Recent reviews by bag of rats

There's a puzzle in this game that gives you such an acute sense of dread that you might want to throw up. Just like our friend, Curly. I will probably have weird nightmares about it.

If you're reading the reviews for this game, you may already have an idea that the turn the story takes isn't universally loved. That being said, it would be a big mistake for someone interested not to purchase this game because of it.

Tails Noir has an incredible amount of layers to it. The style isn't just good, it's stunning. There isn't an empty space in this game that isn't filled with incredible art, and most of it serves to immerse you into the world. The environmental storytelling is amazing, and even when it doesn't serve to further the story, it's just nice to look at and spend time taking in all the details. Also, the backgrounds literally have layers, and they move dynamically the further you progress. If you like what you see, you'll like playing it.

The dialogue options between the main characters and NPCs are satisfactory. There is no minor NPC conversation where you don't take something away from it, and the options you have to make or break a relationship with the main characters are realistic. You do really feel like you're talking down an angry person, and bringing comfort to someone in distress. Considering this is an indie game debuting from the support of patrons, I think the scope of the game and what they achieved here is great.

The main characters are compelling. The game rewards you for picking up on things and being empathetic to other people. You build relationships that you get to expand on in a variety of different ways, and your attitude affects them.

There are some really atmospheric moments in the game that're elevated by its music. It reminds me of games like Disco Elysium, or Kentucky Route Zero, where you take a break and let yourself relax to some original music.

I feel like many people don't like the tonal shift the game takes, in part, because it isn't a linear progression. Some might argue it's a regression, but this is intention and expressed in every possible way. I'm a fan of this. Not many games do it. I think it changed the direction of the rest of the game in a good, albeit unexpected way.

That being said, with how much is introduced in the late game, it does feel very rushed near the end. The game introduces you to another perspective, reveals new information about characters you've spent time with and the world, and combined with the fact it ends on a grim, unresolved note? It is a cocktail for someone to have a poor taste in their mouth.

It's very difficult to stick the landing in a story like this, and the ending can taint the experience of the journey (though I don't think it's fair to say it should in Tails' case). While the ending of the game doesn't bother me and I commend it for being true to the intended experience, I think some might've been more comforted if they knew there was more to dive into by a message like "TAILS WILL CONTINUE..." without having to search for official information online.

I have faith that there's more to the story, and it's for that reason that I'm going to dive into the prequel, but I do wish I had the comfort of knowing that the note it left on isn't the end of the journey.

I really wanted to like Oxenfree II as a big fan of the first game but I ended up dissatisfied with my overall experience. I have no doubt that it is a certain playerbase's niche and exactly what they'll enjoy, so I'll list the things that bogged my experience down as pointers to keep in mind, not ward off the game entirely:

Gameplay:

Pros:
- The new mechanics for the game really make it more engaging. The puzzles, while short, are fun.
- The walkie side stories make for a nice experience.
- The radio is a classic and I always enjoy using it.
- The conversation will continue button was nice. It ruined a lot of conversations, but it was nice. (see: con)

Cons:
- When you run out of dialogue, trekking around the game is quite boring, and this is coming from someone who loves going in Every "wrong" direction and turning over Every rock. The art direction is really pretty, but the place being so huge and not all that interact-able makes missing things you need for side quests harsh. This wasn't felt in Oxenfree as much because the island was smaller.

I feel like this would be resolved by being able to control Riley's pace when she's not talking, like allowing her to run when I'm travelling a map without dialogue. I've found the set character speed is not to my tastes in every game from this company. I know a lot of the lack of control is for the pacing of the story, but it's not fun. And fun should be a factor.

- The continued ??? for radio channels used but not marked incensed me, but that's me.
- The "conversation will continue" function is really, really nice. I feel like it's such an improvement. However, this lead to a lot of conversations getting interrupted by one another. Mostly radio chats getting interrupted by story. There was one instance where the phone at the store was ringing and I went back to restart a conversation with an NPC, then I missed the phone ringing because it didn't happen when I returned. It bummed me out.
- I got tired of walking at a snails pace so I didn't end up going for half the achievements in this game. Which is a shame, because I love seeking out lore.
- The radio is so big at the end of the game that it was almost frustrating using it, even when I knew what to look for.

Story:

There were a lot of moments where I was like "whoa, this is cool" especially with the sequence where we have to retrieve a radio from another character while the building is in motion. I liked a lot of the lore attached to the different locales.

That being said, while containing many elements that made Oxenfree one of my favorite games, the main story doesn't have any of the ambiguity and intrigue from the first game that really stick with you after playing it. It is very obvious to me as a player and a writer myself that the team loves, loves, love their characters and antagonistic beings, and wants to share every aspect of their lives with the players in order for us to have the maximum amount of empathy possible for what's occurring to them. For me, this often gets in the way of my investment for the game. Backstory for our main character comes in jump-scarey bursts very early on, and this continues throughout the unfolding of events. Rather than naturally segueing into things as they become relevant on the character's journey like the first game (Alex and her brother) with the main focus being what's unfolding in present time.

This also extends to the NPCs/antagonists. I don't mind that we end up learning everything we possibly can about our walkie friends, and it became a point of achievement hunting to get to know everything about them. As it relates to the main story, however, all npcs from the first game are watered down by overexposure and used for that "are you scared by this? huh? isn't this weird?" factor like with Maggie's fragment. The Sunken lose their mystique as our antagonists and I feel the plotline carrying over from the first game don't integrate well into the original ones of the second. I wish they'd kept them separate so they could feel more fleshed out.

Ultimately, I really liked the additions to the world, and I had an appreciation for some of the characters. I think a lot of potential, for me, was lost in making the ending for this game bombastic and as cinematic as possible while also honing in the "good ending" for the characters for the first game. Maybe if my gameplay experience wasn't spent trudging a long in dead silence after awhile I would have had less time to stew on the aspects I didn't like as much.

I played this game with my best friend and we went through the changes in scenery and puzzles together. It was such a pleasure to spend some time with these characters and click around for all the little tidbits of their stories on the interactables. Really satisfied with time spent!! The artbook is also so nice :)

I didn't expect this game to be so big! When you get started it definitely feels like the game will be short and sweet, but there's so many npcs to pick up and so much fun dialogue along the way. TI also lost that the items aren't just cosmetic and have different effects (like the sticky hand!) 10/10 love this game

I really love this game! :) All the systems are really well thought out and the incentive to engage with cute little items works really well. The only thing I wish I knew when I started (maybe I missed it) is that I can send people stickers without losing the decoration. I was worried about that at first!

this game is perfect for people who don't like to leave any stone unturned or any dialogue option left behind in when they play. the reality of revachol isn't for everyone with its unfiltered characterization of npcs, but the delivery doesn't glorify the bigotry that's laced in the actual murder mystery. the one mistake they did make is to change jean's lines. I don't think I've ever seen a character performance massacred more than I've seen them remove his exasperation with the main character! he sounds like literally any other gritty video game npc now! 9/10

the only thing wrong with this game is that i can't have a jumbo bunchan in real life. also that there isn't a pink jumbo bunchan. what if i want pink AND jumbo!!

game lets me experience the joys of playing dominoes with others that otherwise i would be forced to live without