Recent reviews by Kaizen R=P*S

Fashion Police Squad is a comedic boomer shooter developed by Mopeful Games. Set in a vibrant "City of Fashion", the game follows Des, a stylish police officer tasked with battling terrorists who threaten aesthetics with their poorly chosen outfits. The game reminded me of action-comedy films like Bad Boys, blending dynamic action with plenty of humor.
At its core, FPS delivers the essence of a classic FPS/boomer shooter, with a unique twist: each enemy type requires a specific weapon to defeat. However, instead of killing them, you simply improve their outfits, fitting the game's humorous tone. This mechanic adds a layer of strategy, ensuring gameplay remains engaging. The game features 13 missions and 3 challenge levels, pitting players against 12 enemy types and 3 bosses. Enemy variety is a highlight, as each opponent demands a distinct approach, from weapon choice to combat strategy. While the first boss battle feels underwhelming, the second and third bosses stand out with creative designs and multi-phase encounters. Without giving too much away, during the fight with the second boss, one phase completely shifts the game's genre, while another cleverly references a classic. In the final phase of the last boss fight, after a fusion, the boss looks like something straight out of a horror game, and I really liked it. Platforming elements are another pleasant addition. The difficulty progression could have been better, as the early levels might feel a bit too easy, but the spike in challenge from level 10 onward was quite enjoyable. The game features six weapons:

• A paint gun that shoots paint and, with its alternate fire, has a beam that absorbs color.
  
• A needle gun paired with fabric grenades.
  
• Sock-eating gnomes.
  
• A water gun doubling as a mobility tool for platforming.
  
• A bazooka capable of bypassing enemy immunities.
  
• A belt for stunning foes.

Though effective, the limited arsenal leaves a slight craving for more weapons.
Fashion Police Squad boasts a delightful pixel art style dominated by bright, vibrant colors. The enemy and weapon designs are creative and charming, adding personality to the game. While the locations are visually appealing, repetitive level layouts and recycled environments occasionally detract from the experience. Despite this, the game’s overall aesthetic is polished and enjoyable.
The audio experience is a mixed bag. For much of the game, the soundtrack serves as unintrusive background noise, but levels 12 and 13 stand out with a more memorable and engaging score. Weapon sound effects are adequate, complementing the gameplay without standing out. The enemy dialogues are kept in a humorous tone and work well.
The narrative is straightforward. It’s not a story driven by twists or complexity but serves its purpose as a backdrop for the gameplay. The humor and tone align nicely with the game’s premise, creating a light-hearted and enjoyable experience.
Fashion Police Squad is a pleasant, compact game with a solid amount of replayability. Players can revisit levels to find missed secret posters, collect swag points (which are necessary to complete a level 100%), complete missed achievements, or repeat boss fights. It also offers an opportunity for speedrunning through the levels you’ve already mastered.

American Arcadia is a unique narrative-driven puzzle platformer developed by Out of the Blue. Set in a utopian 1970s-inspired city, the game is reminiscent of The Truman Show, but on a much larger scale. As the story unfolds, the main character's daily routine slowly unravels as seeds of doubt are planted, leading to a gripping escape narrative.
The gameplay of American Arcadia blends two perspectives: Trevor’s 2D side-scrolling platforming and Angela’s first-person puzzle-solving sequences. At times, the game also incorporates a second-person camera, where from Angela's perspective, you observe and control Trevor, adding a unique layer to the gameplay. This duality keeps the experience fresh. That said, there are a few technical hiccups. During play, I experienced two game crashes when trying to load specific scenes, and at one point, I got stuck in the environment, forcing a reload from the last checkpoint.
Visually, American Arcadia shines with its retro-futuristic aesthetic. One of the standout levels involves navigating through multiple television screens. Another memorable moment occurs when the game mimics a Twitch-like chat during a live broadcast scene, offering a fun, meta twist that feels in tune with modern streaming culture.
The sound design supports the immersion in both the story and gameplay. The background music matching the retro-futuristic atmosphere. One song stands out for its pleasant melody, and the game creatively incorporates snippets of it in various scenes, sometimes even in a comedic context, which adds to the charm. The voice acting is also commendable, particularly in the delivery of humorous and emotional moments. The game nails its comedic timing, with well-executed jokes adding a lighter tone to the more intense narrative moments.
The story offers a compelling look at a society unknowingly trapped in a reality TV show, much like The Truman Show but on a grander scale. Trevor’s routine slowly unravels as uncertainty and doubt creep in, driving the tension forward. The plot twists are engaging and well-executed—the twist involving Javert is pretty funny and adds a touch of humor to the narrative, while the revelation about Number 6 adds depth to it. One of the things I really liked is that the game doesn’t end with a typical happy ending. This choice is refreshing and gives the story more weight, leaving players with a sense of reflection. The balance between humor, tension, and the unexpected conclusion makes the experience stand out.
Despite a few technical issues, American Arcadia is an enjoyable experience from start to finish. Its unique art style and engaging narrative make for a compelling package. While the game leans more toward delivering a focused, linear story, there are moments of brilliance in its level design and plot twists that make it memorable. The game’s replayability is minimal, making it more of a pleasant one-time experience. Personally, I don’t feel the need to play it again. However, for those who may have missed an achievement, it’s possible to replay specific scenes. That said, revisiting some of the more creatively designed segments after some time might not be a bad idea.

