Fun little game with very basic controls, gameplay, graphics, and sound. Makes sense since it was created to run on an old computer. I enjoyed the tactifcal combat and exploring the world. There are some UI annoyances that bogged things down a little bit. The biggest thing is that there's no way to find out what your spells do before you cast them and no way to equip different spellbooks during battle (these control which spells you can cast). It was easy though to get into, relaxing to play, and overall a novel experience.
I've always had a soft spot for R-Type games. The series went out on a high note with R-Type Final back on PS2 and this game is an attempt to bring it back with modern graphics and keep it going. What do you need to know about R-Type if you've never tried it before? First, it's tough as nails. This is old school hard. You're going to die a lot, you're going to need to memorize a lot, and you're going to be humbled a lot. If that ain't you, this ain't your game. Second, it's awesome. R-Type is one of the most celebrated SHMUP (shoot 'em up) series in the history of the genre and it's because of the atmosphere, the difficulty, the addictive gameplay and mastery required to play through and beat these games. You will learn how to control two things on screen at once - your ship and your force (your shield) - or you will die and the game isn't going to apologize for it. Third, this is the most accessible R-Type that has ever been released. You have tons of difficulty levels from very reasonable Easy to ridiculously hard R-Typer. The game gets harder from there, too! If you're having trouble using your current ships, no worries! You'll unlock stronger ones and the game will naturally get easier over time as you develop your skills and unlock more powerful ships. Although there are definitely imperfections in R-Type Final 2, such as a couple of stages that are definitely under-baked, I thoroughly enjoyed the 60 or so hours I've put into the game and the fact that they are still releasing new levels and ships makes it very good to come back to and replay. Highly recommended if you are interested in this sort of thing.
I generally like dungeon crawlers. I've had fun with some of the Shin Megami Tensei games, Etrian Odyssey, The Dark Spire (which itself is pretty dang old-school). Dungeon crawlers simply ARE an "older" genre. They're a holdover from an earlier age of video games. So, to an extent, I expected Elminage to be like those other games. A little crusty, a little old-fashioned. I was not expecting it to be quite this bad though. The mechanics are dated. The gameplay is dated. The UI is almost unusable and constantly wastes your time with stupid annoyances like having to equip basic (free) gear to your created characters. Battling is an absolute chore, and that's pretty much all you do in these sort of games... you explore the dungeon and fight stuff. The graphics honestly aren't bad: I kind of like them. The enemies are a mixed bag, but I sort of dig the aesthetic. But man, the game is just such a chore. It's not a chore in a way I find charming like the early Etrian Odyssey games or The Dark Spire. It's just a chore. There are quite a few class options in the game, which is cool, but the amount of luck involved in picking the class you want is frustrating. If you want to make something like a Lord, then oh boy, you better be ready to reroll your stats about a million billion gajillion times because... because why? Why are we doing this? Why do classes have minimum stat requirements like this? I'm sure this game has an audience but I'm definitely not it and got help the poor souls who are. They have walked in the valley of the shadow of death and they fear no terrible UI.
Very fun stealth game with a big world to explore. I think really the main issue with it is that the story sucks. It's kind of important for this sort of game because you are exploring the world in a deep way, picking up documents, that sort of thing. I'd say the issues with the story are the following: - A really boring, stale main character - The story relies on phone entries of the series which most players probably have not played, and doesn't bother to recap any of this information ("Who is the Juggernaut Collective?" should be like... something explained in the first 5 minutes but the game never really tells you even though you work with them throughout the whole game). - Some themes that I think people might find unappealing or "problematic" where being augmented is compared to racism, but that's such an emotional, political hotbed, that the game really didn't do the best job of it. All that said, if you like stealth games, games like Dishonored, Thief, Prey, you'll almost certainly like this game. Recommend for sure.
If you've played Lords of the Fallen and the original Surge, you would be forgiven for thinking that this was going to be another ho-hum Souls clone. I can say this: Deck13 has really improved when it comes to gameplay, boss design, and stage design. I think The Surge was a big step forward and The Surge 2 is a polished, nicer version of it with much cleaner combat mechanics and a more interesting world to explore. I think the combat is pretty great in this game: a bit of a combination of Sekiro and Dark Souls with its own limb-targeting mechanic included. You want to be timing your blocks and blocking from the right direction (forward, left, right, below) in order to get an enemy off guard and then targeting a part to earn it for you own. Collecting the various weapons and armor is addictive. It's all somewhat similar, but at least looks visually different and has different stats. The game is fun to speed run: lots of paths through the game, it's possible to move very quickly, and if you're imagining the game as being slow and plodding like Lords of the Fallen or The Surge, you're mistaken! It's not perfect. Here are my main complaints: - The story sucks - Sound design could be better - Graphics are so-so (but honestly not awful) - Although the combat has been polished a lot, there are still a couple of enemies and bosses that are janky. Relatively few, though. Overall, I was really impressed with this game, played the heck out of it, and it's definitely my favorite Dark Souls that isn't Dark Souls.
Dust is most similar to the "Metroid-vania" style Castlevania games, especially Order of Ecclesia. The game is split into stages, but each stage includes some limited exploration with secrets and items to find. You'll be revisiting these stages once you unlock new abilities to find new things. The gameplay is very fast and combat is fluid. It's absolutely beautiful to look at, boasting detailed 2D backgrounds akin to Vanillaware titles like Odin Sphere or Muramasa. If you are a fan of 2d artwork, games like Symphony of the Night or Order of Ecclesia, then you will in all likelihood enjoy this game. I recommend it!
If you're tired of every new FPS game being a quasi-realistic military shooter with the soul of the single player stripped out for the sake of forgettable multiplayer, this is the game for you. No regenerating health, no on-rails segments, no faceless soldiers opening invincible doors for you. This game plays in a truly unique way, despite the aged graphics and sound effects. You play as a WW1 veteran, called out to an island to help a friend. With your knowledge of the occult and your skill with firearms, you use both magic and technology to battle supernatural and human foes. This game has what many today lack: variety. You'll travel through dimensions, through time, outside across grassy plains, and deep into the depths of booby-trapped caves. Enemies range from the undead, werewolves, aliens, witches, and more that I will not spoil. It's an unforgettable experience to me. It's scary, fun, and due to minor RPG elements fairly replayable. If you can look past the dated graphics (which I'll assume you can: you're on Good Old Games after all!) you'll find a gem in this game.
