Recent reviews by KelLorien

If you ever wanted to star in a Mecha anime, now is the time.
Very fun and satisfying to play.
Game is hard, but at least understandable so far; remember, if a boss is hard, maybe change up your mech. The enormous customization potential is there for a reason.

NOTE: i originally left a negative review due to persistent crashing problems. Those are only mostly resolved by messing with some graphics settings (vsync off, playing in borderless windowed mode). Obviously not everyone has this problem, but if you are concerned, you may want to see a future patch comes around to address performance/optimization.

This game seems to have a reputation, at least among people who like puzzle games, but I will say it certainly doesn't live up to it. It's funny that I feel like I've fallen prey to "hype" over a game like this.

As a long time Fire Emblem fan, I'm on the lookout for new and interesting tactics RPGs. This style of game is not heavily represented these days, but I think we've got good addition to the genre here in Symphony of War.

The gameplay is fairly unique compared to many of the tactics games I've played. You control Squads of individual units, which can be upgraded and arranged between units to suit whatever strategy you wish to fulfill. There's a wide scope of unit capabilities, which can be further affected by equipment per squad, allowing for anything from balanced multi-purpose squads to highly specialized groups assassins or archers. I'm still getting accustomed to this sort of army management, and what is actually "good," but it is quite rewarding already. The various unit types and combinations allow for tons of strategic depth, and I'm certainly here for it. If you are at all invested in tactics games, the game seems certainly worth your time.

I won't speak too much to the story, but it seems like standard RPG fare so far. Yet to see how it really develops.

The graphics, I'm sure you've noticed, evoke a very retro feel. This looks like it could be a SNES game at times. Of course, I'm a fan of this overall aesthetic, so no issues there.

Unfortunately, I can't say that the presentation is particularly great overall. Designs are fairly generic, and it does cause problems when you want to tell units apart at a glance on the battlefield. Also, the character profiles aren't amazing either, and somewhat inconsistent on top of that. Some look fine, others look rather off.

The only other relatively minor gripe is the UI. The squad management menus are kinda unintuitive and tedious, and actions like swapping units around or checking stats become more annoying than they should be. In battle, there are some minor annoyances too... Not sure why selecting an un-moved squad on a captured objective doesn't default to the move command , or why there does not appear to be a button to cycle the cursor to your next available squad (you have to look through the field or a menu instead). I suspect a lot of the issues are tied to limitations of the game engine, and they aren't a huge problem regardless. The game is still being developed, too, so these are things which may be improved on later.

Hopefully it doesn't sound like the negatives outweigh the positives here. If you are looking for more turn-based tactics in your life, this is a great choice.

Gameplay is quite good. Very fast paced and frantic compared to the other big-name titles in 2D fighting games at the moment, which is definitely my style. Great 2D graphics, and excellent music as well.

**Addendum: There is now DLC available. I would highly recommend NOT installing the DLC before completing the original. The DLC is amazing, but almost completely self-contained. In my opinion, it is better to experience the original game alone first. It will save you from some potential distractions, and it really improves the experience of the DLC when you've seen all the base game has to offer.

Might be the pinnacle of "Don't look up anything, just play it" games.

Outer Wilds is an experience not quite like anything else I've played. It's probably best described as a mystery and exploration game, in the purest possible form. You get dropped in with just enough direction to get you started, and from there, you pretty much just follow your own curiosity. There's no crafting, no combat, just discovery. The payoff is incredible.

There were some minor annoyances I found over the course of playing (time-based discoveries and puzzles, some easily missed clues) that I imagine some players could be put off by. But after it all comes together, all those complaints have practically faded from my memory.

I still think about this game all the time, even months after playing it through. Worst thing I can say about it is that it doesn't last longer, as once you've found everything, there is very little else to do.

Oh, and the music is incredible. Subtle yet powerful, it will stick with you as much as the rest of the game.