So this week brings with it my first overall negative preview. I try to avoid publishing a review unless I can score it at or just below average or it has some sort of hook. Something that a rating system can't cope with and even a poor rating cannot eclipse. Here goes!
Freeman: Star Edge [ALPHA]: 5/5
Full disclosure: I love this game so much I'm trying to help promote it any way I can. This article snippet is part of that but not in the pushy way. The demo is free on KickStarter. Judge for yourself.
I will be revisiting this title quite often but for now I'll give you my initial impression. Which was a good impression. Quite impressed. Very impressive. This unity based open world promises a lot of what we loved about the Mass Effect and various Bethesda games. All in a tighter package and based on unity! This means that even low spec machines should be able to enjoy this entire game with very little reduction in the visual aethetic.
The game needs more polish but before that can be done many features need to be added. You don't polish the chrome until after you've put the engine block back in, Granddad. It will be some time before the game is ready for Beta. As it is right NOW it feels fairly complete and would trounce most of what's on offer via Steam Direct or the old Greenlight system.
The various systems will see some loving soon and we're about 2 weeks away from an update. The music and audio effects work. The lore is being worked on pro-bono by someone who really loves the direction. The art and aesthetics leave much to be desired but are functional. You can also fall through the map, get stuck on map features and end up with bandits flying across the screen as they die. Even then. In this alpha state, it is obvious the dev and community care and are working to improve everything they can bit by bit.
SORE: 3/3
Boy. This sure is a game. It's one of those Room-isodes. Try to leave the room by any means. This is gonna be short because there's not much going on here. The aesthetic is retro and minimalistic. The dialogs are translated from Russian (I believe) and it's tone is very dark.
You are a ghost and you are somehow stuck in the cell you recently committed suicide in. Your guard doesn't seem put off in the least that there's a corpse and the corpse's ghost on the other side of the door talking to him. He gives you clues and some dark humor. That's about it. You have to find the keys needed to unlock the door by interacting with your environment.
There's not much going on here but the existential and psychological ramifications seem quite clear for the protagonist. He just wants out. I could spend hours trying to MacGyver my way out and I did on a live stream. I had to quit as I was over time and no closer to the last key. An excellent time sink. It earns a score better than most mobile games and earns a bonus for not having micro-transactions.
Neorj: This is the game I can't even being to try and explain away. As of 10-8-2017 I've no opinion to express so I won't..
Under Hero [Demo]: 7/7
Another retro styled game. This one is a platformer with a very unique combat system unlike other unique combat systems but similar to a few. Keep in mind there are two modes: Exploration and Encounter. Both have different control schemes. Also, and this is VERY important, when in doubt do not use Escape use Backspace. I threw myself into a tizzy trying to exit a shop dialog because I forgot to use backspace.
So what happens when a world has gotten used to the same gimmick over and over? Bad guy kidnaps princess, hero rescues princess. New bad guy kidnaps more recent princess and a new hero shows up. So on and so forth. Gotta get tiring huh? Well sir... someone did something about it. I low order minion dropped a chandelier on Smug-face McSmartpants and his stupid scarf. Now he's inna pickle. With no Szechuan sauce in sight. It's up to the lil masked kid to do his errands, level up, and defeat his own boss before it's too late.
RIVETING amirite?? We're looking at high marks for sound, music, graphical quality, content, the whole shebang. After you acclimate to the controls and dual modes you should feel right at home along similar titles like the Mario and Luigi and Paper Mario games. Though you may relapse and sometimes forget you are in an encounter and not exploring which tosses your button timing out the window. Over all the demo shows a lot of care and polish. Once the full game is out I'm expecting it to be as widely played as Undertale. But only if the story is up to snuff and the price is right.
Sunday, October 8, 2017
Sunday, October 1, 2017
Get down with the CGN.US
CGN.us
Aka: An acronym I fucking forgot.
