Recent reviews by Soap

The mix of Eastern and Western gameplay styles Spiders has achieved with their Mars games is really enjoyable. The biggest complaint I have with The Technomancer is that there's way too much backtracking. The backtracking gets boring after the second time. But here you have backtracking, on backtracking, on backtracking. And then there's more backtracking. But wait, there's more backtracking.

No, you don't understand. There's more backtracking than that, and too many times it's just to grab one item. More than once I thought I wouldn't be able to finish the game. Ever, though it took me less than 60 hours. At least once, I opted to walk away from the game and let a 12 minute timer tick down so I could talk to an NPC again without backtracking. Upon returning I no longer cared to sit through what the NPC had to say. These mechanics just have no place in this game imho, they severely detract from the immersive experience.

I think the main draw of The Technomancer, is playing through its Science Fiction Mars story. I found it to be atmospheric and compelling. But the errand running simulator in-between really took away from that; also making the fun combat, repetitive instead. Therefore, I must stress that players who are interested in a game to grind out fast for an enjoyable story could be left frustrated here. Some players simply won't finish the game because they'll get bored and not come back. But I think going in with that knowledge will help.

It's otherwise, a solid game that fills a niche. It ran fine on my modern system, though it did crash a few times when I played for long periods. Without question, I recommend it for the right audience.

Not without flaws, Kena (pronounced like Kay-nah), is an easy thumbs up for me. If you're curious about Kena, and you value joyful moments more than what you typically find missing in games coming from consoles, then don't hesitate to pick this one up. Solid choice for anyone who isn't a villain. Bordering on a must play.

Much here is standard for a traditional, action-adventure RPG, and then there's some platforming. I've not encountered any groundbreaking gameplay. But it's not frustrating me either. Where Kena shines most is in its delightfulness. The characters, the colors, the sounds, and the fantasia environment--they all come together in a harmony-creating-explosion of wonder.


Dear Kena,

Damn soul sister you got rhythm! I want to see you walk with my keyboard. The way you move ain't fair you know. I might be able to figure out how. But I don't want to miss a single thing you do. So I'll just use a controller for now. A monkey could steal my coffee to get a caffeine high, jump on my back, hit me with a radio, and terrorize my neighbors while I'm playing. And I wouldn't care. I'm glad I played through Elden Ring first because you're the better dancer.

Sorry that Steam only lets me give you one thumb even though I have two.

I don't recommend this game as is. One of the quotes posted on the Store page:
“The Pillars of the Earth has a well crafted story, breathtaking visuals and powerful storytelling that really pushes video games further into the realm of art.”
Keengamer

It doesn't push video games further in the realm of art. Not when they make a decision that would warrant a failing grade in an art course. Artistic, immersive, beauty disrespected by a decision to put banner advertisements on the title screen. I do recommend the game, despite choosing to use the negative review option, because I was able to remove all the ads. How to below.

However, as I had to spend my time removing the banners in order to enjoy the game, and I want that time back, I won't be providing any game feedback in this review. If I hadn't been able to remove the ads, I would've refunded the game. I've said it before, and I'll say it again. It's like using a painting as a beverage coaster.

There are plenty of ways to advertise to players without interfering with their game experience. You can put the ads on a different screen which a menu button goes to, just like is done with everything else. You can put ads (or an option to view them) in or after the end credits. There are more creative options as well. But figure out a way to give your customers some credit and stop treating them like they're idiots who can't find out who a painting's artist is if they want to see more. One must question why bother making or selling a game such as this, when with this advertising approach, you disregard other people sharing in the artistic immersion created by the work.

You only need to delete one or two items: The file "bannerapi.lua" and the folder "BannerCache".
These instructions are for the default Steam installation on Windows.

1. From your Steam Library: right-click the game, and go to "Manage > Browse Local Files"
2. Open the folder called, "lua"
3. Delete the file "bannerapi.lua"
4. Go back to the folder you started in called "The Pillars of the Earth"
5. Open the folder called "configtool" and run the application called "visconfig"
6. When the app opens, click the button "Game User directory" this will open your user folder for the game.
7. If there's a folder named "BannerCache", delete it. (*this folder and contents might only exist for those who've already run the game).
8. You should be all set, you can close those windows and enjoy this work of art ad-free.

Casual fun to be had with uniqueness, but I'll start with the bad. Underworld Ascendant more than lacks polish. It feels unfinished even though the questing system has been problem free for me so far.

