Recent reviews by MrBronze

I bought this game in the summer of 2023 and it took me a few months to actually beat it. I ended up restarting my play through a few days ago and going through it pretty fast. The hand-drawn art style and soundtrack are amazing and work in tandem to create an otherworldly atmosphere. The puzzles are logic based so it requires you to use your brain which makes it feel satisfying when you solve one. It takes around 2-3 hours so its a pretty good time.

Only recommended to actual Kindergarten kids. I am not the target demographic. I bought it in the humble bundle so I can't really complain too much.

Featuring Raidou from the Devil Summoner™ Series

I'm only recommending it because it features the extra content. Should have been included in the base game but whatever.

Pros:
*Improved gameplay from Dishonored 1

*Karnaca is a great setting. The world makes up for the lack of decent story.

*Memorable level design/gimmicks (Clockwork Mansion, A Crack in the Slab, Dust District

*2 playable characters with unique powers Emily/Corvo

*New Game+

*Non lethal has many more options now so you can play loud and nonlethal.

*New powers which gives combat more variety.

Cons:
*The game isn't optimized very good so expect performance issues.

*The story isn't anywhere near as good as Dishonored 1. Dishonored 1's story wasn't anything amazing but it had spectacle and there were many memorable characters. This games story is just ok.

*The game forces depth of field every time I reload a save. I had to create a bind to make it stop. Not a huge deal but it gets on my nerves.

Closing Thoughts:
A worthy sequel to Dishonored. The biggest drawback for me is the performance. I have heard that Prey which came out a year later is optimized well. Death of the Outsider which is a standalone expansion to Dishonored 2 runs significantly better as well.

8/10

HELL CITY TRIALS

I like playing as Daud. You can throw an arc mine onto an object and then toss it into group of guards.

I've known about this game for many years but UberDanger made a video on it a few years ago that convinced me to try it. Its a fun game where you blow stuff up.

I picked this game up for $1.24 on sale. For some reason the first game was not on sale. I have played the original so getting the second was definitely worth it. Puzzle Agent 2 has you going back to Scoggins, Minnesota to finish up some of the unsolved mysteries from the first game. I would say that the first game had better puzzles because PA2s Puzzle are either kindergarten level or require knowledge of the digits of pi. Overall they were much easier than the first game but it was a little disappointing. The story felt rushed and many plot threads just ended without any conclusion or were written off with a joke. It was a little annoying seeing as it built a mystery and then didn't solve it. The first game did this too but it was much more satisfying at the end. Puzzle Agent 2 would have worked better as 2 or 3 episodes rather than a simple 2-3 hour game. I found the beggining enjoyable but it definitely got worse the longer it continued. It was still fun.

I hope to play more Telltale games soon!

3/5

PROS:
*Clementine is awesome
*I like the artstyle
*Some of the characters are ok I guess.
*Besides the death of Luke episode 5 was a pretty good episode.
*Kenny's character was great. He became a complete monster and it was really sad.
*Kenny vs Jane is a tough decision. I personally chose Kenny but he's pretty ♥♥♥♥♥♥ too.
*Edgy/aggressive dialogue options are incredibly entertaining.

CONS:
*Your choices are one sided and there is usually a better one. (they hold no weight unlike in s1 where they each affected the game in little ways)
*Dialogue options barely affect your relationships with characters. Being an ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ or saint doesn't matter because the characters forget a minute later.
*Carver is a generic power dynamic villain
*The adults make Clementine do the adult work which makes sense from a game play perspective but its really dumb.
*There is almost no downtime to just talk to the characters and get to know them. Fast paced set piece to set piece.
*Characters are killed off without finishing their arcs which is super unsatisfying. (they had the potential to be great but it was squandered)
*Barely any branching dialogue options compared to Season 1
*Saving characters doesn't matter because they don't have any redemption or development afterwards. (unlike Ben from season 1)
*Christa is M.I.A. (she never appears again in season 3 or 4)
*Bad implementation of 400 Days by giving the characters brief cameos (400 Days was supposed to be the bridge between season 1 and 2)
*Much more of an on rails experience than season 1. Its like one long interactive cut scene unlike s1 which gave you downtime and optional dialogue.

I would only recommend it on sale just to see how the story continues. You might really like it. You could also watch a play through from your favorite youtuber.

5/10

Gordon and Alyx Adventures