Recent reviews by Johann

I purchased StarCrawlers on sale for $1.99 and so far it has given me 96 hours of enjoyment. I've paid for triple A games for so much more than that with less than half the fun.

In those 96 hours, I've had 3 playthroughs all ending in the permadeath of one or all of my characters (challenge + ironmode). In this difficulty setting, when a character dies, you can no longer rehire a new one of the same class. Theoretically, you can end up running out of classes to hire and ultimately foil your chances to finish the game. I never tried rehiring new characters. The loss of a character I leveled and nurtured is sad enough that I called off the playthrough each time and started anew.

It's a first person, grid-movement, RPG dungeon crawler with turn-based combat. I could tell the devs put a lot of thought and love into this project. Your choices on who to work for and go against has a lot of impact in your campaign. I love dungeon crawling, returning to base with nice loot and improving my reputation with various factions which I can cash in for rewards. In between crawling, I can take on "hacking" jobs which is really just another series of turn-based combat.

PROS
+ Imaginative classes with unique builds
+ I can use custom portraits for my crawlers!!!
+ Lots of opposing factions to work for or against
+ Interesting puzzles integrated in the environment
+ Lots of gear and skill combos, lots of stats
+ Nice environment graphics
+ Interesting lore

CONS
+ Real world battles are interesting but slowww
+ Virtual world battles are boring and very slowww
+ Default character art style is not my cup of tea
+ Grid movement + camera sort of makes me dizzy
+ The game loop and combat can be repetitive ***

*** but it is this same quality that makes Starcrawlers a zen-like, chill gaming experience for me. Perfect for playing after a busy, tiring day at work. I will definitely replay the game in the future. I think I was close to beating it when my crawlers met their untimely demise. A solid 8 out 10 for me. Highly recommended!

Iratus LOTD is a turn-based, troop-management roguelike RPG where you lead undead minions from the depths of your subterranean prison to the world above. For a roguelike RPG, Iratus is more RPG and less roguelike which I personally like. 

The core of the game is leveling your units and going to battle against scores of baddies (or in this case, "goodies"). Unit build customization is in between average and complex. You can select their stats, skill types and accessories. Other mechanics include base upgrades, alchemy, talent tree and artifact customization for Iratus (you).

PROS
+ Deep RPG elements and unit build customization.
+ Lots of accessories that change the way a unit plays.
+ Good variety of units. Large variety of enemies.
+ Spell effects are very nice and impactful.
+ Lovely art style. Some forgivable anatomy issues.
+ The dialogue and voice overs are fantastic!!!
+ You can name your units. Very important because...

CONS
- Units only have 1 skin!!! Unless you buy the DLCs.
- UI seems floaty and non-interactive sometimes.
- The "wait" command for units didn't work for me.
- In-battle dialogue causes unnecessary delay in actions.
- And the biggest CON: 

Replacing high-level units is a little too easy. When your unit dies, there's a good chance that a "brain" will drop after you win the battle. The brain will have a level at or close to the level of the unit that died. So if my dead unit was lv 35, the brain drop will be lv 35. I can create a new lv 1 unit, plug the lv 35 brain into him/her, and now I have a new lv 35 unit. Often, the dead unit drops some of its upgrades and OP accessories which help rebuild the new unit almost identically. Further, in your battles, brains would randomly drop matching the high level of the enemies. So I just stockpile brains and never have to fear losing a unit. It makes me feel less attached to a unit and feel less bad when they're gone. Granted, I played at the second to the hardest difficulty. Maybe I will change my tune at the hardest game mode.

Don't let these cons deter you from buying the game. They are easily overlooked with the fun I had. Iratus gets an 8.5 from me. Very good addition to my library which I see my self replaying. Highly recommended.

