Puzzle games are a difficult genre: they are usually associated with brain teasers, to just spend some time with. It's hard to find something innovative, but luckily, once in a while we can find treasures like this game, that shake things with new brilliant ideas. This game is a subtle balancing of many factors: simple yet intriguing mechanics (you can clone yourself many times, and interact with the environment), interesting challenges, cool graphics, and a progressing storyline that keeps you interested, giving you further motivations to progress into the game. The sum of all these factors works, and the result is just spectacular. Only hint before playing: remember there is a "slow motion" feature, activated by keeping pressed the right mouse button: it's not mentioned in the game intro, but it is really a great plus that lets you think about the game, and not just become busy with fast clicking . Summing up, this game provides a really enjoyable experience, showing how brilliant new ideas, together with passion for games, can carve gems even without stellar budgets. Get it and enjoy it.
First, before starting playing apply one of the existing patches that let you play Outcast at full screen. Once done this, you will be rewarded with an impressive game: excellent graphics (considering it's 1999's!), brilliant ideas, great open-world setting, smart AI, interesting plot. In other words, an amazing gameplay, for a game that at the time was wastly underrated, but that even today shows its beauty. You just gotta play it. Thumbs up!
Gabriel Knight 1 is just a classic: you've got to play it in your life, no matter what. It is a masterpiece of story and atmosphere, that sucks you in and that you'll never forget. Sure, there are bad moments (the silly "real-time" parts could have been avoided), but apart from those, it's the overall experience that matters. And at the end, you will be glad to have been part of such an epic story, that unfolds piece by piece, with an underlying sense of tension that few other games managed to create.
FTL is the perfect example of what happens when you put a lovely and brilliant idea into play, and forgot about level design. The gameplay and ideas behind here are lovely and brilliant. Just, level design is terrible: it has nothing to do with the randomization, you could still have a randomized variety that still keeps the game going. Here instead, alas, there is true chaotic randomization in the difficulties you face, making the gameplay just frustrating. Add on top the impossibility to save, and you got a total failure, level-design speaking. But, but... the game is addictive, the idea so lovely, that you can't just give 2-3 stars to this one: 4 stars overall, for the great idea behind. And, really looking forward to an FTL2!!
One-line summary: one of the best games I ever played, get it and play! Review: This is an indie game, so you expect the usual limitations and tend to be forgiving. Not here: this is a beautiful gem and shows that PASSION + TIME (it took years to develop) can give wonderful results. The main innovation here is the use of the "memory". It takes some scenes to fully get used to it, like every new thing, but after that, you wonder how adventure games ever managed to do without this. It adds so much richness to the game experience, making the player free from the "box context" that is usually the single scene where the avatar is located. This allows for very satisfying and logical puzzles, avoiding the "pixel hunting" or the "need to go 20 rooms from here to get that object" that are the classic tricks to make an adventure longer. The Good: touching graphics, careful voice acting, moody soundtrack, innovation, brilliant plot, many twists in the game including some clever real-time parts, even a score system, great commentary mode, a grand finale. The Bad: low-res in the faces of the avatars. I would have loved a mode with higher-res just for the faces, which are in any case focus points of the screen when you listen to the dialogues. Final judgement: If you like adventure games, you can't miss this game: full five stars with no compromises. The fact it's an indie is just the cherry on top of this jummy cake, showing what love and passion for games can produce.
