Recent reviews by Bob Pullen

The story telling, cinematics and world building are next level; truly masterful and a joy to be immersed in. The combat is a refined version of Remake's ATB reinvention and equally enjoyable/satisfying.

It really is magical seeing the familiar cast/environments re-incarnated for a modern audience and the whole thing plays and is presented near perfectly.

So much so, that it feels a bit wrong to beat it up for a fairly common take - which is the size/length of the game; it's an absolute behemoth, make no mistake! Seems odd to criticise something for the amount of content but I'd be lying if I said there weren't times that it felt like a slog. You could no doubt avoid some of this by ignoring the many sidequests/distractions, but if you're anything like me, you'll find that very hard to do. There were two occasions during my playthrough where I had to put it down to avoid burn out and came back to it some weeks/months later.

I'm glad I did though, as what makes this so good vastly outshines the downsides IMO.

I played the OG, I played Remake, I played Intermission - and I've now played Rebirth. I won't hesitate to purchase the final instalment either... Just after a bit of a laydown 😉

Great handling, well-balanced progression and runs like a dream on Steam Deck. Unlicensed for obvious reasons but really easy to replace car names with their real-life alternatives (search for a guide). Plenty of longevity if you're the type for chasing online leaderboards/seasonal events.

Nice, short and responsive precision platformer, with a handful of pretty brutal screens. If patience isn't your thing then steer well clear! I'm glad there was 'somebody' there to keep me company during the final challenge else I think my Steam deck may have ended up in pieces on the floor!

The story is utterly balmy and definitely on the surreal side of psychological horror.

If I had one bit of feedback, it's that the hitbox of the main character sometimes felt like it was working to my detriment. Hard to put my finger on but it was like a spike hitting the protagonist's hair triggered a collision when my brain didn't expect it to. Didn't detract too much from the experience though, and the game's well worth a look in if it's your bag.

Does what it says on the tin.

If you're after rich game mechanics and a story, then look elsewhere 👀
If you're after a cozy, well-crafted fishing collectathon, then easy recommend 👍
If pixel art could ever be considered 'breathtaking' then this is it 😍
Perfect Steam Deck companion 🎮

Speaking of companions, bought DLC because: cat 🐈

If you like rhythm games, buy this now!

Delightfully crafted and intuitive to the point that you can play many of its stages with your eyes closed, with a bit of practice.

It's no cakewalk though, so don't be deceived by the presentation. There's a lot of challenge here and it's surprising how taxing a single button input can be once the mechanics start stacking.

The music, story and characters are really endearing and the whole package has a really unique premise.

Plays beautifully on Steam Deck.

Tip: If you're struggling then enable detailed level results in the settings and find a guide that explains some of the finer calibration options. I had to tweak a little to get my wireless headphones nicely synced.

Feel a bit conflicted on this one. The quirky art/animation is the main draw - and if you're able to catch the game on a deep discount then it's worth a look-in for this alone - it's beautiful.

The game/puzzling itself would also get a thumbs up were it not for some immersion-breaking annoyances I encountered, which for a game this short (< 1hr once you understand the solutions), is not really acceptable.

It's a 'Samarost-esque' point and click affair and I suffered a number of problems with the final environment: missing 'papers', multiple soft locks requiring a restart, a slightly obtuse puzzle, and a frustrating un-skippable cut-scene that precedes the final boss. All of this was doubly-soured when I read on the discussion forum that the artist (to whom most of the credit is due) had a bit of a falling out with the Devs over the state of the game when it launched.

Slot machine go brrr.

If it's gameplay you're after, then you're not going to find it here.

What you will find is an grimy, cronenberg'esque walking sim with a unique art style and a story that's subject to 'WTF?' levels of interpretation.

I like it.

Excellent and immaculately designed puzzler. Main story is short, but is a blast (pun intended) from start to finish! That said, there's a good number of post game challenges that will keep you occupied if you haven't had your fill. None of the achievements are gated behind the more difficult puzzles which will no doubt satisfy the completionists too. Fully recommend!

The metaphor and nuance of this game are completely lost on me 🤷

I'm guessing this is what warrants the praise - because without it - all I'm seeing is a v.short, narrative-led adventure, with uninspiring gameplay, zero challenge, tonnes of jank, confusing/abrupt scene transitions, and a whole bunch of head scratching!