Recent reviews by mucoromycotina

Bad: Lots of monetization in a $70 game.

Good: You get to play as Paul Phoenix... the STRONGEST IN THE UNIVERSE!

As a lover of puzzle games, experiencing the world of Myst for the first time was an absolute joy. The environment is scattered with mysterious clues, puzzles, and oddities to discover. Myst offers little to no guidance at the start of the game which contributes to the world's sense of wonder and the desire to explore it. The puzzles themselves are satisfying to piece together and progressively uncover an ominous and foreboding story. The live action cutscenes are delightfully over the top and oozing with nostalgic charm.

A 90s point and click PC game like Myst definitely has its share of flaws though. There are a few areas where the stationary viewpoints can be disorienting and confusing such as the nearly identical trees, walkways, and houses of Channelwood. The static sound effects during certain cutscenes make it hard to hear the dialogue and are unpleasantly loud. One particular puzzle is almost impossible if the player encounters it without completing another specific Age in advance. A couple interactable objects are frustratingly well hidden. Although this last one is a hallmark of the point and click genre, it is especially annoying when it impedes progression in a puzzle game.

Even with these faults, Myst still holds up incredibly well decades later. It is a timeless classic and a must play title for any puzzle fan.

A Mortician's Tale is best described as an informative, interactive primer on the death industry, primarily funeral homes. As someone who fortunately has little experience with these services, I found the game interesting and educational. The associated capitalism of the industry was particularly macabre to think about. I also enjoyed the minesweeper minigame with randomized symbols instead of numbers. It would be nice if the minigame was accessible from the main menu after completing the story.

However, with an incredibly short length of around 1 hour, it is difficult to recommend A Mortician's Tale even when it's on sale. If you acquired the game from a previous Humble Bundle like I did, it's worth a play through.

I've played countless MMOs, but GW2 is the only one that I keep coming back to. It is one of the few MMOs with a horizontal progression system. This means that the level cap has stayed at 80 and ascended/legendary gear is still the best after 10+ years. I played heavily when GW2 launched in 2012 and then took a 6 year break. When I returned, my level 80 characters were still geared for most content in the game. GW2 is the only MMO where taking an extended break doesn't punish you and invalidate your progress.

So what is the point of playing? First of all, fully gearing a character still takes time, especially when playing multiple builds and classes. Secondly, there is no shortage of goals to grind for (it is an MMORPG after all). The goals simply aren't all tied to character power like vertical progression games. Lastly, the answer depends on the player because GW2 caters to so many different audiences. Some of my favorites are listed below.

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With 5 playable races, 5 Living World seasons, 4 expansions, and more to come, GW2 truly has a decade of content. Almost all of it is fully voice acted including minor NPCs. The quality of the story varies but is good overall. The Personal Story (base game) and Icebrood Saga (LW season 5) are lackluster in my opinion. Everything else ranges from good to amazing. LW season 4 in particular was an absolute joy to experience for the first time.

Each race has a wealth of history to discover. The Sylvari (plant people) are my favorite. Their aesthetics are very creative, and they have the curious perspective of only existing for ~35 years in the game's timeline. Every race has a dedicated male and female voice actor which keeps things fresh when playing through the story as a different race or gender. There are also plenty of non-playable races with their own lore and culture such as the Tengu (bird people), Kodan (polar bear people), Choya (cactus rascals), Skritt (rat-like hivemind), etc.

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GW2 makes exploration feel natural. It is very fun to explore a zone for the first time. Every zone is filled with discoverable points of interest and dynamic events. Many zones also have jumping puzzles and meta events that can span the entire map. Transitioning between these activities is seamless and usually lead to undiscovered portions of the map. Level scaling, achievements, and meta events mean that zones stay populated beyond leveling.

The dynamic/meta events are top notch game design. If there are players doing an event, you can simply follow them. You don't have to worry about picking up a quest, backtracking to turn it in, or forming parties (though you can if you want). All you have to do is participate to receive credit. This makes it incredibly easy to aid other players you come across, and has helped foster GW2's notoriously friendly community. One example of this is world bosses. These are massive bosses that spawn in specific zones on a timer. There are usually a few Commanders ready and waiting to lead 50+ people to kill the boss, and anyone in the area can join in. Stumbling across a swarm of players attacking a world boss while leveling really captures the "massively multiplayer" in MMO.

