Recent reviews by Carmel

This is genuinely the most satisfying and exhilarating bullet hell I've ever played. I love the flowy controls. I love failing and thinking "this is impossible" until the fog finally clears from my mind and I can see the patterns. I love the style - the artstyle and the music both. My heart is pumping and my fingers hurt so much from just normal mode but it was so worth it. I can't wait to beat hard mode tomorrow.

absolutely incredible: top notch expressive animations, an outstanding musical score, moving and captivating writing (even if a touch predictible), colorful and lovely characters you get attached to easily, truly satisfying endings (to the story and the relationships both), a heaven for minmaxers and planners... this game really is made with so much love. i cannot wait for what the developers do next - i'm buying their next game in a heartbeat. and this one deserves so much more attention. buy it. really, the only thing i find myself wanting from it is the ability to play infinitely after the ending to see all the character routes to their ends, get every item in the game and catalogue any missing things from the wiki hahah.

doesn't get boring even when you're 100%-ing it. and it's not just because Jonathan Sims voices the narrator!

no, honestly, i am impressed with the amount of choices you can make and that they ALL have consequences. the quality of this production is incredible.

addiction: season 2

loved the inspirational twist :)

i remember when i was a kid, searching for games in which you could play as animals. i stumbled upon this very promising future thing called HK Project and bookmarked the dev blog. i can't believe it grew into this incredible game. thank you for your work <3

I didn't know living a story vicariously through the main character was possible to this degree. Never before have I played a game and felt like I really, truly wanted to help the characters I met and connected with them. Like dying was out of the question because it would mean losing everything you built. The desperation to survive. The joy of barely making it out on time. The gravity of the seemingly small choices. The attachement to this strange cosmic spinning wheel you feel like you could truly call your home. The absolute devastation at the failed DLC part 1 rush that took a good few days away from the game to get over emotionally. The tears I ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ shed at the DLC ending. Knowing deep in your heart that you can't choose anything but staying home, on the Eye.

And the ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ character writing man. How was every single character unique and interesting to the point you couldn't get enough of any of them (besides Kemp, all my homies hate Kemp). I want a whole movie/book about the adventures of Peake and the Sleeper, please and thank you.

This is the best DnD session-ish game I ever played and I'll definitely be here for the sequel.

Absolutely incredible piece of writing with gorgeous music and ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ *style* sprinkled on top. 100% worth the read. Main story, every single side story and all the little scribbles too. I love the characters. I literally took screenshots of some of the lines because they just went so hard. I'm finishing this review up and going to listen to the entire OST. Thank you so much for making this gem!!

I really, really, really love this game. My whole life I have felt like there was a niche on the market, because why did all of those pet collecting games exist as web games but never as actual (good) video games? The sense of slowly advancing towards the completion of a monumental collection task (that is actually doable here) is what I always craved, so much so that I wanted (and still want) to fill this niche in the market with my own ideas. But for now I am content with APICO. And if what I said strikes a chord with you, buy this game without hesitation - you won't regret it. Thank you devs, you've quite literally fulfilled my childhood dreams.

Time of purchase: Jun 21, 2018
Quits caused by skill issues: 3
Beaten on: May 02, 2023 (4th restart)

Would I recommend this game? Absolutely, 100%, with no hesitation. Just git gud. Chances are, if you quit without beating it you'll keep coming back to it anyway, just like me. It's this much of a memorable, one of a kind experience that you'll remember forever. It's a labor of love.

Now excuse me for the next 5 years as I attempt to beat the entire DLC.