LadiesGamers.com's Reviews
In summary, Hoping Forest is a deceptively simple but challenging tile-based puzzle game that takes you on a relaxing journey through a charming forest. Help the little frog find its new home in the forest while listening to some relaxing lo-fi music. With its calm gameplay, low-poly graphics, and soothing soundtrack, Hoping Forest is a game that you won’t regret playing.
To be honest, I had a hard time coming to a conclusion for Fairy Fencer F: Refrain Chord. I liked the battles, loved the music and disliked the banter between the characters. I mean, I really don’t want to read all about Harley wanting to do a body check to research the Fairies, about Eryn losing her panties during the night and if Fang found them and so on. It might be comedy to some, but not my kind of humour and I even found it off-putting. The story was interesting, however, and the battles made up for it. I liked the turn-based strategic battles and all the special stat-raising possibilities there are to make the battles as interesting as possible. The glittering colours on the battlefield from Aria’s songs weren’t to my liking; I found it hard to discern the characters and where to place their attack. But the idea of adding music as a tactic is nice.
There is so much to Roots of Pacha, all packed into a gameplay time of around 40 hours. You can see the love the developers have put into the game as you play, and, amazingly, it was all developed by such a small team. If simulation, farming, crafting, and so much more are what you enjoy in a game, then Roots of Pacha is worth checking out.
Overall, I like Trinity Trigger. You can see the influence of the Secret of Mana from the development team in Trinity Trigger, but it is not a Secret of Mana clone. I also like the modern touches of gameplay mixed with the older styles. However, in the back of my mind, I can’t help but think that there are bigger and better RPGs already available, and it will be the prestige of the development team that attracts players to the game.
Recollection is not bad. It has a good message, some of the mini-games are interesting, and the visuals are simplistic but neat. I liked the first playthrough much better than the second, and not because the subject matter was darker, either. I think it would have behoved the developers to have a bigger range of playtesters and a little more thought into the mini-games. But overall, it has a nice message and is an okay time.
I have very mixed feelings about Molly Medusa: Queen of Spit. I liked exploring the temples and the puzzles but not the gravity gimmick. On the other hand, I can see the likeness to The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker, and that’s great if the developers wanted to pay homage to the Zelda series. However, other than exploring the temples, the world is pretty empty and void of any personality. They say that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. But with Molly Medusa: Queen of Spit, I’m not sure it is flattery in this case.
I highly recommend this game to anyone who loves visual novels and is looking to soothe their anxiety whilst playing a game. This game helped me to relax at night before going to sleep because it just soothed me. I love that aside from hearing the stories of the customers, you actually make their drinks; this added a lot of extra fun to the game for me. Another fun addition to the game was that they added a lot of fun little pop culture easter eggs in the dialogues. That made the game feel like it could be real, but just in another realm. Lastly, I want to mention the playtime. The amount of playtime you get for this affordable game is so worth it in my eyes. It took me a long time to finish the game, and it is definitely replayable when you haven’t unlocked every recipe or have some other achievements to finish.
While I liked Rescue Agency: The Kidnapper of Happiness, I wish it was a bit shorter. The main story took me about 12 hours to complete, and it started getting repetitive at some point. Each mission (including the main story) can be repeated as often as the player wants so it can get long. Afterwards, there are also additional quests. The Steam game also includes some extras like concept art and soundtrack. One exciting feature is the inclusion of a help button, which shows tactics on how to get through the level. There are Steam achievements, but no trading cards for now. In conclusion, Rescue Agency: The Kidnapper of Happiness is a pretty game with lively and colourful animations, cute characters, and a story and game mechanics that provide a relaxing experience for the players.
If you like simulation games, this indie solo-developed title is a great choice if you have an evening you need to fill in with a little problem-solving. The game overall is okay, but not a title that will blow you away. Traffic Brains 2 features much content for its smaller price tag – 28 unique levels, game exclusive mechanics and a simple but effective art style. If you like top-down simulator games, puzzle games or generally more relaxed gaming, I could recommend Traffic Brains 2. However, if you are new to the game, the guidance within the game may not help you understand exactly how to play. The developer has made some video tutorials on the YouTube channel for the studios, which you can check out here. In addition, the game could do with a little update to improve the visual clarity of the user interface. However, a great title for a solo developer and a great start to the world of games development. Whilst not my preference in gaming, I can certainly see the effort and general polish of this game, and it will certainly be entertaining to players of this genre of game.
