GRIME shows up on a lot of "games like Dark Souls" lists. And yes, it's got stamina-based combat with dodge-rolls and a unique parry system (more on that later), it's got a cryptic story where most world-building is done through item descriptions, rather than a few NPCs; and most things in this world actively want you dead. However, after your 3rd boss, the game that was previously a fairly relaxed and well-paced metroidvania takes a sharp turn and subsequent levels rely on some hardcore precision platforming. Not Super Meat Boy level hardcore, but close to the Ori games- the emphasis definitely switches from combat to precision traversal using your air-dashes and hookshot to reach anchor points. This transition is pretty jarring, and a lot of player likely won't be ready for it. The combat is generally fun, with a varied bestiary that requires different approaches. The parry mechanic allows you take off chunks of enemy health with a well-timed parry, and could be instrumental in whittling down some of the tougher opponents, especially in late-game optional areas. There's a whole bunch of various weapons to find that each have unique attacks and can be upgraded, so there's room for some experimentation. Defeating enemies via absorption (parrying) also allows you unlock specific traits (buffs) associated with each enemy type- and collecting "hunt points" from killing special enemy types allows you to activate, or upgrade these buffs. In addition, there's a typical RPG stats system where you can upgrade your stats using currency collected from enemies. When you die, you lose of that, and need to go back to your death spot and strike your "echo" to regain it. And obviously, resting at save points respawns all defeated enemies. Exploration's a ton of fun due to how strange and outlandish the level art is. later game sections become more streamlined, and there's not as many secrets to find, but filling out the map still feels worthwhile.
Humanity destroyed the world, and the animals inherited it, after going bipedal/evolving opposable thumbs. Make your own furry mutant, pick your class, craft your weapons and forge your own kung-fu fable. The game is an open-world action RPG that tries to do everything, and so doesn't do anything exceptionally well. You've got basic combat, melee/ranged with multiple weapon types, each with their own weapon skills and combos you can pull by dodging, jumping and attacking in correct sequences; you also got your Mutations that you can unlock with mutation points, and our psychic/chi abilities that require different points- and also some are locked to a Light or Dark moral alignment, which depends on your choices (or whether you kill or pet the collectable critters your catch in your buttrfly-catching net). There's also 6 tribes you can ally yourself with; you valley is surrounded by mountains, and sustained by The Tree of Life- but it's being devoured by 4 World Eater monsters. Some tribes want you to save the Tree, others want you to let it die, because that aligns with their philosphy; There are NPCs who will send you on various fetch quests, and they ALSO kinda care about your alignment for different reasons- there's A LOT to unpack here, and it's all presented in a chaotic mess and a jumble of systems that's terrible, and yet engrossing in a way only Euro-jank games can be. The open world is gorgeous, and the art direction when it comes to enemy design is best describes as "plushies with rabies"- they're all adorable, but also deadly. Combat is fun once you level up a few times, unlock some abilities and then craft yourself some insane weapon or armor- it's an RPG. Loads of people complained about the world being "empty", but I felt that having most enemies be around notable landmarks, and not just out and about was more approrpiate. Overall, despite many of its systems not being fleshed out well, the game's enjoyable. Not most polished, but a ton of fun.
The futuristic city of Calagan is being overwhelmed by a corrupting force known as the Harrow. As Calagan's best fighter, you must venture through the ruins of the city, and uncover the source of the affliction. The game is primarily an action-platformer with a heavy emphasis on loot, and some exploration. You a get a melee and a ranged weapon, as well as 2 special abilities. as you collect more loot and abilities, you can combo these, upgrade your weapons and extra gear such as rings and necklaces in order to increase your damae output as well as any stats effects. You have a base camp where you can spend money to upgrade weapons and abilites as well as do challenge missions- time-based runs through previously finished areas with additional objectives or restrictions (melee only, ranged only, etc). Beating certain bosses conveys traversal abilities such as double jump, air-dash, wall-climb, etc- and you can replay earlier levels to find additional secrets, so there's some backtracking, but it's a minor aspect and a metroidvania this isn't. Combat does use stamina for your dashes and melee hits, so there's a bit of a souls-like in the mix. There's a binary choice in the end that decides your ending, but other than NG+ and playing for better loot, there's not a whole lot of replayability in here. Game runs well and I dind't notice any technical issues, and it's pretty gorgeous in terms of the art style. Decent enemy variety, too. Overall, a fun 2D Loot grinder. The levels are NOT procedurally generated and don't shuffle around on each run, so you can learn a level and get better at it untill you beat it, which is a plus in my book. Story is pretty minimal though, told mostly through some lore docs you can find in optional areas. If you beatthe challenge missions, you occasionally get some extra story snippets in those as well, but overall, this is a game all about that sweet loot grind.
