Recent reviews by Lilith

Eternal Return keeps me returning back to it for eternity

I died then I cried. Why so hard? Why so annoying? Why so serious? I lost my sanity trying to finish that last part. Now I shall forget this game ever existed. This game made my life a true CATastrophe.

When life gives you cat, don't go for CATastrophe.

Regret is the silence between intention and misunderstanding.

THE STORY

We play as Nala, a woman who's consumed by guilt over her grandfather's death and now undergoing an experimental treatment to recover her lost memories - to find closure and finally forgive herself. During the experiment, she encounters a soul-like entity called The Flower that's trapped with her memories. The only way for both of them to break free is to rewrite the moment everything fell apart.

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Overall Rating: 9/10

Definitely worth the money and time.

Personally, I would recommend supporting the devs since not only is the game beautiful, but also, even as a small team, Calcatz is fully dedicated to this project. They are very open to feedback and are constantly working to improve the game. More updates are expected in the future - achievements, steam trading cards etc.

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The story unfolds in World of Memories, shaped by The Flower, where we gather fragments of the past and make choices that change how the story ends.

1. Dual viewpoint: Understand the same event from both Nala's younger self's and her grandfather's perspectives.
   
2. Dialogues: Set the pacing and emotional tone rather than branching out the story.
   
3. Memory associations: Examine Memory Points and Statues to collect memory fragments in the journal. The Flower asks questions that need to be answered by associating correct memories with each other.
   
4. Memory simulation: Tinker with the objects from the past upon answering the questions in ways that simulate a different series of events to alter the outcome.
   
5. Multiple endings: Two distinct endings where the book from the opening reacts based on your journey.

Game Length: ~2.5 hours
𓇻 May take up to 4 hours depending on play style.

Every bit of experience the game had to offer.

1. Surreal and dreamy art style
   The game's visuals are stunning, unique, and a true feast for the eyes.
   
   • I loved how perfectly it evokes a deep sense of nostalgia, as if you're wandering somewhere through a forgotten past.
     
   • Despite the use of bright colors, the palette is soothing and never overwhelming.
   
   
2. Symbolism and Intent
   From the beginning to the end, everything seemed to have been done with an intention. Provides a meaningful experience. For instance:
   
   • It was memorable the way The Flower did hand gestures when saying "Talk to her" and "She felt betrayed" - one could theorize the unsaid words behind those gestures.
     
   • Color coded rooms based on what feelings were felt at that moment.
     
   • From the carnation to the drawings in the book, they all apparently had a reason to be done the way they were done.
   
   
3. Short story narrations in the main story.
   I personally loved the shadow puppet shows to narrate the unsettling stories.
   
   
4. Soundtrack
   Haunting might be the right word to describe the first impression. Definitely in a good way. It definitely managed to evoke the right emotions at the right time, sending chills down my spine.

𓇻 It doesn't underdeliver nor does it overstay its welcome.

1. No manual save feature.
   You need to go from one memory point to another for the game to autosave.
   
   
2. Emotional payoff isn’t quite earned.
   The ending gives you a choice, but it doesn’t carry the weight it could have. Feels more like a button press than a moment of reckoning. It leaves you with an impression, not an impact.
   
   • Story-wise, it felt like an abrupt start. It feels as if they just threw the player into something without easing them into it.
   
   
3. The “association” side is underbaked.
   The memory association mechanics are light and don’t evolve. That leaves a lingering sense of “Wait… is that it?”
   
   
4. Nala's walking speed is extremely slow.
   It might've been done to give a more immersive experience but ends up being an annoying tease.
   
   
5. Very few minor bugs that kill the immersion.

I loved the representation of Tari Topeng (Indonesian "Mask Dance") and the idea of masks revealing what's in the heart instead of concealing it.

Quite abstract and metaphorical, it leaves many possibilities and ideas to explore, like why does the book open from the middle each time? Is such an incident alone enough to make you believe you killed someone?

The idea that we might not remember it all from the past, but certain objects that hold value to us might be in memory somewhere. To use those objects to recover lost or repressed memories is something they executed perfectly.

I didn't encounter a single major bug or point where I questioned going for this game. From the visuals to the voice, it all was done quite well. Loved the game.

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I'll edit the review based on the future updates; looking forward to it. Special thanks to SushiHunterr for the recommendation and Midplayz for this memorable gift. ❤

Impressive work considering it was developers' first game in the hidden object genre.

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1. Sparkly cats + tiny magic wand cursor = magical experience.
   