We all know and have an ambivalent love/hate relationship with Valve's Steam platform. While this miracle child of former Microsoft Drone turned Industry Maven Gabe Newell has turned piracy on its head it has also failed to allow gamers to really connect with one another. Much like XBL has failed to condition its users for boardroom decorum. For proof of this just look up "Breaded Chicken 'Jerome Meets Flocka'.". It is a masterpiece of XBL interaction. This sort of fuckery is pervasive in a climate where everyone assumes they have the protection of anonymity. But what if you want to interact with fellow gamers in a slightly less ass-pants-on-head fashion? That's where a lot of social gaming sites try to fill the breach. I've tried a load of them too. From sub-reddits to old school forum/chatroom hybrids most turn into Jupiter's big red-hole sized shit storms and get abandoned like an elevator with a particularly flatulent occupant. For much the same reason (too much wind). Then there's CGN.us.
What makes this site different? Not much yet. It's still in its infancy. It has great potential to be sure. Initially the staff seems to motivated and driven toward their goals. To this end they have gone out of their way to attract users who really want to interact and engage. Make no mistake. This is no hug box/cuddle pile of m'ladies and gentlesirs. Most of those on the site are at least attempting to be friendly, inclusive and professional. They are not above some trolling and 'social experimentation'. Most seem to have a firm grasp on when enough is enough. Not family friendly in the least but not acid spitting and toxically faux edgy for the sake of shock value. With CGN.us you not only get a hub for sharing your content as a gamer but also a place to buy or even earn games and interact with fans and creators alike on equal footing. This includes devs and publisher's agents.
The staff at the site have been working full tilt on getting a list of contacts from within the industry and have streamlined a lot of the outreach process for gamers, creators, devs and fans. They provide a forum, a chat system, a direct message inbox, alerts and notifications along with their own store front with discounts. All you have to do is put it to use. The site itself is a powerful tool and is only going to grow. The staff is ready to scale up with the demand as well. Systems for blocking, reporting and cessation of abuses are already in place. There's a second chance appeals system so you don't lose everything if you fucked up once. There's also a system to swat those who weaponize the reporting ability. Though at the moment it does rely heavily on safe-harbor via Youtube and other media sites by providing a hub for content in the near future CGN.us may be able to host its own services. Time will tell if they are able to provide protections beyond that.
Wanna join? Use this referral link: https://cgn.us/refer/12870/
Then give me a follow so I can follow back! Let's see where CGN.us takes us.
Aka: An acronym I fucking forgot.
We all know and have an ambivalent love/hate relationship with Valve's Steam platform. While this miracle child of former Microsoft Drone turned Industry Maven Gabe Newell has turned piracy on its head it has also failed to allow gamers to really connect with one another. Much like XBL has failed to condition its users for boardroom decorum. For proof of this just look up "Breaded Chicken 'Jerome Meets Flocka'.". It is a masterpiece of XBL interaction. This sort of fuckery is pervasive in a climate where everyone assumes they have the protection of anonymity. But what if you want to interact with fellow gamers in a slightly less ass-pants-on-head fashion? That's where a lot of social gaming sites try to fill the breach. I've tried a load of them too. From sub-reddits to old school forum/chatroom hybrids most turn into Jupiter's big red-hole sized shit storms and get abandoned like an elevator with a particularly flatulent occupant. For much the same reason (too much wind). Then there's CGN.us.
What makes this site different? Not much yet. It's still in its infancy. It has great potential to be sure. Initially the staff seems to motivated and driven toward their goals. To this end they have gone out of their way to attract users who really want to interact and engage. Make no mistake. This is no hug box/cuddle pile of m'ladies and gentlesirs. Most of those on the site are at least attempting to be friendly, inclusive and professional. They are not above some trolling and 'social experimentation'. Most seem to have a firm grasp on when enough is enough. Not family friendly in the least but not acid spitting and toxically faux edgy for the sake of shock value. With CGN.us you not only get a hub for sharing your content as a gamer but also a place to buy or even earn games and interact with fans and creators alike on equal footing. This includes devs and publisher's agents.
