Recent reviews by Metalmind

Though this review does not contain any specific spoilers, I would not recommend reading it without first experiencing this game for yourself, hence why almost all of it is in spoilered text. Also, I would advise avoiding this game if you're depressed or otherwise have concerns with your mental well-being.

On the surface, Night in the Woods seems like a pleasant adventure game-esque lark about a young woman (or more precisely, anthropomorphic cat) by the name of Mae Borowski returning to her hometown, Possum Springs, and reconnecting with her friends and family. Indeed, there are many charming things about this game: quirky and endearing characters, a distinctive setting, and its use of sound and music, light and careful as it is, just to name a few. It also has some charms that aren’t necessarily shared by other games within the broad and disparate adventure game genre: sensitive treatment of complex subjects, limited and generally natural gameplay in the usual sense (no quick time events here), and even the simple act of running and jumping around as Mae feels good.

For all these virtues, however, what sticks with me perhaps the most about Night in the Woods is its complex and empathetic treatment of dark and depressing subject matter. In fact, out of all the many video games I’ve played and enjoyed, its narrative was the first to have any real emotional resonance for me. Here, I will have to get a bit personal to explain, for which I apologize. I have reduced affect display, which basically means that, while I can experience emotions in a roughly similar manner to normal people, my physical expression of those emotions is extremely limited. While I did not find a term for what I experience until very recently, I have known about this ever since a certain event in my childhood, to which my reaction was one of stoic silence as others around me cried; something I should have done but physically could not do, regardless of my actual feelings.

In truth, this tends to leave my emotional experiences blunted, and me second-guessing them on account of my lacking physical expression thereof. Within this context, I thought that video games were something I played purely for fun – something that would never resonate with me on a deeper level than simple enjoyment. This is also why I tended to stay away from narrative-focused games; I took my experience with Undertale in particular as proof that such games weren’t for me. Night in the Woods is the game that made me realize that it’s instead a question of playing the right game; that my stunted emotions don’t block me from being able to connect with the right narrative. Its characters are also key to this epiphany; especially Mae herself, who almost anyone can relate to in some way, and who resonated with me in an unprecedented fashion.

Is Night in the Woods perfect? Of course not; it has a few objective flaws, such as the fact that it chugs at times on my solid computer that can run most games well, and some of the explicit gameplay sequences playing a bit awkwardly. There are also more subjective flaws, like some of the narrative decisions within, that I personally didn’t feel were problematic. Night in the Woods didn’t need to be perfect, though, nor universal in its narrative resonance to connect so thoroughly with me personally, and for that, I can only give it my highest recommendation.

*DISCLAIMER* I have attempted to avoid spoilers in this review, but if you are on the fence, don't read my full review - or anything else about Undertale for that matter. Just spend the $10 on a (relatively short) true experience like no other in the annals of video gaming.

Undertale starts conventionally, with the obligatory easy early battles and introductory characters. Right from the start, you will notice that something is different - combat is fresher, as attacks involve timing on a meter and defense is akin to a 'bullet hell' game without the shooting. Plot-wise, the humor inherent within the characters' quirks - especially the primary characters - stands out. And both in and out of battle, structured flexibility is what this game is all about, with many paths available through combat and the plot in general. The characters and scenarios provide guidance on your path through, as engaging puzzles fill your time in between battles and plot points. The music, too, succeeds on multiple levels - both fitting the situation in which each track is played like a glove and being very high quality in its own right. As for the graphics - they might not be technically advanced, but with a one-person development team, artistic choices are what matter. In that regard, Undertale's 16-bit graphics and deliberate artistic style, focused on black-and-white contrasts, together represent an effective stylistic decision that also serves as an intentional callback.

Ultimately, more than any other video game, Undertale succeeds because you end up truly caring about its characters. Truly, it is an RPG with a soul - made by one person and sold for ten dollars, the result is perhaps the most uniquely compelling singular experience in video gaming.

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**2019 Update**: I've come to realize that, for all of Undertale's objective virtues, its most important component - the narrative - flunked the landing for me. Nothing about it made me really feel or think anything, nor does any of it in particular stick with me to this day. My recommendation stands unchanged, especially knowing that my problems with the game are pretty much subjective, but I certainly wouldn't put it in such glowing terms if I were doing this review over today.

Pac-Man Championship Edition DX+ is Pac-Man for the modern era. It updates the formula with full graphics-style customization, numerous addicting modes, and endless online leaderboards. Best of all, though, it maintains the classic gameplay, proving that Pac-Man can stay relevant in the era of $60 retail, $100 million budget AAA games. What's not to like?

Unturned is great for some quick single- or multiplayer zombie-survival gameplay. Of course, the price point is the major draw. Unturned can be downloaded for free; a premium membership can be purchased for $5, but it doesn't add anything particularly significant. Overall, for some fun action at an unbeatable price point, Unturned is first-rate.

Review in Full (tl;dr version at the end):
The classic 2D Worms formula returns in Worms Revolution with a few significant changes. The new additions to the gameplay experience include four different classes, dynamic water, and physics objects, but none of the changes radically alter the familiar Worms experience.

The Worms Formula: For those who don't know, the meat of any Worms game is a turn-based strategy / shooter experience where you control a team of worms and move around a map (or utilize your worms' positions) in order to use weapons such as the explosive Sheep and the famous Holy Hand Grenade to eliminate enemy worms. All Worms games have no small measure of humor, as you'd expect upon hearing the premise, and the worms themselves contribute to the humor with their own gibberish vocalizations as they taunt enemy worms and panic if a stick of dynamite is set next to them. The weapons are of course part of the humor, and the Sheep and the Holy Hand Grenade aren't even the wackiest among them. At the core, however, the gameplay experience would make for a good time in multiplayer play even without the abundant humor.

New Additions (Classes, Dynamic Water, and Physics Objects):

Classes: The four classes of Worms include the basic soldier, the weaker but more nimble scout, the scientist, who provides a health bonus in turn for being weaker, and the slower but stronger and more resillient heavy.

Dynamic Water: The new dynamic water is an option utilized as a stage hazard and fired by three new weapons. Any worm who is knocked into dynamic water will take steady damage over time, instead of instantly drowning upon contact with normal water. Dynamic water utilizes real-world physics, sinking to the lowest area possible given its location and trajectory.

Physics Objects: Physics Objects are relatively normal objects scattered around every map. The twist, however, is that each object explodes when sufficiently damaged. In the process, they unleash fires, poison gas, or even dynamic water into the immediate vicinity.

Verdict and Recommendation: The wacky action of the Worms franchise is spruced up a bit by the new enhancements. None of the features radically alter the core experience, however, meaning that those who tried another Worms game but found it to be only interesting as a novelty or altogether unappealing need not apply. Worms Revolution is as good of a starting point as any for series newcomers, though, and those who enjoyed previous installments should find plenty to like here. If you are undecided, keep in mind that Worms Revolution is first-and-foremost a multiplayer experience, and the singleplayer campaign is decent, but it presents nothing to sway your decision.

tl;dr version: Worms 'Revolution' is no revolution, but the perennial Worms formula didn't need to be signficantly altered anyways.