So if the full game is literally anything like this beautiful little demo then I look forward to eventually getting the full game! Game-play is a mix of a rogue-like tabletop game, not dissimilar to Slay the Spire in progression. The difference? This game is full-on creepy with it's atmosphere, and you also have the ability to walk away from the table and explore what appears to be a dark cabin with strange objects all around. Minimal puzzle solving for this part of the game allows you to unlock cards, and some of them talk! The tabletop part of the game is a mini deck-building card game. You against this... being... of whom I don't know anything about save he seems to be in control of the situation. Maybe the full game will explain more? Maybe his identity will be part of the mystery? Well, all the cards are based on animals, and some require sacrifices to bring into play. You sacrifice cards you think are expendable to bring in a more valuable one. And others cost bones, which you gain by your cards dying when in play. The concept is grim, but so beautifully done. You progress with random encounters across this map, slowly building your deck and encountering strange personalities (all played by the being) until you defeat the boss. The cabin, or whatever it is, is playable anytime in between encounters on the map. You just walk away from the table and look around the cabin. It is poorly lit and the being is always there, watching you. All you can see are his eyes. What is the secret of the talking cards? Why do they appear to be injured if you have sacrificed them in the previous match? Who the heck is the creepy thing with eyes that takes a picture of you when you... die? I'm hoping the full game will answer some of these questions! Well developed demo! Wish it didn't have to end!
So, was I 100% satisfied with some of the smaller details like how certain mechanics work? Not exactly. It took some getting used to. However, one big factor that drives most of my reviews is: Did the game match the description page? This game did that and more. So I gave it 5 Stars. The atmosphere was spectacular and the graphics were great. The voice acting was wonderful as well. The story is absolutely fantastic. The biggest thing with this game is that you are forced to live with your decisions. There's no manual saving, killing somebody, then re-loading a pre-saved state. If you take someone out they're gone, and you're left with the consequences. (and there are always consequences!) However, as a Doctor AND a Vampyr... You are faced with the fact that most of your experience points for upgrading come from sucking the blood of those NPC's that you, as a doctor, want to help. If you drink no blood you are super weak and bosses will be super difficult late-game. If you go on a killing spree? You'll be super overpowered but the world around you will plunge into chaos. The ending will also reflect your choices in game, so be prepared! Such a wonderful, frustrating dilemma to be in. It makes you second guess everything you do. Ultimately, if you don't like games like this then leave it alone. It's not for you. But, it's designed to make you want to re-play and make different choices. What if this other person lived instead? Do what if I made this key character a Vampire, but took this other one's life? Lots of world-changing choices to be made. Also, so much in this game revolves around crafting and upgrading equipment, along with finding cures for various diseases for sick NPC's. Also, side quests are very interesting and usually involve you helping the NPC's out by uncovering secrets, talking to other people, finding keys, reading documents... Lots to do. I can't recommend this game enough!
If you were a kid when Pokemon the Card Game first came out, like I was, then this game is for you! I just finished the main story-line and have started the DLC, which feels like a whole new experience so far with new cards and strategies, and a whole new story! Intentional humor geared toward Pokemon, Digimon, and many other random pop-culture things from the 90's and early 2000's, genuinely made me smile. The mechanics are fun: Each player has a Champion, which has special abilities unique to it, and you build decks of minion and mutation cards to support your champion in a myriad of ways. For different factions of decks make the customization of decks so various... You'll be wanting to try out multiple setups. It's helpful that they give you space to build up to 6 decks for each faction! The story has a LOT of choice-determined effects which grant you access to different cards each play-through. It's designed to make you want to play again and again to try out different builds. I can't praise this game enough, seriously. If you like Card games at all, digital or physical, you owe it to yourself to give this gem a shot. This indie gem has flown under so many radars! My kids loved playing through this game as well, especially my daughter. It was great to be able to talk about what choices she made, which champion was her favorite (Mine was Tock, her favorite was Frankenstoat), and also what support cards she liked for her decks. Lots to love and appreciate for older and younger players. I really hope more people show this game the love it deserves. (Plus the soundtrack is wonderful as well!)
