Recent reviews by Hattfarfar

A lot of fun to be had, but it doesn't feel that well executed. I would like to recommend it, but as a whole package it feels a bit disappointing, especially towards the latter parts of the game. It's by then you realise that the things that seemed core and important to the game are actually quite hollow and have no depth at all.

My biggest improvement suggestion would definitely have to be: Make the the Kynseed more important and force me to age faster throughout the story. Make it more integral. Managing to finish the story without it should be a rare and tricky achievement, not what happens if you just play the game normally.

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The pacing is weird, and I don't know if I should be rushing or delaying using a certain core feature of the game. But in the end I realised that you can do the tutorial part and then never touch it again throughout the entire game. The Kynseed and generational aging part of the game seems very important, but it's actually completely unnecessary and you don't need to engage with it whatsoever.

Family seems to just be there for slave labour. The game doesn't seem to put any more value in it at all, which was very disappointing. I had a wife and three kids, none of which said or did anything interesting. No interesting experiences, events, or references. After I finished the story I gave the Kynseed a try and passed it on to one of my children. The effect on me was basically: I have different stats and a new name. The rest of the family disappeared. The siblings vanished with no provided context, and my wife had been sacrificed while I was gone. For such a core and even the titular feature, it is incredibly gimmicky and hollow.

So all-in-all, I greatly enjoyed the game but it feels too bare-bones to be called finished. While the moment to moment gameplay and mini-games are great fun, certain core feature (and family relationships) need WAY more work.

What if the Aliens franchise went XCOM, with more engaging combat (not turn-based), plus horror vibes and good story.

I have felt that the XCOM formula is a bit overdone by now, and that games that copy feel a bit samey, but this is different. They completely ditched the turn-based nature of XCOM, but kept squad management, mission control, and upgrades.

You also control the squad together rather than individually. But they still perform actions individually based on whose closest or best suited. It's very creative and I haven't seen any other game do it like this. Squad movement and actions are super smooth because of it.

Funnily enough, the description is a lot more accurate than the reviews. It's a fast-paced arena shooter with a good slow-mo mechanic. That's it. Don't expect anything else.

Saw lots of people say "FEAR 3 if it was good" and similar, but this gives the wrong impression to readers. It is not similar at all except for the slow-mo (which FEAR did better IMO). FEAR has feels, vibes, thriller and narrative. In terms of player experience and game feel, this is more similar to DOOM than FEAR.

The game is not bad, but "Overwhelmingly Positive" is a bit much. It's getting weirdly hyped. Maybe people are just starved for tight shooters.

Two hours in and I feel like they could have cut 70% of it so far, with no loss of atmosphere, gameplay, or feels. It's soooo slooooow, and I am getting absolutely nothing from room after room after room except haphazardly placed platforms and enemies with no real purpose to it. The rooms are huge but there is nothing here except menial running around, hoping for something of interest. Of which there is little.

I killed a few small bosses and gained eight or so abilities without much fanfare, and little reason to use them.

Visuals are very good in a lot of places, and the music is pretty. Other than that, I don't understand why anyone would rate this higher or similar to something like Blasphemous as a metroidvania. Ender Lilies seems like a mediocre one at best.

Very well written and crafted. Every single quest feels meaningful and fun. The world feels dangerous yet manageable. Growing takes work and exploration, but not too much.

If a recognised mainstream AAA game executed anything remotely this good, it would be called game of the decade by press and award shows.

A surprise hit! Very nice metroidvania in a pretty unique setting. Well fleshed out. Intriguing lore and story. No mechanics felt gimmicky. Zero jank. Definitely deserves its overwhelmingly positive rating.

It has some very intense and difficult bosses, but also allows you to tune the difficulty to your desired level.

My only gripe is that the map is a tad annoying to use. It doesn't allow you to view it all at the same time. You get either a basic overview, or the detailed view of a single area. I would much rather see it all laid out in a full inter-connected detail view with zooming and panning.

Massively over-hyped. After barely an hour it already feels like a chore. The cinematics are great, but the level design and combat leaves much to be desired. It's not worthy of being compared to Elden Ring or God of War. Not in storytelling, combat, or design.

I just don't see myself liking it. Would pay $10 to watch it in cinematic form.

Gameplay good.

The story in Infinite isn't even worthy of being called a dumpster fire. it's the faint smell of a dumpster fire that happened off screen before we even got to play. We instead experience the dumpster fire story through audio logs and holograms while ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ around in pointless squabbles on another Halo ring.

I played 16 hours and won't finish the game, even though I think I'm close to the end. There is no story here.

Gameplay good.

The story in Infinite isn't even worthy of being called a dumpster fire. it's the faint smell of a dumpster fire that happened off screen before we even got to play. We instead experience the dumpster fire story through audio logs and holograms while ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ around in pointless squabbles on another Halo ring.

I played 16 hours and won't finish the game, even though I think I'm close to the end. There is no story here.

Visuals, gameplay, storytelling, pacing. All great.