Recent reviews by elleody

The aesthetics are as rich as the experience. What a wonderful way to capture the beauty of Montreal.

Mechanically, art games can be mechanically difficult to create a meaningful system of evaluation for the created art. Unlike Passpartout: Starving Artist, the art does not have a system for independent worth, it is simply connecting the right keywords/topics to the stickers placed. Despite the mechanical simplicity, the design choices and atmosphere are most assuredly worthwhile.

This game is a series of 20 puzzle boxes. The story-line is linear without paths. Nor does it have any emphasis on who is performing the heist. It is a thorough exploration of a fun mechanic, breaking into puzzle boxes.

The aesthetics are reminiscent of the Dishonored series with magical/mechanical Victorian steampunk. Some of these boxes are extremely well designed, (the nautical box is brilliant)

Peter Parker changed the paradigm on stories of people with supernatural powers by showing that someone with powers could still be relatable. The Life is Strange series continues to explore that concept in an understated and often poignant way.

With sequel properties, questions that I often find myself asking are, "does this story matter? Is it justified? Does it expand upon the previous in a way that is new?" Double Exposure accomplishes that feat handily.

I am not sold on the idea of a AAA game charging extra for stray cat content and additional outfits, but one of the central themes of this work are that we all make mistakes. The brilliant, clever, and brutal moments in this work far outweigh that minor critique. I look forward to the next instalment.

A rouge-like deck-building large number simulator. It is deeply satisfying to find joker/card combinations that work.

A bold imagining worthy of a MouseGuard campaign or a Redwall book. This story-rich narrative delves deeply into oft-overlooked spaces and builds some genuinely unique lore.

There are some genuinely impressive visuals that this game creates, I was especially impressed with the presentation of the godly weapons (needles, scissor halves, a lighter, etc.)

While mindful repetition can be a compelling element of many games, it is easy for a mechanic to go stale. This is one of those fantastic titles where a solid premise is backed up by new thematic experiences. While you start off by fishing in the seas, this game expands into a fish breeding program, a farm simulator, restauranteer, interior decorator, 'mon capturer, professional chef, seahorse racer and more.

The concept of this game is fantastic, being able to interview the suspects as the other suspects is simply divine. Programming a number of outcomes with small differences is golden. Simply magnificent.

My only criticism is that it is too short. I would devour sequels and still be asking for more.

What other game presents you with the opportunity to actually try to cheat Death?

Simply put, this is a marvellous game. The mechanics are beautiful and the escalation in card shenanigans is surprisingly robust. The care and attention to detail in this game is superb. For example, there are 52 achievements, each with a different card face. I can't think of a better way for that to be.

I encountered a game breaking bug. Travelling to a new location, I was told that my execution of the technique was incorrect (despite getting it perfect multiple times). After a short while on the support boards, in the FAQ it was revealed that by using control + shift + 9, you can revert to the start of the scene or travel back to the map. The only criticism I have of this game is that these troubleshooting features are hidden from the player base. Which is very small compared to the joy this game sparks.

Unpacking is a rather short idyllic game, despite this, It finds profound beauty in small moments. It examines all of the major moves in a protagonist's life. What I very much love about this type of found object narration is how effective a few trinkets can be to explain who a person is, what culture they are from, and what ultimately will be a step forward for them, or a step backwards.

I very much appreciate the attention to detail, the childhood toy showing wear and tear, chips in old cups, a pair of rainbow underwear. There is such a pointed difference between the feelings of moving in with friends, moving yourself into someone else's space, and the act of making room for someone you love.

Without ever hearing the characters speak, or even seeing them directly, this game is able to capture some very real feelings through subtle nuance. Bravo.

I am a big fan of the Jackbox Series. Of the games listed here I particularly enjoy job job. My playgroup did not enjoy the destective game very much, but a large part of that was how non-intuitive the mechanics were. I feel the inputs for Drawful Animate are considerably better than our old drawfuls, and hope that an update will be forthcoming to improve the old prompts. (it really levels the playing field when Drawful can misspell words, or ask you to draw absolute gibberish.)