IJL711

It's perfectly fine and playable. There are of course issues, but I've enjoyed my time with the game.

Rare 10 out of 10 for me. It is still a FromSoftware Souls-like, so if don't expect something EASY even if it's EASIER than others.

[SPOILER ALERT: This review contains spoilers.]

(tl'dr at the bottom) I give this game a six solely out of objectivity but I absolutely LOVE this game. It's a bit glitchy, blocky, and leaves you wondering what you're actually supposed to be doing. You're darn right it is. However, I believe the various gameplay elements are very enjoyable. First of all, the battle system is unique-ish as it is similar to Quest 64 but, to my knowledge, doesn't get broken with as little as a single spell. Anyway, it's kind of like a non-random battle tactical rpg just without the square blocks. The skills you can gain are... kind of esoteric; they explain the basics but not how well they do (or don't) work in practice. Nevertheless, I enjoy the mechanic where you can either spend all of your exp/money/points/etc. to upgrade a high level skill/spell or level up multiple lower level skills/spells/attributes. Again, personal opinion. My biggest issue with the game is "where the hell am I supposed to be going now?" I have wandered off the correct path many a time only to get waylaid by MUCH stronger enemies. Incidentally, be wary of saving in certain areas because you could very well get stuck (another issue). Having said that, though, not knowing where you're going can lead you to some interesting items. All in all, it's glitchy, has an interesting battle/level up mechanic, is confusing at times, and has an early example of an open world with goodies hidden hither, thither and yon. Addendum: I would love to see a remake with upgraded polygons and the glitches removed :D (Although a unicorn charging through my front door is just as likely)

Having just completed the game, I... ... ....... huh. It was a good game. You should play it.

I really wanted to give this game a shot and like it, I really did, ****. I ran through chunks of it pretty quickly and got somewhat far in the 20-30 minutes I could play. That, however, was enough. Bad: -The writing is either poorly translated or just regular strength poor. Bad grammar, clunky exposition, etc -Aiming and general gameplay is not what I would call "intuitive". The hit boxes for the arrows don't really make much sense for the size of the characters. -(totally subjective) The leveling up and equipment are basically just there for show. You can control what you equip, but levels and the equipment themselves are all basically just attached to the story missions. This is not unique to this game but I personally just don't like it. -Controls are... not the worst, ever, but not in the realm of "good". Similar to the aiming mechanics, you don't always go where you want to because you are basically a sprite on a jpeg with random invisible walls thrown in. "Good" -The art is not bad (such as the bloody looking crystal) but the between missions images and the art in the actual gameplay do not quite fit together -There is some skill customization once you get past the first several missions so certain tactics are not forced upon you. You will unlock more as time wears on. -I'm super into the dude. Honestly, I'd say that with just a few improvements to debug a few things, I maybe could have recommended it, but it's not there yet.

If you want something quick, I would call this game an "isometric, rpg, interactive storybook". This was just such a good game, and I would even go so far as to say criminally underrated. It's not often that I find myself actually finishing a game, lately, but I had to finish this one. This is my list of the good and bad of the game: Good: -Story. The tag "story rich" isn't just for show. The story IS the game. I do like some political intrigue and this delivered. IT's also not often that a game brings me to tears multiple times, although that's because it struck some personal chords. Ha. "chord" -Music. It shouldn't comes as much surprise that a game whose lore is based around music should have good music. The compositions are a little unusual in their structure, instruments, notes, etc., however I think that worked for the game. Just listen to the trailer and you'll understand. I will admit that a few time the music was too light-hearted for what was happening, but overall it was beautiful and really added to the game. -Lore. Separate from the story is the lore of the world that is built. I'm sure going through a second time I might be able to find plenty of holes, but any of the main events/locations/people has a lore entry somewhere for you to find and dig into. -Voice acting. This is one of few indie games that has good voice acting. There's so much heart to the delivery. Bad: -Progression. To call this a hallway simulator would be reductive, but helpful as a descriptor. I suppose you might be able to refer to it as an interactive storybook. There are a few instances where you can travel off the path of the story, but they are few and far between and don't require a lot of effort. Meh: -Length. It's not a long game. At the time of writing, I finished at about 13.5 hours. The game certainly conveyed what it needed to in that time, but I'm left wanting more. Maybe that's a good thing.

