The first Alone in the Dark is one of my favorite games ever and the first horror game I ever played that actually scared me when it was first released. I hadn't played it since the early 1990s and decided to give it a try again thanks to GOG. I was expecting an experience full of frustration with the controls and clunky combat but was pleasantly surprised that it mostly held up. Yes, the combat is clunky and the jumping is tough to endure. But now, it's so much faster to reload in an instant to get back in and try again that it's hardly punishment at all. At it's heart it's a point and click adventure but it tried some different things that I had never seen prior to playing it the first time like the fixed camera with tank movement in sort-of three dimensions and real time combat that was avoidable in certain situations wether it was intended or not. Most of the puzzles make logical sense as well, though depending on your tolerance for adventure games, your mileage may vary on that one. Added to that was a unique story couched in Cthulhu mythos set in the American bayou with pirates and zombies that is fun to uncover, especially if you take the time to let the books read themselves to you. The second and third installments were still underwhelming so you can safely avoid those if you don't share any nostalgia for games of this era. But if you pick this bundle up on sale, there's no reason to at least give the first installment a try. It's definitely showing its age but its a really short game and one that packs a lot of spooky fun into a small package.
I played this in 2001 and I just finished it for a second time. This game is all about the story and that's the reason why you should play it if you've never experienced it. The mood that it sets in almost all of the varying locales is great and the backstories of each of the Covenant siblings is entertaining and remains interesting to the end. As a shooter, it's ok. Some weapons are great fun but most are lackluster. You'll find three great ones and the rest range from mediocre to terrible and you'll only use those ones when you're forced to use them. The magic spells, however, are mostly winners and I love how you get to dual-wield the weapons and magic. You'll find your favorites and stick to them. The giggling skull missiles are pure fun. The biggest problem with the game is the last stage, which is hot garbage. Just "Haste" your way through it as much as possible and get to the end.
Platformers that focus on music have to get the music just right and this one absolutely does. There is enough musical variety to stay interesting within single levels and throughout the game. The tunes integrate themselves into the platforming very well. There were a few frustrating moments when I wished the game was just a bit more forgiving of errors but it never felt unfair to lose. The only thing I really didn't like was having to shut down during a boss fight only to come back to discover I had to play through the whole level again. In a game this short, it didn't matter much but I would have preferred to be able to continue from checkpoints. Once you beat the first four levels, four more levels are unlocked. These levels are mirrored copies of the main levels that don't contain any checkpoints. Good for those who want to extend the game time and are up for a challenge. Well worth a try, especially on sale.
Chaosbane, most closely related to Diablo 3 in terms of mechanics and style, is about watching hordes of enemies melt while they pour into range of your colorful lasers. While that is indeed fun, it doesn't quite reach the epic flow state as beautifully as Diablo 3 did. While the skill tree is more interesting than the overly simplistic skills in D3, the combination of the skills with the gear sets doesn't quite open up the game the way D3 did. In D3, when you finally completed that awesome new set and built your skills around it, you could immediately feel the difference but that is not true with Chaosbane. The game modes that open up later on, especially the one where the player can keep climbing a "tower" of increasing difficulty or cash out and keep all the loot are good but weren't enough to keep me coming back for more. Where Chaosbane really falls down is in the level design, lots of long straight, narrow paths with nothing interesting to do or see on the way from point A to point B. There aren't even any wide open areas with little offshoots to explore. The game never opens up to to give the player room to feel like they're exploring anything interesting. I can only recommend playing this if ARPGs are one of your favorite genres. It's worth playing to see the good ideas that are present and to spot mechanics that are connective tissue between ARPGs. Ultimately, there are good ideas to be found in this game. Unfortunately, it's not terrible but it isn't terribly good either.
I expected that I would like this game as I am a huge pinball fan but I'm always wary about games that try to mash up pinball with other video game mechanics because it's so easy to ruin pinball with too many extra rules but I ended up loving it. Yoku's Island Express did not disappoint me in any way. Everything about the pinball physics felt right. The pinball portions didn't feel like a real pinball table but the ball never felt overly floaty or uncontrollable either. I never experienced a moment where I got stuck because I couldn't pass a pinball skill test. Boss fight areas were intuitive and the rules of each boss were clearly presented. That is not to say that I didn't have to practice a boss fight a few times and failure never felt overly punishing. Traversing the game's world is also a mostly fun experience. The light, cartoon-y theme was perfect to create a relaxing and enjoyable walk through the world while exploring every nook and cranny of the map. Jesse Harlin's musical score was on my family's playlist for quite some time after we'd finished the game. The metroidvania exploration is integrated between the pinball portions very well. Each new area was uniquely presented and I almost never felt bored backtracking across the map, however there were some moments when I wished that I didn't have to make it through a pinball area (table) for the 20th time while I was hunting down all the achievements. Other than getting a bit bored with some of the backtracking through pinball table areas that did not appeal to me, this game was a delight and stands with some of my favorite pinball mashups like Rollers of the Realm and Odama. I bought and played this game to 100% completion on the Playstation 4.
