Bogdan Robert Mateș's Reviews
The people over at Tindalos Interactive have done their homework providing, through Battlefleet: Gothic Armada, an excellent Warhammer 40k experience and the first proper 40k game we've had in quite a while.
We Are The Dwarves is, perhaps, the classic case of a debut: it has good ideas, it even implements a couple of them well, but its edges remain a bit too rough.
Californium is first and foremost a delight for the eyes and the ears. Then, it’s an analysis on the effects of Elvin’s writing upon him, done in a quasi-interactive manner. Its simplistic, tedious gameplay drastically reduces the amount of players Californium can hope to appeal to.
What Grim Dawn does is make us focus on how ARPGs once were. It is not the fast-paced click-fest leaning towards accessibility that Diablo 3 is and neither is it the complex behemoth that Path of Exile has evolved into.
Firewatch is a good debut that shines in some places and doesn’t in others. It definitely has a charm of its own, however it leaves the feeling that it’s not quite as refined as it could be. Going through it once will prove a pleasant trek through a beautiful patch of Wyoming wilderness with relatable characters who have great chemistry between them.
A gripping, unforgiving, complex dungeon crawler that translates lovecraftian themes excellently into its world. There are few indies out there that do everything as well as Darkest Dungeon. From art style to gameplay, from sound design and narrator, which is truly exceptional, and the writing Darkest Dungeon oozes quality.
Valhalla Hills pulls at one's nostalgia strings in a sweet way but a couple of issues alongside an honor system that's more of an afterthought than central mechanic it wants to be makes it hard to recommend straight away.
It may not excel in anything, but the combination of atmosphere, tactical combat and character customization were enough to help with overlooking the unimpressive, muddy visuals, the unfairness which, at times, made me feel helpless and its limited save system.
The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing Final Cut still lacks the polish of other titles like Diablo 3 and Path of Exile, but it does provide a way to play through the entire story while holding onto your characters.
Secret Ponchos is a rather unique game with intense fights and a high skill ceiling but in need of more players. There’s E-Sports potential in Secret Ponchos and that comes from its gameplay that’s based around quick matches and lots of skill. Every mistake you make is your fault.
Unless you were expecting something entirely different from the series, it’s irrelevant whether you’re a new or an old player. Shadowrun: Hong Kong is definitely worth grabbing and playing through at least once as it lies on the higher spectrum of available cyberpunk RPGs.
Anomaly Defenders tries to fight tedium off, but ultimately players will see past its guise - that of a traditional tower defense, adding nothing to a genre filled with look-alike titles.
At this moment Pure Pool’s purchase potential is surrounded by a lot of “Ifs”. It does cost only ten dollars, however, acquiring the title now would only give you half a game. There’s a good foundation, however, the rest of the game is filled with holes.
Diablo III: Reaper of Souls aims to provide fun and ultimately manages it quite well. The flexible skill system opens way for experimentation. The addition of the Crusader adds some extra bulkiness to the class roster.
Wooden Sen’Sey is Upper Byte’s first effort which clearly came out at the wrong time. The aforementioned consistency issues, coupled with the fact that it just emulates concepts already present in a large number of platformers that came out beforehand, without having anything at all to be regarded as its own.
Clay, consciousness, space. The Swapper is a homogenous mixture of elements that fit together just well. When you look back at it, it’s hard to find too many things that are objectively broken.
After reading this review, Dust: An Elysian Tail will not seem to be innovative or part of a special breed. And it’s true, there’s no real innovation to speak of. The game uses tried and tested mechanics and concepts in a very successful way.