Recent reviews by Yirba

Clock Tower is one of my favourite games of all time. The Dario Argento inspired narrative and aesthetics really made an impression on me when I first played it 15 or so years ago. It is full of genuinely creepy and scary moments, but despite that, I feel encouraged to bring the protagonist Jennifer Connelly Simpson to safety. There is a lot of replay value since elements of the game are randomised in each playthrough, and there are nine distinct endings depending on your actions.

Now, with Rewind, this classic is officially available in English for the first time. This isn't a remake, but rather an enhanced port of the original Super Famicom game. You can indeed play the original version, but I would recommend the new Rewind mode that includes some gameplay enhancements and additions previously seen in some subsequent ports. Although the developer recommends playing with a controller, I think that as a point-and-click game, it actually works best if you use a mouse and keyboard.

There are various extras, too, such as a fully voiced motion comic, scans of the official strategy guide and an enlightening interview with the game's director, Kōno Hifumi. There are a few annoyances such as the game not displaying correctly in fullscreen mode if your display has an aspect ratio of 16:9 and that you can't refer to the game's controls mid-game. But these are things I can live with. I highly recommend this release!

Initial thoughts after the prologue (first couple of hours):
I'm really enjoying this story about a blind painter and her assistant, both of whom are fascinating characters with great chemistry. I like how they uncover the mystery of their client's buried memories. I also love the visual style which is very fitting for a story about a painter. I can't wait to find out how Lilja and Natsuka's relationship will develop!

I really enjoyed this game. I'll be honest: the story doesn't always make sense and it can get very silly at times, but it has many interesting characters, fun minigames and catchy music.

It features Japan's top superstar, Mikami Yua. Some fans may be disappointed that the game isn't all about her, but I thought that she has a reasonable amount of screen-time and I thoroughly enjoyed her scenes. But I appreciated the performances of the rest of the cast, too.

I noticed some bugs here and there, but nothing deal-breaking, and the developers have been releasing updates to address issues and are very responsive on the official Discord server.

Whether you're a fan of Mikami or not, this FMV dating sim is worth checking out.

Like everyone else is saying, don't read the reviews – just play the game. It's free and took me 16 minutes.

Not fun! It took me half an hour to set up the game, for it to sort out the shaders, and for me to connect a WB Games account and a Wizarding World account. I have to play the game in window mode because fullscreen mode crops the sides of the UI, meaning I can't read all the text. The game is buggy and won't quit properly. I have to force quit the game in Steam and then restart Steam otherwise it still says the game is running.

As for the game itself, it's not particularly engaging. Lots and lots of boring cutscenes, and when you do get to control your character, it's a lot of running around and quick-time events. Honestly, I couldn't take the game seriously after the opening cutscene where your character grins like a Cheshire cat at the sight of someone being devoured by a dragon. What kind of maniac are you playing as?!

Maybe if you're really into Harry Potter then you might enjoy this game, but it's not for me.

A really fun survival horror game that feels a lot like the early Resident Evil games on PSOne. Of course, a lot of the game's appeal is the nostalgia factor, but I think it's a genuinely good game on its own merits. To be honest, after a while, I sort of forgot I was playing a 2024 game that looks like it's from the '90s.

It has a great story and some wonderful characters. I saw a review complaining that there's only an explanation at the end, but whilst it's true there is a big reveal in the finale, there are many clues littered throughout the game and it was fun to try to piece together the narrative.

Another complaint is that the game is too easy. As someone without good reflexes, I often find that games are too difficult, so I'm glad to finally be able to play an action game I could actually beat! If it's too easy for you, there is also a Hard Mode, so everyone should be catered for. It's true that you can often avoid enemies rather than kill them, but that's part of what you should expect from a 'proper' survival horror game. There is limited ammo, so it's wise to use it sparingly.

Many thanks to SFB Games for creating Crow Country – stellar job!

I'll be honest: I wasn't expecting much from this game. It's not the sort of game I'm used to, and I didn't think it would be my cup of tea. Oh how wrong I was!

There is a lot of erotic content in this game. In fact, there's a lot more sexual content than in most adult games I've played. But there's so much more to Being a ♥♥♥ than that. It has a large cast of wacky characters, and a story with genuinely touching scenes. It's just so much fun. The graphics weren't to my tastes at first, but they soon grew on me. The massive amount of renders makes me feel a lot more like I'm watching a film than most visual novels do.

So yes: this game really is all it's cracked up to be. Check it out!

This is an extremely entertaining live-action dating sim style game. I was pleasantly surprised by the amusing plot lines and charming characters, each with their unique traits. The videos are very well produced, with some fantastic performances.

The English translation could do with a bit more work. For the most part, it's comprehensible, but there are times when it doesn't really make much sense. Some of the choices don't seem to do what you'd think based on the label. But to be honest, it doesn't matter all that much -- you can always go back and make another choice easily, and I highly recommend trying every possible choice because they all lead to entertaining exchanges.

A great story from a great writer, this is a must-read for fans of Ryūkishi07 (Higurashi, Umineko). I love the characters, each charming and unique in their own way. Iwaihime is one of those stories that keeps you guessing, but that finally makes sense at the end.

As someone who prefers to listen to my own music than lofi beats, I'm probably not the target audience. I was more interested in the productivity tool aspect, but although the task list is useful, I didn't like that the pomodoro timer just automatically moves on to the next phase, and I couldn't tell when that had happened (because I'm too focused on work).

This application consumes too much CPU. Even when I minimised the window or put it in the background, my computer's fans were going crazy. Turning down the framerate to 20fps made a difference, but it was still a bit excessive.

The settings include options to show the application in windowed fullscreen or plain windowed. Fullscreen worked okay, but I prefer windowed because I can then easily switch programs with the taskbar. However, the window would be far too small. There's a resolution setting, but it doesn't seem to do anything. Maximising the window worked at one point, then it stopped working. This aspect could do with a bit more polish.

I note that there are certain elements of this software that are a bit political in nature. I don't really care either way, but some people might love it whilst others might hate it.

One thing I did like about this was the visuals. There are some great character designs, and I love the ability to customise your character and your room.

All in all, however, it just doesn't do it for me. A given productivity tool can be great for one person and terrible for another, so whilst I won't be using this, it may well be perfect for other people. So don't let me stop you from giving it a try!