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This game has a good premise and interesting gameplay, but overall it fails in all areas for me. The main issue is that the game is an extraction looter where if one buys the battle pass they immediately have a huge advantage and at the same time if you do buy it and get taken out while exploring you lose items you paid real money to get. To make matters worse, the registration of bullets and servers are terrible, making it so that you always lose fights to some unfair messy code that is poorly made. The game also suffers from a lack of content, as there are only two maps and very few enemy varieties, plus the quest takes multiple sorties to complete due to tedious objectives.

What I am getting at is that if you are a gamer who values your time, AVOID this game. Synduality is a title that doesn't take gamers' time seriously and will demand you play it every day and invest too much time into it thanks to the FOMO (fear of missing out) battle pass rewards and a feeling of getting left behind as players with better gear dominate maps in PvP which by the way, is forced. The story is also lacking, being presented in small bits that required some of the MOST TEDIOUS missions to get, and after 10-20 hours the loop of gameplay becomes extremely boring as it ends up being >go to area> mine crystals> do quest> hope a griefter doesn't ruin your day and take all your hard-earned stuff.

Some people are obsessed with PvP and play 20 hours a day and will one-shot you even in a team of 3 players before any of you realize what is going on with their OP gear they go with real money. On a game that is 40 bucks out the gate, requires a BP for 10-30 bucks and 30 more for those that EA, you end up paying 70-100 for a pretty mediocre experience. Your mech is paper and the minimal mistake will cost you hours of progress. Customization is lacking, it takes way too long to get a mech that feels decent (unless you putting money in, a lot of money), and a griefter can put 300 bucks and get the broken gear that makes them unrivaled.

All in all, this game doesn't respect your time, it's looking to abuse your wallet, has a mediocre story, suffers from technical issues, and has a pretty bad gameplay loop. I wouldn't wish this game even on my worst enemy, and it feels like playing this game is like playing League Of Legends, yeah is that bad.


"If there is anything worse than Bad, is a trainwreck. These games are kind of impressive thanks to how awful they are. Not only are these games not fun, but they are outright insulting, infuriating and will make you feel like you wasted your time no matter what.

If you enjoyed the review, please follow my curator! StarsDeck.

Did you know that the Yellow Turbans were numbered in the 2 million while the good guys, all together, were 350,000 and still won? That's amazing. Dynasty Warriors Origins is a new rebirth point for the series with better graphics, an overhaul to its gameplay, and new insight into the origins of the story. The game is based on the novel The Romance Of The Three Kingdoms, which is based on events that happened in real life. Learning history is cool again!

The game has kept the root of the gameplay intact with the "I am a one-man army" basis. Still, before in other entries your enemies were fools who never had a chance of beating you, now there has been an increase in difficulty as officers are more dangerous, move across the map fast, and employ different strategies to control the battlefield. These changes keep the excitement that I love about Dynasty Warriors but add a challenge to spice things up. Rather than the traditional bases, units will create points of fight where they meet on the map and your allies can be taken out if left to fend for themselves for too long. You can even duel officers in intense 1vs1 and command your battalion of soldiers with tactics!

https://gtm.you1.cn/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3411968482

There are a few weapons to use, and while it is a far cry from the amount other games in the series offer, each of them comes with their particular ranks, movesets, and skills that make them feel complete and complex. I like the sword the most because making a shadow clone is cool and the moves are flashy but other options such as the powerful Podao can obliterate enemies with huge cost moves or the Twin Pikes that allow you to dash across the field!

I had a lot of fun with the game, and also my fingers hurt a lot *blows on fingers* phew those officers wouldn't go down...my hands! Pains aside, I am surprised the team went to so much effort when it comes to map variety and objectives that keep things fresh in the long run. I joined Cao Cao (cause I love Wei) and there were battlefields where you have to control 10 bases at the same time to beat Lu Bu or distract enemies with maneuvers. The game also requires focus to the objectives which I found enjoyable, rather than beating up everyone since some enemies can respawn forever or your allies require you to do things right in the moment as they cannot wait on you to wipe everyone off.

