I was sent Timemeltersfor free to review for my blog. While I am very grateful for the opportunity, I won’t let it sway my opinions of the game. If you enjoy these reviews, please leave a like, comment, follow, and share this with your friends. You can also always buy me coffee.
What is Timemelters?
Timemelters is a first-person tower defense game with puzzle elements available now on Steam.
Demons have invaded the realm and have killed everyone you loved. Fate is on your side. You have been granted the power to jump between timelines and save the universe. With the magic of the spirits around you, set traps, bend time, and stop the demons from breaking the flow of time. Do you have what it takes?
Gameplay
Players wield the power of the spirits, but this power is limited to charges. Players can use these charges to set traps. What makes this game unique is the time travel mechanic.
Players have the ability to create echos. These echos are recorded moves and actions that a player makes before they are overwhelmed by an enemy. Players act alongside these echoes to solve puzzles and clear stages. You only have access to two echos, so use them wisely. These limitations create the complexity of the game. Misusing charges and echoes means you’ll have to start over.
Thoughts
As far as first-person tower defense games, I’d rather be playing Orcs Must Die. Don’t get me wrong, Timemelters is a neat concept, but it didn’t do enough to capture my attention. Combat feels like a slog, the story didn’t hook me, and the puzzles were boring.
Combat was a big issue for me because it was much too slow. There are all these moving parts that make it more complex than your traditional walking simulator, but it often felt like I was waiting around or moving too slowly through the puzzle. I love puzzles, but the ones presented in Timemelters don’t do it for me. They were challenging, but they weren’t fun.
The story is fine, but after the first cut scene, I stopped caring. The voice acting is solid, and the writing is okay, but once I lost interest in the gameplay, I had no reason to stay invested.
Aesthetically, the game is fine. I like its quirky vibe, the music is good, but the performance can be shaky in places. The game never crashed or broke, but I did enough issues that I felt the need to mention it.
This isn’t a bad game, but I just couldn’t get into it. My biggest issue with Timemeleters is that when you take into account the space it is trying to fill, you simply have better options. If you’re looking for a puzzle game, you have better options. If you’re looking for a first-person tower defense, go play Orcs Must Die instead.
If you’re thinking of getting this game, play the demo first! You’re either going to enjoy the slow combat and puzzles and stick with it through most of the story, or lose interest in a couple of hours and forget you ever owned it.
You can pick up Timemelterson sale now for $14.99 (normally $19.99) until March 11.
I was sent Astlibra Revision 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 my socials, and share this with your friends. You can also always buy me coffee.
Demons invaded your village. You and your long-time friend try to escape, but something catches you and leaves you unconscious. You wake up in a strange new world with a hazy memory. A talking bird comes to your aid, and together, you make a quiet life there. But your past haunts you, and every day the nightmares get worse. Something is calling you to action until you can no longer deny it.
With the help of your new companion, you must travel back to the human world and help free it of the demons that now roam it. Will you be the hero this world needs? Will you find your friend after all this time?
Gameplay
I recommend you look up guides for this game because it can be a little complicated. You shouldn’t be scared off by the game’s complexity, but there are some recipes and builds that won’t be intuitive for the casual gamer.
You start the game off with basic attacks, and slowly build combos and learn magic. Like any game in the genre, you fight your way through mobs of monsters and face creative bosses at the end.
The game features a liberating leveling system that allows players to build their characters to fit their playstyle. Going up a level gives players skill points to allocate against the attributes of their choosing. Monsters will drop special materials that can be spent on permanent buffs to a character. This is a very cool system, but one that can make the game difficult if you aren’t building efficiently. There is an easy way to reset a character’s allocation, but it is important to be actively thinking about your build as you play.
I really like how the shops are run in this Astlibra Revision. Buying items requires gold and materials you farm throughout the game. This is a terrific flavor and it gives me something to work towards.
Thoughts
I absolutely love this game even though I am terrible at it. The art is beautiful, the gameplay is engaging, the soundtrack if phenomenal, and the game is fun. I recommend you check this game out just for the soundtrack. I’ll leave you with the playlist for your to get hyped!
This game is a fantastic Metroidvania, especially if you’re a fan of the classics. I struggled because I refused to use guides, but I appreciate the complexity. You’re going to obsess with your builds, farming locations, and combos so much that you might need a journal. I’ve never had such a rewarding experience with a game like I’ve had with Astlibra, nor have I ever gotten so technical. There is a grind to this game, but I didn’t notice because I was having fun.
My favorite part of this game is the story. I was hooked from the moment I booted it up until the moment I had to put it down. It has great characters, a solid pacing, and a fantastic flavor. If you have time for a well-developed narrative and complicated mechanics, you need to pick up Astlibra Revision. It is the modern Metroidvania that you should try at least once.