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How will you show off to your friends without an endless supply of equipment with bigger numbers? By styling on them with superior fashion sense of course! GW2 has an insane amount of skins to collect. Once unlocked, skins are available in the account-wide wardrobe forever. The only cost to reskin an item is a Transmutation Charge which can be obtained in game or bought with real money. I've never bought a single one and have more than I can use. If you're up for the grind, one of the perks of legendary items is that they can be reskinned for free. Unfortunately, many cosmetics are gem store exclusive (real money), but that is a trade off of a non-subscription MMO. However, you can farm gold and exchange it for gems in-game, and many skins are tradable on the auction house. Additionally, there are lots of cool skins that can only be acquired through gameplay.

But wait, there's more! There are also account-wide unlockable dyes. Changing dyes is unlimited and completely free, so swap colors as much as you like. There are currently 636 dyes in the game that range from basic colors to dyes with special effects such as a vibrant glow or metallic finish. With the exception of weapons, most skins are dyeable including mounts. Many skins have multiple dye channels which greatly expands customization. To my knowledge, every dye is purchasable on the auction house, even ones bought from the gem store (although those can get pricey). Dyes can also be obtained through gameplay, crafting, and birthday gifts.

The community has created some excellent "cosplays". Whether you want to be a cute, pink princess, a battle-hardened war veteran, or a gloomy goth, it's all possible. I've even seen a shockingly accurate Optimus Prime out in the wild.

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The main format of "Structured PvP" is Conquest, a 5v5 capture point mode. Shorter 2v2 and 3v3 deathmatch leagues are run between Conquest leagues. All equipment is standardized and skills are balanced separately to PvE and WvW. Characters are set to level 80 which means a new character can jump straight into PvP! The only exception is elite specializations which are locked behind expansions.

The combat in GW2 is so satisfying. It is action combat oriented with dodging and a little tab targeting thrown in. What makes it work so well is that there aren't any global cooldowns and most skills can be used while moving. Every class has its own identity and multiple playstyles. All of this results in fast paced, fluid combat that is engaging and fun to learn.

Unfortunately, PvP has been neglected and only receives balance patches every few months. It desperately needs new content or refreshed rewards. I and many others continue to play PvP because we genuinely find it fun. The combat is just that good.

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WvW combines the best parts of GW2. It is a 24/7 territorial siege between three "worlds" (3 gigantic teams) with PvE and PvP objectives across multiple maps. There can be hundreds of players battling over control of a keep, roaming groups looking for skirmishes, and even solo players sneaking around flipping camps. Playing WvW with a good Commander is some of the most fun I've ever had in any game. There are plenty of Commanders who lead public groups as well as dedicated WvW guilds. It's also great to play casually with friends. Even getting steamrolled by a massive enemy zerg can be fun. To top it off, WvW has good rewards and loot drops like candy in battles. The only downside is that maps fill up quickly during peak hours and can feel dead other times since WvW never ends.

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Mounts: GW2 has the BEST mounts of any game. They aren't just designed to get from point A to B. Each mount feels like a living animal and behaves differently. There's nothing quite like sky diving on a Griffon or drifting on a Roller Beetle.

Achievements: ArenaNet lumps anything from small easter eggs to epic quest lines in the achievements. Many of GW2's best goals and rewards are buried here. If you're unsure of what to do next, make sure to dig through the achievements.

Guild Halls: A guild hall is a huge time and gold sink, but it has many benefits and can be decorated. It is even possible to make Roller Beetle racing tracks. Gradually upgrading a guild is perfect for a group of friends.

Festivals: There are 6 annual festivals for various occasions. They have special rewards and are an easy way to farm gold.

Raids/Strikes/Fractals: These instanced encounters are the hardest PvE content in GW2. The tiered progression of fractals is simple to get started with.

DARQ is an amazing game in many ways. The puzzles are perspective challenging and fun to explore. A ton of care went into crafting the sinister atmosphere and creepy environments. While DARQ isn't a true horror game, it still has a few genuinely scary moments and plenty of others that gave me the heebie-jeebies. The controls are a bit clunky in some platforming segments. There are a few puzzles that can be frustrating due to a time constraint rather than the complexity of the puzzle itself, but nothing too egregious. Otherwise, the game is extremely polished overall.

Unfortunately, the only reason I can't recommend this game is simply because it's too short. The base game is split into 7 parts that only take around 2 hours to complete. My final thought when I finished was, "Wait, that's it!?" The two free DLCs are much appreciated, but they still only add 30 min (The Tower) and 1 hour (The Crypt). The lengthier content of The Crypt is great, and it feels like a standard that the rest of DARQ should have followed. Attempting a completionist play-through will pad out some time, but I think DARQ needs at least an extra hour of content. I would happily trade the polished visuals for more actual puzzles.

Dota 2 is the culmination of decades of iterative game design from the legendary Ice Frog. There is a vast ocean of game knowledge, mechanics, and niche interactions to learn. How much you get out of Dota depends on how much you're willing to put in. Additionally, the esports scene is one of the best to follow, with some of the best storylines at each annual The International tournament.