I found the story to be a trade-off. Gone is the emotional flair of previous games in the series, instead replaced by a more grounded tale that follows the historical events better than any other Dynasty Warriors game. That can be good or bad depending on your preferences. I played the game in English dubs and I think that while some voice actors are better than others, everyone did a solid job. The game also seems to be inspired by the 2010 TV show to some degree, as in some cases the same phrasing is used such as when Guan Yu is convinced by Zhang Liao to join Cao Cao temporarily.

https://gtm.you1.cn/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3411969548

You can view my specs on my Steam profile, but I run a 4070 RTX Super, I was able to play the game on 4K with everything maxed out and above 60 FPS with no stutters. However, when there were too many soldiers on screen it would dip a decent amount into the 40-45 (rarely, we are talking about rivers of soldiers, oceans!). Another thing is that very few maps like Bowangpo of Wei VS Shu ran horribly during the majority of the fight for some reason, hovering around 20-30 FPS. That being said it was that map and another one only. The more you progress through the game the worse performance you will get (by a little) as battles get bigger and more elaborated so keep that in mind!

For 70 bucks (angry gamers at the 10 increase incoming!) is very worth it, the game took me 20 hours to beat my first playthrough and I was rushing to do the main story mostly (I enjoy the meat of the game more than the grease aka side content). Taking this into account, the two other sides can pretty much give another 20-40 hours depending on whenever one rushes through the main plot or indulges in all kinds of content. Mind you, I say rush but I didn't skip any cinematics or story, and barely touched the side content thought.

For newcomers, an interesting game for sure...if you are curious about the setting the story takes place and enjoy action games such as Wo Long then there is something to be enjoyed here. To me, Origins is the perfect introduction to the series as it focuses more on the formations of the Three Kingdoms rather than their resolution of the conflict. You choose a hero that you like and get to see their success, their failure, their ambitions, and vision for the land. All while also enjoying tense and intense combat that is challenging and satisfying. I played half the game in medium difficulty and half in Historian difficulty, and let me tell you some battles can be challenging even in Historian!

https://gtm.you1.cn/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3411969346

For veterans...is a touchy subject. You will either be delighted at the game's reinvention and a new take on making the foundation of combat better than its predecessors, or you will lament as be like "Why do I have to play as John Dynasty? Why I cannot control the other 40 characters and merely can temporarily use 3 different ones per playthrough?" I enjoyed the game a lot and I am happy with the direction they took, but I understand the other side, as sometimes I would see a pretty lady officer or an epic warlord and be like "Yeah, I cannot play as them, sigh...". Still, if you can move past the lack of options, there is a wonderful game here to get in and explore a side of Dynasty Warriors that has never been seen before.

Phew, trying to do good reviews is hard. Anyway, I am a long-time fan of Dynasty Warriors and it is my humble opinion that this game is the best in the series to date! (Don't hurt me Dynasty Warriors 4 and 5 enjoyers!) I didn't like Ziluan aka Wanderer's story {notice I never mentioned him in the review until now?} but everything else was perfect. Intense gameplay that requires skill, careful thinking, and insight as to how battles will play out to come out victorious makes for a perfect recipe when combined with a fantastic story and characters. Whenever you are a newcomer or a veteran, if you are still on the fence I recommend you give Origins a try and see for yourself what an amazing game it is.


"The highest recommendation. There's no such thing as a truly perfect game, but these titles come close to it. These games are the hope of gaming and a true example for other developers to follow and learn from."

If you enjoyed the review, please follow my curator! StarsDeck.

For the best experience, click on the thumbs-up blue button on this review to see it in the big format!'
Since this game is an early access, the review format is shorter than usual.
Average reading time: 3 minutes.

Smite 2 is the sequel to the MOBA Smite, now with better graphics, overhauls to gameplay, and adding more Gods to play into the game. Rather than being limited by the old engine of Unreal Engine 3 it uses Unreal Engine 5, making it more beautiful on the screen and giving the game more room for depth and development.

https://gtm.you1.cn/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3406337148

As a MOBA, it does the job of offering the classic 5 vs 5 experience with lanes in its Conquest mode, yet for all the great stuff Smite 2 is doing on a technical level, the game feels to me to be very lackluster and barebones. Gone are the music themes you could put on your loadout along with many details like animations for recall or global emotes. Old Gods need to be imported back into the game and it will probably take a long while for Smite 2 to be as complete as the first game was.

