Recent reviews by Rybrin

Important: I could not run this game on a new computer and Windows 11, nor any type of compatibility mode despite hours of testing and following forum advice. I had to use an eight year old laptop running Windows 10 and non-current updates to get the game to work. If you buy this and have a newer machine, be prepared to jump through hoops to avoid crashes or freezes.

If you're brave or running an older computer, this is an enjoyable game. The puzzles have clear, practical application paths to indicate what you should be doing at a given time, and sit at a nice level of difficulty. Not too much trial and error, not too much backtracking, while still presenting challenge. The main character is insufferable, but he's reasonable within his character development and the plot. The 'hotspot' system, flagging what you can interact with on a screen, is super useful and prevents the general frustrations surrounding point and clicks. The worldbuilding and plot, the flavor of the game, are excellent! I look forward to seeing more of this world.

Were it not for hours of troubleshooting, I would give this game a full glowing review. It's very possible that some people who purchase this will be unable to play it.

Anna's Quest is a quirky fairy tale about a little girl, fated by a dark force, to close the chapter on a failed story. It's follows classic, though not grim, fairy tale patterns and takes notes from multiple fantasy sources. The most unexpected aspects of the game tend to arise in how items combine, or the little easter eggs in descriptions. The plot itself is straight forward.

What's to love?:
While Anna isn't innately sympathetic, she appropriately confused as someone her age might be, the puzzles she must solve to see her trip through are rather fun. Telekinesis is a nice touch that shores up a point-and-click pet peeve of mine, characters manipulating or collecting things they can't reach. I didn't find any puzzles that were too difficult, but the game offers a comfortable amount of challenge. I really liked how the dialogue and puzzles both gently indicated what you should be logically doing, without handholding and without being purposefully vague and forcing you to combine random items until you get the answer (as some point-and-clicks are guilty of).
The soundtrack isn't exactly notable, but it's highly appropriate for the setting. Moreso, the characters seem to be just how a child might perceive them, either kindly and straightforward, or horrible and difficult to understand. The cast was rather creative. The controls are also easy and at no point did I encounter any glitches or problems.

What I didn't enjoy as much.:
-A couple of the voice actors might get on your nerves after a while. (This is easy to fix, as you can toggle subtitles on at any time and mute dialogue with a button press.)
-The plot was a little bitter sweet in it's message, as fairy tales tend to be. It may not leave you with a feeling of accomplishment.
-For telekinesis being a major mechanic, it's not used nearly often enough, which is extremely disappointing. It's a core part of the plot and would have been nice to see even more of.

Over all, I would recommend the game to play if you're looking for a quirky point and click. I personally enjoyed it, though it's not a game I would play a second time.

When playing Psychonauts, it becomes immediately apparent why this game is a cult-classic and comes highly recommended. The attention to detail, tone, and the plot make this game a rich experience, while the humor, mechanics, and appearance of the game make it truly unique. You follow a young boy on his quest to become a Psychonaut at a Summer Camp, and unravel a fiendish mystery by journeying through the minds of others. You gain exciting and creative powers, forge relationships with others, and travel to locations no one has seen before.

Why I love it's details?
While the graphics aren't what we've come to expect out of exciting platformers, for the PS2 era graphics, this game was top of it's class and it -still- looks good. Anything you can interact with, has it's own special touch to it. Different animals have different behaviors and multiple ways you can interact with them; when reading thoughts, everyone sees you as something different. When going through minds, everything makes perfect sense for the person's mind your in. Every detail you find about them cements a clear story that goes well beyond what is currently happening in the game. The flavor of this game is consistent and quirky, and it was clear that the designers put thought into every level and choice.

Why I love it's tone?
You won't find another game with this feel. At first glance it's silly, but it has serious elements and deals with emotional baggage that we all understand and think about. The protagonist is witty, though doesn't underestand everything he sees, like many children. You see the world and the people in it through his eyes some, even if you can find information that paints a different picture then what he is receiving. The soundtrack is different for every area and adds a great deal of flavor for both plot and appearance of said area.

