Recent reviews by Tr1pw1re

I'm gonna start by saying I've spent a lot of time playing the Destiny franchise. Loved the first game, and loved the second. Until I didn't.

Let me explain.
Bungie used to be one of my top rated devs. I mean, they created Halo. Which I love.
I've spent a lot of time on D1, played D2 on PS4, then Xbox and then PC. So spent a lot of time on D2. Paid for it all 3 times.
I'll just say now, the gameplay can't be faulted. It's a lot of fun. Gunplay is satisfying and the different abilities of each class are pretty cool. The locations and scripted fights (bosses and the like) are all really well done.
So why do I NOT recommend?

The way Bungie has treated the game and its playerbase.

Firstly, the cost. Its outrageous. The amount they charge for DLC is disgusting for the amount of content you get. Full price for a couple of hours of story and a few extra weapons and sometimes a new location? Just no.

Then there is the whole "sunsetting" of weapons. For those who don't know, it basically means that a weapon can no longer be levelled up. Sorry but who came up with that? Weapons which had taken some players a very long time to acquire suddenly being useless because you cant level them up anymore? Pretty $h1tty.

Then there is the fact they REMOVED ("vaulted") locations/planets from the game because the game was getting "too big"? What a load of rubbish.
This game is classed as an MMO. I have never heard of another MMO removing locations from a game because it got "too big". If this has happened before then my apologies for my ignorance, but its a pretty crappy business practice. Especially when the content being "vaulted" is content which players have PAID to access. Literally the starting planets. So content which was bought (before the game became F2P) are no longer accessible. Along with the main campaign! So losing access to previously PAID content. Marvellous.

Do I regret my time on the game? No of course not. I enjoyed it a lot and had a load of fun with friends playing it. I actually wish i still played but I refuse to buy into their B.S and pay the extravagant prices they charge for such a small amount of content.
The way the game has been handled since Beyond Light launched has been atrocious and I'm pretty much done with Bungie. I'm surprised other players still support this game with such awful changes. *shrug*

As I mentioned above, it is F2P so give it a look if you want. But just remember how much they have taken away, and how little they actually give with each subsequent release. Shame on you Bungie, shame on you. *rings bell*

I absolutely loved this game. A cross between Portal and 2001: A Space Odyssey.

Graphics:
Absolutely stunning. Very well made game. I didn't come across any issues with graphics other than a black line across the centre of the screen when stood outside the drop pod at the start of the game (only if looking in a specific direction).

Audio:
I think this is one of it's strongest points. The voice acting, sound effects and music are all very well done. Loved that James Faulkner is the voice of the A.I. Very fitting! Sounds a lot like Jeremy Irons which is never a bad thing.

Gameplay:
If you have played Portal or any games similar then you know roughly what to expect. Lots of puzzles using energy intead of portals as well as a few variations using magnets and droids. Was very satisfying figuring out the puzzles which get more challenging the further you go although not to the extent of pulling out your hair.

Plot:
I personally found the plot really interesting. The conversations between the main character and the A.I are entertaining and at times worrying! To get the full story, I believe you need to complete all the optional sections of each chapter (you can walk through the force field type barrier, which I didn't find out until late in the game). There are, I believe, two endings, although not 100% on that as only just finished it and won't be replaying it for a little while yet.

Overall:
If you enjoy games like this, then I would highly recommend it. Definitely worth the money for what you get!

This game was provided by the devs for review.


I'll keep this simple and focus on what I think people need to know.

Graphics: Pretty good, with the occasional glitchy texture but nothing too fancy.

Audio: My god. Random noise jumpscares which become more annoying over time until you get to the point you just roll your eyes each time you hear one. Other than that, audio is pretty good also.

Gameplay: Pretty simple game, but the objective is never that clear and the tips don't really do much to help. You can find more tips lying around should you run out.
The main monster in the game is a floating skeleton thing with multiple floating heads. The only way to get past it is to hide in very specific spots or using a magic shield attack to make it go away for a short period of time. More of these shield attacks can also be found once you run out.
BUT, the game likes to take these shields & tips from you. So all that effort of back tracking (which you do A LOT) and picking up more shields and tips to help you get further, the game just decides you don't need them and removes them from your inventory. Without telling you. Which to be honest is total BS. At one point, had 3 of each. Walked around a corner and I had no shields and 1 tip. Which then caused me to die when the monster appeared as I had no shield to scare it away.
You have the ability to run, but it runs out very quickly and takes a very long time to refill making movement through the game very slow.
The monster itself, is also one of the downfalls of the game. It isn't scary looking. As another reviewer mentioned, it's more like something out of an adventure game. The biggest issue with the monster is it can apparently see you through walls AND floors!

