Recent reviews by bleach-hell

Lies of P's combat is incredible. What I’ve always liked most in soulslikes is having multiple viable ways to deal with enemy attacks instead of just waiting for the right moment to i-frame dodge. That’s something Sekiro experimented with through its posture and deflection system, but it sacrificed build variety in the process. Lies of P manages to hit a really nice middle ground between those approaches.

Like Bloodborne, the game pushes you to play aggressively. Perfect guards, rally mechanics, and stagger systems reward you for staying in the fight instead of backing off and waiting for a safe dodge window. It feels much more active than the typical “roll until it’s your turn” rhythm that a lot of Souls combat falls into. You’re constantly deciding whether to dodge, perfect guard, break an enemy’s weapon, or push pressure for a stagger.

The weapon system is also one of the coolest things I’ve seen in the genre. Instead of just swapping weapons, you can assemble them by combining blades and handles. The handle determines moveset, reach, and one of the Fable Arts, while the blade determines damage type and the other Fable Art. Because of that you can make some pretty wild combinations; you can put a heavy blunt head on a spear handle, run a dagger blade on a longer sword handle, or just experiment with completely different weapon lengths and defensive options. This adds a ton to the build variety.

Additionally, the story was surprisingly good, and the game is insanely well optimized for how good it looks. For a studio’s first Soulslike, it’s honestly kind of ridiculous how polished the whole thing feels. That said, I still prefer the atmosphere and style of storytelling that FromSoftware tends to go for, though Lies of P still holds its own in that department.

TL;DR: Game gud.

SnowRunner x Left 4 Dead ; surprisingly, that combo works. I came in skeptical, but the demo won me over more than I expected. The second mission’s more open layout was a genuine surprise after the tutorial, and it immediately made the game feel more interesting and flexible.

Imagine Baldur’s Gate 3 x Slay the Spire x Binding of Isaac, but with an intricate breeding system and weird little life-sim touches like furnishing your house and interactions with the town NPC's. If that sounds appealing, it’s incredible.

One of the most complex logistics and economic sims out there, with deep production chains, detailed transport systems, and a fully simulated supply chain that you actually have to think about rather than just slap roads down and watch it work.

From designing efficient power and resource networks to handling realistic production and distribution, the logistics system here feels more intricate than nearly any other game in the genre.

The historical Soviet-era setting was what I was most interested in before trying the game, and I'm glad that it meaningfully shapes how the systems interact on top of the visual aspect.

It’s not without flaws; there’s a steep learning curve and the UI and controls can feel clunky at first, but if you’re into really deep simulation and logistics, this one delivers something few others do. If you’re looking for a city builder that treats infrastructure and planning as serious problems to solve, this is one of the most rewarding (and unforgiving) out there.

Post-Soviet trench foot survival.

A man who’s been trained to ignore pain, ignore weather, to live off the land, to eat things that would make a billy goat puke… you wouldn’t believe what he can do.

Life is Strange 2 doesn’t get the same love the first game did, but honestly, it hit me harder. There’s something really personal about the way it handles grief, loneliness, and trying to hold on to your humanity when everything feels like it’s slipping away.

The road trip structure gives it this drifting, reflective vibe — like you’re never really safe, but somehow that instability becomes familiar.

And the music. There’s a rawness and warmth to it that settles into the story so naturally, it almost feels like part of the script. Those quiet scenes — riding in the truck, staring at the trees, sitting by the fire — they wouldn’t have hit as hard without the music carrying the weight.

It’s not flawless. Some episodes are slower, some characters don’t fully land. But none of that outweighed what the game gave me. It’s about survival, yes — but also not losing that part of yourself that still wants to care, even when everything tells you not to, and that meant more than I expected.

It's Oblivion, but remastered

LSD Dream Emulator-like environments/gameplay with a great story and sidequests. Excellent dialogue and OST. Visually stunning: mixed media, diverse styles, and CD-i inspired characters. No brainer for free; I recommend watching the ENA web series before playing.