Recent reviews by Michael T Moreno

"AY FREAKSHOW! your goin' nowhere... I gotcha for three minutes! three minutes of... playtime!"

Dude... easy recommend wtf lmao!!!!!

DETAILS:
no but seriously, the gameplay... dynamic economy, the unique approach to combat movement, artifacts.. simulated living world... there is a lot here to enjoy. the voice acting during story moments are fine, enjoyable if a bit limited in range. it's not a negative at all... it does make the story easier to digest.

MAJOR NOTE: "Age of Fear Free World" is not a good representation of this game at it's finest to any degree... Free World is more of a demo of the series' combat without the prep or customization of the full game which does drastically change the feel of combat A LOOOOT! also, battle tasks seem to be waaay more enjoyable in the full games. battle tasks are optional challenges that appear for each missions that when accomplished, provides bonus rewards for each battle.

there is a loooot of content here, and a surprising amount of agency. outside of combat there are narrative events that trigger and are presented via dnd prompt window that provides story with voice acting and player choices that do actually have consequence.

open world events and the option of daily open world events to be refreshed is great, but to be clear, the open world is clickable boxes that pop up on the map... your not controlling a character with the ability to walk around... just dont go in assuming that. it does not detract at all though from this game. the quirky character voice acting in battles just... ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ I love the references lol. theres a lot, and its seriously great and brings a bit of levity to the aspects of battle that can be stressful(stressful lie any other game, not unique to this. not jank, its pretty polished).

thats another point... contrary to the appearance and the game's art work, this game is vey mechanically polished.

VERDICT:
this is a must grab at full price! An easy recommend... and if on sale, GRAB IT!!!
easy to pick up and play, save anywhere even during any aspect of combat, fun reference humor, tons of surprising depth and etc etc...

(UPDATE AFTER 30hrs)
uhhh, so this is a new favorite of mine now.. SUPPORT THIS DEV lol :3 seriously though, it's a very addictive and solid experience for both those looking to master the battlefield or just looking to chillout.

...

I HATE THE STEAM APP SOMETIMES!!!!

sorry... but this has to be short because the damn app wiped my full review.
(Precursor, sorry for the languagevat the end)

- GREAT TIME
- SATISFYING COMBAT
- NOT AS SOULS LIKE AS PROMOTED WHICH IS GREAT!
- FEELS UNIQUE
- SKILL TREES ARE INTERESTING
- GRAPHICS BEAUTIFUL
- LORE IS EXCELLENT
- LORE PRESENTED IN CODEX IN COMIC
- BOSS FIGHTS GREAT
- OPTIMIZED
- INTERESTING LOCATIONS
- EXPLORATION GOOD AND BAD
- EASY TO GET LOST
- DEVELOPED AROUND LANDMARKS
- NO LANDMARKS
- NO MAP
- NPCS AND JOURNAL PROVIDE DIRECTION STYLE HINTS WHICHVIS AWESOME
- I GET LOST A LOT FOR LONG PERIODS OF TIME... LITERALLY FOR HOURS AT A TIME.
- GREAT VOICE ACTING


TOTAL RECOMMEND! FULL PRICE... MUST GRAB IF ON SALE!

♥♥♥♥ THE ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ BUGGY ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ STEAM APP... GOD!

no search bar, still forced to code with impractical abstractions(if you want to create a double jump, you cant simply check if player is grounded or jumping without the impractical approach of establishing a reletive norm through an extended check on the player's regular y pos in relation to blah blah blah...).

this suffers the same issue that textual coding does... the issue that would have you choose a visual editor in the first place for a seasoned coder or newbie all the same.

not knowing where to start, what blocks to use, where they are located, forced to create long lines of impractical code to do very simple things.

to be honest... if there was a search bar... it would make this entirely usable being that you would know what does exist and what doesnt. as well as what can be done vs what cant... which does make coding more accessible and less intimidating. thats kind of why tools like "playmaker" succeeds so well.

anyway... rough, not worth 30$... sorry... I wish I could support this. it's a cool effort and one sorely needed... but it comes off as redundant... even when rarely on sale for 9$... still not worth it. just a headache... just like textual coding.

