#slopecrashers | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

blueeyedrat · 2 years

Photo

Steam Next Fest, winter 2023. New year, new games to try. Some hits and misses this time around. First impressions under the cut.

(Part 2)

Mineko's Night Market – I've been curious about this one for a while, mostly for the setting and artstyle. Visually it looks quite lovely, but gameplay-wise I ran into some issues. The controls were a bit awkward, and I couldn't connect my controller or remap any of the keyboard inputs to deal with it. The demo is kinda short, and showed off parts of the game I wasn't as interested in (a brief walk around the main town to talk to a few NPCs and gather a few resources, and a stealth mission that wasn't particularly compelling). There's probably a lot more to explore here, but the demo didn't really explore any of it. I'll need to see more before I pass judgement on this game.

Pocket Planet – It always comes back to hexagons, doesn't it? Gotta love hexagon tiles. I expected a Dorfromantik-like (seriously there's like two of them every event — the more the merrier, I guess?) but really it's just a straightforward puzzle game. Place tiles, fill out a set area, create certain tile formations (forests, mountains, islands, etc.) to solve puzzles. It's as much Terrace as it is Dorfromantik, and I have to admire a kindred spirit.

Pan'orama – This one, on the other hand, is closer to what I expected. As far as games of this sort go, it adds one interesting element (planning out specific tile combinations to create unique structures with different effects), but I'm not sure how much variety that adds to repeat playthroughs, and the game lacks other elements and some visual clarity in the process. Seems alright, but I've seen better.

URBO – Now here's one that's very much up my alley. URBO has a minimalist style similar to builder puzzle games like ISLANDERS, but gameplay-wise it's closer to a merge puzzle game like Threes or 2048: place buildings on the grid, three of the same type adjacent to each other combine into bigger buildings, go until you run out of space to build. A simple idea, with the potential to be very addicting. Looking forward to this one for sure.

Slopecrashers – An arcade racer. This one didn't leave a great impression, unfortunately. Maybe I'm just not that familiar with snowboarding games, but the controls never clicked with me and none of the objectives felt manageable. And something about the style (characters, environments, UI, audio, etc.) felt... generic, I suppose? I don't think I'll be coming back to this one.

Mail Time – A cute 3D platformer. Simple, but charming. The movement seems fine even if the controls aren't as tight as others I've played, and the area shown off in the demo puts a nice variety into a small space. Most of the game's appeal is in its visual style and characters, which are pretty solid, and the main character in particular offers a surprising amount of customization. It's nice, and that's all it really needs to be.

#urbo game #mineko's night market #mail time game #pocket planet #pan'orama #slopecrashers #bryan writes about games

3 notes · View notes