I had fun with the game in the matches I played, when everything worked correctly that is. Despite many years in the market with the first entry, Smite 2 still suffers from all the pains that a MOBA usually offers. There are AFK teammates, and unbalanced Gods that can domain the battlefield and matches can go for so long that people stop caring when the clock says that more than 45 minutes have passed since it started.

https://gtm.you1.cn/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3406336723

Is frustrating to see the genre be stuck in the mud for so long and not have quality-of-life fixes, perhaps make bots take control of characters when an AFK player presents itself (or rather leaves haha!) or put extra effort into making every character be viable to some degree. Another point is, that I love aesthetics in games and Smite 2 sorely lacks them. There are only a few skins in the game, and most of those skins are overpriced for a title that is clearly in its infancy.

No, not at all. As a returning player, you only get a nice "discount" of 50% to new skins if you have enough legacy gems and it is CAPPED to that 50%, meaning no, you CANNOT get new skins for free if you spent a bunch of money in the first game (aww that sucks~). There is absolutely no benefit to buying the game and is better to just wait until it becomes free to play completely but even then, you still have a bone of a game that feels incomplete in so many aspects. I know is early access, but even this early access feels like it should be a private alpha testing.

https://gtm.you1.cn/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3406337892

My recommendation is to wait for maybe another year unless you want to jump into the game now. Wait until the load-outs come back, the skins are better and priced more fairly (good luck with that one) and have a better balance with all game modes. Ultimately Smite 2 is not a game that I consider fun but rather frustrating and boring, at least until more progress is made in its development. Ultimately why would you play Smite 2, when at the moment, Smite 1 is so much better? It has all the features and all the Gods you could want and will remain so for a long while.

If you consider your time or money precious don't waste them in this game, but it will pass the time if you have nothing better to do.

If you enjoyed the review, please follow my curator! StarsDeck.

For the best experience, click on the thumbs up blue button on this review to see it in the big format!
Average reading time: 5 minutes.

Rimworld is a colony sim game where you manage survivors and try to keep them alive on a planet full of ruthless people, mythical creatures, animals, and machines that all follow the same creed: "Your stuff is mine, and if you don't give it to me I kill you." It is a title where you spend as much time fighting the climate, lack of food, and all sorts of complications that come with establishing a new colony for your survivors to thrive (or perish) in.

What makes Rimworld such a masterwork cult game is that the game is truly fascinating in how realistic and dynamic its interactions play. People love each other, but they hate each other, if you get hurt and you don't treat the wound it becomes a major problem, you can get food poisoning and sometimes your survivors will decapitate enemies in seconds while other times they miss all their shots or have a mental breakdown. Each pawn has their needs that need to be satisfied like a human does in real life, they need to be fed, need to sleep, have fun, feel safe, and feel like their lives are both fulfilling and an achievement.

https://gtm.you1.cn/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3402397747

It's thanks to such an intricate system, that Rimworld is outstanding when it comes to roleplay. Whenever you want to be a Royal Knight and be honorable, save stragglers, make a difference, or run a cult of secluded cannibals that will hunt down anyone in their territory, Rimworld lets you shape the beliefs and technology of your civilization. The Ideology DLC takes this to the next level, giving perks that are both incredibly useful and frustrating based on what memes your colonists believe in. The game is all about making your own story as you play.

I did five playthroughs before reviewing the game, and those colonies all perished horribly except for one. Each run felt fresh to me as I could pursue multiple directions to take my colony, but the best one was playing the modded race Ratkin and becoming a vassal of the Empire. Establishing my own medieval Kingdom where we use ballistas, and double swords (like Dark Maul from Star Wars} and getting Psychodelic magical powers by pleasing the Empire was incredibly fun. I loved the hunt for legendary weapons that can give you fame and power, and using necromancy and techno-magic I was able to create an everlasting society that will stand the test of time.

https://gtm.you1.cn/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3402396966

In another playthrough, I was a lone Ratkin (I love my rats) with three androids, and the gameplay changed drastically from my previous 3 Rats in Royalty. With androids, you can make things happen faster because they never sleep, hence having a 24/7 minion becomes extremely useful and desirable but for all their pros, androids cannot do tasks like cook or be social, which affects how you approach the game as you only have one colonist doing all the stuff androids won't do. It is in that philosophy that we can see Rimworld is a game one can play for ages. I don't play games for a long time, and you can check my hours and know I enjoy my time in Rimworld and will continue to do so! I don't even like Sims management games so that speaks volumes!