I picked to use a male voice, but the game decided I was to be female instead. Problems with sound effects standout. Often the enemy AI doesn't function as it should. Sometimes strange things happen with the physics, making me think I'm going to die.... and... Well, it's kinda funny. Have you ever tripped going up a set of stairs? It's kinda like that. It's an interesting thing. The game has your character adjust to the environment somewhat as you move. Sometimes that means if you move a tad too much, or adjust too suddenly, you could go off a ledge, or smash your face between a wooden platform and the rockface it's on and die. I did :) It'd probably make for really cool mechanics if these sorts of interactions were designed intentionally. It's clearly not though, and could frustrate some players.

However, the gameplay as a whole can be quite immersive. The level design, with its puzzle-like features, and the variety of ways you can play with the mechanics of the game to progress, create a sandbox dungeon environment that when played casually, still leaves me pretty satisfied. I'm enjoying learning the spells on my own, and playing around with rune combinations.

If finished, I suspect it would've been an intense, suspenseful, must-play dungeon adventure. It's disappointing that Underworld Ascendant fell short. I recommend it on sale for that certain type of player who can enjoy flaws in games, or push through them to enjoy the uniqueness. But I don't recommend Underworld Ascendant for everyone, or even most. It's like very slowly sipping a cup of coffee that you know is going to spill on you over and over. Except it's magic coffee. Or maybe it's like being married with children. I don't know. You pick. But the game will tell you it's the other one.

It was such a struggle to have fun or find any enjoyment, that I gave up.

If you're simply looking for ANY free game to play multiplayer, then maybe Lost Ark is for you. Otherwise, I'd skip it. The writing is bad, my character started as a Mary Sue. The game didn't tell me that not finishing the pointlessly long prologue before taking a break, and closing the game, meant that I'd have to start it over from the beginning. It's all a shame, because the way in which the story is attempted to be conveyed might otherwise be commendable. The game actually tries to unfold the story in a cinematic way as you play. But it's ruined; made boring by everything else. Combat sections are far too short, and while my character started with a generous handful of attacks, they all were basically the same thing. There was little need to fight anyway, because if enemies weren't part of a quest objective, I could just walk right by them. The quests I experienced after the prologue were mostly, if not all, fetch-type quests where I had to click through stupid amounts of badly written, spammy NPC dialogue, just to go talk with another NPC, to then run by pointless enemies, to click some scenery and then run back to an NPC. Oh but DAILY LOGIN REWARDS POPUPS!!!

I wonder, is that why I saw a constant flow of Sorceresses with random letters for names like "Zpgthfffllpttx", all with the exact same look, same build, and all taking the exact same path from the starting point after the prologue? I really hope there was something going on with scripts and gold farming there to explain that, because if it wasn't that, then it's most likely an indication of even worse development choices than I'm aware of. But I just don't even care, because it was such a struggle to find anything enjoyable.

Solid hack and slash gameplay here that will be familiar to anyone who's played more popular titles such as the Diablo Series, Grim Dawn, or Path of Exile. In my opinion, there's not as much replay value in Chaosbane. There certainly are things in place for players who want to keep going. But as someone who needs convincing in this genre to keep coming back to the same game regularly, I find Chaosbane less compelling.

Worth noting, is something I wouldn't call a flaw:
Chaosbane doesn't leave much room for the player to control the pace of the game as I enjoy in these titles. If you feel like you're going too slow or too fast, there's not much you can do. Combat in each screen-sized area you go in, tends to go about the same pace each time, and while the graphics and environments are nice, there's almost no feeling of exploration or adventure in Chaosbane's mostly linear paths.

Chaosbane does hit on a lot of things players of this genre tend to like. For instance, I didn't have to play inventory tetris at all, thanks to the generous inventory space, and finely tuned questing design where even when I picked up every single thing from every enemy, I didn't have to choose between taking and leaving some of the loot. I've also no complaints about how the leveling up and skills are done. I didn't run into any bugs until the 3rd or 4th chapter, and they were no big deal. Personally, the fact that names of non-boss enemies don't display is more an issue for me than the couple of bugs I ran into.

The thing that stood out the most to me in Chaosbane, versus the other titles I listed, was the storytelling. It's easy to follow, is a bit more in depth than its competitors tend to be, and there are well made cinematics spaced out. That being said, I wouldn't say it's enough to make Chaosbane a must play in this genre. But if you're looking for an alternative to fill your appetite for demon slaying for a bit, Chaosbane is a solid choice.

