Recent reviews by frieman4993

An exceptionally bizarre but ultimately enthralling adventure! Though the developer describes this game as an "RPG," it's really more of a point-and-click puzzle adventure, albeit only controlled with the keyboard.

The atmosphere in Swollen to Bursting is delightfully off-kilter. It brings to mind the likes of Twin Peaks with nothing quite being the way that it should, while the top-down gameplay harkens to EarthBound, Undertale, and OneShot. Most of the puzzles are very well implemented, but some of them are head-scratchingly obtuse, and I was very grateful to have found a guide. The story is deliberately left somewhat vague, but it seems to tell the tale of a young man who is going through much more than he is willing to acknowledge. The implications run deep and speak to the need for psychological support.

Despite an awkward control scheme and some bugs that occasionally make it unclear how to progress (an invisible train, for instance), this is an impressive feat for a free release, and I would gladly pay money for it. Well done Adam!

Public service announcement: DO NOT PLAY THIS GAME ON STEAM DECK OR ANY OTHER HANDHELD. It is fundamentally not designed for portable play. Not only does a small screen make it difficult to find the next destination sometimes, but using a controller makes the game exponentially more difficult due to the control scheme being designed around mouse aiming. It took me way too many hours of frustration before I figured this out.

Otherwise, this is a very fun, heartwarming parkour adventure!

I was hoping this game could help shine a light on how someone neuroatypical might see the world, but it actually triggered my OCD because of how bizarre and nonsensical it was. Perhaps if it were structured in a way that were easier to follow and had a better translation it could have potential, but I can't recommend it as it stands since it bewildered me to an uncomfortable degree.

A super polished homage to the Nintendo greats of old, elevated to a new level of awesome!