Recent reviews by BioLizard

The best video game story I've played all year. This game catches you by surprise, starting off with a linear mission structure where you follow orders as a mercenary for hire in a planetary conflict, where you play all the sides to only benefit yourself at first.

But as the story progresses and you begin to understand everyone's perspectives and motivations, you can begin making your own choices that help decide the fate of Rubicon and all it's inhabitants.

With silky smooth controls and combat, a story that draws you in, a gorgeous aesthetic, and unbeatable atmosphere - this game is worth experiencing, if you're up for a bit of a challenege. This game was robbed at the Game Awards - let's at least make sure Steam recognizes how great it is!

Absolutely adored Amarantus. This game bleeds love and care and passion from every pore, and that's genuinely the most important thing for any story. Especially for a game packed with as many feelings and thoughts as this game is, you can tell the writer has put their soul into this game.

The stand-out features in Amarantus are absolutely the characters, their relationships, and how your decisions impact EVERYTHING in the game. A pet peeve of mine in VNs and games with choice has always been when the cast/party members dont react to your changing relationships and the decisions you make with other characters - but Amarantus is quite the opposite. In fact, characters will judge and warn you about your relationships - and even the relationships other characters are forming with each other. Not only that, but they take your past decisions into account when choosing to trust or follow you. It's very immersive and makes these characters feel very alive.

There was a moment where I got to apologize to a character for something I said to them in a previous conversation that was a bit harsh, and the fact they not only accepted my apology but thanked me for it was very refreshing and... like a real human conversation. Something so rarely seen in games with choices, who to often make you live with your mistakes forever. Not that Amarantus doesn't make you live with your mistakes - but the fact that you can occasionally take the time to make things better, or specifically help a friend feel better, is very considerate writing and shows how flawed and human these characters are. The game is filled with interactions like this you can uncover for yourself too.

Also, the romance options in this game are FANTASTIC. There is truly something for everyone among the romance options in your party, and best of all you can even help your friends romance their own love interests! (Or steal the romance from under their nose! Sorry Marius!). The romances are all very thoughtfully written, and during my fully platonic route I enjoyed deepening my friendships with all of my companions too.

All that said, the art and the soundtrack for this game are phenomenal. Great care is put into the presentation and sound design, making every little moment feel very curated with the crunch of leaves or the way a character's sprite falls to the floor in combat scenes. That kind of attention to detail is rare today, and I appreciated seeing it.

My only real criticism is for this game's main plot and storyline. I'm not a fan of NEEDING to play a game twice to reach a satisfying conclusion, which this game basically forces unfortunately. The problem then was that even after seeing multiple endings, I was let-down with them overall. I absolutely enjoyed the journey more than the destination. But getting into that now would take too long and spoil the story - which I do think is wonderfully told and has PERFECT theming. I was just a bit let down by how it wraps up in all of the endings I have experienced (so far, three. I'm not sure how many endings there are overall).

But seriously, this game is special. It's worth your time just to see how this group of twenty-somethings might or might not change the world and the mistakes they make along the way (along with the painful lessons and tender moments they all experience). I cannot believe a game so perfectly captured my awful taste in women with how they wrote Raeann, 10/10 narrative experience.

Elevator Game with Catgirls comes with a strong recommendation from me. If you are a fan of puzzles, liminal space, and catgirls this game is MADE for you.

As a fan of NoBreadStudio's work, this game is a wonderful addition to their library of stellar games and pushes their game elements further than before. If Blankspace's puzzles and systems were the first step, Elevator Game with Catgirls is the natural next step in the VN-puzzle-game blend that NoBread Studio is heading towards!

I am not a puzzle game fan traditionally, but the interactive elevator was extremely well-done and left a lot of choice to the player as to how they solve the puzzles and explore the strange liminal space that this game is set in. You can solve puzzles in an odd order, think ahead and be rewarded, and even experiment without fear of punishment or missing content. The core puzzle engine in this game is genuinely OUTSTANDING. I love the initiative it gives the player, and before long you'll be a pro at pressing elevator button combinations!

As you can see by my playtime, the game is quite short and I did in fact 100% it with all achievements. The game is very manageable, and I only got stuck once where I had to look up a hint on a Steam walkthrough. Which I then solved right away. The puzzles are difficult enough to make you work your brain, but they aren't obtuse and make perfect sense. For me, a short high quality game is much preferred over a long bloated game! So the length is a good thing in my books. Rest assured, you are getting a compact well-crafted experience with this game.

