Once again GOG managed to add a game to their portfolio the publisher refuses to update. GOG is doing nothing to change this problem because they prefer to keep their publishers and don't care much about theitr customers as we all can see. Several games on GOG are outdated even though the devs are contractually obliged to update them - which simply is not forced by GOG out of fear to lose their publishers. So suggesting to buy the game on Steam instead is not the correct suggestion imo. The publishers screwed GOG customers just as GOG did by not reacting. You should not reward them by buying elsewhere. My advice would be to forget that this game even does exist. Don't support such crappy business tactics. We can buy it AFTER they have updated it.
Luckily we now have the trilogy complete here on GOG with this one. This is the one title that never was available DRM-free on any other store so I am really gld that GOG reelased it here now as well. I have to admit that I did not finish it yet but so far it basically repeats the same gameplay formula TR2013 and ROTTR used and since that one worked so well, I don't see any reason to change it. Once again they improved the graphics as well and still the game is running super smooth with countless options to make it run on most systems. This is a clear 5 star rating game for me and I can't wait to continue to play it. (GOG has fixed the issue of missing languages that might still be mentioned in older reviews so this is definitely the best version available and there's no treason not to buy it imeediately)
I am so happy that the two misisng Tomb Raider games arrived. The second part of the trilogy is pretty similar to the first one in the way of its gameplay mechanics but - as expected - is looking even more beautiful. If you liked Tomb Raider 2013 you will probably love this one as well. The games in these trilogy however are different than the classics so you should be aware that this is an open world game with RPG and survivor mechanics as well as the known exploration of tombs and ancient civilisations. You also get to know a bit more about Lara's family and background. As a Tomb Raider fan I can't recommend this one enough and the GOG version even managed to make the online features working offline so that's a big plus for me as well. My Steam/Epic version can now retire because this here is the definitive edition. Btw: The missing language issue (missing audiofiles for every language but English) has been fixed by GOG. So if you should read this in other reviews this problem is no more and all languages listed on the store page are available now.
The game is missing the latest update since ages. I tried to get it to GOG for months and all they told me was that they are working on a patch. Well ... this patch (which would not be necessary soince the update IS available on Steam) never happened. Please don't support such business practices. The publisher responsible for this is about to release a second part of this series on GOG as well and I strongly suggest to not give them any more money since thy apparently only care about Steam. I am so fed up giving publishers my money who only care about Steam - GOG is doing nothing about it and publishers do ignore paying customers (since they already have our money). Let people know that this is unacceptable, let publishers and GOG suffer from bad reviews whenever it is deserved. Stop this mistreatment once and for all!
The story of this AVN is about a guy who unexpectedly participates in a competition with a mysterious background. During this he gets to know a few girls who all have their own interesting and sometimes surprising background stories and it is possible to romance most of them. Every girl has her own interesting and most of the time likeable character. The renders are well done and it is rare that I saw a VN with so many pretty good animated regular scenes - making this sometimes feel more like a movie than a book. The game has a LOT of choices and some choices result in a change of your stats which then again might prevent or allow you to make other choices later in the game. In the game you also get a phone which will be used to read about your relationship stats, chat with your love interests and friends, watch at wallpapers and more. The game offers a few mini games, has an unlockable gallery and you can even search for some cats hidden in the renders of the story to unlock additional wallpapers. (These cats are hidden really well - so I'd suggest to also buy the walkthrough mod if you want to find them all. This mod only marks the scene in which a certain cat is hidden so it is still fun to find them ... it also helps in finding all available routes in the game - which are quite a few). The sex scenes - which are mostly vanilla - are well done but they clearly are not the focus of the game. They can be the result of certain choices and they are meant to be and feel special. For those who like them the game also has ingame AND Galaxy achievements - both working 100%. The achievments are not just progress related but choice related and some of them are not easy to achieve - so that's possible additional gameplay as well :) During my 100% playthrough I only experienced ONE bug. Contacted the devs and they fixed it immediately on GOG. Such devs need our support. This AVN offers a lot for your money and it also shows why AVNs are not the same as books.
