I consider this to be the best of the "Rusty Lake" series of games (considering: Hotel, Roots and Paradise). At its core, it is a series of puzzle games. In each "chapter" you have a series of inter-connected puzzles, and solving them unlock the next chapter (with some unlocking multiple branching chapters). Each chapter is part of an overall family tree and solving them slowly reveals the dramatic story. The family tree mechanic is a smart idea because it branches out, giving you a couple of chapters to choose from at the time: if you get stuck on one chapter you can go do another and come back later. It can also be solved in any order (except the finale, I think). The puzzles are simple and not very challenging. The story is tragic and weird with some disturbing and disconcerting parts. However, the "horror" classification is overrated. The game is kinda short, but much longer than "Hotel". Overall, it is an ok point and click puzzle game, and cheap, but it is not extraordinary.
Ok point-and-click puzzle game for the price. Very short - you can complete it in an hour. There is almost no replayability. The "horror" angle is seriously overstated - there's some weird imagery and one disgusting scene involving poop, but that's about it. The plot is practically non-existent and nonsensical. As others pointed out, the game seems to try to be weird for weirdness sake. Not an amazing game, but it's really cheap so give it a go if you are bored.
This game is mostly an exploration of what "consciousness" is, and what it means to be "you". It is a bit of a gut punch to your perception of "self". The main arc of the story is good, and the game is worth it for this experience alone. Interactions with the environment are also fun. There are lots of computers and gizmos and I really liked messing around with them. I also liked admiring the aesthetics of the base. It feels "real", and not cartoony or over the top sci-fi. But the game is kinda disappointing. It feels rushed from start to end. For example, the fate of the main antagonist was just wedged in there in the end in a very sloppy manner. It comes out of nowhere, you make a decision (that you have no way of knowing the implications), and then you leave. And then the game ends. The "origin story" of your companion is also wedged in there near the end. There are many examples of this kind of "rushing things". This is just sloppy. The underwater environments are boring and weirdly huge. When you are underwater, you spend TONS of time just walking. Not "walking and admiring the view" - just getting from A to B. Exploration is rarely rewarded here, you are on a rail most of the time. The game also failed to be "scary" because there is no credible threat. Oh, yes, there are things out there trying to kill you, but they suck at their job and they elicit no fear and provide no challenge - if anything, they detract from the experience because they slow your progression down enormously. You also soon realize that your character is immune to things that would normally kill a human, so there goes the sense of dread. It is all kinda disappointing. I expected a tense atmospheric thriller, but I got a glorified walking simulator with a rushed feeling and monsters that kinda ruin it. The sad part is that with a few tweaks, this game could have been brilliant.
Let's get this out of the way first: the "horror" element of this game is seriously overrated. The game is really tense in some parts, but mostly it falls into a pattern where it is basically a game of hide-and-seek with an unkillable alien (or quite killable androids and humans, depending on the area). Apparently the Alien is supposed to be driven by some kind of reactive AI that learns and adapts and whatnot. I didn't notice anything special. To me it seems like it always follows the same pattern: stomp around for a while, hide in the vents, pop out somewhere else. Rinse, lather, repeat. The Alien is kinda the whole deal of the game, but since it is so tame, you quickly lose any sense of dread and just start treating the game as another stealth game. And once you get a flamethrower, you can just act goofy because you have a "get out of jail free" card. The story is ok, but not innovative or surprising. There way too many instances of "We killed the alien, oops, nope, we didn't", but the real insult is the ending: it was so lame. That said, the game is still good for what it is. AI patterns aside, there is a good "stealth" component that isn't too gimmicky, with real risk involved (basically dying costs you game progress, so you really want to avoid dying). You need to move methodically and carefully, and look around corners and sometimes take a few risks. There isn't an abundance of hiding places, which means that you are often very exposed. I enjoyed exploring the station. It looks "believable" and I enjoyed the little bits of storytelling spread all over the station. The visuals are good and the audio is excellent. The game was pretty long too, and it didn't feel boring. The game didn't surprise or "wow" me, and if I am honest, it doesn't exactly bring anything new or exciting to the table. It's "average", but I had fun. I would recommend it if it was discounted, otherwise pass it.