This game had a lot of potential and still does. They need to fix a number of things.

-Improve the stealth. Make it possible to hide anywhere that the monster can't see, not just specific spots.
-Less of the annoying random sounds and BS that is just added to attempt to make you jump.
-Fix the few minor graphical glitches with textures.
-Allow the player to KEEP the items they have picked up, until used. Such as shields and tips.
-Make the stamina bar either decrease at a slower rate, or refil faster.
-Fix the monster so it doesn't kill you when it can't actually see you. (Coming up through the floor for example)

Until these things have been sorted, I can not recommend this game, which is such a shame as it really does have a lot of potential to be great.

Just finished recording this for my Youtube channel after completing the first game a few months back.

I absolutely loved the first game and was very disappointed after finishing it to find out the the later games had not been released on Steam as well. So it was much to my surprise (and delight) that this came up in my Steam queue! Bought it the day it came out and have to say it did not disappoint!
Graphically, it is superb. Definite improvement over what I had seen of the trailers for the original release.
Audio yet again is also brilliant.
Gameplay is more of the same which is not a bad thing. It felt shorter than the previous one, but that could be due to knowing how the game works now after playing the previous entry so didn't spend as long solving the puzzles this time round.

Do I recommend this? A wholehearted yes. To fans of the first game, and newcomers. It's an absolute joy to play, and solving the puzzles is very satisfying. I can only hope this sells well so that they bring the 3rd game to Steam as well!

I can safely say, that this is one of my favourite horror games of the last few years.

I do believe it may be partly inspired by P.T, the Konami PS4 teaser, as the way things out of view change around you at times is very similar. The atmostphere in the game is very well crafted and you always feel on edge. This is in part due to brilliant sound design and creepy atmosphere and the imagery which is really quite something special and one of the strongest points of this game. You never quite know what freaky crap is going to happen next or where it will take you.

There are a small number of jumpscares throughout, but they are not over done and the ones that are in the game are done very well. There are quite a few horror clichés as well but are so well done you don't care how cheesy they are.
This game is absolutely crazy. Once you get into the locked room in the mansion (right at the start), that's when everything goes straight to hell.

Layers of Fear is a brilliant game and an absolute mindf*ck that plunges you into the mind of an artist who is rapidly descending into utter madness.

If you like horror, I highly recommend this game.

Sandbox Mode Review


Ok, so I've only ever written one review before this. That was for a CD on Amazon. (Lindsey Stirling if you must know).
I've been playing this game for some time now and it never fails to amaze me how much effort Hinterland Studios have put into this game, especially considering it's still in Alpha!
As stated on the store page, this is early access. So there is still content missing that will be in final release. There is another region to be added as well as story mode which I am thorougly excited for! Because of this, this review is of Sandbox mode only.

On to the review!

The Menu System
This for me has always been very accessible. After seeing some very early menus from watching older videos on YouTube they have definitely made some good changes. As it is now, it's brilliant! The first aid screen in particular is pretty cool.
I find it very handy that you can sort each section of the inventory by condition, name or weight. Very handy when you want to get rid of something weighing you down or checking on condition of food.

The Graphics
While not to everyones taste, I find the graphics stunning. Very refreshing art style. Not cel shaded but not "photo realistic" either. Catching a glimpse of the sky when it's sunset is always amazing. The wild life is also very well designed and implemented. Even if wolves are the bane of my existence. *Shakes fist*

The Gameplay
My god, this game is incredible. There is rarely a moment where you can relax. There is always something. Lack of food, lack of warmth, no weapons or tools, wolves prowling and out for blood... it just doesn't stop. My best run I managed 12 days. Each time I kick the bucket I just want to start again. The atmosphere of this game is amazing.

The Sound
The sounds in The Long Dark are spot on. Great wind sound effects, wolves when howling sound perfect and even the sound of checking through a cupboard or draw sound realistic. Great job all round from the sound department.

Overall
HIGHLY recommended. Something a little different from the usual survival games. After watching a couple friends playing this game on their YouTube channels (RentAHero & Dzaran), I just had to get it. I don't normally invest in early access games but this one I am glad to of made an exception for. One of the best survival experiences I've had in my 20+ years of gaming. Even though there is only Sandbox mode available at the moment, that's still enough to keep you playing and coming back for more especially with the number of updates Hinterland Studios makes! Bring on the story!

10/10