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If you thought the demo was a time sink wait until you get the full game. Great balance of survivalcraft and atmosphere. Plays amazing on Steam Deck

Kabuto Park wasn’t a game I had on my radar, but I’m glad I gave it a shot. Starting the game felt like stepping into a summer camp postcard; hand-drawn visuals in cozy, earthy tones, a playful but laid-back soundtrack, and the kind of bug-catching nostalgia that taps into something childlike. But more than the aesthetic, it was how the game functioned on the Steam Deck that really perked my ears.

What hooked me in about Kabuto Park was how it brought a long-forgotten feature of my Steam deck back into the spotlight: the touchscreen. Tapping on the bugs to swat my net and play my cards in battles made the whole experience feel more immersive, like I was actually participating in the hunt and fights, not just pressing buttons or clicking a mouse.

Kabuto Park takes place over the in-game month of August, with each day ticking forward after every battle. That structure gives it a light sense of urgency. You’re not racing against the clock, but you are aware that every action; from exploring new areas to upgrading your gear, carries some weight. It makes planning and progression more tailored to your best judgement.

There are four main areas to explore: the lake, the forest, the farm, and the swamp. Each location feels like its own little diorama, filled with hand-drawn scenes you tap to investigate. The searching mechanic is charmingly simple. You choose spots with magnifying glass icons and hope to uncover a bug. Catching one isn’t guaranteed; it depends on a little timing game where a marker slides across a colored bar. Hit the green zone and you catch it. Hit red and the bug escapes. Blue zones edge you closer. It's quick, satisfying, and just tricky enough to keep you focused, especially when using your finger to tap on the screen.

The bugs themselves come in common, uncommon, and rare varieties, and some even have shiny versions, my favorite being my shiny hummingbird moth. Each one can be favorited to show up in your terrarium, where you can pet them and watch them roam their little landscape. It’s a small detail, but one that adds a layer of charm and connection to your collection.

Once you've caught bugs, you can sell your least favorite for candy that boost your bugs’ stats like strength, defense, and energy, called "NRG" in game. Gold coins, the actual currency, are earned through battles and can be spent on upgrades like stronger nets or better magnifying glasses, which improve your bug-catching odds and unlock more searches per area.

Combat in Kabuto Park is where the game shifts gears. Instead of harsh tactical battles, bugs face off in cute sumo-style matches, pushing one another out of a ring. It’s 3v3, with stats and card abilities determining the outcome. Cards can be used to buff your team or mess with the opponent, but you need energy to play them, and energy builds over time. That means matches often come down to knowing when to press your advantage or save for a bigger play — and making sure at least one of your bugs has plenty of NRG to keep the energy bank filling. It’s light strategy, but one that I loved and fits the game's laid-back tone.

One of the more thoughtful mechanics is how each battle advances the calendar by one day. That turns progression into a balancing act. You want your team to be strong enough for the tournament at the end of August, but grinding battles too early could leave you under-prepared come fall. That gave me a reason to think carefully about each upgrade, each candy fed to my bugs, and each hunt.

Kabuto Park is short, but what summer memory lasts forever? Every system feels designed to support a relaxed but engaging playstyle. Its charming presentation and thoughtful mechanics held my attention through the whole in-game month. The fact that it felt great on the Steam Deck was just the icing on the cake.

Kabuto Park might be small, but it shines from start to finish. For $3.99 at launch, it’s more than worth a lazy afternoon or two. If you’re into creature collectors and looking for something cozy and engaging, this one’s worth catching.

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If collect-a-thons were handmade, they’d look and feel a lot like PaperKlay; full of care, character, and clever mechanics.

The game's 'arts & crafts' aesthetic is beautiful and endearing, and the attention to detail in maintaining that handcrafted feel is worth celebrating. From world design to characters and even enemies, the playful world is firmly glued together to preserve that tactile, real-world charm.

The music in PaperKlay is bright and cheery, pairing well with the visuals. With tracks featuring Grant Kirkhope (Banjo-Kazooie and Yooka-Laylee) and Steven Melin, the soundtrack instantly calls back to the genre’s heyday. But rather than lean entirely on nostalgia, it carves out its own identity. A central musical motif can be heard through the game. Sometimes front and center, sometimes gently layered in the background, subtly changing depending on the area. It may share instruments and tone with the composers’ past work, though it never feels like it's sampling; rather, it's a warm evocation that pays homage without drowning out its own voice.

Chick and Nugget, the game’s clucking duo, instantly click. Chick is the wide-eyed dreamer, his feet barely touching the ground, while Nugget plays the chirpy voice of reason. Their dynamic feels familiar, but it works: one pushes the story forward with restless energy, the other keeps it grounded. Their personalities are distinct, and their chemistry carries the narrative more than the plot itself.