VERY UNDERRATED...
EXTREMLEY FUN AND EASY TO HOP IN AND OUT OF...
AN EASY RECOMMEND AT 15$, A MUST GRAB AT 5$ OR LESS!

as a solo player, Killsquad does offer a seriously fun loop of DODGE, SHOOT, LOOT. a core element that truly carries the game's feedback loop is the enemy variety and the conditions of the challenges in each contract. now when I talk about "Challenges" I am discussing the conditions that elevate a mission from the simple shoot everything to having a more puzzle like focus while managing the crowds of enemies... some challenges require you to perform typical tasks like escort a vehicle, defend a set point, and etc to more unique concepts like having a boss be invulnerable because they are shielded by 2 or 3 minions similar to diablo 4's public events. there are other tasks that strip the enemies to focus on traversal and carrying objects to unlock gates and stuff... those are fun for sure.

an interesting thing that I felt mixed on but ultimately I accepted was the visual aspect to loot. this is a bit like... marvel's avengers where the weapons all have the same projectile while the guns all look different. it threw me off a bit but you easily get over it. the perks and effects weapons have are really fun to synergize with and the perk unlock approach for each weapon is a nice form of evolving a weapon.

the approach of their skill trees are pretty similar in the best ways to diablo 3 or 4 where you can unlock multiple skill modifiers but only enable a few. on top of that, the approach to using those skills in each mission is pretty unique... and does add a fun element of becoming more badass as you push through the mission. skill modifiers are designated to a specific level tier in the mission, meaning you start at level 1, with the basic unmodified skills... as you gain levels, your modifiers begin to unlock, evolving your skills through your tailored loudout as you progress in each level. it does keep the gamplay fresh being that your forced to manage with your skills in their beasic form before seeing the fruit of your labors when they become notivibly enhanced as your grow level to level in each mission. it's a lot of fin for sure.

I expected jank... but there is actually very little jank if any at all... it's pretty tight and polished.

the characters all play very differently which is a bonus... and the cosmetics are... fun.

the main aspect of this game that I recommend is that adductive looter shooter game loop and the variety of challenges it provides making each contract fun, even if it is in the same map you see form time to time. the grind was expected, but it's actually not really needed unless your like me, obsessed with maxing out what gear and etc i have at the time before moving forward.

this game is great...I would say easily worth 15$... a must grab if you find it for anything less than 5$!

I highly recommend this to any solo looter enthusiast. an absolute good time!

Sadly useless for me, but may be a great introduction for developers to be(and professional devs with projects of a smaller scale.

Unfortunately very rigid and restrictive, but still totally usable to develop full projects within reasonable scale.
- restricted local variables with no ability to add more.
- no built in tile editor.
- requires unity to compile for mobile.
+ very user friendly ui.
+ does not limit complexity necessarily.
+ readable/visual node/link based programming(your branching text can be easier to follow without getting lost, unlike rpgm's wall of text event commands, which makes it difficult to easily find specific parts of your branching text)
+ built in save system...
+ surprisingly customizable and controlable camera(great for cinematic angles and fixed camera systems like resident evil.

I... recommend this at a deep sale, but their are better tools out there... including rpg maker mv.

VERDICT:
(copy/pasted from the botton to cut to the chase if tldr)
for fans of immersive first person open world games... HIGH RECOMMEND!

This is no question, a must play... grab the collection(note: the experience changes a bit from game to gamee as the explored new ways to approach and develop the world to take advantage of the evolving tech of the time. it's noticible...) grab at full price, DEFINITLY GRAB IF ON SALE... this game alone(the frist out of the 3) is a must grab. you dont neeeeeed to grab the trilogy... but grab this one for sure!!!!


DETAILS:
while not a Major "Upgrade" this makes Stalker way easier to get into and enjoy for modern players. to be completely honest, the game was already a solid and easy experience to get into with tons of revolutionary mechanics in this system based immersive sim. ai is about as solid and effective as the ai in F.E.A.R. though this is a much larger scope than that game. being an open world with pre-established history and lore that makes this world feel soooo alive and lived in, it provides a truly immersive experience as all that stuff you can actually piece together by simply observing various elements and occupants. the weapons feel soooo good feedback and impact wise, the sound here is extremely important as it contributes to that feedback but is also a mechanic that contributes to the actual gameplay. the inventory system is fine... the interaction system between the player and npcs are as expected in an open world game... you can trade with anyone... looting is grounded. the horror of the world and it's wildlife is just as terrifying as the humans that navigate it. this is a very tactical shooter... shot placement truly matters, and... okay i'm going to cut to the chase.

