Recent reviews by RPG Gamer Man

Hello Friends,

Today I will review the game Wrestlequest. This is a indie game that goes into the history of WWE wrestling. The storyline follows a wrestler(s) that want to achieve the ultimate goal. They wish to become the best wrestlers in the world. Every wrestler dreams of this, but it takes a special breed of wrestlers to become the top of the top. Being in the footsteps of past heroes, like Randy "Macho Man" Savage, these wrestlers have big shoes to fill. Hopefully, these wrestlers will not lose their way to the top.

There is much history in this game, about past and present wrestlers. This information is quite inciteful and interesting. There are some issues with this game though. While personally playing it, I ran into several bugs, including 2 that basically are major bugs in the game. One is caused by equipping a arm for a wrestler called the SAILOR ARM. Once a wrestler equips this, it is permanent. This can soft lock players into permanently having a handicap on their fighting in the rest of the game. You can see more information here about this major bug:

https://gtm.steamproxy.vip/app/1867510/discussions/0/787664259085504645/

The problem with this bug is that if the equipment is permanently on the character, only the developers can fix it. As you can see in the above forum post, I had to get help from the developers to fix this issue.

Another major bug i found is a fight halfway thru the game with a character named CORONOR. When the player fight her fights, there is a specific move the player needs to do that is mandatory in the fight, but the game hangs up while trying to do it, and freezes up the game, basically soft locking the game at that point for players. I am unsure how I even got out of this bug, but after resetting the game more than 3 times, it seemed to fix itself.

https://gtm.steamproxy.vip/app/1867510/discussions/0/604142224713723770/

There are also many other minor bugs. I will list the minor bugs in the PROS/CONS area below:

PROS:

- A retro style game about wrestlers.

- Many historical facts about old wrestlers in the game.

- Fighting enemy wrestlers consists of fighting in a ring, no matter where the fight takes place.

- Players can choose to be a heel or a face. This may affect the game and who can be recruited and which skills can be learned.

- Many companions to find for the wrestlers stable.

- Side quests which mostly consist of meeting classic WWE stars.


CONS:

- Sailor Arm permanent equipment bug can softlock game. See link for more information: https://gtm.steamproxy.vip/app/1867510/discussions/0/787664259085504645/

- Coronor Fight major bug softlocks the game in a permanent state. See link for more info: https://gtm.steamproxy.vip/app/1867510/discussions/0/604142224713723770/

- Sometimes music overlaps tracks. This happens mostly in the northern area around Pondfork on the map. For example, you can hear the music for outside while entering buildings overlapping the inside music.

- Menu screen glitches that have text superimposed over each other. For example: https://gtm.steamproxy.vip/app/1867510/discussions/0/787664259085505981/

- Many crashes. This could be linked to the steam overlay. If you're reading this review and want to try this game out, try turning off steam overlay and see if it fixes crashing issues. Even on the Boss rush thing after beating the game, the game softlocked me in the game.

- Some weird shadow effects on certain battles. For example, the PAW logo appearing thru the feet of some wrestlers when fighting boss fights.



Do I recommend this game? Not in its current state. There are many bugs that the developer still needs to fix to improve the game. Although the game is solid, the bugs take away any magic found in the game. The whole reason i got this game was because i love the classic wrestlers. I did not let this love make me biased though on the games multiple bugs. The developer is aware of many of these bugs, and I hope in the future they can fix to improve the game to make it better. When they do, this review will change to positive.

NOTE: This was done on current version of game, which is vesion 1.2J.

Hello Friends,

Today I will review the game Ori and the Blind Forest Definitive Edition. Note that I, the writer has never played the original version, so I am only writing about this version. As for this game itself, the scenes and locations are very beautiful. It looks like a real living world where things take place, even if it is a game. A player can get immersed and feel like there in that world, right next to the main character. The audio music is also very nice and actually fits in perfectly with the game's environments. The music feels sad at some times, and at others, has a joyful rhythm. These songs convey how the main character feels in the game, which is why there is not much words. If the player recognizes this music as the way the game conveys the emotions of the main character, the game has done it's job correctly.

