![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
(Meta: I'm back from my roadtrip to Iceland (which was epic and amazing!) and have a couple of days before I'm gone for another week, volunteer stuff this time. Have real life things to do but meanwhile I'm super excited play games and catch up on fandom. Spent today getting spooped by IMSCARED and felt like doing a bit of a review thing on some of the awesome stuff I've played recently.)
Some games I've played withing the last half-year or so that are worth mentioning!
The Long Dark
what it is: a survival game set in Canadian wilderness
time spent: ~40 hours
verdict: 5/5
I love this game. It's super atmospheric and immersive, with absolutely gorgeous winter scenery and scary music. It pretty much offers everything I want in a game: exploration, looting and problem solving. Despite being in sandbox mode, this game is definitely worth the money and I've spent hours and hours lost in its gorgeous world. The game doesn't guide you too much, so the first few attempts at surviving are very rewarding, when every time you learn something new and manage to stay alive a little longer. The map is huge and even after exploring most of it and getting pretty good at basic survival, there's a ton to do with the challenges and the different difficulty levels. Not to mention that the first two chapters of plot are coming out in August. Although this is a single-player game, I recommend playing it together with friends so that everyone can comment and make decisions together.
Mystic Messenger
what it is: an otome game for mobile phones where the player chats, calls and texts the characters in the game
time spent: ??? (a lot)
verdict: 4/5
I'm not a player of otome games in general, so I don't have anything to compare this to. But if you've run into hype around this game, please know that it is well-grounded! The game has very well-written characters with lots of funny moments. Warning: it will immerse you. You will be checking your phone a hundred times a day. I only played Jaehee's and Seven's plots and simply had to stop because it was interfering with real-life so badly. (I got the bad ending for Seven and was heartbroken for days!) Definitely start playing this when you don't have a lot going on in your life. The game is free unless you decide to unlock conversations you missed with hourglasses that need to be bought. (I opted for waking up at insane times like 3 AM and spending 0 € on this. I think sticking with the times the chats arrived made this even more immersive and real in a way.) And it takes up a ton of space on your phone was is well worth deleting other apps for for a while.
Night in the Woods
what it is: a story-focused game with platformer elements
time spent: ~11 hours
verdict: 5/5
I didn't think I would like this game as much as I did, but I utterly fell in love with it. If you're looking to play something heartwarming, sad, suspenseful, spooky and amazing, this is your game. I paid full price and don't regret it a bit. The characters are relatable and real, and the story had me hooked. What makes this game so different is how fleshed out and real the NPCs felt. It is too common in games for NPCs to exist only for the MC's purpose, but in this game they felt like real beings with problems of their own having nothing to do with the main character! My only critique is the slightly annoying platformer puzzle thingies (I'm not a fan of platformer games at all) and the intro. It took me around 1,5 hours to become immersed in the game, because the intro is very slow and a little boring. I'm also not entirely sure if the choices I made actually mattered, except when I had to choose a character who's story to follow. That didn't matter thought, and I'll definitely be back for all the plotlines I missed.
VA-11 Hall-A
what it is: a cyberpunk visual novel with a bartending minigame
time spent: ~8 hours
verdict: 3.5/5
The graphics in this game are so beautiful, and the music is pretty nice too! I think it is worth playing just for the visuals if it's a style you enjoy. It's not much of a game but more like a story with a bartending minigame. The characters were likeable and the story was set in an interesting dystopian city. I'm not sure I'll be back for round two, but I did enjoy the characters enough to possibly make some fanart or fanfic about them. I was super wowed by the fact that this game started out as a game jam game.
Mount Your Friends
what it is: I don't even know
time spent: 30 min
verdict: 3/5
The object is to make it to the top of the man-tower within the time limit. Is this game silly? Yes. Completely stupid? Yes. Fun? Omg yes. Played this drunk with some friends and it was hilarious. Worth the 2 € it cost.
IMSCARED
what it is: a meta-horror puzzle game
time spent: ~8 hours
verdict: 5/5 amazing such wow buy this it is cheaaaaap
I can't even begin with this game. Mostly because I don't want to give away any spoilers. This game is best plunged into with as little beforehand knowledge as possible. It's one of the most satisfying gaming experiences I've had in a long time. I was constantly taken by surprise with all the clever stuff the game threw at me. It's full of amazingly done meta, and completely immersive and atmospheric and spooky with interesting puzzles that don't repeat themselves. I even liked the dorky pixel art style. And the fact that this was made with Game Maker continues to astonish me. Play this.
