Heather Johnson Yu's Reviews
I genuinely hate giving negative reviews, especially when I wanted to like the game. But when I can’t understand critical information coupled with other glaring issues, my hand is forced. I quadruple-checked to make sure this game wasn’t Early Access, hoping I could just give this a preview article instead of a numerical score, outlining issues for the devs to check before releasing an unfinished product. Sadly, Dorian Morris Adventure has been officially released, and as cool as it sounds in concept, is simply not ready to be played — at least by English-speaking gamers.
There will be people who like The Suicide of Rachel Foster because they are able to sidestep away from the whole pedophilia aspect, which is only a possibility because the game itself tries to frame it differently. I can’t tell you how much I initially wanted to like The Suicide of Rachel Foster — I played it twice and watched several let’s plays to make sure I wasn’t missing anything. But the developer really needed to handle these topics better, or at least have one character that didn’t sympathize with the sex offender. Ethical issues aside, the environments were great, but everything else fell flat. There is no recommendation here, only concern.
Bill & Ted’s Excellent Retro Collection was a weird pick to re-release, but if it was going to be done, it should have been done properly. Bill & Ted’s Excellent Portable Adventure brings up the grade ever so slightly by being a passable title considering its era, but the ball was dropped when it came to Bill & Ted’s Excellent Video Game Adventure. The simple inclusion of the instruction manuals complete with level maps would have elevated the entire experience to make this original LJN release genuinely playable; unfortunately, this necessary information was left out, and players are yet again left to fumble around in the bushes, trees, and fences. I hate to say it, but as it currently stands, this is not a worthwhile purchase — I can’t even recommend this to fans of the original movie because it’s still just as unplayable as it was all those years ago. I can only recommend Bill & Ted’s Excellent Retro Collection to those who, like me, were haunted by Bill & Ted’s Excellent Video Game Adventure and want to utilize the newly implemented save states to finally have a shot at finishing the game. But if Limited Run Games releases an update later with the maps? It might be a little less bogus then.
I don’t know what happened with Crossroads Inn. I don’t know why, in the 3 years that have passed since the original release on PC, Crossroads Inn is still a confusing, buggy mess. I don’t know who thought Crossroads Inn was ready for the extremely small Switch screen in its current state. I typically pride myself in being a reviewer that can see the positive in any game and find the audience a title was made for, but when it comes to Crossroads Inn, I find I’m at a loss. If you must get this game, try it out on PC first to get a better feel for the controls and UI; if you only have a Switch, I can’t in good conscience recommend this game to you.
It never feels good giving a negative review. I sat on this for a full day, agonizing over scoring such a beautiful game poorly. But what other choice do I have when I had to restart multiple times for even a shimmer of hope to finish what I started? It’s possible Flow Weaver isn’t optimized for the Oculus Rift S despite what the website states, so if you have an Oculus Quest or Oculus Quest 2, perhaps you won’t experience the bugs I did. I do see on the game’s Oculus page that the dev team is working hard at tackling bugs, so if this even remotely interests you (which, for real guys, it has potential), keep an eye on it and check back in a month or two. But as it stands, I regrettably cannot recommend Flow Weaver in its current state.
I hate dunking on a game made by solo and small teams, but Confessions is blah at best and extremely irresponsible at worst. I’m not saying it shouldn’t exist, but mental health professionals should have been consulted to add things like list of resources for grief, depression, or suicidal thoughts. People are confessing to committing crimes on here FFS (assuming they’re being truthful, of course). If you have an interest, you’re welcome to check it out on Steam for $2.99 or itch.io for free, but do so at your own discretion. Post Secret remains the superior analog version anyway.
I say this with a lot of respect for a shipped game — Gleamlight doesn’t feel finished. Had there been even the smallest amount of text or UI, I honestly feel like this would have been a more enjoyable experience despite the other issues; if anything, those issues were heightened simply due to the lack of critical components. I love what the developer had in terms of concept, but as far as execution goes, Gleamlight, unfortunately, fell flat. You can find far better 2D sidescrollers for less money; unless the developer makes some sorely-needed improvements, it’s probably best to let Gleamlight fall into darkness.
Honestly, I can’t recommend Seek Not a Lighthouse, which saddens me. Part of me thinks my hopes were too high for the title, but even reading the description again and realizing there was no connection between it and the game itself, I remind myself that, no, sometimes a game is just… not great. Not every dusty corner of Steam is going to yield a gem, and that’s okay — it happens. It’s pretty criminal Seek Not a Lighthouse has such a cool name and feel but doesn’t live up to what the eyes receive; here’s to hoping the next title the developer releases gets better.
Mozart Requiem is not for everyone; in fact, it’s really only for people who would consider themselves fans of Mozart or janky 2000s point and clicks. There’s some charm in terms of unique musical puzzles and setting, surely, but the execution leaves much to be desired. I don’t regret buying a physical copy for the Switch at full price — a cart destined to sit in its cellophane for time immemorial — but that doesn’t mean I’m not disappointed. Even though I have some faith the dev team will fix any reported bugs, they can’t fix a woefully outdated experience. Dona eis requiem, amen.
Wandering Trails is a peaceful nature game that unfortunately falls a little short. Some may find this experience soothing; others will suffer. I wanted to enjoy this supposedly relaxing romp, but my time frantically sprinting in circles at dead of night to a cacophony of howling wolves and hooting owls reminded me more of Blair Witch than Eastshade. I cannot recommend this if you have an anxiety disorder or have never played a walking simulator before. Everyone else should be fine though.
