In my opinion, especially with all of the bugs, you should save your money on this one or wait until a heavily discounted sale. Maybe in a year or so they'll iron out some of the issues that plagued its release and work on the "fun factor", but it just isn't there right now for this reviewer to feel comfortable recommending it to our readers or friends.
Back 4 Blood is one of those games that you don’t have to particularly worry about grinding, which is incredibly refreshing. Between grinding for in-game currency for dungeon gear in FFXIV, and trying to level up my weapons in Dauntless, it’s nice to have a game I can jump back into with my friends at any point in time and just play. It’s fast-paced, creative, and just all-around good fun. What’s not to love? The game has been out for a while, but that just means that the developers have had more time to listen to feedback and start fixing some of those bugs that have been bothering players.
You will not find a better bargain for your buck as far as story-rich horror games go. Inscryption is a meager $20 on Steam, and I honestly wish they would have charged more for it. I would have paid far more for it. It hasn’t won several awards for nothing! With that being said, I do appreciate the pricing because it makes the game available to more of their audience that might not have been able to afford it. If you’re at all hesitant, don’t be. Just do it. Take the leap, and play Inscryptionfor yourself.
Wytchwood is a dark fantasy indie adventure game that immerses you into a phantasmagorical land with endless troubles thanks to the villainous animal antagonists that inhabit it. Luckily, or not so luckily, you play an old witch who has made a pact with an ancient, black goat that's fond of eating grimoire pages and expects you to do something about the fairytale world's woes. What ensues is hours of hilariously creative dialogue and story, framed by colorful characters, relaxing music, and an enjoyable crafting system. There are always more spells to cast and mushrooms to pick for those that know where to look. Wytchwood is one of those rare gems that supports its rich story with a very successful crafting and gathering system that rewards creative and conniving crones. Collect all the souls and maybe, just maybe, you can enjoy that nap in your rocking chair without fairytale creatures knocking down your door for help. Who are we kidding? There's always another villain.
Even about 3.5 hours in (admittedly, a pretty short length), the ending felt rushed, confusing, and underwhelming. Maybe others will be able to puzzle out some of the finer details in the plot, but there were far too many details left unspoken for and strange plot holes that left me somewhat upset and disappointed. I wanted to love Ikai, and there were some parts of it that I was really fond of, but by the end, I felt cheated. It’s not necessarily a bad game, but I wouldn’t put it up there with any of my top favorites in recent years.
Chivalry 2 is a fantastic multiplayer game that is consistently pumping out updates with a pretty thriving community of players. There is a fairly steep learning curve, but it has been out long enough at this point that if you feel yourself tilting, just do a quick Youtube search for “Chivalry 2 combat tips” and it will probably clear up a lot of that brain fog. What most of it boils down to, is practice. You’ll die-a lot. But, you’ll also learn from those deaths and you’ll eventually get better. Chivalry 2’s development path is healthy and thriving since its developers have their fingers on the pulse of the player base, so if you missed the hype train and are looking for a game that will give you the most bang for your buck without a huge time commitment, look no further than Chivalry 2.
Embers Adrift has a lot of fantastic ideas, but I just don’t feel that it is quite there yet. I do genuinely hope that the Embers Adrift team continues to make improvements and listen to their passionate community, because they will be critical in those days ahead as they start to iron out improvements and optimization issues. Maybe one day in the future I will return to Embers Adrift, but for now, I would just honestly rather play anything else.
The combat combined with all of the features I mentioned earlier really come together to create something special-it still just needs a lot of work and polish. I especially love the concept of taking a large faction-based map and adding mmorpg elements to it, so I will absolutely be keeping my eyes on Gloria Victis over the next few months. If the developers keep making steady improvements like they are now, I’ll more than likely keep dipping my toes in every now and again to scratch that PvP itch.
All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed playing Blooming Business: Casino, and would suggest it to any of my friends looking for a cozy, casual time. It has its fair share of bugs, but I think makes up for it with fantastic theming, colorful characters, and overall fun gameplay. If I could suggest one improvement for this game, it would be to add an eyedropper tool similar to The Sims that lets you quickly copy and paste furniture as it can get a little tedious at times to go back and forth between decor when you’re making multiple changes. If you’re interested in trying out Blooming Business: Casino, you can snag a copy on Steam for $24.99!