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Risto Karinkanta


93 games reviewed
74.8 average score
80 median score
59.1% of games recommended
Aug 23, 2022

As Dusk Falls is a gripping, branching narrative drama from Interior Night, a studio founded by former Quantic Dream developers. Set in the Arizona desert, the story follows two families—one on a road trip, the other on the run—as their fates intertwine during a tense motel hostage crisis. Told from multiple perspectives over six chapters, the game transitions from high-stakes standoffs to long-term consequences that span decades. With a unique motion-comic art style and excellent voice acting, the experience is emotionally intense and deeply replayable. Choices significantly shape the story, often determining who lives or dies. While gameplay is simple and accessible, the moral weight of decisions makes the experience richly engaging. A haunting cliffhanger and stylish presentation make As Dusk Falls a standout in the interactive drama genre.

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Jun 14, 2022

Old World is a historical strategy game that blends the turn-based empire-building of Civilization with the character-driven dynastic management of Crusader Kings. Set exclusively in antiquity, the game introduces unique mechanics like limited city placement, card-based tech progression, and command points that restrict actions per turn, adding strategic depth. Players manage both their empire and royal family, making choices that shape the development of individual characters and the stability of the realm. While its innovations are notable—such as resource-driven building and specialist systems—it leans heavily on familiar genre conventions. A DLC campaign, Heroes of the Aegean, offers scripted historical scenarios. Despite lacking the bold freshness of Humankind, Old World is a solid and rewarding strategy experience, now more accessible with its arrival on Steam.

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Mar 17, 2022

Babylon’s Fall is a monumental disappointment from PlatinumGames, the studio behind acclaimed titles like Bayonetta and Nier: Automata. Despite a promising premise set in a unique fantasy world, the game suffers from almost every angle: repetitive corridor-style level design, chaotic and unsatisfying combat, muddy and incoherent graphics (exacerbated by an oil painting-style filter), and an incoherent story propped up by annoying companions. Players control four weapons simultaneously, but instead of depth, the result is confusion. Progress relies on relentless grinding, with little meaningful reward. The game is best played in co-op, yet finding other players is difficult due to its unpopularity. To make matters worse, the full-priced game is riddled with aggressive monetization, including a season pass and pointless cosmetics. The only redeeming quality is the music, particularly during boss fights. Otherwise, Babylon’s Fall is a forgettable slog—best left on the bargain shelf.

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Mar 16, 2022

Tunic is a masterfully crafted, mystery-laden adventure that immediately evokes classic Zelda vibes—with a twist. You play a silent fox exploring a vibrant, isometric world filled with secrets, cryptic symbols, and progressively unlocking mechanics. From the start, much of the in-game text is in an unknown language, deepening the sense of discovery. Combat is straightforward but can be punishing, especially during boss fights that contrast the game’s otherwise gentle tone. A standout feature is the in-game manual: scattered pages provide gameplay hints, lore, and direction, enhancing the game’s pacing and sense of wonder. Exploration is deeply rewarding, with hidden paths and items tucked into visual blind spots. While the game avoids Soulsborne brutality, it borrows their checkpoint mechanics, respawning enemies after saving and forcing retry loops after death. Optional accessibility settings—including invincibility—make the experience customizable. Despite not launching on Nintendo consoles, Tunic feels like a lost classic from that lineage, brought to life by the incredible solo effort of Andrew Shouldice and published by Finji. A must-play for fans of exploration, puzzles, and beautifully enigmatic game design.

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Total War: Warhammer III offers a strong but flawed mix of turn-based strategy and real-time battles in the Warhammer fantasy universe. Its campaign is ambitious, with an engaging story involving Kislev’s quest for a lost god, and the core gameplay retains the series’ signature blend of map-based strategic movement and detailed, dynamic warfare. However, several issues hold it back from reaching its full potential. The economic management is shallow, balance mechanics discourage expansion, and auto-resolve is often too punishing, forcing players to manually fight even trivial skirmishes. Battles remain satisfying and tactically rich, though micromanagement can become tedious due to units’ lack of initiative. Performance is another drawback—long loading times, high hardware demands, and poor optimization hinder the experience even on powerful PCs. The grindy campaign pacing, bugs, and technical issues ultimately undercut an otherwise promising strategy game. Despite its depth and visual appeal, Warhammer III doesn't fully deliver on its grand premise.

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Rainbow Six Extraction offers a tactical PvE experience where teamwork, caution, and stealth are key. Building on Rainbow Six Siege's mechanics, the game replaces PvP combat with co-op missions where players face alien creatures in quarantined zones. Each task is different, with dynamic difficulty scaling based on player count, and health depletion adds a constant risk factor. The best part of Extraction is its rewarding tactical teamwork, where careful movement and strategy pay off. However, the heavy emphasis on stealth may frustrate those seeking more action, and design flaws—like early-game weapon limitations—can break immersion. Additionally, playing with random teammates can turn chaotic, and the grind required to unlock better equipment may feel tedious.

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Dec 6, 2021

Halo Infinite shines in its semi-open world, offering fun combat, vehicle use, and exploration, much like Far Cry. Master Chief, with his new AI ally Weapon, battles the Banished on Zeta Halo. While open-world gameplay is engaging, linear story missions feel outdated and frustrating. Strong gunplay and gear variety keep things exciting, but the uneven mix of open and linear design holds the game back. This review covers only the single-player mode.

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Dec 3, 2021

Chorus is a stylish space combat adventure combining fast-paced dogfights with a strong narrative. Players control Nara, a repentant former cultist, and her sentient ship Forsaken as they battle the cult she once served. The game features open-world exploration, intuitive controls (best with a controller), and visually stunning environments. Its story adds emotional depth, and the mix of action and storytelling offers great value for its lower price point.

