Ok, I think there is a great misconception about this particular "walking simulator." And, unfortunately, it is brought on by the games own description... That's the only reason I docked a star. It says "Study clues and unlock secrets, whilst avoiding macabre beings at all costs." If you read that and think this will be like SOMA, then you're wrong. This description is very misleading as there are only a handful of monsters... and they are planned scenes where you can't hide. You cannot avoid them at any cost, much less at all costs. Put that into your decision making when purchasing this game. You are not buying a jump-scare survival horror. This is a STORY. And, honestly, it's a great story. If you have read any of H.P. Lovecraft's works then you will feel right at home once the strangeness starts. It gives so many nods to his works it's crazy. It is a slow-paced exploration story with horror elements. Honestly the lack of the monsters from the description is the games only downfall in my opinion... Let me list it's strengths: -Great cosmic horror atmosphere. -Graphics are realistic and believable and immersive. -Mechanics are great. Walk, run, crouch. Interact with objects. Controls are easy to grasp and use. -Exploration factor is top notch! Lots to discover! I took my sweet time exploring and still by the end only completed 57% of everything. I missed over half of the possible "trophy" items that there were to discover, as well as over half of the secret areas. I'm going to have to go play again and really, really take my time to find everything. -Voice acting is great. -Story-line is practically straight from Lovecraft's works. -Multiple endings based on what you've discovered. -Great soundtrack! It saddens me to see so many bad reviews, but I can understand them! The description is a lil misleading. Please look past that and invest in this if you love a good story and want a Lovecraftian experience!
One of the things that drew me to the Pumpkin Jack game was the Tim-Burton-esque look. It is so reminiscent of the old MediEvil games for Playstation it's not even funny. The Music is perfectly in step with the look and feel of the game. It really does sound like something right out of a Tim Burton Film. It's creepy and cozy at the same time. (If you don't know who Tim Burton is... He directed Nightmare Before Christmas, Coraline, Frankenweenie, 9, and many others.) It really is a fantastic soundtrack, and I'm not disappointed that I spent the full $8 on it.
First off, you're only paying $3 for 22 songs... You've probably paid over $10 for 7 or 8 songs before, so this is a steal. Secondly, the music for this game is not always "music" if you know what I mean. Sometimes it's just sound. Ambient background noise, just like in the game. Thirdly, this is the type of soundtrack that really brings you back to the imagery that you loved in the game. For instance, the "Exploration Theme 1" brings back the memory of creeping through the starting area of the game and freaking out when I saw my first monster creeping down the hallway ahead of me. If you enjoyed the game, and you enjoyed the music you heard while playing... then you won't regret purchasing the soundtrack for $3!
Given that most soundtracks do not come with music from their trailers I have absolutely no issues with the content freely given through this package. -The music is awesome. Organs and such to really bring out the old-world creepy feel the atmosphere of the game does so well at presenting. -The concept art is interesting. It's more of the creepy imagery from the game that allows you a peak into the developers' minds as they were putting this gem of a game together. -There's a game map! That's probably my favorite part. -There's printable posters if you're into that sort of thing. (I'm not... but the art is cool and again, it's for free!) If you own the game then why not pick this stuff up? Many games make you pay for this type of content and this one doesn't. Thank you Devs!
First off, I typically don't play First Person games... I have played a few select ones that I have enjoyed, and they are usually along the same vein: horror story/exploration games. I hadn't really ventured into Science Fiction Horror, and honestly probably wouldn't have if GOG hadn't given this game away over a year ago. It's been sitting in my library forever and I decided to give it a shot... Wow. This game scared the crap out of me. So much so that I had to stop playing it in the dark. About half-way through I was seriously regretting not having used the "Safe Mode" option which would have turned off the monsters that you encounter, However, once I actually finished it I'm glad I left them on for my first run through. I actually feel very accomplished that I completed it. Ok, so I have absolutely nothing bad to say about this game. Having played it all the way through I feel it would have been well worth the asking price, which makes it a steal if you get it on sale. Let me tell you why: -The atmosphere is second to none. I have never played a more detailed, believable game in my life. That's why the fear was so intense. It really did feel like I was there. -The story was fantastic. A little gut-wrenching, but fantastic none the less. It definitely sticks to it's sci-fi theme in it's working-out. It definitely plays with the question of "What makes a human a human?" (As such it has no religious or theological soundness to it at all, as it does view people as evolved beings.) The game doesn't seek to explain any of this, but just provide a story which causes one to think. -The voice acting is superb. I felt the emotion, the sarcasm, the fear. It was great. -Puzzles. Along with dealing with monsters you have to solve a few puzzles along the way. Not too difficult, and well placed. Ultimately, I'm going to play this again, but on the Safe Mode. The monsters made it a great experience, but I want to explore the atmosphere more. It's a great game.