I can go on and on with this game being a massive fan of the original releases, and clearly able to clock in a rediculous amount of playtime even though I already clocked in way more time up to this point into the original releases... recently lol. this is one of those experience that provide mechanics and immersion that is soooo... okay, you know how even though you beat an open world spiderman game several times but go back to it because how fun the game mechanics are, specifically swinging through the city... this game is like that. not with the spiderman stuff lol... the world and how easy it is to fall into habitual behaviour appropriate to a person who actually lives in the world is what keeps bringing me back personally. its not an rpg, but it's very easy with no effort to fall into roleplaying here.

VERDICT:
for fans of immersive first person open world games... HIGH RECOMMEND!

This is no question, a must play... grab the collection(note: the experience changes a bit from game to gamee as the explored new ways to approach and develop the world to take advantage of the evolving tech of the time. it's noticible...) grab at full price, DEFINITLY GRAB IF ON SALE... this game alone(the frist out of the 3) is a must grab. you dont neeeeeed to grab the trilogy... but grab this one for sure!!!!

(this review will be pretty short and missing stuff because I am falling asleep as I am writing this)
okay, wtf? This was a surprisingly great time...

I look forward to what this developer is working on next... assuming the understand what a good time this game is for a solo player like me(hoping it does well and enough people let them know).

this is a total hidden indie gen that is a must grab at full price!
HIGHLY RECOMMEND!

fans of classic style video game progression, dungeon runs(like destiny 2), looters and classic gauntlet trials and exploration will absolutely love this. it's so much fun and adictive, you easily overlook the visuals.

the mechanics of enemies and boss battles are soooo much fun to fight against. the fact that this game really rewards you when exploiting headshots is soooo satisfying, which can cause dazing, confusion and other afflictions on enemies.

this game feels great to play(jankyness aside), there is a test of skill over damage numbers going up...

one of the best indie games that harken back to the classic days of dungeon crawling. heres a funny but accurate way to describe this game in essence, it very much a waaaay better and more entertaining version of the recent "dungeons and dragons: dark alliance"(which was bad for many reasons). This beats that game by a looooong shot, that game doesnt even come close here with what this game achieves with its fun factor.

A lot of players compare it to the "baldurs gate: dark alliance" games, and i totally agree... though this a bit more updated than those. But i reaaslly still love those... and i absolutely love this!

A MUST BUY AT FULL PRICE!
Serious challenge and fun await!...Seriously... (lol)

Soooo... This might be a long review. I'll try to streamline it a bit...

Total recommend at FULL PRICE to tabletop players, virtual tabletop players, tabletop rpg artists/creators, full fledge game developers, artists, concept artists and mappers... seriously. all of those apply and none are listed "just because",

the details:
as an artist, author and... blah blah blah... this has fully just taken blender's place when it comes to level design, world conceptualization and outside of blender... "LORE BUILDING".

