Recent reviews by 1 Panda

Feels like if Stranger of Paradise and Sekiro had a baby, that is quite high praise. Even though the game doesn't look insane it still surprises me how well it looks on older hardware, getting 90fps~ with a 1070 on max and 200fps+ on lower settings.

While it might not be Lies of P tier, it's atleast so far a good step above most other soulslikes, the levels are very akin to Nioh/SoP but not bad by any stretch.

The worst thing I can is I somehow missed the guard/parry tutorial, meaning I went around dodging everything for a while. The dodge is not bad per se but the game really feels balanced around parrying over dodging. I can also atest that the first two bosses are really good, they're not pushovers and actually require you to focus a bit.

I would hate for Souls fans to skip this just because they don't play DNF and write it off as a cash grab, really well executed.

Saving modern gaming, one step at a time.

This is a review of Ninja Gaiden 2 Black as a product, not a game. If you have never played NG2 before and enjoy Character Action games you will love this game. If you believe this is an unfair way to rate a product I actually have some thoughts on this further down so I would implore you to read further.

Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2 Black is not a bad game, but it's very much a Dark Souls 2 situation. The game is not bad by any stretch, but it's a WORSE version of what came before.

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What makes Ninja Gaiden 2 Black so incredibly insulting is that it's *presented* as something people have been asking for years for while being something no one really wanted. People have since the release of NGS2 asked for a "de-sigmafied" version of NG2 playable on modern consoles. After the dissapointing releases of the master collection a shadow drop lauded as "the definitive version of Ninja Gaiden 2" rightfully gets a lot of people hyped. Especially using the "Black" name which is used for the much less egregious NG1 remake, while being nothing like it is especially disingenuous.

Sadly, this is an improved version of Sigma 2 and not in any way a remake of the OG NG2. The changes from NGS2 are actually quite small, and even where they are implemented they are done so quite poorly. If you disagree with this you are simply just objectively wrong, the graphics of NG2 Black is literally running OVER a version of the Sigma 2 textures.

When they take the time to make a new version of NG2 while having the feedback from 15 YEARS ago as well as the new Master Collection, and simultaneously choose to ignore all of it (except removing the statue bosses) it's a bit hard to not take it as a slap in the face. Add on to that the fact that NG2 Black feels weird to control and honestly looks kinda bad, it's hard to feel excited about the actual product.

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There will always be people who wonder "why are you not rating the game itself" or "if the game is still good it shouldn't matter, critique the game on it's own merit". The problem with this kind of thinking is that no game exists in a vacuum.

I'm assuming most of you know what Runescape is. Runescape is a game which has found incredible success by releasing an older version of their game named Oldschool Runescape or OSRS for short. This was done to incredible fanfare but let's propose a world where OSRS as we know it doesn't exist. Instead, the devs decides to release an older version of Runescape but KEEPS the controversial EoC (Evolution of Combat) update. Do you see the issue?

This version of the game would be so incredibly disliked, hated and critiqued that trying to pretend like OSRS with EoC "is a game which should be judged as if it were the only version in existance" is just ignorant. Nothing exists in a vacuum and to critique media as such is missing the point.

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Now, the thing with Ninja Gaiden 2 Black is that it is actually very fixable. While I have faith that Team Ninja would work on the game more if it was economically feasible I do *not* have faith that Koei would let them. Below are some things which could turn this game from OK to GREAT.

1. Add a new higher/optional difficulty level more closely mirroring og NG2 enemy count and behavior.
2. Add in the mission dlc from the og NG2
3. Do something more with the female characters, allowing me to play through the whole game with my chosen character would be fantastic. Maybe flesh out their moveset some.
4. Add a NG+ mode where I get to keep my unlocked weapons/moveset but with higher difficulty
5. Optimize the game some more and take a look at the input lag.

Simply implementing two or three of these could be enough to make this game very good, but I will reserve any hope for when I see they are willing to make larger changes to the product. But if they actually do step up, that would be something.

weird, buy last call BBS instead.

