Recent reviews by patchworkqueerlt

This is the new top of my favorite games ever list, the best kind of 7/10. I fell in love with the characters basically immediately. The combat also perfectly scratches an itch I didn't realize was there: simple to learn but very difficult to master. The story is fairly simple but it tells itself well; it's a story of found family and community conquering world-shattering evil. The romance options are a bit basic and the midgame does drag a bit, especially in the time between where you can max out all of the characters, but it's one of those things where I'm really complaining that there wasn't *more*. That's what AO3 is for, I guess, though last I checked this game didn't have any fics. You want something done right etc etc I guess.

Anyway, if you think you'll enjoy this game and the combat scratches your itch, you almost definitely will. I'm grateful this exists and can't wait for the next thing the devs come up with, unless it's another run and gun.

First and foremost, this game requires a flashing red trigger warning for realistic depictions of child abuse and neglect. If that's not something you can handle in your games, save your money.

tl;dr A fantastic effort from the We Happy Few studio where my biggest complaint is that it wasn't an hour or two longer to tie up some story beats. 9/10, begging for a sequel. Buy it because they'll probably take it off Gamepass.

Play if you like: PS2 era action platformers, original stories, relatable characters
Don't play if: the above mentioned TW applies to you, you need open world gameplay or lots of side content, you're a completionist

Notes: I played the game on Weaver/Balanced setting, which is the default. I would describe my PC as mid-end: i9 processor, 16 gigs of RAM, and an RTX3060 graphics card. I also use an SSD.

Pros: As someone who grew up in a similar area as depicted, I felt like I had known the characters in the game for far longer than just meeting them booting it up. The story is original and well-told; the voice acting, as a rule, is incredible and the characters and the setting combine very nicely for an engaging experience; I beat this game in two days, which is a rarity for me. The claymation art style looks fantastic; it's clear a lot of love went into the game's presentation in general. It's also probably the best piece of media for depicting the trials and tribulations of those in the caring professions (teachers, social workers, etc.) and how they bring the problems of the world home with them. The platforming is fair and fluid; there was maybe one jump that I perceived as BS, but I could still reasonably say it was my fault. The combat, while not original, is serviceable and you'll get the hang of it in a few encounters.

Cons: At least one major story beat happens off screen, and it felt like a couple of characters lost agency in their own stories to the main character. The first boss fight is the most I've ever felt the game was unfair; it requires multiple frame-perfect dodges to avoid AOEs, and the method to be able to get hits in was very unclear. None of the other bosses had this problem. There were some frame drops the first time I played, and the claymation style lends one to think that frames might be dropped at other points, but the gameplay remains smooth.

WARNING: This game contains mature content. Extremely mature content.

On the other hand, I'm yet to play a better typing help game. Unfortunately the voice acting isn't as awesomely bad as the original Dreamcast version and I do wish there were more penalties for missing letters (on normal), but it's intense, it's fun, you can laugh at it, and it does what it's designed to do.

This is literally the most awesome thing I have ever played in my life. I don't think mankind will ever top shooting dinosuars from jetpacks. Ever. Worth every penny.