I came into the game from having only played Steamworld Heist 1 and 2 (both great games in their own right) and also play a decent amount of card games, so I was super intrigued when I saw this on super sale not too long ago and am very happy I gave it a shot. I read some other reviews describing it as a cozy kind of game and I can definitely agree with that sentiment. The story was enjoyable, as were the characters and playing it on the hardest setting was still pretty friendly. Having played other titles like Slay the Spire and Monster Train I found SteamWorld Quest to be a fun palate cleanser of a time. I came in looking for a cute, light-hearted, story driven deck building game that wasn't going to make me pull my hair out and got exactly that. Will I replay it on NewGame+? Probably someday. Will I replay it on a regular new game and try out different cards and party member combinations? Almost certainly. Would I recommend it to a friend or anyone else? Definitely.
Oh man, Wizardry 8. This game takes me back to my middle and high school years in the best way. I only ever dabbled in Wizardry 1 on the NES but knew there was something special about it so years later when I stumbled onto Wizardry 8 at a CompUSA (back when that was a thing) I knew I was in for a great time. The game definitely doesn't disappoint. If you're in the mood for a game that's equal parts fun and frustrating, look no further than Wizardry 8. This is the game that broke me of my item hoarding habit and really had me thinking through every turn because it is relentless in trying to murder you and your team. I found most fights to be really engaging and it's oh so rewarding when you manage a victory against seemingly impossibly stacked odds and face palm o'clock when an otherwise easy encounter goes pear shaped. Voice acting is definitely a highlight and there's a lot of ways to build a party so it offers a lot of replayability. I haven't run into anything more than the rare minor bug playing the GoG version (mainly a stuck patrol in Trynton that took camping a few times to clear up). Well worth anyone's time or money and an easy 5/5 for me.
Review Update: Just finished my first play through of the game. I realized after my initial review that I should note that I picked this up with all the DLC included. I continued to enjoy the game throughout and was very glad of the extra stuff afforded to me by the DLC. It did likely make the game substantially easier in the long run but it also felt great to be an unstoppable steamroller after having worked to get there for a good chunk of the game. I'm definitely curious to see how other party compositions would fare. Picked this up on super sale and very glad that I did. Although its still early days into the game, I've been greatly enjoying it thusfar and would definitely recommend to anyone I think would be interested. I play a fair amount of card games and rogue-likes and while I'm no expert in them, this one definitely feels like an enjoyable entry into the genres. Playing on normal, it's been quite a comfortable experience so far. Ambushes are either awesome or awful depending on which side of the starting line you're on and the mechanics have been pretty straightforward. Easy to play for a stretch or just a few minutes and feel like you've accomplished something. I'm really digging the art direction and atmosphere. Feels visually reminiscent of Darkest Dungeon as well as this board game I own called Escape the Dark Sector, both of which I really like quite a bit so I was sold pretty much immediately.
I remember playing the Playstation 1 port of Dark Forces way back in the day as one of my first ever Playstation 1 games and I remember it being tons of fun. Recently, I happened across the PC remaster on GOG and picked it up on sale for something like $17. Having now gotten about halfway through, I've been really happy with my decision as the game looks amazing and runs without any problems. I could have picked up the original Dark Forces for way less, and still had a ton of fun I'm sure, but this feels like a remaster done right. Would I still have been happy if I had paid full price? Tough to say. I hate paying full price for video games, but I think it'd still have been worthwhile.
