MaverickZealot 最近的评测

GUNGUNGUN is self-described as “a frantic bullet filled 2D arcade arena shooter.” Although the core gameplay is fun, the overall scope of game is rather limited. Yet if you are in the mood for frantic fun in a small package, this game might just be what you’re looking for. With a title like “GUNGUNGUN,” be ready for a fusillade of fun as you shoot, dodge and rack up a bounty in this title.



The Prologue is both a tutorial and the only real story bit you will ever receive in the game. The female protagonist (whom I’ve grown to call GIRLGIRLGIRL) decides to steal from a group of presumed bandits but is caught in the act. The bandits give chase as she scrambles aboard a nearby train to escape her pursuers. This is a just framing device to explain the enemies and level theming.



In this game, its all about the guns and shooting. There are 8 different guns to collect and use, ranging from pistols to even a heavy-duty rifle. You start out with your default USP9 pistol and can carry any 1 other gun to fight back against the bandits. There are 4 enemy types to fight in this game:

• Bandits who use pistols and shotguns to shoot at you
  
• Knifers who charge in, swinging knives
  
• Bombers who carry dangerous TNT payloads
  
• Heavies who can soak up 2 or more entire magazines before dropping

Alone, none are particularly dangerous. However, as an arcade arena shooter, you will have to constantly deal with numerous of these enemy types on screen at once. Each brings a unique threat and coming in groups makes them even more dangerous. The game is thrilling as you try to last as long as you can in a given stage.

Each stage has a varying layout with several platforms/ levels to stand on. Each platform is solid so good positioning is a key as you cannot simply jump up or fall down/ through a platform. Enemies will either parachute in, jump onto the train from horseback or even just fall in from the sky. Each stage is made more engaging as platforms essentially become death traps once enough enemies start pouring onto it and surrounding you. Although holing up in a corner may be safe, can you kill enemies fast enough to keep it that way?

The game has some neat features as well to help make combat more fun. For example, you have an innate double jump to avoid projectiles or get to higher platforms. You can shoot enemy projectiles to destroy them and it only takes one shot to do so. You can crouch to avoid bullets, but I scarcely used it.

Being an arcade game, the only real objective is to see how high you can get your score. In that regard, once you play a few rounds you see everything the game has to offer unfortunately.

Likewise, there are a few game design decisions that make gameplay a bit frustrating. Firstly, you cannot switch your default USP9 for any of the other handgun-type guns. It is mostly there as a reserve gun, but it is outclassed by every other gun in the game. I seldom used it outside of the first few seconds of a level or for the related achievements.

Reloading is manual only. However, I see this as more of an intentional choice for realism.

Next, you pick up guns by simply walking over them. The headache is that you cannot CHOOSE when to pick up a weapon; you will automatically ditch your equipped gun if you make contact with a new one’s hitbox. This means that you may accidentally throw away a weapon you like because you had to relocate and run over a gun drop (which is very frequent occurrence). Compounding onto this, you must wait out each reload fully, even if you switch weapons mid-reload and the new magazine/ chamber is full.

The conditions for health pack spawns are also mysterious if not inconsistent. Sometimes I play a level and none spawn at all. Sometimes I get 2-3 within minutes of each other. In a game with limited hitpoints and infinite enemies, it honestly feels like RNG if I would survive longer than 5 minutes. Additionally, health packs despawn over time and are auto-consumed upon contact. Thus, getting a health pack is even more annoying as you can’t properly ration them out.

Nevertheless, GUNGUNGUN is a game I can pick up at anytime and have fun due to the simple yet engaging gameplay loop. This is a game that definitely tests your skills and reflexes.



Overall, I think the pixel art is pretty good. It is very abundantly clear who/ where your character is and what type of enemy is on screen. The train cars/ levels are believable and have realistic designs. Backgrounds seem to have received less attention but each is distinct from the others. The gun designs are excellently crafted and truly reflect their real-world counterparts. Bullets are distinct and you can see when one is coming at you.

There is even a hat store where you can trade in the gold coins you receive at the end of every mission. The hat economy seems unnecessarily grindy for the bottom row as they cost several hundreds of thousands of coins to purchase. To put this in perspective, you usually receive around a thousand gold per level assuming you perform well.

My biggest complaint is that there isn’t more full art of the characters which is very cute and expressive.

I liked the snow stage the least because the yellow bullets are hard to distinguish against the pure-white background that is constantly scrolling by.

The game has an innate camera shake to it to simulate firing a real gun, but sometimes it is a bit too much and I start to feel dizzy/ nauseous after extended play. I wish there was an option to toggle it on/off or at least lessen it.



There are only a handful of 8/16-bit musical tracks to listen to, but they are all pretty good and have an energetic feel to them. However, they are all loops and a bit short.

The gunshot sounds are very well-crafted and I could feel the passion put behind them. They all sound distinct and satisfying to shoot. The other sound effects are also quite good.



The game ran perfectly well for me. However, there isn't a dedicated pause button. Pressing Escape simply terminates the current session and brings you to the main menu without your post-round rewards. As an arcade game, I am split on this decision.

Keys can't be rebound nor can you preview controller layouts. Discovering the controls is purely trial and error.

Steam screenshots also seem to not work for some reason so I unfortunately can't share mine here.



As “a frantic bullet filled 2D arcade arena shooter,” I feel that the game definitely delivers what it is advertised as. Gameplay is very tense yet fun due to the endless hoard of enemies and colorful variety of guns at your disposal. I commend the developer for their vision to keep said guns accurate to their real-world counterparts. Nonetheless, there are some game design blemishes that impacted my overall enjoyment of the game.

Yet for a small game at a reasonable price, I can definitely say “give it a whirl” if arcade shooters are your thing.

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“Children of Silentown: Prologue” is a very short demo for the upcoming game, clocking in at around 15-20 minutes per run for me.

The game is self-described as “a dark adventure game” and the Prologue gives quite a few hints to the town’s sinister secrets. As an adventure game, be ready to scour the world for hints, items and intriguing flavor text from the perspective of Lucy, a child living in the mysterious town.



The Prologue only lasts until the first night, so the amount of story on display is mostly a litmus test for whether or not this type of story is up your alley. Things begin with Lucy having a nightmare about a lost child in the forest outside her town and the dangers it veils. Lucy wakes up and resumes her daily life in her village, playing with her friends, helping her family and exploring the town.

The town seems like a typical sleepy forest village, but when Lucy overhears her parents discussing another missing child, she gets suspicious. Lucy makes the decision to stay out after dark, against the wishes and constant reminders from her parents, to pursue her run-away cat, Squinty. What she encounters in the dread of night is up to you to discover.

The story ends after Lucy returns home and spends a nice moment with her mother, cutting to a prerendered trailer for the full release.

