I'm a big fan of Deadly Premonition, but it's far too bug-ridden to bother with on PC. I tried reinstalling the game, reinstalling patches, etc., but it still hard crashes after the (infuriatingly long & unskippable) parade of logos. Honestly, I'm better of looking in a certain place for a copy and using a certain piece of free software to completely sidestep this problem; I'd encourage others do the same. It's frankly shameful how much they're selling this for when it's completely broken. All that aside, definitely encourage anyone interested in niche, janky but ultimately charming horror games to check this out. Anything in the wheelhouse of Rule of Rose, Siren Blood Curse, or Clocktower 3. What it lacks in polish, it makes up for in ambition. Swery is truely a mad man for trying to squeeze a simulator-y open world in this Twin Peaks-y zomb-romp.
This game is such a gem which reflects that weird era around 2008 where EA were willing to experiment a bit. Tight controls mixed with parkour abilities designed for speed-running linear levels. The plot's rather forgettable, but everything else is on point. Now that's out the way, I want to say I'm quite surprised at how misleading the screenshots on GOG are - particularly the sniping positon overlooking the street. While the person who took these shots has an eye for photogenic picures, they evoke the idea of gameplay which frankly isn't representitive of the game. It's extremely rare that you interact with anyone on the street (I can only recall one instance), and gunplay is an extremely low priority - the game's relatively easy to complete without ever even firing a gun. Again, the game's still great and I would recommend it to most people - I just wouldn't want people to buy Mirror's Edge believing it's something else.
Momodora: RutM is a very solid Metroidvania game which exudes inspiration from both the IGA Castlevania games and the Souls series. It takes approximately 5 hours to beat. TL;DR: If the trailer appeals to you and you've enjoyed games like Symphony of the Night, it's very likely you'll have fun with Momodora, unless you're fatigued with this genre. Gameplay: The kinaesthetics are good; dodge rolls have invincibility frames and the animations for melee attacks have impact. There's that's factor of risk/reward in that enemies hit very hard, but they also have low HP and are easily stun-locked. The player's initial move-set doesn't change much, though there are collectable upgrades which improve weapons (e.g. faster arrow draw speed) and a handful of active items/ spells. The world is laid out like a typical Metroidvania - a series of interconnecting corridors with strategically placed bell towers (which function as save and warp points), divided into areas with their own aesthetic theming. Each area has a variety of combat and platforming challenges, climaxing with a boss battle. Storytelling: NPC dialogue is the main means of plot conveyance. The protagonist is silent, so there are many instances of NPCs essentially repeating what she said ('oh, you're a priestess, huh?'). Though there are some static NPCs, there are enough which move around the world pursuing their own quests over the course of the game, and some instances where they engage in battle. Overall, there's the impression that there's an established world which doesn't simply revolve around the protagonist and which spans beyond what's seen in-game. Replayability: [MINOR SPOILER, MAYBE] There are multiple endings, however the criteria for obtaining them isn't very substantial. However, after beating the game, a 'hard mode' unlocks, which does things like increase the number of enemy placements. There are secrets tucked away, which also increases replay value.