I felt nostalgic over Saga Frontier 1 & 2 so I thought I would get into Saga Scarlet Grace. I liked the combat, it's very fluid and strategic. Unfortunately, I hated just about everything else. It was, to me, a shallow, grating and boring experience. I wanted it to be over after 2 hours of playing. It was torturous trying to get to the end while completing as many side events as I can. I played as Leonard and I can say with absolute certainty that his dialogue with Lissa was the most annoying and cringe-inducing out of all the games I played. 

PROS
+ Fluid, strategic combat
+ Nice battle effects
+ Feels polished, no lag, no bugs

CONS
- Art direction is like rainbow vomit
- Characters all look like circus performers
- World map is ugly and uninspired
- Game lore is discombobulated and uninspired
- The script/dialogue is badly written and weird
- Unengaging armory upgrade
- Character builds didn't feel unique or special
- Just a handful of music scores

I usually like Square Enix rpgs but this is a no for me. 3 out of 10, do not recommend.

Neat little gladiator management game. It's deceptively simple but the troop progression and combat strategy go surprisingly deep. 

PROS
+ Good replay value
+ Charming 2D sprites
+ Unique troop builds
+ Plenty of gears and spells
+ Each run feels different

CONS
- Endless mode should've been default
- Needs more race variety in base game
- Art assets are not cohesive
- UI feels laggy or sticky at times

Despite the cons, I had good fun and can see myself replaying it through the years. Pretty good for the price (got in on sale). A hearty recommendation from me!

6.5 out of 10 for me. DA2 scratched my itch for if-then scripting of AI party members. I love this system in other games such as DA1, Pillars of Eternity, Final Fantasy XII. It is like breathing life into an automaton, defining how it might act in certain situations or react to stimuli without needing to control it outright. I am giving DA2 a lukewarm recommendation for this reason. Without this system, I doubt I would have had the fortitude to finish the game and its side quests. 

PROS
+ Has if-then command list for AI allies
+ Elegant art direction (but bad character models)
+ Dialogue is nicely written

CONS
- The if-then commands are not as robust as DA1
- You are forced to use specific AI members at times
- Limited character build customization
- Limited gear and character designs
- Limited music and zone variety
- Except Kunari, most character models are bad
- The pacing of the game was boring to me
- Except for my dog, I didn't like any of the characters
- EA Origins needs to be installed to play

A quarter through, I just wanted to be done with DA2. It did not engage me like DA1 did. With how cheap its price tag is now and for the fact that it has the AI if-then scripting, I would still recommend its addition to your library. I hope you enjoy it much more heartily than I did.

Fell Seal: Arbiter's Mark is a very good game with a fundamental flaw. If you're a fan of Final Fantasy Tactics or tactical rpgs like me, you will enjoy it A LOT - but something might gnaw on you until you're pissed. More on that below.

PROS
+ Deeply customizable character builds.
+ Tons of classes with themed skill sets & traits.
+ Combine 2 classes & get traits from other classes.
+ Synergize class combos or just go w/ a crazy build.
+ Stat growth differs for each class, more uniqueness.
+ You can upload your own character portraits.
+ Very tough (but long) battles if you play on hardest.
+ Lots of unique armor, weapons and accessories.
+ Interesting map levels, lots of verticality & flavor.
+ Quaint pixel style is clean, it grows on you.
+ Music is above average but limited.

CONS
- Too many difficulty settings. Keep choices minimal.
- Story attempts to be adult but dialogue is childish.
- I did not like any of the story characters.
- Animation of models and skills effects is choppy.
- Portrait art is not bad but it did not suit the game.
- Battles get too long w/ mob resurrection & healing.
- All actions are instant, reducing strategy depth.
- No line of sight! Shoot through walls & characters.
- Fundamental Flaw Incoming: 

The game encourages mastery of all classes for each character. When a character masters all the skills/traits of a class, they get a permanent bonus to their stats (+ evasion, + defense, + attack, etc). I don't mind playing some classes to max or partial to get a specific skill for one of my characters. But as a min-maxer, I felt compelled to master all classes for all characters in order to get the nice permanent bonuses. Sometimes I just want a character to roleplay as a kinght/templar, but now, I feel the need to run him as a scoundrel, reaver, wizard for several levels because I have partial ranks in those classes, might as well take him the master rank to get those permanent stat bonuses. 

