Recent reviews by Meerkat

If you like Warriors style games, you'll like this. It's a basic hack and slash with a few combos and transformations, nothing crazy. But it is the type of gameplay that is addictive for its simplicity. The story is interesting to say the least. I never played the original Onee Chanbara games, but it feels like the concept was created and that was about it. The story feels a like there are cool ideas there but they are not really fleshed out well. Some interactions seem a little odd, no weight behind them the way that you can tell it seems like there should have been. Or maybe it is supposed to be a comedy/campy story?

The main story is short and will only take you a few hours (5-8 max) to complete. However, the short length lends itself well to multiple completions for all difficulties. There is also an infinite survival mode to tackle which you can unlock another character in if you get far enough.

The DLC missions do not add much, but they do expand on the story especially for the unlockable character (which you have to unlock before you can play those DLC missions); however, they feel like they should have been in the game to start. Also one of the DLC costumes has concept art in the Base Game Art section and shows up in the achievements, so it seems that this was meant to be in the game but was later parted off to DLC. Kinda lame.

Overall, it was a good time though. If you do everything you should get around 20 hours out of it. If it's on sale give it a shot.

This game has a lot of the same problems that the original Deed had; however, this game has more scenarios and each character has many more dialogue options. This alone makes this a much more fleshed out game. It is easier to frame people as more choices means you can make a couple mistakes and still get the outcome that you want. Additionally, the third and final scenario is almost like a remake of the original scenario, as it takes place in the same house but it feels much more complete this time around.

If you were interested in the Deed concept this is definitely the better game to play. I enjoyed the first 1401 scenario the best.

Simple RPG-maker "Clue-like" except instead of solving the murder you are trying to get away with it. Not much to say. The story is simple, the game is short, and there are really only 3 endings with minor variations.

Anyone else wondering why the text boxes are at the top of the screen instead of the bottom? You know, the default location for text boxes in 99% of games. And why is there raunchy options with the maid, that made me laugh at least. If you want to see all choices know that you cannot really skip dialogue. If you mash through the dialogue you will likely accidentally make a choice.

This is a cool concept and is fun the first time you play it. After that it's a slog to see all the other options. Also, since you cannot open the menu after "Doing the Deed" if you don't want to sit through all "The Interview" dialogue it is literally faster to force close the game.

This is a hard game to recommend because of bugs and the hardcore RPG style. This is not a bad game, but it is filled with lots of minor frustations. Even on Easy you will die a lot in the early game. This is the type of RPG where everything and everyone can kill you in 1 or 2 hits until you reach around level 20 or so. This means the early game is a lot of fetch quests and running around talking to people for other people or cheesing fights with range or save scumming. After the first 10-15 hours you should be built up enough for the game to become enjoyable. It should take around 40-50 hours (in-game save time) to finish all main quests and side-quests. Also a difference of 3-5 points in weapon damage or armor rating is massive for this game you will feel the power increase.

There are also a lot of visual bugs, such as Jax's head clipping into the adjutor menu and losing your HUD randomly and permanently unless you load an earlier save. There are also some input bugs. Sometimes when looting a container you will be unable to take anything until you go to the place menu (put items in) and then back to the take menu. Also the game will run worse the longer it is played in a single session. This is not too noticeable except in the adjutor menu were you start to get lag.

The main draw of this game is the unique setting, which manages to blend fantasy, sci-fi, and post-apocalyptic factions, technology, and locations together. And this works somehow. There are not too many choices within the story that change much though. In particular, the Domed City questline was disappointing as there are only 2 outcomes when it feels like there should be at least 6. But even so the story was what kept me going and I am glad I finished it.

Something kept pulling me into the game to keep going even though besides the story and the jetpack for exploring there is not much else to write home about. The setting is so good that I am looking forward to playing Elex II though.

This is a game that if you are interested in the story is a nice 1 playthrough experience. If you are a fan of Piranha Bytes or this style of Eurojank games then you will enjoy this. For everyone else I think the story is the only pull.

Metro 2033 is a good, but somewhat short Survival Horror FPS (First-Person Shooter). It runs well on Steam Deck with the rare crash every now and then. During my 2 playthroughs I encounters roughly 4 crashes.

