Recent reviews by DisableBore

10$ for a minimal tease of what the original vision of the third installment could have been, completely diminished by the fact this is still unfortunately Dead Space 3, as in, complete, irredeemable abysmal ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥. About as graceful of a way to cap it all up as putting a puppy to sleep by method of necklacing.

A charming little game about smashing stuff to see what happens, and really strange individuals.
Controlling a woman who can sometimes call herself Ghost, you explore different levels solving simple inventory puzzles and talking to everyone you can come across. The conversations are a definite highlight of the game, with so many of the recurring characters having this amusing dry, heavily character oriented writing that doesn't seem to get old, reminding me of Dave Grossman's work.

The puzzles are a fun exercise in exploration, as you can swap between the black and grey worlds to do basic platforming and check out different rooms, and rarely are too hard to figure out on your own.
However the difficulty was a bit odd, as I found the more obtuse ones to be in the second level of four personally, and I did run across some few bugs with the save system, which the dev kindly fixed.

My biggest qualm is that unfortunately the switching mechanic doesn't get as much use as it potentially could, but as is, you already have a cute effort with two different routes to take your playthrough in. It reminded me a lot of playing Humongous Entertainment games, which is as good as praise I could give a title like this.

While I get the unresearched feeling the overall mission could have been just a little more somehow, I enjoyed the contract a lot, and in particular how it shamelessly pays loving homage to classic RE to the point I am shocked Capcom did not send a C&D.

FRONT AND REAR

Nails the balance of near-infinite replay value out of seeking a perfect level score, with just enough character and presentation that adds to the enjoyment of the game instead of detracting from it. It's honestly impressing how fun, tightly designed and well put together everything is.

Ten years in the spotlight made you a scammer.

I gave a strong attempt but no, I knew I didn't want to continue after I finished the first level which took me about 50 minutes, of which 20 were a super slow introduction with very little going on, that still has you walk/jog at a glacial pace in a large level.
There are too many annoyances that just tested my patience, from the lack of non-lethal melee (your only non lethal option is a dart that slowly recharges), the super dodgy AI, lack of manual saving for a level this long, inconsistent reactions to detection, and just lack of beliveable level design for something that clearly wants to be somewhat plausible.

I'll keep an eye on it but as is I have no interest in playing any further for now. It just failed to retain me.

I'll be honest, this is some of the hardest laughs I've had at this game. The whole thing is a clownshow and it honestly won me over, I can appreciate Eminem being able to take a good jab at himself.

This said, while I do recommend this DLC, I heavily lament how IOI is now doing time-gated paid content of all things.

Chadptain Wayne gave every triple A release a huge headway and still was game of the year within a minute due to the tutorial level voice over.

This outlandish GZDoom creation already had won me over with the incredibly charming early Newgrounds-esque cutscenes, but it was the absolute insanity of the combat that just took it that extra step forward. This game has PERSONALITY to spare, an hugely energetic feel to everything, and lasts as long as it has to before it outwears the welcome. And if you need more, it has the endless mode and extra maps.
Actual steal for the price, I feel I ripped off the developer.

In just about every way, Tormented Souls II triumphs as a sequel.

Game design wise, this might just be the best of the "old school throwback" games we have gotten over the years. With the first game as a base, the confidence and trust on their skills the dev show is nothing short of remarkable. This is some of the best usage of everything the formula has to offer to create a surprisingly long, yet quite varied campaign, that keeps you on your toes constantly. It's rare for horror games to effectively scare me, but the use of pitch black darkness should get an award alone, not since The Dark Descent have I seen a game so willingly to throw you into the abyss and spook you.

The puzzles are fantastic. The exact right balancing point of "I am so smart" and "how the hell did I not figure this out". None were frustrating, none were too hard, none were too easy. It honestly impressed me how much creativity was put into them. And if you pay attention, optional ones offer amazing goodies to fight off some nasty monsters, that are far more dangerous than before. You will master the combo of knowing when to melee/dodge/shoot/run away or get absolutely torn to shreds.

It's a shame the game has a bunch of minor technical issues, ranging from simple bugs to softlocks, that are keeping me from outright calling it a flawless game. Some enemies are a bit annoying too, but it could be a case of get good on my end.

So yeah not much else to say. If you liked the first game, pick it up. If you like horror games in the old style, pick it up. Hell, if you like good games, pick it up.