It's like the devs made this robust and unique class customization system, but counters it with a 'must level all classes to be best' system.The devs should have removed the permanent stat bonus upon class mastery. This will allow players to play the builds and combinations they really want instead of incentivizing them to master all classes. I want to enjoy my characters in the themed builds I've made for them by mid-game, not wait until the very end of the game - if at all.

Without this fundamental flaw, it would be, for me, one of the greatest games out now. Despite this flaw, I still very much enjoyed Fell Seal. Otherwise I would have not played 189 hours of it in my first playthrough. It deserves a spot in a tactical rpg lover's library 100%!

A big thank you to my awesome friend, Daggoth, for gifting me this game. I love you!

Kingdoms of Amalur feels like a single player MMORPG. Expansive areas, tons of dialogue, multiple quest hubs, tedious fetch and collect quests, busy-work and time-sinks. Basically everything but the presence of other players which is what gives life to MMOs. I tried very hard to like the game. I started 3 different playthroughs over the course of several years to finish it and get my money's worth but I can't bear the boredom. Judging from it's 'Very Positive' rating, many others enjoy KOA. Sadly it's not the game for me.

PROS
+ Combat is fun and dynamic.
+ Spell and status effects are communicated well.
+ Game is not laggy. UI is quick and responsive.
+ Crafting offers varied results based on materials.

CONS
- Limited build customization. Linear and boring.
- Not challenging. I don't just mean combat.
- Not enough depth or complexity.
- Blocky/cartoony graphic style is not for me.
- Severely limited character model options.  
- 35 hours in, gear design seems samey.
- Game world feels artificial and lifeless.
- Generic story. You are the "Chosen One" yet again.
- NPCs were not interesting. They all felt the same.
- Tons of redundant, boring dialogue.

Simple gaming at it's finest. Easy to learn, hard to master. I find the randomly generated environments immersive. I love being able to generate my own maps as well. For the price and the fun, its a steal.

EDIT: I nominated Battle Brothers for the 2022 Steam Labor of Love Award

I'd describe Battle Brothers as a marriage between Mount & Blade (unit/army management) and Final Fantasy Tactics (tactical grid rpg). You hire units, build their skills, give them gear, run around the map doing contracts for money so you can buy food/supplies and pay your army's wages.

PROS
+ Brutal. One of the hardest tactical games I've ever played.
+ Replayability is extremely high. It's fun to start over every time.
+ Not bogged down with long dialogue. You make your own story.
+ Great art style. Clean, crisp, quaint.
+ Good unit customization. Classes, traits, perks, skills, gear.
+ Low-fantasy and grounded. For the most part.
+ Passionate indie devs who know what they want for the game.

CONS
- Needs more animations and visual variety.
- Needs more variety in overland map mechanics.
- Some encounters seem unbalanced/impossible.
- They added too many high-fantasy mobs in the B&E expansion.

This game deserves more positive reviews!!! I get why it's compared to Darkest Dungeon (which I also own and love). The graphic style is similar, they use a similar map movement system and they use some limiting energy system that forces you to return to camp. The similarities end there though. This game at its core is a deck builder + party-based RPG with deep customization. I really love it. Quick pros and cons below:

PROS
+ Deep build customization: classes, specializations, perk points, equipment mods, cards.
+ Nice lore, good dash of humor, dialogue is not too verbose (I dislike wordy games).
+ Very cool comic book art.
+ Chill vibe, very relaxing to play, good pacing.

CONS
- Needs more character model variety. At least let us choose color combos or remove helmet.
- Needs more character portraits and environment/background art.
- Music is awesome but needs more variety.
- Needs one more difficulty setting. I'm a few hours in so I don't know if it gets harder later.

I hope to see a sequel or even an expansion to the base game. I have my eye on this developer. I look forward to more of DSD.