Recent reviews by foofaraw and Chiquita(ARF!)

This gamer is happy to admit that they enjoy playing Fullbright Presents TOILET SPIDERS (FPTS) more than expected, and likely because there’s simply more game here than anticipated. While no game is perfect, and even as interesting as FPTS is, some aspects might be possible to improve (starting with a somewhat clunky and cumbersome title.) For many players, FPTS might almost more appropriately be considered a puzzle game. Resources exist on a razor-edge availability and must be found in (statistically likely) new locations with each play-through, so memorization of locations just is not enough to ensure success. This is not a “brute force” game, but rather a “pause and think” game. (Well, at least for one satisfied player.)

The premise of FPTS is that there are three “volunteers” left… Hmmm, maybe it’s best to let the developer speak for their game:
“Explore a mysterious abandoned facility situated within an Exclusion Zone where no one, wisely, has set foot for years. Uncover the history of the place and your role as a reluctant interloper.”

And there you are. No idea (at first) exactly where you are, or why. Fortunately, in their rush to vacant, the previous tenants were kind enough to leave various bits of documentation behind to provide agonizingly brief scraps of information concerning the site, the threat, and your goal as “volunteer”. However, there aren’t three of you without reason; that reason being that You. Will. Die, killed by one of numerous radioactive spiders hiding in one of the multitudinous toilets in the game’s countless restrooms, both public and personal. (Whoever these previous occupants were, they did NOT scrimp on hydration or fiber!)

But not to worry! The aforementioned resources are just as valuable in your task as they are uncommon and (sometimes) hidden.

While I’m enjoying FPTS, it took a little while, and I almost refunded. (And I’m glad I didn’t.) The more I play, the more depth (yes, DEPTH) I discover in this very moody and atmospheric game. But if I may offer a personal thought; I think FPTS might be considered to be a more serious game with a change as simple as the fonts used within the game. I do understand that the “mise en scène” requires a somewhat retro, even “abandoned” typeface to be selected to contribute to the necessary mood, but it seems that at the very least, the title fonts might be a bit more expressive, and specific to a game based on the greatest fear of many people. After all, being presented as the game launches provides an excellent opportunity to say something specific to the game/mood, and the typeface used could do so much more. (Apologies please, Mr. Gaynor. In a former life I taught graphic design and layout, and I can’t quite let go.)

I do understand (intuitively, if not from personal experience) that the concept of having no choice but to survive against radioactive spiders involves a mood that almost requires that no SAVE feature be available, but some of us have responsibilities outside gaming. (Mea culpa, mea culpa, mea culpa…) Still, it’s hardly a dealbreaker, and having to finish (or fail) in a single sitting does create and maintain a greater sense of urgency that effectively extends into the game.

Admittedly, I’ve not yet played enough to be the final word on who will enjoy FPTS. (Time yes, gameplay, no. I tend to play slowly and carefully, wanting to experience and explore every square inch and aspect of a game, so this excessive time-to-gameplay ratio is very normal for me.) But if I’ve gotten this far without finding any issues beyond title, fonts and saves, I’d say it’s time for me to stop looking for issues and start simply having FUN playing with TOILET SPIDERS!

Thank you for reading. (And "good luck" to the developer as well.)

And now I MUST know what happens to our little Brillo whale!

South Scrimshaw absolutely looks like a game in my BUY category!

Thanks for reading (and to the developer, for providing > an hour of free game-play.)

CHOP GOBLINS is typical David Szymanski brilliance, the sort of thing one presumes he knocks out over a weekend, and is still better than at least half the games on Steam. Fun enemies, "killer" weapons, great levels (scenery and architecture), and all the hidden buttons for secret rooms that one might ever hope to search for.

I'll keep this short, since I've not played a lot. But even without anything ahead to act as a surprise, for this price, CHOP GOBLINS is perfect just as it is.

Thank you.

"A Living Room" perhaps provides too much LIVING, but it's an absolute JOY to experience!

(And it's FREE!)

TCHIA, is quite simply, one of the most enjoyable gaming experiences in my almost 40 years of gaming. TCHIA begins as a very typical RPG, and ends up as a game of vast scope, with literally hundreds of items and locations to find, numerous races to be won, flying, swimming and sailing to be done (and even sailing long distances is simply beautiful, and never tedious), all while meeting special people. (My favorite game is the search for chests in secret locations! It just seems to go on for EVAH!)