Why I love the plot?
Where else will I play a super psychic on a mission to prove himself and save the minds of others? Where else will I see this odd cast of misfits deal wtih each other and the insanity that unfolds? To describe too much would be to give spoilers, but being able to jump through multiple worlds, all with their own unique mini-story, and effect everyone that the protagonist runs into, was a great deal of fun. You change people for the better, even if it isn't a smooth ride.

Why I love/hate the mechanics?
While some powers seem to be common to every game where you can use magic or psychic abilities, like lighting things on fire, this game does it differently. Each ability you learn has multiple problem-solving applications, or is just fun to randomly use (like mindreading) as you go through the game. For PS2 era platforming, it's pretty forgiving with health and chances, as well as offering checkpoints for particularly hard segments. The game doesn't want to punish you for every mistake, an the learning curve is pretty good (until the end, fair warning, the ending is actually hard). Again, I love that you go through each area and learn something new with each section. Even the collectibles in this game are relevant; each either helps you rank up skills and power, gives you health or 'ammo', or gives you backstory you wouldn't have gotten otherwise. Collectibles can be hard to get, but it's actually -worth it- to get them, and not terribly tedious, unlike some games.

The downside is camera angles, as far as mechanics go. Some jumps are impossible to make unless you have your camera at a very specific angle. They are few and far between, but practicing camera angle control is definitely necessary for the very last level. I can imagine it being a nightmare on the PS2, but on an x-box controller or using a mouse, it's manageable now. It doesn't detract from the game, even if you'll have a few frustrated minutes here or there, retrying a jump over and over until you find the sweet spot. Please keep in mind camera angle is -everything- with hard jumps, and if you're not making it but are very close, you might just need to readjust the camera angle for the game to accept your jump.


Aside from a little mechanical rust that's leftover from the era this game was first published in, it's wonderful. I fully recommend it with flying colors, I enjoyed it thoroughly, and I hope others enjoy this bizarre and heart-warming story. It could have not even half the benefits it does, and I'd still play it just to get through the story and the mini-plots it presents.

Stories: The Path of Destinies, is an excellent game. If you enjoy storytelling, engaging narrators and decision trees, combat that is both simplified and still engaging, and a little bit of goofyness in your game, this game is definitely for you.

It's rare where a game is so self-aware, that it's plot is not only it's core, but it's guiding game mechanic as well. In Stories, you play as a ornry fox named Renard, making choices about where to go, and who to see, and what to do when you get there. These choices the player makes control what ending they get. These 'endings' start off isolated and negative, but gradually build into each other and the character keeps awareness of them, changing both the dialogue of the game, as well as what choices you can make. Renard actually learns from failures, and the in-plot explanation as to why all this works, is engaging.

While there are only a few characters, you learn every side and situation of how the main plot can be wrapped up. The only downside is that you -cannot skip through cutscenes-. You can alt-tab out, and the game continues playing and narrating on it's own, but even if you've seen the same scene twenty times, you still have to go through it. I love the narrator's voice and his dry wit, and I love the clear changes that are introduced into scenes when you've explored some routes of the possible endgame, but there are a few points I would have loved to skip through (early points that I had done many times for achievements), and could not.

Despite the cutscenes being more about the dialogue, and not too much to look at, the game is lovely. The soundtrack is pleasant, and fits each area of the game. The graphics are bright and colorful, with crisp lines and creative backdrops. Sailing through a crystal-filled area that's low in gravity and watching key items sail after you, is attractive no matter how many times you see it. There isn't much exploration, as all tracks eventually converge on one of two points per level, but each route through a level you pick has variety and different bonuses for picking that route.

Over all, I'd certainly recommend this game. The Narrator was a treat, it's exciting to see all of the possible outcomes for very meaningful choices that you have Renard make, and the game drew more than a few chuckles from me with what references it makes, and how it approaches humor. Having a character aware of bad endings, and making choices based on those endings for better endings, was fantastic and a game design choice I'd love to see more of. A character who was self-aware, without actually breaking the fourth wall, made for an extremely smooth and pleasing game.

Submerged is a beautiful exploration-based game depicting the story of a lost civilization, and the tale of an older sister looking out for her younger brother. There are no recognizable words within the game, an imaginary tribal language the only sounds sometimes uttered, but it paints quite the story with drawn pictures, and a translatable, rudamentary language as a bonus. For such a simple plot, it holds a great deal of meaning.

