Recent reviews by Flintlock

Got the Platinum on PS5 and then picked up a copy on Steam just so I could play it again on the go with my Steam Deck. It runs beautifully (even if it does chew through battery).

Currently playing through on the new Unknown Difficulty and loving every battle. I hope this game serves as a sign of what's to come for future games in the series. The voice acting is top notch and the characters are fun. Even on my 2nd playthrough I'm not skipping duologue which speaks volumes.

I played the original version and appreciate a bunch of changes that have happened with this new version. Looking forward to seeing more updates.

Pros:
- New perks make looking for gear more rewarding.
- Permanent talent and stat trees add a large amount of replay-ability.
- New hub levels to replenish supplies are great. (Would love to see a perk/gear vendor added, or maybe have these in an event level?)
- Updated art for interiors helps fill in the world/not make it feel so empty.
- Relatively bug-free. I had a few small ones but none of it was game-breaking.

Cons:
- Difficulty spike for the first boss is massive. I had what I thought was a pretty broken build and still died on wave 3 or 4 of my best run.
- Having a predictive arc for thrown objects would help me aim them more reliably. Instead of throwing right away when pressing G, being able to hold it and see a prediction of it's trajectory before releasing to throw would be nice.

Edit: I was able to get it working on my Steam Deck by changing the controller configuration to the "WASD" mapping.

This is my go-to game on my Steamdeck when I have 20 minutes to kill. The casual approach to playing at your own pace with your own style is super appealing. Even 4 years after launch there are always people hanging out in multiplayer lobbies together just doing their own thing. The controls definitely took a little getting used to, but the payoff of sticking with it makes landing a difficult string of tricks all the more satisfying. I'd love some more levels that aren't just skate competition layouts but at least they're free so I can't complain.

A fun little puzzler that reminds me of Scrabble or WWF minus the social pressure to always use massive or archaic words. (which I appreciate not having to do.) Puzzle Mode is definitely my favorite way to play! Matrix mode is also fun although I don't think my scores would hold up against many other players. Hahaha.

If quality of life updates are made in the future:
- I would definitely love to have some additional hint mechanics to help me if I get stuck with a puzzle. I appreciate being able to see the first letter, but when I really struggle it's hard to get unstuck without blindly swapping tiles until something works.
- Being able to play windowed or at least having an option to move it to a different monitor would be a nice way to noodle on some of the words while doing other things.

Fun and simple, reminds me of old school flash games with how brutal it can be sometimes. Took about 90 minutes to play through all of the levels and most of the time it felt like the mechanics it was teaching built on each other.

I'm only a couple hours in, but it's been fun so far. I'm not great at puzzle games so not rushing to finish and thinking carefully seems to be the best way for me. The music selection is also nice and helps mellow the mood perfectly.