Overall, I was rather intrigued by the mystery of the town and Lucy’s life while playing. Although there isn’t much to judge in this demo, if you are a fan of mystery, supernatural, suspense and “small town intrigue” stories, this will likely be worth a look for you.
https://gtm.you1.cn/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2311208327
Then only real complaint I have in regards to the story/ writing is that text can be a bit clunky as most text seems to avoid using contractions in sentences (e.g. can’t, won’t). The problem is added upon by the fact that when contractions are used, sentences flow more naturally. It is unclear if this is intentional or not, but I found this to be more of an inconvenience than anything else.

On that note, the overall writing is okay. Nothing too fancy or interesting, yet nothing to dull either. It’s just the right amount of information. However, there were a few item descriptions that got a chuckle out of me.



As an adventure game, there isn’t anything terribly different from other standard point-and-click ones. You control Lucy by clicking on where she should more or inspect. You pick up items and use them to solve puzzles. The fun comes from having to roleplay as a child and doing kid things.
https://gtm.you1.cn/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2311209833
The only real difference here is that Lucy can learn musical notes by interacting with certain objects in the environment. Once she has 3 notes, she learns a song that can be used as a puzzle solution. Unfortunately, you only get an incomplete song in the Prologue, so its functionality is left a mystery. Nonetheless, I was definitely curious as to how this gameplay mechanic would manifest in the game’s grim atmosphere.



The game has a very beautiful storybook feel to it. The characters have a very cute aesthetic and the colors used are quite bright and vibrant. The only exception being the dark sections where darkness is used to create sharp contrast and threat. Animations are pretty smooth and everything feels internally consistent. The discrepancy between the visuals and subject matter definitely intrigue me and I am eager to see how things progress from here.
https://gtm.you1.cn/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2311197501


Although there were only a few tracks to listen to, I definitely felt very cozy when listening to the track in Lucy’s house. The menacing and unnerving track for the intro was also well done. Sound effects were nice and felt accurate.

The only complaint I have is that the game makes it a point to say that Lucy’s mother plays the lyre, a harp-like instrument. However, when she does play it for Lucy, a very obvious piano track plays instead.



I encountered no issues in the demo.

The overall amount of graphical and other options is quite limited, but for this type of game I do not expect that to be an issue.



For a brief 20-minute demo, I definitely feel that “Children of Silentown” has grabbed my attention. Although “children discovering the horror” isn’t a new idea, the presentation of it in the demo definitely caught my attention with its visual style and cliffhanger ending.

The prerendered video for the full release shows a lot of interesting yet mundane things a kid might experience such as riding a sled off a ramp and attending a town festival. I am definitely excited to see how the contrast between childhood innocence and the lurking terror of the town interact in the full release.

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NOTE: Although this game is a Remaster and port, this review will look at this version’s own merits.

The Wonderful 101: Remastered is an action game revolving around controlling an army of 100 heroes in battle to defend Earth from alien invaders. You’ll have to use your wits and reflexes to get the most out of their signature Wonder moves in this action-packed and stylish game by Platinum!



Although the premise of the story doesn’t reinvent the wheel, Platinum has added its proprietary Platinum coating to it to give it a very silly yet very bombastic feel. You’ll follow Wonder Red and his team as they trek across the globe to defend the Earth from the invading Geathjerk forces. How far can heroism and teamwork take you? What is worth fighting for? Is humanity worth saving? These questions and more are explored throughout the 9 Operations (around 27 total levels).

The overall story is very reminiscent of superhero and super sentai shows (e.g. Power Rangers, Kamen Rider) complete with overly verbose character reintroductions, a narrator that occasionally drones on, cool one-liners and deliciously cheesy melodrama.

The story also pokes fun of said tropes, making it much more tongue-in-cheek. For example, characters may start moving around as the narrator gives exposition or a character might slip and fall their way off screen in an epic moment.

Overall, it was a really fun journey.



This is Platinum’s wheelhouse. Their games have a very high skill ceiling and gratifying, slick and visceral combat. Nonetheless, as someone who has only played a small handful of Platinum games, I was apprehensive when beginning the game. Admittedly, there were a lot of times when I felt frustrated and defeated due to my skill level. However, the overall gameplay is fantastic and kept me coming back for more.

The game focuses on Wonder Morphing- transforming your fellow Wonders into weapons to fight the Geathjerk forces. Wonder Red’s is Unite Hand- a giant fist that can pulverize enemies. Wonder Blue’s is Unite Sword, capable of longer slashes and hitting multiple opponents. There are over 8 to discover and play with.

To transform your Wonders, you use the Wonder Liner. Drawing certain shapes on the screen with the Wonder Liner equips the corresponding weapon. For example, to use Unite Hand, I draw a circle which turns red to indicate a valid shape. The Wonder Liner uses your allies as “fuel”, so using more means you get stronger Wonder Morphs. You also require energy to Morph, so combat is a thrilling balancing act of resource management and skillful play.

Morph accuracy can be hit-or-miss sometimes due to how the game interprets your drawings. However, with enough muscle memory I was able to usually get what I wanted on the first try.
https://gtm.you1.cn/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2308068165
Each enemy has a distinct moveset which makes them all challenging to fight. Even basic grunts might shoot at you from off screen if you leave them alone for too long. The simple joy of stringing together combos and doing perfect dodges is even better when up against a varied enemy roster.

The camera can be very claustrophobic at times which made navigation difficult if not annoying. You can zoom out, but not having a simple camera distance option is annoying.

Miniboss enemies are rather frequent and provide a nice chunk of difficulty. It may be annoying trying to figure out how to approach a specific enemy, but once it clicks and you get in the zone, the feeling you get is quite wonderful as you dismantle them.

The boss fights are both spectacles and very satisfying with their own unique gimmicks and strategies. Granted, some hinge entirely on mini-game (which there are quite a lot of) to succeed. You may have to do a shoot-‘em-up section to challenge a huge boss or even a Punch Out!-like game to duel a lone enemy officer. These typically don’t outlive their welcome and provide a break from the core gameplay. Granted, there might be a few that take some time to get used to.

There are also some platforming and puzzle sections to test your thinking and observation skills. Being a Wonderful is more than just beating baddies!

The game definitely has a steep learning curve, but getting better at it gives a really satisfying feeling of triumph.

There is so much more to discuss, but please check out the demo to see for yourself! It’s 1 entire Operation, so give it a test drive to see if it’s up your alley. Words can't adequately convey how it really feels to play the game and even the demo is just a sliver of what you can expect.

• You can even carry over your progress to the full release!
  
• PLUS you even gain access to the hidden Wonder-Bayonetta, based off the titular character of her own series!
  