I love the visuals of this game. Dolphins race beside your boat as you press on, and nearly every form of sealife is a great deal larger than your little motorized skiff. There's nothing quite like locating a great blue whale to try and get close to! Much of the 'travel' of this game is done by boat, and your boat can reach great speeds, making it easy to get from place to place. The travel that isn't in your boat, as you explore this ancient sunken city? You're climbing the ruins of a civilization lost. Reminiscent of other climbing games, this is more relaxing for the fact that you can't fall a billion stories and start the 'puzzle' all over again. You scrabble over ledges, vines, old pipes, and even some ancient construction ziplines as you search for both clues to what happened to the people long since past, and find various supplies to help your little brother get well.

With so much detail put into the scenery, each building unique and it easy to make guesses about what it once was from sometimes signs, and sometimes simply architecture, the soundtrack of the game is a little limited. It doesn't wear on you, because the soundtrack doesn't play at all times. Steering of the boat takes a little while to learn, it a gentle affair, but other than that, I can't think of any bad aspect of the game. I loved playing through it, exploring and seeing the sights, and learning of the two-layered story being presented. I would absolutely recommend this game.

So, let's start out with the obvious: play this game.

Machinarium has the trifecta of art, story, and gameplay. Within this game you play as a clever, loyal robot. He faces a new problem on every screen, and you solve these puzzles to progress him further along in his goals. As you go along, idling in different areas makes him reminiscence about his life and how he ended up where he did. This provides the backstory, and then the current story speaks for itself; there's no words in this game, but it tells a powerful story with expressions and sound.

The art is fantastic. Every single panel is detailed and quirky, expressing volumes about the world this takes place in, the culture the robot is a part of, and even about the next steps of the puzzle line you face. Interactable objects all look like they belong, because no screen is perfectly static or poorly toned. The game is immersive and it's easy to forget that you're playing a simple point and click. The soundtrack is refreshing, unique no matter which screen you are on, and the variety of sound effects is higher then many other point and click games. This is an incredibly attractive, well put-together game.

Finally, mechanics and puzzles. The game received an update in mid 2017, making it's controls and character movement far smoother then the original flash player allowed. I replayed the game at that time, curious about it's new achievements (which are all story based, you'll get them naturally as you solve the harder puzzles). I was stunned at how different it felt, as while I loved it before, it felt far more in line with recent games and slightly decreases the amount of time it takes to complete the whole story. Controlling the little robot is easy, with every click responsive and the correct icons coming up for interaction whenever it's possible.

Usually I include a 'cons' section, but for the life of me I can't think of any when it comes to this game. This was one of the first point and clicks I ever played and I've come back to it a few times over the years, because I enjoyed it that much, even after finding so many other games out there. I've made over a dozen friends sit down and play this, so they could enjoy the puzzles and the story too. While a couple can take a few tries, the answers needed for each segment are completely logical. It's easy to tell when you need a certain item, and once you get that item, it's not frustrating or difficult to figure out what to do with it. The readability of this game is excellent.

Please consider playing Machinarium. It's a story that will stay with you, with an enchantingly grimy little world, and you won't find yourself pulling out your hair or bored from this game. The sounds and music of this game will find their way into your everyday life.

The first aspect of this game I noted was how lovely it was. Not that it was a platformer, or highly rated, simply that it was lovely. I was in no way disappointed. The music evolves and changes as you progress further in the percentage of blocks stepped upon, soothing and falling under the category of 'emotional' music. Whether you're above the water's surface, looking out at the sky, or diving down below the water and looking at the sunken 'city' of blocks, there's beautiful colors and the way the day and night cycle changes and effects shadow and hue is just gorgeous.

Playwise, it's very smooth. The jumps are intuitive, as are the controls. Yes, they aren't explained, but it led to some 'eureka' moments of figuring out something, whether a little parkour puzzle or simply that water didn't kill you. All of the stressful aspects of 'challenge' that other platformers have aren't present, it presenting intelligent challenges instead of ones that kill your character or make you restart your progress in some way. There being no risks is oddly refreshing. It's not a game you have to rush.

