Recent reviews by Achromatic

Silksong is to Hollow Knight what Dark Souls 2 was to Dark Souls. A masterpiece in its own right, considered by some fans of the original to be worse than the predecessor, too stuck in their ways to see that the changes were made in concession to an artistic vision. Silksong is truly a gesamtkunstwerk. 10/10

It's peak.

I feel like you'll only truly appreciate this game for the masterpiece that it is if you have the motivation and mentality to go all in for the game. If you're not ready to dedicate a notebook to this game, it's not a game for you. However, if you are someone who gets excited at the premise of taking notes for a game and committing to chasing the rabbit down the hole no matter how far, this might be your GOTY.

There is a small caveat here, this isn't exactly a traditional puzzle game in the vein of MYST, the roguelike tile placement is its own sort of puzzle of mitigating randomness and adapting your current plans to the rooms presented to you. If you think you can approach the game like those traditional games you'll be frustrated as your meticulous plans for progress are thwarted again by RNG. And that will be a failure on your part for not engaging fully with the game. And it might not be for you, but that's no fault of the game.

An absolute gem of a game, oozing with style and mystery. The game rewards exploration and experimentation, if you are a curious gamer with an inclination towards the strange don't sleep on this one.

Also, the super secret final ending was epic in every sense of the word, I recommend going for it if you do find the game to your liking, and don't be afraid of looking at guides if you get stuck on something, some of the secrets are pretty obscure.

big robot activate neurons
10/10

I guess don't buy this game if you don't like reading, but damn, the writing is absolutely excellent. My 17 hours of playtime represents a complete playthrough getting to the bottom of most of the game's mysteries, but do mind that I'm a fairly slow reader so your mileage may vary. Replayability seems high and I'm excited to start a second playthrough soon.

Don't sleep on this game if you like narrative-driven RPGs.

I've had this game on my wishlist for a long time and only tried it out after receiving it from my Humble Choice subscription, and boy do I regret not getting this game sooner. One of the reasons I hesitated was because of how core parrying is to combat and me being a total scrublord, but the game does a great job of teaching you the timings (even if it often means you die while failing) and once you have the timings down combat is some of the most satisfying I've ever had the fortune to play.

My 36 hours in this game represents a 100% completion, none of the achievements felt unfair or tedious and the hours went by almost effortlessly (with a great deal of swearing as I fumble timings while learning a new enemy attack pattern).

This game is the king of souls-like metroidvanias, don't sleep on it.

I know this gets said a lot, but Bastion really does have one of the best soundtracks ever. But we don't play games for the music, do we? So what else can be said about Bastion? It has a vivid and colourful world that just makes you want to explore. Fantastic narration, something rarely seen in games. Rewarding and customizable gameplay, play the game the way you like and make it as difficult as you feel like playing. And it has a gripping story, which I played in one sitting over seven-or-so hours. And I will definitely play it again.

10/10 An experience that will leave a warm feeling and a great impression.

Even after all this time System Shock 2 is an amazing game. It sets the mood just right with persistent enemies and great soundtrack. Definitely my favourite horror sci-fi action RPG. It also has great replayability with the diverse ways you can build your character. And SHODAN has to be one of the best antagonists ever.

11/11 Recommended for anyone with

There's nothing I don't love about this game. Moody, funny and just challenging enough.

GLaDOS is a top-tier waifu/10