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The survival genre is being overrun by zombies. Yuck! The Flame in the Flood does things differently by introducing a brand new game mechanic to the genre. The river mechanic is a fresh and unique approach to the otherwise bland survival genre. By August 2017 the game is properly patched and well balanced. It's a lot more forgiving than it used to be, ressources aren't as scarce, rainy weather isn't as frequent and not every stop along the way is occupied by wolfs or boars. It still takes a while to become familiar with the game and new players will propably still die a few times before getting the hang out of it. Steering your raft down the river feels generally believable but can be a little frustrating at times. Despite the occasional hickups and resulting damages on your raft, the river is what sets The Flame in the Flood apart from all the other survival games out there. The Molasses Flood truly excelled at creating a beautiful atmosphere with it's unique art style and and fitting country / folk soundtrack. Both story and endless mode will keep you entertained for months and I'm sure memories of paddling into sunrise on one of the slower sidearms will leave a smile on your face. Also there are no zombies, which is a rare thing to have these days. Highly recommended!
It's just like Jonathan Blow said. Indie games are personal and specific things, rather than polished and fail-safe products made for the masses. VA-11 Hall-A is exactly the opposite of a mass-marketable product. And the few things that it does are very well executed. And in this case it's perfectly okay when a game becomes boring after a 2 hour session. It's meant to be. You're supposed to come back once in a while and experience another day in Jill's life as a bartender. VA-11 Hall-A is packed with lovely, creepy, odd and funny characters. And all there is for you to do is read the conversations and play the drink-mixing minigame. Aside from bartending there isn't much to do except hang out in your little apartment, do some shopping or follow the latest news on Kira-Miki (KIRA! MIKI! AAAAH!!!). Not sure what the hype about Kira-Miki is all about. The excellent ingame-music renders her (almost) completely obsolete. Every once in a while the game treats you with a little suprise, breathing fresh air into your otherwise repetitive life as a bartender. If you're into retro-gaming, original storytelling, pixel-art or anime, this might be just the thing for you. Don't expect to finish this game on a rainy weekend, cause it's best enjoyed over a longer period of time. The only thing I'd like to see added to an otherwise fantastic title is GOG Galaxy functionality like cloud saves, achievements and such.