The staff at the site have been working full tilt on getting a list of contacts from within the industry and have streamlined a lot of the outreach process for gamers, creators, devs and fans. They provide a forum, a chat system, a direct message inbox, alerts and notifications along with their own store front with discounts. All you have to do is put it to use. The site itself is a powerful tool and is only going to grow. The staff is ready to scale up with the demand as well. Systems for blocking, reporting and cessation of abuses are already in place. There's a second chance appeals system so you don't lose everything if you fucked up once. There's also a system to swat those who weaponize the reporting ability. Though at the moment it does rely heavily on safe-harbor via Youtube and other media sites by providing a hub for content in the near future CGN.us may be able to host its own services. Time will tell if they are able to provide protections beyond that.
Wanna join? Use this referral link: https://cgn.us/refer/12870/
Then give me a follow so I can follow back! Let's see where CGN.us takes us.
A week in review: Raiders of the Broken Planet, MEG 9 and This Strange Realm of Mine.
This week we have three titles. But one unifies them all. I played 'em AND enjoyed them. All titles listed were provided to me free for review with no other consideration.
Raiders of the Broken Planet: UNRATED
It's not a complete game. This is an ambitious episodic title from a publisher and developer that have yet to prove their mettle. If season one's episodes are complete and on time without being shitty or rushed then I'd have no problems investing in a season pass for season 2. Mercury Steam has written a big check here but they signed it with a kiss. There's every reason to believe they'll deliver. I am cautiously optimistic but I can't recommend pre-purchasing the episodes before release.
The first missions are free. You get an adequate introduction to the Raiders, their boss, and their motives. We also see the introduction of no less than two rival factions. While the writing is a bit hit or miss (son of a thousand dingos??) the voice acting carries it. There's a lot of story yet to be seen and I sincerely hope they get to conclude this season in a way that's satisfying to their audience. Although I remain skeptical of Mercury Steam they've proven so far they can combine a unique graphical aesthetic and writing with humor and a driving sound track.
Buying a season of unreleased episodes feels like too much of a gamble. Already there seems to be a framework in place for paid DLC and micro-transactions. As it is the whole setup feels like Loot Crate the Game. When episode 2 hows up will it be any good? No one knows. Even the episodes director doesn't have a clear few as they are too close to the project to see it as a paying customer would. Raiders of the Broken Planet is a lot like the hot hook up at the bar. You have no idea what it's going to be like when you get them home and no clue if you'll regret it when you see them the next morning.
MEG 9: Lost Echoes: 10/10
The game is nearly flawless. The list of issues I have is so short I can list them here:
1) Too short for the cost
2) Some higher graphical setting seem to crash
3) The initial load time was very long for me and asset pop-in was common during play
The voice acting and writing seem to match up. The voice acting itself was beyond the wooden tone I was expecting since a lot of scifi games try to imitate B scifi movies. An effect Elias Toufexis pulls of flawlessly in the recent Deus Ex games while I know for a fact he has amazing range (just listen to any work hes done in commercials). There's a crisp military tone that softens considerably once your operator, his RIG and AI MEG are in the field. Communications with your coordinator become more casual and even conversational at times.
Playability wise the games does a lot for you. Not in a hand-holdy way either. In the three missions available in Lost Echoes they show off a lot of what they plan for future installments. It plays like a triple A title and at first feels like an absolute bargain. Right up until it's over. You're left wanting more so you give the Flashpoint mode a try. For some that might be enough. For me it felt like a MetalGear Ground Zeroes flashback. A full price game with only one map repeated tirelessly. Don't get me wrong. The game is as near perfect as I can conceive. The music pumps, the graphics entice and the story is evocative. But at the asking price I can't recommend this game. If it included the full game's sound track as a teaser bonus it'd be worth it. Though if you can snag it cheaper at or less than 6.99 then GET IT. It is absolutely worth that.
This Strange Realm of Mine: 7/7
A perfect score for a retro indie title. Much like Captain Kaon this game reminds me a lot of the late era of DOS and console gaming. In this case it's a throw back to the '3D' FPSes. The game's style closely follows the Wolfenstines and DOOMs of yore. There's even a bit of Elder Scrolls Arena in this title as there is a 'hub world' that's just a bar really. A place of clam in the eye of the storm. There's no open world. You can just pick a direction and keep walking. But the missions are concise and are tied together by the storyline.