+ The music is absolutely phenomenal
+ The focus on traversal is a great way to differentiate from dead cells
+ The new art direction is good
+ Performance is solid and combat is smooth
+ The enviroments are striking

- It really is a lot like dead cells, this is not purely a negative but it often ends up feeling a bit like I'm playing "Dead Cells with less variety". I think much of this comes from the fact that combat is more one-note than in that game. I would suggest adding some additional layer to combat/gear and maybe another type of dodge, the vault dodge can feel a bit limiting sometimes.
- Movement can feel a bit, weird? I think some things, like the jump, is simply a bit too slow or overanimated. The breath system is great but it can feel a bit cluncky when things like dash/wallrun doesn't seem to carry your momentum that well.

It's like persona but if........wait no it's exactly like persona.

The game isn't "bad" by any stretch but it presents itself like something new while, mostly, playing it incredibly safe. If you enjoy P5 or P3R you will probably enjoy this game as well, but do not expect anything vastly different. The job systems and the great monster designs are the two standouts.

I had the issue with feeling weirdly locked into my choices, leveling up different jobs or pivoting requires some amount of grinding, which is fine, but this creates some friction with the games time-limit. I am generally appreciative of frictional game design but here it feels a bit off, something like P5 doesn't require you to grind so the time-limit is generally a good addition there.

I feel like a sequel to Metaphor would do well to unshackle itself of some of the design decisions taken from P5, while the time-limit fits thematicly it discourages experimentation, and something like the social-link system is fine, but the fact that Metaphor is more lenient with how many you can level up makes it feel less like an interesting decision and more like busywork.

I actually bought this game expecting to give it a positive review, I read the devs answer to a negative review in which he mentioned taking a seasonal and/or daily challenge approach to the game. Great! A small, compact factory builder/idler with an emphasis on replayability.

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Edit: this review was originally negative, I have changed it to positive. It features exactly the same text except for this edit. This game isn't far from getting a recommendation, and it's clear the dev is still working on the game and wants to add new features. How much this game will change in the future is not something I can answer, but if you are willing to give the dev the benefit of the doubt 4.99€ (currently 3.49€) is not a high investment.

I would implore you to read other reviews, as well as the comments on this one and make up your own mind. I have changed it due to my own reflection, not anything else.

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I actually wrote a whole review, but then I promptly deleted it because I have no idea what this game wants to be, nor do I think it is for me. The puzzles feel too puzzly and the core idle game feels too idly somehow. I feel maybe one could take a bit of a lesson from a game like Shapez 2 where the challenges instead *support* the core game being something you do on the side allowing for extra unlocks, but at the same time that would require a restructuring of the whole game and comparing a 4,99€ game with a 19,99€ game is obviously disingenuous.

As I do not feel like I'm the demographic, it would feel wrong to critique most of the games mechanics, but I do feel like I have some actual points which could improve the game. Many of these are about it's presentation which might feel like nitpicking, but I feel it's one of the most important parts when it comes to player retention.

1. Restructure the main menu: The game features a lot of content, but you actually wouldn't know this if you just started it up, or even was playing through the "main game". I would let the "start" button lead to the "core game" with the normal small/medium/large level sizes, and maybe toggles for infinite mode (when it arrives) and hardcore. Give puzzles/challenges, daily/nightly, and seasonal their own buttons on the main menu. Maybe lock puzzles/dailies/nightlies behind some progress in the "main game" to give a sense of progression, but make sure to still show the buttons and unlock conditions on the main menu.

2. Improve the presentation: The game actually looks great! The actual color scheme is fantastic and buildings are visually distinct, but it quickly feels kinda hollow? I feel it lacks a bit of sound effects and ends up feeling a bit cheap, I think coin effects would be possible to exist without being annoying as long as they're done well, maybe changing with frequency. Maybe moving the game away from being a web application would help with the feeling, but frankly I don't know.

3. Add some needed features: I feel with the existence of challenges the game badly needs to allow multiple simultaneous runs (as in, multiple saves). Especially if we eventually get an infinite mode, one needs to be able to have an infinite mode save and try challenges at the same time. I also didn't find ANY way to quick delete buildings? Maybe I just missed it but there needs to be some kind of "hold down shift+right click" to quickly remove conveyors/buildings.