• PLATINUM PLUS- the game is also now 32% off on Steam until December 14, 2020 at 10:00am PST!

The overall art style is very unique. Each character model is like a glossy action figure. On one hand, it gives everyone a very distinct and memorable look. On the other, it is also quite low-res. Regardless of both, having an army of toys at your command brings out a very child-like Saturday morning cartoon feel that can’t be found anywhere else.
https://gtm.you1.cn/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2308063572
There is a wide variety of levels to discover ranging from typical adventure game locales to more weird and unique ones. The overall art direction is a real pleasure to take in.

The trademark Platinum QTEs are also on point here. There is a lot of amazing jaw-dropping action sequences and one that made me burst out laughing near the end of the game.



Another one of the Platinum big hitters, the soundtrack for the game is phenomenal. Everything has a very dynamic feel to it, truly making it feel like this is a superhero game. From rousing lyrical ballads about the Wonders to thrilling and intense boss music, I was always in the mood the game wanted me in for the scene.

Sound effects are also well-done. Gameplay feels that much more gratifying when you get nice audio feedback from everything.

I played with the English dub and it was overall pretty good. It has a campy feel to it that makes it really authentic to the source material.



Overall, the game ran solidly. However, I had 2 CTD’s in my 16 hours. Fortunately, the saves still worked after relaunching the game. This is definitely annoying given how sparse save points are and how arduous some rooms can be.

The overall graphical options are also quite lacking for a PC port.



I was honestly nervous picking up the title with the cult status it has, but I am glad I did. My hand wasn’t held on Normal, but the addictive gameplay of stringing combos and dodging hits kept me motivated. Accompanied with a wacky yet heartful story, epic audio design and a hyper-stylized visual aesthetic, this is one game I won’t forget. For fans of action games and superheroes, this game is a must-get.

Earth needs a hero, but it has 100 wonderful ones to save it. Would you do them the honors of being their plus one?
https://gtm.you1.cn/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2308059290

“The Life and Suffering of Sir Brante — Chapter 1&2” is self-described as “a narrative-driven RPG set in a gritty world.” You assume the role of Sir Brante and direct him from birth to death in the Arknian Empire. A person’s Lot, or caste, is determined from their birth and the Twin Gods of this world have a very real presence in the world.

No action is without consequence. Yet in this world, which actions and consequences are worth taking and accepting?



The game begins at Brante’s birth. You direct his life by making choices at important points in the story. As such, there are many possible paths Brante can take which will affect his later life’s events. The main cast you interact with is Brante’s family, split between 2 castes.

The rigid class stratification in the world is a prevalent theme in both the story and society. Will your Brante fight against the system to forge his own destiny? Or will he meekly accept his preordained life and obey? The amount of roleplay and immersion available is astounding. This also means the game has quite the bit of replayability.
https://gtm.you1.cn/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2303646531
The story is framed as Brante writing his memoir as he is approaching death. As such, you will experience his life from womb to tomb in the game. However, you will only experience things up until he is considered an “adult” at 16 in this version (chapters 1-2).

I was personally engrossed in Brante’s life as I struggled to make the “right” decisions for him. I commend the developer for making the text terse yet detailed for I could easily read the situation and become immersed. As a result, there is a nice balance between describing everything important and making sure the player is constantly moving forward.

One suggestion I have is that I wished there was an encyclopedia tab in Brante’s journal. There are a lot of people, places and events to keep track of. Being able to go back and refresh my memory on certain things would be greatly appreciated.



Before starting the game, you are presented with 2 game types with 2 options each: Ironman Mode and Consequence opacity. Ironman Mode simply dictates whether or not you want to reload a chapter to make different choices. Consequence opacity is whether or not you would like to know the outcome of each choice by hovering over it.

Gameplay is made up of 2 basic parts: reading and making choices. If you are not a fan of reading for long periods of time or would like more direct interaction with a game, I cannot recommend this game. However, if you like games where choices matter and slow-burning stories, this is definitely a game worth checking out.

The RPG elements mentioned in the description are the various personality attributes Brante gains by making certain decisions. For example, taking time to embrace nature and observe it may make Brante more Perceptive, allowing him to make decisions requiring a keen eye or intellect. Your childhood years are where the majority of your “build” will come from, which is a very natural allegory for growing up.
https://gtm.you1.cn/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2303647201
The second part of the game, choices, is usually where all the juicy drama and catharsis derive from. Certain decisions require certain stats. Although you may want to do one thing, he may have to make a more undesirable decision as he simply isn’t equipped for the situation or it is out of character for him. Thus, each choice is given further weight and choices become even more difficult to make.

However, one stat I have an issue with is Willpower. Willpower can be described as your energy used for making difficult choices. Willpower is most commonly gained by making choices that explicitly award it. I like Willpower in that it makes sense that it takes a lot of inner strength to do some actions within their appropriate context. It makes it so that said actions feel more rewarding and integral to Brante’s character.

Nonetheless, I dislike it because sometimes you get one difficult choice after another and BOTH instances have “optimal” choices that require Willpower. Then I feel that my ability to effectively roleplay is being artificially limited by a number. Actions that award Willpower typically ONLY award Willpower. Thus, you miss out on bettering your stats and/or relationship with someone (which ALSO unlocks more options). This is even more egregious when Willpower doesn’t increase between chapters which are a YEAR apart from one another.

Regardless of my griping, this also means the game is achieving its intended effect of making choices difficult and meaningful, which I commend highly. A perfectly happy story is IMPOSSIBLE, so Brante has to make the best of his situation through meaningful choices.

The game in its current state is fairly short. I finished JUST under 2 hours going at a fairly leisurely pace. Nevertheless, all the diverging paths and outcomes make this game very intriguing despite its limited gameplay. I am very interested in how the developer continues Brante’s journey in the full release.

There is more to discuss, but I’ll leave it all to your Brante to discover.



As Brante is writing his memoirs in his journal, the UI is stylized as a journal with bookmarks and tabs sticking out, denoting various features such as checking your stats, Destiny events, etc. Likewise, the accompanying illustrations are done in black ink to reflect Brante’s choice of writing tool.

The overall art style is reminiscent of Darkest Dungeon. This is not meant as an insult, merely a closest point of comparison. I adore this type of artwork and feel it works well to convey the type of story being told. The black-and-white palate work incredibly well for the aesthetic of the game. There is some animation in the pictures which is always welcome, giving it a subtle dynamic feel.
https://gtm.you1.cn/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2303655593


The music is fantastic in conveying or supporting the appropriate mood. I lack the proper vocabulary to describe music, but I definitely felt exactly what the developer wanted me to feel when the music played.