You are a dung beetle postman tethered to pinball. Make your deliveries across the island, and save the island's spirit from evil. Gameplay- fun, unique way to explore a traditional interconnected map. defeating bosses (while playing pinball) as well as finding items grants extra abilities that let yopu reach new areas and find collectibles. Presentation- amazing sountrack, colourful visuals, great atmosphere. Playability- no bugs, everything ran pretty smoothly. A few last collectibles were a bit of a pain, even with map markers, but overall, amazing expereince.
Play as Robin, a young mechanic in a sci-fi world ruled by a religious cult. Since the cult attempts to control all technology and assigns everyone their jobs (on the penalty of death by a crushing meteor), Robin's fascination with machines (inherited from her deceased father) and her desire to help everyone around her forces her into opposition to the regime. In her journey she encounters several characters and learns more about the world, the machines that keep it running and the mysterious "Ivory oil" that powers all of the world's machinery. Iconoclasts is a metroidvania with a heavy emphasis on puzzles. Your main character is a mechanic, so her primary tools are her wrench and a variety of projectiles. The wrench is your melee weapon, your tool to control mechanisms, and also your main means of traversal, as it gets additional upgrades. There's some backtracking across the levels to find more hidden crafting materials that allow you to build "tweaks"- various swappable upgrades that primarily help with combat; but overall the game has a pretty linear structure, with a really good pace taking you from a set of platforming and puzzle challenges to another boss fight or escape sequence set piece. Although the story does the usual JRPG thing and goes a bit bonkers towards the end, I still enjoyed the overall pacing. There are a couple of hidden bosses that require you to visit certain hidden areas in each "level" in certain order, and are easily missable, which encourages replays, but overall the game's pretty linear and makes for a fun 20 or so hour experience that's a nice change of pace from the more combat-focused games that make up most of the genre.
This is an action-platformer with a heavy combat focus in a world inspired by medieval catholic imagery. The land of Cvstodia is governed by the church that worships a divine force knows as "The Miracle" which dispenses both curses and blessings onto the inhabitants, turning them into often grotesque-semblances of humans, according to their inner sins. As the last surviving member of the Brotherhood of the Silent Sorrow, you, the Penitent One, take on the task of traversing the land to confront the Head of the Church about the Affliction that's twisting the land. The game is fairly non-linear with several avenues to explore. Each one end up leading you to a boss. Defeating several bosses gives you "keys" to unlock the next open-ended portion of the map, and so on. The game emphasizes combat, which is based around parrying or dodging enemy attacks (depending on the enemy type). As you find certain altars throughout the world, you can unlock additional attack moves for your sword. There are also prayers (spells) to collect, as well as passive bonuses you get from various beads you can add to your Rosary, and an extra "core" you can slot into your sword- overall, there's quite a few ways to customize your "build". The game doesn't really grant you extra traversal abilities, but you can find relics that make invisible platforms visible, or trigger vines to uncoil so that you can climb them. The element of "backtrack to access these areas" is there, and so is secret-hunting, but its not necessarily as prominent. The combat is fairly well-balanced, and your worst enemy will be the instakill spikes and bottomless abysses- at least until you find a relic that lets you survive falls. The artstyle is gorgeous, the music is quite nice, the exploration is fun, because there's a ton of secrets to find. There's a ton of lore in item descriptions, and if you enjoy exploration, this is a no-brainer buy.
The game's plot is one giant cliche; if you DO want a bit more, you can find a bunch of audio logs and mementos of the City and life before the Burst as collectibles- there's even an optional upgrade that'll highlight them on your radar map. But the story really isn't the point here. The point is, unequivocally, action. The game is about getting from point A to point B, either platforming your way through various urban and industrial complexes, or making it through a tight area full of enemies who must all be killed to unlock the door forward. One hit kills you, and them, so this is as much a precision platformer as it is a parkour game. Each challenge, be it platforming or a combat sequence, is essentially a puzzle-find the optimal way of using your limited skillset to get the task done. Reloads are instantaneous, and the presentation pushes you ever forward. The game nails the cyberpunk aesthetic (though a few levels are drabber than others, and the absolute highlight of the game are the residential districts), and the soundtrack is phenomenal in how it resonates with the game's pacing to keep you going. The way enemies die, the way you move through the world, the way your extra powers work- it all coalesces into an amazing power fantasy, that leaves you thinking "what I did was cool". To put it simply, once you've managed to kill 5-6 enemies in a single choreographed go, you're feeling too good about yourself to get upset that a 7th got a lucky shot in. There's also boss fights. They're all about pattern recognition, and can be very frustrating (a few took me north of 300 attempts each). But the game generally does very generous checkpointing and it almost never feels unfair. While simply finishing the game once you know what you're doing can be fairly trivial, it took me about 30 hours to finish and then re-run a few levels with unlocked upgrades for some achievements. Overall, a great package for action fans; you'll certainly get your money's worth!