You can pick up Astlibra Revision on Steam and Switch for $24.99. It is currently on sale on the Nintendo eShop for $19.99. Everyone should at least give the Steam demo a shot. It includes the prologue and a solid sample of the end game mechanics.
I was sent The Book of Warriorsfor 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 The Book of Warriors
The Book of Warriorsis a cute little fantasy roguelike RPG out now for PC. Lead your party through the dungeon as you search for power, treasure, and fame. How much of the dungeon can you clear before your adventure ends?
Gameplay
You start each run by choosing a hero. There are nine different classes, each with unique abilities. Your run won’t end if you lose your initial hero. You then make your way through your dungeon, clearing procedurally generated rooms, unlocking upgrades, and recruiting heroes to your party. Upgrades, loot, and heroes you recruit are random, but occasionally you can choose the type of upgrade you can unlock. For the most part, the RNG is fair, but there are runs I lost because I was unlucky.
To clear a room, you either need to clear the room of enemies or lose your heroes. Maps will have hazards or cover that offer buffs and debuffs. Although not all the maps are fun, it does give combat enough complexity to keep things engaging.
Combat is simple. Heroes can move and perform one action per turn. The type of action changes as the characters level. The game feels a bit like a mobile game, but it is fine for the casual experience that it represents.
Like most games in this genre, the game is a little grindy, especially at later levels. You do unlock permanent upgrades the more you play, but enemies at later levels do feel like damage sponges. This is only a problem when you’re stuck on a bad run.
Thoughts
I enjoyed The Book of Warriors. The art is cute and the gameplay is relaxing. I enjoyed it for the change of pace that it offered, but I don’t see it being my main roguelike. While I appreciate the simplicity, the grind gets old after a while. You’ll get $8 worth of fun from this game, but it isn’t replacing anything in your current library. I would pick this up if you want a break from your current rotation but don’t want a massive commitment. If you enjoy tactical RPGs, or simply want to get into a new one, this is a solid option. You can pick up The Book of Warriorson Steam now for $7.99. It is currently on sale for $5.59 for the next 48 hours of writing this.
I was sent Titanic: A Space Between 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.
Titanic: A Space Between is a horror VR game playable on Steam VR, Pico, and the Meta Quest 2 and 3. Play as a time traveler investigating the disappearance of a woman named Diana on the famous ship as it sinks. Solve puzzles, follow clues, and survive the most famous shipwreck in history. But there is something strange that lurks in this past. Can you solve the mystery and make it back to your own time alive?
Gameplay
This is an exploration horror game where players move through the narrative by searching for clues and solving puzzles as the ship sinks. The version I received is still in development, and was still a bit too unstable to be enjoyable.
Thoughts
The game isn’t done and this puts me in an awkward position. On the one hand, the concept is interesting, and I am invested in finding out what happened to Diana. On the other, the build of the game I received is unplayable.
The game is buggy, and a few of the games broke the game. I tried to record a video, but that made the game more unstable. I got to a point in the game where I wasn’t able to advance because the mechanics didn’t work and I didn’t want to start over. I am willing to excuse bugs and glitches, but here it felt like I was fighting with the game more than I was enjoying it.
Poor performance aside, Titanic: A Space Between is a cool concept for a game. It has an interesting story, it looks good, the voice acting is fantastic, and I love the flavor. The game also has some solid horror baked throughout. With a few more patches, I can see myself returning because I want to know what happened to Diana, but in its current state, I can’t recommend it.
The game releases on the Meta App Lab on February 13th, pick it up then if you’re looking for a spooky Titanic adventure and don’t mind playing through the bugs.
With only a few sessions left in my Dragonbanecampaign, I think now is a great time to release the review. Please note that I did receive a free copy of the pdf and foundry module, but I was planning on at least running the quickstart guide eventually. That said, this will be my honest review.
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Dragonbane is a fantasy tabletop RPG based in the Mysty Vale It features unique races, an interesting combat/initiative system, and a less limiting class/character creation system than a traditional RPG. The game is easy to pick up, and fun to play once you’ve adapted to the Year Zero engine.
Initiative
Dragonbane uses cards for initiative, and I love this system. While I love rolling dice, nothing beats the randomness of drawing cards. While some characters and creatures might go multiple times in a round, there are no initiative bonuses in Dragonbane. Instead, the creature or player who pulls the lowest card goes first.
This order isn’t fixed. Players can switch initiative cards with each other or enemies for an advantage, and the initiative resets after each turn. It felt like my players were no longer waiting around for their next turn, but instead were adapting to change, or planning to gain the advantage.