The story of the game can be side about the characters in it. The player will feel immersed in this game's story and even feel for the characters. Even one of the side stories is much more sad than the main story. There are also puzzles and exploration that the players will have to do. Many of the puzzle require some thought to figure out, and also require powers the players can find in the game. These all encompass the metroidvania type of game, where the player will backtrack and go to area's again with new powers and movements to collect things. Anyways, here is my PROS and CONS list:

PROS:

- A game that is incredible immersive that makes it feel like the player is part of the living world.

- Beautiful backgrounds that show how much the developers cared to make the game, even considering this is the definitive version.

- Music that makes the player feel. It conveys how the world is when the player is going thru a specific section of the world, and immerses the player into the feelings of the characters inside the game.

- A metroidvania type game with hidden areas and items. Players may go back

- Works fine with windows 11 operating system.

- Works with controllers. I used a Zen PRO switch controller and worked fine.

CONS:

- Some of the puzzle may have players scratching their heads on. Luckily players can watch youtube videos to help in case they get stuck.

- The game felt a bit short. Notice my playtime is only 12 hours and that is with doing everything in the game on normal mode. I do not try harder modes due to disabilities.


Do I recommend this game? Yes, very much. This game is even perfect for young children. Although the puzzles can be a bit hard, the game is great. I suggest players take their time playing it. As one of the better games that encompasses a world that feels immersive and the music makes it come alive, this game should be on every players bucket list to play before they die. In fact, it should be close to the top of the list to play next. The player will feel like they are part of this world and care about the characters in this immersive world. The fact the world is so immersive for the player makes the game feel like your a little kid again when you play it.

Hello Friends,

Today I will review the game THE VAGRANT. First off, this is meant for teenagers and adults. This game is not for children. It is a arcade style game with side view of the characters. The main character also has a big chest. This indicates the game was made probably by a guy. In fact, many of the characters have big chests. Again, this game is not appropriate for children.

The storyline is pretty basic. It tells most of the story thru still images with different screens explaining different story elements. The main female character must find out her past from clues thru the game and doing quests. Eventually, the main female character explores many new places and it leads her to different places to explore. The art style is also nice, and looks like painted backgrounds and character models. The game is really like a classic VANILLAWARE game. Anyways, here is my PROS and CONS list.


PROS:

- A game with a female protagonist.

- A nice artstyle that looks like painted characters and backgrounds.

- Use of controller is very recommended. It will not work well with Keyboard and Mouse.

- Upgradeable abilities.

- Some side quests and hidden areas.

- A bonus dungeon in the last area of the game. It can be found on the map next to a save teleporter.

- New game plus mode.


CONS:

- The game is not good to use with keyboards and mouse, so it basically is only good with a controller.

- Opening the map in game does not pause the game, so players can still die from opening it if near enemies.

- Unskippable cut scenes.



Do I recommend this game? Yes, if you like side scrolling action fighting games. The closest style to this would be the old golden axe games. The character basically explores a map with light metroidvania style in it, and artistic stills for the stories and painted backgrounds. The post game stuff is nice like the new plus game and the bonus dungeon that explores more of the story. I suggest getting it on sale as I do not recommend buying it at full price as it is not a very long game.

WARNING: Epilepsy warning! A certain level that takes place in a volcano has flashing lights in the background. If you have Epilepsy, you may not want to play this game or avoid it due to this issue. Thank you.


Hello friends,

Today I will review the game ZWEI: The Arges Adventure. This game is the first in a series of games on steam. This series is particularly popular overseas and had many sequels. There is also a sequel on steam, but do not be fooled by the date it was released on steam. This is the first game, and the second game was released on steam earlier than this game.

The game name translates to TWO in English, hence why there are two heroes. The mechanic of the game is also different than other games. For example, players do not earn experience from defeating monsters, players get experience from eating foods. Foods are dropped by monsters, but not all the time. The other mechanic is that both male and female characters are specific types. The male character is melee based, while the female character is magic based. The player can switch between the two and can use them for certain events and bosses to make them easier depending on their weaknesses.

There is also a item backpack upgrade you can find around the dungeon maps and certain areas. These increase how much stuff the players can carry around with them. Luckily there is a storage chest at the heroes home to deal with extra stuff they need to put away for later. One word of advice, do not throw anything away or sell it, except certain pieces of armor. Alot of the items that are even marked as junk are important for later use and to get certain things. Anyways, here is my PROS and CONS list:

PROS:
- A action rpg where 2 characters have different strengths and weaknesses, making the player switch between them for strategic playing.