Shadow Man is an action-adventure in the old-school, late 90s mold. You run around in 3rd person, collecting various powerups. The main ones, called "Dark Souls" are usually hidden in levels- you need to obtain a certain number in order to raise your "power level" and open gates that unlock more levels. You'll also find items that grant you extra abilities, to reach more areas and collect more Dark Souls. you can revisit each level as often as you like, and there's plenty of backtracing involved. The exploration in this game is pretty great. Think Tomb Raider games, or Soul Reaver. The puzzles are mostly in the "jump to to an area to press a button" variety, but sometimes they can be more complex. Good variety, and generally the levels are very maze-like, but it's generally easy to find your way. The "action" part comes from combat. For the most part, you're facing the various denizens of Deadside using your trusty ShadowGun. this is your primary weapon, and it gets stronger as you collect more Dark Souls. Hold the fire button to charge it up, or keep tapping for quick, weak bursts. Controls are pretty wonky here, and turning takes forever. But strafing is lightning-fast, so be ready to do lots of that. Graphics are typical late 90s fare: blocky, but colourful and distinct. I played with the high texture mod, and it works great.... except I couldn't see the firing reticle. This isn't a problem for most of the game (there's aim-assist), but the final boss was probably more of a pain that he should've been. Sound and music are amazing, and really convey the horror atmosphere; voice acting was hit or miss, but generally fine. I haven't talked much about the story, and there's a reason. you get most of it as 2 info-dumps early on. Reading the manual helps. But the exploration, level design, and the sense of discovery... nearly unmatched. If you enjoyed Soul Reaver, or similar games, you HAVE to check this one out!
The story follows directly after 2033 game, and fills the gap between the 2033 and 2035 novels. Overall, this is definitely an improvement over 2033. The levels are bigger, there's generally more variety with stronger emphasis on both stealth and exploration. The throwing knife is over-powered as far as stealth goes, and the weapons are just as good as before. The game also features more good set-pieces with nice mutant bosses that bring variety to the game. There are a few emergent elements in there as well- there was a section where I triggered a boss to attack me, but said boss was then attacked by the flying "demon" mutant whom I didn't kill, resulting in me observing 2 monsters fighting for territory and ignoring me, which was pretty great. As I already mentioned, stealth gameplay was improved, as the enemies were programmed to separate more on their patrols this time around, resulting in easier, more doable stealth kills. I felt there were less exotic guns this time around, but I did not delve deep into customization, having picked a shotgun/assault gun combo that served me well for most in-game situations. I also found myself having a lot more money this time around, perhaps because playing 2033 and Last Light back to back I learned to explore better by Last Light. The story benefited from non being compared to the book, and it felt more varied, as 4A took more liberties with describing the life in the Metro, rather than having people quote anecdotes from the book verbatim. overall, the atmosphere and mission design coalesced into a much better experience. However, there was a technical issue that prevents me from rating this game higher- crashes. Inexplicable, frequent crashes. starting in Safe Mode as recommended by the game helped to reduce, but did not eliminate this problem. The generous auto-save system meant I didn't lose too much progress because of this, but they were still annoying and would jar me straight out of the experience.
The game's a pretty faithful adaptation of the Metro 2033 novel. When I read the book, it read very much like a novelization of an RPG, so for the most part it translates well into a game. Artyom, son of the commander of one of the stations on the outskirts of the Metro- the remains of the Moscow subway system inhabited by the survivors of the nuclear war- is tasked to reach the Metro's centre- the nation of Polis- and warn the Spartan Order about a new and deadly mutant threat. He stumbles his way from station to station falling in with smugglers and prophets, he brushes with various factions inhabiting the Metro- such as Reich fascists or Red Line communists as he stabs'n shoots his way forward, It's mostly linear atmospheric shooter with stealth elements. The purpose of stealth is to reduce the number of enemies that you face once the shooting starts. I played on Ranger difficulty, and so gameplay was similar to STALKER- every bullet can be lethal to both you and the enemy, so careful planning is important. The AI isn't the brightest, as it's totally possible to herd a whole bunch into a narrow corridor and line up a sequence of headshots, but other than that they'll flank you, and use grenades to flush you out of cover. Artyom also has to deal with various mutants, and these give the game its horror overtones. They are much more fantastical and deadlier than most of their STALKER counterparts and pose a serious threat for most of the game. you're limited to 2 guns at a time, which gets some getting used to. There's a decent amount of weapon customization that encourages you to explore the levels to collect currency that can be spent both on purchasing ammo and upgrading guns on friendly stations. The game also features sections where you explore above ground, but these are usually on a time limit that's dependent on the amount of air filters. These were a highlight. Drawback: lack of achievements. The story also ended up simplified as opposed to the book