That all said, I do have one criticism with this game. The story didn't grip me as much as it did for Blankspace or Soulset. Blankspace especially was one of my favourite stories the year it came out, and really set a high standard when it comes to quality from this studio/team. But personally, at least for EGWC, I didn't get super attached to the characters. I like that the story is non-linear and something we have to piece together, but... for whatever reason, I just wasn't as attached to these characters. I think they're great, don't get me wrong. But some felt under-utilized. In any case, I won't spoil here. I do still urge you to play the game! it's well-worth it, and a wonderfully short indie puzzle gem worth experiencing.

You should play Queen Beast. It's free, it's beautifully presented, has a great cast and story, and is relatively short at about 60,000~ words. If you have any interest in visual novels, you have no excuse to not at least try it!

Then, if you love a more classic fantasy anime look - like you can see in the game's screenshots and trailer - you MUST play this game. You will not be disappointed!

It's rare for a free game like this to have so much genuine love and care put into it! It's absolutely worth playing and I highly recommend it to just about everyone!

Be warned that the game does feature nudity and mature themes, but it isn't an "eroge." The nudity and sex that is present is more akin to classic fantasy like Berserk.

DNF Duel is my favourite fighting game by far since UMVC3 back in 2011. I have been casually playing fighting games for a long time, but nothing ever quite scratched that itch that UMVC3 created... until this game came along! DNF if a fun stylish fighting game with satisfying combos that don't break your fingers to pull off - but still offer a ton of strategic depth! Not only that, but many of the UMVC3 devs are behind this game! Which explains why it scratched that itch for me.

It's sadly fitting that this game shares on similar thing with UMVC3 - the game stopped getting updates WAY too early. And that is the ONLY bad thing about this game.

The music? A blessing to our ears. Character designs? Varied and awesome. The gameplay? You feel like a god fighting other gods with insane tools at their disposal. Combos are both easy to do pull off and satisfying, with room to optimize with a high skill ceiling. The extra modes are all a ton of fun. The gallery is packed with bonus content, above and beyond what most fighting games would do.

But the lack of updates hurts this game badly. The community has dwindled to close to no one playing at this stage. Get this game if you're curious, but you may as well wait till there's a sale or big update so that there are more players to fight against online.

It's an absolute crime that this game isn't more successful than it is, because it's genuinely SO good and SO much fun. It just needs steady updates and season passes, and it'll easily stand with GGS and other active FGC communities!

This game perfectly captures the horrors and beauty of the internet.
But mostly the horrors.

It perfectly showcases how those of us who spend the most time online, and think we need to depend on it for survival, are the ones who need to disconnect from it more than anyone. If you are familiar with/spend your time on the internet in circles where e-celebs are worshipped like gods... you need to play this game.

Also, it has the most realistic depiction of a horrible toxic relationship I have ever seen a game do and I give it mad respect for making Ame both extremely horrible but also make you feel compelled to help her at the same time.

Look, I didn't believe the hype either.

This game is a MUST-PLAY!

From incredible art and extremely well-written characters, to addictive gameplay, a genius progression system, combat that rarely feels grindy, and really fair difficulty this game is a genuine complete package.

Note: I haven't finished it yet! Will update this review as time goes!

If you love escape rooms, this game is a must-buy. Seriously.

And if you're like me, and not a puzzle game fan at all - I still highly recommend this game. The story and gameplay is really awesome, and it's totally approachable even if you're not used to these kinds of games!

NOTE: I am one of the many people who backed this game on Kickstarter! So I paid for it then, then received a code to play it on Steam. I am incredibly happy with this game, and recommend it wholeheartedly. This review will also be spoiler free.

I'm not the kind of person who really writes a lot of reviews, but here are my quick thoughts! Followed by extended thoughts!
- Atmosphere and mood: fantastic. Helped by an outstanding and emotional/tense soundtrack
- OST is perfect
- Characters are fantastic. I hope you like flirting and banter!
- Story is awesome. Twists and turns are all great.
- Puzzles are challenging, but I didn't need a guide or cheat for any of them! Perfect balance of approachable and stimulating.
- Art is wonderful mix of both western and eastern sensibilities and comes off fully unique. Sprites are expressive and pose differently. They're great!
- Multiple endings and paths that feel realistic and make a lot of sense. Your choices will affect your relationship in the game. So choices matter!
- A wonderful contained experience
- Realistic characters with awesome arc
- Inventory system could have used more refinement.

So! Expanded thoughts!

Chris is an incredible protagonist. His journey is amazing, and protagonists with personalities and stories that drive the story forward in VNs always make me happy. Too many VN protags get dragged along and bring their stories down - not Chris! He rules. It's his journey, and you feel super attached to him. Beryl is a fantastic companion too, and has her own story to tell. But Chris took the spotlight for me.

