Pathologic is a rather ambitious and unique psychological horror themed adventure game mixed with survival mechanics in a real time open-world. The plot is really interesting, very intriguing. Solving the mystery surrounding the town is not easy task and will take you a lot of time and effort but there is something really entertaining and satisfying about it, you really feel implicated in the story, you really feel the need to learn more about it. The game does have some flaws like the fact that you need to talk to some important people in a specific order to advance in your quest even tho sometimes it seems unnecessary which is particularly frustrating when you don’t know about it and just loose precious time wandering through the streets. In fact the game has so many flaws it will take the whole afternoon to talk about all of them but even if it’s far from perfect it’s a really unique and enjoyable experience. This really is the kind of game where you need to put a lot of time and effort into it before being able to truly enjoy it but when you do it’s amazing. The atmosphere, the environments, the people you meet, this enigmatic music playing in the background and this feeling of being able to change the course of things while being totally overwhelmed by the events at the same time, it’s incredible. Like every niche title it is hard to recommend it because in the end it’s either you like it or you hate it, there is no in between. I personally think that anyone looking to play something different should give it a try, Pathologic might be rough around the edges it offers the player something that he will never find anywhere else.
PixelJunk Shooter is an interesting mix of shooting and exploration which frequently use as a puzzle mechanic a very well made and good looking liquid physics that interact very well with both the environment and the player. Overall the game is charming and got a pretty interesting vibe, exploring caves and other mysterious locations on an unknown planet to rescue scientists has never been so enjoyable. Unfortunately the game is rather short and can be finished in only 4 hours without any form of difficulty or whatsoever; pretty sad considering that the last chapter is the most interesting and the one that make you want to see more but the only thing the game is giving you after completing it is a big “To Be Continued” on the middle of the screen… But honestly even tho my adventure on ‘Apoxus Prime’ wasn’t very long it was a lot of fun and was totally worth the price.
At first the game seems charming, the idea of an RPG which is a simulated D&D style roleplay is pretty original and goofy. The game is filled with pop culture references and silly jokes and the retro styled pixel graphics and music are not that bad…. But….. In this game GOLD is everything, you need gold to travel, resurrect dead characters, upgrading gear, buying room upgrades, buying items at the merchant…. You need tons of gold for everything but the game is rewarding you so little it gets frustrating pretty quick. The XP / Leveling is also a real pain in the butt in this game. You launch a level 4 escort quest but you have to fight level 20 enemies, you launch a level 15 quest but you keep dying even tho you are +20. Some quests are so stupidly easy they require no strategy or preparation while some quests are so hard you just want to uninstall the game and be done with all that nonsense. But later on you will realize it’s because the quest are made for 5 characters but in the beginning you can only have 3 and hiring new members will cost you… you get it… gold… In the end the game is very repetitive, the quests are boring and the backtracking is legion. You will always be visiting the same locations again and again without anything new to keep you entertained. It's just a nice packaging for what is in reality a pretty bad game.
HuniePop is a pretty original and interesting mix of dating sim and match 3, a curious choice that may not sound so good on paper but actually works pretty well in game. With it’s silly humor the game feels more like a parody than anything else but honestly that's what makes it so fun, unfortunately the game is a bit too repetitive and the replay value is pretty low. Nonetheless a fun time for a couple of hours but nothing crazy.
Giants: Citizen Kabuto is a really great adventure filled with a lot of dark humor in a vaste and intriguing world to explore, an interesting journey in a sci-fi world with a beautiful soundtrack contributing to immerse the player in this incredible universe. A very solid and charming game with 3 different campaigns with each having their own characters and gameplay mechanics. A title that still feels fresh and original almost 20 years after it’s release, pretty much what we could call a classic ! If you are a fan of the 2000’s era this is a must play.
