After seeing the demo a couple of years ago, I knew I needed to play the whole thing. This is a solid game, well worth the money and an absolute steal on sale. It'll feel like a third-person shooter at times, but it plays more like a Tomb Raider-esque sci-fi survival game with a few puzzles here and there. The game mechanics will literally force you to think like the protagonist and utilize the environment to your advantage in any situation. It has three difficulty modes that can be changed any time, a very simplistic level-up system, an array of weapons and gadgets to use on enemies, and a unique blend of survival elements with a research-minded protagonist. The game will occasionally auto-save, and there are save checkpoints all throughout the world. There's also no map, but there are objectives on-screen to follow. I was really immersed in the story, and it ends on a cliffhanger which I hope means a sequel will be in the works. And the game ran smoothly on my system. The only downside is that not all voice lines are lip-synced, so there are times when someone (mostly Kate) is speaking and their lips are moving, and some where their lips aren't. But this only mildly killed the experience for me, I didn't encounter any bugs that made gameplay difficult/impossible. Beating the game after a little over 9 hours, I feel that I got my money's worth from the game. Overall, this was a really fun game, and I can see myself picking this up again to try out the other difficulty levels. It works seamlessly with an Xbox 360 USB controller, but if you want to use a Playstation controller, there's a mod for it on the Nexus. NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Ti Intel Core i5-10300H (2.50GHz) 16 GB RAM Mouse & Keyboard/Xbox 360 USB Controller
Short yet fun and engaging game, I especially enjoyed the soundtrack. It fits the gloomy and dreary setting of the game very well (also on par with rainy weather being a near constant in England). I also liked the small details embedded into the game (the Wandering Bue moving along the shelf on its own throughout the game, petting the black cat 13 times nets you an achievement, etc). This game isn't heavy on graphics at all, but I feel the pricepoint is a bit steep for how long it takes to complete the game (it took me 5 hours), so it's definitely worth buying on sale. Your progress is saved automatically, there's no tutorial but there are hints that the game gives you if you're stuck on what plant to give a customer but honestly, they aren't very helpful sometimes. While there isn't a tutorial, the game isn't hard and the puzzles and clues for map locations are easy to figure out. The story is somewhat predictable (I was able to guess who was who and responsible for the events of the game) but it does include some twists I didn't see coming. There are multiple endings and choices (specifically plant choices) matter, the game will give you indicators when this happens. Unfortunately this is a one and done kind of game and it has low replayability unless they release a DLC/expansion patch. Otherwise, this is a fun and engaging game if you're looking to pass the time and are something of a plant nerd.
I just finished this game, and I was not expecting the touching and heartfelt story that came with it. I bought the standard edition when it was on sale, and while it was a bit short (I finished the game after 11.5 hours), I feel that it was well worth the money. The intro scene includes a warning that the game contains a few death mentions and triggers, which I found really thoughtful. This game plays more like a visual novel with mini-games embedded into the story that makes the game progress (very similar to The Vanishing of Ethan Carter), but the choices you make and dialogue options you choose impact the story on some level. There's no difficulty setting, no manual saving, and no objectives on-screen. The mini-games become a bit more challenging as the story goes. I will say the ending felt very abrupt, although the credits and the post-credit scene made up for it somewhat. The credits include a special thanks to anonymous healthcare workers who provided their stories and experiences working in the healthcare sector via interviews, and the story itself reinforces the fact that many healthcare workers are at the mercy of deeply broken (and in this case, corrupt) for-profit healthcare systems. The job they have is a thankless one, they're overworked and stressed beyond belief, but it's obvious they love what they do. If you're looking for a low-stress platformer with lots of fun characters and funny moments throughout, accompanied by a moving story about the reality healthcare workers face day-in and day-out, look no further than this. NVIDIA GTX 960M Intel Core i7-6700HQ Windows 10 Xbox 360 USB Controller
I've had my eye on this since I saw demos for it back in January. Picked it up as soon as I saw it was available. 17 hours in, and I can't get enough of this game. This is the first game in its listed genres that I've played, and it's highly enjoyable. What makes this game stand out is there's a backstory that slowly pieces together as the game progresses. At times, it feels less like a management/simulation and more like a traditional platformer. PROS: -cute and vibrant art style -catchy and relaxing music -"go at your own pace" gameplay -all materials respawn rapidly in the same places -easy-access tutorials -storage container for stashing materials and other items when not in use -highly efficient inventory organization -very sophisticated cooking mechanism -auto-saves every few minutes; progress is never lost, even when quitting the game -devs are open to feedback and provide updates quickly (the Steam page has patch notes) CONS: -no GOG achievements, only in-game achievements -inventory/bear stash loot mechanic isn't selective - for example, if you only want cooking items, there's no way to take all of the cooking items only, you have to manually drag and drop the items from the bear stash into your inventory (or vice versa). Can get tedious later on in the game -no way to recycle furniture items after they've been built into raw materials - items are categorized by level, as the game progresses, lower levels become obsolete. The only way to get rid of items is throwing them away in the inventory's garbage, but considering materials respawn very quickly, this might not be an issue for some The cons in this game are extremely minimal and don't take away from the gameplay. I highly recommend this to anyone looking for something laid back and low stress, you won't be disappointed. NVIDIA Geforce GTX 960M Intel Core i7-6700HQ Intel HD Graphics 530 16 GB RAM DirectX 12.0