Sound effects were good as well. You’ll hear glasses clinking, people muttering, horses trotting and more as you progress in the story. This adds to the liveliness and impressiveness of the story. The only real critique I have is that the “decision made” SFX can ruin certain tender and slower emotional scenes with its rather loud and intrusive tone.



A significant bug I ran into was that I could not load a save without the game freezing/ soft crashing. This is a very unfortunate bug in a narrative-driven game and hopefully it is patched.



Since Chapters 1 & 2 are out now for free, I highly encourage everyone interested in narrative games with meaningful choices to check it out. Although there are many difficult choices to make and life is difficult for Brante at times, it all coalesces with the themes and setting of the game. Despite having very minimal gameplay, the story is very gripping and engaging as you steer a baby in life to become a man of your choosing. Each choice has weight to it and can alter a scene completely compared to the other options you have.

I eagerly await the full Brante saga and hopefully you will too.

“The Life and Suffering of Sir Brante” is certainly an apt title. We are both witnesses to and guides for this man’s life and miseries in his final moments. Yet as the saying goes, “misery loves company.” And with that, we shall stay with him to listen to his story.

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NOTE: Although this is a rerelease and port, this review will be based on the game’s own merits.

Katamari Damacy REROLL is a very cute “roll-‘em-up” Japanese cult classic. The premise is simple: you take your magical Katamari ball and roll up everything in sight to create new stars. “Everything” can range from candies, thumbtacks, tape dispensers, chairs, people, trees, cars, continents… The world is your sandbox, so let’s get building- the heavens are our literal limits!



The story is quite weird and comically not serious. You are the Prince of the Cosmos, an inch-high son of the king of the Cosmos (a titanic and loudly dressed deity of some sort). One day, the King destroyed all the stars in the sky and has tasked you to fix his mistake by creating new stars after everyone got angry at him. You are sent to Earth to find the raw materials and your mission begins.
https://gtm.you1.cn/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2305889804
The substory is that there is a human family going to meet the father at work and they see various news reports of your actions and see the Prince and King along the way.

There honestly isn’t a lot of meat to the story and it is quite short, but the absurd context definitely makes everything feel unique and entertaining. What each star is made of is also told in each level- care to hazard a guess as to what the Cancer constellation is made of?



This is where a lot of the love of the game comes from. This is a super unique style of gameplay where you just roll up things in your Katamari. That’s it.

You keep rolling to collect objects at or of a smaller size than your Katamari. Collecting enough objects causes your Katamari to gradually grow, allowing you to collect even bigger objects.
https://gtm.you1.cn/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2305890301

On the surface, this is incredibly simple and shallow gameplay. However, the fun comes from getting to explore the human world from the perspective of an inch-high character.

The environment itself is also a challenge as you try to avoid overly curious animals that run into your Katamari, or try to traverse a narrow makeshift bridge to reach some hidden items. Crashing your Katamari into an item that is too large or a wall causes some items to fly off your Katamari, reducing its size. Each stage typically has a minimum size requirement for completion, so avoiding unnecessary collisions is important.

Levels progress linearly in terms of difficulty, so you will typically have to focus more on later stages to try and achieve the minimum size for completion. As you grow your Katamari, there are also some hidden gifts to collect. Each gift rewards you with a cute accessory to equip onto the Prince.

One of the biggest hurdles for new players are the controls. I used an Xbox controller and had difficulty steering the Katamari for my first few hours. Movement is done with the analogue sticks. Pushing both up moves you forward. Pulling back moves you backwards. Turning requires one stick to be pushed up an one pulled back. It definitely takes a while to get used to everything, but afterwards it all feels quite good.

Onto the negatives of the game, you must wait out the timer for each main stage and the “low time” alarm gets grating once you reach the minimum size and have to wait for the stage to end; you cannot prematurely turn in. Your Katamari can roll up anything of an appropriate size, but it mysteriously sometimes refuses to pick objects you roll directly over, causing you to have to do a loop back to get it.

Although the gameplay and locales are fun, it does start to wear thin after a while with only really 1-2 types of mission: “make Katamari x size” or “roll up y items”. Sometimes you can’t pick up an object despite your Karamari’s diameter being the same size or slightly bigger, causing you to collide with it. Likewise, some objects that fly off due to collisions seem to despawn, meaning you cannot reclaim them. This is compounded by the fact that climbing up a surface usually means you’ll have to smack your Katamari into a wall to see if it is scalable.

The “dash” function is useful for closing distances and knocking living creatures down, but the amount of stick mashing required is both annoying and detrimental to the game controller’s health.

Nonetheless, the overall gameplay experience is very unique and light-hearted fun. Definitely recommended for anyone looking for a unique or experimental gameplay type.



Everything is in a rather blocky art style with vibrant colors and fairly basic and flat textures. Nonetheless, the child-like wonder comes through fully as you roll everything up into a beautifully varied Katamari. It feels like you have an entire toy set to play with as you please.

The sheer variety of objects is astounding as well. Although the majority of the game takes place in homes or a town, there are plenty of pedestrian and wacky objects to collect. The semi-cartoony appearance of everything just helps to sell the insanity that is Katamari.
https://gtm.you1.cn/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2305909122


The musical tracks are VERY well done and are definitely a selling point. The sheer variety of song types and their lyrical meanings is amazing to have as background music as you keep on rolling around. There are somber and slower tacks, faster and more energetic ones, and even some weird tracks made to make you go “what?” I definitely remember my favorites fondly.

Overall, sound effects are good but don’t feel as good as the music. There are a few wacky SFX here and there that got a smile out of me. One annoyance I had was that Policemen shoot at your Katamari and the gunshot SFX are VERY loud and annoying as they fire rapidly. Nonetheless, the cartoony sound effects definitely make rolling things up more gratifying.



The game ran perfectly well for me. No complaints here.



Katamari Damacy REROLL is a fun time for practically anyone interested in trying out this cult hit. Gameplay is simple yet engaging as you try to get a high score or seeing how big you can make a Katamari in a given level. Accompanied by a myriad of wonderful songs to listen to and simple yet whimsical graphics, the child-like glee one can have while playing is hard to beat. Although a rather short game, I was left wanting more after playing.

If you are interested, consider picking up your Katamari today!

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SHUT IN is self-described as “a short dark comedy/psychological horror adventure game.” Players assume control of an ambiguous protagonist as they try to complete the simple task of leaving their house to get some “fresh air.” However, things are never as easy as they sound and everything outside of the comfort of your bedroom is menacing and perilous.
https://gtm.you1.cn/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2302193741
This game deals with depression and mental health issues. Although nothing is explicitly offensive, the overall atmosphere of the game is very grim, the goal realistic, and the narrator is very sardonic towards the player-character. Player digression is advised.



