Recent reviews by noibn

I am slightly conflicted in recommending this. On one hand, purely from a "tower defense" perspective, the gameplay is pretty solid. Everything works as it should and it is well-designed (nice interface, towers all serve specific purposes, enemy health, waves and routes are clearly indicated, etc). And most importantly, the actual gameplay itself is fun. What brings this down are the nonstandard elements the developers tried to introduce into the standard tower defense formula - specifically, the "card system" (and everything that comes along with it). There's nothing wrong with the basic idea - tower types are represented by cards that can be collected and leveled up, and you have to pick and choose a subset of cards from your deck before going into a level. Where the problem comes in is obtaining the cards you need you be successful and "leveling up" those cards. First of all, the leveling system is overly confusing and needlessly complicated. Secondly, in order to beat the later levels, you will need specific cards leveled up to adequate levels of strength. The problem with this is that most of the cards you get as rewards are random, so you could go a good long while without (or possibly even never) finding a Lightning Tower card, for example (which I would consider absolutely essential for beating the game). And even if you are lucky enough to get some good towers, the process of leveling them up takes serious time. You basically just need to keep grinding out optional levels to get extra cards that can be used to fuse/evolve other cards. And make no mistake, you are going to be doing some serious grinding. So, depending on your tolerance for grinding levels and ranking up things, that's how I would recommend you make your decision to buy this or not. Personally, I am the OCD-type who feels the need to level things up and complete stuff, so I forced myself through and eventually got enough cards of high enough strength to power through the main game, as well as the extra hard difficultly that unlocks afterwards. While I did enjoy the game overall, it did take a lot of time and effort to get the most out of it. To me, tower defense shouldn't be about making towers strong enough to win by brute force. It should be about overcoming the challenges using a set of predefined towers and nothing else except whatever strategy you come up with. The first half of this game can be played along those lines, but once you get to the later levels, you will absolutely hit a wall if you don't have certain cards leveled up to a certain strength. That's poor design in my eyes. But even with all that said, I honestly still had fun with this game, as it's well made and I have a semi-high tolerance for grindy things. If you think you can deal with the grinding issue and like TD games, definitely go for it. Otherwise, you may want to hold off or wait for a huge discount.

I'm not sure if a game like this can still be appreciated in these modern days of fancy 3D graphics and short attention spans... but it damn well should be. For whatever my opinion may be worth, I hereby go on record to state that this is one of the greatest RPGs ever made. Of course, that bold statement does come with a couple of caveats: first, my thoughts may very well be colored by nostalgia to a fair degree; and second, I haven't actually played this game in over 20 years, so it's entirely possible I am just forgetting all the bad parts. At any rate, if you are into RPGs, classic games, or at all interested in revisiting the early days of PC gaming, this is one of the very few games that should be near the top of anyone's "must-play someday" list. While I can't guarantee playing this game will captivate and inspire you the same way it did for people back in the day, I am at least fairly confident that the game itself is probably fundamentally solid, even if the underlying technology and graphics don't hold up. So definitely give this a look if you're open to embracing "the classics", or if you're just an old man like me pining for the good old days.