Truberbrook is a point-and-click adventure game developed by btf. Set in 1960s rural Germany, the game follows the story of Hans Tannhauser who arrives in the village of Trüberbrook to spend his vacation. This is one of those games where a thumbs up or thumbs down rating doesn't quite do it justice. I'd be much closer to giving it a neutral rating, but since that's not an option, after some consideration and taking into account a few annoying bugs and the fact that the game's main selling point is its graphics, I'm leaning more towards giving it a thumbs down.
Gameplay is classic point-and-click adventure. We're controlling Hans as he explores the village and interacts with its inhabitants. For some reason, in this game, you can't combine everything with everything else. Objects that can be interacted with have pre-assigned items that can be used with them. On the one hand, this prevents players from getting lost like in older games, but on the other hand, it simplifies the game too much.
The graphics are the best thing about this game. The handmade character models and scenery are stunning, and the expansive backgrounds can be breathtaking. The environments, though detailed, sometimes come across as a bit static and lifeless. We could also say that the levels aren't very diverse. On a few occasions, the dialogue options were invisible when selecting them.
The sound was neither good nor bad, it was just okay. Musically, I didn't remember anything except one song at the end of the game. The dialogues mostly sounded fine, but sometimes they seemed too theatrical and didn't sound natural, and there were also moments when what the characters were saying didn't match the subtitles.
The story is fairly straightforward but enjoyable enough. There's an intriguing mystery at the outset that is revealed rather quickly. There are a number of intriguing characters, but they are unfortunately underdeveloped and their roles are ultimately insignificant. The ending is a bit too rushed, and the main antagonist seems to be chosen somewhat randomly, with no real indications that something is amiss until the villain is suddenly revealed. The post-credits scene is a nice tie-in to the prologue, but the very long credits that cannot be skipped or at least sped up were very annoying.
Truberbrook struggles to maintain a high level of enjoyment. Graphics aren't everything, and the annoying bugs, while mostly minor, still detracted from the overall experience. Its replayability is limited, as the linear narrative offers little incentive for multiple playthroughs. The lack of meaningful choices further reduces the desire to revisit the game. It's playable, but not particularly memorable.

The Excavation of Hob's Barrow is a point-and-click adventure game developed by Cloak and Dagger Games. We follow the story of Thomasina, who travels to a small, dwindling village to conduct the titular Excavation of Hob's Barrow. It's one of those games where when you have to choose between giving a thumbs up or a thumbs down, there's a missing option in between, and out of the two choices available, I'm slightly leaning towards the thumbs down, unfortunately.
Gameplay is simple; after all, it's just a point-and-click game. We explore the village, interact with its inhabitants and uncover secrets related to both the village and ourselves. The game's puzzles aren't really challenging, except maybe in the final act, where they are slightly more difficult.
The pixel art graphics in this game may not be the most beautiful I've ever seen, but they are good enough and capture the atmosphere of the game very well. The endless moors, which are charming on one hand and quite eerie on the other, or the small dying town and its not-so-friendly inhabitants, are all depicted excellently. The zoomed-in scenes were great, except for the close-ups of our main character's eyes. That scene appeared too often, and at some point, it became tedious and lost its uniqueness.
The sound design is impressive. I really like the eerie ambient sounds that emphasize the atmosphere, and most importantly, they don't disrupt the rhythm or become bothersome. The voice acting is also well-done. It was very enjoyable to listen to the strong accents of the characters, and not once did I feel like I was listening to an actor playing a role. Instead, I always felt like I was listening to the characters themselves.
Story is a blend of mystery, horror, and folklore. Initially, the game does a good job of building suspense and atmosphere, which unfortunately is completely ruined by the rushed last act. There are too many plot holes, unanswered questions, and increasingly foolish decisions by the characters that only serve to push the plot forward but don't fit the characters at all. Additionally, the fact that the game only has one ending is disappointing; it would have been better to have at least two endings, not to mention that there was a missed opportunity to include a secret ending. The lead-up to the titular excavation was promising, but after it began, things only got worse. The suspense and atmosphere that were built up earlier suddenly vanished, and they never returned.
Considering that there's only one ending and the few choices you can make have no impact on the course of events, the game doesn't offer any replayability. As for enjoyment, despite the promising start, the final phase was so off-putting, tedious, and it destroyed the atmosphere that had been built up earlier. As a result, my enjoyment of playing this game significantly decreased, and what hurt the most was the wasted potential.

