Sophie Ulanoff's Reviews
The mobs are plain funny, and good for a laughing scream that has players swimming away. Players may even find themselves receiving a message from a Skeleton asking if they dropped a collarbone, not sure what that's about. This game will have players laughing, even if it will also sometimes have players annoyed and plain enraged by creatures and their poor stamina. Murky Divers is the type of game players should expect some rage-quits from, but that doesn't mean they shouldn't come back. The game has hours of fun to offer with friends, even if what's going on isn't quite clear, and even if the games can make a player want to throw their entire desktop out of the window in a fit of rage. It's a chaotic, funny, slightly-terrifying time, and a great addition to the survival horror co-op genre. With 1.0 now available, there's plenty more dismembered feet, nightmarish creatures and rage-quits to come.
Ballionaire isn't lacking in potential or variety, or well-executed animation and art style; it can manage to hit the mark sometimes. It just needs an extra push. The lack of reliance on strategy for a player is a huge part; a roguelike is something that should be mostly skill. It's what makes the grind fun, challenging, and engaging. When players find themselves starting to go through the motions, watching another ball drop and hit none of the triggers they set in place, they'll stop caring. Their eyes glaze over, and five minutes later, they're closing the game and moving on to something else. For what it's offering, Ballionaire is so close to achieving what it's trying to do. It can provide short bursts of fun and something to idly participate in while having something on in the background. It's not a bad game by any means, but it has all the right stuff going for it to be better.