Recent reviews by cochvik

First JRPG for an Elder Scrolls / Fallout fan. Wasn't sure I'd love it (particularly the combat style), but got it from a friend and told them I'd give it a shot. Well, I was hooked in no time, and just finished it off 100%. Very highly recommended.

Obduction is a fantastic game, highly recommended *if* you love puzzles, appreciate beautiful visuals, don't mind thrashing around a bit (meaning you have to work, and walk/explore, for a lot of the puzzles), and don't really need your hand held too much (though there is a walkthrough/help guide available). The puzzles are not often easy and often involve backtracking, which is sometimes annoying, but it sort-of fits the theme - they (the people in the game world) specifically made the puzzles for a purpose.

I played Myst as a kid and eventually picked up Riven, so when I saw this on Kickstarter, there was no question - I Kickstartered it immediately (at one of the low levels). When it was released, I played through it (slowly) with my brother, and now I'm playing through it again (a bit more quickly, but still having to re-solve puzzles - I forgot how much content there actually is). I've definitely noticed things in the second playthrough that I didn't notice (or appreciate) the first time.

The core mechanic of transporting between and within worlds (I don't think that's a spoiler) lead to some incredibly interesting puzzles. Even when they often requiring backtracking and a good deal of walking, they are extremely satisfying once solved (at least IMHO). I specifically remember the 'ah-ha!' moment of several puzzles even from the first time around - it just clicks you all of a sudden know how to solve the puzzle, even if it takes a few more loading sequences before it is resolved. I've even relived some of those moments on my second playthrough.

The only downside I would mention is that there's not much help in-game if you get stuck - C.W. is available and starts you on your quest, but doesn't really answer any questions or provide any useful guidance. He also doesn't often repeat the guidance he's given - if you talk to him again, he just asks you why you aren't done yet (but often doesn't specify with what he expects you to be done). So early on in the game, we found ourselves trying to remember exactly what he was asking for and how to even begin to start working on that (though we also played through it slowly in several sessions sometimes weeks/months apart). So it can be a bit annoying when you don't know what to do next... it is pretty linear, though, so there aren't really many things you can do - it's just a matter of finding the thing you're now supposed to do.

Overall, I've thoroughly enjoyed it, and I'm loving playing through it again and appreciating the worlds all over again (even more, I think). I actually wish Cyan would add an 'exploration' mode once you've completed the game where you can float around the worlds at will - I'd love to experience more of the world they so lovingly created.

10/10 would walk run again

I love this game because you get the sweet, sweet mounted first-person combat, but you switch to a high-level third-person party view when you're not battling, so you don't have to run across the whole map on foot and keep waiting for your army or whatever. Oh, and you can build an army. Of wicked-awesome knights and archers and such.

"How hard can rocket science be, anyway?"

Saw this referenced a few times on XKCD and finally decided to check it out and buy it, and I have not been disappointed. I've learned way more about orbital mechanics that I'll [probably] ever need to know, which is part of what makes it fun (for me, anyway). It is alpha at this point, so you can get to a point where you've done some of the basic stuff and don't really know what to do next, but then there are mods you can easily install to add new mission options/ideas (e.g. Kethane) or help with some of the things that can become somewhat tedious when you've done the 100s of times (e.g. MechJeb and launch autopilot). Recommended, especially for those interested in geeking out about orbital mechanics.