Images taken from here, here, here, here, here and here.
(Also, my name is galoistheory on Steam if anyone feels like adding me!)
Some games I've played withing the last half-year or so that are worth mentioning!
The Long Dark
what it is: a survival game set in Canadian wilderness
time spent: ~40 hours
verdict: 5/5
I love this game. It's super atmospheric and immersive, with absolutely gorgeous winter scenery and scary music. It pretty much offers everything I want in a game: exploration, looting and problem solving. Despite being in sandbox mode, this game is definitely worth the money and I've spent hours and hours lost in its gorgeous world. The game doesn't guide you too much, so the first few attempts at surviving are very rewarding, when every time you learn something new and manage to stay alive a little longer. The map is huge and even after exploring most of it and getting pretty good at basic survival, there's a ton to do with the challenges and the different difficulty levels. Not to mention that the first two chapters of plot are coming out in August. Although this is a single-player game, I recommend playing it together with friends so that everyone can comment and make decisions together.
Mystic Messenger
what it is: an otome game for mobile phones where the player chats, calls and texts the characters in the game
time spent: ??? (a lot)
verdict: 4/5
I'm not a player of otome games in general, so I don't have anything to compare this to. But if you've run into hype around this game, please know that it is well-grounded! The game has very well-written characters with lots of funny moments. Warning: it will immerse you. You will be checking your phone a hundred times a day. I only played Jaehee's and Seven's plots and simply had to stop because it was interfering with real-life so badly. (I got the bad ending for Seven and was heartbroken for days!) Definitely start playing this when you don't have a lot going on in your life. The game is free unless you decide to unlock conversations you missed with hourglasses that need to be bought. (I opted for waking up at insane times like 3 AM and spending 0 € on this. I think sticking with the times the chats arrived made this even more immersive and real in a way.) And it takes up a ton of space on your phone was is well worth deleting other apps for for a while.
Night in the Woods
what it is: a story-focused game with platformer elements
time spent: ~11 hours
verdict: 5/5
I didn't think I would like this game as much as I did, but I utterly fell in love with it. If you're looking to play something heartwarming, sad, suspenseful, spooky and amazing, this is your game. I paid full price and don't regret it a bit. The characters are relatable and real, and the story had me hooked. What makes this game so different is how fleshed out and real the NPCs felt. It is too common in games for NPCs to exist only for the MC's purpose, but in this game they felt like real beings with problems of their own having nothing to do with the main character! My only critique is the slightly annoying platformer puzzle thingies (I'm not a fan of platformer games at all) and the intro. It took me around 1,5 hours to become immersed in the game, because the intro is very slow and a little boring. I'm also not entirely sure if the choices I made actually mattered, except when I had to choose a character who's story to follow. That didn't matter thought, and I'll definitely be back for all the plotlines I missed.
VA-11 Hall-A
what it is: a cyberpunk visual novel with a bartending minigame
time spent: ~8 hours
verdict: 3.5/5
The graphics in this game are so beautiful, and the music is pretty nice too! I think it is worth playing just for the visuals if it's a style you enjoy. It's not much of a game but more like a story with a bartending minigame. The characters were likeable and the story was set in an interesting dystopian city. I'm not sure I'll be back for round two, but I did enjoy the characters enough to possibly make some fanart or fanfic about them. I was super wowed by the fact that this game started out as a game jam game.
Mount Your Friends
what it is: I don't even know
time spent: 30 min
verdict: 3/5
The object is to make it to the top of the man-tower within the time limit. Is this game silly? Yes. Completely stupid? Yes. Fun? Omg yes. Played this drunk with some friends and it was hilarious. Worth the 2 € it cost.
IMSCARED
what it is: a meta-horror puzzle game
time spent: ~8 hours
verdict: 5/5 amazing such wow buy this it is cheaaaaap
I can't even begin with this game. Mostly because I don't want to give away any spoilers. This game is best plunged into with as little beforehand knowledge as possible. It's one of the most satisfying gaming experiences I've had in a long time. I was constantly taken by surprise with all the clever stuff the game threw at me. It's full of amazingly done meta, and completely immersive and atmospheric and spooky with interesting puzzles that don't repeat themselves. I even liked the dorky pixel art style. And the fact that this was made with Game Maker continues to astonish me. Play this.
Images taken from here, here, here, here, here and here.
(Also, my name is galoistheory on Steam if anyone feels like adding me!)
