I bought this game on sale because I was looking for games that my kids might enjoy. I thought it looked cute and fun and I liked the idea of exploration. I was not expecting to have as much fun with it as I did myself! Once I started I simply couldn't stop. I had the main storyline finished within a few days due to some late nights. My kids equally loved it. It's simple: explore and find the Tinykin in each room and solve each room's quests. Each room becomes more complex and, until the last room, requires the aid of new types of Tinykin. It felt like a great mix of Pikmin and Chibi-Robo! Just free-roaming a giant old house and slowly enhancing your character's ability to travel and float. They even give you a soap-board to cruise around on! The controls were super easy, and the characters were all super well done! I really can't recommend this game enough! If you're looking for a game that is low-pressure, full of exploration at your own pace, and fun and relaxing, then this could very well be your next great purchase!
I played this game on the Wii back in the day and loved every second of it. I have been waiting, hoping, and praying that it would eventually get released DRM-free here on GOG... and now here it is! This is, in my opinion, the best LEGO game out there. Most of them give you a little hub space where you can reach all the levels and such... (Harry Potter 1-4 gave you the Leaky Cauldron and Star Wars gave you Moss Eisley Cantina...) LEGO Lord of the Rings gives you Middle Earth. (All of it.) It's huge. You're traveling a (condensed) version of Middle Earth and the levels are reached on different parts of the map as you go. There are Map Markers you can find to fast travel between areas, and once you've beaten a level you can always open the map and start the level that way as well. The cast of characters is huge, including characters from the book that never made it to the movie like Tom Bombadil! All the cutscenes utilize actual soundbites from the movies, so it FEELS like you're playing through the movies as well, though it is highly edited and tweaked for comical effect of course. The gameplay is everything you would expect from a LEGO game: multiple characters to switch between (in this game up to 9 at times!), lots of unlockables, lots of secrets to find, fun easy puzzles, and easy controls. Fund for the whole family! Finally, there are "Mythril" tools you can unlock. These basically allow any character to perform acts that only specific characters can perform naturally. It's a huge perk in the game! And with tons of hidden areas that only specific characters/tools can access you'll be traveling back to free-play levels and finding secrets for hours on end! I can't recommend this game enough!
This was a fun game. It was fairly short, which I didn't mind. The gameplay was great, and the atmosphere that was developed was fantastic. I love games that have minimal combat but rather push exploration with special encounters, and that's what this game delivers. My only big complaint about this game is that some of the voice acting is not that great... (Yeah, I'm specifically thinking about the boy...) It almost ruined the feel of realism that the game provided. Other than that, I think the rest of the acting was great. My second biggest complaint was that supposedly there are a number of mythical creatures the game randomly puts you through encounters with... I got the same creature twice in a row, which really shouldn't have happened, but oh well. The story was great, and I was surprised by the ending. I think that overall the game could have done a better job at randomizing its enemies, but I still had a blast.
I'm a huge supporter of people knowing what they get before they buy it. If you know what you're getting before you spend your money then you don't have to worry about if you like it or not. That's why I like writing reviews. It helps people make decisions. It's not about griping about my complaints, it's telling others about my experiences. This is a great game if you are looking for these specific things: -A short game (maybe 3-4 hours depending on your puzzle solving skills) -A Lovecraftian game. (This game has many dark Lovecraftian themes... Ancient ruins, ancient underwater creatures, etc.) -Puzzle solving. (You possess creatures around you and use their skills to progress through the levels. They aren't super difficult, but creative for sure.) -Simple mechanics. (You're swimming... No difficult platforming. You can turn your headlamp on and off, possess creatures... That's it. -Excellent immersive sound effects and music. That's all I can think of. There's no bad to this game if you know what you're getting into. The game meets everything the page description says, so no reason to dock stars. I highly recommend this game.