The goal of the game is simple: leave your bed and get some “fresh air” today. The game follows the protagonist’s journey to complete the task through the hellscape that is their own home. Seeing the various ways the protagonist interprets their own home as being dangerous is equal parts unsettling and enthralling as the they dodge death just to leave their own home.

Being an adventure game, much of the story is conveyed via gameplay, visuals and audio.
https://gtm.you1.cn/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2302192422


With like most adventure games, you traverse a map and find items to be used on the environment or to solve puzzles. The items you pick up are mundane- a key to your door, a screwdriver, a plunger, etc. However, their applications in the dingy and menacing home makes them fairly unique and interesting.

Overall, the game isn’t terribly difficult but some puzzle solutions are a bit obtuse. This is especially true for some involved in achieving the “good ending.” This is compounded by the fact that the game doesn’t really tell you if you have the solution in your possession yet aside from locking you in a room.

Likewise, there are some objects that have prompts underneath them with yellow text which denotes that you can interact with them. However, there are some items that can be interacted with but lack such a prompt, causing me to mash every item to see if it was usable or not and if a specific item was applicable there.

Failure to compete a puzzle in time or notice a trap leads to instant “death,” sending the player to the game over screen. Death is a common occurrence as the protagonist's life is cheap, fitting the theme of the game.

Upon dying, you get the game over screen with a sparse audience applauding and crying “encore!” You are then are presented with the following options:

• “Try Again” means respawn at the beginning of the room/ puzzle.
  
• “Save Me” means SAVE THE GAME. I thought it meant “give hint” so I never used it in my first playthrough. This should probably be reworded.
  
• “I give up” is as it sounds- it gives the option to return to the title screen

The game itself is also rather short. I finished it in one sitting in an hour and got the “good ending” within 15 minutes or so after a few tries.

Overall, you should expect a fairly standard adventure game going in, at least in terms of gameplay.



Despite the pixel art style, I felt very on edge playing through my first playthrough as everything in the house is murky with various growths coming out or chains oppressively hanging on the ceiling as a background. The overall color palate is actually quite varied, but the oppressive darkness makes everything feel morose and threatening as if something could jump out at any second. I feel that the game was successful in making the everyday feel alien.

Deaths aren’t animated at all for those wondering. I actually like the decision as it blurs the line between reality and fantasy even more. Dying leads the narrator to make a sarcastic comment about the circumstances and to say “But don’t worry. Try again tomorrow,” all against a black background. What the player imagines is also a great factor of the horror and the dismissive attitude of the narrator drives home the themes even more.



I honestly felt very unnerved during my playthrough. Although I could detect some stock RPG Maker SFX and others, I felt they were all used appropriately to help convey the atmosphere.

Music isn’t really music so much as it is a collection of unnerving notes played in repetition at times. Even your safe bedroom’s music has an underlying menace to it. This kept me on my toes as I was on watch for anything out of the ordinary.

There are only about 1 or 2 audio “jumpscares” but they are mostly a punishment for doing something stupid or running out of time.



Overall, the game ran well. The only exception is that sometimes booting the game and entering a new game/ save too quickly caused the Steam community/overlay and Nvidia Geforce Experience icons to get stuck on screen which disabled the text skip function. It also ruined my immersion when a green rectangle and several smaller grey rectangles are cluttering the screen.
https://gtm.you1.cn/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2302196685

There was also a bug I could not replicate during the kitchen stove explosion death where the first few text boxes of narration failed to show up, but the last few did. I thought the game crashed/ froze but it did not.



I think that SHUT IN is definitely worth a look for anyone interested in a short and more personal psychological horror experience. The overall game length and linearity do not lend the game much replayability, but the initial experience is very strong despite some hiccups with traditional adventure game issues.

SHUT IN is partly based on the creator’s experiences with agoraphobia as well as the COVID-19 lockdowns. In that regards, I believe that they were successful in conveying the fear and uncertainty of their experiences in SHUT IN. I always felt a palpable tension when I was playing. The supposedly easy journey to go outside was arduous and rife with danger- I definitely have a new perspective on agoraphobia despite my brief time with the game.

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Total War: Warhammer II is a real-time strategy game with light city-building and turn-based mechanics set within the Warhammer (fantasy) universe. The main draw of the game is its gameplay where you put your army and strategic prowess against the AI or other players online. Although this game requires quite a bit of monetary investment to play it at its best/fullest, the vanilla experience is excellent.

When the world is in peril and armies rise up, there can be nothing short of total war.



There are two types of campaign in WH2: The Eye of the Vortex and Mortal Empires.

The Eye of the Vortex is about trying to gain control of the now destabilized Great Vortex for your faction. The Vortex is what protects the world from the forces of Chaos by draining the Chaos magic from the world into itself. Some want to stabilize it to safeguard the world from evil. Some seek to harness its power for personal power. Heck, some even just ignore it. This campaign is much more story-focused and a good introduction to Warhammer (fantasy) for beginners. It is also a shorter campaign, making it much more appealing.

Mortal Empires is a FLC mode that allows players to utilize the ENTIRE map from both WH1 AND WH2 BUT requires WH1 in their library to gain access to this mode since it is stitching together the maps/ assets from both games.

As for story, there really isn’t any. The goal here is to simply conquer the map to strengthen and grow your empire. This can be argued to be the real battleground for the game as you will have to contend with every AI player being a threat as you conquer the world. There is certainly room for emergent storytelling as you can befriend or crush different characters in each run.



This is the heart and soul of Total War titles. In WH2, you first pick from a rather robust pool of Lords. Each Lord has their own starting position, gameplay mechanics, stats and abilities, starting army, preexisting relationships with others and more. Depending on the game mode, you will get a brief introduction or cutscene outlining your objective then the game begins.
https://gtm.you1.cn/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2300494269
You build and upgrade cities to improve a variety of things like the economy, armies and more. City growth is turn-based so all choices matter. In WH titles, cities are only a means of bolstering the armies for inevitable conflict. Cities can be conquered or even razed to the ground in an instant if one lacks a good army or tactical prowess to defend it.

Each faction has a unique tech tree to allow for various upgrades to many areas such as army buffs and improved city obedience.

There is also a diplomacy system in the game. You may be able to strike a peace accord with someone, but they may turn out to be your biggest threat if you do not keep them appeased. Managing alliances and enemies is a tricky balance but with great rewards.

Despite all of this, the actual battles will likely take up most of your time. Battles are a dynamic dance of tactics and cunning as you plan your unit placements and give them orders to attack in real-time. You can control up to 20 units in any given army, 1 slot being reserved for the Lord in charge.

