Πρόσφατες κριτικές από τον Silencio o Rebeldía

Wow, what peaceful, almost meditative experience!

In Himno, the are no enemies other than your lackluster jumping abilities and the roaring seas. Actually, they are pretty tranquil, but, unlike the rest of the game, the end of a good run will arrive with a tragic swim. Many a times does this game bait you into a false sense of security… that is until you make an outrageous and miscalculated jump and fall into a watery abyss.

With helpful wisps flying nearby and beautiful decrepit ruins to explore, Himno manages to capture a tranquility like no other with its simplicity, its many waterfalls and its robotic protagonist. The mood changes at times with the music, but there’s always that sense of nostalgia nearby; maybe for companionship? Or civilization? Or communication? I’m not sure, but when I was immersed in its world, I was overcome with a feeling for more.

In the original review I described it as an “ecstasy” to play it the first time. I calmed down a bit and wrote something more level-headed now, but maintain that it was great to step into its floating stone blocks with only a wisp at hand, listening to the water softly pass by.

Solid beginning to a title that unfortunately didn’t succeed in its Kickstarter.

I see much promise; tight controls, fun hack/slash combat and a colorful environment. Hopefully, Unsung Warriors can see the light of day in a complete, remastered, enhanced, limited edition, premium, exclusive or whatever games call it now days when they actually sell you the whole package.

Looking forward to it.

The first part of the game is fine…

But the second is a rage-inducing, blood-boiling, brain-aneurysm of a game. Poor design choices and rng infested sentient trucks make the bulk of the problems. I get it, it’s a gimmicks-based physics game but it seems that at a great many times the developers went to pains to tarnish an otherwise enjoyable experience by artificially altering the difficulty, unnecessarily punishing players in levels that are hard enough already by adding mostly stupid obstacles and/or gimmicks.

Its not a bad game by any means, but if you like finishing games before being done with them then prepare to suffer, scream and punch a hole through your computer screen.

In the beginning of every area you are introduced to new mechanics, and… let me tell you, the developers came up with some nifty ones that had me laughing at their ingenuity.

Although the jump seemed a little off in the beginning (maybe a little too short? And at times unresponsive) I soon got over that and finished the first two areas with no major problems.

Solid although short title.

Thoroughly surprised with this little title.

Cheap, simple and with a hideous store page pic that doesn’t do justice to the gameplay, it has all the hallmarks of a traditional rpg; loot (that you purchase rather than find), various enemies that get more intricate as you progress (first goblin, then wolf, then goblin riding wolf, next wolf/goblin mutation, I imagine?), and stats affected by the items you carry.

I like that fact that just holding down the attack button spams the slash animation rather hitting it time and time again. Enemies are varied enough not to feel repetitive and bosses break the monotony of never-ending dungeon raiding… but most importantly, it’s fun!

Traded for it nonchalantly and now I play it vigorously. Give it a shot if you’re into indie dungeon-crawlers.

This is an acquired taste... a delicacy... a mind-numbing, color-pulsating, car-grinding, taco-delivering odyssey.






Think of shrooms.

An interactive “Where’s Wally?” centered not around a mysterious stripped-sweatered man but on a mysterious people called the Hidden Folk. Traverse their many different habitats looking for buttons, doors or levers to help uncover their many locations. It’s a passion project and the drawings, sounds and pricing reflect that. Wonderful little time sinker for a lazy afternoon.



And if you spend a long time in a map and look at all the little interactions between folk, you'll soon realize...




It's so cute.

Everything this game does (even its shortcomings) is done with style. Its atmospheric, smooth and entertaining albeit repetitive in gameplay, barren of a story (that could've been oh so much more) and full of brain-dead enemies (uncharacteristic of demons, don't you think?).

I remember the first time I tried it; fresh from installing it and bubbling with excitement, I precariously jumped straight into hard mode. Little did I know that the most pleasant rage quit awaited me. It had been a while since I started a game on easy, but Seraph made sure to kick my a$$ plenty before demanding it.

After a few luminous chards and more than 8,888 demons slayed, I'm finally done with achievements and fighting regularly at 8 pips or more without any rebirths (although the last achievement required it).

The positives about this game are the smooth movement, short levels (5 to 10 mins at most) and the amount of action you see in them although ultimately, they become repetitive in nature. I appreciate the precision of the guiding-arrow especially in big maps where it’s easy to get lost.

The negatives are the empty rooms you encounter when getting all collectibles, the similarity of maps layouts after a while and the lack of dynamism after reaching maximum difficulty. There are also just two main bosses but the rising difficulty meter balances it out.

Overall, I enjoyed my time with Seraph and would have no qualms recommending it to any gamer who likes to venture outside of conventional games.

Consider this a mixed review.

Everything about the game drew me in at first; the art, the boating, the decayed city and yet I encountered the repetition other reviews talk about early into the playthrough. I found more lacking than polished, but I did enjoy the game and what it had to offer.

The gameplay unfortunately is one of its biggest drawbacks. Mundane and simplistic, you resort to committing the same actions over and over while scavenging for medicine and supplies. It could've been more, oh so much more; take Windwaker for example (another boating extravaganza and my personal favorite game ever) where you could jump from any ledge into the water and swim into the boat or your death. So much freedom. Here it seems that you are punished for not following the strict patterns set by the developers making coming down buildings where you missed a secret a pain in the behind. Also, the inability to jump when there were so many occasions that warrant it is also a missed opportunity.

Another improvement could be made to the boating “upgrades” themselves; as many boats as there were lying around I thought the upgrades could’ve been more varied than the simple speed boost… say as a machine gun I could mount to go whale “fishing” or a sort of radar that could tell me when there were deserted boats nearby especially after finishing the game.

Overall, I did enjoy the game and found it a relaxing experience from the never-ending violence that is so prevalent in popular media today.

I honestly think this deserves a remaster… with a few more improvements, it could become a cult classic.

Spirit Whisperer 2014

This game is a murder-mystery detective simulator that takes place during the colonization of North America where muskets, hostile naturals and talking spirits are your daily companions. Why it wasn't quite advertised this way, I have no idea because it's an awesome concept to explore especially when you ring the bell (!!!) (Don't do it).

The unsettling ambiance the game creates with sounds (naturals bird calls, Spanish growls, clinging of armor) and the obvious bleakness from being devoid of color is fantastic. I feared leaving my trusted fort behind not because I was ill equipped but because the premise of scavenging the land became terrifying.

I thought it was empowering and exorcist-like how the protagonist (turned John Constantine) could give respite or damnation to the lost spirits and shadows. It only added to his legend.
Days after finishing the game I still feel drawn to its setting, its bewildering ending and the maiden in red. It's not perfect by any means but it is an experience you won't soon forget... give it a shot.