Recent reviews by GobJunkBot

Saw this mentioned while going through the Steam Awards categories and the cover art reminded me of Bubble Bobble. The experience is simple and relaxing, so I was able to watch something while playing. Upgrades feel rewarding from start to finish and the ending is oddly satisfying. Nice touch with the ability to hide in my shell, too.

The Bad Buddies have stolen the fish from your village, and it's your job as a former ninja to get revenge on the man who gave your clan leader "an indigestion." Oh, and you'll be able to retrieve all the fish, too. Win-win.

SBB is a simple platformer that revolves around a chibi ninja that flails around in midair like Luigi, climbs walls like in Mega Man X or Steamworld Dig, and swings around with a grappling hook similar to what is seen in Worms Armageddon and Windforge. It also expects you to kill enemies directly with throwing weapons (primarily shurikens), though it's also possible to lead them into spears, fire, and water, because no one knows how to swim. Once you become accustomed to the controls, you should be able to move around quickly, but that's seldom the case. Enemies are spread around in a such a way that most cannot be avoided, and they will chase you once you've been spotted. Attacking them from behind or at a distance (while off screen) would presumably guarantee a kill, but sometimes they will instantly deflect the attack anyhow. Using the melee strike is pointless, because it delays your ability to use a shuriken afterwards. This isn't the case with the enemies, who will spam melee attacks and finish you off with a shuriken before you have a chance to recover. How they react is inconsistent, so playing offensively (even in areas where you don't really have a better option) feels entirely luck-based, and that becomes frustrating. I found it easier to intentionally let them spot and chase me to a large, open area where I could keep my distance and eventually kill them with one of their own deflected weapons.

The dialogue suggests that English is a second language to the developers, but it works well here. It makes the characters sound just as cute as they look. I doubt that was the intention, but I hope most of it remains in the finished product.

Missions allow the player to unlock new weapons and hats by taking out specific (or all) enemies, saving captives, and collecting floating sushi. Each set of four missions requires you to move around in the same location and deal with the same enemies (usually resulting in having to kill, or nearly all, of them) repeatedly. It would make sense to either offer all four objectives within the same playthrough, or change around the obstacles and enemy placement to help keep things fresh, but none of them require that much time to complete, so it's not really a major concern.

In its current state, I have mixed feelings about the game. It's charming in some of the best ways and irritating in some of the worst. There are a few bugs, but nothing gamebreaking, and the developers are still working on updates, so I'm going to be optimistic for once in my life and type that it's worth checking out.

Grave Chase is a simple-to-learn strategy title that involves a brother and sister trying to avenge their murdered parents by digging up body parts buried throughout each graveyard and using science to bring them to life. You'll have to alternate between digging, fighting off a small army of monsters, and avoiding the Gravekeeper, as if he was that skeleton whale from Bubble Bobble (he kinda is). In addition to fast-paced gameplay and a frustrating-yet-fun level of challenge, GC's 2D pixel art and quirky charm are clearly inspired by one of my favorite childhood games for the SNES - Zombies Ate My Neighbors.

There are as many levels as there are days in the month of October, so, like, more than 27, but fewer than 32 (unless it's a leap year, I think) and you'll probably start dying on day three. By collecting all the parts within each stage, you'll be rewarded with a dancing whatever made from them. It's unpleasantly cute, or, perhaps, just unpleasant. I don't know. One was a jar with two torsos and a foot attached to it. Decide for yourself.

The graveyards become larger and more mazelike with each new night, and, eventually, it all turns into a game of Pac-Man as a wide variety of monsters are constantly emerging from the ground, the obstacles, the hedges, and all around the borders of the stage to group up into a Benny Hill train of headaches if you don't take the time to clear them away. Meanwhile, the Gravekeeper himself is immune to all attacks, is sensitive to nearby sounds, hates having dirt thrown at him, loves cats, and will temporarily charge towards you when spotted. The objective may be to dig up body parts, but this must be balanced alongside defeating enemies and avoiding the chop-happy chubster.

New monsters and obstacles appear at the start of most levels to help keep things fresh (or as fresh as dead can be) and trying to keep track of their abilities will lead to many, many mistakes. There were several times where I'd only need to find one more part, and I would end up dying because I allowed a slime to follow me into a dead end, or I swung at a psycho before he was vulnerable.

Much like any proper arcade-styled experience, high scores can be saved and shared with others, but not in Normal mode. Normal mode was more than enough for a filthy casual like me, and it's your best bet for earning achievements, but if you're just looking for a challenge, you're welcome to try the Nightmare and Speed Modes.

The music isn't bad, though not memorable, and that can be typed about the characters, as well. I like the kids, and it's nice to know that The Gravekeeper has loved ones of his own, but that's about it. None of them stand out in any way. No dialogue or unique gestures. Who knows, maybe we'll get to learn more about them in the sequel... if there's a sequel. I'd like a sequel.