- Unusual way to level up by eating food dropped from monsters, and not from killing monsters themselves.

- A pet system where a window opens to do a pet mini game, similiar to the chocobo world mini game in FF8 classic old version, except it plays right in the game.

- Similar to some of the older Ys games, including a easter egg referring to the Ys games.

- Hidden levels and bosses. Some places can only be found using certain items in certain spots.

CONS:

- Until new game plus mode, it is impossible to skip cutscenes.

- The weird way to level up characters maybe too odd for new players.

- It is very hard to get high level medals the first playthrough of the game. Also, grinding to get them is very challenging, even in new game plus mode.

- Certain items can only be found playing in new game plus mode, making players have to play the game multiple times to get certain items and achievements.

- Old style FMV's and graphics may not be favorable to all players.

- All dungeons require a teleport item to leave them. Otherwise player is forced to walk thru the whole dungeon again, minus the monsters.

Do I recommend this game? Yes. Old rpg players will enjoy this game more than newer ones. This game is lacking alot of quality of life things in newer games, and is a product of it's time, from 2001 when it originally came out. This is a English version of the game that was put on steam. Although Falcom is more known for their Ys game series, they also made this game into a series, but not popular in north America. This series was more popular in Japan. The graphics are cute and wholesome. Also, many repetition is also required in this game to talk to all npc's after events, which is common in older rpg's. So if you like old school rpg games, then i suggest this game is perfect for you. If not, it is best to skip this game and the sequel on steam.

Hello Friends,

Today i will review the game Evil Genius 2. This is a sequel to the game Evil Genius 1. Made by the same publisher company that made the original game called REBELLION. The game also has the cartoony aesthetics as the original game, but also goes down the DLC route making many DLC's to charge extra money for the game. They also added some free DLC too, which reference other games like Portal and Team Fortress 2.

As for technical issues with this game, i ran into some crashes using the Vulkan version of the game. Players can also opt out and use the Dx 12 version. I did not test the Dx 12 version and used only the Vulkan version. I did post the crash report on the forum, and i also sent reports to Rebellion when it popped up with the crash report, but i am unsure if anything will be done with these crash reports.

The game plays very similar to the first game. The player chooses a evil villain, then a island to set up their base, and then start to build a evil lair full of traps and rooms so their minions can evolve into stronger minions also using training. Also, the player must provide facilities for their minions to be happy such as break rooms, mess halls, and medical rooms. In fact, there are much more rooms the player can build in this compared to the original game. Some of the charm of the original game is lost in this game, but it still has funny things that can happen. One thing i personally miss from the first game is the moonwalking when interrogating enemies.

Compared to the first game, I found the difficulty of the second game not as bad. Perhaps the developers made it more accessible to more players by changing how difficult the game is on. Regardless, I personally played the game on easy because I thought the game would be as hard as i had on the original version. If a player wants it to be harder, there are settings to make it harder, such as a difficulty setting in case some players find it too easy. Anyways, here is my pro and con list:

PROS:

- A new evil genius game with easier playing of it compared to the original game. It makes it more accessible for everyone.

- Cartoony aesthetics and silly things can happen in the game.

- Build your own evil lair and try to control the whole world.

- Players can choose their own mastermind villain. The game changes events depending on what mastermind the player chooses.

- A big selection of henchmen to hire to help with security in your base.

- Ability to upgrade minions to better positions to help the mastermind to control the world.

- Lots of rooms compared to the first game. More furniture and decor to add to each room. Also the ability to make items be auto buildable in case somehow they get destroyed.

- Works on windows 11, but did have some crashes.

- Players can use a controller, but it works better with a keyboard and mouse, and that is personally the way i played the game.


CONS:

- Some crashing may occur if you use the Vulkan mode. I have reported this to REBELLION using the auto report feature in the game. I also posted it on the forums in a couple places.

- Some of the magic from the first game was removed in the second game, such as the moonwalking henchmen during when you interrogate enemies in the lair.

- Some DLC to add more stuff increases price of game. Buy the season pass on sale if you want them.