This is an interesting game to review. I've used this before in other reviews, but it's basically a "Piranha Bytes" game. If you're familiar with the endearing jank of games like Gothic and Risen, you'll understand what's going on here. So, here's the break down Pros: -Engaging gameplay loop: Go outside, gather, head back, go outside, expand to an outpost, head back. Rinse and repeat. -Pacing. Every area has just the right amount of required materials to keep you going. -Stakes. It's been loosened up pretty substantially from the early access, but the game does have permadeath (but gives you plenty of chances) -Crafting. It's not in-depth crafting like an Atelier game, but everything has a purpose to be made and there's just enough going on to make you wonder if you'll have enough. -Useful followers. Could just be me, but I like fewer followers that do specific things than a village full of people that contribute to a pool of usefulness -Doggos Cons: -Bugs. Bugs for days! From physics glitches, to loading loops, to CTDs, there's a bug for everyone. -Jumping. There's a point in the game where you have to use this and never really needed to in that way before that suuuucks. -Lack of dev support? I haven't seen much since launch, but with so many bugs there should really be some hotfixes. Seriously, I died twice because my wolves' physics janked out and I flew off a ledge. Passable stuff: -Voice acting. Sometimes the voice acting is done really well, and other times it's just soulless. Which, may be the point sometimes. -Combat. Combat is real basic. Normal attack, heavy attack, dodge. Sometimes basic controls work when they are used in more than one way, but really it's just a game of heavy attack and dodge played on repeat. Also, I think there are only 4 enemy types with a couple mid-game palette swaps. So, take all that how you will. In spite of the flaws, I loooooved this game. It just scratched an itch. Think "Risen" meets "The Long Dark" and you'll have a pretty good idea of what's going on. Could it use some fixes? Good lord yes. But, a game doesn't have to be perfect to be enjoyable. Worth noting is I got this on a 50% off sale. That's probably about the right price in my opinion.

Right off the bat, I think if I liken this to a Piranha Bytes game then many people will understand. It's kind of like crack in that regard: It's not good [for you], but it's just soooo addictive. Just give it a shot and you'll see. Is it a great game? No. Having said that, there's just something so endearing about it that I just have recommend it. It's kind of a 4x exploration game with random quests and difficulty at the level you want. I recommend checking it out on Steam for the screenshots, description, and videos. Conquer your enemies and grow your empire! Pros - Aforementioned "je ne sais quoi" of a Piranha Bytes game, leveling up the heroes is satisfying, Pretty world, interesting tactical combat that is not RNG based (but can be easy to figure out), sandbox mode has a nifty mini new game plus where you start over in a new world but with your old heroes, there's an editor(!). Cons - Clunky, chugging graphics engine, events are frequently repeated, sometimes stupid AI, the sentences indicating if an event will be easy or hard can be hugely misleading at times, limited events list (oh, was that repeated? how does that feel?!), many of the games attributes are not well explained so you're left guessing (although I guess there is a manual....), losing a unit really hurts, especially when they've been leveled up, weak campaign (sandbox is where it's at).

This is a game of pure nostalgia for me. Breaking it down quickly: Good: --Fun combat and you can switch who you control --Upgrades that you only get if you actually try --Lots of little things you can do (collect items to use elsewhere for better stuff, make decisions that grant you stuff down the road, find hidden stuff to complete optional quests, etc.) Debatable: --Exploits that can make you super OP Bad: --Art is not the best --Story is sometimes hard to follow because you can glitch ahead in the story and have no idea how you got there --Speaking of glitches, there are a fair share of both good and bad glitches All in all, still a fun game that I replay from time to time.

It's a simple concept with a simplified M.C. Escher style. It starts out easy and lets you learn how to move around to get to the end but then it gets complicated. It's kind of a simple "Monument Valley". There are no adds in the free version but neither can you access all of the levels. Overall a fun game. Good one for waiting around in an office.

Left and right. That's it. Surely that couldn't be so har-lost... Okay, let's try agai-lost. .... I MUST WIN! Two thumbs us. Music is straight up baller.

