Chaz Miller
Despite the fact that Red Game likely works better in its original mobile form, it still offers some fun. The frustration may require some patience to overcome if you want to break through all 60 of the game's artistically-presented levels, it may well still live up to the $4.
Layers of Fear creates an immersive experience with its stunning graphics, engaging story, and particularly well-crafted story. While players must piece much of the game together for themselves, it's a worthwhile experience.
Aside from its lack of powerups and bizarre premise, Space Moth DX is otherwise a pretty standard bullet hell game. This isn't really a negative or positive point, but should give you a pretty good idea if it's going to be worth your $7.
With its keen writing, dark theme, and wry humor, this is an easy win. Anyone who enjoyed the old LucasArts point-and-click games of old should definitely be keeping an eye on this one. Even those who didn't play those old games, could easily find something worth playing here. The overall design is a testament to its creator's devotion, and it quite handily lives up to the $8.99 price on Steam.
All in all, Monumental isn't necessarily a bad game. I'm not about to mark it down for the intense difficulty of its puzzles, though this may be an issue for many gamers in itself.
Klaus is, in a word, brilliant. While it may not exactly win the hearts of those who don't like the 2D platformer style, it's an expertly-designed addition to the genre that creates a challenging experience without ever seeming insurmountable.
Putting it all together, Gemini: Heroes reborn is a good game. It is not a great game, and there's certainly some areas that could have used improvement, but it's a far cry from as terrible as I've come to expect from TV spin-off titles or other licensed titles.
If you're someone who grew up playing Might & Magic or Ultima and find yourself longing for that type of experience, then OlderBytes' asking price of $14.99 on Steam is just about perfect.
Solidifying the game's overall greatness is Qasir al-Wasat's surprisingly rich lore. The palace and many of its inhabitants hold curious pieces to a complex world, and the underlying themes and story roots create an engrossing place that's worth exploring.
While some areas begin to feel a bit repetitive when back-and-forth wandering is needed to move beyond a puzzle, this one still gets a hearty recommendation from me.
All told, Bloxitivity is a pretty cool level designer that's hindered by the strange and difficult in-game controls and experience. If you're the patient type and willing to work through the awkward play, the designing and sharing of your own levels is fantastic.
All told, Punch Club was a surprisingly deep and well-constructed simulation that kept me on my toes trying to manage the life of my unfortunate protagonist, Phteven (that's "Steven, with a 'ph'). While it wasn't at all what I expected, I found myself enjoying it more than I probably would have, had it been the brawler I anticipated.
As a whole, The Deadly Tower of Monsters does a phenomenal job of creating exactly the experience that was advertised. Crammed to the gills with campy humor and a series B-movie look and feel, this is nearly a must-play for anyone who's a fan of the old, cheesy films of the past or who enjoys listening to C-list directors ramble near-incoherently about their creations.
Ultimately, Lowglow is a well-made game that's perhaps remarkable only for the fact that, by and large, there doesn't seem to be a single "correct" solution to each level. While players will have to work within the constraints of the rules, they're also given free range on the placement of their lines, including the length and angle at which they rest.
It's possible that nostalgia has quite a bit to do with it, but I had a great time with FullBlast. Those who miss the genre, or who simply aren't quick-reacting enough for the more punishing bullet hell style, should certainly give it a look.
With its beautiful art, curious level design, and numerous challenges, Volvox is an appealing and fascinating game for both established puzzle fans and curious outsiders. For a reasonable $7.
Suffice it to say, Amplitude may not be a perfect game that includes every single thing a fan of the previous games could want, but it certainly met my high overall expectations. It's not often that I find myself "buying in" to a crowdsourced project, and rarer still that I would spend more than the typical cost of a game on one, but I'm definitely pleased with the result of doing so this time around.
Fans of Hatoful Boyfriend are still likely to find some fun, emotional moments tucked away in Holiday Star. If you haven't played the original and aren't a die-hard fan of visual novels, though, I can't say this is where you should break in.
All told, Concrete Jungle is solid in its execution, especially considering the apparent mismatch of genres at play. There's a lot here for those who love unique strategic play. The amount of content and available randomly-generated maps certainly helps fill out its total content. It may not do enough to draw in those who aren't already strategy fans, but it's a great pick-up for those who are.
Altogether, Secret Ponchos is a relatively simple, straightforward game with some very nice flair. Great visual and sound design bring the dusty Western setting to life, and a great cast of varied characters means tons of strategies to explore and refine.