Recent reviews by FileXX44

FLIP THE COIN, LOSE THE CLASH

THE DARK SOULS OF JAPPARI PARK

Some say the world is flat. Some say the world is round. But in Horizon's Gate, Rad Codex reveals the horrifying truth: the world is a doughnut. And also that being a pirate, a sorcerer, and a knight with a gun are not mutually exclusive.

Horizon's Gate is the epitome of a hidden gem if I've ever seen one. Don't let the art fool you — although it may seem rough, it is more than enough to bring the unique universe to life in tandem with the lore and combat.

Story:
While there is a smidge of story and an end goal, they are not the main attraction. The game stays out of your way so you can travel where you want and do whatever you want. It places more emphasis on the exploration and combat aspects of the game. Whether you become an explorer, trader, pirate, or any combination of those three is up to you.

Exploration:
Horizon's Gate has many layers of exploration. The developer put effort into creating his own lore for the world's creatures, races, magic and items. You can "Look" at almost anything which adds an entry to your journal, and even the most mundane objects have interesting, humorous, and nuanced descriptions. The few optional unique crew members are lively. On top of all of this, you can sail the seas and explore remote areas and dungeons, eventually mapping the entire realm. Some of the locations in this game have succeeded wonderfully in giving me the, "Woah, what the hell's going on here?" vibe.

Combat:
Horizon's Gate's combat is no less impressive. There are dozens of classes to choose from, some inspired by traditional RPG classes such as the classic and strong Warrior, and others being more original and exotic classes like Stormshot (which fires airstrikes) and Unmaker (which uses magic to literally undo people), each with their own set of abilities, passives, and upgrade-able stats.

There are about a dozen weapon types to choose from and a simple crafting and augmenting system that allows you to modify them as you see fit. There is an armor for every crafting material and more, and a wide selection of accessories to choose from. There are unique items and rare materials, but they do not make more common ones obsolete.

The way experience works makes it impossible to botch a character; only improve them. The combat tactics are simple enough for newer players to pick up but at the same time sophisticated enough (and challenging enough on higher difficulties) to allow all sorts of party compositions and builds. Personally, I've grown attached to some of my characters even though they don't have dialogue.

Naval combat might disappoint some, but I found it fun enough to sink many hours into boarding combat. Stealing ships and transforming your tiny merchant fleet and crew into a force powerful enough to rival elite battle fleets is great.

Conclusion:
Buy this game. Horizon's Gate does fall short in a few places, but the pros far outweigh the cons. Solid exploration and combat with tons of freedom. There's also Steam Workshop support, letting you add and create mods.

I received this game as a gift from a friend because I'm broke, but if I could, I would buy this game for everyone I know.
support this dev and his other two games i don't want to see this series die p l e a s e

TL;DR
+ Open world freedom and exploration
+ Unique world, lore, races, creatures, and items
+ You can look at anything and it will have journal entries. ANYTHING.
+ Turn-based combat and tactics with dozens of classes and equipment
+ Naval and boarding combat
+ Modding support
+ The world is a doughnut, PRAISE JASCE
= Loose story
= "Pirates! At a time like this!?"
- Factions are a little underdeveloped
- Would have liked more sea creatures
- Where is the fishing minigame, Eldiran?

god left me unfinished

but this game made me complete

Vagante is an unforgiving but satisfying rogue-like. This game has put me and my friends through quite a bit of spooky. In multiplayer, decent teamwork is required since your mistakes will burden the people you're playing with. From personal experience, some of my friends have accidentally (or intentionally) blown me up.

Inventory management in Vagante is perfect. Although rogue-likes usually have RNG as one of their main elements, Vagante gives you control over your situation and lets you make sacrifices for more desired items or stats. The game punishes players who take dumb risks and encourages caution at all times.

This game is a battle of attrition and how well you can avoid damage and handle surprises will determine how far you'll make it. Skills and strategy are more valuable than any piece of gear you can find. No matter how poorly equipped or low your stats are, you can still defeat any boss or enemy without taking a single hit.

Overall, a very good rogue-like with very few issues. I recommend this for anyone who loves rogue-likes and wants a more challenging twist, or people who are dipping their feet in the genre. Although there are a few bugs and balance issues that exist, this game was definitely worth the $15 (even though my friend paid that).