We Were Here Expeditions: The FriendShip is a cooperative escape room puzzle game developed by Total Mayhem Games. It's another entry in the We Were Here series. In this part, we focus on repairing the ship in order to escape from the abandoned amusement park. The developers offered the game for free for a limited time, so I was able to claim it at no cost.
The core of the game lies in its cooperative gameplay. Players control separate characters, unable to see each other directly. Escape requires constant communication via walkie-talkie, describing their surroundings and collaborating on solutions. This mechanic is consistent with previous games in the WWH series.
While it may not be groundbreaking graphically, there's nothing to complain about. The graphics are pleasing to the eye, effectively capturing the atmosphere of the setting, and the level design is very well executed.
Since communication relies heavily on walkie-talkie use, clear and well-crafted audio is essential. The game delivers, with crisp voice transmission, good environmental sounds and pleasant music.
We have exposition and justification for our actions, but the story has never been the main focus of these games, and the same is true here. However, that's okay for the game.
Solving puzzles with a friend brings a huge level of satisfaction and is extremely fun. While the core story can be completed in a single sitting, the game offers some replayability. We can replay challenges to achieve better results. While a bronze ticket is enough to pass, in good company, attempts to obtain a gold ticket are never dull.

Oneiros is a first-person, surrealist puzzle adventure game developed by Coal Valley Games.
It's basically a walking simulator with puzzles. We explore surreal, dreamlike levels and to proceed in our adventure, we have to solve some riddles. Overall, it's pretty easy; only one puzzle in the entire game gave me a little trouble. The biggest downside was that you couldn't just put down an item normally; you had to drop it under yourself.
The game's use of color and lighting is pretty nice, creating a dreamlike atmosphere that is both captivating and unsettling. The HUD design was very cool.
The music is atmospheric and complements the game's surreal setting really well. The sound effects are well-done. Perhaps the character voices aren't bad, but they're very much average.
The story isn't inventive; it's quite generic. There isn't really any plot twist, and you quickly realize what's happening to the main character, so the ending isn't surprising in any way. Additionally, it's ended in a somewhat strange, if not weak, manner.
Oneiros was an extremely enjoyable game for me, mostly thanks to surrealic atmosphere, bird character and song from main menu. I wouldn't say the game has replay value. I completed it once and don't feel any need to finish it again. I finished it in just 4 hours, spent the time quite nicely, and that's it.

Mia and the Dragon Princess is an FMV game created by Wales Interactive, telling the story of Mia, a young bartender who helps a mysterious woman.

The plot is predictable and uninteresting. There are too many characters for a game that can be completed in about an hour, resulting in flat and unengaging characters. The events in the game fail to evoke any emotions. Most choices have no real impact, and the player doesn't feel that their actions influence anything. Additionally, the comedic moments are unfunny and anticlimactic.

The game consists of short film segments. When it comes to making a choice, the image pauses for a brief moment in a rather odd manner. There are very few locations, and none of them are memorable.

The gameplay is simple and straightforward. At certain points, we have a few seconds to choose one of two dialogue options that progress the story, but choices with a real impact on what happens can be counted on one hand. There are also a few personality traits that we develop throughout the story, but they don't affect anything either.

Obecnie najlepszy battle royale na rynku.

Kultowa.

Hitman 2 to praktycznie to samo co poprzednia odsłona z 2016 roku.

Znowu dostajemy półotwarty świat, dopracowane lokacje i fabularyzowane możliwości zabijania celów.
Przed ropoczęciem wybieramy ekwipunek, miejsce początku akcji oraz schowek, w którym znajdziemy dodatkowe przedmioty dostarczone nam przez agencję.
Wycofano się też z podziału na epizody.
Nowości to:

• funkcja picture in picture
  
• ukrywanie się w krzakach i tłumie
  
• NPC reagują na to co zobaczą w lustrach
  
• walizka

Plusy:

• świetnie zaprojektowane mapy
  
• doszlifowana w porównaniu do poprzedniej odsłony
  
• zabawa na kilkadziesiąt godzin

Minusy:

• nie wszystkie mapy są tak duże jak wcześniej
  
• największy i jak dla mnie jedyny minus to przenikanie się postaci w tłumie