So, when I first watched the video and looked at the pictures for this game I was blown away. It was beautiful. Then, I go down and look at the reviews... a 1 star, a 2 star review to start, both complaining about the controls. Then, a wonderful 5 star review saying the controls are fine, but they're not a "verified owner" so I'm skeptical. Well, I decided to risk it, because I absolutely fell in love with the game description and the artwork. I'm not at all disappointed! I have a Windows 7 machine and I'm using a controller... The controls work just fine. None of the below issues seem valid. I concur with Yeshu that they may have some issues with their particular PC's... but the controls for me work just fine. Now, I have not beaten the game, but I stayed up till 1 in the morning trying to beat the first main boss. I'm not gonna lie, it was a grueling experience. It took me like 20 tries before I finally beat him. But I had a freaking blast. The controls are very similar to souls-like games. You can attack, or dodge, or use special abilities. However, what sets this game apart are the graphics and world setting. Graphically this reminds me of a totally gothic version of A Link to the Past. Very dark, very gory. However, the story and world are so complimentary to the graphics. Once you get past the first dungeon you're in a basically open world with creatures to kill and dark monsters to hunt. I don't have an over-world map, but there are teleportation statues so that seems to make travel easier. They're not that far apart either. Now, I docked a star because I did experience some bugs. I had to restart at one point because my menu froze and I couldn't change weapons. My character also randomly moved during one of the points where I was supposed to be reading something so I was distracted and missed some of the text. I'm confident this stuff will be fixed with updates. Game is still new. I'm amazed at what they've accomplished, though, and can't wait to play more!
It's a FREE cheat trainer... made by the publishers themselves! C'mon... No reason this shouldn't get 5 stars. Period. It's easy to install, though it does have a separate start-up file. It's found inside the main game folder. You start the game with that instead of the regular icon that appears when you install the game and then you have access to the cheat trainer. It's pretty simple, like the page description says. My ONLY complaint is that there is no sound or anything to acknowledge that you've pressed a button. So, if you select "heal party" just know it's done immediately, though there's no sound or anything to tell you that it worked. Other than that it's a joy to use, as sometimes the game can be punishing. If you play in this mode, like the description says, you don't unlock achievements. Rightfully so. Cheating is just so you can breeze through the game and get the full story feel of the game. Achievements are for those who want to punish themselves and push through the challenges cheat free. Makes perfect sense. I'm just floored that the developers created this and offered it here free of charge to all players. Seriously, THANK YOU for caring about the players! I almost didn't buy the base game because it looked like it would be difficult. I was going to wait for other reviews... That changed when I saw this available FOR FREE. I bought the base game and adore it! And, it's fun using the cheat mode to fend off crazy waves of enemies! I highly recommend this! Don't get frustrated with the base game and leave it a bad review. If you just want to experience the story then get this and make your experience an enjoyable one!
I went in to this game expecting an "experience" rather than a game. I was pleasantly surprised to find a significant story-line, though there is no talking. The story is assumed by symbols and a few cinematic sequences. The game was slow paced and relaxing, definitely not for those who like fast paced action games. This is a game that is supposed to be art... Take your time, explore, move the camera around and take in the scenery, follow the fish around, or even grab some of the fish and tag along. There's also a "zen" type thing that lets you literally just watch a particular fish up close as it swims around. You can switch between fish, and it's really relaxing. I was enthralled by the last few levels of the game. Honestly, they were beautiful, and wrapped up the story so well. I literally clapped as the credits rolled. (I don't do that often.) Controls are easy to use, and the game is clean and fun for the family. My kids really enjoyed it, and were able to finish the game as well. It's not particularly difficult. They really liked it as well. If you're looking for a wholesome, relaxing, fun experience... Then try ABZU. It's worth it.
I slept on this game for a while, but kept hearing a lot of talk about it. All good talk. Finally, I grabbed it on sale. My word... This was a different experience. Wandering through an abandoned house, slowly unlocking rooms and finding journal entries. Each entry is then played through as it's own mini-game. Each entry comes with it's own unique play-style and graphic design, but the stories are all connected. What doom befell this family? Why was the house abandoned? What remains of Edith Finch? The soundtrack is also superb. Also, in case you didn't know, I want to mention, for those who may be sensitive to this sort of thing, that all the min-games are ultimately tales of how people died. This may seem gruesome, but it isn't too gruesome or visually disturbing. It's just knowing that characters died through different situations. Some are downright Lovecraftian, others just disturbing. But, it all works well together to form a wonderfully unique story and gaming experience. Gameplay is walking simulator style, with very minimal puzzle solving. Try this game if you really enjoy a good story. I highly recommend it!
