It gets all the basics of the genre right, but it simply lacks any depth, and becomes an incredibly grindy only a few missions into the campaign. Interestingly, all the basics are there, it merely is lacking any exciting options, choices or selections; this is in addition to a very bad 'dead zone' tactical problem that is a huge contributor to the slog. Very rapidly a player will have seen everything there is to offer and there just isn't much beyond it. The game just starts to become frustrating the more it is played.
Some pretty cool ideas and fun battle set-ups are largely handicapped by bad controls, and the campaign needs some overhauling with its length and unlock structure. These small things get in the way of the simple fun of watching crazy battles unfold. Ultimately, there are only so many things to try before it starts to become boring. Largely the battles are its strength, and far too often the game trips up on itself, when it would be better served getting out of the way.
There is nothing surprising here about MouseCraft. What you see is what you get, and unless the simplistic gameplay appeals to you, it is unlikely that there will be much here that the average gamer is interested in. Some of the puzzles are nice and all for a while, but ultimately, there are no true clever ideas or anything beyond just dropping varied blocks into holes and waiting for the mice to hopefully make it.
Great ideas and some outright fun is far too often marred by technical glitches, a maddening GUI, and simply overwhelming amounts of numbers and terms with very little information as to what any of it does. The originality of the game is cool but there are too many ideas were packed in without actually making sure they all work together coherently.
There are some really cool ideas here, and potentially a really good game hidden under a mess that seems like it needed several more months of playtesting and hammering things out. There are just too many things like a lack of polish, a mess of a UI, the camera is hard to control, and bugs/glitches make the experience frustrating. It is sad because, while there are some cool things in here, it simply is not ready for release at this point. It needed way more time actually making sure the core experience is enjoyable, rather than fighting through nearly everything except for enemies.
The core of the game is a very old-school RPG/dungeon crawling experience, for all its positives and mostly negatives. Unless not having a map and spending hours trying to re-roll viable characters sounds like fun, this one is better off left alone. The anime portraits look nice, but they are just dressing on a framework of something that simply does not stack up to better options in the genre.
With the pedigree and ideas going into this, Phoenix Point should have been much, much better than it is. The cool ideas are overshadowed by ever-present bugs, glitches, and hiccups that constantly get in the way of the player. Even excusing these, the ideas and presentation come off as incredibly bland very soon into the adventure. Little customization, little options, and little reason to care about your soldiers or base, round out reasons this is in need of massive updates and overhauls if it is to be saved.
It looks good (mostly), and has all the qualities that seem like it would make a great game. Not only does it fail to come together coherently, yet it also it lacks a sense of magic or "heart" that the art style would suggest it possesses. While nothing is largely technically wrong with Indivisible, it fails to be engaging as a RPG, its platforming fails to recommend it on this front, and the story never goes anywhere significant to offer this up either. This isn't bad, but it just isn't that good either.
Endless grind, very slow progression, and an abysmal battle system, are the major knocks against what would otherwise be an average experience. The story itself is unique, but hardly goes into depth instead relying far more on shock-value of events occurring rather than actual meaning. Unfortunate, really, as the plot serves up a huge potential for some interesting questions, or dialogue - things that are completely missing.
Fans of sandbox or crafting games might be pleased with the package, and can bump this score up at least a point or two. For others, this has some serious flaws with its user interface, and simple constructing/crafting is often aggravatingly difficult, which unfortunately drags down what otherwise is an okay, if repetitive title. It is really sad, as at its root, this could be a gem, with some simple patches or design overhauls, and appeal to a far greater audience.
With City of the Shroud, the premise is far better than the execution. The five different sides of the story is by far one of the best parts but is buried far too often in meaningless fetch quests and mediocre writing. The combat system would be better served if it was turn-based and deeper, as spamming is simply far more effective and not particularly fun.
This is the type of game that should be an automatic hit for RPG players, but there is something missing in the complete package. The graphics are good, and typical genre staples are present, but ultimately it gets lost in itself. Overall this is a solid title, but in the end it lacks heart. It does everything averagely, and nothing especially rises above, or provides anything unique - unfortunate, as its ingredients definitely lend itself to what might have been a really great game.
The somewhat random nature of the AI in combat, along with the linear story and the short gameplay might sound like turn-offs. However, the feline-heavy adventure is oddly fun despite these issues. Seeking upgrades and winning levels makes this low price sci-fi release more enjoyable than some longer AAA titles, proving how strong the indie scene can be. You don't have to be infected with toxoplasmosis to enjoy Space Cats Tactics.
The graphics and the base structure of Bravery and Greed are pretty good. The issues really come down to simple things like the entire point of collecting gold being almost useless, and the unlock systems leaving so much to be desired. The online is dead short of finding someone through Discord. It's sad because the game actually has the potential to be really good, but just needs a few overhauls to get there.
Graphically, some of the areas look great, and the story is interesting at points. The biggest problem that really drags down the experience is that combat is basic, repetitive, and ultimately uninspiring. The slot system is far more annoying than anything, and for how often players are in combat, it burns out quickly. Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII Reunion feels more like a game that would be better to watch for the story, while skipping the gameplay. Zack deserved better than this.
It is sad to give a rating this low to a game with this much potential. The UI in Hero's Hour is often problematic, and the graphics are just too basic to understand what is happening. Furthermore, there is a very heavy 'rush' element to the game rather than the more plodding pace of older games. If the graphics were better, some balance problems ironed out, and the UI was fixed, this would be an easy game to recommend to strategy players by a wide margin.
While the overall package is lots of fun, it's not without a few issues. The lack of a truly driving story is by far Atelier Sophie 2: The Alchemist of the Mysterious Dream's weakest point. Furthermore, progression is in general just slow throughout, with endless backtracking. The simplified alchemy system is a mixed bag. It does little to stray from the formula and will be picked up by players exactly for that. It would be nice to see Gust take some risks and really step out with some new ideas rather than re-hashes of the same thing over and over.
Eastward absolutely radiates heart, which is why it is tough to be hard on it. So many little things, from random sprite movements, to the cooking, or RPG mini-game, are charming, yet, the core element of the game - the story - takes far, far too long for any payoff. Instead, it drones on and on in meaninglessness that torpedoes the pacing of the game. While the action and exploration are interesting, it's slowed down too much by banality.
Dark Deity is rough around the edges, but has a great structure to its core experience. The sprites look pretty good, and the class changes are one of the highlights to the experience. A weird weapon system, random little problems/glitches and stunted character interaction, all detract from what is fairly solid otherwise. This is the type of strategy game that with a few core patches and overhauls could really become something to look out for.
Crypto Beyond All Odds is actually fairly solid with its aesthetics, theme and some small memes. Those with no clue on cryptos are going to be in the dark big time about a lot of what is happening, the history, and the jokes. Ultimately the game starts to get repetitive where the waves feel too much the same, and the game devolves into chaos too quickly to allow much strategy beyond just slapping more crypto towers down and usually winning.