If you were a kid when Pokemon the Card Game first came out, like I was, then this game is for you! I just finished the main story-line and am anxious to play the DLC now. Intentional humor geared toward Pokemon, Digimon, and many other random pop-culture things from the 90's and early 2000's, genuinely made me smile. The mechanics are fun: Each player has a Champion, which has special abilities unique to it, and you build decks of minion and mutation cards to support your champion in a myriad of ways. For different factions of decks make the customization of decks so various... You'll be wanting to try out multiple setups. It's helpful that they give you space to build up to 6 decks for each faction! The story has a LOT of choice-determined effects which grant you access to different cards each play-through. It's designed to make you want to play again and again to try out different builds. I can't praise this game enough, seriously. If you like Card games at all, digital or physical, you owe it to yourself to give this gem a shot. I agree with evildereck in that this game seems to have flown under so many radars! My kids loved playing through this game as well, especially my daughter. It was great to be able to talk about what choices she made, which champion was her favorite (Mine was Tock, her favorite was Frankenstoat), and also what support cards she liked for her decks. Lots to love and appreciate for older and younger players. I really hope more people show this game the love it deserves.
I love playing games inspired by Lovecraft, and most of them are true to the theme of horror that is common within his writings. However, this game manages to take some Lovecraftian themes and spin them in such a way that they become more mysterious than horrifying. More of an adventure than a run for your life scenario. This in itself is genius, and I'm grateful to the devs for heading that direction. On a game-play level this game feels very similar to Myst. (if you're not familiar with that series do yourself a favor and go check it out! All of them are here on GOG!) First person exploration and minimal to slightly difficult puzzle solving. The only time I had to google a hint was on Chapter 4, personally, but I know others who completed it without any hints at all. The atmosphere is absolutely stunning. The graphics are gorgeous, and the voice acting is spot on. The story itself is emotional and multiple endings are possible. This is the type of game that, though it can be completed in a few (maybe 6?) hours, you will want to take your time and explore. There are hidden items to find, and easter eggs if you have read any of Lovecrafts more popular works. I highly recommend this game! If you enjoy adventure at all, this is a great one to experience. The bonus items that come with this edition, in my opinion, are worth it. I love the artwork in the book. It's beautiful and easy to remember where each picture comes from within the game. The Soundtrack is really memorable also, and it is very relaxing. Highly recommend!
I love playing games inspired by Lovecraft, and most of them are true to the theme of horror that is common within his writings. However, this game manages to take some Lovecraftian themes and spin them in such a way that they become more mysterious than horrifying. More of an adventure than a run for your life scenario. This in itself is genius, and I'm grateful to the devs for heading that direction. On a game-play level this game feels very similar to Myst. (if you're not familiar with that series do yourself a favor and go check it out! All of them are here on GOG!) First person exploration and minimal to slightly difficult puzzle solving. The only time I had to google a hint was on Chapter 4, personally, but I know others who completed it without any hints at all. The atmosphere is absolutely stunning. The graphics are gorgeous, and the voice acting is spot on. The story itself is emotional and multiple endings are possible. This is the type of game that, though it can be completed in a few (maybe 6?) hours, you will want to take your time and explore. There are hidden items to find, and easter eggs if you have read any of Lovecrafts more popular works. I highly recommend this game! If you enjoy adventure at all, this is a great one to experience.
So, first off, it's a short game... but it's also cheap. So no complaints there. It's great for what you pay for. Secondly, if you've ever played Portal this is basically Portal 2D. And it is glorious! It was a few hours of complete craziness from start to finish, and I was completely satisfied. You've got simple mouse controls: Left click and you get one portal... Right click and get the other. You get your basic portal, size changing portal, time control portal, and even a directional change portal (ceiling becomes wall... you get the picture.) It's crazy because the way they eventually incorporate all the different portals (or "gateways") is absolutely genius! Some parts are frustrating, but when you finally figure them out it gives you such a feeling of accomplishment that all the hardship is forgotten. The graphics are great, the story is fun (it's not some super deep story with a ton of plot twists... but it's still great) The music is sort of redundant at times, but I still enjoyed it. Overall I'd say that if you know what you're buying there's no reason this can't be a 5 star game for you. Don't go into it thinking it's portal, because it's not... It's very similar, but it has its own spirit which is really fun. (And it's 2D...) If you like Metroid-Vania games and Portal, then you won't be disappointed with purchasing this game! (And if you happen to get it on sale it's a steal!) Great job, Devs!