That being said, some minor frustrations here and there. Sometimes the game would bug and require development tools to fix it, while at other times the game can kind of abruptly end your tale. Is realistic but not super fun when your awesome melee fighter instantly gets taken out in one smooth swing (personally, I wouldn't be thrilled about it) while in other opportunities the co-writer to the story called the StoryTeller (an AI that decides what events come your way) can be your best friend that sends you milk or your worst enemy that woke up one morning and said "yeah you are getting raided 7 times today" (big shoutout to Randy Random, best storyteller in my humble opinion) so in those cases, you might need to modify your experience to get the most of it, whenever that be an easier difficulty, a particular approach or starting with more knowledge(or hitting the super hardcore difficulty, I mean, if that is what you are into!).

Rimworld is a very expensive game, like for real, an extremely pricey game to get. To get the most out of the modding community and the game, you are basically looking to pay 120 bucks, and trust me, while you can enjoy the base game and no mods, Rimworld is a game MEANT to be modded. Is like day and night without it and mods depend on the DLC so not having the DLC means some of the best mods won't work at all.

That being said, you can acquire this in pieces. Personally, I played the base game on my first playthrough, modded the second, and for the other three, I got all DLC and 200-ish mods. When you get into the meat of it, Rimworld is a game you can play forever and is awesome to see how the community always brings something new and exciting to it, how the players keep the game not only alive but expand it with crazy goofy ideas that are marvelous to play through. My personal fav goes to the Ratkin and Vanilla Expanded, french kiss mods that make Rimworld one of the best games you could ever play.

https://gtm.you1.cn/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3402397492

As for the DLCs, personally (hot take incoming), I disliked Biotech for a while, then I loved it, and now I am like, "Hmm, it's okay, I guess." I know it is a fan favorite, but I am just more into Royalty and Ideology, where I make my own culture and develop it over time. Anomaly is also incredibly fun, but only for a playthrough or two, very limited but enjoyable nonetheless. Oh right my justifications, uhh...I dislike Biotech cause research takes a lot of time and resources are a pain to get, I love Royalty cause who doesn't love shooting ice bolts or resurrecting enemies to serve as minions from death, I like Ideology cause I get to make my own rules with pros and cons, and finally I enjoy Anomaly cause touching a funny rock and summoning the invisible skinwalker is just gonna do wonders for my colony (sips coffee) not. Curiosity does kill the cat, or in this case the funny rock (I cannot leave it alone, help).

No. I jest, YES IT IS! Rimworld is honestly one of the most amazing games I played, worth every cent and every minute. Is a fantastical journey where every playthrough is a story to be told and a tale of success, sacrifice, drama, and loss. When you lose a colonist, you feel it in your bones, is painful and sad but that's what makes them valuable, the joy (and frustrations) you share with these little bits of data.

Whenever you want to be more medieval and destroy hi-tech people (like I do) make alliances or I don't know, be a cannibalistic colony with a lot of flavors of "I exploit everyone else for my sake" (feeling daring today aren't we?} Rimworld is a mirror, through which you can explore infinite stories and have all the emotional rollercoaster that the experience is forever. Do yourself a favor and get the game, I mean I don't like sims games and I love it.


"The highest recommendation. There's no such thing as a truly perfect game, but these titles come close to it. These games are the hope of gaming and a true example for other developers to follow and learn from."

If you enjoyed the review, please follow my curator! StarsDeck.

Feel free to read my hot take.
Mechabellum is a strategy game that pits players against each other as they build armies of robots with different upgrades and leveling. While the game appears as a "deep strategic tactics game," it is more of a rock-paper-scissors game that depends heavily on countering the opponent rather than following a particular strategy. Using RNG elements such as dice in commander selection or extra units/upgrades detracts from the game, and it ends up being an infuriating mix of luck and lots of unbalanced units. The game also lacks any substantial single-player, so it is a multiplayer game. Read more if you wanna know my hot take *wink*.

