Recent reviews by Donoho

More Metroidvanias should have the option to WARP to any place you've been. Exploration, backtracking, and attempts at sequence breaking were more fun for me because 95% of the unnecessary traversal bits were gone. I revisited areas way more than I would have otherwise.

Itemization was fun, interesting and (except for one area) optionally situational. Certain weapons are more effective in certain situations or against certain enemies. Certain weapons Should Not be used in certain situations. Pick up all the things. Buy all the things. Try out All the Things.

There were only 2 things that come to mind that I wasn't a fan of. Stun/Bind Locking and the first wall mounted trigger plate.

Bound by web? By the time I get out, there's another one about to hit me. Frozen by a projectile. I don't thaw until the next one is inches from my face. The solution? Don't get stunned/bound. Take 'em out before they can launch their attack.

The first time I encountered a wall mounted plate my sword bounced off, so I went back the way I came a proceeded to scour the areas I'd been for the path forward. After multiple passes I looked up a playthrough to see what I missed. I was moderately annoyed to watch the sword NOT bounce off and open the path forward.

Overall, I really enjoyed the look, feel, pacing, story and mechanics. It was Really Fun.

P.S. THERE'S A ******* JETPACK!!! There are boundaries for it's use, but it's still fun as hell to see where you can go with it[/spiler]

P.P.S. You let me go back to check on the dog and even have and achievement for it. WHY Can't I Take It Back Home?!?! She's right there, missing her dog! Let me return the dog!!!

This game was a Lot of Fun.

Distractingly thought provoking, which it then uses to sucker punch you in the feels

I hate not recommending this game.

It's a beautiful game with solid concepts, unfortunately it feels like it just wasn't done yet. Even worse, it feels like it was really close.

• Too many invisible walls in some areas and not enough in others
  
• Inconsistent pacing and mixed signals in direction
  
• Good flow that is frequently and abruptly stopped
  
• Final encounter bug(s) which made it impossible to win
  
  I would LOVE to play and highly recommend the finished version of this game. Unfortunately, with the closing of the studio that developed it, I'm pretty sure that's not going to happen.

From initial confustion to really pleasant surprise, I enjoyed this game once I figured out and accepted it for what it is. This feels like a game developed by one person or a small team that put a LOT of heart into it's creation.

Important Point
There is nothing wrong/broken with the Controls, Difficulty & Length of this game.

Controls:
The controls are restrictive by design and require mastery. My first attempt at was at normal difficulty. I got wrecked, but learned a little more each time.

Difficulty:
By the time I decided to switch to easy I'd adjusted to the controls enough to reach the first Boss with few to no hits. Again, wrecked. Felt like it was impossible to react in time... and then I remembered that this games isn't about immediate reaction. It's about pattern recognition and the many deaths required to acquire those patterns, which aren't that complicated but occasionally require pixel precision.

Length:
A single playthrough of this game doesn't take very long (less than 2 hours) and that was great. That said, this game wasn't meant to be played once. It's meant to be replayed, explored, mastered and appreciated, which I plan to do.

Also, I don't think the Revenge was that petty. Respect.

Beautiful. Fluid. Deceptively simple.

Early in the game, contols seem simplistic, random and a bit confusing as it adjusts to the direction you're facing. Wall hopping is easy and fast and momentum carries you exactly where you want to go, until about midway through when you encounter jumps that benefit from a bit more finesse.

As your party grows, and the number of attacks that can be executed by each member grows, and the number/strength of enemies grows the simplicity fades into a bit of chaos. I still don't think I've got blocking completely locked in and target switching is a bit clunky, but the shared meter between blocking and power moves is addictively strategic. It wasn't until my second go at the last boss that I realized in-fight healing was an option.

My first playthrough took 48 min and my second (NG+) took 28 min. There will probably be several more playthroughs because the I feel like I could do better and found the whole experience enjoyable. I played using a PS4 controller.

FFXIV:ARR was my first full experience with an MMO and I'd played 1258 hours before it was available on steam.

I didn't know there was no end to it. I didn't know that no matter how much you do, no matter how much you grind, no matter how much you overcome, every mountain you scale serves only to bring you into view of the next. I didn't know...

Also, Stormblood is AMAZING!!!

Classic Gaming concepts refined to intuitive magnificence. Engrossing environments and atmosphere. Engaging narrative and a story that pulls you in from milestone to milestone. Some of the puzzles can seem impossible, but everything you need to complete the game is given to you with a single item. This is an Amazing Game. Not every game needs to be a 40+ hour epic, and although short, this game is exactly as long as it needs to be.

Once you start playing, good luck stopping. No, seriously. It's REALLY hard to stop. If you have something important that you need to get done, DO NOT even look in the general direction of this game. That's of Course AFTER you've bought it. If however, you've got some time to kill and want to have a good time, Play This Game.

I didn't understand the incredibly addictiong nature of the incrementally increasing value of LOOT until this game.