This is a graphically retro game. It attempts (and succeeds) in emulating the 2.75 D look we came to expect in Apogee and ID software titles. It even does a good job of recreating some of the external area levels common tot he DOOM and Quake series. The graphical achievements top out around the same level as Build engine games like Duke Nukem and Shadow Warrior of the late 90s. The music is actually much better. Opting for a modern aesthetic rather than trying to recreate the MIDI music of the era. It does, however, reproduce selections of music popular at the time.
At its core TSRoM is a dream wrapped in the last few moments of the protagonists death. The End is where all starts. The worlds you visit eventually force you to face the same blighted creatures you ran from on the opening level. Many tropes are subverted as well. Reloading a gun means you lose those bullets. Your vision dims as you take damage. The protagonist is aware of their recent mortality and their current situation. The story unfold itself gradually in an attempt to not 'overwhelm' the protagonist. Its introspective and challenging while adding on a layer of nostalgia for an era you may not even been a part of. Worth every cent of the 9 dollar asking price and a bigger bargain when on sale.
Raiders of the Broken Planet: UNRATED
It's not a complete game. This is an ambitious episodic title from a publisher and developer that have yet to prove their mettle. If season one's episodes are complete and on time without being shitty or rushed then I'd have no problems investing in a season pass for season 2. Mercury Steam has written a big check here but they signed it with a kiss. There's every reason to believe they'll deliver. I am cautiously optimistic but I can't recommend pre-purchasing the episodes before release.
The first missions are free. You get an adequate introduction to the Raiders, their boss, and their motives. We also see the introduction of no less than two rival factions. While the writing is a bit hit or miss (son of a thousand dingos??) the voice acting carries it. There's a lot of story yet to be seen and I sincerely hope they get to conclude this season in a way that's satisfying to their audience. Although I remain skeptical of Mercury Steam they've proven so far they can combine a unique graphical aesthetic and writing with humor and a driving sound track.
Buying a season of unreleased episodes feels like too much of a gamble. Already there seems to be a framework in place for paid DLC and micro-transactions. As it is the whole setup feels like Loot Crate the Game. When episode 2 hows up will it be any good? No one knows. Even the episodes director doesn't have a clear few as they are too close to the project to see it as a paying customer would. Raiders of the Broken Planet is a lot like the hot hook up at the bar. You have no idea what it's going to be like when you get them home and no clue if you'll regret it when you see them the next morning.
MEG 9: Lost Echoes: 10/10
The game is nearly flawless. The list of issues I have is so short I can list them here:
1) Too short for the cost
2) Some higher graphical setting seem to crash
3) The initial load time was very long for me and asset pop-in was common during play
The voice acting and writing seem to match up. The voice acting itself was beyond the wooden tone I was expecting since a lot of scifi games try to imitate B scifi movies. An effect Elias Toufexis pulls of flawlessly in the recent Deus Ex games while I know for a fact he has amazing range (just listen to any work hes done in commercials). There's a crisp military tone that softens considerably once your operator, his RIG and AI MEG are in the field. Communications with your coordinator become more casual and even conversational at times.
Playability wise the games does a lot for you. Not in a hand-holdy way either. In the three missions available in Lost Echoes they show off a lot of what they plan for future installments. It plays like a triple A title and at first feels like an absolute bargain. Right up until it's over. You're left wanting more so you give the Flashpoint mode a try. For some that might be enough. For me it felt like a MetalGear Ground Zeroes flashback. A full price game with only one map repeated tirelessly. Don't get me wrong. The game is as near perfect as I can conceive. The music pumps, the graphics entice and the story is evocative. But at the asking price I can't recommend this game. If it included the full game's sound track as a teaser bonus it'd be worth it. Though if you can snag it cheaper at or less than 6.99 then GET IT. It is absolutely worth that.