Each army is inherently unique given each faction’s fun and wacky roster of units to choose from. Although basic unit types are universal, each faction typically specializes in one field or another.
https://gtm.you1.cn/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2300516920

Combat is fairly simple to navigate and mostly done through mouse clicks to indicate which unit is to be selected and where they should move or attack. There are also keyboard shortcuts to enable smoother army navigation and orders that can be rebound as well. However, the thrill and challenge of combat comes from being able to strategize your army efficiently and effectively.


Success or defeat for your army is entirely in your hands and how well you micromanage. Although there IS an auto-resolve function to skip battles entirely, are you certain you would like to gamble the lives of your army?

There are so many more different faction and universal features to discuss, but if I have piqued your interest by now, consider buying the base game to check it out.



Overall, the game looks beautiful on Ultra settings with the overworld map having a surprising amount of detail and care in it. Animals can be seen grazing, water shimmers and undulates, swamps and corrupted lands are disgusting, and so much more.

In battle, the amount of detail in each model is astounding as are most of the animations, especially the unique ones for kills. Spell FX are beautiful and distinct. Having an aerial view of your army going all-out is a treat to watch IF you have the time to watch. Although Warhammer is a fantasy game, there are certainly really intriguing designs that will make your head turn.



Overall, the music is very well-done. Its orchestral tracks convey the perfect mood for the situation.

Sound effects were overall good as well. In battle, things felt appropriately visceral and weighty.

Voice acting was also a treat with a variety of pitches, accents and more to discover.



I personally play on very low to get the most frames possible for battle. As expected for a strategy game with a large world map and hundreds of units in battles, running everything on Ultra will likely tank your FPS. However, there is a nice variety of graphical options to tweak things to your liking and save frames.

Being a strategy game, your CPU and game drive will dictate how long load times are and how long the CPU takes to make its turns.

There are also a few bugs here and there although Creative Assembly is pretty good with ironing them out in time.

Otherwise, I have no real complaints.



I prefer the single-player experience, but the game does offer online campaigns and battles for those interested.

Campaign is the same, just with more players. Nonetheless, I have heard that there are some desync issues and MP specific bugs present.

Online battles are 1v1 or 2v2 affairs with both sides picking a faction and building an army from a customizable gold pool before doing battle against one another.



There is a LOT of DLC for WH2, including DLC for WH1 which can be played in 2 via Mortal Empires mode. They are all also rather pricey, so this is a hard sell for those of you who have limited funds. Thus, I HIGHLY suggest only getting the base games first to try out. THEN look at DLCs. If you can only afford a few, please research what each one does and what changes. There is a smattering of Free-LC’s, but most of the game changes and updates are included in the faction packs and Lord packs.

Nonetheless, my first 100 hours were spent in vanilla. Then I got all the DLC because I loved the core gameplay so much.


If you like real-time strategy games and the thrill of leading your army to victory, I highly recommend WH2 with its colorful cast of characters. Although there is a LOT of DLC, the game is perfectly playable in vanilla. There is something new to see in practically every playthrough and a whole world to explore (or conquer) so this game definitely has a lot of replay value This is also a good entry point for anyone interested in WH fantasy with a colorful cast of character to meet and kill.

https://gtm.you1.cn/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2300535700

9/10
Solid Recommendation
(Wait for sale if possible for DLCs- worth it, but they add up)

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Kilta is self-described as “a single-player auto battler strategy RPG” that is currently in Early Access (ver 0.7.3 as of writing). You assume the role of an amnesiac Guildmaster who is tasked with making your guild, Kilta, “Become the best guild in the Twin Continents!” by a mysterious voice. Although the version I played was rather short, it provided an interesting, fun, yet shaky start to what is to come.

Can you led the Kilta guild to greater heights while uncovering the mystery of the Twin Continents and protecting its people?



As the game is in Early Access, only the first 2 chapters are available as of writing. The major story bits come from newspaper articles that come every few days, detailing political and social drama in the world. The boss encounters are also major parts of the story, but have yet to be fully developed in terms of their implications for the world.

The “story” thus far is mostly held up by the cast of colorful guild members you can periodically recruit as your guild reputation increases. You start off with the retired Lion Guard captain Emericus and the magpie-loving rogue Velia. As you continue playing, you will regularly get the choice between recruiting one of 2 different characters, each with their own powers and personalities. Much of the fun in the game is discovering a completely new character and seeing how they interact with the others in both battle and in the guild between quests.

https://gtm.you1.cn/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2298198164

The overall writing for these scenes is pretty good and consistently got me to crack a smile at the least.

You also get opportunities to have a heart-to-heart with one once in a while, learning more about them and giving them a VERY modest stat increase to boot.



Overall, I like the gameplay. However, I feel that the “strategy” elements are rather barebones.

Combat consists of your party of up to 5 Heroes and the enemy team being situated on a 3x3 grid. There are 2 types of attacks: melee and ranged. Melee can only hit enemies not hidden behind another in a row/ “file” as the game calls it. Ranged attacks can hit anyone on the opposing field.

Every attack is either Physical or Magical, each having their own attack and defense stats. Additionally, characters placed farther back receive less aggro. Thus, strategic placement of your party is paramount to victory.

Characters have unique abilities that activate once their ability meter fills up after auto-attacking. These can range from debuffs, heals, shields, and offensive attacks.

Characters can be equipped with any weapon and armor piece you find so you can make your mage a melee character if you really wanted to. There are even powerful Relic items with special effects like auto-countering attacks and returning damage or executing enemies low on health. You usually have at least 2 different quests with their own rewards to choose from so there is a welcome amount of variety.
https://gtm.you1.cn/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2298205212

You gain access to some pretty basic “Guildmaster skills” on day 3. They are all utility skills used in battle and are your ONLY means of direct involvement in battle. Once you are out of charges for your chosen skill, you can only sit back and watch the battle which is admittedly quite boring.

That is essentially the core gameplay loop: equip your Heroes for quests, find new equipment and Heroes, repeat. The entire battle process is automated aside from Guildmaster skills so the only real “strategy” is gear, team composition and placement.

https://gtm.you1.cn/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2298202879

Your Heroes attack once their attack meter fills and strike a RANDOM target within range of their weapon class/ ability. This can lead to frustrating situations where an enemy is at death’s doorstep BUT your Heroes simply ignore it and attack a healthy enemy. This is even worse for magic and archer characters who can hit literally any enemy with auto-attacks. Overall, the game is fairly balanced with linear progression in mind. However, the inability to coordinate your Heroes makes combat frustrating at times when you lose a Hero to an enemy at 7% health.

In its current state, you see practically everything the game has to offer once you beat the first boss. Although I have many critiques for the battle system, I can see a lot of potential here for good systems.

