So, I actually don't own the game. And I can comfortably say I won't ever buy it. The game may honestly play fine. However, the promotional material insinuates that this game is "better" than the Bible because it has Shaq fighting people and saving the world. The language used implies that Shaq is a better savior than Jesus... that's actually quite offensive. I don't know what is in the game, but the promotional material has turned me off to this game. I'm all for humor. Don't get me wrong. However, the promotional comments for this game cross a line. I don't think it would be a good idea to promote any game by using offensive material. What's next? Will someone decide promote a game while mocking someone's sexual preference? Or what about promoting a game by mocking another religious text? I just don't get how this is acceptable... Again, this isn't a true review... Can't speak to the game play. But I think a better promotional route could have been taken for sure. The game itself looks like it might be funny and fun to play.
I got this for $2.49... And I can tell just by playing the game for a few days this would have been well worth the original price. I got a great deal here. First, the sound track comes with the purchase. Not every game does that now-a-days. The sound track alone is worth the price of the game as far as I am concerned. It's fantastic. (Very reminiscent of a coffee house feel.) Second, the art style and flow of the game-play go hand in hand. Imagine a Sonic game that was relaxing, but still challenging. That's what it feels like playing this game. Third, I used to be a Janitor, so I think the idea of being a Super Janitor is freaking amazing. Parkour around different levels and clean up while your at it. That's the game in a nutshell. Finally, there is a ton of content. Lots and lots of levels, and they've even integrated some selected player-made levels with a recent FREE DLC. Not to mention the level editor itself is pretty dang awesome. You can make levels that look and feel like the ones the developers designed, and it's easy to use! I'm sold. I love this game. If you want a relaxing atmosphere, with challenging game-play, and a tone of content to mess around with, then check out Dustforce DX! You won't be disappointed.
I played this game back when it was a ton of discs that you swapped through as you played. A disc per island... So now, to have a digital copy where discs don't have to be swapped every time I travel is phenomenal. I originally hesitated at purchasing this, because I have a friend who bought a copy a while back and he said there was a glitch that made you skip pages on Atrus's diary, which really killed some of the immersion. However, I am happy to report that as of me playing it now that the bug must have been fixed in some previous updates, because everything is working flawlessly. Myst was great, but Riven took the whole series to another level. A level that, as far as I am concerned, has yet to be matched even in the later games. (except MAYBE Uru...) The immersion in this game is perfect. The sound effects, music, and world around you are superb. Turn off the lights when you play, maybe plug in some headphones, and enjoy the world that was so painstakingly crafted to be amazing. The puzzles are difficult. Not gonna lie. But, it's part of the Myst series, so that is to be expected. The beauty is that you can explore at your leisure, and the exploration MEANS SOMETHING. You are constantly connecting dots, finding places you didn't realize you could click to move, reading histories of the characters in their diaries or journals, and working your way through a labyrinth designed to push you to your mental limits. Also, if you haven't had the opportunity, I HIGHLY recommend fining and reading the Myst novels. They give background information which fills in so many gaps and makes you really appreciate the game you are playing. I can't give this game any less than 5 stars... It's what it deserves. It's what it has always deserved.
Before- I had this game wishlisted for a long time, before it's release. I would go back and watch it's lil video and oogle over the pixels (which are gorgeous) and watch the cool transformations that the main character undergoes... Then the game came out and I was so excited. And then it went on sale and I was even more excited. Excited enough to finally buy it and play it... Now- I am very disappointed. It's a fun idea, but there really isn't very much interaction with characters. You get thrown into a long quest (you're the hero that has to save the day and such) and unfortunately the controls are very difficult to deal with. I get that it's a new idea: movement is attacking. I'm all for gimmicky new twists on gaming, but this just wasn't executed well. The movement of the sword is often difficult to control and you die from not calling it back to you at the right moment, or you are unable to call it back (a bug that happens sometimes) and you die. Again, the pixels are great, and the music is fun, but the levels were monotonous and dragged on to the point that I have not finished the game. I got bored trying to traverse the mountains, and since save points are few and far between it meant a lot of replay after death. (I would normally be fine with this, but the controls being as rough as they are this makes the process very, very tedious.) And there was hardly enough interaction to make me want to fight through the tediousness to reach my goal. I truly hope that future updates correct some of the harshness of the controls. It might make it more fun to traverse and encourage me to finish the game. But, for now, I'm just sad because of the great potential I saw in the video. It just didn't live up to the excitement that seemed to be there. I really wanted to like this game.