I've had this game on my wish-list for forever and just recently bit the bullet since it went on sale. I'm not disappointed! I went in knowing that the game was supposed to be unique, as many of the other reviews have said. I usually try to avoid comparing games before I've played them both, so I went in understanding I was going to get a unique experience. No reason this game shouldn't be a 5 star for anyone getting the game with the understanding of what they are getting! First, it's short. You can finish the game in an evening if you really wanted to... But I savored it over the course of a few evenings. Second, the sound effects along with the backgrounds really developed a great atmosphere in which to foster creepiness. Third, the puzzles are not too difficult, but some had me running around a little bit before kicking myself that I missed an item or that something needed to be done before I could proceed. (Get ready to pull a bunch of levers and run like mad to the next one!) Fourth, the creatures were very unique. They all reminded me of distorted things that a kid might have nightmares about that are loosely based on real life things. That's what the game does great: It brings a kid's nightmares to life in such a way that makes me think I might have had those same nightmares! It was a fun experience, and I can't wait to work through the DLC's!
This game is not for everyone. For me, personally, it's a 5 star game. The atmosphere is dark and moody. It's always night time and it's always raining. Catch glimpses of Paris as you drive your customers around, talk to them and unlock their life stories. Try to determine who the killer is without getting yourself killed in the process. This is a point and click, narrative driven game. Don't buy this if you thing it's a shooter, or a action puzzler, or anything like that. It's click on how you respond to your customers. You are given a pretty good range of replies, and you can always "Remain silent." Lots of replay value as you have many possible customers, and most have multiple story arcs to discover through conversation... You won't unlock them all in one run. I don't wanna ruin the main plot, suffice to say that you are a taxi driver who becomes a witness to a murder, though you didn't get a clear look at the killer. Since you were the closest to the scene, you're forcibly recruited by a detective... And by "recruited" I mean threatened. You are given leads to follow, evidence to gather, and possible suspects. One of them is the killer. You move clues around on an evidence board every morning to help you narrow things down. The atmosphere is fantastic, the story is great, and there's multiple stories to enjoy that all have differing main plots, but the killer is different every time! If you enjoy stories AT ALL, then I think you would enjoy this game. If you hate reading, engaging stories, point and click adventures, rain, taxi's, or Paris, then this game might not be for you. I highly recommend this game! And the soundtrack is amazing as well. It captures the atmosphere just right.
This game is not for everyone. For me, personally, it's a 5 star game. The atmosphere is dark and moody. It's always night time and it's always raining. Catch glimpses of Paris as you drive your customers around, talk to them and unlock their life stories. Try to determine who the killer is without getting yourself killed in the process. This is a point and click, narrative driven game. Don't buy this if you thing it's a shooter, or a action puzzler, or anything like that. It's click on how you respond to your customers. You are given a pretty good range of replies, and you can always "Remain silent." Lots of replay value as you have many possible customers, and most have multiple story arcs to discover through conversation... You won't unlock them all in one run. I don't wanna ruin the main plot, suffice to say that you are a taxi driver who becomes a witness to a murder, though you didn't get a clear look at the killer. Since you were the closest to the scene, you're forcibly recruited by a detective... And by "recruited" I mean threatened. You are given leads to follow, evidence to gather, and possible suspects. One of them is the killer. You move clues around on an evidence board every morning to help you narrow things down. The atmosphere is fantastic, the story is great, and there's multiple stories to enjoy that all have differing main plots, but the killer is different every time! If you enjoy stories AT ALL, then I think you would enjoy this game. If you hate reading, engaging stories, point and click adventures, rain, taxi's, or Paris, then this game might not be for you. I highly recommend this game! And the soundtrack is amazing as well. All the moodiness for whenever I want to listen to it. It's fantastic.
