I really, really wanted to like The Chant more than I did. For myself, I do feel like 3 stars is a bit too low but 4 stars is really overselling what's here. I think the storyline and settng is actually kind of novel. I don't think it's really something I've seen in many other games. Maybe I would say it's a bit like Silent Hill meets The Descent by way of Annihilation - though that description probably gives it way too much credit. At its core, The Chant is a melee-focused survival horror game and the plot seems to largely serve that more than anything. And while the combat is its focus, I don't know if it feels that great to play. It does feel clumsy and awkward like many survival horror games - which is something that you probably want in a survival horror game. That being said, there's a fair number of options when it comes to the combat. You have many more tools at hand than you might expect for a game like this. You've got 3 melee weapons, 3 throwables and 6 different powers - opposed to Silent Hill's progression of slightly stronger pipes and handguns. Most of them serve different purposes and switching weapons on the fly is relatively easy. Additionally, there's an upgrade system that feels kind of superfluous. But overall, I feel like the core of what the story wants to be about - facing your grief - really gets lost in all of the monster fights. It ramps up quite quickly and doesn't seem to resolve itself particularly well. That being said, I did largely enjoy my time with The Chant and it's nice to be able to choose whether you want to fight or run & hide. Also, it's not really particuarly scary so if you're looking to get into the genre, with multiple difficulties, this probably wouldn't be a bad place to start.
I would love to get lost in this game but the constant crashes have rendered this completely unplayable. Which is unfortunate because this seems like a decent metroidvania. It crashes on startup. It crashes when I'm loading a game. My most recent crash seems to have made it so I can't even play it. Like, at all. I died during a fight and now the game will not respond to either my gamepad or keyboard.
I've been playing Bethesda games for years. I purchased Skyrim on Steam for $20 CAD. That was more than enough for me. Skyrim has been out since 2011. Skyrim has made more than its fair share of money back. I think it's pretty nuts that Bethesda is asking $60 for a game that is a) profitable and b) 11 years old. Far be it for me to make value judgments on video games. Everybody has their own metrics for what is and what is not worth paying for in a game. Personally, I think it's pretty ridiculous to pay anywhere close to this much for this kind of game. Frankly, at this point, Skyrim should come free with Windows with how many times it's been reissued. But again - charging $60 for a game that's still buggy and broken as hell 11 years after its release? Pardon me but I think that's more than just a little insulting. New Vegas is currently on GOG for $7.29 - regular price $21.99. And New Vegas is significantly better. It's absolutely wild that Bethesda would try to sell this game for that price after this time. I paid $20 on Steam and that was more than enough. But trying to convince me that $20 should be the in-market sale price is pretty funny when it's fundamentally broken. Anyway, long story short, I can no longer get my money back from Steam for Skyrim over this insult no matter how much I wish I could. Spend your money on anything else - like Donald Duck: Going Quackers, Dark Souls 3 or a god damn cup & ball.
Strangeland will not be for everybody. The game is VERY short & surprisingly easy. Expect to spend no more than three hours on a first playthrough. If you're looking for an adventure game that has a significant challenge, you may be disappointed. While the game is reminiscent of games like Dark Seed, the difficulty is not comparable. For those seeking the kind of game where you spend weeks agonizing over a puzzle, Strangeland may not be for you. Even without utilizing a walkthrough, the game can be played through in a single sitting. Thanks in part due to the complexity of the puzzles & a VERY generous hint system. There are no Dead Man Walking scenarios here. You can and will die often, not unlike The Nameless One in Planescape: Torment. Strangeland is a game that WANTS you to experience its story through to completion. Despite the game's often grotesque art, it feels very approachable. In some regards, for those new to the genre, the game is an excellent introduction to point & click adventure mechanics - as long as you're not put off by the aforementioned art. While puzzles are a critical aspect of the game, Strangeland is primarily about its story, art & its atmosphere - all of which create a very specific tone and aesthetic. Strangeland is at times repulsive to look at, utilizing some truly horrific body horror - something I feel is worth the purchase alone. Strangeland is unquestionably a psychological horror game. It should appeal to fans of Silent Hill or Sanitarium, though it is most definitely NOT a Silent Hill game. More unsettling than frightening, Strangeland also feels much more allegorical in nature. There is absolutely more than one way to read what is happening. Though it treads similar territory, there is much more to be gleaned from the environment and what is implied in the game's text. That being said, however divisive the game may be, I think it's well worth checking out for any fan of psychological horror & point and click adventures.
It's not XCOM. It's not XCOM. It's not XCOM. Now that that's out of the way, if you're in the mood for a decent (but not great) third person shooter that plays exactly like Mass Effect with a story torn from the pages of Weird Tales. If that sounds like something that might be up your alley, this is definitely one to check out. While the gameplay may feel fairly rote, the atmosphere, environments and overall flavor of the game is fantastic. It feels like a great combination of X-Files, The Prisoner with a dash of Lovecraft. It's fun, pulpy and just a little weird but admittedly it is not for everyone. Classic XCOM fans should feel justified in staying away, but everyone else with a sense of fun can check this one out.
Many of the things other reviewers bring up with Din's Curse are accurate. It's a Diablo clone through & through and not a very engaging one if you aren't playing with any of the high-level mechanics on - which I must admit, I do not. Do you like Diablo but find the game is too easy? Would you like to lose your shopkeepers out of nowhere? Would you like to play for a few hours only to suddenly lose your quest giver? To the game's credit, the game's mechanics are largely customizable - which is very much appreciated. In addition to difficulty levels, you can turn invasions on or off. You really can play the game how you want. You can make things very, very easy or brutally difficult if you want. But without those high level mechanics, there really isn't much to the game. There is a specific way this game was meant to be played and a specific audience this game is for. And unfortunately, I am not that kind of player or that audience. When I play a Diablo-style game, there are a few things I look for in it. And while there's plenty of point & click action, it doesn't feel as good as it does in a lot of other Diablo clones. Which is to say nothing of the presentation which definitely feels rough. I'm certainly not a graphics snob, but this looks more like a game that was released in 1999 than 2010. However, that is kind of hard to fault the game for, considering this is clearly an indie title. So bearing that in mind, despite how I feel, I can't truly say Din's Curse is awful. There are undoubtedly plenty of people who will enjoy what Din's Curse has to offer, but sadly I am not one of them. Din's Curse simply does not feel like the polished experience I expect with these types of games. And to be fair, that's not necessarily a problem with the game itself because it's very clear some people do enjoy what Din's Curse has to offer. So, read some reviews and think about whether or not this is the game for you because it may very well become your favourite.
Aside from two puzzles that stick out in my mind as being truly frustrating, Resonance is a good pulp sci-fi adventure game. It is not the greatest P&C adventure game at all, but the in the end I have to award it a solid 4 out of 5 even if the ending is awful. But to be fair, what adventure game doesn't have an awful ending? It certainly isn't perfect but it does have it where it matters - and I certainly don't regret picking up a copy.