Rogue Legacy is a 2D action-platformer done in a "roguelike" style, with a few twists. Each time you venture forth, the map layout and enemies you encounter are randomized. It is sort of like Spelunky, except progress isn't through a series of levels (1-1, 1-2, etc). Instead, there is only a single map, comprised of 4 areas: a central castle, a forest to the right, a tower above, and a land of darkness below. The goal is to explore as much of these areas as possible and defeat the bosses of each. Of course, it's not so simple to do this - there are tons of things that can kill you, and when you first start the game, you are very weak, so you will die. Frequently. In most roguelikes, that would be the part where the game says "tough luck, get better"... but not so with Rogue Legacy. Instead, when your character dies, you get to purchase upgrades (stat boosts, weapons, different character types, etc) with the money you collected during your last life. These upgrades are permanently passed along to your next character (a choice from 3 randomized children). However, there is a catch. As you buy new upgrades, the next set of upgrades gets more expensive, which means you have to collect more and more cash on each life to be able to afford new stuff. Frankly, this is probably the weakest aspect of the game. It can get to be a real grind having to play through the same thing over and over again... but that pretty much comes with the territory in this genre, so it's not so unexpected. On the bright side, heading back into the fray so many times allows you to get better at the game and learn the ins and outs of the various traps and enemies, making future playthroughs easier. So it all sort of balances out. That said, the challenges you'll face aren't really all that tough anyways, so this is a pretty good game for those who want to get their feet wet in the genre. The other aspect of this game that is pretty unique are the different types of randomization you can get with the aforementioned children. Characters come in several different types (knights, barbarians, spellcasters, miners, etc), each of which has a unique a special ability. Additionally, each character can also have one of several different "traits" - for example, "color blind" makes everything appear black-and-white, "gigantism" makes you huge, "ADHD" makes you move faster, etc. It's pretty fun experimenting with all the different types of characters you can get, and it definitely keeps the game from getting too stale. The only main downsides to the game are the aforementioned grinding aspect, but also that there just isn't all that much left to do once you finish. After beating the game, the bosses reset and you can continue with progressively harder playthroughs, which is nice. But nothing else really changes aside from the difficulty, so there's nothing really new to see or do. Maybe that's enough for some people, but it would have been nice if there were some additional areas or secrets. That said, what the game does offer is good enough for the price tag, I think, and is well worth your time if you are into these types of platformers and/or roguelikes. Pick it up on sale for sure, if not at full price. My only caveat would be that I would recommend using a controller, as I am not so sure how well this could possibly be controlled with just a keyboard.

This game is completely and utterly ridiculous... but in a good way... for the most part... sort of. It all starts when another you (from the future) crashes through your wall to explain that he has no time to explain - just as a giant crab grabs him. From there, things only get more convoluted and silly. The whole story aspect, including the dialogue and voice acting, is worth experiencing for the ridiculousness-factor alone. What is less good is the actual gameplay. The game is a 2D puzzle platformer, with a twist. Your main tool is a gun that shoots mega-laser beams. However, you don't really use it to kill things much, aside from bosses. Instead, you use the gun as a tool to propel yourself through the air by pointing at the ground (or walls) and shooting while jumping. Note: controls are via keyboard/mouse only (there is no gamepad support at all).

The game is divided into a series of levels that you need to navigate. Each level is, essentially, a puzzle that needs to be solved by gun-jumping in a specific way. Along the way, new mechanics and abilities are introduced, so thankfully, it's not the same old thing over and over again, which is really nice. The problem is that the controls are frustrating as hell. To say the gun-jumping is finicky would be an understatement. You will die over and over again in rapid succession. Thankfully, there is no real penalty for dying. You are always revived instantly at the last safe piece of ground you stood on. Even so, some sections of the game are still really annoying. So your patience will most definitely be tested. Throw in a whole crapload of glitches and bugs on top of everything, and the overall game experience ends up being less than what it could have been. Clearly, this is a low budget game, so some of these issues can be forgiven under those circumstances... but even so, I just wish it was more polished. So while I do think this is worth playing for the unique experience alone, just be warned that in order to get that experience, you'll have to put up with some serious challenges (some as part of the game design, and some as consequences of the inconsistent controls). The game takes around 2-4 hours to fully complete, which feels about right. If you are interested in trying it, I'd say take a chance when it's on sale for at least 50% off (preferably more). It is definitely not worth the full asking price, in my opinion.

As modern point and click adventure games go, this one is fairly decent. It's not a mind-blowing experience by any means, but it's definitely not bad either. You play as a guy named Robert who finds himself thrust into a quest to save the world (naturally). Robert is a very naive and unassuming sort of fella, so a lot of the plot and humor centers around his clueless innocence. The story and dialogue is fairly good for the most part, in turns charming, funny and dark. The voice acting is hit or miss, though - mostly it is decent, but a few lines here and there are inexplicably bad (wrong pronunciations, improper emphasis of words, etc). Mechanically, the game also has its ups and downs. Being a point and click game, you would think that the pointing and clicking would be spot-on, but that's not always the case. Sometimes you can't click on things that you should be able to click (though it usually fixes itself in a second or two). Additionally, half of the achievements don't seem to be working properly. However, the developers have started to release patches to fix some of these problems, so a lot of these things may not be issues in the future. Regardless, none of these faults are deal breakers by any means, anyways.