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Nov 16, 2021

Hammerting is a promising but overly micromanaged dwarf colony builder. While its concept—crafting a mountain fortress to fuel wartime trade—is intriguing, the game struggles with clunky AI, overcomplicated systems, and overwhelming micromanagement. Despite charm and clever ideas, it lacks the polish or balance to fully deliver on its potential.

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Oct 8, 2021

Sable is a serene, open-world coming-of-age adventure with no combat, where exploration and self-discovery are key. Its breathtaking visuals, atmospheric soundtrack, and freeform structure shine despite frustrating controls, poor performance, and usability quirks. A beautiful, meditative experience—if you're patient with its flaws.

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Aug 16, 2021

Road 96 is a dynamic, episodic road-trip adventure set in a dystopian country on the brink of revolution. Blending light survival mechanics, procedural storytelling, and branching choices, the game follows six teens escaping to the border by any means necessary. With memorable characters, meaningful decisions, and replayable structure, it offers a unique take on narrative gaming—despite its simplicity and occasional repetition.

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Aug 11, 2021

Last Stop is a supernatural narrative adventure set in modern-day London, told through the interwoven stories of three distinct characters. While its dialogue and voice acting shine, the limited player agency, excessive walking segments, and lack of meaningful consequences dull the impact. Despite its compelling mystery and strong atmosphere, the game ultimately feels more like an interactive drama than a truly interactive experience.

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Cloudpunk: City of Ghosts is a strong narrative-driven expansion that builds on the neon-lit, dystopian world of Cloudpunk, offering more of what fans loved. While it doesn’t introduce new areas or mechanics, it excels in atmosphere, character development, and story depth, making it a worthy continuation. The occasional grind and repetitive delivery loops may wear thin, but the rich storytelling and immersive cityscape keep the experience compelling throughout its 20-hour runtime.

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Apr 27, 2021

Forgotten Fields attempts a heartfelt dual narrative about a struggling writer and his fantasy story but falters due to clunky controls, technical issues, and outdated design. While its warm, introspective tone and soundtrack offer some charm, the gameplay is bogged down by bugs, stiff animation, and lackluster visuals. Despite a decent ending and short runtime, the overall experience struggles to stay immersive or engaging, making it suitable mostly for achievement hunters or the most forgiving narrative game fans.

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Apr 12, 2021

Outriders delivers fast-paced, addictive looter-shooter action with satisfying combat mechanics, strong class variety, and a clever loot-mod system that encourages build experimentation. However, the experience is dragged down by its bland and repetitive mission design, a painfully linear world structure, forgettable story, and frequent technical issues like unstable servers. While the gunplay is engaging and the loot progression rewarding, its shallow writing and rigid structure prevent it from reaching its full potential—fun, but ultimately forgettable.

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Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition is a well-executed, modernized update of a classic RTS game. It enhances the original with updated graphics, a refined interface, new civilizations, gameplay modes, and built-in expansions—all without breaking the core experience. The familiar gameplay loop of gathering resources, building armies, and strategic battles remains satisfying, with multiplayer still being the game’s main strength. While not revolutionary, this edition is polished, reasonably priced, and offers plenty of content for both veterans and newcomers.

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Mar 30, 2021

Spacebase Startopia is a humorous space station management game that revives the cult classic Startopia with updated visuals and gameplay. It features a multi-ringed space station where players build infrastructure, cater to alien tourists, and manage resources. While the game includes fun ideas and quirky AI commentary, it suffers from clunky controls, limited depth, and occasionally chaotic gameplay pacing. Despite a long campaign and multiplayer features, the game lacks the polish and charm needed to fully captivate, making it an amusing but ultimately forgettable experience.

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Mar 22, 2021

Loop Hero is a deceptively simple-looking game where a warrior automatically loops around a path fighting monsters. While it starts off minimalistic, new mechanics are gradually introduced, revealing a surprisingly deep and layered experience. The core gameplay revolves around indirect control via gear and card placement, with each loop increasing difficulty. Strategic balance is crucial, as overloading the map with enemies or playing too conservatively can both lead to failure. The game features base-building, hidden mechanics, and a compelling “just one more run” loop. Despite some pacing issues, it delivers an addictive blend of roguelike, idle, and strategy elements that justify its popularity.

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Mar 14, 2021

If Found... is a short but deeply moving visual novel about Kasio, a young woman who has transitioned and returns to her conservative Irish hometown. The story is told through a unique "erasing" mechanic that reveals the next scene beneath, symbolizing memory and identity. While Kasio struggles with rejection from her family and community, she finds solace among a group of outsiders. The game interweaves her personal journey with a parallel sci-fi narrative, ultimately merging the two. With its stylized visuals, cultural authenticity, and emotional storytelling, If Found... delivers a powerful, artistic exploration of self-acceptance and belonging. It's a standout title that earned a Game Awards nomination for its social impact.

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Feb 28, 2021

Spelunky 2 is a masterful evolution of the original rogue-lite platformer, offering more depth, content, and polish while staying true to its brutal roots. Players descend procedurally generated caves filled with traps, enemies, and secrets, using simple but precise controls. Death comes swiftly and often, typically due to player error—leading to a love-hate relationship that fuels the game's addictive loop. While changes from the first game may seem subtle, additions like new items, enemies, mounts, and multiplayer enrich the experience significantly. The difficulty is steep, but progress is rewarding, and the world is full of hidden surprises. It’s a maddeningly hard game that earns every bit of praise it receives—even as it breaks your spirit.

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