Recent reviews by Cyrus the ♥♥♥♥♥♥' Virus [ITA]

It expands on the gameplay of the first Hades, adding dynamics, strategies and a load of contents. This is a must have.

Maybe it's not my type of game. I don't like games where every single move is guided, it feels like you are just typing the buttons. Moreover, the exploration is quite dull and boring.

Technically the best and also the shortest chapter of the series, with a better setting than the second episode.

The nanosuit upgrading system is a step back: on Crysis 2 you had to kill more cephs to unlock the upgrades, here you have to find the suit upgrade packs. I have been able to unlock only 5 upgrades and this sucks...

The gameplay is still awesome although I still have the feeling that too many button presses are required to perform weapon/ammo and suit powers switching.

However it's a must play, I strongly recommend it.

I did the training. I waited 5 minutes in the hall trying to spot something, too scared to move.

Not quite the surprise, like it was the first installment, but a very good game nonetheless, with a better setting. Playing in a well rendered city it's more fun than in a jungle. It feels like being a war machine in the middle of a chaotic urban warfare.

Like Crysis, this is a masterpiece of gameplay but suit usage and weapon switching got over me sometime because of the many buttons and double pressing required. I feel like this could have been done in a better way.

I highly recommend it.

Absolutely stunning. This is a must, probably one of the best horror experiences ever. The "Isolation" name is perfectly fit and summarizes the feeling you will experience during Ripley's journey. The main character is lovable and progressing through the game you will empathize a lot due to all the unlucky events she will get through.

The game will not give you any pressure but will put you under a constant state of tension. The missions mechanics are simple and sometime will get repetitive but the accent is on surviving, so don't expect an RPG. The setting and the atmosphere are consistent through the game and will escalate to horror perfection when approaching last levels.

Some pieces of advice:

1. Play at hard difficulty. Be ready to die, a lot.
2. Let yourself be killed by the Alien a couple of times, it will help you relax, understand some dynamics and prepare for a better gameplay.
3. Don't get stuck inside closets, be bold, go on and keep an eye for anything you can hide under (table, desk, bed).
4. Save. If the save point is not too far, go back and save. Don't be afraid to save when hostiles are nearby, but try to don't get spotted.
5. Save your precious flamethrower fuel :D

Awesome gameplay, the nanosuit idea makes the game various and interesting. The weapon customizations are useful but the alien weapon and the final guns don't pack a real punch, although they are decent. Some bugs here and there, but they don't affect the experience that is very good overall. Save often!

This review was quite negative. I wrote it years ago after playing the game for a couple of hours and being disappointed by the gameplay. I was expecting something more on the "Braid" style, a game that I deeply loved, but "The Witness" was something else entirely.

After a while I found myself giving a second chance to the game on a different platform. The end result was me playing obsessively the game for hours until I discovered any last bit of its secrets.

It was probably a different me, understanding the game for what it really was, a real piece of art and not something to mock like I did in my previous review. A game full of metaphors, where every pixel counts. An untold story, with an open ending and a series of puzzles that guide you during the beautiful journey.

In my previous review I compared Mr. Blow to Damon Lindelof. It's an island, full of cryptic puzzles and I just didn't want another "Lost" experience, after being so traumatised by the ending of the series. The game did well though; it went over the mysteries and created a coherent environment for the player, giving off a feeling of immersion from the beginning to the end.

Now, years later, while browsing Steam, I realised that the review was still negative. I had to fix this wrong, and give a deserved recommendation to this game.