Valve are not immune to mistakes though. There have been numerous controversies related to players, tournaments, battle passes, cosmetics, and game decisions, and there will be definitely be more in the future. However, Valve does listen to the community and have continually shown that they care about Dota.

The Pedestrian is a fantastic puzzle game with light platforming elements. I absolutely love the aesthetic and theme of the game. The Pedestrian perfectly implements the concept of a stick figure roaming through the world via street signs and digital screens. The music fits the journey well, but it eventually fades out instead of looping. This is a minor complaint, but it is especially noticeable during more difficult puzzles where the awkward silence becomes oddly distracting. The best part of the game is of course the puzzles which are creative and satisfying to complete. The puzzles are constantly adding new mechanics to test your problem solving skills. My only regret is that I finished the game hungry for more.

Another whimsical game with gorgeous hand-drawn art from Amanita Design. Creaks does an excellent job of immersing you in an imaginative world hidden within the shadows. The game conveys its simple yet compelling story through detailed environments and expressive, unintelligible characters. The monsters perfectly embody the fear of the unknown lurking in the dark. The music is atmospheric and ominous but transforms to charming and upbeat when puzzles are completed. The puzzles themselves have a satisfying progression from simple to challenging without becoming frustrating. Lastly, a collection of endearing paintings are scattered throughout the rooms, and the interactable ones have silly minigames that never failed to make me smile.

Deponia: The Complete Journey is a trilogy of old-school style point and click adventure games. The games are honestly not bad, but I can only recommend them to people who are already fans of this niche genre. Anyone else will simply be frustrated and bored by this series. The "humor" is often purposefully repulsive. I had to force myself to finish the games and then made the mistake of getting all the achievements. To put it bluntly, the achievements will make you hate the game if you didn't already.

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The story is quite honestly mediocre. The main character, Rufus, is intentionally written as an insufferable, misogynist prick. The game makes a feeble attempt to play this off as part of Rufus' charm, but he really is just a sexist jerk that thinks the world revolves around him. He gets slightly better and his personality is somewhat explained in Deponia 3, but it doesn't change the fact that you have to endure his presence for the whole series.

With the exception of the ending, Deponia 1 is a complete slog to play through. I almost quit the game because of the glacial story progression and having to listen to Rufus in Deponia 1. In retrospect, I definitely should have. The story in Deponia 2 is an improvement which makes it tolerable to play despite Rufus still existing. The story in Deponia 3 is easily the best of the 3, but once again, Rufus is still Rufus (albeit slightly improved).

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The gameplay is very much in line with other games of this genre. You point and click to move around, pick up items, and talk to people. There is a basic inventory where you can select items to use or combine. Numerous minigames are spread throughout the story progression and usually take the form of some kind of puzzle. The minigames are skippable, but most of them aren't too difficult. A very simple hint system gives you pointers on what to do next.

The main problem with the gameplay is that it often turns into trial and error. Progression is needlessly convoluted to make you "think". Even when I knew exactly what I was supposed to accomplish, I still found myself spamming every single item on every interactable object to find the right combination. There were many instances where the correct combination didn't make sense to me even after it worked. If I wanted to "think" and solve actual puzzles, I would just play SpaceChem (one of my all time favorite puzzle games).

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Please, for the love of god, IGNORE THE ACHIEVEMENTS . They do not add value to the game, you will not enjoy unlocking them, and any enjoyment you might have will be ruined by them. During Deponia 2, I noticed that I was naturally unlocking a lot of the achievements, and I decided to try to get 100% achievement completion (a huge mistake). I finished the game with around 85 of the 105 achievements, so I looked up guides to get the last 20 (an even worse mistake). What followed was a soul crushing, massive waste of time.

Achievements in this game usually boil down to doing X thing Y times, finding an easter egg, doing something in a certain order, or simply progressing the story. These are the easy achievements that you will find naturally. The difficult achievements will require you to strictly follow a walkthrough guide. They are not fun or satisfying to complete. An even smaller subset of these achievements will unlock bonus content, but they are not worth the time and effort. It is possible to mess up and have to replay multiple chapters to try again. Seriously, just look up the content online and save yourself the trouble.

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• Only play this game if you already enjoy old-school point and click games.
• Yes, Rufus sucks. He only gets marginally better.
• Sexism, transphobia, and racism are part of the "humor".
• Ignore all the achievements. Attempting to get them all will ruin the game for you.

A very creative roguelike where each play through is unpredictable and unique. Dungeons of Dredmor is a must have for fans of challenging roguelikes, wacky skills and monsters, and hectic turn-based combat.