Category Archives: video game reviews

Video Game Reviews

KONOSUBA:Love For These Clothes Of Desire! is for the Fans

UPDATE: So I watched the Anime immediately after playing this game and I have to say, this game does a fantastic job at adapting the characters to this new adventure. If you’re a fan of the anime, you’re going to enjoy the game.

I was sent KONOSUBA – God’s Blessing on this Wonderful World! Love For These Clothes Of Desire! for free to review for my blog. While I am very grateful for the opportunity, I will not let it sway my opinions. This will be my honest review. If you enjoy my reviews, please leave me a like, comment, follow, and share this with your friends. You can also always buy me coffee.

What is it?

KONOSUBA – God’s Blessing on this Wonderful World! Love For These Clothes Of Desire! is a visual novel based on the anime of the same name available now on Steam, PlayStation and Switch. . I haven’t had a chance to see the anime yet, but it is on the list/ Kazuma and the gang have found a mysterious black slab that curses them with desires contrary to their personality. They must now use it to create outfits to fulfill those desires and break the curse. What quirky adventure awaits our heroes?

Gameplay

This is a visual novel where you’ll read a non-cannon quirky story about characters from the anime. There is some job management mechanic in between used for gathering materials, but you’re mostly reading a story. This means you either like the anime and want more stories in the universe or don’t like the anime, and the game isn’t for you.

Thoughts

KONOSUBA – God’s Blessing on this Wonderful World! Love For These Clothes Of Desire! is a well-produced game with fantastic voice acting and terrific artwork. The art and tone are a bit on the fan service side, but they are pandering to a specific audience. This means that this game is niche and unless you’re a fan of the anime, I wouldn’t touch it until you are. 

I haven’t seen the anime and couldn’t get engaged. I didn’t catch any of the nuances or references. The production value makes me assume that the characters are truly represented in this quirky adventure, but there is no way of knowing without watching the anime first. There is nothing essentially wrong with the game, but its not for everyone. This is for the fans of the series who want to see their favorite characters go on another adventure and don’t mind the fan service. 

If you’re looking for a web novel and love the series, you can pick up KONOSUBA – God’s Blessing on this Wonderful World! Love For These Clothes Of Desire! on steam for $49.99 on Steam, PlayStation and Switch.

Eresys: The Spooky Lovecraft Horror Game that just wasn’t fun

I was sent Eresys for free to review for my blog. While I am very grateful for the opportunity, I won’t let it sway my opinions. This will be my honest review. If you enjoy my reviews, please leave a like, comment, follow, and share this with your friends. You can also always buy me coffee. 

What is Eresys

Eresys is a Lovecraftian horror survival game out now on PC. Team up with friends, or brave it alone as you collect clues while a horror hunts you. Do you have what it takes?

Gameplay

There are three different hunts currently available in this game, but one hunt is basically unplayable. The game does very little hand-holding and throws the players into the fray without much guidance, or a tutorial. It is up to the player to read through the comprehensive guide made available from the start. Players spend the hunt sneaking around, looking for magical pages, and avoiding the horror. If the horror catches you, it’s game over unless you have friends to revive you. I never did, so it meant I needed to restart a lot. The game runs great, but I felt like the AI was a bit unfair. It always knew where I was, no matter what I did.

Thoughts

This game looks so good. I love the aesthetic, the environment is spooky, and I like the art style. Eresys has the bones of a solid horror game, but the game isn’t fun. I felt like no matter what I did, I couldn’t win. The AI felt unfairly omnipotent, and the few times I was able to survive for longer, it felt like I was wandering aimlessly. The game has seen some improvement, and it looks like it will continue to get more, but I don’t have it in me to wait for a better version. 

If you love the Lovecraftian aesthetic and don’t mind the roughness of the game, you might have a better time with this title. Otherwise, I can’t recommend this game. It’s not the worst game I’ve ever played, but I just don’t see it being worth the trouble. 

Eresys is available now on Steam for $8.99, but I’d at least wait for a sale. 

Pyrene: A Unique Deck Builder Coming to PC. Try it Today!

