Recent reviews by Pinkie

I had been looking forward to this being released, and I was not disappointed.

I love Obra Dinn, Golden Idol, and the likes, and The Roottrees is such a perfect addition to that genre.
The style of late 90s early internet hits all the nostalgia notes for me, but the absolute freedom you have to find information to solve the family tree is just second to none.
I have completed both story arcs, so for the price you definitely get your moneys worth in my opinion. I did miss some of the optional information and clues, but honestly, that speaks volumes about the depth of the story and the people in it.
I have a few achievements to go back and complete, and a couple of loose ends from my initial playthrough that I want to try and finish, but I am more than happy to spend a couple more hours doing so.

One thing I would like to give mention to is the soundtrack. I was impressed at the addition of actual songs as part of the characters stories, but the chilled out Jazz that plays while you're trawling the internet for information just adds something to the whole experience that I absolutely love.

If you're a fan of games like the Golden Idol series, Obra Dinn, or Orwell, then this is a must buy.

My go to game when I've thrown on a podcast or some music and just want to relax.

The main game probably equals about 2-5 hours of my playtime, but its the infinite that I've happily sunk the other 800 hours in to. Here's to 800 more!

This is definitely a case of "I wish there was a neutral review option".

I have to state that the first Talos Principle is among the best puzzle games I have ever played. So, it goes without saying that its sequel had a lot to live up to.

First, the good.
The game looks stunning. The areas are vast (I'll come back to this point later), and the scenery is beautiful.
The story is well connected to that of the first, and leans heavily into ancient mythology, with some interesting takes on society and the story of humankind.
I haven't encountered any bugs or issues - and that's running on a HDD and not an SSD as recommended, and on a 7 year old potato. So, that's definitely a plus point.

Now, the bad.
The world of Talos 2 may be vast and beautiful - but it is mostly empty. The layout of every area is so similar, and a large amount of time is spent just running between locations. Only for a short interaction in each place, then to run back to where you came from.
Each area is just repetitive. Each contains 8 standard puzzles, 2 bonus puzzles, 2 statues, 2 hand sensors, and 1 lab.
That's it, That's all there is. Rinse and repeat with different scenery.
The puzzles themselves are, as much as I hate to say it, easy. There has only been one occasion where a puzzle has taken more than 5 minutes to complete, and that was a statue puzzle.
The story is fine. Its really trying to build intrigue like the first did, but in comparison I just don't feel as invested. There is a whole cast of additional characters, and it just feels like it has lost its way. The messages about society and morality feel a lot more forced than in the first game, and I just feel that its lost its charm.

As a stand alone game, this is perfectly fine. Not a classic by any means, but it holds its own as a generic puzzle/walking sim. But, it isn't a stand alone, and so has to be compared to the original, and in that sense, it just falls short in almost every way.

I will recommend, because it isn't a bad game by any means, and it definitely doesn't deserve a thumbs down. It just doesn't live up to the weight of the expectation upon it.

I write this after having just completed a full run through, and got what I believe is the best "good" ending you can get.

This game is spectacular. Larian won me over with DOS2, but this has blown me away.

I dont really know where to start. Firstly, I was so impressed with the seemingly never ending character and class customisation options. Literally anything goes, you want to be a demonic bard who can also shoot fire AND knock your opponent senseless with one punch? You can!

There is a strong and deep mix of story characters littered throughout the game, meaning you could play with a completely different combination of classes every time you left camp. You can be as good, as evil, or as placid, as you like.
You can do everything, or you can simply watch the story play out in front of you. You can sleep with literally everyone. And you can pet the dog - and play fetch!

A friend is also playing, and we have, through our numerous chats whilst playing, discovered that we have both uncovered different quests from the same people - depending on our choices - with different outcomes, and run completely different group styles. Meaning both of us have a plethora of new things to find on a second play through.

Performance wise, I did have some crashes during Act III, and I did have some graphical bugs in cut scenes, but, Im running on an older PC, and running it off a HDD, not an SDD as advised. So, its likely down to that more than anything else.

I would also like to add that Act III alone, I spent in excess of 50 hours - thats more than some AAA games have for their entire campaign. The voice acting is top notch, and the music is very atmospheric. You can tell a lot of work has gone into creating the atmosphere in every area.

I am genuinely sad I have completed this. And I will be playing again.

I, without a doubt, recommend Baldur's Gate 3. Worth every single penny.

Visage is scary - to begin with.
I had seen some game play through Gaming Harry on Youtube, and really enjoyed the premise of the game. So I decided to give it a go for myself.
The atmosphere in this game is very good. The house has new twists and turns in each chapter, and the bits in between, and this makes each persons story unique, even though they all take place in the same house. Each of the three chapters stories were also very strong, and I was left empathising with pretty much every character by the end.