This Strange Realm of Mine: 7/7
A perfect score for a retro indie title. Much like Captain Kaon this game reminds me a lot of the late era of DOS and console gaming. In this case it's a throw back to the '3D' FPSes. The game's style closely follows the Wolfenstines and DOOMs of yore. There's even a bit of Elder Scrolls Arena in this title as there is a 'hub world' that's just a bar really. A place of clam in the eye of the storm. There's no open world. You can just pick a direction and keep walking. But the missions are concise and are tied together by the storyline.
This is a graphically retro game. It attempts (and succeeds) in emulating the 2.75 D look we came to expect in Apogee and ID software titles. It even does a good job of recreating some of the external area levels common tot he DOOM and Quake series. The graphical achievements top out around the same level as Build engine games like Duke Nukem and Shadow Warrior of the late 90s. The music is actually much better. Opting for a modern aesthetic rather than trying to recreate the MIDI music of the era. It does, however, reproduce selections of music popular at the time.
At its core TSRoM is a dream wrapped in the last few moments of the protagonists death. The End is where all starts. The worlds you visit eventually force you to face the same blighted creatures you ran from on the opening level. Many tropes are subverted as well. Reloading a gun means you lose those bullets. Your vision dims as you take damage. The protagonist is aware of their recent mortality and their current situation. The story unfold itself gradually in an attempt to not 'overwhelm' the protagonist. Its introspective and challenging while adding on a layer of nostalgia for an era you may not even been a part of. Worth every cent of the 9 dollar asking price and a bigger bargain when on sale.
Thursday, September 14, 2017
Filling it in with Niche.
Niche recipes with no eggs required:
The game could not have a better title. It’s not often you see a puzzle game where the main objective is to survive. There’s crafting even. Making nests. Making babies (eyebrow wiggle). Making friends of the opposite gender through foodie bribes to make said babies. I mean, it works. It gets deep too.
Monday, June 26, 2017
Let's get LOADED. ShellShock LIVE!
I adore this game. Being good at Scorched Earth won me a lot of bets and earned me a lot of free sodas and candy. Other folks played similar games though. Cannon Fodder for Macintosh comes to mind as does the QBASIC classic 'Gorillas'. Shell Shock live borrows a lot from these oldies and does it with a gorgeous presentation in both visuals and audio. The game supports a very legacy-minded 'hotseat mode' which you may have seen in some Android and iOS games. They're the ones that tell you to pass the device to the next player. It supports controllers. It supports online multiplayer. It can also be purchased onsteam in a convenient 4 pack.
For me the game has only one major issue. It suffers from what I like to call FFF or Freemium False Fanfare. It's that naughty mobile app habit of making a lot of noise and splashing around a lot of color and special effects to celebrate minutia. If I could turn that off in favor of a simple feed of what XP I earned and what weapons I unlocked I'd be that much happier with the game. Some might complain that the game never tells you what exactly weapons do but I prefer it that way. Sometimes it leads to some accidental awesome or some hilarious fail.
Score: 98/100
Just give us a way to turn off those annoying 'winning game', 'unlock' and 'level up' screen fulls of particle effects and the epilepsy inducing celebration screens..
You'll get a perfect 100 from me then :3
Tuesday, June 13, 2017
A Quick Journey in to Disputed Space.
This is a title in a beta state. At least to me it feels like there are a lot of features missing. This footage was pulled out of an hour long play session that concluded with one of the worst eye strain headaches I’ve ever had. I would not do it differently though. So here we have a game with a lot going for it. The lone caveat to enjoyability being the intense lighting effects. It could use some more features. The ability to enable or disable an auto aim would be nice. Turn it on and let the electric death stream forth. Turn it off and the HUD give you an ITT* reticle to fire at. Accomplishes roughly the same thing. Let’s go over a break down of the current build:
Cons (Always lead with the bad news folks):
1. Dem lights doh. Dimming projectiles based on how close they are would be great.
2. Nearly empty HUD. No idea what you are targeting, what’s targeting you and checking your current status is almost a guessing game.
