Recent reviews by Zlesna The Darkness

This game is gorgeous and original. Nothing like thing in existence guaranteed! One problem. Well one problem for me. This game is literally Doom and Guitar Hero. I love the originality, I've just never been good at the music games. I murder when playing Doom, but these total opposites meld together to make quite the experience. I just wish I had some skill with it. Soundtrack it its own as well, just a WOW of a game!

Is the game worth your time?
Sure. I put enough time in it at this point to understand the flaws and pros of the game. It's not bad. And for someone that didn't enjoy They are Billions, I did enjoy this game. If you're looking for a full story, AoD isn't there yet. But the gameplay is very solid. However it's very formulaic. Nearly all of the time I've spent on this game has been while its muted and I'm watching a movie or listening to music. It's won't blow your mind, but it isn't terrible. The intricate nature of this game is actually very simple and yet phone apps that are free manage to beat it in nearly every way. Spend the money on this and it will be very very fun for a couple of weeks, then you'll be looking for something better and will have forgotten this on quickly.

If you want to get something that will last you as long as Starcraft II or the Dawn of War franchise, maybe look somewhere else. If you want something to sate your hunger for real time strategy for a littlle while this is what you need. Just catch it on a sale.

I've played more then a handful of rogue-like games at this point. It's not exactly my favorite genre but if you don't anything with the right tone and inflection you could really have quite the masterpiece. So this game brings together Greek mythos, smooth weapon combat, and a surprisingly strong story and forms quite a fun game.

Pros:
Like most Indie games it requires very little from your PC.
Strong Story.
Face Paced Combat.
Just good fun.

Cons:
I hope you like mashing the Space bar again and again to the point of pain.
Can be, at times, very very mindless. Maybe a Pro for most actually.
Prepare to Die. A lot.

So far the game is rock solid. I personally started the game as I always do with any game, on normal difficulty. I noticed an issue for me right off the bat. When you die, and at first you will die a lot, you lose everything. So I switched to easy difficulty and it feels like any other game in the survival genre, but more enjoyable. If you're looking for a challenge though...

Anyways, you sail, you swim, you fish, make your own water, build onto a massive raft until its almost a freakin' cruise line, and so much more. There is indeed a story though. So if you're looking to not play 'water minecraft' then this is the game for you. It feels often times like Myst with its story telling style. It's slow and calm and almost never a high intensity game that keeps you at the edge of your seat. No, this is a game to play when you're looking to relax and sea where the wind takes you.

Pros: Multiplayer is a needed option for so many these days. So its a nice addition if thats what you like. The pace of the game may even quicken that way. The graphics are almost modern day Zelda in style, moderately cartoony and stylish but flawless and beautiful. It's currently in early access so you might expect a lot of glitches and such, but not at all. Your raft is your life and mine looks so amazing right now its almost silly. I built a three story raft so far and my third story is built around my trees on the second story. Its like Sims... You know, without the relationships...

Cons: So it can be repetitive. Whether you're constantly scrounging for the same resources over and over again or seeing the same islands again and again, it may get annoying. The soundtrack is relaxing but I literally mute the game and play Spotify while the same shark that I just murdered five minutes ago finds a way to destroy my boat again or kill me for the sixtieth time.

♥♥♥♥ THAT SHARK.

Overall: 9 out of 10. One of my favorite games ever made. And look at my library, I've played more then a few.

Doom: A post review
So I finally beat Doom. Throughout the entire game I felt sad because I knew the eventually, the story would end. It was an amazing game, taking a first person shooter and making it pure again. Doom really gets back to its roots sort of pretending that Doom 3 and previous iterations of the game never happened. There is a story which at first glance, is very light and unnecessary. But if you want lore and rich story it sort of offers you the option by reading it.
The story is that you are the Doom Guy and you must kill demons on Mars. Seriously, going back and looking at the plot, that's it. All over the game there are data logs and random information explaining things. It's fun to read all about it but to be honest, it's all very blah blah blah. I'm here to brutally kill demons. And for me the brutal part is the best part. If I kill a demon with my gun it was pure accident. I totally enjoy ripping off someone's arm and killing them with it. Every single demon in the game has a glory kill. A glory kill it were you brutally melee a demon to death. And the way a demon sort of just sits there for a moment reminds me a great deal of Mortal Kombat's Fatalities.
Each demon has multiple glory kills depending on where on their body you glory kill them from. Seriously, some of the demons have five different types of glory kills. But more then that the game rewards you for doing this by dropping health and ammo. That's another thing, there are guns. Every single gun from the first two games makes its way into the game. But they also add several more toys. Now to be honest, I pretty much just used the shotgun through the first part of the game. I would have used it through the entire game if it wasn't for the weapon upgrade system.
Weapons as well as armor, health, powerups, and even the map system can be upgraded. These upgrades really help and keep the gameplay fresh. There are secrets, rune trials, double jumping and so much more that keep this game interesting and continuously fun to play. If you want to be good at the game remember to move. Move a lot.
To summarize, Doom is a modern version of itself. No story really needed. Just kill things. And don't ask questions. If you want more then that, then go play Fallout.