Mechabellum is in my opinion, not a strategy game. It relies a lot on countering, and following one strategy usually ends in one being obliterated by the opponent. Each round players get cards to use and what you see is what you get, which takes away the player's choice in how the army is built and pushes towards a specific type of unit to get the most out of it, or one can do what they want and suffer for it. The philosophy of the game itself is a contradiction, as it tells you to "use this unit instead" all the time in your ears yet if you want to win you have to counter, so how does it work? Easy, you hope that what the game wants you to play also counters your opponent.

https://gtm.you1.cn/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3394099696

Despite what fans and developers say, Mechabellum is an unbalanced mess when it comes to its units. The best example is the "Melting Point," a giant robot with big lasers that destroys everything. The Melting Point can attack all types of units, has a lot of damage while being tanky and one of the upgrades literally says "60%HP increase plus lifesteal" which is absurd when all other units get increases of 12-30% at best in general. Every time that unit appears it is almost impossible to win, and if your opponent gets a better RNG and capitalizes on max ranks, you are done, put the keyboard away and make tea cause you are not winning that match.

To make matters worse, the game is severely missing a lot of quality-of-life implementations that would benefit it. These can range from an undo button that is missing in the planning phase, crashes, unit drops being broken and the community being as toxic as can be. It results in a recipe for disaster, and had I mentioned your units move by themselves? Granted, is okay or it would be, if sometimes your units wouldn't make the worst moves imaginable and throw the match.

https://gtm.you1.cn/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3394097808

Adding to that are the hackers or cheaters (pick your name) which really ruin the game for me, they aren't as common but when they show up you are pretty much guaranteed to be robbed of a win and it feels bad.

Wouldn't be an unbiased review if I only talked negatively, so here are some good points. I like the look of the game and the price range is acceptable. It can be fun and some matches are a blast to play through, but there are also some matches where you will feel like buying this game was a huge mistake.

https://gtm.you1.cn/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3394098846

The unit diversity and their designs are pretty slick, sadly held back by unbalanced overpowered units making half the roster forgettable. I enjoyed the upgrade mechanic where all units get the same buff if they are the same one and honestly, 4 players Free For All matches are super fun with a lot of chaotic action! I think if Mechabellum wants to pursue its current path, a brawler FFA fits the game better than the 2VS2 or 1VS1, if they wanna pursue the latter then they need to diminish the RNG and go back to the drawing board of what makes a good strategy game.

Overall, Mechabellum fails to deliver as a strategy game, and to be honest if you are not short on money, there are way better choices out there to enjoy when it comes to tactical games. If you read this far, thanks for going through what perhaps is one of my most negative reviews. 90% positive is bound to make me look like a fool but I didn't like the game and I wouldn't recommend it to anyone. It is in equal measure a fun game and a frustrating one. If you are looking for a side game and don't mind losing to RNG, hackers, and OP units, there is perhaps some fun to be had. Otherwise stay away, especially if you are competitive or are looking to grind ratings in your matchmaking.

If you consider your time or money precious don't waste them in this game, but it will pass the time if you have nothing better to do.

:) If you enjoy and find the review helpful, please follow my curator! StarsDeck

RoboCop: Rogue City is a power trip game disguised as an FPS where you become RoboCop and decide how to deliver justice and the word of the law. As a hulking machine that is quite literally unstoppable, you play levels using advanced technology such as scanners that mark targets or bullets that reflect on surfaces to eliminate enemies that keep spawning until the minion spawning machine breaks. If you enjoy unique experiences and power trips or you like the RoboCop movies, then there is a lot to be found in this game.

As I said, Rogue City is a power fantasy, Robocop can soak bullets and explosions like nothing, can grab people and throw them into the sky and he doesn't even take fall damage! It is a lot of fun to play as him as you truly feel invincible and have a lot of gadgets and skill points to unlock. His trusty auto-9 is a pistol that works like a machine gun and can be customized (it also has infinite ammo) and you can modify him to suit your playstyle whether that be a focus on combat, human psychology, or being able to hack systems.

https://gtm.you1.cn/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3388623658

Despite all of those advantages, RoboCop is still a flawed machine (or human). He moves slowly, meaning is hard to dodge incoming fire or rocket launchers at times, his auto-9 while handy sometimes doesn't have enough damage to dispatch groups of enemies fast enough and mines can deal severe damage. Knowing how to exploit RoboCop's main features while circumventing his flaws will make him a more effective machine, especially in harder-difficultier settings where the game can go from a power trip to an actual challenge.

