Publisher: Red Nettle Studios
Website: https://wolfrug.itch.io/the-bottom-of-the-well-dev-version
Genre: Visual Novel/RPG
Summary: Alice recounts a strange dream of apocalyptic survival and doom.
Gameplay: After selecting Alice's traits, which will influence Alice's abilities and options in the game to come, you also make decisions that do likewise.
Style: The style of the game is extremely evocative, with all text being back-and-forth conversation between Alice and her friend online. This works well to convey the action and eerie atmosphere, as do the black-and-white blurry backgrounds. In fact, the only colors are red, black, white, making the game both stylized and dramatic while allowing the focus to remain on the text.
Story: Alice's story manages to feel creepy with its vision-dream of nuclear destruction yet utterly realistic in its details (which of course is creepiest of all, with the implication this is all preparation for a true future to come.) The combination of Alice's variety of traits with choices in the game offers plenty of story opportunities while still making for a difficult game.
Conclusion: "The Bottom of the Well" is a lovely and dark visual novel with some roleplaying elements that all combine nicely into a fun and fascinating game experience.
Saturday, July 28, 2018
Friday, July 6, 2018
"Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords" Review
Publisher: Obsidian Entertainment
Genre: RPG
Summary: Returning to the Republic after war and exile, you must hunt down the remaining Jedi masters and discover the threat of the mysterious Sith Lords.
Gameplay: Much of the gameplay resembles its predecessor, but there are some additions. For example, there is a welcome button that allows you to switch between two weapon options, meaning you don't have to go to the equipment page to switch between melee and ranged.
Tactical options are more complex as well, as your companions have a range of combat behaviors to choose from. There are also new lightsaber forms and new force abilities.
Crafting is also more complex. There are more types of weapons and armor and most can now be upgraded. Everything can be broken down into components from which many things can be crafted (if your skill is high enough, of course.) Chemicals work similarly for medical supplies and demolitions.
While all of this seems neat, honestly I find it a bit overwhelming and too much of a hassle compared to the previous game. While having some more armor choices is nice, there's just too much to deal with.
Your influence with your party members is another element that is intriguing but struggles in the implementation. It's great to be able to influence some party members to become Jedi or Sith (and there are various other mechanical rewards), to say nothing of the roleplaying of gradually learning their hearts and secrets.
However, influence is so haphazardly scattered that it is possible to max it out in a first conversation or unknowingly miss one of the few opportunities and then suffer a monosyllabic companion for the rest of the game.
Style: As before, it's enjoyable to see the dramatic sights of the Star Wars universe (given the graphics of the time), but headgear is, as ever, unfortunate. The music is excellent.
Story: The Sith Lords has a great story but struggles to tell it. There's some wonderful characterization and dialogue, but there are still sometimes issues when obvious questions aren't asked.
And don't expect anybody to explain your character's background, which is pretty annoying on a first playthrough, given it's a large part of the game (I'm of the opinion things that are not a mystery to the character should not be a mystery to the player.)
This causes difficulties in roleplaying, as do the problems with the influence system described above. When one snarky comment might make the difference between a character being able to be a Jedi later, it's hard to find a good middle ground between roleplay and gameplay.
Plus, the stops and starts of the influence system mean party information is doled out awkwardly. The characters are all great, but it's difficult to work the influence system to find out why. I also wish the characters had more chances to interact with each other.
Speaking of stops and starts, the game is awful about pacing. There are far too many long drawn-out sections where you're stuck with only one character or forced to go from one dungeon to another with no choices or meaningful dialogue.
Of course, a lot of this is because the game was absurdly rushed, and not even the Restored Content mod can solve some of the subsequent lacks. This is clearest in the ending, which even with Restored Content is a slog and a disappointment (especially given it leans heavily towards the never-existent Knights of the Old Republic III) that lacks coherency.
Conclusion: The Sith Lords was always going to have a tough time following up the excellent (and my sometimes-favorite game) Knights of the Old Republic. Add to that its rushed delivery and it's no wonder it suffers from pacing and plot issues. Yet it still offers some memorable moments and characters.
Genre: RPG
Summary: Returning to the Republic after war and exile, you must hunt down the remaining Jedi masters and discover the threat of the mysterious Sith Lords.
Gameplay: Much of the gameplay resembles its predecessor, but there are some additions. For example, there is a welcome button that allows you to switch between two weapon options, meaning you don't have to go to the equipment page to switch between melee and ranged.
Tactical options are more complex as well, as your companions have a range of combat behaviors to choose from. There are also new lightsaber forms and new force abilities.
Crafting is also more complex. There are more types of weapons and armor and most can now be upgraded. Everything can be broken down into components from which many things can be crafted (if your skill is high enough, of course.) Chemicals work similarly for medical supplies and demolitions.
