Recent reviews by ff17cloud

Temtem, at the time of this, is fun.
Creature designs are so-so, with some funny ones and some cute ones.
Server issues since launch are near non-existent (it still happens, I can just pick up and play the game, now, whenever)
Dialogue from characters is pretty quirky and funny.
And most importantly, the combat system is fun and engaging. Ai WILL target your weakspots and beat you up.

Now, I think the bigger question you might have is, will this beat or replace Pokemon.
No, it won't, and reactionary people who say so are discrediting the folks at Crema.
Let's be real, you need an internet connection, the game's focus is entirely different than Pokemon's single
battle focus, I haven't experienced a move as crazy in potential as baton pass, volt tackle, or U-turn in temtem, BUT
Temtem has holds, synergy moves, the meta styles of both temtem and Pokemon are going to be
VASTLY different based on how you select your monsters, etc.

Is this the game for an experienced pokemon player who wants a harder game? Yeah, I'd say so.
But is this pokemon-like, besides it's gameplay, replace Pokemon? No. It's in its own lane, has its own
Demographic, doesn't target the general populace of gamer, and I'm EXCITED for the new Pokemon
Sword and Shield DLC.

That being said and all the Pokemon stuff out of the way, going into what makes temtem a good game:
It shouldnt be understated how the difficulty feels so far with this game. When you have to strategically kill off
Your own temtems to deal with a dojo boss and then waste turns resting to abuse the ai's lack of items to
Get out of a tough fight's one hell of a way to make an impression to take the game
More seriously. The stamina values make thought to be weak moves like scratch and peck amazing ways to
Mean something.

Think of it like this, moves like scratch and peck use 4 or 5 stamina, you heal 3 stamina a turn, your temtem by
The first dojo, you'll have on average 30-38 stamina per temtem, and it's a 6v6 fight. Stronger moves like Wind Blast use around 12-17 stamina, which leaves you dry in 2-3 moves. With mixing in weaker moves with your stronger moves,
This expands the strategy you have. Let alone not forgetting about the two other big mechanics this game has: holds and synergy.
With holds, you can rest a temtem in the party and then switch it out to deal that move. Because of the potential power of the move, you can't just spam the move due to the hold feature. And then you have synergy, where you can change moves depending on your current team makeup and moves change properties based on the partner temtems you roll out.

While you can't have the same crazy plays you can with Pokemon, with baton pass + swords dance, think of a combo where, you try to bait your opponent to Target one temtem, while you switch in another temtem that synergizes with your other temtem, you then prepare a move to synergize with the incoming temtem, meaning, you both protected your squad + slammed your opponent for big damage.i would have a real example here, but I didn't write it down.

Anyways, long story short, temtem has potential. Different potential than Pokemon, but really well thought out potential that, we'll see in the next months or so how the game goes. It sucks that it's always online, but that was a reason people wanted this game to begin with ¯\_(ツ)_/¯. This game gets my approval.

Diaries of a Spaceport Janitor is adorable. Like, adorable enough that every small interaction, every small bump, either something new springs at you, where you can't help but chuckle, or you can't help but smile where it feels like you're interacting with an ever changing world of, random characters sprawling across this, apparently, giant spaceport.

There's something about a game where you don't know what to expect in every corner, but not in any horrific sense, but in just, it's like life, which considering the game's art style and cast, doesn't seem to make sense, but you really get a sense of that randomness life spurts out at you, especially considering the way the game presents its main gameplay and whatnot.

In essence, I'd like to say the game is this fetch-quest-mania type of game, but you aren't forced to really fetch anyone anything, I'd like to say the game is this janitor sim, but the game is quirky enough that, that doesn't seem to be the case.

Pretty much, it's a game that, I honestly believe evokes all sorts of emotions, even during its weird choppy moments when you're in your apartment, but even with sorta weird mouse-controls, (ie, the menus would have been nice if I could move between choices using WASD instead of point and click which controls the camera outside of menus and shops) it's still something worth experiencing. Hey, the game's random enough that, even with those weird controls and some choppy framerates, you might find something pretty cool.

Contrast is one hell of a buggy game but what I got out of it was something more. I was frustrated all the time when I played Contrast. I was always stuck in walls, lost in the geometry, and always felt out of control when I played.

That being said, all of the bugs felt, necessary. The aesthetics of Contrast matched with the tone of the story and one's loss of innocence felt surreal.

Playing as Dawn, who is thought to be Didi's, the girl who follows you on your journey, imaginary friend, the deconstruction of the world in what seemed like a total destruction of reality made sense. By the story's end, I cared about the cast and about Didi, no matter how annoying I saw her. As Dawn, I felt responsible for her sanity, trying to keep her whole in a world that doesn't seem right. Even with confusing puzzles and weird design choices, I had to finish this from beginning to end.

Like, this isn't a Gone Home or a Proteus type of game in quality of build, but it felt right because of it.

I wouldn't really recommend this game for the full price but this is definitely a game I would recommend on a sale. It isn't a tear jerker but its premise was so thought-provoking and engrossing that I felt like I got hit with a brick by the end of the game.