For example, Heroes need time to heal up after getting injured. Thus, you can switch out members to let them recover their grey health (a system which REALLY should be clearer and not buried in the help menu or in a pop-up tooltip). This makes sense and makes the player come up with new strategies and formations with the colorful cast of Heroes. However, re-equipping everyone after shuffling them around is very annoying as Heroes equip whatever is in the “Hero slot” they are put in. With a bit more refinement, this can be a very fun and fairly unique battle system.



I honestly love the artwork of all the characters. Everyone has a distinct look to them with interesting visual details. Emericus’ armor is rusted in places to show he is a seasoned warrior. Elin the bard is peacock/ bird themed. Dalton the rat-man criminal has a tail-blade.

The background screen of the menu also shows your warm and lively guild (although I would’ve liked to see more of the actual guild itself since it is the entire focus of the game).

The jarring bit to this beautiful illustration is the use of sprites for combat. While all the sprites are well done and have great detail in reflecting the Heroes and enemies, I do miss the art style the game began with.



I felt that the soundtracks were overall very good. The guild felt warm and home-y, battles felt lively and boss fights menacing.

Sound effects were fine although Emericus’ yell during his ability seems to be cut off which is a bit strange to listen to.



The game ran perfectly well for an Early Access title which is more than welcome. I didn’t encounter any serious issues during my (brief) time with the game.



Taking into account that this is an Early Access title, I would definitely classify this game as being “Worth a Look” for fans of fantasy and RPGs alike. The overall plot is interesting and supported by characters worth following through the journey to the truth. Combat is a bit rough currently, but I certainly haven’t played anything close in a while and I had fun with it despite its faults. Here’s hoping that myTrueSound continue to refine this rough gem.

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https://gtm.you1.cn/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2288898928

Yakuza: Like a Dragon is a game with a lot of heart and a solid first step for the new dragon of the series. You follow the story of Kasuga Ichiban as he climbs back up from nothing to find answers to decades-old mysteries. Will you find the answers in this wacky RPG crime drama? Or are there some things best left buried in the past?

The overall experience is very enjoyable despite a few missteps here and there. You do not need to have played the previous titles to enjoy this one. However, previous events and characters will be referenced and various Easter eggs await returning players.


The story follows the misadventures of Kasuga Ichiban as he climbs his way from the bottom of life back into society and eventually to the people he left behind. Like with previous titles, the crime drama/ thriller story is full of intrigue, twists and turns, as well as a very colorful cast of characters to enthrall the player into following Ichi on his quest.

The overall tone of the story is quite in line with past entries in the series- dark and suspenseful- despite the marketing of the game. The road to Ichi’s answers is not easy and he will have to become a stronger man to find and accept them. Yet despite these travails, Ichi maintains his positive and energetic self and finds his way upstream. The contrast between Ichi’s self and the criminal underworld he finds himself entrenched in is quite intriguing and inspiring.

Moreover, its touching to see his party be there for him even in his darkest hours and support his endeavors. Ichi lives true to his goofy man-child self, and that is what endears him to the various people he meets. Yet decades of skeletons to uncover, can this koi manage to swim upstream to find the end and ascend to dragonhood?

If you are a fan of underdog stories or crime dramas, please give the game a chance as the cathartic payoff is quite worth it in the end. The story is what I consider the game’s strongest point and I cannot go into more detail without spoilers.



This is the most controversial topic in the game as it shifted away from the series standard 3rd person Beat ‘em Up action to a turn-based RPG. Overall, the combat is quite fun and retains the visceral and satisfying combat animations from the previous games. You use a menu to control your party in combat. Options include using items, attacks and blocking.

Skills are similar to the Mario RPG games in that timed inputs or button mashing are required to bring out the full damage potential of most attacks. Although there are only 2 input types, the sheer variety of attacks and input windows will keep you on your toes as you learn and exploit your enemies’ weaknesses. There is even an option to remove/ automate the inputs in exchange for a random damage modifier if you prefer a more tactical/ hands off experience.

The job system is quite fun as the Yakuza team have reimagined real world jobs as RPG classes for Ichi and friends to use in combat. Want to blowtorch a thug and grate him to death? Pick the Chef class. Want to do crazy kicks and style on your enemies? Pick the Breaker (dancer) class. Want to leave your fate up to chance and attack with gambling gear? Pick the Dealer class.

https://gtm.you1.cn/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2288908133
The charm of seeing Dragon Quest-esque enemies (replete with bad pun names) and your ragtag party fighting them is very entertaining. The sheer spectacle of some skills is also rather amazing. Combat is also typically quick barring some special/ high tier enemies.

Healing is also rather easy as just going to a restaurant allows Ichi and party to heal up depending on what they order. There are even summons in this game, all bringing the distinct Yakuza flavor with them, and a POKEt inDEX for all the MONstrous enemies you encounter.

Overall, combat serves its purpose and isn’t as detrimental to the game as some may make it out to be and is quite fun. However, there will certainly be points where frustration will set in.

Aside from combat, there are also a multitude of various minigames to partake in. They range from gambling, SEGA arcade games, collecting cans, NOT falling asleep at the movies, combat go-karting, capitalistic conglomeration, and much more to uncover.

These all provide a much welcome break from both combat and story and even have neat bonuses and prizes to win. Not to mention the series’ signature wacky substories scattered around the world. Stop a public urinator, dial up a man down to pound, help a homeless man make a kid smile, protect a fruit from the harsh world, and so very much more.

There is even a sandbox post-game with some exclusive features to explore as well.

Overall, the game looks fantastic. Characters and cities look realistic. Some vistas are really beautiful. However, there are some quite low-res/ LOD textures in cutscenes which are distracting at times. Grass also seems to olny fully render within a set radius around Ichi.

The pre-rendered cutscenes are phenomenal however and the overall cinematography is excellent. This is definitely a great-looking game for a double-A title. Exploring Ijincho actually feels like you are there which is a great accomplishment.


The sound design is very well-done. Cities feel lively with bustling vehicles and people. Sound effects are very good for attacks giving them satisfying feedback and support the story events excellently.

The Japanese voice acting is excellent and the game even features an English dub. Many were wary after Yakuza 1’s dub, but this game’s dub is very well executed in my limited time with it with experienced voice actors.

The music is overall pretty good. There are definitely stand-out tracks and some that are just meant for background purposes. However, all help to enhance the distinct Yakuza flavor.


For me, the game worked perfectly “out of the box” for the main game/story. I had no issue booting, loading, saving, etc. That being said, some have had significant issues with getting the game to even load. Thus, your mileage will likely vary.

The only thing I noticed was that the game freaks out with high/ uncapped framerates. Clothing starts jittering and becomes distracting, so I recommend capping it to 60 to mitigate the worst of it. Likewise, the game chugs a bit in certain areas but clears up after a bit. Post-game definitely has some bugginess as well.


