gaminganxious

[gaminganxious]

Hey so am I crazy or is the cave opening on the menu screen a silhouette of Antea's head?

[gaminganxious]

Pennington you absolute bastard.

[gaminganxious]

Buried Stars - Review

Genre: Visual Novel

Release Date: July 30th 2020

Playtime: 6hrs

Completed: No

Would Play Again?: Yes, I at least want to finish a full playthrough and see how it ends

I swear I let RNG pick this month's games. Why it decided it was sad dark games February is beyond me, but I have to give another heads up here before we git into this one. WARNING: This game deals with themes of death and anxiety. Along with most of the BS that comes from literally any form of social media.

Buried Stars is about a group of contestant singers that become trapped on the set of a game show after disaster occurs. You play as one of five contestants, Do-yoon Han. You'll try your best not to do it and stay sane while hopefully doing the same for the people trapped with you. If being trapped under rubble was enough drama for you, don't worry. Everyone you're trapped with comes with a boatload of their own secrets and agendas to uncover along the way.

I haven't played any before but the art is really good in my opinion. The characters are all well-defined and easily distinguishable from each other, and I don't get bored looking at them for minutes at a time, which is good because thats what you'll be doing most of the time.

The menu interface is dynamic and fits the theme well. I do sort of wish the character models had more than three or four expressions when you interact with them. I think that's something that might be fairly common for this type of game, but still. The music is non obtrusive, but it's also nothing to write home about, which I thought was surprising considering the premise of the story involves singers. It’ll be interesting to see if anyone actually sings in it. They haven't done so in my playthrough so far.

This game combines like three of my worst fears. Being buried alive, talking to people I don't know very well, and social media. I honestly kind of bulked at it when I first started playing and realized I would have to get people to like me. That's something I almost always need a guide for. That and I made the mistake of talking to Hyesung first, and he's a little asshole in the beginning. I toughed it out, though, and I'm glad I did. There's a Quick Save Feature that helps you manage conversations if you feel you're about to touch on an unsavory topic with someone. Or if you want to avoid losing sanity. I mean that literally, by the way. You have a sanity meter, something I completely ignored until it was almost gone. Some topics raise it, others; like investigating that body yall just found in the rubble, lower it. There's also Phater, the games version of Twitter to keep track of, and you will want to keep track of it as it will give you most of your talking points. Sadly, it is just as toxic as it's real life counterpart, so be prepared for that, or it will drop your sanity too. At least it only updates every chapter or so. Controls are super easy and well labeled throughout. There is also a very nice fast-forward option if you had to do a reload and don't want to flip through all the dialog again. 

The story so far is quite good and getting better as I go. I'm excited to see how it'll end, though I'm not sure how close to that I am yet. More than just the main story, though, each individual character has an intriguing backstory to uncover. They even convinced me to to totally hate the crappiest character by far. At least i know why he's a jerk now. I'm sure there are multiple endings based on who trusts you and your sanity level as well. It's a lot of information at first, but since you go over a lot of the info multiple times throughout the story, it's not too difficult to keep track of. It can be easy to get lost on the details if you're not paying attention, though.

Currently, Buried Stars is listed for $44.99 on the Playstation store. I would hold off on that, though. I bought mine a while ago, but I'm pretty sure I got it on sale. It also looks like it goes on sale pretty regularly. If you do find it on sale, I think it's worth grabbing, especially if you like visual novels. You can save almost whenever you want, so it's a good one to play for a bit here and there or shotgun over a few days if you prefer. 

[gaminganxious]

Stay - Review

Genre: Narrative suspense puzzle game

Release Date: Sept 12th, 2018

Playtime: 7hrs

Completed: Yes

Would Play Again?: I Absolutly plan to revisit this game again. I think it's smart to take some time between plays though.

Before I begin the review, I wanted to give a warning. This game deals with themes of anxiety, depression, and death. The game will caution you about the presence of these themes before you play, but I wanted to be sure I said something here as well. Please be sure you are in the right mindset before you play this game or avoid it entirely if needed. Your safety and well-being are not worth sacrificing to play a game. Please take care. 

With that addressed, I can say I’ve yet to play anything like Stay before. The main character is Quinn, a man who has been kidnapped and left in a dark room with only an old computer for light. On that computer is a chat room and on the other side of that chat room is you. Who you are or how you came to be on the chat is not explained. I’m certain it's left intentionally vague as there are multiple endings to the game. Your every interaction with Quinn impacts how much he trusts you and influences his decision making as he explores his confines. You’ll need to be cautious as the decisions you make can and will get him killed. 