(totally went overboard... heres a streamlined list):
- (built in & dlc)massive environmental prop library(base content definitely varied enough to build with creative depth... the dlc just adds more variety by way of Prop genres); high quality and combined with lighting and color grading effects(separate feature) allows for creative modular use and cohesion for artists to build extremely complex environments that is very unique in that artist's specific style. each dlc adding a substantial amount of content at 6$ a piece which is awesome.
- the quest log writer or journal... provides an in engine tool to manage story content and notes... I have always praised tools that keep you comfortably within a single workspace... so having the ability to design full 3d environments as well as the ability to open the journal to develop some story content or lore... or just jotting notes in a really natural way(not a random windows themed note pad) within the same workspace.
- there are 3d pin markers and other useful tools for tabletop(physical or virtual) players and game masters that I use not as any of those lol... they are just more "noting" and 3d "pinboard" tools for me personally lol. they are great.
- the weather effects, premade particle effects and color grading tools are simple to use and understand. in combination, like most visual effects tools provides a world of possibilities and more importantly, control over the tone mapping(as stated before... going to try to not repeat myself lol). oh, my favorite tool for map creation... "fog". you have access to to a few options in "types" of fog, haze, sandstorm, etc etc etc... to see what feels right for you and the specific environment your working on. it's great.
- lighting tools are simple but ABSOLUTLY EFFECTIVE lol. im a strong lighting artist... fog... lighting... color grading... thats my thing... the secret sauce to my environments lol... no but seriously, it's pretty solid here and the properties available are fantastic.(be sure to set the app's graphics to max, if your system supports it... it took me about...since it launched originally on steam... maybe a year? before I realized, like a game... I can crank the graphics up lol. do that if you can lol... it really brings this tool a solid several steps above the others so far. you can produce absolutely legitimately gorgeous environments in this).
- supports audio which is cool...
- supports "perspective" and "isometric" camera types...
- supports standard camera effects: DOF, FOV, chromatic ab., vignetting(spelling... sorry lol)... etc etc.
- each project supports "multiple environments" using a "tab-like" system... present at the top of the viewport. which is great for and organizationally insane person like me...(that... phrase...)
- solid customer support. the developers are the customer support... and they are actual humans... with feeling that actually care about their users. this is a big one, TOP NOTCH USER SUPPORT... seriously. just really sweet/kind supportive people.
- performance is pretty fantastic. there are occasions when launching, the screen will dim and seemingly load...? but if you press "esc", it goes away and your map pops in lol...
- oh! the load, undo, delete and etc animation for props... simple... but love it.

there is just so much more, i can go on and on as this program has completely taken blender's place in my development pipeline in a massively serious way.

I should detail the development context for what "game development" projects this could work for... so this exports 2d images(and possibly video... buuut I havent checked). for serious developers, this would definitely be a solid tool for making a high graphics point and click game like myst(vr release) or anything like that in high quality, primarily built on the high quality assets, lighting, color grading tools and etc etc. I have 2 decades of unity experience(amongst other engines... and blah blah... not a resume, cut this down mike...).

my point is, this as a level design tool is excellent as the library of assets to stand up well against unity's asset store both "out of the box"(easily) and with the additional dlc(a bonus). the content is seriously modular enough and... (this is important too) detailed enough to scale, rotate and utilize the details on props to instance a create whole new/unique looking environments or even props with how you repurpose them(like i tend to do all the time).

uggg still went long on this lol...

my point, this is totally a viable serious tool for game design... easily. to be clear... for projects that utilize 2d export formats, as this does not export 3d content... thats not a negative in anyway toward this tool, I HIGHLY RECOMMEND IT! artists(comics, 2d animation, 3d animation with 2d environment projection, environmental art), game devs(point and click adventures... first person myst-like or third person broken sword style) and so on and so forth.... sorry this stiiiill was super long lol...

buy this... the price point is and EASY recommend for artists and enthusiasts dungeon masters and players... it's just fun to use lol.

Loved the first game...
Was playing it a lot on itch... and mobile.

This is a MASSIVE step up, and a must play!

Details:
A very addictive loop of dungeon crawling. Primarily because every weapon functions differently in drastic ways with each feeling fantastic to use. The platforming is interesting in that you have an infinite jump count which when controlled intentionally by using your shield allows for a really unique for of air movement control...

I keep coming back with no sign of slowing down.

There is now long term progression in weapon unlocks when collecting achievements, which is a MAJOR positive that was not a thing in the previous game. There was no long term progression in the first.

Also, the visuals are great. They remind me of "9th dawn", which is another great series you should check out.

But yeah, this game is very VERY, "just one more try, i know where i screwed up!"...

there are a lot of nuances in the world and its hazards that provide learned ways to navigate. Like, you can walk past spinning blades with your shield up because the blade upon collision, triggers your i-frames, allowing you to walk past without taking damage. There's a bunch of stuff like that, and its genius!

Also... you save cats... nuff said.
An easy recommendation!

** OH, and keyboard and mouse feels sooooooo good!

this is going to be a short one.

a simple roguelike challenge that provides gameplay simple enough to easily hop in and out of(as well as pickup and play as a first-timer). multiple ending with an addictive game loop...

the crafting is cool, though I wish there was a bit more to the VIP upgrades...

this is an easy recommend.