While short, it's a suitable distraction and has replay value if you're having a bad day. The combination of the color palette, the music, and having to focus on the jumps means this game can help pick up moods. I would definitely recommend it, and enjoyed playing it. Something about raising a sunken world and making it green is just attractive, no matter how simplistic the game is.

Note: Recommended for specific audiences, who enjoy both the occasional logical proof, as well as repetitive farming. This is not for everyone.
I enjoyed this game, you very likely will not.


The Herbalist is a management game of sorts. The gameplay revolves around managing energy/actions, and dividing that among different resources to advance the capabilities of the character and the plot. Divided into days, this can be very easy and relaxing for the first time player; for the achievement hunter, you'll find this a grueling battle. The achievements of this game have both skill and luck requirements, as well as farm-heavy instances. While it's simple time management for foods, herbs, and currency, the logic puzzle part of the game (which can be entirely ignored, but it's more efficient to stop and reason it out) has do to with later-level potions brewing. The tags and colors of potions are randomized at the start of the game, meaning that user-guides can only help you so far. This actually adds an enjoyable challenge to an otherwise very tame game.

Well, tame being relative. There was peculiar and forced nudity of the main character, Slavyana, at points. Nothing animated or detailed, but anime-stills of situations she inexplicably ends up in. Anything from a brewed tentacle demon, to an unfortunate set of ropes, or even a peeping tom. The art is nice enough, staying mostly consistent and expressing emotion correctly, but the random nudity felt strange for the game. Thankfully, it didn't detract at all, as you still get to help her tumble and stumble through the main plot. In regards to the main plot, I actually rather enjoyed it. It needed more investigative aspects, of Slavya actually hunting for her grandmother, or recounting past memories, or looking over her things, but it was quirky enough to be enjoyable, especially in getting to the answer (past the trial and error) of how to solve that storyline. The storyline had lots of folklore references that were appropriate to the region, as was some of the period ware and home structure. Little details like that significantly added to the experience of the game. It is necessary to say, however, that I wish there had been more plot and character development.

One of the major downsides to this game, for me, is the soundtrack. It's pretty, but repetitive; the loop is way too short, and it needed more music, or situational themes for character reactions or places. Another downside was the lack of hints and clues about how to correctly use items. The tutorial shows you initial potion blending, but there are more aspects of the item crafting section of the game then just that. Some items you wouldn't think would interact with one another, end up doing so, and finding those matching pairings takes a great deal of additional time.
As alluded to above, I spent the most time in this game, on the achievements. Some of them were farming, so not as fun, but some of them added new challenges to the game and changed the style of play, making this game at least playable twice.

As far as glitches went, the game had these peculiar periods of slowing down quite a bit, so that the cursor teleported after a delay; the computer this was tested on can play better games without this problem. Also, this game seems to have a problem with it's random currency generator in one of the areas, proclaiming that sometimes you win and naming what you win, but treating the scenario as a loss. It wasn't game breaking, but it was a little perplexing. The randomization of spawns and potions was entirely alright, but the win-loss condition for digging doesn't have the same clarity or function.


Overall, if you're looking for a casual, quirky little game to spend a few hours on, building and exploring item pairings to get to a finale, then you might have interest in this game. To most people though, despite the fact I enjoyed it, I wouldn't recommend it. It falls flat on too many key points. I really like the idea, and I like aspects of the game, but I'm disappointed in it too. As this game is still being worked on by developers, I plan to revisit it in a year if it's had significant changes in that period, and perhaps at that time, I'll rewrite this review.

The Room Two. If you haven't played the original Room game, I strongly recommend to go back and play it as well. While the Room Two can be completed without any knowledge from the prior game, it will enrich your experience of the plot, the visuals, and a couple of the puzzle levels. This game is only slightly more difficult then the last, with more to explore, and more places and puzzles to hide things.

You start in this game where the original Room left off; you've been sucked, quite literally, into this mystery that you inherited. Getting out means solving more puzzles, even as the letters you read by those, plural, that came before you get progressively more desperate. In this game we discover more about the universe this plot takes place in, from who had delved into the mysteries before, to what they discovered as they tripped into these forces.

