'll have booting guards into campfires and orcs off cliffs. It's just a shame it becomes more of a chore nearer the end.

6/10

No progress in achievements.