Score: 56
Concept: Survival Horror Adventure
The original Amnesia sort of jump started the horror genre for video games back into life. After Amnesia: The Dark Descent we would be given Home, Outlast, Don't Starve, Limbo, Daylight, and others. So when this one came out I was expecting either more of the same or a better game overall. Well... I'll tell you right off the bat what the problem I had with this game was, I'm still playing and very close to beating it, so my opinion has not changed. This game is boring. I fought sleep through the entire game. I'm only slightly interested in the story and they took too much out from the original game.
The original game could be tedious at times, but at least it was difficult and actually scary. This game removes the sanity meter. So, now you can chill in the dark, without freaking out. This would be okay, but it removes that tense nature from the game. You have a lantern that never runs out of fuel. Again, cool concept, however it removes the survival aspect from the game. Fuel was one of the resources in the last game and in this game you're never frantically searching for resources. You don't lose and gain health. The only things you have as a 'resource' is the letters and notes from the first game. But I'm so disinterested in the story that I haven't read any of that crap.
Here is another peeve, its the same monster. In the first game there were several monsters. In this game there is one type of beast, the pig monster. C'mon, change it up. One point in the games favor is the setting. While the game is obviously very dark, you actually get to spend time outside at one point. The surroundings are incredibly varied, one point you could be in a mansion, then in a factory, then in the inner works of a large machine. I suggest not wasting your money on this pill of bore unless you are a die hard survival horror fan, even then...
Second Opinion: It's like a Myst... Dark Myst. Yeah. So if you're expecting to be scared, find something else. However, if you want a really well written adventure game look no further. I personally can't play Myst because I fall asleep two seconds into the game, but I am aware that it has a fan base. Enjoy you crazy Myst fans.

Score: 90
Concept: Tower Defense Extravaganza
Kingdom Rush is basically a direct port of the flash game the would be ported onto the IOS and Android platform. Not every game should be ported from tablet form to a full PC game. However Kingdom Rush has already established itself as a major player in the tower defense genre. Before you point out that I paid real money for a game that is literally available for free on websites like Kongregate, there is a reason to buy it. In the app version there is loads of premium content that one has to pay for separately. In the PC version you get the full game, no exceptions. So, if you have it on your tablet or phone is it really any different? No. Not at all. It's the exact same fun game.
Kingdom Rush takes the existing TD genre and gives it character. For such a simple little game there is so much content to it. And if you are looking for that next challenge look no further. Kingdom Rush is a deceptive game that fools you into believing you can do it then crushes your dreams two minutes later. However there is a bigger picture. You can upgrade your overall tower abilities and skills as you beat more of the game by earning stars. And it gets better, you can respec your skills freely whenever you wish. So if a level calls for just arrow towers as a strategy then max out your arrow tower strength. But if another level needs every tower then respec your skills to balance out your strength.
The game is also full of fun easter eggs and achievements that are meaningless but just add more character to this already full game. There is also a hero system that will come in handy. As your hero makes kills on the field he/she/it will level up and gain strength and abilities. You'll have several of these heroes to chose from as well and the best part is that most of them are like 2.99 in the app. Its insane. The game is visually appealing with a fantastic color palette. This may be easier on a touch screen though as I lose some time with my mouse and keyboard.
Second Opinion: I'm not paying for a free game...