I have only gotten one ending so far, but I thought it was incredibly fulfilling and satisfying! And I can see where I could make different choices and see other paths. I can't wait to go back and keep exploring the game.

Graphically, the game is wonderful - and mixed with the OST the atmosphere is rich and inviting. It's very easy to get immersed in this story. Love that.

Characters are realistic and fun. I won't spoil it, but despite how much changes and the main relationship develops - the characters stick to their own core values. You can grow incredibly close, and (to my understanding) you can really stay quite distant (which is hard, knowing how charming Beryl is!). Your choices really matter, and it helps you feel in control which is great as a player.

It's a perfect contained experience. The game took me a little under five hours to complete (I had dinner and left the game running, and I'm a slow reader, so it may take shorter for some!) and I really liked that. I don't get why people are so obsessed about the LENGTH of a game. I care more about the QUALITY! And I promise, Blankspace has SO MUCH quality! The secrets, easter eggs, endings, unlockables, and etc. are wonderful for this short little game! It being a short experience makes replaying it so appealing, especially because I am often a bit intimidated to replay a game! Any day of the week I'd prefer an incredible 4 hour game, over an okay 30 hour game. Blankspace lands SQUARELY in the incredible category. If you're like me, and don't have much time to play many games (especially VNs!), Blankspace is perfect for getting that VN fix.

Like I mentioned at the top, this game has many puzzles - and I am not a puzzle game guy! Least of all an escape room guy! But this game does an excellent job with puzzles. I solved each one without a guide or "cheating" in any way. They are approachable and all the tools to solve them are given to you, and only need a bit of good thinking to get through. Stimulating, but not overwhelming! And if you're a puzzle game vet, I still think this game is worth a go! The riddles are challenging and unlike any I have ever played myself. My advice for whenever you get stuck: stop thinking too hard. Really look at the bare essentials. I facepalmed a few times when I had overthought a puzzle and the solution had been staring me in the face the whole time! Take it easy and enjoy the experience :)

Now, for my criticisms: there are only two! Tis game is incredible, but I should mention what was less good in my experience. The inventory menu felt very basic. It didn't need to be complicated at all for this kind of game, I know, and it gets the job done - but the way things combined and had to be "selected" to be applied to objects in the world felt cumbersome. It was a lot of diving in and out of menus, which I know is part of the game with "point and clicks" but... I do think one has to keep that in mind when developing these games so that this process is as easy and user friendly as possible. A panel where items could be pulled out of to be applied, dragging and dropping of items into the world/to combine would've helped a lot. Also, I know the game doesn't need it to solve anything - but an "inspect" function would be wonderful for looking items. I had to squint hard sometimes, and I know tiny details on items affect none of the puzzles - but whenever I got stuck I couldn't help but wanna look closer at items. It's not the biggest deal, but it was something that felt cumbersome when I got stuck!

And the last criticism I had was the occasional tonal whiplash. Sometimes the characters would be talking about dark or intense stuff - and suddenly things would get flirty. Or funny. Or a character under-reacts to a certain revelation. Chris is an amazing protagonist, and God I love protagonists who aren't blank slates and have actual personalities but it was at these times I felt a bit disconnected from him and the story temporarily. (This could be me, and it might just be my own taste and sensibilities here.) This said, the story always drew me back in, so it's not a major issue at all. The writing really is excellent overall!

Overall, the game is a 9/10. I can't and don't want to meaningfully fault it at this stage, because all my criticisms are very minor and personal rather than being objective evaluations. It doesn't do anything wrong, and follows a wonderful narrative path. This could change with experiencing other endings (maybe I got really lucky in my ending result), but I have faith all the other endings are satisfying in their own ways too. The only reason it loses a point is probably just personal taste and this game not really blowing my mind especially. It does way better than most VNs on Steam, and I seriously can't recommend it enough.

Play Blankspace! For the price it's available, it's a STEAL! Experience Chris and Beryl's journey for yourself. You won't regret it. VNs written this well, with fun and engaging gameplay too, are so rare and hard to find. Don't let this one get away.

The people who say "the ending ruins the series" are exactly the kind of people the game was making a statement about with it's ending.

Trust me. This game's ending is an experience like no other. You've gotta play it to find out.

This game goes above and beyond in every sense of the phrase.

There is something for everyone. Farm simulation. Relationship management. Crafting. Dungeon Crawling. Pet raising. And so much more. This game is a masterpiece and deserves every bit of praise it receives.