Easy to challenging but ultimately doable puzzles, mostly. Decent interface, mostly. Occasionally a bit frustrating. Enough variability to not feel repetitive. Graphics are better than adequate. More relaxing than stressful, usually. Positive atmosphere. Fun. Reasonably priced. If you aren't a puzzle lover, pick this up when on sale and it might surprise you. In 2019, stable (on Linux).
Overfall doesn't make any big mistakes. Perhaps some of the interactive stories were trivial or corny but most were OK, and some of these took away the dreariness that often permeates the genre. Personalities were not developed. I felt a little bit rushed (hesitant to explore for long) because the longer you take to advance, the tougher it gets to make it through to the end. But this rogue-like delivers in terms of interesting turn-based combat, varied advancement options, explorable world, variety of NPCs, replayabililty, and competence of design and mechanics. 3 levels of difficulty did help me learn how the game works. It did run flawlessly (on Linux). Lots of combat. Each character has 3 actions in each turn - movement, utility, attack. The actions of the party members need to be carefully coordinated as things get difficult. The order of combat (which character goes first) varies a bit from battle to battle. It is fun to mess around with different classes and get familiar with how skills of one class complement, or fail to complement, the skills of another class. If you aren't careful with mixing and matching classes, your party will fail. This is a rogue-like with permanent death so you start over a lot. But not too much. (There is a limited resurrection option) Unlocked classes are available for the next game. Sometimes the best choice is to avoid combat. A situation can require thoughtful consideration. Mostly logical but not always. You must advance your reputation with some of the 8 races that have relations with each other. How you deal with one race might impact your relations with another race. 5 stars for combat and competence, 3.5 stars for character appearance, and 4 stars for everything else. But maybe the most important factor is the bottom line - I just enjoyed playing it. 25 hrs so far & plenty fun left in it. If I didn't have other new games to try, I'd still be playing. So, for overall enjoyment, 5 stars.
Stardew is a fun game. Outstanding for those who haven't played competitive/similar games on game consoles. However, those of us with preexisting notions fashioned by similar games may not be so pleased for multiple reasons... - Very limited saving option discourages experimentation, freewheeling. - Time passage is too quick; short days create pressure. The issues above were especially frustrating. There were a handful of other irritations. e.g. fishing is just not fun. Combat is only somewhat better. I put the game aside, but then realized that I could cope with the bummers and that that most of the game is fun, because there is lots going on. (Others who feel like me about game saving and time passage issues have created mods that fix these issues [not reviewed]. Yeah!) This game is deep. Relatively complex but smart about it. Generally, better layout design than similar games. The whole character relationship thing with NPCs is fun. Farming is a blast. Online resources take the hassle out of planning the farm and make it pure fun (open source planner by concernedape). Meaningful options encourage replaying. Everything works. Designed by one person, this game makes you want to meet the guy, buy him a few beers, and talk about life. Stardew Valley is a winner, but maybe not so much for those who have logged many hours in competitive/similar games on game consoles. If game saving and time passage were fixed, Stardew Valley would rate 5 stars and probably be the best of its type for most players.
engages on many levels. The graphics and music create a mostly peaceful fantasy setting. Turn based combat has lots of options, some much better than others. Must learn how to be successful with each character build. Equipment has different attributes such that what works best for a warrior build will not be best for a spell-caster. Custom potions reflect the ingredients, e.g. you can create and name a potion that speeds you up, gains some health, and freezes nearby opponents, all at the same time. Foods can be created in a similar fashion. Custom potions and foods can be crafted quickly using your assigned names. Inventory holds many dozens of items and it's a good thing as there are lots of things to collect and use in crafting. Ores can be mined and smelted and forged into materials. Wheat can be planted, fertilized, watered, harvested, milled, turned into dough, and baked into bread. Well-fed farm animals generate babies. Wild animals can be tamed and assist in combat. Quests require meeting and conversing with NPCs who often can train, repair, sell, and buy. A map notes some locations and allows the player to add comments (on the map). Locations are varied enough to be interesting. Some important plants can be seen only at night. Save often - most any time outside of combat. Negatives? You will read other reviews. Some I don't understand. My all-time favorite game is a popular rogue-like with similar characteristics. In that game, I can easily create a character that can coast, or a character that will die quickly. I don't create those characters any more. There are exploits. I avoid them. Problem solved. This game gets hammered for similar characteristics. The game was updated so some older reviews may not be accurate. It's not perfect and it is not my favorite, but it is really fun. Balrum is the most underrated game that I've played.
Neo Scavenger is immmersive. Non-linear. There are competing choices that make sense. Challenging but not discouraging. The crafting recipes are interesting. Combat requires thought. Poor decisions lead to poor results. You can fall into a role. Starting options make it replayable. There are rare almost-random events that can cause death with no posibility of escape. It seems that, after the first hour or so of a new character, a careful newish player can run a character without dying at one of these events. So far, it's fine with me. In 2019, on a 32-bit Ubuntu-based OS, it just works. No tinkering required. Neo Scavenger uses Adobe's Flash, which I've read may cause some older computers and operating systems to work pretty hard. Flash was a design mistake now acknowledged by the creator, but it doesn't matter if you have a modern desktop system. New Scavenger will be a classic. Do you like turn based roguelikes? Then if you don't have this game in your gaming experience, you have missed something significant. Even if there are reviews here that make you doubt, you should try it!
Like Grim Legends 2, this game is addictive for some people. Visually attractive. Invites thoughtful consideration. Has levels of difficulty and hints. Reasonable puzzles, mostly, with option to bypass. This game earns its way through smart choices the designers consistently make. They know their target audience well. It's an easy game to rate.
The young teen is usually buried in the phone. Passively observing videos, mostly. Day after day. Sees Grim Legends 2 on the computer. Initiates conversation(!). Asks what it is. Makes suggestions. Accepts an offer to try the game. Asks for suggestions(!). Becomes immerced for hours at a time. Talks to me about the game while we eat and in the car(!). Amazing. From my perspective, this game (and Grim Legends 3) is a hit. It is attractive. Addictive. Fun. Has levels of difficulty, flexible hint system, and the option to bypass puzzles. Invites thoughtful consideration. Offers puzzles that are mostly reasonable for a person who likes moderate challenges. And it's inexpensive. This was a fantastic purchase!