Do I recommend the game? Yes i do, but be aware i personally crashed several times playing it, but only using the VULKAN graphics settings. The other setting i did not test out, and may not crash the game like the Vulkan setting did. The amount of DLC also shows the developers went the route of making as much money off the game by releasing alot of dlc. At least there are some free dlc. Some of the magic of the first game was lost with less funny interactions, but they replaced this with others. The game is accessible to even me, who is disabled, as i found the first game to be very difficult, even on the easy setting. I do think the game is a improvement of the first game, but long time fans maybe mad about the removal of some funny gags that were in the fist game. Also, from what i read on the forum, people do not like the new world map. Still, i liked the game and found it to be better than the original game.

Hello Friends,

Today i will review the game Cladun Returns: This Is Sengoku! This game is a sequel to another game called Cladun X2. Personally, i have never played the first game, so i will be basing my review only on this game.

This game is a Japanese lore based game. Many of the characters and enemies are found in Japanese mythology. For example, the monsters are all Yokoi and the locations the dungeons are located in are actual Japanese historical places. Also, the characters maybe also based on Japanese lore. As for the game itself, it is a dungeon explorer where each area has different maps the player must complete to finish a chapter. The game is split into different chapters, with different maps on each area the player explores that must be completed. Although each map is fixed, they are different locations. There is a mode later the player can unlock that is a random dungeon generator to look for weapons and leveling. This requires fame to unlock.

By finishing chapters in the game, the player can unlock new functions in the base town the player stats in. For example, by finishing the first dungeon maps in the game, the player can unlock the shrine that has many functions, then the player can unlock the mailbox that has side quests that help the player earn fame, which is used to unlock more functions also if the player talks to the owl in charge of the castle.

There is also co-op play and PVP. Apparently, this allows you to play online. Not sure how this functions as I personally did not see anyone online playing the game when i was on it. Due to the age of the game, the online functionality maybe not be available anymore, unless it is peer to peer playing. If you wish to try it with me, post on this review and it should tell me if someone responded to me, or post on the forum post for the game about it on the specific post about online playing.


PROS:

- A Japanese lore game with many dungeons to explore.

- You can make customizable characters that look different, and can be male or female.

- The player can play how they want to, and have different combinations of skills and weapons and can change them on the fly once they open the shrine functionality up.

- The player can open additions things in the game including side quests, endless dungeon mode, arena mode, co-op mode, and random mystery dungeon mode.

- Players can use a controller to play the game.

- This game worked on windows 11 OS, with some crashing experienced.



CONS:

- Crashing is possible in the game. My game crashed twice when playing it, once when in a middle of a dungeon, and once when selling stuff in the store. It can apparently happen anytime playing. Let the player beware in case they want to purchase the game.

- Some of the functions and skills in the game are not discussed fully. The player may be confused about which spell does what. For example, I found out about halfway thru the game Exorcist spell works like a cure for poison and fire damage stuff.

- Online functionality may have been shut off, but this has not been confirmed at this point. Testing will need to be done to see if it works.



Do I recommend it? The crashing is a concern when buying this game. I did personally experience 2 crashes myself, but this will differ with different pc setups and combinations and could lead to others having more crashing issues. If you want to take a chance then yes, otherwise if there is another mystery dungeon game on steam that is more stable, then the player may want to try that game instead of this one.

Hello friends,

Today I will review the game Evil Genuis. This game is quite hard as it is a strategy game to setup your evil lair against government forces and spys who can go into the players base and blow up and mess up parts of it. By designing different traps and setups on the base, the player can lower the amount of damage to their base, but it will still happen. The game is very addictive and can be one of those game where the player wants to play it for "one more minute".

While playing it myself, i found 2 bugs unfortunately. Thankfully, some very helpful people on the steam forum helped me out of these bugs. The first bug was that autosave causes the game to crash when loading. The fix to this bug is to disable auto save, but remember to quick save in case the player wants to save their game. The second one is the lab research bug. This bug makes the game crash when researching stuff in the laboratory. This bug can be fixed by doing this:

Go to <path-to-game>\DynamicResources\Layouts\
Open the desired save game with a text editor.
Push Ctrl+H and in the Find field, type ResearchSubject=0 and in the Replace with field, type ResearchSubject=12008.
Click on the Replace button.
Launch the game and load the desired save game, then open the research screen and click on the current research icons, located at the top.
Cancel the research by clicking on the red icon and it should be fixed afterward

I would like to personally thank the steam users "MrJohnSteele" and "Nebgama" for really helping me with the crashing issue. Since i fixed these issues, i have not personally had a crashing incident in the game since. This steam forum for this game is very friendly and good for newer players of the game too. People on there can give great tips too, which they provided me with.

