Nov & Dec 2023
Well heck, time is getting away from me. Luckily, it is making the catchup for reviews a lighter load (for better or worse). I’ve just started a new job that no longer requires two hours of my day just travelling to and from. Needless to say this time can now be spent killing that backlog that has been getting away from me (and sadly a bit bigger…). Well, a month and some change late, but here’s to a new year!
November
Boris and the Dark Survival
After my disappointment in the first Bendy game I was hoping that this would bring forth much needed improvements and changes… but ended up being far worse than I imagined. In fact, the game doesn’t even really build upon the story of the series at all. It’s just an isometric procedurally generated and repeating strings of fetch quests. It’s probably the worst direction it could have possibly gone in. Not to mention the fact that all the bonus items you need for any semblance of progress is randomized and theoretically could never be obtained depending on your luck (and possibly bugged). What’s worse is that though the game tracks your successful attempts… it’s all reset when you close the game. So, any “high score” you want will have to be done within each session.
Recommend? God(s) no.
Rating? 1/10
An exception sequel to Risky’s Revenge that removes the weird layer travel it used for level navigation and focuses on a more classic 2D metroidvania-ish approach. The abilities you get to progress are far more useful in combat now and make every boss battle all the more enjoyable. The writing is still consistent and provides plenty of laughs while the story is fairly interesting with a great cast.
All in all an excellent game.
Recommend? Yes
Rating 8/10
Metroidvania-like that has excellent combat and movement flow. Boss battles very and some are truly dynamic though some feel like they can be cheesed a bit with some later abilities. The game also gives you some tutorials for mechanics that you don’t really get into for a while which gave some confusion both early on and later. There’s not much to the story and doesn’t feel particularly interesting, but it never felt like it was something to focus on. Though not expected, it was a bit of a shame to not see a way to bring over collectibles in future playthroughs.
Recommend? Yes
Rating 8.5/10
Easily the most ground-breaking FF of the 2D era… but it’s always been one that I have dropped almost immediately after picking it up again and again over the years. The feeling of wanting to drop the game, sadly, persisted throughout various parts of the game. I just had no interest in it’s stories and felt the characters uninteresting and forgettable. The characters I did find some interest in ended up having terrible abilities that were almost useless mid to late in the game. Still, I can’t discredit all of the great stuff it does. Varied gameplay that masks some of the standard turn based RPG elements, Relics (which very obviously inspire materia in VII), split story paths focusing on different characters, and the various unique abilities assigned to each person. Overall, a game that certainly deserves the praise it gets… it just wasn’t for me.
Recommend Yes.
Rating: 6/10
December
An updated version to a classic horror themed boomer shooter that is far too difficult for it’s own good. Unlike Doom, this strays away from the Sci Fi and keeps it pure horror and magic. It even goes the Duke Nukem route where it parodies and references many famous horror flicks, including Evil Dead, Friday the 13th, Nightmare on Elm St, and more. For this alone I greatly appreciated this game amongst it’s general spooky aesthetic. Unfortunately, it has the gall to be incredibly difficult, even more than general classic game standards. It gets to the point where some scenarios seem downright unfair. Luckily, one can (and should) save scum, but that doesn’t reduce any frustration or exhaustion.
Recommend? Yes, though this may take you a while.
Rating? 7/10
Shower With Your Dad Simulator 2015: Do You Still Shower With Your Dad
It has been many years since I last endeavored the completion road for this game. Many a showers were had, many with a dad. Yet, it seemed impossible… some achievements thought to be broken. Yet, as I make a return I not only see updates to the game, but that people have in fact gotten the remaining achievements. REJOICE! The last showers were had, the last showers with me and my dad.
If you aren’t familiar with the game, it is an accumulation of minigames that revolve around the theme of showering with dads. It’s fairly sfw and provides an assortment of humor and dad jokes.
Recommend? Yeah, I guess if you can get it for cheap.
Rating? 5/10
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7Relatively relaxing and definitely time consuming cleaning game that has you power wash various vehicles, houses, and other objects. With various upgrades, extensions, and other equipment you can go about your tasks in many ways. However, some equipment just didn't seem all that useful for any situation, particularly soaps that generally failed to be worth the price. I wouldn't say I obsessed over this game in enjoyment, but I had trouble leaving mid project as I just needed to get a little bit more done... which that little bit turned into a lot a bit and a few more minutes turned into at least another hour. Needless to say, it will absorb your time. There is an underlying story that the game hints about but it is not much of a concern when you have power washing to do. There are also many updates including crossovers that are available including FF7 Remake, Tomb Raider, Spongebob, and supposedly a 40K one coming out.
Recommend? Yes, but beware as you will lose much time and go crazy trying to find the remaining specks of dirt you had missed.
Rating? 8/10
Hm, Strider is on my shadow backlog in Humble Bundle. Not sure if I will activate it. But being short is certainly a boon.
Definitely recommend doing so. Haven’t gone the completionist route for it yet, but was surprised with how much I enjoyed it.
Congratulations on all of your assassinations!! ᓚᘏᗢ
Thank you kindly.