4. What's up with the performance? I started up the game, placed down only a single factory and the game was still taking up quite a bit of system resources even while not in focus? As the game seems to be a web application the steam FPS overlay doesn't want to work so I have no idea to know if it's running at 60/144hz (not important at all, but might be relevant for performance). The only idle game I could find which takes up a similar amount of resources is Cookie Clicker, but this was a very late game save running in focus at 144hz, and Coin Factory still beats it. I've provided a screenshot of my task manager below.

https://gyazo.com/45a49f0bf1d9f35b18438caf284b1711

Here's how much Shapez 2 impacts my system.

https://gyazo.com/059e47db085317cd2279047bbef5ea50

Obviously, it's not killing my computer, but as it's an idle game expected to run in the background or on a second monitor while doing other stuff it's actually somewhat important.

In the end, the best direction to take the game in is probably listening to people who actually already enjoy the game, so take this review and these ideas with a grain of salt. But I hope I atleast succeeded in giving some constructive criticism!

Unfortunately I have to painstakingly rewrite my whole review as my opinion on the game has changed drastically, I no longer think it's "good" but might actually be the second coming of Jesus. Let me explain.

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Voids Vigil, like Caiys other games, have waaay too much content. There are four different game modes including a card game. The amount of stuff for a really cheap early access game is appreciated but it's still not the reason I enjoy Void's Vigil so much.

I have touched NONE of the gamemodes other than Rogue Convergence, but that mode alone manages to single-handedly solve almost every problem the "Survivors/Brotato-like" genre has.

(Voids Vigil will be refered to as VV henceforth, I will only be discussing the Rogue Convergence gamemode)

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VV starts out somewhat hectic, there's not *that* much happening, but more compared to it's contemporaries. The dev has outright stated that this is the intention, when compared to his other game Boneraiser Minions which has a larger focus on meta-progression. While there IS meta-progression it's almost entirely horizontal, offering new challenges and things to try out but not a vertical power increase.

One of VV's trump cards is the insane escalation that occurs during a run, and especially subsequent difficulties. The game gets HECTIC, this makes it incredibly engaging. In something like Vampire Survivor's it can sometimes feel like you are "waiting" the last 10-15minutes to see if your build can make it, but in VV the next choice is always close-by and interesting.

VV works with a shop system similar to Brotato where you buy upgrades between "rounds" of gameplay. Where VV is a straight up improvement on the former (sorry Brotato I love you) is in how great the shop system is. What shops you get are entirely randomised, and may include sales, shady merchants selling you temporary bonuses, or scoundrels demanding a payment for not giving you a negative effect if you visited the wrong guy.

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Here are some more direct examples of how VV solves problems of the genre:

1. Interesting choices during rounds. Rounds/levels are not just places to test out your build but to make choices that will impact the whole run. Do you keep the spawners alive for more enemies but more reward? Do you let a jammer extend the length of the Sector but risk being overwhelmed in the last seconds?

2. VV's difficulties directly impact how long a run is and the amount of items in the pool. This means a run is simultaneously lean/compact compared to contemporaries but still allows for longer sessions at higher difficulties.

3. Actual gameplay. The game features both active skills and a dodge which actually matters. These are your ways to manage the challenges you take on in search for bigger rewards.

4. Score-play is alive. Scoring is a way to play games which have kinda fizzled out in recent years, but it's a great way to contextualize gameplay mechanics. Of course it's optional, but players who want to chase score have the option to do so by picking upgrades which increase score gain while reducing things like max health.

With all these things combined the game manages to never be boring for even a second.

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Below are some of critiques, but they are few and far between.

- I find the game quite dark, I also had this problem with Boneraiser but that was fixed with accessibility options. I did not find the same options here unfortunately, but I might just have missed them.

- As the game is actually somewhat difficult and hectic, I feel a visual hitbox indication might be needed. It's also quite zoomed in, which makes dodging feel a bit cluncky, especially when most bosses attack you horizontally and the player is noodle shaped (you'll get what I mean when you play it).

While this obviously adds to the hectic feeling of the game, some of the bosses are actually kinda though to dodge! I feel like a visual hitbox indication (like Touhou or other shmups) and a sliiiight zoom out would go a long way.

If projectile size needs to be larger to compensate for the difficulty then I think it's still a good tradeoff.

Does not work anymore after the latest update and devs have abandoned it.

Insane to launch a game that works (probably mostly thanks to the work of gog more than anything else), push an update that totally breaks it and then just disappear.

Beautiful game but the narrative is lukewarm and the combat is undercooked. The combat feels like a demo version, and while the ideas are fine there just needs to be a lot more depth. Hopefully the upcoming update adresses some of this.