2. Nearly empty Menus. It feels like there’s something waiting to go here but it’s just not implemented yet.
4. No comms. There’s no way to co-ordinate with your NPC wingmates or capships.
5. No Radar. In space combat sims radar gets tricky but Elite Dangerous has a system that deserves emulation.
Pros (There’s a lot to list but I’ll stick to the top five):
1. The graphical fidelity. From the models to the texture the ships’ appeal is right on spec.
2. Satisfying booms. From the pew-pew of the lasers to the roar of other weapons the sound leaves an appropriately lethal impression.
3. Musical accompaniment. Amazing music by Micheal La Manna. Most tracks seem to be from “From Robots To Dragons Vol 2”.
4. MASSIVE battles. Watch the video! That’s just one of the smaller fights.
5. Diversity in hostile units. They also behave consistently. Once you’ve tangled with one of that type you know how they work.
As it is now the game scores a solid 4 out of 5**. It’s in development still and I expect the score to go up. Pick it up now while it’s cheap because even in this state it makes a great ‘instant action’ space combat sim that would do games like Freespace 2 and Wing Commander Prophecy proud on technical accomplishment alone.
*ITT = Inertial Targeting and Tracking. A system that calculates where you should fire based on your trajectory, the target’s trajectory and the projectile’s velocity.
** That’s 8/10, guys.
Saturday, June 3, 2017
The Golden Child of Indie platforming. FUMIKO!
Dropped in the deep end.
At least it feels like that time your mom got tired of your s**t and hammer tossed your butt into the pool sans floaties. Or did that only happen me? Traumatic childhood aside Fumiko! does drop you right into the world with NO prelude. None of that pretentious "menu" or any of that. NOPE. *BAM* GAME. Now go play and don't mess with the power main.. I'm making margaritas.
At least it feels like that time your mom got tired of your s**t and hammer tossed your butt into the pool sans floaties. Or did that only happen me? Traumatic childhood aside Fumiko! does drop you right into the world with NO prelude. None of that pretentious "menu" or any of that. NOPE. *BAM* GAME. Now go play and don't mess with the power main.. I'm making margaritas.
Deeper, longer and a bit more satisfying.
When I put in the title 'Golden Child' it's not click bait. This is what I've wanted from a 3D platformer for a while now. The game plays a lot like Dawn. If you've not played Dawn go give it a try now. It's a freebie title on Steam. The game starts you in a 3D environment you can explore that HAPPENS to have some portals you can use to resume a previous game. You can also access a pause menu. The menu is intentionally jarring and out of place. As if you're not supposed to be able to do that. This makes exploring it that much more tantalizing. Not only does the menu let you get into the options but also provides you with a log and a list of objectives. Save for escaping the sandbox and leaving Kronos server the world is open and the verticality is mind blowing.
When I put in the title 'Golden Child' it's not click bait. This is what I've wanted from a 3D platformer for a while now. The game plays a lot like Dawn. If you've not played Dawn go give it a try now. It's a freebie title on Steam. The game starts you in a 3D environment you can explore that HAPPENS to have some portals you can use to resume a previous game. You can also access a pause menu. The menu is intentionally jarring and out of place. As if you're not supposed to be able to do that. This makes exploring it that much more tantalizing. Not only does the menu let you get into the options but also provides you with a log and a list of objectives. Save for escaping the sandbox and leaving Kronos server the world is open and the verticality is mind blowing.
Joined at the hip.
The game's mechanics and art style are so intertwined that to critique one is to critique both. Compared to other avatars present Fumiko's character model is more advanced but also markedly more petite. The impression I got was an innocent and almost childish creature in a mature body. As if all that she learns is really just her consciousness tapping into her body's version of muscle memory. Like an amnesiac. They know how to do things but sometimes don't know how they learned it. Since she's so small she's faster and lighter. However her figure is what I refer to as 'The Professor' cuz dat booty SCHOOLED somebody. The environments have a resource light design which makes traversing these zones seemingly difficult for most but for Fumiko its just a stroll through a theme park. As you read dialogs you'll find yourself moving the camera to get a better view. This is something the game encourages in actual dialog. While someone would pick at this as an issue (and claim the dialog is just a cheeky excuse to be lazy) it's well interrogated as an intentional game design mechanic. Fumiko needs to be aware of her surroundings at all times.
