Post Void is a masterpiece of compulsive motion and hypnotic, irresistible sounds. It does something to my brain that I’ve never experienced before.
The Falconeer’s limitations kept it from fully winning me over. But it’s bloody impressive when its stars align.
So I’m in danger of overrating Across The Grooves. It’s fairly short, and at only a couple of hours long, you could dig up all its alternative scenes and endings in a long afternoon. It’s more linear and structurally simple than I’d expected, and I was definitely expecting more from the main music. But while it hasn’t truly touched me as deeply as Eliza or Watch Me Jump, it’s given me an unusual angle on time travel and a lot of feelings and thoughts to process. It’s even helped me a little, I think.
Cutting out the parts that became tedious would quicken the narrative enough to undermine it, but those parts became so laborious that they dragged it down instead. Perhaps I missed the point entirely by playing it alone – it is eminently obvious where a second player would fit in to its design – but if I had a lover here right now, I don’t think this is the game I’d choose to play with them. I’ve been in my own haven for far too long.
just don’t feel in control. Each fight feels like my only real option is to repeatedly block until my opponent decides I’m allowed to hit him now. I haven’t mentioned the non-combat parts either, in which you explore the caves looking for supplies to patch up and improve your armour at campfires. There are a few environmental puzzles, which would be fine if they didn’t sometimes boil down to leaping off things until one of them doesn’t kill you.
Narrative design as genetic engineering, it will live in your head like an imaginary friend.
I can't fault Dice Legacy's style, but this deckbuilding puzzle game disguised as a city builder is mostly an exercise in furious, tooth-grinding frustration.
This strategy battle game has a lot of potential for co-op, but single player has you spinning a few two many plates (and maps, and vehicles) for it to be really enjoyable.
It could still be friendlier to newcomers, but Age Of Empires 4 is an assured step in a genre whose comeback is long overdue.
Between its threadbare design and shocking number of bugs and major glitches, Mechajammer is an unfortunately miserable experience.
Sands Of Salzaar is an army-building, slashy action RPG whose personality and spectacular battles carry it through some pacing and clarity issues.
Distant Worlds 2 is a vast 4X game built around a simulation, and you need to meet it in the middle. I can only partially recommend it. But I really do recommend it for that part.
The Iron Oath is a tactical RPG with distinct classes, good combat and fun missions. If the developers can flesh this out and lean into the differences it could really stand out.
Some unevenly mighty magic aside, Songs Of Conquest is a comfortable, satisfying tactical RPG with lots of potential for fiendish spellcasting tricks.
A solid, slightly chaotic RTS that nails some satisfying tactical stand up bugfights, but could use a little more bite
The exact same old battles sewn onto a perfunctory, shallow RPG and an elaborate but undramatic and robotic feudalism sim
An original and beautiful hybrid of builder, management, and RTS games whose design just doesn't work well.
Satisfying and spectacular mech fights, let down but thankfully not sunk by frictious menus and a mediocre strategy layer.
An accomplished interplay of tactical and strategic challenges with some dissatisfying but thematically appropriate compromises, and poor performance.
An accomplished fantasy 4X with RPG leanings and cleverly interlocking systems that plain hasn't grabbed me personally, despite some colourful ideas.