The game is really great, even on modern machines. It is very addictive as i mentioned above, and can be very fun if a player takes the time to build up their base. Anyways, here is my PROS and CONS list:

PROS:

- A game where the player is the main villain and can choose different villans to be the main character.
- Availability of henchmen that can be hired by players. Be careful as they can die.
- Many world events that can be done to increase notoriety of the player's villain.
- Kidnapping and learning new jobs to increase minion functionality.
- Stealing items to decorate the players base with weath and status.
- This game does not require a controller, nor does it use one. It only works on Keyboard and Mouse.
- Works on windows 11 OS.


CONS:

- For me, i got into a strategic dead end. Basically every move i made, the AI of the pc countered it. I tried even to beat the game on easy, but i got stuck in a stalemate basically with the AI who would not let me go any further. I even changed difficulty from normal to easy but it did not help me.
- The 2 bugs above can be reproduced and maybe experienced by other players.
- Some players might be upset there is no controller support for this game.
- Old style graphics of game might not be for everyone.

Do I recommend the game? Yes, I do. Although my experience will differ from other players, they may not get into a stalemate with the AI of the game. The game is a great building game with base building and learning to expand it by kidnapping certain people and learning their specialized skills. If a player like the dungeon maker or dungeon keeper game, they would really enjoy this game too.

Hello friends,

Today I will review the game Athenian Rhapsody. This game is based on the same style that Undertale follows. If you never played Undertale, there are certain ways to play it. This game also has those similar ways to play it. Most of the game is surreal and weird. The player will meet many wacky individuals in the game to interact with. Each NPC has their own story and personality. The quirky writing and style of the game may turn off some players, but the game does have a story and several messages. There is also DLC coming in the future, and events that the developers release slowly over time which the player can download to play them also. Event Rhapsodies are rare, and the player must keep an eye on the newsfeed for this game to get them.

Players can also upload and download their friends Rhapsodies, which are they game's story basically. Also, if the player is very patient, they can download the Munchkin Download. From the sounds of it, it takes forever and can fail. I personally avoided it as i think my pc would explode waiting that long to download it. Anyways, here is my PROS and CONS list for the game:

PROS:

- A wacky surreal game about adventuring in a land of dreams called Athenian.
- The player can choose how they play, whether violently or peaceful.
- Interesting NPC's that have their own personalities and weaknesses.
- Fights are mini games, similar to the same system used in the game UNDERTALE.
- Players can recruit random NPC's to help them with there adventuring. Every recruited friend even say different things when adventuring to different areas.
- Multiple endings with different things can happen depending on how the players interact with the world and characters.
- Players can save and give their Rhapsodies to other players and share them.
- Event Rhapsodies that the developer releases to add more back lore or extra things to the game. Players need to download them like other players Rhapsodies.
- Side quests that span the whole game world.
- This game can work with a controller or with a keyboard and mouse. I played with a ZEN PRO switch controller.
- Works on windows 11 OS.


CONS:

- Intro has no skip feature, which becomes annoying to sit there and wait for intro to fully play. If you play the game alot and have to turn it off and on alot, the intro can become annoying.
- The graphics will not be everyone's cup of tea. They are strange and surreal. I believe the developer made them like this on purpose since the world is a dream world.
- The weirdness of the game may turn off some players who want more serious games.
- The game always starts in windowed mode. I wish the game remembered my setting of putting it in Fullscreen mode.

Do I recommend this game? I will, but only for a certain type of gamer. This type of gamer would be one that likes indie rpg games, that are wacky, and yet fun at the same time. The graphics are weird and silly, and the game has many npc's with their own back stories and lives. They act alot like real life people with problems too. The world has it's own lore which the player can discover if they play the game fully. The player can even recruit some friends to help them thru their adventure. So yea, the game is weird, surreal, quirky, and silly. It was interesting enough for me to play it with all the weirdness.