The game's mechanics and art style are so intertwined that to critique one is to critique both. Compared to other avatars present Fumiko's character model is more advanced but also markedly more petite. The impression I got was an innocent and almost childish creature in a mature body. As if all that she learns is really just her consciousness tapping into her body's version of muscle memory. Like an amnesiac. They know how to do things but sometimes don't know how they learned it. Since she's so small she's faster and lighter. However her figure is what I refer to as 'The Professor' cuz dat booty SCHOOLED somebody. The environments have a resource light design which makes traversing these zones seemingly difficult for most but for Fumiko its just a stroll through a theme park. As you read dialogs you'll find yourself moving the camera to get a better view. This is something the game encourages in actual dialog. While someone would pick at this as an issue (and claim the dialog is just a cheeky excuse to be lazy) it's well interrogated as an intentional game design mechanic. Fumiko needs to be aware of her surroundings at all times.
Vertical Musicality.
There's a lot of ambiance here. I hate to say any of it mismatches but when a track starts playing for the first time it might take a bit to associate your situation to it. This only happens in certain situations and feels intentional. Just like the pause menu. It seems wrong for a reason. Sometimes the musical cue is too late to really warn you of what is going on. But that's part of the process of learning to be Fumiko. As much as you are learning about her, her environment and the events that brought you together she is learning too. The music encouraged me to be patient but also instigated me to act depending on context. One of the early levels has a graphically doretstid feel but the music is deceptively calm. Read it again. It's distorted. It's a trap. Someone is waiting for you to take the bait and has gone so far as to manipulate how Fumiko perceived that area. Since it would be too resource intensive to manipulate the appearance they changed the music on you instead. Walking too far in one direction will even glitch your screen for a second.
There's a lot of ambiance here. I hate to say any of it mismatches but when a track starts playing for the first time it might take a bit to associate your situation to it. This only happens in certain situations and feels intentional. Just like the pause menu. It seems wrong for a reason. Sometimes the musical cue is too late to really warn you of what is going on. But that's part of the process of learning to be Fumiko. As much as you are learning about her, her environment and the events that brought you together she is learning too. The music encouraged me to be patient but also instigated me to act depending on context. One of the early levels has a graphically doretstid feel but the music is deceptively calm. Read it again. It's distorted. It's a trap. Someone is waiting for you to take the bait and has gone so far as to manipulate how Fumiko perceived that area. Since it would be too resource intensive to manipulate the appearance they changed the music on you instead. Walking too far in one direction will even glitch your screen for a second.
A story you have to earn.This is a game that reward you for being skilled. That's not to say someone can't casually pick it up and eventually git good. That's actually a rather reasonable prospect. Literally anyone can run this game and improve quickly with mere trial and error. Hardcore players have the added challenge of finding hidden memories that may or may not be Fumiko's own. Up until the first major hub world you interact with ethereal dialogs that guide you. How many other voices can intrude into Fumiko's consciousness? Rather than who; What is Fumiko? Where have all the memories gone and why were they missing? Were they misplaced or taken? When will her world make sense again? In the end this game is either brilliant or accidentally awesome. I'm willing to bet 7 bucks on the answer. That's the price on Steam btw. Considering how layered it feels the price feels just right.
When measured against main stream titles she still holds a very honorable 3 out of 5 stars.
If you're looking for another silly romp in a punny/cartoony universe you're better trying elsewhere. There are funny moments so I'd give that aspect 2 out of 5.
This is no Rare platformer. Fumiko really expects you to make those shenanigans for yourself.
If you're looking for another silly romp in a punny/cartoony universe you're better trying elsewhere. There are funny moments so I'd give that aspect 2 out of 5.
This is no Rare platformer. Fumiko really expects you to make those shenanigans for yourself.
As an indie title, when gathering up all aggregates and delivering a score.. I feel compelled to give FUMIKO! a 98 out of 100 as an experience I enjoyed.
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