The post apocalyptic nuclear winter setting in Russia is a great mood. Based somewhat on the novel of the same name, this game is a solid experience. This is what I Imagine Fallout would be like if it was less campy and more serious. The surface levels with lots of mutants and being timed by how long your gas mask filters last creates tension on a first run.

There are a couple graphical bugs towards the end of the game with Artyom randomly switching outfits a few times in the library and the last cutscene is a little choppy on Steam Deck. But nothing that takes away from the experience. Easy recommendation if you like horror.

Neon White is a fast, and addicting, First Person Shooter/First Person Platformer (FPS/FPP). Most levels will take only a minute or two to complete. However, the fun is in replaying them to find shortcuts or just get better at them to improve your time.

The Story is also very intriguing and appears to be a unique and respectful story involving themes and ideas from Judaism/Christianity.

There are also Level Rushes with a level shuffler for more fun and replay value.

Overall, great game. If you like FPPs or if the game seems interesting to you give it a try. I loved every second of it, minus frustration doing the Hell Level Rushes, but the feeling of accomplishment for completing them was amazing.

Classic and cute puzzle game. Very short, but there are also challenge maps and collectibles if you want to get more time out of the game. There isn't much else to say about Portal. You complete puzzles through the use of strategically placing portals and manipulating momentum.

Side note, you can use console commands but they are disabled by default. To enable them you need to add "-console" as the launch option.

Bioshock is a horror shooter classic. It's difficult to describe, but the underwater 40s/50s environment mixed with sci-fi, like the plasmid (magic) system, is a great mood. It's pretty much what you see is what you get. The remaster includes extra challenges and some development material including commentaries.

If you're a fan of horror shooters this is a classic worth re-visiting. It's still a little weird to call PS3/360 games classics now, but man it's been almost 20 years since this came out.

Also there is a New Game+ mode to be aware of. It is a little hidden. You have to select "New Game" after clearing and having a save at the final boss and you will get the option.

I want to preface this by saying, this is not a bad game. And if you are a fan of other Quantic Dream games or this style of game, like Heavy Rain or Detroit: Become Human then this is worth playing at least once. The reason I cannot recommend this is not because the game is overall bad. In fact I think the campy nature of the events at times coupled with the old 2000s animations are great.

The story is interesting but has a few things in it that seem odd or out of place. Mostly towards the end there are some interactions between characters that don't make sense. Such as how anyone knows the girl's name when she doesn't speak. But I suppose most of these could be headcanoned away.

Overall I like the game, but the Simon Says Quick Time Events are what makes it frustrating for me. Some of them go on and on and on for what seems like an eternity while you are in a sequence. And if you mess up you have to redo the entire sequence again, unless you have spare lives which are rare. I did play on hard mode with a controller for most of the game. Do yourself a favor and play this game with a keyboard, it makes the Simon Says QTEs much more bearable.

Also, you can switch graphics between the new HD graphics and the original ones by using F9; however, this is never explained in game and if you are playing with a controller there is never a prompt for this. The new graphics are fine, but I think the old ones look better. The seem less edgy. And the UI is changed in the HD graphics as well. If you have a hard time with the QTEs try switching graphics. I found it easier to perform them on the SD graphics.

This is listed as unsupported for Steam Deck but it runs fine on max settings. This ranking may be due to you needing a keyboard to go through the initial menus before a controller is recognized. I did not try playing in handheld mode.

This game is decent, and as the Grand-daddy of Heavy Rain it deserves respect. But it's probably only good for one playthrough unless you are a big fan. I think this is one of the games that for most people will be more interesting and fun to watch someone else play it rather than playing it yourself.

Insanely addictive First Person Platformer. Hard to pickup at first, but once you get the hang of the controls and get used to movement you get in the flow of things. If your playing with a controller I would recommend using either Bumper Jumper schemes or using a custom scheme similar to those.

Not super long but very fun, and if you're into speedrunning this would be a great game for that. The Project_Hel DLC is a nice little bonus that ties the story up. But I would probably only recommend getting it on sale as the DLC is even shorter than the main game.

Plus there were free updates that added new modes, which are all enjoyable. Hardcore mode is interesting, but not always harder than normal due to the way the alternate enemy and map placements are. Easy recommend if the trailer seems interesting to you.