I was sent the Pyrene demo to cover for my blog. It is a little too early to review it completely, but I will be as honest as possible with my impressions. If you enjoy my reviews and content, please leave a like, comment, follow the socials, and share this with your friends. You can also always buy me coffee. 

What is Pyrene

Pyryne is a deck building roguelike coming to Steam. Monsters have destroyed your village, and it is up to you to rebuild and save the towns people. Do you have what it takes to restore Pyrene to its former glory, and rid the land of its evil?

Gameplay

Pyrene is a unique deck builder because it involves movement. Each encounter has a board that fills with randomly generated monsters, items, and artifacts. The RNG is relatively fair, but I did have a couple of runs where the odds were stacked against me. The goal is to clear the win condition without dying. The game feels like a puzzle because the game rewards efficiency. 

Like most roguelikes, the more you play Prylene, the stronger your character becomes. You get access to new power-ups, buildings, and cards to help you with your journey. This also means the loop is somewhat repetitive, but it doesn’t feel like a grind. The game is very relaxing but with enough of a challenge to keep things engaging.  

Impressions

This is a good demo that paints a solid picture of what to expect from Pyrene. It looks great, plays well, and most importantly, the demo is fun. I loved that every encounter felt like a puzzle, and each puzzle had enough of a challenge to keep me wanting more. If you are in the market for a new deck builder, I recommend you pick up the Pyrene Demo. I’ll be working on getting the full version for review, but so far, I am impressed.

Enshrouded Early Access is a Solid Survival Sandbox Experience

I was sent Enshrouded to review for free to review for my blog. While I am very grateful for the opportunity, I will not let it sway my opinions. This will be my honest review. If you enjoy my reviews, please leave a like, comment, follow, and share this with your friends. You can also always buy me coffee. 

What is Enshrouded?

Enshrouded is a sandbox survival game out now in Steam early access. The game supports single and multiplayer gameplay, but I like to play my survival games alone. This review will be on the solo experience only, but hosting and joining a game isn’t difficult. I recommend joining the official discord for news, tips, and to find new friends.

I got to play the demo for Steam’s Next Fest earlier this year and enjoyed it. If you are looking for a new survival game to sink some time into, Enshrouded is a solid choice, but know that the game is a little rough because it is still in development.

Players wake up in a world in a depressing state of destitution. The Shroud plagues the land. Bloodthirsty monsters and marauders roam its hills. The only sense of civilization you’ll find is the one you create with your own two hands. How far can your determination take you? Can you rid the world of its blight, or are you merely prolonging complete demise?

Impressions

The game is still in early access, so I’ll try not to review it too harshly. The game runs well, but there is some noticeable roughness. Monsters get stuck, frames drop, and artifacts sometimes don’t render correctly. None of the issues are game-breaking, but they are noticeable. 

The game itself is fun, and a solid title to add to your collection. There is a good amount to do without it ever feeling overwhelming. I like that there is a quest line that guides players through the fundamentals. You will eventually need to reference a guide for farming locations and recipes, but the solo experience is pretty beginner-friendly. I went without a guide and while I do see the benefits of having a guide, it never felt like I was locked out of content for lacking one. 

Aside from a few kinks, combat feels good. There are a good amount of weapons to help players have the adventure they want. I was a huge fan of fighting with magic, but I didn’t mind when I was forced to switch to my secondary. The boss fights in this game was perfect for my skill level, and beating them was satisfying. 

What I liked most about this game is how much there is to do. If I wanted to relax, I could farm or build my base. If I wanted to fight, I could find shrowded zones and kill monsters. If I got stuck, I could follow the quest line. Most importantly, the game is fun. I love that I can sit back and enjoy the game at my own pace.

If you’re thinking of getting Enshrouded, do it. Aside from a bit of early access roughness, it is a solid survival sandbox. It looks good, feels good, and sounds good. I’ll be coming back to it from time to time, and reviewing it again when it comes out of early access. Stay tuned for that. Until then, you can pick it up on Steam for $29.99, or at the very least, add it to your Wishlist. 

Cookie Cutter was a Decent Metroidvania, but you can do better

I was sent Cookie Cutter for free to review on my site. While I am very grateful for the opportunity, I won’t let it sway my opinions. This will be my honest review. If you enjoy my reviews, please leave a like, comment, follow, and share this with your friends. You can also always buy me coffee.

