Recent reviews by Jonfar

Just got my first dude to demigodhood. I’m obsessed with this one. The NPC companions make it feel like a true dungeon crawl and really distinguish Zorbus from other traditional roguelikes; however, it is extremely competent as a traditional roguelike if you would prefer to play it more like NetHack. The other systems are icing on the cake.

Soundtrack, sprite work, and combat all deliver big time. Feedback on really nasty hits feels great and it's rewarding to figure out the nuances of the game and see your tactics pay off.

I'm playing through on normal difficulty and I've found it to be challenging but not insurmountable. I've only had to repeat a handful of fights since they were ambushes and I hadn't grasped the utility of skulking around with the stealthy party member.
I'm hooked on the story. It's gritty and grim, but isn't edgy for its own sake. There's good people along with the bad running around on Idra...that said, it's still Lovecraftian Horror - expect tentacles, gore, and non-euclidean madness.

A few quibbles: the sprites are excellent and the world is crisp and fun to look at. There were several parts that managed to creep me out, despite the retro style. The only notch against it is that traversal in some parts is a little stop-start, since some details look like detritus you can walk over, but actually have collision. This isn't a problem if you use the mouse to navigate, but I've accidentally hit buttons and activated mechanisms since I prefer to use WASD, which will activate things in addition to moving your character.

The other quibble is the vendors. I wanted to spec into a two-handed sword build but it was several hours before I found a vendor that had one in their inventory. I eventually got enough of things together to take advantage of my build, but I was running around suboptimally for awhile with the best equipment I could manage. I hadn't noticed vendor stock update or refresh at all, which might be a decent compromise. I also understand that this isn't the kind of game where all shopkeepers have every item type at all times. The situation is DIRE out there!

EDIT: the vendors refresh, I just got some unlucky rolls it seems lol

This game is incredible. It has been a LONG time since I enjoyed something this much that came out within the last couple of years. I got pretty bored of Baldur's Gate 3 around Act 3 and haven't picked it up in months; I hit Act 3 an hour ago and am already looking forward to my next playthrough. The quibbles are just that: quibbles. I wish I could recommend Skald twice.

An excellent RTS; channels the energy of the old base-builders from the late 90's and 2000's but with the squad-based unit building of Dawn of War and Company of Heroes. You have heroes like Warcraft III and the rock-paper-scissors of matching units against units they're strong against and avoiding units they're weak against. Soundtrack is pretty great; presentation is impressive.
Definitely a recommend.

*REVIEW IS SPOILER FREE*
*ONLY DISCUSSES MECHANICS AND STRUCTURE OF STORY*

This was an impulse buy 100%. I absolutely loved it! The gameplay loop was satisfying and it was definitely interesting being so consumed with the camera buttons and controls that you didn't really know what you were broadcasting, only to find out after the airing when you went through the footage and got to hear what was going on behind the scenes or what the broadcast was *actually* saying while you were trying to balance the needs of the broadcast.

It was only a few short hours, but I'm pretty invested in the characters around the studio. I was actually concerned about the story of Jeremy and Megan and the rest of the crew. It's been awhile that I've actually been worried about what the future has in store for characters in a story.

I'd say the weakest part of the game is the in-between segments where you navigate the life of your avatar and their family. It is basically text adventure segments that would benefit greatly from investment into the visuals, maybe more front and center art, a partial narration of the events, and/or visual cues for the decisions you make (like, hypothetically, if you gambled your money away and you got a picture of your house falling into disrepair). At this point I am far more invested in the National Nightly News staff than my own character (which is understandable, given that they have fully acted sequences).
This is very much reaching for a criticism as this in no way detracted from my overall enjoyment.

Loved it and can't wait for more!

Controls real good. Soundtrack is sick. Story is interesting. Stylish as hell.