So, initially i was genuinely excited to play this game. I mean, from the start it has a lot going for it: -Beautiful graphics -Perfect music for the atmosphere -Sound effects are spot on -Voice acting is great -Plot is fun if not simple -You can rewind as far back as you want to change your approach to the current mission! But... Despite all these great things I was ultimately left a little disappointed. Let me explain why: -Though graphics are nice, many little bugs still exist. Found my character hanging sideways by the rope many times/ sometimes my character, when rewinding, wound up high above the point where I was supposed to be/ many sound-byte glitches occurred when rewinding as well and did not stop after rewinding was finished (a clip of the main character saying "uh" over and over again or the sound of a guard yelling over and over again or... you get the picture.) -The story isn't meant to be super deep. You have a simple choice: Kill people where the girl can see you, or kill them and hide the body so she doesn't realize who and what you are: an assassin. The game basically uses how you want to interact with the girl as the breaking point. In the end do you want liberation for the people, which requires killing the king, or do you want the little girl's affection? You decide. (You are still killing guards the ENTIRE time anyway no matter what route you choose, so to me the whole thing is pointless) -The crafting felt extremely forced. I only found a handful of times the items were useful because most of them caused other guards to react or caused the girl to be frightened... So I felt forced to use the knife 95% of the time. Ultimately it was a fun romp and I'm glad I got it on sale, but know what you're getting before you buy. It's not to be compared in any way (quality wise) to other stealth games! It is not Mark of the Ninja or Metal Gear Solid. It's just Shadwen... and that's not a bad thing, but it's just not a great thing either.
I had the opportunity to play the limited release Demo of this game a few months back, so needless to say my hopes were high. I loved the Demo, and I was really hoping the full game hit it out of the ballpark. Well, I didn't get it right off the bat because... it's $20. That's the downside. I like to get games on sale. However, I got some early birthday money so I just spent the full amount. I am not disappointed at all. So, the biggest complaint from previous reviews is the lack of mapping... Well, your a creature that just escaped from a containment pod. You have no history. You have no knowledge of what's around you... Why would you have a map? The level of immersion comes from the fact that you have to use the creature's instincts and your own memory. (Much like such a creature would have to do...) You have a sonar like ability to show you where your nesting areas are once you've made them. Beyond that it's just trying not to get lost. The puzzles were perfect, and even though the length was short (about 4.5 to 5 hours total) I still loved every second of it. Honestly, i feel like if the game was longer it would have worn our it's welcome. There are no "boss fights" because you are the biggest baddest guy in town, just loads of increasingly difficult security equipment and scenarios to work your way through. Puzzles that require you to use your abilities to either charge through or slip past unseen. This game will have you forcibly leaving part of your creature's body behind in a pool so that you can use an ability that is only available in a smaller form, only to come back later to grow again so you can use other abilities. The sound effects are great, together combined with the controls and scenery this game gives a very raw, abrasive feel to the overly gory pixelated violence. I loved it. Get it. Be the escaped creature in the lab for once, instead of someone trying to contain it. Pure genius.