Googling the mobile version of Deiland yields incredibly positive results, so I am not sure what happened while translating Deiland Pocket Planet for the Switch. I hate giving negative reviews, especially when a game as cute as this seems so welcoming, but if the UI isn’t working, I’m not sure what else to do. If given more time with the title, I am not sure I’d come away feeling any different; in fact, the more time I spend with it, the more frustrated I get. If you’re remotely interested in this one, be sure to watch a few YouTube videos explaining gameplay before calling this little world your new home, otherwise I’d sit this one out.
The ideal player for A Tale of Synapse: The Chaos Theories is one with a controller, a fervent love of niche concepts, and a godly amount of patience. I’d even go as far as to say being fluent in French would likely benefit the player as well, so they may enjoy the title in its original language in an effort to bypass the clunky English translation. The background art is surely beautiful, the puzzles themselves are decent, and the idea is certainly interesting, but, as the adage goes, it’s not about the idea but the execution of the idea. That $17.99 can be better spent elsewhere.
Nothing to Remember had a solid vision and the bones of something great, but nothing really came together to make a memorable experience. The immersion factor wasn’t there, the story moves along entirely too slowly, and there’s little focus in anything that would have helped keep players invested. Nothing to Remember genuinely looks good, but its well-designed façade hides an unnecessarily convoluted method of storytelling devoid of any handholds that would allow players to get a good grasp on anything. What a shame, considering this genre is still relatively unexplored, that an otherwise promising entry is such a forgettable letdown.
Crime O’Clock’s unique spin on the hidden objects game genre is worthy of note and should be praised for its creativity; unfortunately, it delivery gets in the way of an otherwise mechanically fascinating experience. The first couple of levels will interest hidden objects fans, but the last few will lose them entirely. Had Crime O’Clock allowed its story to unfold naturally and ramp the difficulty up gradually, giving players the freedom to explore these full and vibrant worlds on their own, I suspect Crime O’Clock would have received higher marks. Alas, Crime O’Clock instead serves as a reminder that a great concept can be bogged down by itself if not allowed to flourish properly.
Blanc is certainly cozy, cute, and charming, and it deserves high marks for its aesthetics and ideas, but I can’t deny how frustrated I felt while playing it. There were some high moments where cub and fawn flew through the frozen fields, delicately criss-crossing darkened paths in an otherwise blinding white spendor, but they were often followed by whiplashed lows of missing actionable cues and odd technical difficulties. If Blanc speaks to you, I think you’ll enjoy it, but if you’re on the fence, give the dev team some time to address the issues. Until then, Blanc remains the perfect example of a snow day — enjoyable in theory as long as you don’t have to travel.
If you’re a fan of Made in Abyss, then Made in Abyss: Binary Star Falling into Darkness will certainly interest you; however, those unfamiliar with the story should wait for an update or two before taking the plunge. The premise is amazing, the story is intriguing, and the dark emotional depths it delves into genuinely shocked me on multiple occasions, but the going is slow and the execution is clunky. There’s a fantastic survival game here unlike any other that presents well on the surface, but dive deeper and you’ll find a whole slew of balancing issues that desperately need sorting. Keep an ear to the ground for a more balanced Made in Abyss: Binary Star Falling into Darkness — there’s something waiting for players at the bottom of all this, but the journey is far more excrutiating than it needs to be at the moment.
Best Month Ever! is truly unique in its premise and setting. Stepping into the shoes of a terminally ill single mother was gut-wrenching, and navigating 1969 through the eyes of her biracial son gave me anxiety. Although I do wish my choices had a bigger impact and that more focus was given to preparing Mitch for the future instead of hanging on by my fingernails to what felt like Louise’s wild last ride, Best Month Ever! was different enough to keep me going. If you love narrative-driven games and have plenty of patience, Best Month Ever! is worth the road trip.
I wanted Kapital: Sparks of Revolution to continue running with the city-survival genre that Frostpunk put into place, and while it is definitely the relaxing, low-stress city-builder of my dreams, it is not the difficult experience it markets itself as. You may struggle for the first hour or two before really settling into a utopian paradise, but you will get to that point of smooth sailing sooner or later. For a game about revolution, the only thing revolutionary here is how chill it is; Kapital: Sparks of Revolution is fun and addicting, but it’s hardly the stressful city-survival simulator it tries to be. I’m more than okay with that, but are you?
If you’ve ever wondered “what’s the absolute bare minimum exercise I can do in a video game” Burnit Quest might be the answer you’re looking for. This is probably the best video game for people who have all the excuses in the world not to workout but should really just get up and move for a few minutes throughout the day (AKA, me). Although I do wish the controls were less clunky when it comes to punching and jumping, I feel like I got what I came for, which is some decent cardio in-between my real-life work meetings. If you’re looking for an exercise video game to jumpstart your fitness in a seriously undemanding way, Burnit Quest will help you pick up the pace.
No Place Like Home will draw you in with its adorable illustrations and novel premise; for fans of wholesome games, cleaning simulators, and base-building, the allure might actually work like a charm. For everyone else who’s had their eye on this post-apocalyptic farm sim, you may want to give it some time before it’s truly ready for release after a little more polish. I’m confident that, in a few months time, No Place Like Home will be cleaned up and in a much better state to receive players. Until then, keep this on your Wishlist and keep fighting the good fight against climate change to ensure Ellen’s present is as far removed from our future as possible.