What is Cookie Cutter

Cookie Cutter is a chaotic cyberpunk Metroidvania out now on Xbox, PlayStation, and PC via Steam and Epic Games.  

Left for dead, Cherry watches as her lover and creator is torn away from her, and dragged into the dark depths of the megastructure. But Cherry’s will is too strong. With help from the renegade mechanic Raz, Cherry gets her chance at revenge. Filled with rage, Cherry chases after those who stole her peace through a dystopian, fighting the mindless masses that follow INFONET blindly. She will get Shinji back. The question is, what secrets will she find along the way?

Gameplay

Cookie Cutter is a chaotic Metroidvania game, with lots of explosions, blood, and gore. Combat feels fine, but the lack of diversity in enemies makes it nothing exciting. The weapons, attacks, and animations are incredibly creative. I appreciate the amount of work that went into making this theme work.

I will say that this is one of easier and least grindy games in the genre, and that isn’t necessarily a bad thing. While the gameplay is nothing revolutionary, it is a solid entry to the genre.

Thoughts

This game has a fantastic aesthetic and flavor. I love the Gorollaz-esq art style, the epic soundtrack, and the explosive and chaotic feel of combat. I am also a huge fan of its dark overtones and appreciate its attempt at narrative. The voice acting is bad in parts, but it’s not the worst. Overall, this is a game that feels good and looks cool, but its level design and lack of diversity in enemies made the game feel bland in parts.  

This is a game you play to appreciate the art and world-building, but maybe at a discount. If you love the cyberpunk aesthetic and are in the mood for something loud and explosive, pick this game up. This is a solid Metroidvania, but one that didn’t do enough to leave me too excited. You can get $20 of fun from this game, but you also have better options at this price point.

You can pick up Cookie Cutter on Xbox, PlayStation, and PC via Steam and Epic Games.  

Lil’ Guardsman is such Delightful Narrative Game

I was sent Lil’ Guardsman for free to review for my blog. While I am very grateful for the opportunity, I will not let it sway my opinions of the game. This will be my honest review of the game. If you enjoy my reviews, please leave a like, comment, follow, and share this with your friends.

What is Lil’ Guardsman

Lil Guardsman Lil’ Guardsman is a narrative deduction game out now on Steam, Xbox, PlayStation, and Switch.

Lil’ must cover her dad’s shift at the city gate. It is up to her to decide who gets let into the city, and who gets turned away. Equipped with magic tools and mostly intuition, she must make the choices that will determine the city’s future. Not everyone trying to enter the city has good intentions. Can she keep the city safe, or will she let it crumble into chaos as is foretold in the prophecy?

Gameplay

Lil’ Guardsman is a visual novel, which means a lot of the gameplay involves sitting through a story clicking choices in between. The choices matter, so choose carefully.

DuDuring each shift, Lil will encounter unique characters, listen to their story, and decide whether or not to grant them passage. Players have a limited amount of actions they can use to ask questions or use tools to determine a person’s intention. This means there is a lot of sitting around and listening to narrative, but the game is fun and quirky so it shouldn’t matter.

Thoughts

I had a lot of fun with Lil’ Guardsman. The game has adorable art, a quirky story, and a relaxing gameplay loop. If you enjoy visual novels or just want a comforting change of pace, you need to check out this game. I loved the game’s silly tone and story. This game is fun, and even though I found myself obsessed with getting a perfect score on each encounter, it was a relaxing experience I didn’t know I needed. 

You can pick Lil’ Guardsman on Steam, Xbox, PlayStation, and Switch for $19.99.

Check out the Cute 3D Pixel art Survival Game Voxlands

I was sent an early demo of Voxlands to cover on my blog. While the game is playable, it is still rough. It wouldn’t be fair to review the game at its current stage of development, so I will limit my post to my initial impressions. I am hoping to get a full copy upon release, stay tuned for that. 

If you enjoy my content, please leave a like, comment, follow, and share this with your friends. You can also always buy me coffee. 