This is a pixel art game which I can go either way on. Sometimes I find the stylistic choices can make objects hard to discern in pixel games. That is not the case here. The art is very clean regardless of whether it's a full blown pixel painted cut scene or just regular gameplay. There are several distinct styles of pixel art throughout the game that range in their complexity and detail but even when it switches to the more base style its still clear what every object is. There are a few points where Quinn looks a little goofy at times but wasn’t enough to really distract from the game. The music lends to the atmosphere without overwhelming the game at anypoint. Despite playing a straight seven hour playthrough I didn’t find it repetitive or intrusive at any point.

For the most part Stay is a narrative experience. Aside from the occasional comment from you, you’ll spend most of your time reading Quinn’s messages and watching him explore his surroundings. It does a good job of making your decisions feel impactful but I did find myself really wishing I could interact more at times. The only other interaction you will have is helping Quinn solve the many puzzles he comes across in his attempt to escape. Aside from a brief and very basic overlay of the chat controls at the beginning of the game you are not given any explanation of the controls. This can be particularly frustrating with the puzzles as the controls are not consistent from puzzle to puzzle and the only way to figure them out is by trial and error. Once the controls were sorted out I found I spent most of my time figuring out how to solve some of the puzzles rather than the actual solving part. The puzzles sort of broke the experience for me in places. Some of them fit the theme of the game really well but others just felt plain unnecessary to me. The use of humors to indicate Quinn’s mood was really interesting to me. Although again I feel like some explanation might have been helpful with regards to it. I have only the many strange internet rabbit holes I've fallen down to thank for knowing what humoralism even is. It fits the theme of the game well. I just wish they had expanded on it a bit more. There is one more feature of note with Stay and that is the Stay and Away tracker. Essentially once you start a game your time spent playing is tracked and your time spent away from the game is also monitored. Even if you close the game entirely, that time is still being recorded. If you spend too long away from the game you’ll begin to lose trust with Quinn so its best to be able to play the whole game in one sitting if you can. 

The story as I experienced from start to finish was suspenseful and captivating. Stay has a real lock on the thriller aspect, at least in the beginning. Things got a little weird for me towards the end and I’m not sure how much of that was the story path I was on and how much is part of the base story. I would definitely like to play it again and see if I come to a different ending. I was invested in the outcome the entire time and I was a little surprised to find just how quickly I became invested in Quinn’s escape. I wanted him to trust me and I wanted him to make it out. 

Stay is currently listed on the Playstation store for $9.99, which I think is certainly worth it for what I got out of the experience. I get the feeling this might be a game most have overlooked, as I did. I will say again that, though not quite a horror game, Stay has some dark and heavy themes. You might also take into consideration that it's best to play the game in one sitting and could take seven hours to complete. Something good for a weekend if you enjoy thriller games but not the best for a casual afternoon.

[gaminganxious]

February Lineup

Stay

Buried Stars

Yesterday Origins

Banishers: Ghosts of Eden

Today, I learned there are 2 'R's in February

[gaminganxious]

The Cub - Review

Genre: Casual platformer 

Release date: Jan 19th, 2024

Playtime: 3hrs

Completed: Yes

Would Play again?: It's not something I can see myself craving to play again, but I might return to it for an achievement run.

The Cub is a platform game that has you running, jumping, and swimming through the abandoned city of Alphaville that has quite aggressively been reclaimed by the local mutated wildlife. You play as a child left behind when the human race fled to Mars. You’re not completely feral however, you’ve learned language and have an understanding of your Martian counterparts through a helmet you took off of a rather unfortunate visitor. There’s no combat, so you’ll have to either out maneuver, or outrun the various threats you’ll encounter. 

I love the abandoned aesthetic I’ll say that right now. Urban areas reclaimed by nature is one of my favorite things and The Cub does an excellent job of making the cityscape feel both empty and full of life at the same time. They did not let the post apocalyptic theme get in the way of giving the game color and I love that they went in that direction. The game also makes very good use of the background and foreground for style and storytelling.

I’ll confess I can count on one hand the number of platformers that I’ve played. I’m not great at them and I have a bad habit of shying away from things I’m not immediately good at. In all honesty if not for the artstyle I likely would have passed this one by too. I’m glad I got suckered into it though as far as platformers go this is likely one of the more casual ones you’ll find. The platforming itself felt very clean despite my own ineptitude. Auto saves were very, very generous in some areas and then frustratingly absent in others. To have it save every two or three jumps in most areas but then have to repeat the same twenty yard run up just to jump to my death in others was oddly frustrating. I don’t have enough experience with platforming to know if this is normal or not though. Overall I don’t think anyone with experience in platforming is going to have any real trouble with this game. 

