This Platformer claims to be just like the kind you'd find in the '90s, and... it actually lives up to it! It starts out pretty rough, but once you get into it a little, you'll find that the mechanics are absolutely solid. You gain all kinds of new abilities and weapons along the way, and they're all used in interesting ways. What makes it all come together so well is the main mechanic, which is the ability to inflate like a balloon. You float straight upwards, and if you hit a ceiling, you can do some inverse platforming; not only is that fun (and easier to do than in some other games, like Battle of Olympus and Kiteretsu Daihyakka), it also makes a lot of the other abilities work in interesting ways. You can also leave a stage to regroup at almost any time, and dying only sets you back a single screen and anything you've collected on it. That's not to say that it doesn't get pretty challenging later on - the final stage SUCKS - but the vast majority of it feels very fair, even if you will need a little practice to get past some things. The toppings on this sundae are lovely, as well. The environments are interesting, imaginative, even whimsical, and the visuals all mesh very well. The story's about what you'd expect, but the jokes usually land. The music was a pretty big surprise, too; it ranges from emotional to whimsical to even pulse-pounding in all the right moments. If you like classic 2D Platformers, I'd highly recommend giving this a shot.
This Point-and-Click Adventure is a detective story in which you have a unique power. This power lets you do several different things, but they're all based around seeing past events. It gives a pretty unique angle to puzzle-solving, and as it develops, you gain more tools, so it isn't just a long string of inventory puzzles. Unfortunately, not all of the puzzles make sense, and while that's not uncommon for the genre, a lot of it has to do with the fact that the rules keep changing on how these powers work and when they can be used, unless they just weren't explained all that well. Either way, certain episodes might keep you glued to a walkthrough after a certain point, and once they start including timed elements, even that gets tricky. I played the demo, and it was EXCELLENT; I was completely sold. Unfortunately, from there, it had a lot of ups and downs, mostly downs. The first episode has some incredibly tedious moments that included leaving an interrogation THREE TIMES; none of it flowed well. The second episode was probably the best of the bunch, but then the third episode introduced a new mechanic that was interesting from a gameplay perspective, but really stupid from a story perspective. The final episode decided that all of a sudden, this is a choices matter game and any screwup gets you or someone else killed; that's not what I signed up for. Still, the story was compelling enough that I did finish it.
This Adventure is the follow-up to To the Moon, and while it wasn't quite as good, it was very well-constructed overall. Neil is obnoxious as ever, but everyone else managed to hook me and genuinely draw me in. There were times when the story derailed itself for no real reason with some really out-of-character moments, but all put together, it's a cohesive narrative. I also really liked how it came together in the end, too; it ended with a great message.
A lovely Run-and-Gun from Daisuke Amaya. You play as a frog, blasting your way through different stages, collecting coins to upgrade your weapons. It can be tough at spots, but it's also very forgiving, as you never lose upgrades or money. It can take a bit of grinding to get everything maxed out in a single playthrough, but there are a few excellent grind spots, so that shouldn't be a problem. It's not quite Cave Story, but fun and charming, nonetheless.
This Puzzle-Platformer isn't bad, but everything struck me as just alright. The mechanics were solid, and the puzzles were just the right amount of challenging without being too easy or too hard. The visuals were lovely when it came to the backgrounds, but the character portraits looked just a little off to me; don't know what it was about them. The music was very pleasant, but probably nothing I'd listen to out of context. I suppose the story is the star of the show here, but it didn't quite resonate with me. The story bits seemed to go on too long for something like this, and while they were canonically tied to the puzzles you were solving, it still didn't gel well for me. The actual story was fairly intricate, but didn't resonate with me, either. It's short, so it didn't wear out its welcome, but the post-credits bit was really weird and tacked on; it seemed like it was a bunch of backer rewards, but crammed in, rather than interwoven with the rest of the game.
This is a pretty solid Platventure that's very similar to Symphony of the Night. Like VERY similar, even down to a lot of stylistic elements, such as trails when the main character moves, the way the sword swipes look, and a save icon that changes with each session. Granted, the main character isn't as... tantalizing as Alucard, but let's face it: he was never going to be. It's not a total ripoff, though; there is some light town building that comes with rescuing the people and finishing their side quests that's pretty neat. It's also apparently randomly generated, but it doesn't have permadeath or anything frustrating like that. It's on the easy side, too; I didn't die once, and only really used healing items on the final boss. The final stretch can be a bit annoying, since there are almost no save points or fast travel caves, but otherwise, it's pretty solid. Not mind-blowing, but solid. If you liked Symphony of the Night, you'll probably like this, too.
This Platventure is much like its predecessor, and it does what it does well. Again, you'll have to think of it more like a puzzle to make sure you're able to get everything. It does a good job of letting you know how much you have left to find, too. By the end, if you play your cards right, you can absolutely BREAK the game, which is always fun; you've earned it by making it that far. The soundtrack is great, too.
This Adventure takes place in a fascinating, cozy little world that's a joy to explore! Unfortunately, that's about all it has; you've got quite a few puzzles to solve in order to repair your spaceship, and that's perfectly fine, but the conveyance is terrible. There were several puzzles where you have no idea how they work or what the end goal is. The controls are often frustrating and counter-intuitive, too. It's on the shorter side, too, so maybe wait for a sale.
I am an explorer by nature; give me a beautiful world to traverse, and that's enough for me. This Adventure-Platformer has you making your way through an absolutely gorgeous landscape with an artstyle that reminds me of the '60s and '70s; I adore it! Along the way, you'll experience some light puzzles, along with some hidden collectibles, most of which require stronger puzzle-solving skills. You'll get some new abilities along the way, and some of them are implemented in creative ways; nothing mind-blowing, but it's not just the same old same old. Aside from a few frustrating moments, its only real flaw is its storytelling; there is a story, but it's not conveyed all that well, and you probably won't know what's going on until the very end, when an achievement pops up, spilling the whole thing. If you're willing to just take it as a pretty, surreal world to explore, though, I'd highly recommend it, because it does that very well. If you want something similar, but with better story conveyance, go play Onde instead.
A lovely little sidescrolling Adventure in which you can change the seasons to reach new areas. Not quite a Platventure, exactly, but a decent focus on platforming and puzzle solving. The environments are beautiful on their own, but the color shifts with the change of seasons makes them absolutely breathtaking. The story, while fairly minimal, is also well-written; it weaves an interesting lore into a lovely fairy tale world that's a joy to explore.