Good: -Music. Like, seriously. She's a singer and she good -Art Style is beautiful -Battle system and abilities are good, pretty much one of a kind. They also play well into the enviroment. Bad: -After a while, some of the battles can feel like a chore -The illusion of choice

Long story short, this is a solid tactical rpg. The story is engaging, there are multiple party members - some of whom are miss-able but whoever you do get has their own side mission(s) -, a moderately in-depth crafting mechanic that can provide you with some good stuff early on with some diligence (which I LOVE!), and an "endless" dungeon with its own items if you're the type that likes to grind/over-level. Of course it's not perfect. Sometimes during the story you have to wonder "what the f is happening?" and it's not perfectly balanced, but I believe both of those can be subjective. If you like tactics games and have a PS2 on hand (or *cough* an emulator *cough*) then I'd recommend giving the game a shot.

Given the subject matter (super gay) the writing is so well done. Often in games like this, the writing is really campy and not subtle in even the most remote sense. However, the dialogue and writing here is top notch. The unique characters have their own motivations and aren't just stereotypical archetypes. There's one time where a random character is unsure what to do because his buddy "wants to lay with [him]". If executed poorly, this whole interaction would have been eyeroll inducing but, again, the character wasn't a gay stereotype. Regarding the artwork, you can really see the love that was put into it, both sprites and character art alike. Yes, there is some nudity but it's not shoehorned in there. Rather, most of it is organic to what would be expected in "real world" situations. I mean, a poor goblin isn't going to have full plate armor. Either way, it's pixel art so it's not like your going to be playing then SUDDENLY WANG ((*cough* dante's inferno *cough*)). My biggest complaint with the game is that the enemy AI isn't all that smart and it doesn't really differ from character to character. Once you play for a little while, you know how to lead enemies where you want. Doesn't take a tactician to figure out enemy movements. Also, another little complaint is that there are so many map locations that some can feel like busywork, but that's thankfully uncommon enough to not be much of a bother. Other than that, there are so many little things that make the game really fun. You have strongholds that you build up with more characters, the level up and skill system is unique (and requires a little bit of math), the map is expansive, and there's a good amount of lore to be found in all the little nooks and crannies of the various locations. Yes, this is a gay themed game, but I really don't think that should deter anyone. This is an overall fun game that I see myself replaying in the future and would highly recommend for rpg and tactics fans of any kind.

For this review, I want to preface it by saying that I'm review the paid, not free game. This is a rather addicting mobile game. First and foremost, it just does its job of being a pinball game very well. The mechanics and physics work well and the controls are tight. There are numerous levels to go through and you can replay from the beginning to get a better time to start from on each level. Now, as far as I'm concerned, one of the biggest draws of the game is the music. It's super catchy and plays well within the game. My favorites are after the first and second checkpoint. I have actually played it in order to hear the music.

Do you like hex board games? Crafting mechanics? Random events? Do you like saying "Just one more turn" 50 times until realizing the shame spiral you've fallen into? Then this might be the game for you. I wasn't sure how I'd feel about it at first but I found myself completing turn after turn and falling into it's spell until, lo and behold, it was the next day! It's a fun game all around with a lot of mechanics going on; it's not so many that you can't keep things in order but not so few that they all get tedious too quickly. All at the same time you're crafting weapons, gather materials, exploring the world, and running into new events. Each game has it's own deity with buffs that level up based on how you're playing through the game which, subsequently, give you more buffs in new games. The events editor really helps with keeping the game interesting. If you don't feel like making your own, you can download events from online sources. While it is fun to make your own, it is not entirely straightforward; it involves a lot of trial and error and there are still many aspects of the editor that just aren't well explained and you may never use. That is, unless of course you're good with coding and logic. One gripe is that the random events begin to get repetitive after a while. Seriously, I got ambushed by dwarven bandits so many times that I eventually just started killing them instead of sparing. It said I had completed 20% of the events but I kept getting the same ones over and over again after I'd completed most ****. Also, the voice-over for some of the text probably could have used a woman's touch. Seriously, the guy sounded awfully weird when reading some of the female voice... Either way, all around fun game and I hope new things get added in the future. I've spent over 100 hours in this game and I intend to spend a lot more.