What is Voxlands

Voxlands is a pixel art survival game coming to PC. The game gives off Minecraft vibes but with enough of a twist to be its own thing. Travel through an open world, go on quests, fight monsters, stave off starvation, and craft what you need for survival in this cute and casual experience.

Gameplay

Thoughts

I was excited to get Voxlands because I love pixel art games. Voxlands has an adorable design with a fun and quirky tone that just works. I can’t really talk about its performance because the game isn’t finished. The demo is more than playable, but there is some roughness that I am sure will be ironed out on release. 

The game feels like Minecraft, but the guns and combat give it the unexpected retro Doom feel. I love how fast-paced everything is, and the combat, although a bit clunky at the moment, feels good. I didn’t do much with crafting, and the demo doesn’t have multiplayer. Not that I have friends to play with. 

This game is cute, and I am excited to see what it turns into. I still need to see a more fleshed-out crafting system, more weapons, and a bigger world before I can make my review, but I am curious. It is a short demo, but it does enough. Make sure you check it out when it goes live. There is no release date at the moment, but you can always add it to your Wishlist until then!

Crumbling: The Unique VR Hack and Slash

I was sent Crumbling for free to review for my blog. While I am very grateful for the opportunity, I will not let it sway my opinions. This will be my honest review. If you enjoy my reviews, please leave a like, comment, follow, and share this with your friends. If you’re looking for accessories for your VR headset, like magnetic prescription lenses or a high-quality charging cable, get it at ZyberVR. Use discount code CHURAPE for 15% off. You can also always buy me coffee. 

What is Crumbling

Crumbling is a cute 3rd person hack and slash action roguelike available now on the Meta Quest and Steam VR. Take control of your favorite adorable Crumbling and fight through a unique fantasy adventure. Can you collect them all? 

Gameplay

Like any roguelike, players will repeat each run fighting against unique enemies and earning randomly generated powerups and new crumbles to play with. What makes Crumbling unique is its combat. Players move their crumbling around like one would an action figure. Crumblings have access to a light attack, a heavy attack, and a dodge. The game gets incredibly creative with its spatial mechanics. Players can move the crumbling anywhere within the map space. 

While the game is adorable from top to bottom, the game is harder than it appears. Players have to think about attacks and positioning in a 3D stage, taking players back to a nostalgic era when we fought with our action figures. 

Thoughts

The game is cute and has a surprising amount of depth. I am impressed by how they can use 3D effectively to create its unique combat system. That said, my issue with Crumbling is with the gameplay. Moving through the toy shop to set up between each run feels cumbersome, and combat is tiring. My reach felt insufficient, and it put me in awkward and uncomfortable positions during combat. I couldn’t play this game for long because of the discomfort it caused, but I might be an odd example. 

This game isn’t for me, but I can appreciate the unique attempt at the genre. The combat has enough depth to be engaging, and it runs well. Dodging enemies from every direction is such an interesting concept. If you don’t mind waving around your Crumbling wildly through combat, the game isn’t bad. 

Conclusion

The game is cute, and the combat is interesting, but it felt like too much work. It is a bit too complicated for a kid’s game, but the neat nostalgic gimmick might be enough to satisfy the small niche it is meant to fill. I don’t think it’s a game that will get much play after the novelty wears away, so I can’t recommend it. Try the demo first before making your decision.

You can pick up Crumbling for $19.99 on Meta Quest and Steam VR.

You Should Play Killer Frequency!

I was sent Killer Frequency for free to review for my blog. I am very grateful for the opportunity, but won’t let it sway my opinions. This will be my honest review of the game. If you enjoy my reviews, please leave a like, comment, follow, and share this with your friends. You can also always buy me coffee!

What is Killer Frequency?

Killer Frequency is a horror puzzle game out now on Steam, Xbox, PlayStation, Switch, and Meta Quest. This review is on the non-VR steam version.

Infamous serial killer, the Whistling Man, has returned to terrorize the sleepy town of Gallows Creek. With emergency services down, it is up to one late-night radio host, DJ Forrest Nash, to keep the town safe from the sadistic murder. Forrest must now host the most important show of his life as he plays music, answers calls, collects clues, and uses the power of radio to keep people safe. Can he survive the shift without incident?