First off, I'm in love with this game. It's perfect to play during my lunch break at work. It's got a lot of great things going for it: Art Style- VERY reminiscent of old sci-fi comic books. It looks awesome. If you've ever seen the 1960's Lost In Space series, the "retro-futuristic" style of clothing and ship design reminds me of that. Music- the music is perfect for the look and feel of the game. Card Based Combat- Your equipment determines what cards you have available to you. You have a deck of cards that is drawn from randomly, and it is made up of all the cards equipped because of your equipment, and any modifications for your equipment as well. You are constantly getting better equipment which offer better perks and or cards. Derelicts- Old, ancient, abandoned space ships that have all manner of creatures/decrepit robots/ or other scavengers swarming around them. They get harder as you progress, but they're not too difficult to navigate once you know what you're looking for. Why dock it a star? The ONLY reason this is a 4 star and not a 5 star game is because of the limited roster. As of right now you can only have up to 3 crew members, period. You can't have any waiting back at the base while you send 3 of your larger crew. It's 3. Yes, there's multiple classes available... but you can only have 3 at a time. That really does put a cramp in a game like this. I wanted to be able to train up multiple types of crew members and see what groups work best together, but unfortunately, unless a crew member dies, you are stuck with just the 3 classes of your 3 member crew. Fantastic game otherwise. I continue to play and explore and trick out my 3 man crew and it's wonderful. Just wish I could do more with a larger crew.
So, I wasn't sure what to expect from this one. I knew from the page description and some of the previous reviews it wouldn't be super long, and that it wasn't an extremely in depth plot-filled story. I was expecting a story of some sort, with some beautiful scenery. I was floored by the story. It's a story about coping with loss. Having recently lost a child I could completely relate with the fox's desire to find her cubs. All I can say is that the ending of this game had my full attention. I get the game is essentially a dream picture of the narrator's life and ultimately his loss, and the dream is intended to help you feel what he must have felt. However, it also reminded me of how I felt when going through those emotions with my own loss. There is an element of the game near the end that nearly brought me to tears. It's an interactive element, and I think it's really thoughtful of the developers to include it. I won't ruin it for those who have not played. But thank you to the developers for doing that! Now, if it's so great, why dock a star from it? Well, it is a game. And as a game I feel it comes up a little short. Let me explain: The controls are not as smooth as I would have liked. The jumping is a little clunky, and at times I had trouble controlling the double jump. As a game that is designed to be an experience, I feel that little details like this should have been smoother to increase the relaxation of the player. Second, the surroundings were beautiful and dreamlike. However, they were also sort of barren. At times I was confused where to go next because they were so open and devoid of life. Just trees and rocks and water. Again, SO PRETTY, but it felt really empty at times. Despite these minor issues I really enjoyed this game and would recommend it to anyone who has experienced loss of a loved one. It is a very touching story and was really profound and thought provoking.
I get it... the premise of the game pisses people off. It pisses off people (like me) who believe in order, being recognized for your hard work by earning a wage at a job, and having a government that allows people to pursue their dreams but allows them to fail if they don't try hard enough. This game openly mocks "capitalism"... but it mocks it in such a way that it is almost... laughable. IT'S SATIRE PEOPLE! If you don't know what satire is, go read Gulliver's Travels. It was all a joke against certain groups within society like scientists, government, and others. It's great. It also upset a lot of people who had no sense of humor. Now, in this game you fight as a masked civilian who decides to rebel against capitalism... (I imagine because you're tired of having to work for a wage, while others work harder and receive more...) You think you deserve more, so you take violent action against those who have more... more power and money than you have. Cuz *violence solves everything, right? (*sarcasm) The plot is dull... but the controls and graphics and music are great. You like blowing stuff up? This game will scratch that itch! So many will play Grande Theft Auto and say it's a great game, but then claim this game is evil because it's agenda. (You fight cops in GTA also, but no one says that's evil?) Take a deep breath and enjoy the humor here. You eventually fight a giant presidential mech! This is obviously not meant to be taken seriously. It's a big joke. I hate marxism/communism, too, but I can appreciate a good joke. Plus, find me a game that doesn't have some kind of hidden agenda... There isn't one. There's always a message somewhere. But you don't have to agree with it to enjoy the game. Again, from a game perspective Tonight We Riot is fantastic, if not a little corny. If you like explosions and starting fires and breaking things, then you may really enjoy this! I have. It scratches an itch... similar to the old Rampage arcade games. Try it out.
