Conlang games are pretty niche, and it's hard to explain to people why one might want to play such a game. Puzzling through a strange language, piecing together not just the vocabulary, but also the grammar, is unexpectedly satisfying! But most such games are either obscure or difficult to get into. Chants of Sennaar is very approachable, easy to play, and set in a evocative world with subtle, "show don't tell" world building. It's an absolute must have for anyone who likes the idea of conlangs or who loves puzzle games, but it's also great for people interested in exploring this genre. Absolutely worth a try, even at full price.
I bought this game for my kids and it is definitely not for kids. It is not for kids. It is full of complex text like "apprentice alchemist" and "effervescent" and complex "Where's the guide?" mechanics which is fine for a young adult, but they're too busy proving they're cool and edgy to play a game this twee, and little kids are left confused. This sort of game seems mostly aimed at grownups who want to revisit a simpler charm, and for that, it seems fine. It's cute, it's easy enough to control, and the circumstances are non-confrontational, and there's even a third gender or the option for facial hair on ladies, for the sort of adults that feel more comfortable with a game like that. Setting aside that this game wasn't suited for my children, it also wasn't suited for my computer. It burns up the graphics card to the point where the computer shuts off, even though this computer has no trouble handling the typical AAA game. So optimization is sufficiently bad that what should play on a potato makes a high end computer struggle. So I'm not really sure who the target audience for this game is? Millennials who like gardening but also have $5000 computers? I'd ask for a refund, but I got it on such a deep discount that it feels like more hassle than its worth. My kids are better off with Minecraft.
If I could give this 3.5 stars, I would. As Metroidvania's go, this is... fine. It's more level-like than it really should be, and the exploration options are pretty limited, but it isn't tediously bad either. It's certainly no Hollow Knight, but I've definitely played worse. But you're probably here because it's Shantae, and I am too! I've been interested in trying to franchise out, and most of them didn't land with me, but this one has held my interest. It feels like a good introduction to Shantae, and I enjoy it, especially collecting monster cards and the dance mechanics. I certainly wouldn't call this a masterpiece, but I felt like it was worth my money. Definitely worth it on a sale, or full price if you really like Shantae.
I wanted to like Blast Brigade. It's charming, in the sort of self-aware, millennial sort of way, and it's genuinely beautiful. But this is not a good Metroidvania. The game is less "difficult" than "tedious" with long, extensive platforming scenes that demand more from you than the controls can really provide, which means you die more often than you should, and have to do it all over again and hope this time the controls are responsive enough. Some of the stages are absurdly long in between saves or, worse, in between opportunities to access stores/power-ups. After 4 hours of gameplay, I unlocked one (1) additional character, and I unlocked the two options to buy parts of two different power ups that would eventually, eventually, let me have one minor upgrade. What are we doing here? I'm supposed to be 1/5th of the way through the game. Maybe I'm just bad at it, but this is my favorite genre. I played (and beat) Blasphemous I & II, Astalon, Bloodstained, and Hollow Knight, among others. This is just... not good. It's hard to explain why, it's just missing just enough polish on just enough parts to make the whole experience worse. I could probably drag myself through it and beat it; it's not especially difficult as long as everything lines up, and it looks like the sort of game where eventually the difficulty curve drops like a rock, but the fun factor just isn't there to keep me playing. Despite my growing, simmering resentment, I wouldn't call it a bad game, just... not a good game. It's fine on sale if you really like the aesthetic, I guess.
I found as I played Phantom Liberty, my interest cooled. The expansion feels very Modern AAA: great production values, cool story, linear level design, quick time events, characters explaining how to resolve problems. The complaints about forced stealth and forced combat are correct. It's COOL forced combat and COOL forced stealth, but after you've played through a great sandbox, it's quite a surprise to get shoved onto rails, even if they are rails for an excited roller-coaster. It's not bad, I'm having fun, but it's not what I expected and it feels more like a... different game. It doesn't expand 2077 so much as give you a new adventure to play with V. Is it worth your money? Well, I was a bit disappointed, but I think if I knew what it was going into it, I would have minded less. Perhaps knowing this you'll mind it less too!