This game is literally a piece of art. It isn't "useful", it costs way more than what most people would be willing to pay for it, but it sure looks pretty. This is essentially a puzzle game that deals with perspective. As the game says, perception is reality: if you pick something up and hold it next to your face, it looks big. But when you let it go, it really has become "big" - perception becomes reality. It is very clever and will confuse, astound and surprise you a few times. The developers really nailed that aspect. But the novelty wears off quickly. This trick is like, 90% of the game, so it quickly becomes obvious that the developers ran out of ideas some time after the first or second level. Puzzles start becoming less and less interesting. Toward the end, it feels like a chore - it is no longer fun. But before you know it, it is over and you sort of go like "that's it?" and feel kinda cheated because that first part? That was amazing. It feels like a "demo" of sorts with a really bad story. None of the mechanics are really explored to what I consider to be "full potential". Puzzles never rise above the level of "novelty". As a game, it feels kinda half-baked. Aside from the story, there is a challenge mode which is basically the story mode but with "complete this part within a certain limit of moves" kind of thing, so nothing really exciting. There is also, surprisingly, a multiplayer mode, but it is an afterthought - it's great that it is there, but it won't hold your attention for long (it can be enjoyed solo). There is also a "beta" map editor which lets you create some small-ish levels with a rather unintuitive interface. So, if I was judging this objectively, as a "game", this isn't a good game - it is short, potential is not fulfilled, modes other than story mode are an afterthought - the list goes on and on. But as an one-off "experience"? Or as "art"? It is definitely 5 stars. I'm giving it a 4 because anything lower would be too harsh.
This DLC adds... a lot actually. The new Wurmkin clan brings a new mechanics, new creatures and new spells. They mostly revolve around the charged echoes thing, which are counters you place on each of the rows of the train using "infused" cards (normal cards that can randomly have the "infused" trait), so you have to balance building up those charged echo charges with everything else to maximize your potential. They are both used as currency (spend them, get stuff) and as means of powering up abilities (do X stuff, where X is number of charged echoes). I haven't unlocked the second champion, but the first Wurmkin champion is a beast. Saying "Oh, they added a new clan" doesn't sound like much, but I like how they managed to design the Wurmkin so that they would have a distinct identity and unique mechanics. One cool thing about this game is that each of the clans has a unique theme, and I am happy to see that the developers didn't take the lazy approach of just rebranding an existing clan, swapping a couple of palettes and calling it good. The new clan stands on its own. The other significant thing this DLC brings is that in the world map now there are also altars where you can optionally engage pacts. Pacts are basically trade-offs where you get "something" (for example an artifact) in exchange for pact shards that increase difficulty. The increases in difficulty are significant, so you actually have to consider whether the trade-off is worth the risk. There's also apparently a new end-boss but I haven't seen it yet, so I can't comment on that. Then there's lots of other things like new events, more cards for the other clans and so on. Bottom line is: this is a DLC with good content, and not just some lazy cash grab. It is a bit pricey, but I think it is worth it - I honestly can't see myself playing Monster Train without it now.
This game is fun, but there is so much going on in this game that a 2000 character review can only scratch the surface, but I will try. The obvious comparison is comparing this to "Slay the Spire" (StS). Though this game shares some superficial similarities, it is different enough to be its own "thing" and in some ways it is superior in my opinion. The biggest differences is that instead of having only one row for combat, you have 3 rows: enemies spawn on the bottom row and every turn they climb up one row until they reach the "pyre", which is the thing that if destroyed means that you lose. You job is to prevent them from reaching and damaging the pyre - by summoning creatures to fight and casting spells. After a certain number of turns, the "boss" for that level enters combat. Aside from being stronger, their combat phase does not end until either they or your creatures are destroyed. These things add an interesting dynamic to the game where you have to balance preventing trash mobs from reaching the pyre and killing your summons, and building up your strongest creatures for the inevitable boss fight. As for the deck-building aspect, there are 5 clans with their own "theme", lore, set of mechanics and creatures and spells that use those mechanics. You choose two for each run and a champion from your main clan. These choices will dictate your overall strategy and which cards come out of the random draws. Cards can also be modified with upgrades you find along the way. All of these things put together make for some fun experiments. The game doesn't artificially limit you - it pretty much lets you run amok with the mechanics. Also, you can enable mutators that further mess around with the rules. Like I said, there is a lot of stuff going on. Visually the game is good, but the music and audio is really awesome. I also like how they have a little bit of lore for each of the cards. It's a nice touch. I'm out of characters :) It is a good game. Have fun!