As I played through the game, one of the aspects I enjoyed the most was the evaluation of RoboCop. Based on how many humans you save, side objectives, and criminals taken out you get a rating and the better ratings give you more experience. There are also segments where you compete VS fellow robots or departments of SWAT or police forces to see who does a better job. Those competitions are a nice way of introducing pressure to do a good job while it is also satisfying to win them and prove that RoboCop is the future after all.

https://gtm.you1.cn/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3388624378

Some choices can be made, and what you choose determines if RoboCop feels more like a machine, a human, or both. Characters have a reputation system of sorts that affects how they look and think of RoboCop as well as part of the ending. Investing in Psychology can make these choices easier or more effective but can end up negating damage as you don't invest in it, which forces you to rely on different weapons with limited ammo instead of the Auto-9. In that way, we can see that the player's choices affect both the story and the gameplay.

Ah yes, that overused phrase in media. Anyways, the story is an original tale told in the world of RoboCop, and movie fans will appreciate all the nostalgia and nods to the movies as the commissary looks the same and Lewis is in the game, a pivotal character to RoboCop development as a person. The Big Bad while interesting is also a bit cliche but does a solid job at delivering a threat to the city and a sense of urgency.

https://gtm.you1.cn/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3388625031

The scenarios are well done and being in the universe of RoboCop is fascinating as you explore the city of Old Detroit meeting its struggling people and flawed characters. The music is also worth taking note of, as the composer is Chris Detyna who has worked on games such as Terminator: Resistance and delivers soundtracks that are instantly recognizable by fans of the movies. The sound of RoboCop's steps is nailed perfectly and the visual aspects are pretty good in reflections and overall look of the game.

Rogue City is a different type of FPS game that is a breath of fresh air in the industry and the way to follow when making new games: be original and be thrilling to play. For a 10-hour game if you follow only the main story is a bit overpriced, but the quality of the title and nods to the movies make it worth getting! RoboCop as a character has it's unique flair in how he speaks and how he plays in the game thanks to his strengths and weaknesses. Those who want to play something unique or love the RoboCop movies should give this game a try!

8/10 GREAT

:) If you enjoy and find the review helpful, please follow my curator! StarsDeck

Overpriced DLC, would recommend if you love playing Grand Cathay as it brings a MUCH needed diversity in their monster roles and a pretty cool OP legendary commander that can make the lady dragon jealous of his powerful skill. Yuan Bo The Jade Dragon trades a lot of the healing for raw power, and lore wise he is a interesting character. While not necessary it does make for a nice addition for the other two factions, but particularly Grand Cathay in my humble opinion.

Without this DLC, Grand Cathay can be a bit troublesome to play in MP as your opponent goes "aha! I know exactly what army you are bringing!" as the faction is truly pushed into a defensive mold where some units are obligatory to bring overall. At least with this DLC you can surprise your opponents and break the mold, be more flexible in what you bring to battles. Makes Cathay more fun to play as a faction!

Skulltaker is a much-needed support pack for the Khorne faction (which is my favorite!) Skulltaker himself is OP in the campaign and amazing in multiplayer, and pairing this pack with Champions of Chaos gives Khorne as a faction a lot of options when it comes to fielding the army (yes, it is all melee, yes big brain players play this faction, like me). There is something so fun about going full ARGGGHH and rushing enemies while thinking "Nah, I win" and then winning.

The new patch gives some love to the faction and honestly, a joy to play. Like I said, it is overpowered, but it's not like Chaos Dwarfs, Grand Cathay, or Dark Elves kind of overpowered. Well, I mean for the Skulltaker campaign it do be that OP. If you like Chaos, Khorne, dislike micro-managing, range units, and suffering from "my opponent is beating me by micro-managing their cavalry! GOSH!" then I recommend this DLC. Also if you like Skulltaker being OP :3

Triangle Strategy is a turn-based RPG game where the player will encounter a wide array of characters to recruit and field in dynamic battles. The game has a compelling story shaped by the decisions taken and features heavy character development and plot twists that are done correctly. If you know of Fire Emblem or Final Fantasy Tactics, you will be right at home despite some of the differences such as no counterattacks or roles being more diverse.