2. Excellent pan & zoom features + softly tinted rooms = no eye strain.
   
3. Calming background meow-sic + good storytelling = relaxing vibes.
   
4. Auto save feature.

Bonus points:
✧ Most "hidden" cats reveal when you hover near them - adds to the whimsical atmosphere.
✧ In the second last level, cats go from grumpy to HAPPY on click – adorable and worth seeing.

1. Resolution issues. The play area is fully visible only at certain resolutions, requiring window resizing to avoid cropping.
   
2. Screen tearing when panning.
   
3. Embedded icons sometimes block cats and objects from view.
   
4. Progression to next level even after missing certain 'crucial' items. Example - crystal ball in the second room that unlocks the ability to see hidden cats.
   
5. Ambiguous hint system - The story pages unsuccessfully try to work as a hint to find 'crucial' items. Then, a bit of guess work is needed to understand what hint each item unlocks.

Bonus points:
✧ The only game in 'hidden cats' theme where I needed to use the guide instead of in-game hints.
✧ Less than an hour of gameplay. The ending feels slightly abrupt and could leave an unsatisfactory aftertaste.

Purrhaps when it's at least on 50% discount.
But hey, sparkly tiny cats. That counts for something!

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The game definitely had a lot of potential, which it failed to reached. Though, I'd say it's still worth a try for the ideas it has to offer. Just don't have a lot of expectations.

Cute art style and classic 2D platformer concept with traps. Definitely had the potential.
Probably still being bought based on fake reviews and the ✨Very Positive✨ rating.

Cat

1. Broken achievement
Has 7 achievements, out of which one can't be achieved without the use of SAM. You get the "Enter the Game" achievement after finishing the game.
2. A very specific bug
At last stage of level 10, re-spawn is placed right above the saws - instant death and restarts the level, unless you're lucky with the timing to tap left and avoid that death.
3. Inconsistent game mechanics with poor level designing.

I just liked the cat, so not complaining much, even if I threw almost 5 hours of my life away on a shovelware where the developer couldn't care less.

Not worth it even at a 100% discount.

The concept of travelling to different eras to help others and gather batteries for an arcade machine in the present is already good enough. Though I can assure you the content would just feel 'okay-ish' or 'good enough' unless you get the parts in DLC to see how it continues.

There are few nice puzzles for finding certain special cats (like Mario cat).
One of the fun parts was spotting cats being cats and little trinket statements like - "make biscuits, not war"

Totally recommended.

Part 1 (Dracula: Resurrection) was not that bad; if you've never tried the game and want a less of puzzles and more of plot experience, I could hesitantly recommend it. Many players years ago complained about the three female vampires cut scene (ending) not being there. However, currently it's there.
Average playtime would be ~2.5 hrs for it.


Now let's talk about Part 2 (Dracula 2: The Last Sanctuary) - The first part where people got stuck was not being able to find 'oil can' but that was not even needed in this version to being with. The second part they got stuck at was a puzzle related to it i.e. putting nails and rotating wheels, though the only thing to keep in mind for that one was to do it in a particular order (clockwise from top left) with a lot of clicks on wheels to trigger the rotation.

Great! You 'solved' the very first puzzle! Now, the sewer gates must open, right? Only if you're lucky (unlike me). You could go to your save file and manually edit them and that might somehow do the trick for you to go through that door. It will go smoothly from here, at least for me it did until I had to go back to Pibody's dead body in Carfax. Ended up getting stuck with no arrow showing a way towards that room and the other arrow being unresponsive. Tried to crack it multiple ways and it's quite not possible to get out of that unless you begin anew and follow the tutorial someone published of this version to get the right order to progress in game. Other way would be to get someone to share their final save file with you, edit it to the point you've progressed already and then have it overwrite yours - too much work for a game that's not really worth it unless you care about your very few bucks a lot.
Excluding crying over your game being stuck, average playtime would be ~4 hrs.

I knew I was in for some disappointment but it was fun to find out how much exactly. Every time you think you’re progressing and get happy, the game decides it’s time for a surprise bug party to congratulate you. Agonizing.

Props to developers for making a short, cute, and silly yet meaningful enough game. Reminded me of games like Snipperclips.

Decided to give it a go due to many people in comments mentioning how it brought them to tears. It did so too to me, rather due to amusement, which I appreciate. I liked the way chapters were named with 'With You' being the last chapter of the ten.

Played it using remote play together with someone miles away, a really good half an hour of experience. Not too fussy: doesn't require a lot of thinking, just some sweet sweet cooperation.

It could be even more enjoyable if achievements were to be added, along with more than just one level per chapter - maybe three levels per chapter with increasing difficulty levels (Just an idea)

It is playable alone, of course. But definitely worth a try if you have someone close to you.
Maybe you could even ask out your good ol' friend using this as a hint