Gameplay

As the midnight DJ, you will have to play music, run paid ads, and take calls. Victims will call into the show asking for help, and it is a player’s job to guide them out of danger from the radio station. During this time, you’ll get to explore the station to search for clues to solve the puzzles. You can fail these puzzles and get people killed, but you can always save before an important call and rerun it if you want to save everyone. I let people die because I wanted to live with my mistakes.

Thoughts

Killer Frequency is a fantastic concept for a puzzle game. It has terrific flavor, a fun soundtrack, fantastic voice acting, and interesting puzzles. The tone is a bit on the silly side, but that doesn’t stop it from becoming intense. The voice acting and timers do a great job of creating enough tension to make this game feel like a horror game, without it being scary or gruesome. 

I loved the puzzles in this game. They are creative and fun. I found them hard enough to keep me engaged, but never so difficult to where they became impossible. Even if you don’t like puzzle games, I recommend you try Killer Frequency for its unique take on the genre. 

Aside from a few missing voice lines, the game played great. Exploration felt good, the world they created was fun and quirky, and the voice acting was fantastic. The voice acting in this game goes out of its way to not only create an authentic late-night radio experience but also fill the world of Gallows Creek with unique and memorable characters. 

One thing to consider before making your purchase is that this game feels like a visual novel. There is some exploration, but most of the gameplay exists within calls and conversations with the producer. You’re either sitting through playful banter or on a call, answering and asking questions to solve a puzzle. This means that a lot of the time you are looking at the inside of the DJ booth. I loved it because I could sit back and listen to the narrative, but it is something to consider. 

Conclusion

Killer Frequency is a fantastic puzzle game, and has easily become one of my favorites. I love the flavor, the concept, and the story. If you are looking for a relaxing puzzle game to sink some time into, check out Killer Frequency on Steam. You can pick it up for $24.99 on

Killer Frequency is a horror puzzle game out now on Steam, Xbox, PlayStation, Switch, and Meta Quest.

Roots of Yggdrasil: The Unique Village Builder Deck Builder

I was sent Roots of Yggdrasil for free to review for my site. While I am very grateful for the opportunity, I won’t let it sway my opinions. This will be my honest review of the game. If you enjoy my reviews, please leave a like, comment, follow, and share this with your friends. You can also always buy me coffee.

What is Roots of Yggdrasil

Roots of Yggdrasil is a roguelike deck builder that splashes village builder elements to create a unique gaming experience. The game releases on Steam in Early Access on January 24 for $14.99. Don’t forget to wishlist. 

Sunna and her tribe have been trapped between time, and they must find a way out. Together you must build a settlement, explore the unknown, and discover the secrets that will take the tribe to the top of Yggdrasil. But the road won’t be easy, and failure means you will have to start over. Do you have the spatial awareness to make it to the top of the mountain?

Gameplay

Players start a run of Roots of Yggdrasil with a random deck that they upgrade throughout a run. These decks summon structures that can be built on procedurally generated levels. Space and resources are limited, making efficiency a player’s most important resource. To beat an encounter, players need to complete several tasks to power up the ship for the next leg of the voyage. A player can run out of space or resources, or have a random disaster make it impossible to complete a level. For example, there is a deadly fog that slowly eats up the map, leaving players without enough space to build. 

Aside from the village builder elements, Roots of Yggdrasil plays like your typical deck builder. Heroes have special abilities players can cast periodically, there are random encounters that give players cards or resources, and there are permanent upgrades players can purchase in between runs. The hardest part about this game is building in the right order and leaving enough space for what you need. 

Thoughts

Roots of Yggdrasil is a cute game with a fun art style, amazing flavor, and interesting mechanics. I enjoyed this game a lot, but the game isn’t finished, and you can tell. It isn’t unplayable. The game never crashed, and the mechanics were fine, but it needs a little polish and more content. The gameplay started to feel repetitive after a few runs, so most people will want to wait for more biomes, mechanics, and features to be added to the game. 

If you don’t mind the roughness of an Early Access game and want to experience a unique deck builder, look into Roots of Yggdrasil. The bit I got to play is fun, and I can see the potential. I’ll be revisiting the game on a future release, so make sure you stay tuned for that. Until then, make sure you add it to your wishlist!