toadfishman

What’s dev hell anyway?

Best. News. Ever!

This is by far the game I’ve put the most hours into. Absolutely love it. But how can the sequel possibly be better than the original? It’s already perfect.

@JimNorman slay the spire IS good! If you’d like to replace one unhealthy addiction with another… double down on the card games I say. I know I have been!

@-wc- I bounced off TOTK too! (But have been keeping it on the down low… until now)

I love deck builders though, so I’ve no doubt I’ll enjoy Balatro.

My question is why can’t I buy it if I’m over 18?
I understand the age rating protecting/blocking younger people, but I’m an adult - it seems ridiculous that I’m prevented from buying this.

Will pick this up purely for the nostalgia value. The original has a special place in my childhood memories

@shgamer thanks for the recommendation, looks good - popped it on the wishlist

Glad to see Slay the Spire on this list - the most addictive game I’ve ever played.

Thanks Kate! Will definitely play it.
I’m a major slay the spire addict - I’ve NEVER played another game where I get absolutely crushed, but want nothing more than to start a new run IMMEDIATELY. No other deck builder has come close to it for me, so I’m keen to see how this one fares

Really appreciate this article, thanks. This one is on my wish list - can’t wait to play it!

Thanks for the review, I will check this out at some point. Could be a good sale pick up.

But I really like when games try something a bit different and creative.

You missed The Excavation of Hobbs Barrow. Deserves a spot on the list I reckon

@Doctor-Moo I played it on switch lite and personally didn’t find the text size an issue. For memory there’s a text size option available that bumps up the size a little. There’s also a setting for the switch lite where you can double tap the home button to zoom in on text which enlarges it. It’s in the system settings somewhere…
But it’s a great game, really atmospheric, loved it.

@Ear_wiG I just stared playing this last night funnily enough, and am really enjoying it! I understand all the dead cells comparisons, but the visuals and Japanese flavour is enough of a point of difference for me.

It runs flawlessly and gameplay has been balanced with a bunch of patches. Combat is fun, bosses are cool, looks amazing, and plenty of options to suit your play style.
My only criticism is that it doesn’t do a very good job of explaining its systems (weapon upgrades, meta progression) so it’s worth checking out a few beginner tips online when you first dive in.

It’s on sale at the moment and is well worth the price in my opinion. To me this is an easy 8/10 game.

Reading this article made me remember how good this game is. The atmosphere it creates is something special

I really enjoyed this game. I’d never played anything like it before and was really impressed. I’ve been waiting for the final dlc release so I can jump back in and play all three dlc episodes together

I’m pumped for this one! And such a low price. I thought it released ages ago but couldn’t find it on the eshop… so this clears that up. Thanks

Really up for this. Can’t wait to excavate that barrow

I really hope all the extra time has been used to make the game awesome, cause I’m looking forward to this one

Straight on the wish list. This is right up my alley

It’s in my backlog… I promise I’ll get around to playing it soon Miss Gray!

Well that was a chore

Some suggestions for next backlog (from my backlog): Cave Story, Kentucky Route Zero, Cuphead, Hyper Light Drifter

I loved this game (was the best $3 I ever spent), and enjoyed reading your thoughts on in Kate. I was definitely left with that feeling of “ok. Now what?”, like you mentioned. But it definitely had a lasting impact on me. I’m a big fan of short games that pack a punch like this.

Just played the Donkey Kong DLC for kingdom battle and really enjoyed myself. So am looking forward to this one! Good to hear they’re trying to develop new gameplay ideas, I’m up for a slightly new/different experience

Yes please!! I love that people make games like this

@MeloMan 100% agree.

I love me a metroidvania, but it’s gotta be high quality. Even just a little off, and the experience can be bland.

So yep, must choose them wisely.

This is great news! I was pretty upset when I couldn’t get this on the 3DS (I didn’t have a WiiU). I hope the original soundtrack remains the same

The atmosphere this game creates is probably my favourite thing about it. When done as expertly as this it really elevates the experience to another level

Interesting article. The results roughly line up with my experience. However if I play for too long it would start to drift into the negative, as I start to feel a bit guilty for not putting my time into other important things. So for me it’s about getting the balance right.

It never even occurred to me to take notes or make maps with this game… I did an ungodly amount of back tracking in hollow knight (but I didn’t really mind cause I loved the game and was completely captivated by its atmosphere), so making notes/maps probably would have been a huge time saver! Might give it a try next time

Yeah looks great, looking forward to seeing the reviews of this one

It’s a little hard to get used to a different voice for Gollum, but that’s in no way a deal breaker for me. Looks great, I have a huge soft spot for LOTR so very excited for this one

Thanks for recommending this one Kate, I finally understand why people speak to affectionately about this game - it’s such a unique experience. I absolutely loved it, and thanks to this game I’ve discovered that I like detective games. Win!

But my favourite characters were probably the crab demons and mermaids - they were so unexpected for me, and really elevated the story to a place that I found really captivating.

And I think I agree @ZZalapski, second mate Edward Nichols seems to be to blame for the fate of the Obra Dinn. He’s a bad egg. Can’t help but feel a bit sorry for the captain… things really went to ***** for him.

I didn’t realise that this bugged people so much… to me this is a non-issue.

I also don’t agree that it’s lazy, calling something Zelda-like is a highly efficient description. And as humans we love efficient stuff! Would you call using a washing machine lazy? It’s faster and does a better job of washing lots of clothes than by hand. “Zelda-like” does the same thing, provides a more emotive description of something in two words, rather than two paragraphs.

I really enjoyed this game (thanks for motivating me to play it Kate!), finished it last week.

I found the beginning quite challenging and overwhelming, but the further I progressed the easier it became. And the story was really engrossing and unexpected.

It captured my attention more than most games and I found myself thinking about it pretty much constantly while not playing, piecing together little bits of information and mulling over the identities of certain people.

I never knew I liked detective games so much, I really hope Lucas Pope makes more like this.

I (surprisingly) didn’t enjoy blasphemous, so will prob give this one a miss as it looks very similar

Looks like my cup of tea. Will keep an eye on this one.

I’m getting some Children of Morta vibes in there

Pixel metroidvanias get me every time. I just can’t help myself! Looking forward to what the reviewers have to say about this one

Who loves to smash a football…? Mario that’s who

Obra Dinn is on my wish list, so I think I will give it a crack. Not usually the kind of game I’d go for, but the people who like it seem to REALLY love it, so it’s got me intrigued. Plus I’m not sure I’ve ever played a pirate game. Or an insurance claims adjuster game