I've waited years for this game to arrive and I had to wait even longer for this to arrive here on GOG. After the mind blowing and confusing cliffhanger from part 2 I could not wait to play the conclusion ... I am aware that the production of this game was troubled and development several times almost abandoned - so I was not sure what I would get in the end - but my curiosity could not be tamed so I purchased the game just seconds after its release. Now, after 20 hours playtime (I played the game on expert level, so no hints and no skipping) I can only say that it was well worth the wait. Once again the game is a bit different than part 1 and part 2 and once again the story gets a new layer. The atmosphere and graphics are as nice as they were before and the puzzles were interesting and challenging ... but never frustrating. They picked up quite a few things from the other games making this feel like the conclusion it is supposed to be. These three games are one big story and the story you will get in the end might not be the story you would expect.... For spoiler reasons I won't go too much into detail but if you played part 1 and part 2 you are already aware how great Dimmy is in telling a story in a way you won't be able to tell what's coming next. There were a few WTF moments I had when I played the game and when the final explanation was given I did not feel disappinted at all - only surprised. Yes, what they did was working but I was sure that not everybody would see it this way. So be aware that it could be (50/50 chance) that you won't like the ending. However the game is still great - even if you dislike the ending. So many ideas, such a great atmosphere, soundtrack, puzzles, cinematics ... Imo the game is worth more than the 10 bucks that are demanded here. So if you like these games chances are good that you will love this final part as well.
This standalone DLC is meant to offer something for fans of the brawling part of the base game. For this to work the developer improved the brawling mechanics of the base game and the game takes place in a small bar that is all about brawling. I liked the setting and characters in the Brok universe but I thought a pure brawling game with characters just fighting each other again and again might be boring so at first I was not thrilled when the game got released but of course I still puchased and played it immediately. To my surprise the game is not just about brawling. It feels more like an additional game in the Brok universe. Embedded in a story which starts when Brok discovers the bar you will meet new characters and engage in new (fully voiced) dialogues telling their background always with the lore of the base game in mind. You don't need the background of the base game but it makes the experience even better. The brawling part is not as mindless as I was expecting it to be. We are talking about 60+ challenges all being different (platforming, collecting, surviving and many more). Sometimes you even will have to figure out how to do something that seems to be impossible first. You are playing different characters with different movesets to make things even more interesting For each beaten challenge you'll get some currency which you can spend on unlockables or food which can make certain challenges more easy. You can sitch difficulty whenever you want or use currency to skip a challenge, preventing you from being unable to progress. The game screams accessibilty with its many options and basically everything is rebindeable. You also get a mode to create your own challenges, a versus mode, survival mode, custom challenges that can get imported and daily challenges ... in short: you get a lot for your money and I absolutely recommend this game if you are a fan of this universe and did not completely hate the brawling part of the main game.
In opposite to those two bad reviews here I actually own the game and finished it. It is not a big game but it is really charming and the voice overs are also quite good and everyone of the hotties has her own history and charming personality. Trying to find out why each of them is in the camp is part of the story. One thing that is completely different from all those other AVNs we are used to is the fact that the MC has a girl friend when he enters the camp and he also did not expect that the patients in the camp would be girls ... which makes this one a bit different since he is NOT searching for someone. The game also has a bit more to offer in the "gameplay section", you can search the renders for hidden items and you also get offered quite a few choices which will change the way the story goes just a bit (of course the core story won't change much as expected). The game tracks all routes chosen and so it's fun for completionists as well :) The adult scenes are also done pretty well and you have the option to chose what you want to see. I only give it 4 stars though simply because I think that the end is a bit too abrupt and could be fleshed out a bit more.
This game is pretty similar and at the same time extremely different from their predecessor Gibbous. Both games are oozing passion, love for detail and beautiful handmade frame by frame animations at every corner. Both games are colorful and impress with interesting and charming characters and both games have a beautiful and fitting soundtrack. Everything in both games is handmade and it shows that the devs really love what they do and are aiming to deliver the best game they could. However. While Gibbous was a typical classic point and click adventure in which you could - by design - sometimes be stuck for quite a while the goal in Near-Mage was to provide an experience that is relaxing and engaging but never frustrating. The game is advertized as narrative-heavy experience and that is exactly what it is. The game is not meant to be challenging it is meant to be enjoyable. If you are aware about that you will really enjoy the many characters, the well performed lip synchronized voice overs, the coming of age story, the beautiful surroundings, the joy to experiment with spells, outfits and dialogue choices and the many animated wonders these devs have in store for you to surprise you. Without spoiling too much I'd like to add that fans of the predecessor Gibbous will probably have even more fun with it since both games are playing in the same universe ..... Choices in the game will influence the story and/or later quests. Sometimes a certain choice in one situation might even lead to a new quest later in the game ... so it is important how you chose - it is also completely up to you ... so you will have additional fun and replay value to try out different things and solutions. If you enjoyed the beautiful art, atmosphere and soundtrack of Gibbous and always wanted to have more of it but with a more relaxed gameplay which will give you the opportunity to really dive into the scene and enjoy the story - you won't get disappointed here.