Combat
I love the combat system in Dragonbane. As a GM, I love how the system handles monsters. Monsters come with a roll table of abilities and attacks they can perform each turn. During a monster’s turn, GMs roll for the action. The randomness of this system makes combat a lot more exciting. I either roll for the TPK (I never did), or I waste a turn on a useless debuff. There are some monsters I’d tweak for future campaigns, but combat generally had enough fun and suspenseful drama.
From a player’s perspective, I love how strategic the action economy is. A player can use their action to attack, aid a party member, or evade/parry an attack. I like that players aren’t waiting around for damage, but can instead use their action to mitigate it. Waiting and evading a deadly attack is so satisfying.
Classes
It’s important to note that classes in Dragonbane are more like templates. While other systems limit the abilities and skills available to a character based on their class, Dragonbane gives players the freedom to play their character how they want. Classes in Dragonbane are only really to help players allocate their proficiencies and skill points.
After a player starts the adventure, players have the freedom to allocate skill points wherever they want. This means you can be a wizard who is proficient at swords, or a knight who can cast magic (depending on how your world handles magic). To people coming from other systems, some of the classes will feel underwhelming, but I always let my players change their character if they don’t like what they come up with the first time.
Leveling
Leveling in Dragonbane is based on five questions:
✦ Did you participate in the game session? ✦ Did you explore a new location? ✦ Did you defeat one or more dangerous adversaries? ✦ Did you overcome an obstacle without using force? ✦ Did you give in to your weakness? (Optional)
At the end of the session, the GM asks players these questions. I didn’t use the optional rule for my campaign because we didn’t want to deal with keeping track of weaknesses. For every yes, players get a point they can spend on attempting to level one of their skills. They then roll a D20 for every skill they want to level. If they roll a number higher than their skill, the skill increases by 1.
There will be sessions where players will level every skill they roll against, and in others, they won’t get any. The higher the level, the harder it is to upgrade which is what gives the game the system its balance. My players loved this system because they got to roll dice, and they had the freedom to customize their character to fit their plays tyle.
I loved the questions because they forced my players to play differently. My player who didn’t usually participate was suddenly roleplaying and encounters that would have usually resulted in murder were resolved peacefully. It was such a nice shift, but it also meant I needed to be ready for anything.
Adventure
The prewritten adventure is a great way to get you started in the system. GMs get access to a well-structured template of adventures, and players get a solid sense of what to expect from the system.
The adventure is a collection of quests loosely tied by lore, but they can exist independently. I changed a lot from the adventure because that’s how our narrative flows. If you’re thinking of running Dragonbane, and don’t know where to start, the adventure in the core book is fantastic. Like all prewritten adventures, use it as a template, and don’t be afraid to go off-script.
I always start with these prewritten adventures, but we usually veer way off and have a lot of fun doing so. This adventure was no different. I liked the adventure. The flavor was good, the lore was neat, the encounters felt balanced, and there was enough content for a long campaign.
Conclusion
We had a lot of fun with Dragonbane, and it’s going to be hard switching to another system. With the new Beastiary coming out in March, I’ve got a few more sessions planned, so it isn’t goodbye just yet.
I loved how easy it was to jump into this system and pick up all the rules. I love how easy of a transition it was from 5th Edition. Some mechanics took some time to get used to, but nothing that I would call impossible. It has a neat leveling system, a fun combat system, and unparalleled freedom in character creation.
If you are looking for a fantasy TTRPG, you need to look into Dragonbane. I recommend it to anyone who loves fantasy, or just needs a break from 5th Edition burnout. Pick up your copy of the rule book in PDF from Drivethru RPG ($24.99), but the art is so beautiful you’re going to want a physical. You can pick up your physical copy from the official site ($41.98 +shipping) or Amazon ($49.99 shipping included.) It is currently on sale on Amazon for $45.69.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
The GLYDR Kickstarter just launched, and it was fully funded in only 40 minutes. GLYDR is the gaming accessory that aims to revolutionize the way we play games, and promises to save some hands in the process. It is not attempting to replace the traditional controller, but rather supplement the existing ecosystem in the hopes of creating a more ergonomic solution to gaming. As someone who struggles with chronic hand pain, I welcome anything that allows me to enjoy longer gaming sessions.
What is GLYDR
GLYDR is a programable gaming foot pad with 16 programable actions. This allows gamers to offload some of the more extraneous commands to a part of the body that frankly, could use the exercise. GLYDR grants players access to a library of profiles to choose from, and the ability to create their own ensuring you always have a setup that works best for you. As someone who constantly jumps between genres, I need something that I can easily reprogram and adapt. This seems like a solid solution.
Go Back Now
Early backers can get them as cheap as $189. Act quick! As of writing this, there are $50 units left at this price, then it jumps to $249. Shipping and taxes apply when the item is ready to ship. I don’t have the money to buy one of these right now, but I thought it was at least worth the gander. Go back the Kickstarter today!
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