I found myself invested less in the stakes, and more in the journey. What new book Chick would leap into next, and how would Nugget react. The level quests feel personal rather than a chore: people need help, and Chick and Nugget are eager to step in. They may not be saving the world, but they’re absolutely heroes you can root for.

At first glance, PaperKlay’s movement looks like your typical setup: walking, jumping, double jump, mid-air dash, a ground pound, a spin move that slows your descent, and even a glider to gently drift across gaps. Pretty standard 3D platformer fare. But once you start messing around, it opens up into something way more complex. And several of the badges that you can buy with the coins you collect can introduce complexity to your moveset as well.

That’s what really made it fun for me, how all these moves can chain together to cover huge distances and keep momentum going. The jump has three height tiers, and to reach the higher ones, you have to nail the timing, kind of like Mario 64. After a badge upgrade, a ground pound can propel you into the highest jump if you time it just right. And if you chain a dash, double jump, spin, and glide, suddenly the levels feel wide open. It’s a low skill floor, high skill ceiling approach to movement. Walking might feel slow, but you don’t really need a sprint button when a well-timed jump-dash-pound-repeat combo lets you speed through levels like a chicken on the run. The developer clearly put a lot of thought into traversal, and it pays off.

As someone who loves poking at the edges of games and finding unintended routes, My excitement for the game shot up when I discovered how flexible PaperKlay’s movement really is. With the right timing and a bit of experimentation, I was able to sequence break in a few levels; skipping sections, reaching collectibles early, and climbing up what are normally inaccessible areas. Whether intentional or not, the fact that the game holds up to this kind of play is a huge plus for speedrunners or anyone who loves testing systems just to see what can be done. In that way, PaperKlay doesn’t discourage creativity—it rewards it, even if the developer never intended for that to be the case. Don’t be surprised if PaperKlay becomes a speedrunning darling in the future.

PaperKlay is clearly a labor of love, one that honors the classics while crafting its own story through sharp gameplay and a world stitched together with care. At $14.99, it’s a great pickup for newcomers to the genre and seasoned fans alike.

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May 26th Edit: The developer has updated the game to successfully support Steam Deck in Gaming Mode without issue. I want to thank the developer here for their quick fix and approachability regarding my technical issues. My original review below for posterity.

Original publish date: May 24th
I play on the Steam Deck on desktop mode so I had a few issues getting the game to work, which isn't a point against the developer as it's a small dev with a limited budget so compatibility with all platforms is not expected. Every time I ended a level the game asked me to install .NET (a Microsoft product) which was a tad annoying but not enough to disrupt the experience to the point of being gamebreaking. The game clips offscreen when visiting the "How To Play" settings currently as of the writing of this review, so I turned to the trailer for tips.

The gameplay is simple yet fun, and has sparks of being addicting, ala "flappy bird" or "tetris". I liked how it starts off simple and becomes more complex, adding more frogs and even other animals to use to help you achieve your goal of resting on a log.

For the price, not much is expected, but I believe that so far, more than needed was given. a fun pickup at $1.79 until June 3rd, 2025, and a worthwhile purchase at its retail price of $2.99.

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A must play game. The second installment in the Duck Detective series is incredibly fun, immersive, and gripping.

The voice acting is great, the dialogue is witty, funny and sharp. The music is incredible and really makes you feel like a detective on the case.

The story was not what I expected in the best way possible. The characters were charming (minus Eugene) and your sidekick is a treasure that deserves the world.

I finished the game in one playthrough because the story was just that good, and the mechanics were fun.

Worth every penny. I look forward to the next installment in the series. And I'm so glad I finally found out who stole those camping chairs.

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"The perfect game. And enhancement mods to textures and lighting create an even better experience. The story, dialogue, innovative (for its time) gameplay and replayability make RE4 the GOAT."

"It's the perfect shooter roguelike, and I don't even like roguelikes. The items and enemies can get to insane levels that will have you playing for hours and wanting to do it all again once beaten."

"Brawhalla has carved its own lane in the platform fighting game niche and many have walked it to endless fun. Unique but deeply skillful mechanics make for an experience that will keep you coming back"

"The seminal fifth title in Rockstar's GTA series is an unmissable experience that every gamer should enjoy. It's earned its title as the greatest selling media property of all time. $15 is a steal."

It's a lot like golf. One time you clutched up a 1v4 and you've been chasing that high ever since. It's a classic, and one that I have spent a long, long time enjoying.