While all of this seems neat, honestly I find it a bit overwhelming and too much of a hassle compared to the previous game. While having some more armor choices is nice, there's just too much to deal with.
Your influence with your party members is another element that is intriguing but struggles in the implementation. It's great to be able to influence some party members to become Jedi or Sith (and there are various other mechanical rewards), to say nothing of the roleplaying of gradually learning their hearts and secrets.
However, influence is so haphazardly scattered that it is possible to max it out in a first conversation or unknowingly miss one of the few opportunities and then suffer a monosyllabic companion for the rest of the game.
Style: As before, it's enjoyable to see the dramatic sights of the Star Wars universe (given the graphics of the time), but headgear is, as ever, unfortunate. The music is excellent.
Story: The Sith Lords has a great story but struggles to tell it. There's some wonderful characterization and dialogue, but there are still sometimes issues when obvious questions aren't asked.
And don't expect anybody to explain your character's background, which is pretty annoying on a first playthrough, given it's a large part of the game (I'm of the opinion things that are not a mystery to the character should not be a mystery to the player.)
This causes difficulties in roleplaying, as do the problems with the influence system described above. When one snarky comment might make the difference between a character being able to be a Jedi later, it's hard to find a good middle ground between roleplay and gameplay.
Plus, the stops and starts of the influence system mean party information is doled out awkwardly. The characters are all great, but it's difficult to work the influence system to find out why. I also wish the characters had more chances to interact with each other.
Speaking of stops and starts, the game is awful about pacing. There are far too many long drawn-out sections where you're stuck with only one character or forced to go from one dungeon to another with no choices or meaningful dialogue.
Of course, a lot of this is because the game was absurdly rushed, and not even the Restored Content mod can solve some of the subsequent lacks. This is clearest in the ending, which even with Restored Content is a slog and a disappointment (especially given it leans heavily towards the never-existent Knights of the Old Republic III) that lacks coherency.
Conclusion: The Sith Lords was always going to have a tough time following up the excellent (and my sometimes-favorite game) Knights of the Old Republic. Add to that its rushed delivery and it's no wonder it suffers from pacing and plot issues. Yet it still offers some memorable moments and characters.
Friday, June 29, 2018
"Glitchhikers" Review
Publisher: Silverstring Media Inc.
Website: http://glitchhikers.com/
Genre: Simulation
Summary: A late-night drive prompts some philosophical pondering.
Gameplay: You can change the speed of the car and change lanes as well as look to your right and left. You can also choose responses in dialogue. Fortunately the driving itself is automatic.
Style: The sleek angular style and garish colors helps with the otherworldly atmosphere. Naturally, the music evokes (as it must) "Echoes" or "Hearts of Space."
Story: Elements are mixed and added a bit so the story is a bit different each time, which also helps capture the strange feeling of driving alone at night under the weight of strange thoughts. Is this hitchhiker a stoner, an alien, or a figment of the driver's imagination? Up to you to decide, as is your takeaway from any philosophical discussion. It might just be a relaxing drive.
Conclusion: More of an experience, "Glitchhikers" intriguingly recalls dark nights musing to New Age music.
Website: http://glitchhikers.com/
Genre: Simulation
Summary: A late-night drive prompts some philosophical pondering.
Gameplay: You can change the speed of the car and change lanes as well as look to your right and left. You can also choose responses in dialogue. Fortunately the driving itself is automatic.
Style: The sleek angular style and garish colors helps with the otherworldly atmosphere. Naturally, the music evokes (as it must) "Echoes" or "Hearts of Space."
Story: Elements are mixed and added a bit so the story is a bit different each time, which also helps capture the strange feeling of driving alone at night under the weight of strange thoughts. Is this hitchhiker a stoner, an alien, or a figment of the driver's imagination? Up to you to decide, as is your takeaway from any philosophical discussion. It might just be a relaxing drive.
Conclusion: More of an experience, "Glitchhikers" intriguingly recalls dark nights musing to New Age music.
Sunday, June 17, 2018
"The Monster in Me" Review
Website: https://alicerendell.itch.io/the-monster-in-me
Genre: Visual Novel
Summary: You and two friends try to survive in the aftermath of the apocalypse.
Gameplay: Gameplay consists of choosing responses, which influence companion actions and morale and therefore the story.
Style: The graphics are a bit overly stylized and lack detail I'd prefer, especially as there's only one background and not much motion. Still, a downcast look can get across a lot of emotion, especially when combined with the ever-crackling fire and nice music.