The story of Triangle Strategy puts the player in the role of Serenoa Wolffort, a young man who due to circumstances becomes the head of his house in the land of Norzelia. There are a lot of gray themes and decisions to be made, and one can often find themselves allying with an enemy or doing questionable things to thrive in the land of salt. As a player, you carry the consequences of your choices and must decide which path is more appropriate for your house, creating an interesting narrative experience. Do you favor effective but cruel tactics, or do you sacrifice the advantage to align with your moral compass?

https://gtm.you1.cn/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3381986959

Triangle Strategy's story dwells on slavery, betrayal, hard choices, and manipulation. The first few chapters had me bored out of my mind, but once I got around chapters 6-7 a few hours in I found myself hooked as the story picked up. The land of Norzelia is a place where the strong rule over the weak, and those beneath need to obey if they wish to survive. Every faction has its agenda and navigating the political field of the different houses is not only engaging but also compelling. As the player plays the different routes, they find each path reveals secrets and lore about the land itself.

The combat of Triangle Strategy is similar to a tactics game but also includes its flavor. The most important aspect is the environment itself, archers deal more damage when they are in higher places or from a distance, and terrain can become frozen, wet, or burn due to magic, affecting units and even influencing hit rates. It creates a compelling challenge where when playing with higher difficulties every little detail needs to be taken into account.

https://gtm.you1.cn/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3381987439

The game also uses skill points that are spent to use abilities and regenerate slowly, and depending on what units you field on the battlefield you can have synergies. For example, Benedict can give Serenoa a double turn, while Julio can give Benedict his skills points back, enabling Serenoa to get another double turn or act instantly again skipping everyone's turn. Three characters out of the thirty already show the potential for strategy and synergies greatly. The level design is also fantastic, with multiple conditionals or intricated design, although few levels are reused or can have a simplistic layout, the majority shine as excellent and well-balanced.

The Scales of Conviction is a voting system that many players didn't like back in the day, it felt like it took responsibility from Serenoa and freedom of choice from the player. However, what appears as a restrictive system can have some flexibility to it. Anna is your wildcard which you can influence to alter votes (alongside other characters depending on your convictions) and sometimes dialogue choices can work if you lack the necessary requisite as convictions divide between freedom, utility, and Morality. That being said, in true Japanese fashion, the developers of Triangle Strategy love to keep their best paths to new game plus, as getting the Golden Route in a first playthrough can be vexing both in votes and its gameplay with high lv enemies and harsh levels.

https://gtm.you1.cn/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3381988671

The game has different endings and routes, each featuring its tone and changing the course of the story. I went with the Benedict route and had an amazing time with its plot twist that I couldn't see coming and gray themes of incredibly harsh decisions. The voice acting is fantastic and sells the story exceedingly well in the English dub, and although Serenoa's voice actor wanes, it also thrives in other scenes. I found Serenoa VA to be decently tolerated, as Triangle Strategy is a grounded story, it fits well into the role to have a more stoic character at times.

The best part of Triangle Strategy is not only its story and combat but also the soundtrack. The music in the game carries the scenes and themes. Resolute Heart, with its heavy tones and melancholy notes, can be impactful during big moments. Others, such as Crimson Might or Combat March, make battles have a tone of fantasy and serious stakes in the former, while the latter provides a more hopeful take on it.

For all the praises I am singing to the game, it is not without its flaws. Unless playing on easier difficulties, grinding is a must in mock battles and it can be extremely tedious at times. As stated before, the first few hours can be a bit lacking and it can be frustrating when one wants to take a route, only for the game to tell you "No, I think you want this route instead" and force you to either take another path or you guest it, grind conviction. In addition, characters join you based on conviction (except the mandatory cast) which can create fear of missing out and the necessity of using a guide.

Triangle Strategy is an amazing strategy game that despite its flaws, manages to convey a story full of twists, tragedies, and the grayness of the world. I liked the tactical use of the environment being on the forefront, and its characters, factions, and world are full of life and passion with a colorful cast using Red, Blue, and Green as primary colors. Being able to become part of a faction to betray them later leaves a lot of choices on the table. It gives a good diversity in the storytelling experience in my opinion. Despite some gripes, I recommend playing the game blindly with no guides on the first playthrough and enjoying the ride on the land of Norzelia.