If you don’t want to tackle all the challenges…then don’t! (My bum left hand makes racing, high diving, and slingshot shooting in Tchia very difficult. So, I just never bothered after I discovered the difficulty, and it really didn’t matter much to the game at all! In fact, even though I finish few games, TCHIA is a game that I did finish, and wanted more!)

There are numerous battles in Tchia, but few of them are more than just fun with little risk of harm. (And if you lose, you just wake up on your raft, or from a nap beside a relaxing campfire.) Not to say there aren’t dark places in the game, but also a “family friendly” mode to lighten things up a bit.

The titular character (curious to see how Steam handles a completely appropriate word), has the special skill to transform into just about any creature she encounters, whether they live on land, or in air or water. Also, she has a ukulele with magical powers, so that’s pretty handy.

Tchia is not perfect, with the unfortunate propensity for clipping to allow travel through walls (where it should not happen.) But the minor issues are counterbalanced by the total immersion in the beautiful world representing the island nation of New Caledonia. If you see it, you can most likely pick it up and carry or throw it. If it lives, it’s likely you can pet it. And if it’s a tree, hill, building or mountain…you can climb it!!! And the POV is exactly as encompassing as any player might wish.

Tchia starts pretty easy, but with some platforming and racing that can be challenging. But considering the entire world is open as HUNDREDS of challenges, it’s always a simple matter to find something easier, or more difficult, than your current challenge if you should so wish.
And BTW…NONE of the achievements are quick or easy! The most common challenge is currently only obtained by 20.2% of all players.

If you want fun with just the right amount of challenge to keep you happy, Tchia may be as perfect a game for you as it was for me.

I played much of TCHIA offline, so my hours are understated by more than half. Also, please be aware that "woke assaults" have skewed ratings data significantly, and TCHIA would otherwise have (and should have, in this player's opinion) a substantially higher rating.

Thank you.

FELVIDEK isn’t a terrible game just not a particularly good one. No one starts out to make an inferior game, it just sometimes ends up that way. I don't feel comfortable condemning what may be someone's best effort if it seems they likely tried for better.

The use of (sometimes partially simulated) archaic language is certainly clever, and often used to significant benefit. But it also can easily be confusing enough that I think I may not be the only player who sometimes failed to read in enough detail to fully grasp some of the intricacies (such as they are) of the story, and had to back up a few saves to get a fuller understanding.

The overall effect is that there was much left unfinished. (And I mean MUCH.) I'm not sure I've ever been as surprised that a game had ended. Some of the items obtained, even some obtained in quantity, were never used or even mentioned other than in their acquisition. And while I took the game slowly and carefully, wanting to enjoy everything offered, I think most people could finish in the 3 to 4 hours indicated by the developers on the Store Page. Battles offered nothing new or particularly interesting, and especially towards the end they felt far more like plot advancement than an actual challenge.

Despite my concerns, I’d still have very much liked to have shared screenshots, but could not. Were the developers concerned that the screenshot containing text (perhaps slightly paraphrased as) “You acquired a Jew” would be considered in other than its historical context? I suppose we’ll never know. (Actually, I think that was done as humor rather than as antisemitism, and perhaps the game should not be condemned on that account alone. Still, perhaps out of an abundance of caution, it feels to this player like an easily avoided mistake since I'm sure some players will be justifiably offended. And not to have had a trigger warning on the Store Page felt like another miscalculation.)

I’d have been far happier if FELVIDEK was about half price, but I enjoyed it enough to attempt to ignore my personal preferences and give it a positive rating. However overall, it felt more like an exercise in a High School level programming course than a Steam-worthy game. I suspect that if I'm asked about it tomorrow I won't even remember it.

Thank you.

I am the WORST player of Mortal Sin on Planet Earth. How bad am I? Twenty-five plus hours, 87 deaths. And I have yet to gain even the first accomplishment of 3 successes in one game. I have some fairly good reasons for sucking so badly; on top of being 66, I’m badly busted up, but that’s not the point. The point is that, if I keep playing to 1,000 games, I will still never have that first success…and that’s OK, because Mortal Sin is just so much fun!!! With almost 2,500 Steam games, Mortal Sin is the one I’m enjoying most at the moment.

Mortal Sin is an exceptionally well-designed game. The color schemes, simple as they are, really add a lot to the surreal feeling of the game situation. (I wish the music had the same level of attention.) The progressive nature, or as much of it as I’m aware of, makes learning the game a simple matter. (Winning may not be as simple, but that’s not necessarily the fault of the developer.) There are numerous small goals with the larger ones, and they all have a major impact on how each game is played and which choices are made.