The story line didn’t really resonate with me. I won’t say it was bad because it definitely wasn’t but it just didn’t grip me. They did deviate quite a bit from the Jungle Book story it drew from which I appreciated and there were a couple of twists I did not expect. It just didn’t leave me feeling compelled when I finished it.  

Currently, the Cub is listed for $14.99 on the Playstation store. I think this is fair for a new game you can finish in an afternoon. It’s fun and engaging, and honestly, the setting and style were enough to make it worth it for me. Those who are looking for a more challenging platform experience, however, might not find it worth the cost. 

[gaminganxious]

Deponia Review

Genre: Point and Click Adventure/Comedy

Release Date: Aug 6th, 2012

Playtime: 9hrs

Completed?: Yes, just barely

Would Play again?: No but I am looking forward to playing the next one.

This week was too busy for me to play during the weekday But I was able to find enough time this weekend to dedicate a few hours to it Saturday and today. This is a game that can be finished in a weekend.

Deponia is a classic point and click game in which you play as Rufus, a self-centered jackass with almost no conscience. A fact everyone else you encounter will happily And repeatedly remind you of. Your sole mission is to leave Deponia and reach the glittering city of Elysium where chores don't exist, or something. Why? Because your Rufus and you deserve it! You'll use your incredible intellect and your five finger discount to cobble junk together in order to solve the many problems you cause. As well as lie out your ass to everyone you meet and kind of sorta coincidentally save Deponia along the way.

I really love the art style of this game. The character animation style feels very Sam and Max meets Professor Layton. The cut scenes are styled differently but are still really good. Each background panel feels like it's been given its due and there's lots of attention to detail. I also really love all of character designs.

I had some trouble with the controls in the beginning. They're not clearly labeled but there is a pretty thorough tutorial explaining them In the beginning. I just don't think I paid enough attention to it. That being said this game was adapted from PC and finding a controller guide for Playstation took some serious digging. As with most point and clicks I've played there were a few points where I found myself completely bewildered as to what to do or what components I might have missed. For the most part though, allowing the nearest citizen to humble Rufus gave me the hint I needed to move on.

Comedy wise Deponia is a continuously entertaining game and did manage to get a few good laughs out of me throughout. There were a handful of times where it fell flat with me but I think that's just the risk we take with comedy. Not every joke is going to be a belly buster to everyone.

The first chapter of Deponia is currently listed for $12.99, which I think is solid for what I got out of it. I think it's well worth it if you're looking for something entertaining or if you are feeling nostalgic for a good point and click. I've added the second one to my list of games to play.

[gaminganxious]

The Cat and the Coup Review

Genre: Puzzle/documentary

Release Date: June 15th, 2011

Playtime: 51 Mins

Completed: Yes, 3 or 4 times

Would Play Again?: No, not because it was bad in any way. Simply because there is a limited amount of playability you can get from a game like this. 

I have a brief confession to make. I bent back the nail on my thumb earlier in the week and rendered one of my hands basically useless so I didn’t get around to playing this game until Friday. Even so, I was able to complete my first playthrough in a little over 20 minutes. It is a very short game so keep that in mind. 

The Cat and the Coup sees you playing as a cat who leads Iranian Prime Minister Dr Mohammad Mosaddegh through a series of rooms that represent key points in his history. You’ll move from room to room by solving puzzles, and in doing so, learn bits and pieces from headlines and context clues. I actually did some research after playing the first time to learn a bit more about what happened to Dr. Mosaddegh It's not a happy story, but given the game follows actual historical events, I wouldn't expect it to be. That doesn’t mean I didn’t find it interesting or that I’m not satisfied with what I learned from it. 

The art is amazing especially considering that this was a college project which I learned after the fact. I’m not sure what the style is (it looks like a mix of a few different things) but it's very detailed. I felt a bit like I was playing a game made out of paper and I mean that in a good way. 

Currently the Cat and the Coup is listed at $1.99 on the Playstation store. I feel it was worth what I got out of it at that price. You might not feel the same if puzzles aren’t your thing or if you’re not particularly keen on historical games. I will also reiterate that the game is very short so if you’re looking for a time waster this is probably not the game to go with.

[gaminganxious]

Outward Review

Genre: Open-world survival RPG

Release Date: March, 2019

Playtime: 7hrs

Completed?: Lol No, not even close.

Would I play it again?: Honestly probably not unless I had someone else to play with.

"I have no idea what I'm doing" is a pretty good summarization both on how I feel writing this first review and how I felt through most of my time playing Outward. So it seems the RNG picked a pretty good first game for me.

Outward is an open-world game with an emphasis on 'open'. You awaken on a beach having survived a shipwreck and are given a pretty spartan tutorial on how some of the game's mechanics work as well as your first objective before you're cut loose to venture into the world proper. From there you can pretty much do whatever you want, but you're likely to get a rude awakening if you venture out unprepared.