Yakuza: Like a Dragon is a game I would recommend to anyone interested in turn-based RPGSs or in seeing how the Yakuza series continues post-Kiryu. The story is very interesting and the characters are interesting at the least. This is likely the biggest draw of the game and rightfully so. The RPG gameplay doesn’t reinvent the wheel, but does add differences to keep things interesting for a long while. Mini-games are fun and varied and offer a nice break from the main game. Everything else is on-par for a modern double-A title.

Although there are some missteps present, this is the first game of this type in the series and I eagerly await the next installment.

https://gtm.you1.cn/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2288920202

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Wandersong (WS) is a game that I only recently learned about after looking at indie titles. Its bright and cheery color palette along with its myriad reviews of praise convinced me to give it a shot.

You take control of a semi-unnamed Bard and go along with them to save the world using the healing power of song. Along the way, you’ll meet a very colorful cast of characters that may either help or hinder your progress towards saving the world from destruction. Although there is a constant threat of the world literally ending, the story also has some quite silly and light-hearted moments.
https://gtm.you1.cn/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2222906150

As you collect the McGuffins in typical adventure game fashion, Bard is faced with the disheartening revelation that they were NOT the actual hero of this story and another one has been chosen instead. He was just being egged on by the Goddess of this world’s envoy because they didn’t want to hurt their feelings.

The main meat of the story is how Bard comes to terms with this fact (or not) and how they advance from there. Will the world be saved? Will it end? Who is the true hero? What does being a “hero” mean? There are many questions left after the twist and I found the overall journey to the conclusion to be quite enjoyable although I have a few gripes about the overall writing quality. However, that is just me and you may find these jokes/ scenes to be hilarious or excellent.

Overall, I’d say that the game is good for people of all ages although some of the darker themes may require parental supervision. Nonetheless, there is nothing too graphic or detailed to cause too much concern.


The basic gameplay consists of navigating Bard through the various hubs and dungeons while using their singing ability to interact with certain items/ puzzles while trying to find the McGuffins or doing a quest which leads up to finding the McGuffins.

Bard controls fine for the most part. However, when quickly turning, Bard feels a bit slippery which makes some puzzles with tight platforming feel a bit weird. Jumping is based on how long the jump button is held but I feel that some platforms could be made more obvious as I got stuck in some places being unsure of what I could jump on.

Falling into a pit or obstacle just respawn Bard on a nearby platform/ checkpoint, so “death” is more of a nuisance rather than a tangible detriment.

The main gimmick of the game is Bard’s musical ability. You can sing by pressing/ holding a note key. I opted to use KB controls and I have several issues. However, I will get into that in the PERFORMANCE section.

Overall, the puzzles and level of interaction you have with your music is pretty limited. You can activate levers, platforms and the like by singing. Certain animals will follow and assist you if you sing the correct notes for long enough. The overall difficulty is rather low, but some parts are really tedious involving waiting or mashing your note keys to activate something.

Aside from that, you have a lot of dialogue to go through as this is an adventure game. Dialogue can be skipped, but interacting with all the different NPCs is how you’ll learn about your current locale and possibly hints to the McGuffin.

Again, this is a rather casual game with more of an emphasis on story and its message and unique gameplay rather than difficult or skill-based gameplay.

If this sounds a bit boring to you, I highly advise against getting this game for this is about 90% of what you’ll be doing in the game, barring a spoiler section or two. There are also sections where you are asked to compose your own song/ jingle which is cute. However, I thought it was a missed opportunity to have a pre-planned song for people with limited musical abilities.


Overall, I love the paper-cut-out aesthetic the game has and its color usage. All the characters have unique and interesting designs as well although some seem a bit jarring when lined up with the rest. Animations are also really good for Bard at least and look fluid. Everything has a very storybook feel and, as a result, has a very cozy feeling. The game has several different color filters as well for dungeons, new maps, etc. which all lend themselves well to the art style and convey the appropriate mood/ theme of the locale.

If the aesthetic alone is interesting, there are many different people, scenes and dungeons to see.
https://gtm.you1.cn/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2222906012


I liked the sound design for this game. Characters have unique voice “grumbles”, Bard’s voice is pleasant in both grunts and singing, the music was well-composed and so on. Granted, a game about music should have good sound-design.

My only real gripe is that the sound mixing really needs work in some places. Sometimes when I had to do a McGuffin or dungeon puzzle, Bard’s singing would overpower the other events on screen, or vice versa. This really dragged down my experience as I had to constantly turn the audio up or down to hear things properly.


Despite the fun I had playing the game, there are several bugs/ glitches that really made me mad/ annoyed while laying.

The first on is that for some reason, my rebinds didn’t save upon exiting the game. Thus, I had to rebind them EVERY single time I relaunched the game.

On that note, there were some “puzzles” or obstacles that amounted to “spin the note wheel to activate”. Playing on KB, this was a nightmare to do at the required speed. I mapped the notes to the Number Pad and trying to do a spinning/ twirling motion with keys is a nightmare. This really should’ve been play-tested more to avoid this frustration.

Next, there was this weird visual degradation issue I had and didn’t manage to solve. It seemed to occur after a certain amount of time passed while playing and the graphics became blurrier and blurrier. This really made some key moments have less gravity as I tried to discern what exactly was going on screen.
https://gtm.you1.cn/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2222905695

There were also some physics/ engine bugs present. The first being the known “vibrating Bard” bug where Bard just keeps vibrating rapidly due to engine issues. Since Bard is centered o the screen, the screen would also vibrate at its edges a bit which made me feel a bit nauseous after intentionally looking at it after a while.

There was also a bug where Bard spawned mid-air and kept falling/jumping and the sound effect for landing and jumping kept looping.
https://gtm.you1.cn/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2222909433

Bard also somehow spawned sideways quite a bit above the intended platform.
https://gtm.you1.cn/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2222911714

There were a small handful of others, but I remember these the clearest.
Overall, the lack of bug discussion/ representation in the positive reviews as well as a lack of game polish really soured my experience for this very cute game.

None of these were game breaking, but for a story-heavy game, these glitches really took me out of the moment and made the emotional impact less memorable.


I certainly do NOT regret buying and experiencing this game. However, I do feel a bit mislead by the reviews about this game being an instant 10/10. Nonetheless, I do agree that more people should play it.

Despite the various gameplay, writing, and technical issues I have with the game, I do feel that this game should get more exposure. It tells a story about being lost but trying your best as well as how friendship can save someone. The gameplay is very simple and puzzles don’t outstay their welcome. It truly feels like you are playing a picturebook in game form.

Wandersong is a very heart-filled story that will likely make you feel warm and fuzzy inside at least once.