Whether this character is a re-make of another, as the review below states, or not... I can't really tell. I just know that I think the Musketeer looks cool, and I enjoy using her as a rear character for my expeditions. And, who cares. It's a free character. If I had to pay money for this character I would be disappointed, because a lone character is not much of a DLC... But for free I can't complain. I get something extra in my game for no cost, and a fun character to add to my expeditions. 5 stars all the way.
This game is definitely not for everyone. It you enjoy reading, puzzles, and cards... then this game is right up your alley. I feel like this entire game is an interactive H.P. Lovecraft novel where you are solving puzzles to reveal the next part of the story, and instead of pages you are having the story revealed to you through cards. The mechanic is simple enough: resource management using resource cards. Balance your finances, health, and sanity while trying to unlock the secrets of the world of Dream. Start a cult, amass a following, explore strange locations, try to relax when possible, all while trying to stay ahead of those who would hunt down your cult and turn you in to the authorities. This game is difficult. I still have not reached a good ending... Be prepared to run into Despair, Hunger, and possibly Prison... a lot. But, I keep going back because I am constantly learning how to stay a live a little longer, which cards mixed together yield what result, and which paths lead to success or failure. The DLC's are basically different characters with slightly different starting mechanics. That's the main difference between characters is how they start: what job do they have, which resource will be their main focus, etc... The DLC charcters increase the difficulty a bit by adding different starting jobs than the vanilla ones. Oh, yeah... and many of the cards disappear if you can't find out how to use them within a certain time period. So, the whole time your fighting multiple clocks. (Here's a hint... PAUSE AS OFTEN AS YOU CAN!!! You can pause and put cards where you want them, then restart the clock. It helps. I tired my first two runs without realizing I could pause. Needless to say my first two attempts ended badly...) Great game, but again, not for everyone. Don't buy this game if you hate reading, or cards, or solving puzzles. Also, the music is fantastic, and the soundtrack comes with this Anthology edition! Get it. It's the best deal.
Ok, so I'm breaching protocol here a bit. You'll see I'm not a "verified owner" of a digital copy from GOG... and there's a good reason for that. Frankly, after playing through my hard copy of the game I purchased a long time ago, I struggle to justify wasting any money on it here. I may upgrade in the future, but we'll see. Anyhow... This game is the end of the series. (big build up... over a decade of waiting for the end to be written...) And I must say, though the game is delightful and challenging and looks great and all that jazz... It's not the "grande finally" that I would have liked to see. Why? I'm glad you asked. First, the attention to detail was absolutely absurd. If you're going to have a game that immerses you in an atmosphere, and you dare to add the free roaming aspect to the game, then you MUST HAVE FOOT STEP SOUNDS! They're not there! Walking through water? No ripples... or any sound evidence to show that you are doing so. I cannot express how strange this is considering the detail that went into Myst IV. (In that game you could touch just about anything and it made a sound. I watched a documentary about them explaining they wanted total immersion and so they paid extreme attention to detail... on that game.) Also, this game feels rushed. You can't leisurely explore... I mean, you can, but there's no reward for it. In the other games you felt compelled to explore because sometimes you found things that pieced the story together for you. But not here. Just beautiful scenery for beauty's sake. Ultimately unimpressive, and highly disappointing. You find journal notes... not even hidden, but on your main paths, that fill you in on story. Not much mystery. If I ever do buy a digital copy here it will be so that I have the complete set in my library, because I like stuff like that. But at the time of writing this review I only own the physical copy.