Hello friends,

Today I will review the game LEGO LORD OF THE RINGS. This is based on the same movie series that is also titled the game. Although not an exact match to how the movies are, it adds silly stuff and funny things in the game that are not found in the movies. The game covers all three movies. If you want to play the hobbit games, that is a different Lego series the player will have to purchase. A lot of the scenes are actually pretty accurate to the movie source.

The game also has many collectibles that the player will have to replay levels to collect. Luckily the game has "FREE MODE" which allows you choose which characters you want to play for each level. This allows you to replay them with specific powers for each character that can help you unlock secret areas or get collectibles that are not normally gotten in story mode.


PROS:

- A Lego game based on the Lord of the Rings series with whimsical scenes added into it.
- Co-Op mode to play game with 2 players.
- Side quests to finish, collectibles to find in every level, and hidden rooms.
- Characters to unlock by paying with Lego studs.
- Cloud Saving is in this version of this Lego game.
- Works somewhat on windows 11 operating system, but the player may have to adjust the refresh rate in the game, and set v-sync on to lower crashes.
- Works with controllers. I use a ZEN PRO switch controller.


CONS:

- There are several bugs in the game. These include crashing, random items moving up in the air, weird invisible walls in front of some jumps, some counters on levels are not accurate and do not show all items you collected, and many other issues. Turning on V-sync and lowering refresh rate can lower the amount of crashes in the game. Also sometimes switching characters in free mode allows you to use a puzzle if the player runs into issues with one character.
- The Lego aesthetics is not for everyone and will turn some players away.
- There are missing DLC not found in this version like other versions of the game.

Do I recommend this game? Yes, but due to the bugs, players may wish to buy when it is on a sale. The annoying bugs with crashing sometimes when fast traveling to locations, like there is invisible walls for some characters, and other issues make the game not as fun as it could be. It could be something to do with more modern machines having issues in the game. The fact the game is pretty accurate to the movies with some silly scenes thrown in is definitely something i recommend to players who have both watched the movies and players who have not.

Hello friends,

Today I will review the game LEGO BATMAN. This is one of the many Lego themed games that brings Lego looking graphics to life using the aesthetics the toys look like in real life. This series includes many different games and types. This game is one of the earlies of these Lego games. This also does not have voice acting in the game, which is done in later Lego games in the series.

Be aware due to how old the game is, IT IS RECOMMENDED to set VSYNC to ON to help with crashing and errors. I had issues with crashing until i simply turned this setting on on main menu when loading up the game, and it fixed my crashing issues in the game. This simple fix will help players when gaming.



PROS:

- A game with Lego aesthetics featuring batman and heroes of the batman universe, with villains also.
- Players can play both the heroes route and the villains route in this game, featuring 2 storylines.
- There are collectibles to get in each level, including secret red bricks to unlock specific in game cheats.
- The ability to buy characters to unlock, facts to learn about the batman universe, and cheats to use in levels.
- This game is good for young children.
- Co-OP mode. It allows for local co-op to be played in the game with 2 players. DO NOT USE REMOTE PLAY TOGETHER AS IT MAY NOT WORK.
- It works on Windows 11 operating system as long as the VSYNC setting is turned on.
- It works with many different controllers. I used a ZEN PRO switch controller. Other than the buttons on the screen not matching my controller, it worked fine.




CONS:

- No achievements are in this game. So achievement hunters might wish to avoid this one.
- No Cloud Saving for this game. That means when the game is uninstalled off a players pc, the saves will also be deleted with them.
- No voice acting in this game. Since the age of this game, it was not done as with later Lego games.
- The game may crash. To remedy this, turn on V-Sync in the menu settings to fix it. It fixed it for me.

Do I recommend this game? Yes, but be aware due to how old the game is, it requires VSYNC set to on to make sure it works on the pc. The current hardware of PC's is much better than when the game was made, so be aware other settings may have to be set on a person's pc to get it to work like the resolution, the refresh rate of the monitor, and other settings. There are many collectibles in the game and most of my playtime is actually for collecting extra stuff in the game.