Recent reviews by Darkfall48

I just finished Until Then… and I still have tears in my eyes. I’m left with a deep sense of melancholy, but also the feeling that I’ve learned something about life, as if this experience helped me grow, quietly and gently.

This is not just another 2D visual novel, as the trailers might lead you to believe. It’s a fully-fledged cinematic interactive experience, with shots worthy of an auteur film, blending 2D and 3D with remarkable finesse. The camera itself feels alive, guided by a Hollywood director in search of poetry. And the storytelling? Simply outstanding. The dialogues are incredibly natural, I’ve never felt this level of authenticity in a game before. Special mention to the French translation, which did a brilliant job capturing this nuance.

I genuinely saw myself in this story. It brought me back to my high school days: hanging out with friends, handing in assignments at the last second (often in style), experiencing my first crushes and my first heartbreaks too. But beyond the personal memories, Until Then gently touches on universal themes like family, responsibility, grief, abandonment… It’s a deeply human story.

What truly moved me was the optimism radiating from both the main and supporting characters, despite the melancholic tone. The game does a masterful job of varying its gameplay to better serve the narrative. With every interaction, you don’t just play — you feel. And I felt everything. I laughed, I cried, I was afraid, I loved. Each emotion felt sincere, carried by meticulous attention to detail throughout all five chapters.

The music also deserves praise. It elevates every scene with such precision and perfectly enhances the immersion into this unique universe.

If I had one critique, it would be about the handling of grief in the final chapter. It felt a little rushed. I wish the game had taken more time to show how the main character goes through the grieving process and manages to move forward, without relying on a time skip.

But despite that minor flaw, Until Then is, in my eyes, a true little masterpiece. An unforgettable experience I hope everyone gets to live.

From the bottom of my heart, thank you to the development team and everyone who worked on this project.
You created far more than just a game.

I wholeheartedly recommend this gem to anyone looking for a touching story and a gameplay experience that’s both immersive and emotionally rich.

Satisfactory isn't just Factorio in 3D, it's much more than that.

Unlike Factorio, which is more of a pure engineering game, Satisfactory encourages you to explore the flora and fauna of the world, constantly spreading out, building and discovering new resources in new places.

Be careful, though, because this game is extremely addictive, and it's not uncommon to start a game in the morning and get to the evening without even realizing it. And if there's two of you, all the better.

The game features a multiplayer mode, with players connecting directly to each other's games via Steam or creating a dedicated server.

If you love engineering and space and have spent more than 400 hours playing on Factorio (like me), then you should go ahead and play Satisfactory, because you'll definitely spend more hours on this one.

Lost in Random is a real little gem that I wasn't expecting, especially from Electronic Arts.

The universe reminds me a lot of Alice Madness Returns, and the gameplay is quite unique, even if we're mainly here for the story and the dubbing of the characters, which is really well done.

It's a little game that can be finished in 12-15 hours (15 for complectionists like me).

I'd like to point out that there are no micro-transactions in the game (it's strange that we're obliged to specify this for a single-player game these days, but that's another debate).

Anyway, I highly recommend this little game to anyone who likes this kind of short story.

I sincerely hope there will be a sequel, at least that's what the ending makes us expect.

HI-FI Rush is a truly unexpected gem.

At a time when most games look the same and want your money, it's becoming increasingly rare to see games that stand out from the crowd. And then, out of nowhere, without any communication about it, Hi-Fi Rush comes out with a thrilling rhythmic adventure.

The art direction, music, graphics and story are all original. There are even references to famous anime (Jojo, for example).

This game is a platformer in the style of Ratchet and Clank, but with the distinctive feature that combat, movement, environments, characters and NPCs are all in the rhythm. And when you say rhythm, you also say difficulty. I played on the hard difficulty version (two levels below the maximum available) and I can say that at times it was really difficult, but it was also very fun to play.

What impressed me most was the attention to detail. For example, at one point in the game, you see boxes stacked up next to a robot, and being the good gamer that I am, I started breaking them to retrieve the little coins, and when I activated the dialogue box with the robot, he was sad that I'd broken the boxes, as it had taken him a long time to stack them.
There's also the fact that all the decorative elements, whether it's the manhole cover, the vending machine, the lampposts, etc., all dance when you move rhythmically. This attention to detail really pleases me.

Personally, I played in French, and I can say that the dubbing is of exceptional quality, I've never played a game so well dubbed (I don't know if this is also the case in English or in other languages).

In conclusion: This game is a great discovery, I've rediscovered the pleasure of playing a real game, like when I was a kid and played the Ratchet and Clank saga.
There's no advertising, no micro-transactions and no DLC. There's even a new game plus with new gameplay and new things to discover.

What more do you need?

Cute, beautiful, fascinating, masterpiece... these are some of the words that come to my mind when I think about this game.

Ori and the Will of the Wisps' is the sequel to 'Ori and the Blind Forest'.
I will not spoil the story, but I recommend to play the first game before starting this one.

First of all, this sequel won't disorient you from the first game, since the gameplay is similarly the same (with some new elements, but it's up to you to figure it out).

The story, the music, the animations and the graphics are even more impressive than the first opus. The characters are cute and you really feel empathy for them (and the antagonists).

Both games are truly a game design lesson. Like 'Zelda - Link's Awakening', when you progress through the game and unlock new skills, you can come back to previous areas to discover new places to explore that were inaccessible to you until then.

In addition to that, we can add the beautiful music and the very special graphic design and you have a unique atmosphere that will not leave you indifferent.