While you try to figure out what you can and can't fight through trial, error, and common sense (tip: if it glows it's probably bad news) you'll also have to keep track of your health, food, water, body temp, stamina, weight, and eventually mana. Weight was the one I struggled with the most as my need to horde literally everything that wasn't nailed down had me running back to town every few minutes until I learned to prioritize what I needed.

Combat was tough but fair and it was pretty easy to grasp the basics. There are a variety of different weapons and attack styles from swords and shields to magic spells and traps. There's no indicator to tell you when you've been spotted but enemies do signal through their movements when they're getting suspicious that something (you) is rustling through the underbrush nearby and will come to investigate. Sneaking doesn't really seem to be much of a thing as far as I could tell, once you're within a certain range they pretty much know right where you are regardless of how well you're hiding. Death is also forgiving so long as you don't die to a bandit (they steal your shit!) you might wake up in a random cave but all/most of your stuff comes with you.

Outward was not visually impressive to me. The open world feels rather empty and honestly kind of bland and I expected it to be a much older game than it was when I first looked at its release date. The caves and cities are definitely better in terms of substance but considering you'll spend most of your time traveling it was a bit of a bummer to find almost nothing of interest along the road. There is a map but it does not have an indicator of your position and does not show all the areas you can explore. Instead, much like a real map, it notes some key structures and pathways in the area. You have a compass and you'll use the two together to figure out approximately where you are on the map. I can see how this might annoy some players but I found it weirdly satisfying to navigate this way. It definitely helped the whole survival aspect of it feel more immersive.

There is a considerable amount of crafting in Outward. In fact, if you can find it you can probably craft it. Camping, supplies, weapons, armor, food, and potions are all craftable if you learn the recipe. Alternatively, if chaos is more your flavor you can just throw a bunch of random junk in a pot and see if you get an item out of it.

I didn't make it very far into the main storyline but, at least in the beginning, the quests were relatively simple. Be prepared to write that shit down though. Your "journal" only offers vague info about the quests you take on and side jobs are not listed at all. So if someone tells you to go to a cave to get something specific you'll need to remember what they've told you and who you spoke with. Key info is notated in blue when you talk to them.

Like a lot of survival games, I got the impression that Outward would be a lot more fun when played with a friend. You'll spend a lot of time traveling some pretty vast and visually empty distances and it made the game feel a little lonely to me. There are also several monsters that I felt would be easier to fight as a duo based on my time in the purple mountain with the candle man but maybe that says more about me than anything else. It has a split-screen feature (which I honestly love and I wish more games would include) as well as an online co-op mode.

Currently, the game is listed for $39.99 on Playstation's store but it was included with my monthly subscription at some point so I got it for free. I wouldn't recommend it unless it went on sale personally. If it's something you already have in your library and you're looking for something to play with friends or if you're really into survival games in general I think it is worth a look. 

[gaminganxious]

Outward - Day 3

Trying to get to Berg like.

[gaminganxious]

Outward - Day 2

I got lost...that's it, I spent the entire hour trying to find my home village. I did finally get my revenge on the giant shrimps though.

[gaminganxious]

Outward - Day 1

Welp, I missed the character name option, so my hero's name is Jim, I spent the first hour learning how to keep Jim fed and rested (a full-time job). Oh, and getting my ass handed to me by the local wildlife.

Made my way to the pretty purple mountain so I could learn magic and met a very nice knight wearing lit open candles on his armor. Not sure that's the safest thing to be wearing, but I very nearly died to a chicken earlier, so I don't know that I'm in a place to judge.

[gaminganxious]

January Lineup

Outward

The Cat & The Coup

Deponia

The Cub

I've got the first month of games RNG has lined up for me in January!

[gaminganxious]

Heyo!

So I have a bit of a problem and I'm hoping this will be the solution. My problem is that I compiled a list of any games that even slightly caught my interes and its a long one (300+ games) and I've played only a tiny fraction of them. Maybe 25%? probably less. I see a new game, think ah that's interesting, add it to the list and let it collect dust with the rest, and instead I find myself just replaying the same games I've already played several times over instead. It's pretty tragic, so I'm attaching a bit of gravity to my gaming. Here's how I'm hoping it will go.

Each week I'll play one game at random. At least an hour a day, a bit more if I'm not working that day. At the end of the week, I'll write a little review about it. Most of the games will be older ones that have been in my library for some time but I plan to throw at least 1 newer game in there too, just to keep things interesting.

I don't really know if it will work but I know that I'm excited to try a new game for the first time in a long while so I'm counting this as a win!