Recent reviews by p47healey

It's Slay the Spire. But more. And multiplayer. Absolutely worth the price, even if it were to just release now with no additions.

But there will be!
Additions.

An excellent revival of the Telltale style of visual novels. Dispatch makes a fun, grounded superhero world filled with well designed, well written characters. You are given difficult decisions to make that impact how your team of superhero screw ups succeed and fail.

The superhero management minigame at the heart of each episode helps make what could be a passive experience feel very interactive. I think that Ad Hoc's best innovation over Telltale was the addition of more "game" to their visual novel.

As a whole, the story is well executed. I have some minor quibbles - while Dispatch's superhero world is well realized, it doesn't feel abundantly fresh. You can feel the choices of the narrative pushing against the realities of a small studio. The story branches out, but can only branch so far. Finally, I felt that the overall themes of the story were rather simplistic. It covers ground that many superhero stories cover. And it does so well! But I hope that future projects are willing to be riskier.

"Puzzle roguelike" is a description that shouldn't work. A puzzle requires structure and rules. Spreading the pieces out and making them random should be very frustrating.

Turns out, it works *amazingly*. Blue Prince is a good roguelike, a good puzzle game, with a (surprisingly) good story.

The game recommends keeping a journal. Do it.

A unique and engaging narrative game based around the synthesis of everyday information. Compelling and well written. If you liked the first game you will like this!

A strong co-op survival game that has continued to have loving care put into it for years. Looking forward to its future updates!

"Solve a murder where the weapon was the Big Bang." was my understanding of Genesis Noir. This is what the trailers emphasize. The reality, it in many ways, not that at all.

This is a good thing! The plot of Genesis Noir attempts to explore a world where our entire universe is just a spec. In this, it mostly succeeds.

My only real gripe with the game is that its pacing is *really* uneven. The beginning of the game in particular tends to repeat itself thematically, before exploring new ideas in earnest. Additionally, I spent a lot of the game exploring to not miss anything - in reality there's little to miss, and what you can miss doesn't dramatically impact the themes. As far as I'm aware there is no reward for being thorough.

But still! It's great. You should play it.

The best puzzle games are those that make you feel a sense of wonder. You learn the rules, and then realize that the rules let you do things you didn't think were possible.

LOK is full of this realization. The game doles out simple mechanics that are open-ended. You learn the "normal" use of these mechanics, and then over time learn that they can be used in unexpected ways. The game gives a good mix of easy and difficult puzzles so that you can challenge yourself, but have other avenues if you get stuck.

Beyond the core puzzle, the game has a charming art style and soundtrack.

Hi-Fi Rush succeeds primarily because every piece is really good. Every level has more polish than it needs. In a world where videogames are frequently released half-baked and with numerous compromises, Hi-Fi Rush had none.

Pour one out for them.

A fun co-op shooter about accidentally killing your friends. The strategem system makes you feel empowered against waves of strong enemies.

I found STALKER underwhelming. The anomalies never felt... anomalous. Pacific Drive is by far the best Roadside Picnic-like game ever made. It nails the vibe of adventuring into a dangerous and mysterious land.

Separately, it's a great driving game. Taking care of your car should feel like a chore. The devs manage to make it an engaging and rewarding experience however.