The first game was exceptional, but Moon Studio managed to make an even better sequel.

I fully recommend you to play this sequel.
But if you haven't played the first game already, you should start with the first one before playing this one.

Wow what a game!

How to summarize Dark Souls in a few words?

Fear, challenge, courage, accomplishment and satisfaction.

I must admit that I was afraid to start Dark Souls at the beginning.
I wasn't afraid from the horror perspective, but from the difficulty aspect.

But I took my courage in both hands and decided to play Dark Souls.

I'm glad I made that decision.

Once the game starts, and once the first cinematic is over, you get right into the action with this first boss.
Many players gave up after meeting him.
But those who accept the challenge and manage to beat or pass this boss, are rewarded.

When you leave this first area, you find yourself transported into a huge place full of both scary and fascinating places to discover, you feel really tiny in Dark Souls and it's a pretty peaceful feeling.

The exceptional thing about this game is the feeling of accomplishment you get after discovering new places or beating new bosses, since each area is interconnected, there is no world map to orient yourself and it's up to the player to use his memory and his sense of sight to discover new places to explore.
The game design is meticulous and extremely well done.
If the player decides to satisfy his curiosity by discovering new passages or new npc, he will be immediately rewarded.

The fluidity of the gameplay and the feeling that each decision of movement or attacks can have a huge consequence makes the game really immersive.

If you decide to play the game for its gameplay, you might miss the story and the lore completely. With little dialogue and few cinematics, it's up to you to find all this out through the descriptions in the items, equipment, weapons and spells and also through the information provided in the game design and the textures of the game and the enemies.

The lack of sound when moving in the zones, reinforces the feeling of loneliness and stress. But during boss fights, the music is epic and adds a real feeling of accomplishment when you have successfully defeated the bosses.

Dark Souls is an experience.

If you dare, it's up to you to discover this video game masterpiece.

You will feel grown up and a real sense of empowerment.

If you managed to finish Dark Souls, if you managed to beat Ornstein and Smough or Artorias or just managed to beat an enemy. You could achieve anything in your life.

Yes you will want to give up, yes you will want to be helped (you have the possibility to do so), but if you decide to go all the way, you could achieve anything after that.

I can proudly say that I finished Dark Souls, I beat all the bosses and got most of the items and equipment, I also did all of the side quests (including the dlc).

Thanks Dark Souls for all this, I'm ready to play the next games of the franchise.

If there is one thing that can be said about psychonauts, it is that it turns the brain upside down.

It's been a long time since I played a "real" game.
I mean, a game with an interesting story, a well thought game design and an innovative gameplay.

What's interesting is that the humor of the game is suitable for young and old (I have a preference for the milkman conspiracy level).

The game is quite old (2005 after all), the graphics are acceptable but I agree that it will not please everyone.

I played the game in the French version and I can say that the game is extremely well dubbed (the best will recognize some dubbers from famous series and animes).

I got attached to the universe of this game and I'm already looking forward to play its sequel.

I highly recommend it!

The best investigative game I have played so far.

The gameplay of the game is mixed between an Ace Attorney with the trials and a battle royal with phases of discussions and meetings with the characters.

The way to resolve the murders makes sense and there are very few inconsistencies in the narrative.

The game goes through 3 phases: Free Time, Investigation and Trial.

Free Time: Meeting with the characters.
Investigation: Search for evidence at the crime scene.
Trial: Show the evidence found and vote for whoever is the murderer.

Without forgetting the post game "School Mode" which is an alternative version of the story which allows to complete all the successes of the characters at once and to play a reality where one lives a life of "normal" student with the other characters.

Even if the game is a port, you get used to the somewhat dated graphics quite quickly.

The musics and OST are nice and put us in the special atmosphere of the game.

To conclude:

I had previously seen the anime that made me discover the game, the story is almost exactly the same, but I still recommend playing the game for all it brings in addition to the anime version.

Avoid learning too much about the game and the Danganronpa saga in general, these games are full of reversals of all kinds and it would be a shame to get spoiled .

And go play at this masterpiece!

After playing and completing the last two games in the Leisure Suit Larry franchise, I come away with a little tear because until the end both games have been excellent, both in the way they tell the story, the way they make and use ass jokes and all the references about pop culture... Leisure Suit Larry is one of the great games of the Point and Click genre, I will remember this franchise for a long time.

Hoping for a continuation :)

Leisure Suit Larry - Wet dreams Don't Dry is my first game in the Leisure Suit Larry series.

For the first time, I am quite impressed by the narrative plot of the story and all the excellent references in the culture, whether it is video games, films, series and previous opus.

The game looks a lot like a more adult version of the excellent saga of Depiona games with ass jokes during all the game, but most of the time it made me laugh and in a good way.

There is no nudity in the game, but there is a lot of sexual overtones and "sexy" moments.

The game is intended to be funny and interresent by its Point and Click gameplay and by its modernity.

The story begins with Larry who lands in the 21st century and who discovers modern technology and therefore, Timber (Tinder).
Larry must achieve a score of 90 points on Timber (which is impossible) to be able to date with Faith.
As we move forward in our date experiences to increase our score, the game is meant to be quite mature and tackles themes such as homosexuality, transgender, having an "unconvensual" job, the hipster life and a lot of other themes, obviously all brought in a humorous and mature tone.

In short..

Leisure Suit Larry - Wet Dreams Don't Dry is an excellent game that I highly recommend to anyone over the recommended age;)