This was just the kind of addicting game that I've been looking for. It's certainly not a perfect game but it's enjoyable never-the-less. First and foremost is the story. While it does rely on some old tropes and doesn't reinvent the wheel, it does take an approach to the rpg story that we don't often get; the evil side. You work for "evil" from the start and have to carve your path from there. Having said that, the game does a very good job of making you wonder if what you're doing is truely bad or if it's good; there really isn't a true "good" or "evil" action in the game. A lot of the characters have their own justifications for their actions that seem perfectly reasonable given the circumstances in which they are embroiled. Even still, it can be difficult to make some decisions that are either terrible or you have your own idea and you wish you could implement it (but you said the wrong word two dialogue options ago). The problem with the story (and problably, but just in case, spoiler warning) is that it just kind of...ends. It is very clear that there either is or should be more to it. You can tell that it's coming, but you hold onto the hope that surely it doesn't. We certainly want our resolution of the story. That being said, a proper resolution feels like it would take another full game. If you've played Pillars of Eternity, then you already know the score with the combat. Now, I don't know if it's possible but I never figured out how to change the hotkeys for combat... Either way, this takes a lot of pausing, issuing commands, starting for a second, issuing some more commands, etc. ad nauseam. If you want go go go combat, then it is not for you. However, if you like to stategize and coordinate or if you're impartial then it IS for you. Long story short, I really like this game. I've played it through once and I intend to play it through at least one more time, possibly more. Pros: -Dark but engaging story with fleshed out lore -Choices have a lasting impact and may haunt/aid you down the road -Strategic combat Cons: -Story abrubtly ends in what kind of feels like the middle -While companions have their own stories, they just kind of follow blindly as long as you say the right thing once or twice

To be honest, I liked this game more than I anticipated. I got it just because I thought, "eh, it's worth a shot". Turns out I really did like it. Good things? -The combat is tight, responsive, and always interesting. -The story is sort of a mix of final fantasy eight meets valkyria chronicles; It seems familiar with it's own spin on the Fabula Nova Crystalis mythos. It's also a darker story that can occasionally make you feel genuinely bad about what you've done. -The additional missions are fun though exceedingly challenging the first time around -Music is quite good, especially around the end game -Dr. Arecia is the **** Bad things? -The camera and auto-lock during battle isn't great and at times makes it hard to see -While the story is interesting, it's sometimes hard to follow with a frequent "what the crap just happened"? Unlike most other FF games, you'll need to actually speak with the people walking around because they have a lot the information regarding the story OR you can consult the rubicus/history which provides more inforamtion. Otherwise, the cut scenes don't provide all of the information. -Leveling a over a dozen characters can be tedious. In spite of those bad things about the game, I still can't stop playing it (over and over again)

While I did certainly enjoy this game, it was certainly a departure from what I appreciated about the first and third games. First of all, I missed the voice actors that portrayed each of the characters. That is a large part of my score for this game. However, the graphics were still great (for the time). The battle system was an interesting upgrade that I often appreciated, however it was occasionally estoeric. The story is still a huge part of the game and that I believe was still done quite well.

This is easily one of my favorite games of all time. It's a JRPG, so there is a LOT of cinematics and story; in fact, it's almost a really long movie. However, that being said, the customization of the characters attacks is quite in depth in that you can switch out both characters and skills quite frequently. The graphics are, well, they're the graphics of a PS2 game. Even so, the graphics are still great, especialy during some of the more in-depth cinematics as well as some of the battles. The story itself is deep with an enormous lore that would take hours to go into. You may find yourself frequently sitting back to watch yet another cinematic, but you'll rarely find yourself not wanting watch the next one. The story starts relatively simple and quickly becomes complex and engrossing. There are some aspects that are could use some work. Even with character ability customization, sometimes the battles can feel tedious and repetitive. Some people also would also prefer background music as most games often have (I am not one of them, however). Currently I have a PS4 sitting not 20 feet away from me, but I frequently find myself returning to this game and the series as whole because I enjoy the games and the story that much. I'll grant that this review is a bit late, but I would strongly suggest this game to people that enjoy RPGs

All in all, it's really not a bad game. I had quite a lot of fun in the time that I spent playing through all of this game. The controls are tight and allow you have a lot of variety in your move-set or button mash, if that's you're thing. Even while still "last-gen", the graphics are still enjoyable. On top of that, the balance of the AI and the the various difficulties adds to the decent re-play value. I would recommend this game to people that are fans of the series because it's a pretty successful reboot, in my opinion.