Noah Kupetsky's Reviews
On Your Tail is a great cozy detective game that succeeds in almost every aspect that it needs to, with only some minor inconveniences sprinkled throughout. The core gameplay loop is solid, and I really enjoy the way you both get clues and figure out the timeline of events. The mini-games are also a great way to break up the loop, and the world itself is amazing and colorful to explore. It is a bit difficult to navigate sometimes, and using the Chronolens isn't the easiest, but it doesn't change how enjoyable the game is. And it is wonderful to play on the Steam Deck. The default settings look great and perform well, and with some slight changes to framerate and refresh rate, we can enjoy the portable experience, making this easily the best way to play.
FANTASIAN Neo Dimension has a lot of pros and cons to it, and while it isn't perfect, I highly recommend picking it up if you are a JRPG fan. I really enjoy the combat mechanics and dimension battles, and the world is just downright gorgeous with a great mixture of real-life dioramas and digital 3D models. It made me think of the older Final Fantasy titles often as I traveled throughout the world. I do wish the progression systems came into play earlier, and the story was a bit tighter, but it does the job and still felt satisfying as I played through the 40 - 60 hour experience. Playing on the Steam Deck is a joy, and I have no complaints with the performance. Outside of controlling your character as you run through different camera angles, which would be an issue playing with any controller or gamepad, it's a perfect experience on Deck. Even with its issues, this was a wonderful experience, and I think anyone who enjoys RPGs or JRPGs should pick it up.
THRESHOLD is an interesting and creepy tale that succeeds in creating an intriguing tale, even if it has some minor issues here and there. The story is extremely entertaining, and I was taken aback throughout the game when I figured out what was going on. It is a bit short, and the gameplay is very basic, but it does the job and, with the fantastic visual style, complements the story which absolutely shocked me. I do wish the experience was a bit better with a controller and on the Steam Deck, and some optimization on both fronts would have helped a lot. It's still playable, but I wouldn't consider it the best experience. It's an awesome game, and may still be worth it given the short time it takes to complete. Hopefully these smaller Deck/controller issues can be fixed through patches!
Sorry We're Closed is a unique experience with a great story, wonderful writing, and engaging gameplay. It successfully invokes the games that inspired it while also carving its own path. The shifting from static camera angles to first person when aiming to attack and how the third eye works are both very enjoyable, while it was easy for me to get very invested in the story and its characters. The controls are a little bit hard to grasp at first, and it is a shorter game compared to others, but it's one worth playing through. The game also runs almost flawlessly on the Steam Deck, hitting 90 FPS with a very low battery drain. It's a near perfect game to play on the go, and I highly recommend it.
Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D Remake is a fantastic re-imagining of one of the best entries in the Dragon Quest series, even if it misses some quality-of-life improvements I would have loved to see. The game is drop-dead gorgeous and has a solid gameplay loop that I enjoyed. The extra features to speed up battles and automatically let your team fight helps with late-game grinding, and the vocation system is a joy to play around with. The new content is also a nice touch, and I particularly enjoyed playing with the new Monster Tamer vocation. However, there are some little nuisances here and there that I wish were touched on. Some of the text can take a long time to read, with some unnecessary pauses, which is in stark contrast to how fast-paced other parts of the game are, and it ends up feeling like a nuisance. It's small in the grand scheme, but it happens in almost every battle or whenever you need to save, and many other JRPGs go a lot faster when doing something similar. However, Dragon Quest 3 is a joy to play on the Steam Deck. The small compromises don't hinder the performance and playability of the Steam Deck, and it deserves that Verified badge it has. Regardless of how you play it, whether you want better battery life or 60 FPS, it will be wonderful no matter what.
Metaphor: ReFantazio is a step forward for ATLUS, of which I am a huge fan. The story and characters are both fantastic and engaging, while the combat and the new changes from them are wonderful. I love the entire archetype system and the new fantasy world that they built. It still has the deep story and meaning behind it that we have come to know from the Persona series, but with a new fantasy angle that I dig. There are a couple of areas that feel a bit monochrome or textures that don't look amazing, and I do wish getting around was a bit easier, but these criticisms are far few compared to just how enjoyable the game is.
Slitterhead is a mixed bag at times, but it is an intriguing and enjoyable time for the most part. The combat feels great and utilizing abilities, regular attacks, deflecting, and swapping bodies on the fly makes for a very rewarding experience. The story itself is wonderful, and the visuals exemplify the horrific nature of these monsters and how they form. It can feel a bit stiff at times, and I wasn't a fan of how the backstory was told, but it's still a great time that feels unique against the current lineup of horror games. It is hit or miss on the Steam Deck in some areas, but it will hold for the most part. It feels great on the portable screen, especially with HDR support. Overall, this is a wonderful experience, and I highly recommend it!
Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven is one of my favorite JRPGs I have played in recent years. The wonderful gameplay mechanics and storytelling that feel unconventional and non-linear succeed in creating a distinctive experience that can't be easily found anywhere else. I love that the decisions you make impact each aspect of the game, and the Inheritance mechanic is a cool way to change up your playstyle throughout the game and progress the narrative. It won't appeal to everybody, and I didn't feel that invested in the characters, but the pros heavily outweighed the cons. I am also so pleased that playing on the Steam Deck works so well. It's a ton of fun, runs extremely well, and is such a joy. This is easily the best way to play, and I can't recommend it enough!