Story: The difficult decisions of morality and survival make for a tense and often dark story. Personally, I wish there was a bit more detail or background on the cause of this apocalypse just because that helps me make my choices, but others may like the in media res style.
Conclusion: "The Monster in Me" is an interesting game about the harsh possibilities of survival in tough situations.
Genre: Visual Novel
Summary: You and two friends try to survive in the aftermath of the apocalypse.
Gameplay: Gameplay consists of choosing responses, which influence companion actions and morale and therefore the story.
Style: The graphics are a bit overly stylized and lack detail I'd prefer, especially as there's only one background and not much motion. Still, a downcast look can get across a lot of emotion, especially when combined with the ever-crackling fire and nice music.
Story: The difficult decisions of morality and survival make for a tense and often dark story. Personally, I wish there was a bit more detail or background on the cause of this apocalypse just because that helps me make my choices, but others may like the in media res style.
Conclusion: "The Monster in Me" is an interesting game about the harsh possibilities of survival in tough situations.
Saturday, May 12, 2018
"Shadowrun Returns: The Dead Man's Switch" Review
Publisher: Harebrained Schemes
Genre: RPG
Summary: A late-night call from an old friend requests you solve his murder.
Gameplay: Character creation and growth is pretty fluid, with the ability to spend "karma" (experience) points wherever you choose, although higher ranks in sub-categories require equal in the category above (e.g., a five in Rifles requires a five in Ranged Combat, which requires a five in Quickness.) Higher ranks are also more expensive, so specialization is recommended. The different races have various limits and bonuses.
Combat is turn-based, with a variety of choices between shooting (with different guns and abilities), spells, spirit-summoning, throwing grenades, melee, and moving (take cover!) You can also control a drone for additional firepower. The timing of actions is neatly laid out, leading to some nice strategizing. The only annoyance is having to sometimes move around in combat mode when you're not fighting anybody.
You also sometimes hack into the Matrix to steal information or control turrets and similar fights take place there. As this usually happens when the rest of your team is fighting outside, it feels a bit awkwardly split, which rather matches the pen-and-paper game experience.
Beyond combat there are plenty of conversation options and choices where abilities offer further options.
Style: The isometric perspective has some good detail when zoomed in, although the game has a tendency to zoom out too much for my liking. The character portraits enrich the game as well. Inventory, save, quests, and character statistics can be pulled up via a side button.
Story: Dead Man's Switch starts small and builds to a satisfying conclusion through classic Shadowrun Seattle. However, there are somewhat annoying parts and I wish the game had more sidequests to flesh out the world; it's mostly pretty direct. The game has some memorable characters and evocative descriptive writing, but most of your fellow Shadowrunners are hired hands that don't add anything besides a helpful gun hand. Still, your character has choices in how to react to things.
Conclusion: Although overly straightforward and with some minor annoyances, Dead Man's Switch offers a fun story in the Shadowrun setting.
Genre: RPG
Summary: A late-night call from an old friend requests you solve his murder.
Gameplay: Character creation and growth is pretty fluid, with the ability to spend "karma" (experience) points wherever you choose, although higher ranks in sub-categories require equal in the category above (e.g., a five in Rifles requires a five in Ranged Combat, which requires a five in Quickness.) Higher ranks are also more expensive, so specialization is recommended. The different races have various limits and bonuses.
Combat is turn-based, with a variety of choices between shooting (with different guns and abilities), spells, spirit-summoning, throwing grenades, melee, and moving (take cover!) You can also control a drone for additional firepower. The timing of actions is neatly laid out, leading to some nice strategizing. The only annoyance is having to sometimes move around in combat mode when you're not fighting anybody.
You also sometimes hack into the Matrix to steal information or control turrets and similar fights take place there. As this usually happens when the rest of your team is fighting outside, it feels a bit awkwardly split, which rather matches the pen-and-paper game experience.
Beyond combat there are plenty of conversation options and choices where abilities offer further options.
Style: The isometric perspective has some good detail when zoomed in, although the game has a tendency to zoom out too much for my liking. The character portraits enrich the game as well. Inventory, save, quests, and character statistics can be pulled up via a side button.
Story: Dead Man's Switch starts small and builds to a satisfying conclusion through classic Shadowrun Seattle. However, there are somewhat annoying parts and I wish the game had more sidequests to flesh out the world; it's mostly pretty direct. The game has some memorable characters and evocative descriptive writing, but most of your fellow Shadowrunners are hired hands that don't add anything besides a helpful gun hand. Still, your character has choices in how to react to things.
Conclusion: Although overly straightforward and with some minor annoyances, Dead Man's Switch offers a fun story in the Shadowrun setting.
