The story is about Senua, a Pictish female warrior on a quest to save the soul of her deceased lover. The world she inhabits, as well as the enemies she faces along the way, feel like they've been pulled out of a dream. The world is dark, gloomy and somewhat surreal, though there are a few moments of beauty and light. Senua also happens to be suffering from psychosis. Her illness takes the centre stage, as you are constantly surrounded by voices in her head as well as various patterns and visions in the world. The fact that the game is set in the late 8th century also creates some interesting interpretations for her condition. It also makes Senua a somewhat unreliable narrator. The game features some basic combat, but it is NOT the focus of this game. There are difficulty settings in the game, one of which is adaptive difficulty. The only thing that difficulty seems to control is the health pool of enemies, so if you are very good at fighting, the game will increase the health pool of enemies way too much and, as a result, later section of the game may start to feel tedious. I would recommend setting it to something static, such as Normal. It's not a horror game, but it uses some clever trickery to create suspense and dread for the player. There are a handful of puzzle types throughout the game and while they do repeat, they never overstay their welcome. The game features collectibles in the form of rune stones that act as audio stories, all of which are interesting and do not feel needlessly tacked on. The soundtrack is good and fits well. The games leaves you with a lot to think about as well as raises awareness for psychosis and mental illness in general. It is an amazing achievement, especially considering it was made by a team of about 20 developers on a relatively small budget. Games like this make me think that limitations of any kind bolster creativity. I highly recommend this game to everyone who likes great story-rich games. It's worth every penny!
It's an unholy union of Postal, Doom and American McGee's Alice of all things… and it's magnificent! The gameplay is fun, every gun feels distinct and useful, and the levels are fun to explore. The game features crouch-jumping or "Slide-Jumping", which is very fast. I recommend binding crouch to Shift for easier access, as crouch-jumping should be used at all times for dodging and platforming. It’s just so fast and satisfying. My favourite part is chapter two where it uses many surreal environments. The game is jam-packed with pop culture references and they're all great. Music is pretty catchy as well The game features level select as well as manual saving with quick save and quick load, like a true PC classic. I always welcome manual saving in every game. If you like Postal games, old-school shooters and creepy visual designs, this is a game for you!
It's an unholy union of Postal, Doom and American McGee's Alice of all things… and it's magnificent! The gameplay is fun, every gun feels distinct and useful, and the levels are fun to explore. The game features crouch-jumping or "Slide-Jumping", which is very fast. I recommend binding crouch to Shift for easier access, as crouch-jumping should be used at all times for dodging and platforming. It’s just so fast and satisfying. My favourite part is chapter two where it uses many surreal environments. The game is jam-packed with pop culture references and they're all great. Music is pretty catchy as well The game features level select as well as manual saving with quick save and quick load, like a true PC classic. I always welcome manual saving in every game. If you like Postal games, old-school shooters and creepy visual designs, this is a game for you!
I have played many amazing games over the years, but no other game fits this particular description more than Syberia TWB. Benoît Sokal and Microids have really outdone themselves this time. The game runs buttery-smooth. The graphics and the art style are amazing. Ostherthal is a lovely location, whether we're exploring the beautiful city of Vaghen or its country side. I could not stop spamming my screenshot button. Inon Zur's music is unforgettable and I'm definitely adding some tracks to my playlist. The voice acting is phenomenal, which is very welcome after the somewhat-disappointing third instalment. The game takes place roughly a year after the events of the third game and is accessible to new player. The story is good and bittersweet, although somewhat predictable. It also has nothing to do with the island of Syberia anymore, so perhaps changing the name should be considered in future games. Afterall, Amerzone: The Explorer's Legacy takes place in the same universe, so it wouldn't be the first time. On PC, Kate Walker can only be controlled with the mouse. Manual movement via WASD, introduced in Syberia 3, is gone, but thankfully pathfinding and camera work is much better this time. Having said that, there have still been a handful of locations where it was hard to make Kate go into a particular hallway, due to an awkward camera placement, so I still would have preferred to have WASD movement as an option. The game has 3 profile slots, without manual saving or chapter select. I personally will always prefer having the ability to save manually, especially since the first two games had that, but it’s not a very big deal. TWB is a worthy addition to the Syberia series and I recommend it to all fans of the franchise, as well as any newcomers looking for a story-rich game with a fantastic art style. It’s really sad that B Sokal did not get to see this game finished, but it will forever live on as his swan song. RIP and thank you for this wonderful journey.
I have played many amazing games over the years, but no other game fits this particular description more than Syberia TWB. Benoît Sokal and Microids have really outdone themselves this time. The game runs buttery-smooth. The graphics and the art style are amazing. Ostherthal is a lovely location, whether we're exploring the beautiful city of Vaghen or its country side. I could not stop spamming my screenshot button. Inon Zur's music is unforgettable and I'm definitely adding some tracks to my playlist. The voice acting is phenomenal, which is very welcome after the somewhat-disappointing third instalment. The game takes place roughly a year after the events of the third game and is accessible to new player. The story is good and bittersweet, although somewhat predictable. It also has nothing to do with the island of Syberia anymore, so perhaps changing the name should be considered in future games. Afterall, Amerzone: The Explorer's Legacy takes place in the same universe, so it wouldn't be the first time. On PC, Kate Walker can only be controlled with the mouse. Manual movement via WASD, introduced in Syberia 3, is gone, but thankfully pathfinding and camera work is much better this time. Having said that, there have still been a handful of locations where it was hard to make Kate go into a particular hallway, due to an awkward camera placement, so I still would have preferred to have WASD movement as an option. The game has 3 profile slots, without manual saving or chapter select. I personally will always prefer having the ability to save manually, especially since the first two games had that, but it’s not a very big deal. TWB is a worthy addition to the Syberia series and I recommend it to all fans of the franchise, as well as any newcomers looking for a story-rich game with a fantastic art style. It’s really sad that B Sokal did not get to see this game finished, but it will forever live on as his swan song. RIP and thank you for this wonderful journey.
Blade of Darkness is one of my favourite childhood games of all time, I literally took the name of one of the playable characters and have been using it as my nickname ever since. The game could be considered the grandfather of Dark Souls for its difficult and elaborate combat system. Like many games, there are some combos that you can do, but they are short and are not the focus. The game is more about the direction and timing of each attack. Most games tend to have a light and a heavy attack. Blade of Darkness has maybe 10+ of them. Low cut, middle cut, spin attack, forward attack, thrust, roll thrust, etc. You achieve these different attacks by combining the attack button with the movement keys. The game has some platforming sections, but not many. Weapons actually feel like they have real weight and feel very satisfying. The game has a dismemberment system as well. It looks really good for its time, with blood splattering all over the walls and floors. Limbs actually look like they are being chopped off, instead of exploding off, like in Bethesda's games. Bodies do not disappear either, so you can play a butcher as much as you please. If you want to chop up enemies into little pieces, after you've killed them, you can. You can also take someone's limb and beat their buddy up with it, or throw someone's head at another enemy. Just about anything in this game is a weapon. You can beat people up with a stool in the earlier levels, if you wish. The game has 4 characters to choose from. Each has their own preferred abilities, armour and preferred weapons. Each characters also has their own unique starting level too. There isn’t a lot in terms of story here, but the combat is really satisfying and quality gameplay more than makes up for the lacking story. There is plenty of replay value here too. Blade of Darkness is a magnificent gem and we need more games like it, perhaps even a sequel, with some improvements in the story department.