The value is there at the current full price of around $30 for the hours of playtime/content. I got it on sale though, and I'd recommend that unless you're starved for this type of game.

This is a remake done right of one of my favorite games of all time! And they're about to release a sequel too!

If you enjoy 90's Military Science Fiction such as The 5th Element and Stargate, you'll most likely enjoy the story and weaponry here. Outcast has wormholes, problem solving, and... um... let me take a breath before I say this: scouting around for crafting materials or strategic locations to launch your attack--while riding on the back of an ostrich-size, otherworldly dinosaur who's as lovable as a Chocobo.

Watch the official gameplay videos up above if you haven't yet. Seriously. This is the first review I've recommended that, because they're great. Then come to an alternate dimension, and have a BLAST with Outcast.

The Dynamite is fun. You can keep a stack of it in your inventory, place individually, and then remote detonate, or shoot. There's very little hand holding or tutorial (imo enough), so just a heads up. Click the ? in the menu when you play, because it might take you some time to get into the groove of the game. Also, because this remake retains so much of the original, you'll quickly notice issues with the voice-overs, and several minor bugs. The sorts of flaws which even modern open-world games, still aren't great at tackling.

However; if you're typically okay with trading perfect levels of polish, in favor of a fun, immersive world to explore, and experiment in, then there's a good chance you could fall in love with Outcast. This is the old school class of game that came with a paper manual which had a place for the player to take notes. It can seem simple and corny at first, with its early version of RPG NPC daily routines, and straightforward-looking environments. However, in Outcast there's a lot to learn, and a great depth to this game that's hidden beneath the surface.

The original Outcast, was such a charming game, in an era where playing an open-world game was like winning a trip to your favorite vacation spot. The developers of Outcast did what players who find deep enjoyment in games, often want to see. They pushed the envelope. They did so with just about everything. And so, while Outcast Second Contact doesn't meet the highest of standards when compared to some of its counterparts in modern games, I do think that there are plenty of times where the hard work and imagination of the developers shines through.

Heck, one could argue that it's common for this sort of Science Fiction to have--easy to cherry pick flaws. There's a lot of clunkiness and corniness retained from the original. But hey, you might even like it for that.

In my humble opinion, Outcast Second Contact is worth its reasonable full price for new players or those who played the original. Or pick it up on sale for less than the cost of a meal if you want. But this game doesn't taste like chicken. There's a unique quality to it that's worth experiencing.

Can be consumed casually, or all night long.

I eyeballed this game a few times; missed a sale or two before purchasing. It's a bit difficult to tell what rpg's like this have to offer from looking at the store pages. I remember being unsure of Diablo as well when it first released. Both games are the kind that can't be judged by their covers. Ember isn't super complex, but it hits all the right spots just enough. Story, Combat, Exploration, Dungeon Crawling; there's even cooking and crafting.

Normally I'd wait until I play a game a bit more before reviewing it, but I just noticed it was on sale again, and I can already tell this game deserves to be noticed. At 90% off right now, you just can't go wrong picking Ember up. But if time is an issue and you need more convincing, here's what I really like so far and some of what I don't...

The story is told through an opening cinematic and then through a mix of NPC dialogue and books. There's some welcome and talented voice acting for the NPCs. Initially the story's premise didn't catch my interest, especially with no character creation. I think the opening cinematic was a tad too long and could've been told better. However, after only a few hours I'm pretty hooked and I find myself taking time to read the books. Again, it's not so much the premise that hooked me. The writing isn't amazing. Some of it I'm skimming through. But it's not overly done either and the delivery is really precisely timed, which I really appreciate. The books can be ignored, but are hard to miss. I love that I don't have to go searching around to find the story and that I can skim things if I want and still understand what's going on.

The pace of this game is really nice. I couldn't ask for more here. You can somewhat choose your own pace, but overall it's a bit slower paced than an action adventure like the Diablo series. The gameplay and atmosphere I'd liken more to a D&D type of game like Neverwinter Nights, rather than Diablo. The narrowest way I can describe it is a mix between Path of Exile and Neverwinter Nights. Though I don't think it's nearly as big a game as either of those, so I'm NOT sure yet if there will be a point where Ember isn't complex enough for me. From reading about the game myself though, it doesn't sound like the game carries on forever and ever, so I don't believe that point will come. We'll see...though I expect I'll be able to finish this game and be left pretty satisfied; instead of either feeling like the game never ends, or that it's too short.