The puzzles are fairly standard in adventure game terms. You basically just go around talking to people, picking up objects, and using those objects (or combinations thereof) to solve puzzles and progress further. Thankfully, none of the solutions are overly ridiculous or unintuitive (as is the case with many adventure games), though you will need to really think some stuff through from time to time. Apparently there is also a help system in place if you need it (which I didn't even realize until after finishing the game), so you probably won't ever get stuck for long, if you even get stuck at all. The game is divided into 5 chapters, each of which consists of a self-contained series of puzzles that take place on 3 or 4 "screens". Playtime is probably around 7-8 hours or so, give or take. So keep that in mind in terms of how much you are willing to pay. All in all, the game is pretty good. As I said earlier, it is nothing mind-blowing for the genre, but it's a nice experience while it lasts. Probably the worst thing I could say about it (aside from the minor glitches noted above) is that the pacing is very slow. The dialogue in particular seems like it takes foreeeeeeeever sometimes, especially with a main character who is so low-key and slow. The pace may test your patience at times. But if you don't mind that and are into classic adventure games, this is probably worth a look at some point. I would probably recommend waiting for a sale, though, unless you are hardcore into adventure games and need something new to play now.

A Machine for Pigs is a good game, as long as you judge it on its own terms. Unfortunately, that's not exactly easy to do. For one thing, it carries the "Amnesia" title, which sets certain expectations. Also, releasing so close to a similar genre game like Outlast doesn't help either. A Machine for Pigs is nothing like either of those games - it is very much its own beast (no pun intended).

Gameplay-wise, it resembles the original Amnesia, in that you explore a creepy location with nothing but the light of a lantern to aid you. The stories of the two games are also connected. But that's pretty much where the similarities end. In the original game, you had to manage resources to keep your light lit (and your character sane), which ended up being a pretty tense balancing act at times. Additionally, running and hiding from monsters was a key gameplay element. However, in AMFP, your lantern never runs out of fuel, the actual monster encounters are few and far between, and hiding is not usually necessary.

The upshot of these changes make AMFP a very different feeling game. For one, it is not particularly scary. Sure, there are definitely lots of moments of dread where you find yourself not wanting to go through a door or down a dark hallway. However, you soon realize that in most cases, there is actually nothing there to fear. Secondly, the game is very linear and the puzzles are overly simple. Mostly, you just go through a series of corridors and turn on a valve here and there, which opens up the next corridor. It's pretty easy. So this isn't really a horror game in the sense of "scare factor". The horror mostly comes from the feelings created by the environment (level and sound design, which are both excellent), and the story. The story is the high point here, though. Most of it is revealed through notes and audio recordings that are found throughout the levels. The voiceovers, and the writing especially, are very good.

I would say that is the main reason to play this game - the story and atmosphere. As a pure horror/scare-factor game, you will be disappointed. For that, you are better off playing the original Amnesia or genre newcomer Outlast. A Machine for Pigs plays much more like a horror version of Dear Esther (which should come as no surprise, as it was developed by the same people). If that sounds up your alley, definitely give this one a go. Just keep in mind it's not really very scary or action oriented, so if you are expecting a repeat of the original game (or something along the lines of Outlast), you will be severely disappointed. Playtime is around 4 hours or so, give or take. All in all, I felt it was a worthy successor to the Amnesia legacy, in its own way. Probably not as good a game overall, but definitely a unique experience that is worth checking out at some point if you enjoyed the original.

PixelJunk Monsters Ultimate is a tower defense game that requires constant attention from the player. You play as a Tiki guy defending a hut from waves of monsters. On the surface, it seems like a cheerful casual game... but looks can be deceiving. There are almost never any lulls in the action, so you always have to be on the move, planning ahead. Resources (used to build towers) come in the form of coins dropped from enemies. However, you actually have to run around and collect the coins yourself before they disappear. Similarly, in order to build towers, you actually have to walk to where you want them first. Towers can also be upgraded by standing on them, a process that takes time. Enemies also sometimes drop crystals, which can be spent to quickly upgrade towers, or saved up to purchase other types of towers. So gameplay boils down to a test of multitasking skills - you have to balance anticipating what towers need to be built (and where), while simultaneously collecting dropped resources and upgrading. It gets pretty intense.