Ys X: Nordics is one of the best entries in the Ys series thanks to great on-foot combat, an engaging cast of characters, and beautiful visuals, even though the general story, variety of locations, and naval combat could have been improved. It is also wonderfully optimized, making it near perfect for the Steam Deck.
Shadows of the Damned: Hella Remastered is a faithful remaster of the 2011 release, which is both a great change-up from newer releases and sadly missing some nice quality-of-life features that make third-person shooters more enjoyable.
Romance of the Three Kingdoms 8 Remake is a solid strategy game that feels like it may have needed some more modern enhancements. The team clearly wanted to stay faithful to the original, and I think that's awesome, but it ended up making the game feel a bit slow and repetitive. The mechanics do take a little bit of time to get into, but once you do, it gets a lot more enjoyable, and I had a blast trying to take over the map and use my own custom officers to try to take down Lu Bu and Yuan Shao. It runs pretty decently on the Steam Deck, with most of the text being very readable and having great controller support. It does drain the battery more than I expected, but it's very playable, and I found this the best way to enjoy it, thanks to being able to suspend/resume the game whenever. It's a solid choice for strategy fans, and it will be awesome for those who loved the original, but it may be hard to digest for newer fans.
Fear the Spotlight became one of my favorite horror games, and I almost immediately played it this year. The story is engaging, even if it is semi-predictable, and I love how you interact with the world and how the physics works. I do wish it was a little longer, and it is quite short and easy, but it's a great experience that I recommend, especially if you enjoy classic horror games. It also runs almost flawlessly on the Steam Deck, both at 30 FPS for a more retro feel and 60 FPS for a more modern feel. Both are great ways to experience the game; you can't go wrong either way.
Just like Nightdive Studios continually does, Killing Time: Resurrected is the definitive way to enjoy this title. It is definitely not a game I was expecting to see Nightdive tackle, and it's a new one for me, but the wacky real actors, story, and tight, responsive retro shooting sold me on it. With how weird the game is, and it being a retro shooter, it won't appeal to everyone, but it is definitely worth your time to try it at the very least. And with fantastic support for the Steam Deck, this is a great first-person shooter to dive into wherever you are.
Unknown 9: Awakening left me with a mixed feeling, but I ultimately had a good time. I love the lore and world that is being built through this game and all the other forms of media around it, and the voice acting is superb against the mediocre story. The powers you have really shake up combat a lot, and it is so much fun when chaining everything together, but the janky camera and small issues all build up and create an obnoxious when not using the abilities you have. And while it is technically playable on Steam Deck, it does require compromises and will have drops. But, if you are looking for a linear adventure with PS3/Xbox 360 vibes, you are in the right place and will have a great time here.
Neva is an outstanding short experience that wows on so many fronts. The visuals are extremely appealing and vibrant, while the story tells an emotional, wholesome tale that feels elevated thanks to telling it in a more unique way through actions versus dialogue. The gameplay is a bit simple, but it does the job for the scope of the game. And while I had some stopping points with the environment, it was ultimately worthwhile and didn't take too long to figure out. It is also perfect to play on the Steam Deck, and I can't say that enough! This is an essential for your portable library, especially if you have an OLED screen.
Europa is a short but sweet adventure through a beautiful world that really shines on the Steam Deck. The game is phenomenal looking, and in almost every scene, I found areas that I could take a screenshot of that would be a perfect wallpaper for my phone or desktop. The gameplay is simple, but for the length of the game, it works really well, especially with the interesting story attached. The game itself runs great at the highest settings and can hit 60 FPS with some minor tweaks, all while keeping the great-looking visuals. As long as you go into this expecting a 3-4 hour adventure, you will not be disappointed playing this one on the go.
In the time I played Frostpunk 2, it became my go-to city builder. I love the post-apocalyptic theme, and it is very replayable, but the fact that every single element in the game has some importance to it made me feel like I had to utilize everything at my disposal to really keep my people happy. It is a lot of information at times, and there are some UI elements I would have wanted to see more often, but it is small in the grand scheme and is just such a fun game to play. It is a bit harder to run on the Steam Deck, and the RAM creeping up is a little concerning, but this is still wonderful to play on the Deck. I hope that future patches can help it perform a bit better with gamepad support and lower RAM usage, but I am happy overall!
Even with some issues that I found a bit obnoxious, Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero is by far my favorite Dragon Ball game. It modernizes the Budokai Tenkaichi gameplay into something more accessible, cinematic, and downright beautiful. The gameplay is addicting while being deep once you get into the nitty-gritty of the moves you can use, and I adore the custom battles you can make. I do wish the UI and menus were less tedious, and the camera angles in some instances during battle can get in the way, but the sheer fun I had actually battling outweighed it all. I do wish performance on the Steam Deck matched the amount of fun I really had with the game, and I do hope it will get better with some patches, but it is technically playable, as long as you can deal with the drops and slowdowns that could occur.