The opponents are easily identifiable, despite their many varieties and the unusual color schemes but less easily killed. The goal is (generally) not to stab or slice them to death, except in order to remove all their limbs, including the head (a la Month Python’s Black Knight!) Yes, blows are most successful when the five limbs (including the head(?) are targeted. it’s quite likely that enough kicks, punches, spells or weapon strikes will remove all limbs, but as the game makes clear with on-screen hints…the fastest death comes from a deliberate effort to remove all limbs. Of course, with limbs missing, fighting can be a bit more amusing than real violence should ever be (but cartoon violence has always been.) The headless ones run around kicking and/or punching everything NOT in sight, and those with only heads can give a really unpleasant head-butt.

There are 15 classes of fighters, opened by increasing levels over time (rather than accomplishment, fortunately.) The classes are vastly different, with numerous and clever abilities, and even weapon preferences. (Obviously there’s no class of “Arborist”, since that would be far too easy.) The various classes provide a very different gaming experience, and a big part of why Mortal Sin can be engaging for so long.

The rest of Mortal Sin is either self-explanatory, or I will never be likely learn, so please read some reviews by actual players, and not just this old guy.

Thank you.

Dormin (developer),

This is not necessarily a review of A Hint of Purple. Rather, this is the only way I know to communicate with you, the developer(s), while still allowing others to see this, should they wish to. If others should decide to read, and then to consider this to be a review, that’s fine, but I’ve no doubt that numerous of my Steam friends have grown justifiably weary of experiencing the most painful aspects of my life, ad nauseam and real-time. Out of love, respect, and tremendous gratitude, I wish to spare them by means of the warning this preface offers. Thank you.
---------------------------
Dormin, rather than choosing to write a review for A Hint of Purple, I’ve decided to write a thank-you note instead. Anonymity and advancing age both go far toward encouraging greater expressiveness, and I intend to use this opportunity to take advantage of that. Gamers expecting a typical review should understand that I am writing about how the game affected me personally, rather than about gameplay. Still, that’s an important aspect of any gaming experience, and perhaps should not be disregarded, especially concerning concepts of isolation such as are a crucial part of A Hint of Purple, and that we gamers often know too well.

A Hint of Purple is possibly the most deeply personal “game” (for lack of a better word) I’ve played in about 40 years of PC gaming, and I am grateful for this experience that you, Dormin, created so accurately and unselfishly. I understand that A Hint of Purple may mean other things to other people, as it’s a very complex game for one so brief. But this is what it means to me…

Maya’s situation is not mine, though being trapped in a body wracked with constant severe pain for more than 50 years (and now additionally being permanently disabled) has created a stair-step sensation of descending from the bright and lofty place of my youth, filled with limitless possibility, to one so dark and distant as to have not even been remotely conceivable from my starting point. I was never an artist to the degree or level of Maya, but somewhat like her, on one specific day I forcefully encountered reality, and walked away from my 700+ tree bonsai nursery, losing everything I’d worked years for. (Unlike Maya, I had years of preparation for that day, though I have no idea which sequence of loss might be preferable, were one to have a choice.) I walked away upon accepting the truth of my increasing limitations, which I had denied, yet suffered through, for decades. And that downward step was just one of many, as reality has all too regularly forced itself into my world and my weakening body, while shoving my once happier, more hopeful self unceremoniously aside. And perhaps worse than the physical pain of a severely damaged spine is the never relenting panic, despair and hopelessness that are its constant companions. Dormin, you seem to know such matters better than anyone ever should, and to be able to communicate that awareness with painful effectiveness. (I didn’t know that I’d manage to finish A Hint of Purple until I realized I had.)

Nor is Kai’s situation mine, though I have been solely responsible for the lives, health, and safety of my elderly parents, both in their 90s, for over a decade. Much as Kai’s experience, the sacrifices have been substantial. For example, the degree that I have been unable to leave my parents alone for even long enough for badly needed medical care of my own, or to be away from home unless the reasons have been medically (for them) or nutritionally necessary. Dad finally left us forever at Christmas, but since then Mom has forgotten how to use our microwave and coffeemaker, so something tells me things haven’t changed very much. (At least not for the better.)