Most levels can be completed easily enough in 1 or 2 tries, but the challenge comes in trying to do so perfectly (not letting even 1 enemy get to your hut). Perfect-scoring levels unlocks more levels to play, and so on. And that's where the challenge (and unfortunately, frustration) comes in. The main down-side to this game is that it can sometimes be very unfair. While there is an indicator that shows what types of enemies are coming up, it's not always clear enough (for example, a blinking red icon sometimes means "weak to cannons", and other times "on fire and 3 times as fast"). Also, sometimes enemies take completely different paths with no warning. These types of things are frankly just bad game design and complete BS. The best TD games allow you to deduce the path enemies will take and plan ahead accordingly. This game doesn't always do that, which leads to having to sometimes rely on memorization rather than actual skill. Thankfully, it doesn't happen a lot, but that doesn't make it any less frustrating when it does. That said, this is a small complaint when compared to how good the rest of the game is, but it is a noteworthy enough issue that it needed to be mentioned.

The main game consists of 47 levels, with an additional 24 challenge levels that can be unlocked. The challenges are levels that have to be cleared while also fulfilling some sort of special criteria (completing challenges unlocks concept art, videos, music and more). The game also has a 2-player co-op mode, which I haven't tried (but it seems like it would be really fun). All in all, between the main levels, challenges, and co-op, the amount of content available is pretty substantial. I've sunk around 60 hours in already (though technically, most of that was spent replaying levels over and over again trying to get perfect clears), but still, the fact that I put that much time into it speaks to how good the core gameplay is. Despite my rant above on the few down-sides that sometimes make it frustrating, overall, the game is solid, and lots of fun to play. If you like tower defense, this is a great one. The price seems a bit high, especially when the original version on PS3 was cheaper, but there is also more content in this version compared to the original release, plus the added multiplayer component... so I suppose it is probably justified. If you are into TD games, definitely pick it up in a sale at some point, if not at full price.

If Amnesia: The Dark Descent and the Penumbra games had a baby, that baby would be Outlast. This is classic survival horror - a creepy setting, no weapons, and no way to survive except to hide. You play as a journalist investigating an abandoned insane asylum, based on an anonymous tip of shady goings-on there. The only tool you have at your disposal is a video camera. The main hook of the game is using the camera's IR (night vision) mode to see just what the hell is going around you. It makes for some very effective moments of terror. Imagine knowing something scary and nasty is out there stalking you, but not being able to see what's 3 feet in front of you... yeah, that's the experience in a nutshell. Those moments are what makes this game effective. But unfortunately the whole game is not just those moments. Some parts I found to be somewhat tedious. For example, in one section, you have to explore an area to collect 3 fuses to restore power to something, all the while being stalked by crazy people. It's tense, to be sure, but also makes you realize that you're playing a game with a lame "collect x things" mechanic. It kind of brings you out of the experience a bit. The final section of the game is also sort of hit or miss, as it changes direction in a big way (reminds me sort of how Amnesia fell apart a little bit towards the end). But it's not necessarily bad... just different (I don't really want to get into spoilers at all), so it's one of those things where you might like it or you might not. But the majority of the game leading up to the end is pretty much consistently good. The environment is creepy as hell, the atmosphere is dark, and the "enemies" (mostly disfigured inmates) serve their purpose well. There are a few jump-scares, and the aforementioned fetch-quest sections where you're being chased, but mostly, the horror of the game comes from the combination of atmosphere and having to rely on a camera (whose batteries drain quickly when using IR) to be able to see. On the downside, you sort of get used to things after a while, so the scare factor wears off a bit towards the end. So it's ultimately a good thing that the game only lasts around 4-5 hours. Any more would have been too much. Despite the flaws, there's still lots of good things to experience here, so if you're a fan of this genre, you pretty much have to play this at some point. I think the price is probably fair, but if you can wait, it's definitely worth picking up in a sale.

Technical notes: I ran into a major bug towards the beginning of the game that prevented any further progress (it involves shaking the mouse during a quick-time event). The issue has supposedly been fixed in a patch, but it didn't work for me. There is a pinned post in the Steam discussions explaining how to work around this if it doesn't work for you either.