Ignoring the plot, for it's delicate and subtle, is entirely possible (though where's the fun in that?). While in the original Room you were essentially rooted to one spot, able to spin boxes and puzzles and pedestals around, but not able to move about rooms and explore more thoroughly; in the Room Two, you can flit about on one stage among multiple puzzles, getting full visuals of the rooms you attempt to escape. The puzzles are complex without being frustrating, usually with clear ways to proceed; you may not know where a lightbulb is, for instance, but it's very clear you need one, and all of the puzzles give that clear sense of direction, so that while you may be temporarily perplexed, you are never lost and never irritated.

While it's a fairly casual puzzle game, none of it's targets or answers too small to be easily found, for anyone struggling, the game also will offer hints when directed. The first hint is always fairly vague, but sometimes enough to jar your memory of a minute detail, or give you an area to search in and still get the answer on your own. The second hint is always blunt, and will absolutely get you past any snag you get stuck on. For players who loathe hints, they can also be disabled entirely.

While I love the puzzles, for they are both clever, perfectly interlocking, and beautiful...the visuals are what take the cake in this game. Objects are easy to manipulate and zoom in on, letting you appreciate the craftsmanship of the items like you're actually holding them, instead of a mouse. The texturing and detailing of this game is incredible, and it's even finer and cleaner then the last game. The mechanics are solid; the camera is always smooth, it's always clear where you should click and clicking or dragging is equally as smooth as the camera angles. I encountered no glitches while playing this game. The controls are essentially intuitive within a puzzle or so.

Every puzzle level has it's charm in this game; whether you like decayed surroundings, Imperial vessels, ancient South American temples, elegant 18th century parlors, or turn-of-the-century alchemical labs, you're going to find a setting that you have to take a moment to sit back and appreciate for it's attention to details. Not just visual details, which to me still rank the most important, but little sounds. The clink of glass when moved, the sounds from outside windows, the nearly Lovecraftian slither of something right beyond your senses...the sounds and background ambiance of the game do fine work in conveying that this game isn't just about puzzles, but that there's a plot bordering on horror just waiting behind every door you step through.

This game is a fine one to play with friends; even if they don't like puzzles, just seeing the setting is rewarding. There is one chapter that's really a cutscene, which I find myself a little sad about, but it in no way detracted from the game; it added a little more flavor to the universe. Make sure you watch the water, but move quickly to leave. If you play with the lights out, you may continue hearing the background sounds of this game even after you've finished playing it. Remember, observe your surroundings; look for places where details aren't uniform, and keep in mind that sometimes you can rotate the camera angle in unexpected ways. Enjoy the details of this game, and they'll get you through it quicker.
I loved this game, and I'm desperately waiting for the next one. The games, like the puzzles, are becoming progressively more creative and complicated, and only in the best of ways.

The Room is an enchanting, detail-driven puzzle game with a fine combination of delicate visuals and compelling background atmosphere. This is a game you'll want to replay with friends, just so they can see and experience the complexity of the beautiful puzzles.

This game comes in stages, each level with a steady difficulty curve from the previous one; none of these puzzles are overly challenging, but several of them are delightfully innovative. Clicks and sweeps of the mouse are how you navigate around each level, each level focused around a multi-faceted, multi-layered object of incredible texture and brilliance. The objects you handle are just as delicious visually as the puzzles are stimulating. All of the clicks and camera motions are smooth, and I encountered no glitches while playing this game. For players having trouble figuring out the 'where' of something, whether it be a hidden tool or what the tool should be used on, there are useful hints that come in stages, and only when prompted. The first hint is always very vague, usually enough to trigger that 'oh!, I remember that!'. The second hint is always blunt, and gets you past whatever your snag is without fail. For players who despise hints, they can also be disabled entirely, so they won't distract you with their gentle pulsing light in a tiny corner of the screen.

I loved everything about this game, from the haunting and mysterious sounds, to how the plot is delivered in carefully placed puzzles, scenery, and letters. Above all, the texturing and the details of the puzzles themselves. Every object is beautiful and can be examined up close, whether they go into your inventory, or they are part of the larger puzzle. This is the kind of game that inspires writing and dreams. I recommend it to all of my friends, and have replayed it myself. This is not a puzzle game you will be frustrated with, or regret; it strikes an incredible balance for all levels and variety of players.