Dormin, I feel I can share this with you and be understood in my feelings of seemingly endless and sometimes soul-crushing responsibility, and that’s no small matter. I realize that I’m neither special nor unique, other than perhaps somewhat in degree. But everyone who feels isolated feels very isolated. You seem uncommonly aware of that, and able to express it heartbreakingly well. Not (it seems) with the intention of causing pain, but rather to create understanding and compassion, and to offer something of great value to the world at no financial price to us. (I’d guess the costs to you were greater...)

So, to some degree, and like most people, I am Maya, and I am Kai. While I realize it may seem deeply pretentious to compare myself to these characters, both of which inhabit places in their hearts and minds (and for Maya, body) that are beyond literal comparison to myself or others. Yet this story comes closer to successfully reaching into my isolation than perhaps any other gaming experience that I’ve known. You’ve managed to express the hopelessness and fear of involuntary solitude and self-imposed, but no less inescapable responsibility that I, and doubtless countless others, have known during our lives. That’s an understanding that I expected I might never encounter, much less in a free game on Steam! It doesn’t necessarily matter how many wonderful friends one has on Steam (and I have some REALLY remarkable ones) when one is calling out from the bottom of a pit so deep and dark as to make each of us feel largely silent and invisible to the world. But somehow, you managed to find words to express that sense of pain, fear, and hopelessness. It broke me when my father died last month, but I may have reacted (i.e.-cried) harder while experiencing A Hint of Purple; though less from sadness and more from years-delayed emotional release. Thank you for providing such an effective and cathartic outlet for me, and little doubt for many people living in similar worlds of isolation and unrelenting responsibility.

Thank you, Dormin, and anyone else reading.


"Caring-Gamers"
A support group for gamers caring for family (or others) requiring assistance, generally for the elderly or those with medical needs. All welcome!
https://gtm.you1.cn/groups/Caring-Gamers

After 14 hours playing LOGIC TOWN, I have learned three things:

My favorite word is “between”,

My least favorite word is “not”.

And, finally…

It’s almost impossible to get tired of “Damn, I Wish I Was Your Lover” even as a slow, instrumental short version played thousands of times (as I always suspected!)

The concept behind LOGIC TOWN is all those “Peter, who lives next door to Sally, and who’s favorite color is red, did NOT have toast for breakfast” puzzles that were popular before PCs. But here we’re building a town, little by (sometimes) painfully little.

I confess, I had wanted a more significant progression, and it can become tedious to explore puzzles that can be very similar, but the logic is never identical, so it at least feels different…enough.

It also feels unfortunate that there is no apparent penalty for errors, or reward for the lack (not even as achievements.) It seems not that it's too easy to cheat, as cheating simply isn't a LOGIC TOWN concept, unless it's one yet to be encountered. (But why pay a high price for a game, then cheat?) To explain how helpful "guessing/cheating" is, once you choose wrongly and get a "Woops"(sic), you know to click on all OTHER answers, with no apparent penalty.

It also seems unfortunate that there is no save feature within some of the larger puzzles. Life does happen, and not at convenient times.

But it's great on SteamDeck, as long as you have small fingers (or a stylus.) And offering the clues two ways (graphic, and basically text) is a very nice feature.

Mostly, I really want to know what happens when the town is complete!

Thank you.

Super Woden GP 2 is, by every indication, a worthy successor to the original Super Woden GP, which I suspect will be little surprise to anyone fortunate enough to have discovered and played this beautiful, highly rated, fun, and above all, challenging (but with a very gradual and logical progression) top-down racing game when it came out just over two years ago.

In this gamer’s opinion, there aren’t nearly enough top-down racing games available, and with games like SWGP 2, we can tolerate the shortage for a bit longer. Admittedly, I didn’t get to play as much pre-release as I may have wished (though no one’s fault but my own), but I feel confident that this new iteration is the same “everything for everyone” game as was the original. As before (but with new tracks and added cars, music and features) it’s perfectly acceptable to play on the “safer” end of the scale without losing any of the experience or enjoyment (or leaderboard positions). And for those willing (and able) to go “hell bent for leather”, the harder, faster, and more challenging levels are waiting for each driver willing to prove themselves on the journey there through almost every imaginable type of race, and level of track and wide range of upgradable vehicles.

Rather than say a lot more at this stage, I’d rather play a bit more first, and then update this review. But if you haven’t played any top-down racing games, you’re in for a real treat. Rather than every racing aspect basically just driving “forward” (no matter the compass direction), with top-down racing the driver must drive the car more realistically in the actual direction one would have to drive on an actual road or track. It’s quite a different game, and well worth experiencing.


Thank you.