Recent reviews by twisty

I rarely play walking sims, but the developers have done a commendable job of adapting the atmospheric dread and cosmic horror that are hallmarks of Lovecraft’s work.

The writing not only pays homage to Lovecraft’s distinctive style but also captures the essence of his narrative voice. The sound design and graphics work in tandem to amplify the eerie and unsettling mood, making the experience all the more immersive. As a Lovecraft fan, I also enjoyed the inclusion of intriguing trivia sprinkled throughout the game.

It's short and free.

GOOD

If you like puzzle games that are challenging but that can be solved using deduction and logic, I highly recommend this one. While I've only played a small number of escape room type games over the years, such as the Room & Portal series, I enjoy puzzle games, particularly when there is ample variety and innovation.

While there may only be 15 rooms to complete over 5 levels, each setting provides a fresh and engaging experience with slightly greater difficulty as you work your way up the levels.

Admittedly, the core content could do with an expansion pack, however the longevity of the game is aided by a community map section with additional rooms created by fans. That said, I've only tried a couple of them but found the difference in quality between them and the official rooms to be quite stark.

This is just the sort of game I'm in the mood for at the moment. Having recently invested hours completing a heavy narrative driven game, I've switched my focus to more contained, smaller gaming experiences that I can pick up and play for an hour or two at a time.

Insurmountable is a very unique take on the roguelite genre, where the objective is to summit 3 peaks that get progressively more difficult due to changing environmental conditions and the need to carefully ration consumables and search for gear in randomised locations. Despite the challenges, I managed to complete all 3 peaks on my first attempt without dying, but came very close during the descent on the second mountain and towards the end of the last summit. I've only tried normal difficulty so far using the adventurer persona.

My only complaint is that there are only 3 mountains, which appears to be the same for all personas and difficulty levels from what I've read. On that note, I'm hoping that the developers are able to pull off their planned narrative driven mode: https://www.byterockers.games/post/a-new-place-to-catch-your-breath-insurmountable-devblog-10-1?lang=en

While I've got no interest in hunting animals in real life, I've always enjoyed the hunting aspects included in various sim games such as the Long Dark and Green Hell. And not surprisingly, theHunter:CotW is better at it than those games, offering much more advanced features and customisations without being overly complex.

It looks great as well and has one of the most immersive weather system and environmental effects that I've experienced in a game.

Just a quick review before I put this game to bed for good. Although I finished it some time ago I find that with limited free time for gaming these days its the sort of game that I can pick up and play for short or medium sessions at a time without losing interest. It's also very addicitive despite some notable short-comings. Overall:

+ Entertaining and well-written
+ Amazing sound (sound effects and good music)
+ Well thought out systems that compliment each other requiring ongoing changes to tactics and strategies to progress effectively in the game
+ Varied enemies that are unique and entertaining

- It can be an absolute chore at times as a consequence of exhorbitant upgrade costs that require too much grinding (I ended up cheating a little eventually o( )
- Having to backtrack in some of the bigger dungeons can also be quite boring

Don't be deceived by the adorable charm and character of Renowned Explorers. While it's easy enough to get started, the gameplay is quite challenging, underpinned by its deep and complex encounter and character development systems. This is one of the most original games I've played for years.

While the sequels have introduced a wide range of improvements to almost all aspects of the series, the first dark souls still remains my favourite of the three. A large part of this owes to Dark Souls being the game that introduced me to its rich and intriguing lore, atmosphere, and its deep and challenging gameplay. Even beyond the series, Dark Souls has become the benchmark for gaming par excellence.

Overall I enjoyed this and am grateful to see that another BS game has finally been made, but I must admit that it wasn't really until I got through the first 1/3 of the game that I started to enjoy it. While there is a lot to like about this game -- the art, music, story and puzzles (in the latter part of the game at least) were well done -- by the time that it got interesting the game was almost finished. The main problem with this release is with its first half, as it spent far too much time self-consciously trying to reassert itself as an old-school point and click adventure game, which made it feel a little tired, like an old band trying to make a comeback after many years out of the scene.

In saying that, I still really enjoyed it but am not sure if I would have persevered past the first quarter of the game if I wasn't such a big fan of the series.

This was one of the best games of 2014. Whilst not in the league of T1 &T2 it has plenty to offer and definitely a much better game than T3 was and has some excellent stealth gameplay. It's also a beautiful game that is clearly a labour of love.