I definitely think that the scare factor wore off for me by the time I had finished the first chapter (Lucy). And by the time I got to Rakan's chapter the chases were more an inconvenience than anything else.
i will admit though that I did, on more than one occasion, have to resort to a guide to work out what the hell I had to do next. That is, sadly, the biggest downfall of Visage, especially in Delores' and Rakan's chapter. It gives little to no indication as to what you need to do next, and sometimes it was something so obscure that I'm not sure how exactly anyone would be expected to know without looking it up.

Overall I would say this is a pretty solid game with some tricky puzzles, nice atmosphere and decent story, and horror fans should definitely give it a go.

323 hours, several save files, numerous DLCs, and I haven't completed the game yet.

Recommended, for hard as hell game play and the sultry tones of the narration.

It does pain me a little to have to give this a negative review, because I can see there is scores of potential here.
In all honesty, this in no way feels like a full release game, its Early Access without the title.

A short list of the bugs I've encountered in my 3 hours so far :

- 7 crashes, 5 of which were in an elevator the other two were scrolling through decor menus.
- My lobby is apparently only decorated when I'm stood in it, when I look from the upper balcony the walls are bare brick, and there is a single painted patch on the ceiling.
- There is a person constantly stuck in the elevator, who just walks around in circles. she also has an eye missing.
- I have a patch approx 7 squares large in the restaurant that I cannot paint no matter where I stand or what I try.
- A wall in a lobby constantly changes colour every time I walk past it (one I haven't decorated yet)
- Random trash falling from the ceiling after the room is complete.
- A man is stuck in my wall.
- At one point my receptionists legs were twisted in a very unnatural way.

I am starting to think my hotel may be haunted, as thats the only logic reason I can muster from a gameplay standpoint.

Oh, and also the loading times are rather long.

Like I said, I can see scores of potential here, graphically its very nice, and whilst there isnt a vast amount of decoration options, it does appear that more unlock as you play.

If you've played House Flipper then you'll likely find this a disappointment in its current state. I can say that I'll come back to it once there has been a patch or two, and will update this review if the game improves, but right now its more frustrating than it is fun.

This game needed to do a lot to live up to expectations given the hype.
Does it? For the most part, yes!
I admit, graphically I did expect more, but then again, I'm running on a 5 year old PC, so I cant really complain too much that it doesnt look as good as I expected.
There have been a few minor bugs here and there, and loading screens can be a bit slow. Which does lower the "hitting the hype" factor slightly. But, there's been nothing major from my experience so far, so, again, cant complain.
Day 1 patch appeared on time, and didn't break anything (for me at least).

The story is good enough, I wasn't expecting a masterpiece, but it does enough to peak my interest and keep me going. And there is so much to see, do, explore, mess with. So its satisfying my inner collector. As a side note, my character is voiced by someone who sounds EXACTLY like early season Sansa from GoT, its thrown me numerous times, to the point I had to check it wasnt the same person (its not).

Overall I'm pretty happy with the game so far, and I cant see why I wont push to completion of both the story and the extras. So, happy camper here!

Also ... YOU CAN PET ALL THE CATS!!!!!

Steam tells me that I purchased this game in June 2018.
I only completed the game on 5 boss cells two DAYS ago. That's how shockingly bad I am at Dead Cells.

However, never, in my entire 30 years of playing video games, have I hated and loved a game in equal measure as I much do this one.

It's easily my favourite game on Steam, if not one of my favourite games ever. It makes me hate myself in a way no other game can. I've thrown controllers, I've shouted in despair, I have rage quit more times than I can remember.
But, NOTHING, can match the feeling I got when I finally killed that damn collector!

I HATE the damn birds.
I HATE the damn sewer mushrooms.
I HATE the Astrolabs.
I LOVE THIS GAME.

I was really, really excited for this. I adored Psychonauts back in the day, and like so many others, I was desperate for a sequel.
Well, having just finished the main story, I can honestly say it was fine. That's it. It was just fine.

The story was solid enough. The usual jokes were there. The characters were fun and interesting. It does a wonderful job of highlighting how mental health can and does effect situations. The levels are quirky, theres tons of collectables, and lots to keep you busy.

But, I still find myself underwhelmed. I don't necessarily have anything bad to say about it, aside from fiddly combat mechanics in some fights. But I also don't have anything that I'll overly remember about it in 3 months time.

Did I enjoy it? Yes, enough to keep playing to the end. Would I play it again? No.

There was nothing about the game that warrants a thumbs down, so I guess I have to recommend. But I'd say pick it up on sale.
I wish I could rave about it. But like I said, its just fine.