I bumped into Tooth and Tail after watching a GDC talk about the game's art direction, felt compelled to give it a try, and was pleasantly surprised! Beyond the amazing and charming artwork, I found this a refreshing take on the real-time-strategy (RTS) genre. My favourite RTS is Total Annihilation, where you can spend a *ton* of time first building up your base before you go on the offense. I'd say Tooth and Tail is on the complete opposite end of that spectrum: games tend to be short (5~15 minutes, for most single-player maps at least) and you'll need to fight back early-on. It took some getting-used to, and the later maps in the campaign can get pretty intense .. so some maps I had to retry several times, but I was ok with this because the games are so short. Some would say the gameplay is simplistic; I would call it streamlined, and I like it because of this. Just the bare essentials of an RTS .. to the point where the game is made to be played with just the keyboard or a controller .. and there's something very enjoyable about that. (FYI - the default controls do use mouse buttons .. but mouse movement isn't used at all, so it works best for me all-keyboard) I also really liked that the game doesn't hold your hand story-wise; there are 4 different factions and the bits of dialogue assume you already know everything from the get-go .. so you'll be pretty clueless at first, and everything only starts to make sense gradually. I also enjoyed the "Banjo Kazooie-style" voices to add a distinct character to each of the units. I only have a couple points of improvement: it's cool that the maps are procedurally generated, but there often are very narrow pathways that are visually hard to read, which makes navigating a bit finnicky sometimes. You'll also need to learn about each unit mostly through trial and error; would've liked something to speed up that process. All in all, whether you're a newcomer or veteran RTS player, I can easily recommend Tooth and Tail!
I'm not usually the type to play games that intentionally make you feel powerless, weak, not in control .. yet I was drawn to its visuals, its dark atmosphere .. and somehow curious to get a glimpse of what it's like to deal with psychosis. I know very little about mental illnesses, but to me it clearly shows Ninja Theory have treated the subject matter with care and respect. Browsing through other reviews, Senua's Sacrifice can be a love-it or hate-it kind of game. I think it comes down to how much you're willing to put yourself into Senua's shoes, suspend your disbelief, and see the world through her eyes. Objectively, I should give the game a 3/5 .. the actual combat and puzzle gameplay mechanics are very lightweight and repetitive, no doubt .. but I didn't care, at all .. I was so immersed in Senua's mind and how she observes the world around her .. intrigued by how unforgiving, unpredictable and full of illusions her world is, where you don't know what to believe. She often hears multiple voices in her mind that are a mix of casting doubts and encouragement at the same time. I thought those voices would eventually become grating, but strangely enough.. I found it to be the opposite; the voices are the only thing that remain familiar to Senua; they always keep her company in a world that is constantly changing and playing tricks on her. That's what the game truly nails for me, immersion and atmosphere. In just about every sense.. visually, the voicework, the soundtrack, the story. Not the kind of story where everything is neatly laid out, but one that leaves you wondering what it all means, my favourite. Subjectively, an easy 5/5.