9/10 AMAZING

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Chrono Ark is a roguelike deck builder that combines engaging and enjoyable gameplay with a fascinating story that is pieced together as you find fragments of what happened before the start of the game. Multiple characters and builds allow for a lot of creativity when it comes to determining how each of your party members will play and what kind of synergies they can take advantage of to destroy powerful foes before things get complicated.

On the other hand, as a roguelike that can be missing variation in the runs that take place in it, that is to say, the areas and some challenges, it suffers from slow burnout as things can become repetitive over time. Certain characters have either complex methods for being unlocked or greedy ones, and sometimes having a bit of bad luck can send you back to the starting area in the blink of an eye.

In Chrono Ark, battles need to be done quickly and efficiently. Characters can get hurt from storms if they spend too much time in a battle, bosses have powerful mechanics that are dangerous in a battle of attrition and even a relaxed situation can become critical due to new foes appearing or party members becoming exhausted. In this balancing act, we can see that Chrono Ark as a roguelike game can be quite challenging but also extremely fun to play as each turn you take risks and maneuver your options to try to execute the most optimal play.

https://gtm.you1.cn/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3375127834

The diverse cast of characters keeps things fresh, as each of them presents their particular playstyle, synergies, and roles. For example. Azar is a damage dealer who when using his skills, can generate blades that are free to play with no cost. While that's great, generating blades takes up actions and he requires a lot of them, which means other party members will have a harder time acting in battle as Azar requires a lot of mana. With one character we can see that the game philosophy shines in having pros and cons to every strategy.

The story is very well written, with a lot of plot twists and surprising dark tones which is reinforced by the blue-ish palette of the game and the beautiful art design of the characters. I was quite shocked by some of the developments and even though I found the final section to be a bit dull, for the majority of the game I had a great time going through its narrative.

On the other hand, Chrono Ark does suffer from not having enough variety when it comes to enemies and environments. After losing a few runs you can find yourself doing the same paths and gameplay loop that you have previously gone through with minimal differences, which can be tedious at times. While fans of Roguelikes will probably be able to keep going without an issue, newcomers or RPG fans could feel a dull loop that can burn them out of the game, once bosses' mechanics are learned they are no longer challenging and it can feel like a waste of time trying to reach the area you were in before.

https://gtm.you1.cn/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3375126423

"That's how roguelikes are supposed to be" I agree, but the main issue is that a good roguelike needs variety, both for the player in terms of options and for enemies to keep things fresh in the long run. Chrono Ark succeeds in the former but fails in the latter, creating a weird imbalance that feels half-baked.

In addition to these issues, the game also suffers from a poorly done tutorial and an overwhelming complexity for newcomers. A more gradual introduction would have worked better, and the layout is placated with issues where it can be hard to know who has which buffs and debuffs as well as boss mechanics, especially if playing with a SteamDeck or a controller. Why must I press 4-6 buttons to see a simple debuff? A better layout that presents information would have been appreciated.

At 25$ 25, Chrono Ark offers a lot of content for a decent price. The story will last for a while and while the gameplay can be dull at times, it also remains fresh in other instances thanks to its huge roster of characters and team combinations. That being said, the DLC comes in two packages that will cost you 20$ extra, and these can be hard to skip as they feature new animations, visuals, costumes, skills, and equipment. The whole complete bundle cost around 40$, which while I consider a bit expensive, can be worth it for fans of the genre.

https://gtm.you1.cn/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3375127267

In terms of replayability I think that by the time one beats the story, they usually move on, but during the whole journey, it can offer between 15-40 hours of gameplay. For newcomers, think carefully if running loops is fun to you before buying, especially at full price.

Chrono Ark is a game that kept me awake for a couple of nights after seeing the whole story and I kept reminding myself of its characters and narrative. The gameplay is a lot of fun with all the options it presents to the player, and while it was a slow burn, it can be a thrilling experience for anime fans looking for a deep roguelike deckbuilder. Newcomers be warned that if you are not into repetition in terms of pathing you will suffer from an exhausting run as you play the game. While complex and confusing at times, mastering its combat system is extremely rewarding and is well worth the effort.


7/10 GREAT

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