If you've read any amount of reviews for this game you have probably seen that a major complaint is the difficulty level... That's not wrong. So, if you suck at platform games don't buy this game. However, it is because of the games difficulty that every milestone feels like a huge success, and every new skill you earn feels like a game changer. The sense of accomplishment you feel when you finally beat a boss that you've tried so many times to defeat is amazing. As to controls, everything feels tight and spot on. No lag. I jump when I want to jump, and I land where I think I should land. Reaction time pays off if you have it, because the controls will respond in kind. Sound Effects and Music... OH MY GOODNESS THE MUSIC. I have not heard a soundtrack of this caliber in a LONG time. The songs composed for the various areas fit perfectly. The sound affects are spot on as well. The different surfaces all yield a new sound to enjoy, and even the gears turning are enjoyable. Game Play Notes- It is important to note that if you die you risk losing all the Geo (money) you have collected. You have to go back to where you died and defeat your spirit which was left behind to get your money back, and to restore your ability to have full Soul (magic). If you die before defeating the spirit you left behind you lose everything. Also, this game requires A LOT of exploration. I have beaten the game, seen one of the multiple endings, and I still haven't been everywhere there is to go. (thanks to the DLC.) I'm still enjoying new surprises! The story is fun, but be prepared to do some digging and reading to fully understand it. It's easy to get lost in the exploration and lose sight of the actual story line sometimes. ...There you have it. If that sound's appealing, buy it. If you get it on sale, you're not smart to pass it up. If you don't have good eye-finger coordination, stay the heck away because you won't succeed.
I've had this for a while now, and honestly don't get captured by it for hours on end. I play this game every once in a while and get a little bit further. Why? Because I get frustrated when I die a lot... and I die a lot in this game. However, that's the fun part about it. In Rogue-Like fashion you start a new dungeon decent, collect as many gems as you can during a single run, maybe survive long enough to kill a boss. Whether you die or kill a boss you end up back in the crypt/hub area and can spend your gems on upgrades. (Chest item upgrades, or permanent upgrades for your character.) Your next run could be better because of these enhancements... or it might not be. Either way, you're doing all this to the beat of techno/dance music, which is amazing. (You also have the option to add your own personal music library into the mix!) Most characters are forced to move with the beat, and each beat counts as a turn you are taking. Even if you don't move on a beat, beware, your enemies won't stand still. Miss too many beats and they'll kill you instead. Thankfully there is one character to moves in true turn-based fashion, without being tied down to the music! I use this character the most, because I suck at keeping the time. But, my hope is that I will get better, and eventually move on to test myself with keeping tune to the beats. (There are benefits to keeping with the beats... usually coin multipliers, but sometimes damage or defense multipliers too.) This isn't my favorite game, but I still give it 5 stars because it excels at it's mission, which is to give you a truly unique and entertaining experience, while sometimes driving you mad in the process. Lots of characters, enemies, and bosses will give this game tons and tons of replay value. Worth every penny of the full price, exceptional if you can get it on sale.
Mixed reviews below, but I feel there is some confusion about the game by people not reading the game description. So, allow me set the record straight: First, this is not Final Fantasy. Many people are complaining about the frustration of Characters dying... Well, the game description tells you this, so it shouldn't surprise you. (And... that's usually what "Rogue-Like" entails....... Or have I missed something?) Absolutely shouldn't take any starts away for that... Also, though this is a Rogue-Like, you have a Hamlet from which you can upgrade your warriors and buildings to improve your future expeditions. You slowly, painstakingly, improve your Hamlet so that you can take on harsher expeditions. Yes, some characters will die along the way, but that's to be expected. What I love about this game, though, is how it forces the player to balance finances and the mental health of the warriors. Should you upgrade the Armory? Or should you allow your stressed warrior to relax from the hardships of the fight? Push your warrior too hard and he'll snap mentally, and could put others in harm... But spend the money on his relaxation and you might not have enough supplies for your next expedition! It's rough, but soooo fun. Finally, the atmosphere and world are fantastic, as well as the story telling. Also, I currently have 12 characters, all different classes, and there's other classes that I still don't have on my roster! Plenty of diversity to figure out how you play best and work out different strategies. Lot's of variety in skills for each class to set up each specific warrior to how you think they should operate best. All in all, I really like this game. Yeah, it's difficult, and I would agree that it is only for those who like a challenge, but that shouldn't affect the star rating in my opinion. Know what you're getting, and judge it on whether or not it accomplishes it's goal to be what it says it is. This game excels at that, so I gave it 5 Stars.