Batora: Lost Haven is okay. It presents a great cinematic presentation, but the gameplay doesn’t always hit the mark. This feels like quite a divisive game. Some players will really enjoy the simple action formula and moral choice system and have a pretty fun gaming weekend with this. Others, I can imagine, will see this as underdeveloped, the humour graining and just not as good as other action games in the genre. A demo would have really helped make this decision. I personally recommend it. There is much to criticize, but I sensed a lot of effort from the developers to put this project together, which still held my attention. It probably helps that I also really like isometric dungeon crawlers. If the developers ever follow up with this formula, I would still be interested in what they come up with
Sharing a similar style to all the Kairosoft management simulation games, Pocket Academy 3 has the reassuring familiarity of bright colours and cute pixelated characters. However, I would have liked a little more guidance at the start of the game – if you are unfamiliar with the Kairosoft style, you will need a little perseverance to get started. Pocket Academy 3 is complicated. In order to help your students achieve their dream careers within the target time, you need a strong strategy to level up skills and gradings and a lot of thought as to which event will maximise your rewards whilst keeping within budget. Unfortunately, sometimes it seems it’s just luck as to whether tours and graduations are successful. That said, I really enjoyed the challenge, even if it was a little frustrating at times.
Overall, Blocks Tracks Trains has the beginnings of a great sandbox toy. Furthermore, a few tweaks here and there with the UI and adding music would be an excellent addition. However, this one is more a toy than a game so it won’t be for every player.
I had to do a double take with the price of Wall World. For just over the price of a posh coffee, you’re getting one heck of a gaming deal here. Not only does this feel like something different, but so many aspects of the game’s design and presentation just clicked. I loved the pixel art and mysterious lore surrounding the game. The mix of chilled mining with tense enemy encounters always made each run quite the thrill. To top it all off, you are riding around in a mechanical spider. Possibly the only reason to avoid it is if you are utterly sick of this genre. Otherwise, this is a wall well worth scaling.
I initially disliked Curse of the Sea Rats, but the more I kept at the game, the more it hooked me, and I ended up enjoying myself. The barrier to entry may be a little high for some players with difficult combat and messy hit detection. But once you level up a few times and play around with the characters, you should be able to settle in a style that suits you. This is made all the more enticing by being able to pay with three other loved ones locally. Something rarely seen in adventure games. The design and animations are excellent and make for a nice cherry on top of the experience. If you’re looking for a solid 2D adventure to play alone or with loved ones, this pirate trip will surely keep you busy for a few game nights. Wearing a pirate outfit for the experience is optional.
Overall, I like Oxygen; it offers a challenge and has great potential. But, unfortunately, it all feels a bit generic and much like any other survival game out there. Alternatively, if you hesitate to buy the game, you could try out the free Oxygen: First Breath demo on the Steam store
You get 100 math puzzles to exercise your brain for a small price. The Answer is 42 is a minimalist game where you focus on the puzzle at hand. No timer, no scores to beat, just you and your goal to make coloured pathways that always accumulate to 42. Is 42 the Answer to the Ultimate Question of Life, The Universe, and Everything? I don’t know, but I do know this is a good math puzzle with no frills.
Alekon was a surprising game for me. I didn’t know what the game would be like playing a photography game, as it’s my first one. Exploring Alekon is lovely. I enjoyed finding new Fictions, or new poses for Fictions I already had in Dream’s Doorstep. The mini-games are imaginative and fun if you are into them. The quests often made me smile. For example, who thinks of a quest for you to translate an application to join Captain’s crew in pirate speak? Alekon is a fresh uptake on a photography game, with great text writing and lots of humour.
I am absolutely delighted with Duplicado. I can’t think of a little game that is more beautifully rendered, more endearing or more replayable than this. Such a simple concept, but the developers have polished it to the point that it feels like a high-end game. I cannot overstate how much I love Duplicado, and I think just about anyone who loves puzzle games will find more than $3’s worth of enjoyment in the hours lost to this amazing little title.
Grimgrad is shaping up to be an interesting survival simulation game. However, it still has a way to go before it feels like a fully developed game. Between the UI needing work and the mechanics of the Gods not being implemented fully into the gameplay, Grimgrad is one to keep an eye on for the moment. Hopefully, given time, it will come out of the development oven properly cooked.
Pupperazzi is a relaxing and charming game to play. The overall adorable nature of playing with, patting and taking photos of all the different dogs easily outweighs a couple of frustrations within the game.