I'll cut right to the chase on this one - this game is amazing. Seriously, like, really good. But if you're still on the fence, or want more details, read on...

You play as two brothers, who you control at the same time using one controller (single player co-op, essentially). The left stick and left trigger button control the older brother's movement and all-purpose "action" ability, respectively, and the right stick and trigger similarly handle the younger brother's actions. For the first couple of minutes, controlling both characters simultaneously feels a bit awkward, but it quickly becomes second nature. The game does a nice job of easing you into the controls. Gameplay mainly consists of some basic platforming and solving puzzles using cooperation between the brothers. Brothers is not a challenging game whatsoever, and the path you take from start to finish is pretty much linear. On paper, those two things may seem like negatives. However, in conjunction with the rest of the experience, I felt the mechanics and ease of gameplay worked perfectly. This is not a game one plays for a challenge. It is a journey you take, experiencing the story of these brothers, in their quest to find a cure for their ailing father. This game is all about that journey, and experiencing the amazing sights and sounds of each new area and challenge that the brothers face. To add any significant amount of frustration to that experience would have been a huge disservice to the game. It feels just perfectly balanced exactly as it is. And that is all I am going to say (to get into any more specifics would defeat the purpose of experiencing it for yourself).

Brothers can be completed in roughly 3-4 hours. Even though that's not a lot, I felt it was just about right. What you get out of this game is well worth every penny, even with the short length. This is, of course, assuming that you are into these sorts of low key, emotional game experiences. If that's not your cup of tea, you may want to skip it. But for anyone else, if you are at all open to these sorts of games, you absolutely must play this at some point (though I would recommend sooner than later, so as to avoid getting inadvertently spoiled).

Technical notes: On the store page for this game, it states that a controller is required. While technically that isn't true (there are settings for keyboard in the launcher options), there IS a reason it says that. I really, really, REALLY do not recommend playing this without a controller. The wired Xbox360 controller works natively with no problem, but I would assume anything with two analog sticks and left/right triggers should be fine. The game was clearly designed around using a controller, and I just don't see how using a keyboard could possibly replicate that "zen" experience of becoming one with the controls well enough. But hey... do whatcha gotta do.

Gunpoint is an interesting little - uhhh... puzzle(?) game...? I'm not sure what to call it... yeah, I guess "puzzle" or "puzzle/strategy" makes the most sense. You play as a little trenchcoat-wearing pixel guy whose mission is to infiltrate a series of buildings, steal something, and escape without getting caught or killed. While most levels do have a clear-cut "solution", there are a variety of ways you can go about your mission, thanks to various special abilities and upgrades you get along the way. The two biggest tools at your disposal are a jumping ability that allows you to leap up to (or fall down from) crazy heights without dying, and something called a "crosslink" that allows you to hack into a building's electrical network and rewire stuff on-the-fly. For example, you can wire a nearby switch to open a door on another floor, or trigger an elevator remotely to distract a guard. The crosslink mechanic allows for a crap-load of possibilities, which is good, as that's the main meat of the game. You can also utilize violence as a means to an end in your solutions as well, either by punching out guards, threatening them at gunpoint, or outright killing them. Tying all of this together is a story full of twists, turns, and turns that twist around again. Frankly, it's kind of convoluted, but it does all make sense by the end (assuming you pay attention). The entire game can be completed in roughly 3-4 hours, so it's not overly long. I suppose this could be a bullet point in the "negatives" column, but I felt it was a decent enough amount of content for the price. It's fun while it lasts, and is worth checking out.

Technical notes: while the game itself is fundamentally good, a few technical issues do bring it down a bit. I ran into several bugs in my playthrough that caused critical elements of levels to stop working as they should, forcing a restart. It's not a huge deal, as most levels can be completed in just a few minutes, but it is worth noting. Additionally, there are some really weird resolution issues with the game. If you set it at a high resolution, you can see more of each level, but that also means that the tiles and sprites that make up the levels get smaller, making it more difficult to play (at least, I thought so). This issue can be solved by setting the game to a lower resolution so that the important areas of each level fit mostly within that area (I found 1600x900 to be a decent size, or possibly slightly larger depending on your monitor).