Score: 88
Concept: Cute open world survival horror with crafting, permadeath, and some RPG elements.
Before I start this game is also available on the Playstaytion 4 and will later be available on the Vita and IOS. But I'm a PC gamer and prefer a mouse and keyboard to a controller. There is actually no difference between the console and PC version other then the expansion is available right now and has been for some time for the PC. Anyways, those of you that know me know that I love indie games, except Minecraft. I hate Minecraft. One of the big problems that Indie titles suffer from is that they often have to sacrifice content, graphic, or gameplay for a decent finished product. This is actually why I love them so much. A good indie game glosses over these issues by compensating and getting creative with the loss. Don't Starve is a fantastic example of just this feat. The graphics are replaced with this really cool art style, the content is surprisingly small but you have the illusion of so much content because of the pacing and style of game.
One of the key features in the game is the Permadeath. This particular feature in a game has always intrigued me. Why would some one put so much time and effort into a game only to lose everything? Because you get better. Instead of earning in game experience, the player is earning very real experience. Cool huh? You learn that darkness lowers your sanity level and so does being near monsters. You learn how to craft this and that, and what tools you need. But this game does give you one thing that most other permadeath games don't give you, Hope. Hope that you can do this, that you can live forever. There is no reason you have to die. You can become self sufficient in the game by farming and building things that will keep your sanity down. So why die? Because there is so much more game. But Don't Starve does have a save function and that is very unique to any permadeath game really. If you're playing for hours and have something to do you can go do said thing now. You could even have up to four save games running. That is actually pretty amazing.
But I do have a problem with running around for a long period of time looking for food and finding nothing. Or looking for really a certain type of supply in general. If a major supply is missing from the map for no reason you are screwed and I will stop playing for the day. But the fact that I do keep coming back over and over again really says something. If they were to make a sequel I would want more of, really, everything. That's the only thing this game appears to lack, more. It needs more. But for 14.99 you definitely get more then what you pay for.

Score: 87
Concept: Civilization Style Fantasy Game
Pros: Very Technical, High Functionality, Tons of Features, Very Cool World
Cons: Tired Graphics, Wanted Bigger Maps
Every Single time I see a "Civ clone" I'm intrigued and have to try it out. But make no mistake this game is no Civ clone. It has the formula that Civilization has, but manages to completely make a new, fresh, and original game. Also, this game is definitely NOT Warlock, which(I love) IS a Civ clone. Anyways, to rewind a bit, Fallen Enchantress has been out on Steam for over a year at this point. I've been waiting for some sort of commentary on it and nothing. I has a Metascore of 80, which isn't bad, but I'm not investing $40 in a wild card. Well I knicked it in the Steam Summer Sale for $7.49 and after several hours am proud to say its worth the full price. This is a game that I will be playing for years to come until a sequel is released.
Right off the bat I found myself comparing it to the hallmark in this style of gaming. And for the life of me I was finding loads of features in this game THAT SHOULD BE STANDARD. For example, when you research new technologies and unlock new equipment you can either use the default units that are created or... you can MAKE YOU OWN UNITS. This is one of the coolest features I've ever seen. You can customize virtually everything. Sure there are the cosmetic customizations, but you will spend so much time making the perfect hero, unit, army, and city. Oh, this is cool, you can specialize your city as you level up. Do you want it to be a military city? How about a research enclave? Or how about just a standard town?
the game has eliminated worker units so everything that they would do, now you the player can do by hand. This is such a relief. I hated having a dozen workers take forever to build a road from city A to city B. In Civ it can take ten to fifteen seconds to load each turn because there are so many units on the board that the game has to move, in a game with thousands of turns you can spend hours just waiting. That problem is gone with Fallen Enchantress as there are far less units on the map.
The game does a great deal more. You have quests, and monsters, magic, and more. The part of the game that gets a bit tired might be the combat. When you get into combat with an enemy it takes you down to the field and you play out the battle. I like this. However, I died so much. And if you get dragged into a battle that is clearly over your head you have to play out losing unless you have the flee 'skill'. In this respect it will start to feel like Fire Emblem. If I lose one of my heroes, I'll quit the game and restart from a previous save point. Sound familiar?
Second Look: For those of you that don't really play this genre I don't really see too many picking this up. It may interest you if you like a good fantasy game, but it's complexities would turn away most people new to this genre. Where one person might see a game full of ways to control the flow of the game, another person might see a game bogged down with too many mechanics that get in the way of the core game.