Tuesday, April 17, 2018
"Taarradhin" Review
Publisher: Cyanide Tea
Website: http://taarradhin.cyanide-tea.net/
Genre: Visual Novel
Summary: A pampered rich girl gets to know two new foreign slaves in her house.
Gameplay: The gameplay consists solely of a few decisions.
Style: The music and art blend together nicely, and the non-European setting is a nice change of pace.
Story: "Taarradhin" isn't a very satisfying story. The main character is spoiled and unlikable and remains so in most playthroughs. The game is also short without many choices. Therefore the romances are also unsatisfying. Plus descriptions often unnecessary tell what is already shown by character action.
Conclusion: While having an interesting setting and premise, "Taarradhin" is ultimately frustrating.
Website: http://taarradhin.cyanide-tea.net/
Genre: Visual Novel
Summary: A pampered rich girl gets to know two new foreign slaves in her house.
Gameplay: The gameplay consists solely of a few decisions.
Style: The music and art blend together nicely, and the non-European setting is a nice change of pace.
Story: "Taarradhin" isn't a very satisfying story. The main character is spoiled and unlikable and remains so in most playthroughs. The game is also short without many choices. Therefore the romances are also unsatisfying. Plus descriptions often unnecessary tell what is already shown by character action.
Conclusion: While having an interesting setting and premise, "Taarradhin" is ultimately frustrating.
Tuesday, April 3, 2018
"Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn" Review
Publisher: Black Isle/Bioware
Genre: RPG
Summary: You must undertake quests and make chancy bargains to pursue an evil mage.
Gameplay: As before, the gameplay is based on 3rd edition Dungeons and Dragons. There are new classes, Barbarian and Sorcerer, plus optional "kits", sort of sub-classes, for most classes. Levels are higher than the previous game, allowing for more spells and abilities and subsequently greater variety in strategy (although you'd always best have some sort of way to remove mage defenses.) Likewise, difficult new enemies await, including annoying level-draining ones and, finally, some dragons.
Style: The game is similar in design to the first, with icons set off in bars to the side, but they're a little more rounded and golden to fit the setting of a city of trade. The graphics are similar as well, but more exotic realms and creatures are featured.
Story: The epic story offers memorable settings and characters. The villains are complex, as are your companions. The quirky Bioware party members interject comments and concerns and can sometimes even be romanced.
There are still distinct chapters that start with a cutscene and narration, but these lack the strength of the previous game's as they don't really add anything. I enjoy the game most in the earlier chapters, when a multitude of quests and options spreads before your character (although many admirably manage to tie into the theme of "shadows.") There are enough for many playthroughs (I think there are several quests I still haven't yet done, after years of playing) and that's just the way I like it. Later the game is more linear and the combat grows more difficult and tiresome, but the strength of the story covers some of these woes.
Conclusion: Shadows of Amn (the "Baldur's Gate" part is a bit of a misnomer, since that location was the focus of the first game and isn't revisited here except dialogue reminiscence) offers a strong story and characters in a rich setting with some fun combat, to which many mods have only added over the years. I do wish there were more options and quests in the later part, but it's still a great game.
Genre: RPG
Summary: You must undertake quests and make chancy bargains to pursue an evil mage.
Gameplay: As before, the gameplay is based on 3rd edition Dungeons and Dragons. There are new classes, Barbarian and Sorcerer, plus optional "kits", sort of sub-classes, for most classes. Levels are higher than the previous game, allowing for more spells and abilities and subsequently greater variety in strategy (although you'd always best have some sort of way to remove mage defenses.) Likewise, difficult new enemies await, including annoying level-draining ones and, finally, some dragons.
Style: The game is similar in design to the first, with icons set off in bars to the side, but they're a little more rounded and golden to fit the setting of a city of trade. The graphics are similar as well, but more exotic realms and creatures are featured.
Story: The epic story offers memorable settings and characters. The villains are complex, as are your companions. The quirky Bioware party members interject comments and concerns and can sometimes even be romanced.
There are still distinct chapters that start with a cutscene and narration, but these lack the strength of the previous game's as they don't really add anything. I enjoy the game most in the earlier chapters, when a multitude of quests and options spreads before your character (although many admirably manage to tie into the theme of "shadows.") There are enough for many playthroughs (I think there are several quests I still haven't yet done, after years of playing) and that's just the way I like it. Later the game is more linear and the combat grows more difficult and tiresome, but the strength of the story covers some of these woes.
Conclusion: Shadows of Amn (the "Baldur's Gate" part is a bit of a misnomer, since that location was the focus of the first game and isn't revisited here except dialogue reminiscence) offers a strong story and characters in a rich setting with some fun combat, to which many mods have only added over the years. I do wish there were more options and quests in the later part, but it's still a great game.
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