If you laugh (and you should - that is the proper reaction) when people tell you that FF7 is the pinnacle of RPGs, then you may already have this on your list. But, if not, then this is a simple review: best RPG ever made. Top 3 PC games ever made. I really enjoyed Beamdog's EE, but, if you don't, it includes the classic, original.
Second only to Desktop Dungeons, is Tales of Maj'Eyal. I almost never get 100% completion in a game, but I went for that in this game, I enjoyed its deep mechanics so much. It has been over 5 years since I played this, but is still stands as the second best indie game I ever played. Its OST is also outstanding, and I still, occasionally, pop on this playlist; it's right there with the best indie game OSTs: Braid & Hollow Knight: Gods & Nightmares. This is must play for all roguelikers.
This is DLC for the best indie game ever made. Completing the third mission in the Goatperson DLC is my greatest accomplishment as a gamer...it took me ~30h to complete that one mission. It's so difficult, that I couldn't find a single video (and because the game didn't garner the attention it should have) of somebody else accomplishing said feat, at that time.
It has been over 5 years since I took on this bad boy, so my review will lack the depth of subtleties. As an indie game connoisseur, I have finished 100s of indie games, and this game stands at the pinnacle; this is the best indie game I have ever played. But, as mentioned here, this game gets insanely hard from a strategy perspective (and from a roguelike item acquisition perspective). Completing the third mission in the Goatperson DLC is my greatest accomplishment as a gamer...it took me ~30h to complete that one mission. It's so difficult, that I couldn't find a single video (and because the game didn't garner the attention it should have) of somebody else accomplishing said feat, at that time. This is must play for all roguelikers. I do plan to replay, some day, avec the Extreme Edition mod.
I hate this series. You think a huge corporation, like Ubisoft, will make sure there is a good port from console? Wrong. For example, I had to hex edit in a mouse sensitivity that was more acceptable than the menu allowed. Repetitive, and awkward fight and game mechanics. Shitty AI decisions...there's a ladder 1 pixel away, but you'll bumblingly jump up a wall with no ledge, whilst your enemies batter you. You think an assassin is skilled and dexterous? Wrong. You slightly graze somebody as you run by, and, like LeBron James, you're stumbling around as though you were shot. Articles state this is the worst of the series, so I felt compelled to give the series a second shot with AC2 - supposedly one of the best. Wrong. If you didn't like the first game, the second game is only a marginal improvement. Boring and repetitive, with rigid fight mechanics, should be the AC slogan. Want to play capture the flag? What self-respecting assassin doesn't - am I right? A buddy told me that he moved onto this series, as his second favorite after the Baldur's Gate series (BG is exactly 13924592345x better than AC - Minsc's space hamster would kick the crap outta Ezio Altair). I don't get it - this, in my opinion, is the most overrated series of all time; I'd rather get another COVID vaccine needle jabbed into my arm, and get knocked over by flu-likes, than play another one of these.
I'd give it a 3.5/5, were that possible. I purchased this game predicated on Runic Games's (RIP) pedigree, and was not disappointed, given I got it 80% off. This isometric camera, whilst beautiful, can & will grind you into dust vis-a-vis jump angles. Think God of War, sans the best story in gaming (God of War 1), the best OST in gaming (God of War 2), and the gritty, visceral combat. PS You should play the God of War series.
This is an excellent puzzle/platformer - if that's your thing, then this is your game. And I remember its sequel, Tetrobot and Co, is even better - buy them both. A couple of things... 1. The gamepad mapping is circa 1862 - it's just awful - whose idea was this?! You have to fake out how you want to remap your buttons. And it makes non-mutually-exclusive buttons not mapable, ie, if you want your drill on right trigger, then you can't have a block swap on that button, even though they are different modes, in which one doesn't affect the other. 2. You can only play the next available puzzle - if you're stuck - that's it (except for bonus levels, which are well worth playing...*mostly*). 3. A rewind function, ala Braid, would have been nice - most of the game isn't platform-hard, but you will place a block in the wrong spot. Levels are short, so it's not that big of a deal. Finished with all BTM, all stars (100%), all HB levels, and bonus levels. Getting the stars is challenging enough - damn you level 21 - Lost Slimes' star. And bonus level 12 thinks its Super Meat Boy - that's when the platforming gets difficult. As I regard puzzle games walkthroughs as sacrilege, I completed all regular levels (100%), all BTM & stars, and all HB levels sans a walkthrough. Now, that said, bonus levels 18 & 19 alone made me downgrade from 5 stars to 4...thinking about 3, I was that let down by them. I hated these levels so much, as they are entirely out of the bounds of what you have learned, in-game, so far...even though I finished 68/70 levels, these were garbage...I had to use a walkthrough, and I was actually glad I did, surprisingly to me, as their solutions were entirely incongruous with what the game has taught you thus far.
Being an aficionado of puzzle games, having finished dozens of them, this is a solid puzzle game. People saying they finished it in ~3-4 hours must mean they are really good at puzzle games, content was added since they reviewed, or they used walkthroughs; I played it over 3 sessions/days, and it must have taken me at least 6 hours to complete the game (no walkthrough - that's against my puzzle game policy). At 75% off, I definitely got my money's worth.