The combat feels like a turn based D&D game, but it isn't. It's real-time and doesn't have lots of complex dice rolls going on. I tend to prefer really complex combat and character creation/development. But I don't feel like I'm missing anything with Ember's. I like it, it's just enough.

There's also just the right amount of exploration. Here too, I often like large complexly developed exploration with lots to do and see; and I don't like games that have areas that are so small you find everything no matter what you do, or repeat points of interest in different areas and call it exploring. Ember seems to have areas that are just big enough to feel like I can explore and find some shiny things and some random side quest, but I can't do it all just by consequence of moving from the left side of the map to the right. Ember also rewards you for putting that little extra bit of effort in to look at an area to see if there is something to loot. It gets it just right, and I really didn't expect that from this game.

One thing I can't leave out is that it's not the type of game where if you go a week without playing it you'll feel like you have to start over because you don't remember where you left off. It feels like an ideal game to just play casually whenever you have the time. You can quicksave at anytime and the journal UI is perfect. Neither will the Inventory management bog you down. The game tells you what's junk loot and the entire interface is clean and easy to use.

So far Ember is a pleasant surprise, goes well with coffee, tea, or soda and it's a bargain right now. If you read this whole review, I'm pretty sure you'd be better off just buying Ember. You'll know if you like it or not in an hour.

I've enjoyed Bounty Train for the most part so far. I'd like to give it a positive review. Instead, I'm giving it a negative review because the game's main menu displays advertisements for other games. I paid for this game and shouldn't have to see advertisements. If I'd known I'd be forced to see advertisements I wouldn't have purchased it. It's rude, unprofessional, and takes away from the atmosphere of the game.

For me, it has the opposite of the intended effect. It discourages me from purchasing more games by this publisher because I have to assume they will have ads also. If the ads are removed or put behind a menu button where I don't have to see them unless I want to, I'll change my review to positive. I don't want to see the Facebook icon either. I mean really? Right now when facebook is regularly in news headlines and talked about in politics, I have to see their logo in a video game I play to relax? The game menu is very nice looking. Putting ads on it is like using a painting as a beverage coaster.

It might seem like a small thing to complain about, but not complaining in this case would be encouraging the publisher, or others to continue the practice, possibly even in bigger ways. Just put that stuff behind a button named "links", "extras", or use the publisher name. For the love of gaming.

A simple way to describe Thea is to say: it's about what you'd get if you took a game like Divinity: Original Sin, and combined it with a Civilization type strategy game. You can freely explore the world by moving your characters/units on the overland map and the card game is used to play out combat encounters. Skill checks work the same way, but each character will use a specific skill for attack and defense. This means that skill encounters play out similar to Dungeons and Dragons with no dice rolls. It's quite fun.

I'm dissapointed that Thea didn't have more Slavic mythology in it. It begins with it, then as the game progresses; strays off into a mix of things. This isn't a horrible thing, but I would've liked it more if it didn't mix mythologies. I don't know if it was a creative choice, lack of effort, or time etc. But it doesn't really matter, Thea is still a fantastic game, and I found myself wanting to learn more about bits of Slavic myth and culture that were presented.

Gameplay matters most. Like a good RPG, I found myself becoming attached to my parties of characters. I enjoyed the artwork even though I was originally turned off by the black and white cards on the store page, and the card game is complex enough that I wasn't always sure if my characters would survive or not. Thea's crafting system is also an integral and fun part of the game which is a refreshing change from many modern games that just throw crafting in unecessarilly because it's popular.

The developer even made some decisions that don't often happen in games--which I think really add to the replay value and fun factor of the game. For example, when you first start the game, it randomly unlocks two Gods for you to choose between. From then on, you have to unlock the other Gods by playing. The starting location of your village and who your villagers are is also random. So you'll have a different experience on your first play than I did, and there are enough resources and random encounters to keep things interesting for multiple play throughs--or one super long one if you can't stand the thought of leaving your villagers. Be warned though, if you decide to click the end game button on the score screen, you will not be able to load a previous save when it returns you to the menu.

Thea is a highly customizable game, with multiple settings that affect difficulty, so you can play how you want. So far I just played on the default setting, which can be brutal if you explore beyond your means and don't want to micro-manage. It's very much a survival game at times, but if you play safe and manage things well the default difficulty won't give you much trouble.

I'm having a lot of fun with Thea, and encourage you to try it if your interested. On sale it's been only $10, and it's the kind of game you will know if you like or not in the first hour.