Recent reviews by Adamsw216

Wonderfully quirky and unique puzzle game. The scenery is beautiful and atmospheric, the music is appropriately matched, and the game design is fun and (usually) intuitive. Highly recommended!

This is a fun, cute little puzzle game. Personally, I did not find the game particularly challenging and was able to complete it in about 1 hour. However, the game was well-made and the voice acting had a whimsical charm to it that I really enjoyed. I, like many others, only wish that it were a bit longer--contrary to the common problem of games dragging on, I actually think this one cut the story a bit short. I think they could definitely have fleshed out the story a bit more with a few more puzzles without diluting it into a mess of tedium. I picked it up on sale for about $10, which I think is just about the right price.

This is the most complete and well-polished VR game released so far. I am one of those who feel that pretty much every VR game up until the last few months or so have been glorified tech demos--fun, well-made tech demos, but tech demos nonetheless. Half-Life: Alyx eclipses all of these games and has set a new bar for what can and should be achieved by AAA game designers in VR. No, it does not push the envelope to new far reaches. It does not test the limits of what VR is capable of. What it does do is consolidate all of the collective knowledge and experience of VR games to date, trims the fat, and polishes it to a beaming shine.

I don't believe that this game is revolutionizing VR or bringing it to the mainstream, but it is an important and necessary step in that direction. I believe that if Valve chooses to release another VR game, that next game is the one that needs to push that envelope. The graphics, the gameplay, the story, and even the fan service tidbits are all enjoyable. I highly recommend this game to anyone who can play it. If you are an old Half-Life fan like myself, I double that recommendation.

Conductor is an "Escape-The-Room" type puzzle game where you are a fugitive on the run from the mysterious Overcorp. Honestly, the story line is very thin, but it hardly matters because the puzzles themselves are interesting and engrossing. You escape from where you are being held and commandeer an old steam locomotive. It seems a little out of place considering the technology that exists in this post-apocalyptic future, but again, it doesn't really matter. The truth is, driving the train is quite fun. The train itself merely acts a means to transport you from one puzzle to the next. Occasionally, between puzzles, you are assaulted by drones sent by the Overcorp, but these are easily dispatched with the "gravity gun" you find, which also aids you in your puzzle solving. I don't really think the drone combat adds much to the game. One thing I do appreciate is that, despite the eerie nature of the setting and environment, the developers did not add any cheap jump scares or anything like that.

Overall, this is a great little puzzle game and is definitely worth a couple of bucks. I purchased mine in a bundle sale with Abode (another great escape-the-room game).

Firewatch is a beautiful game with most of its weight on the storyline--a majority of which is told through dialogue. There is mystery, suspense, and intrigue, all amidst a sprawling "national park" type setting. The art style works well for the game, and the story is compelling. That being said, I couldn't help but feel like things could have been pushed further, story-wise. The ending is sort of dismissive of some of the earlier plot points of the game leaving room for many unanswered questions. I also feel like the player choice could have factored in more with how the relationships are built up and what the potential implications are for the main character and their own personal journey within the main plot.

That being said, it is a short, self-contained story in a nice polished package. However, like many more have reported previously, I too suffered from having the game freeze on almost every loading screen. This required me to force close and relaunch the game, which became quite tedious. However, in spite of this annoyance, the game is enjoyable and I do recommend it for someone looking for a short story and some lovely scenery.

Dust: An Elysian Tail is part of a well-known genre of side-scrolling action/adventure games. In many ways, the story is unoriginal, the characters are obvious archetypes, and the dialogue is corny, but that did not make me enjoy the game any less. The clichés aside, this is a game that has a very solid art style, a no-frills plot, and a beautifully-simple fighting mechanics and inventory systems. This game takes themes we are all very famliar with and polishes them up into a fun adventure that is engaging and memorable. The road this game travels is well-trodden, and the developers are very well aware of this which they pay homage to in many homages and references to other popular games. The characters frequently break the fourth wall and I felt that gave the game more endearing qualities than if it took itself too seriously.

Nothing ground breaking here, but if you are looking for a fun, straight-forward, well-assembled game, give Dust a try!