Oddworld: Abe’s Exoddus®
This is honestly one of my favourite games of all time, I don’t usually do recommendations/reviews but I feel the Oddworld games have never gotten enough attention and I really encourage everyone to give this series a try.
The game is absolutely amazing, it deals with issues like consumerism, class, culture, race all in one and yet despite the serious tones the game never strays from humour or trying to take itself too seriously while still being completely relevant in today’s world. The game is a cinematic platformer, and you definitely feel the weight of everything you do in this game, whether you walk, jump, fall, hoist yourself up a ledge, roll, pull a lever etc, everything has weight to it and really feels like you are actually experiencing a world and not a game, yes it does take a bit of time to get used too especially if you are used to more traditional platformers but thanks to very responsive controls you will get the hang of it in no time, the game also mixes up a lot of action based sequences and puzzle sequences that require something known as gamespeak, inspired by point and click games these are essentially commands that you will use through the game to rescue your fellow Mudokons (Abe’s Species) or when possessing Abes enemies or the wildlife of oddworld you can use gamespeak to your advantage to make things easier.
– Real player with 74.1 hrs in game
Read More: Best Adventure 2D Games.
Nominated for the “test of time” award. This was my absolute favourite game when I was a kid and I still love it to this day.
It may be partly because I only owned about 3 games at the time but I must’ve sunk more hours into this game than any other.
The atmosphere and world are great, a dark story with just the right amount of humour. Abe is the last hope to free his enslaved people, who are forced to work in dangerous conditions by greedy slave traders who care only about profit, but if you get bored of all that you can press a button to make Abe fart, which causes all Mudokons next to him to take step back, and those further away to giggle.
– Real player with 73.7 hrs in game
The Adventure Pals
Recently, I’ve been into a lot of different stuff including everything, but not gaming. Busy schedule made me feel so sad about inability to spend more time on Steam playing everything I bought for the last few weeks.
My email notifications literally raped my ears with these message sounds regarding new price drops and game releases. Frankly speaking, I was kinda happy to see all these titles on sale and understanding that I will be ready soon enough to try them all warmed my heart.
One of these gems was Adventure Pals - game that I loved from the first sight by just only looking at screenshots. I was looking for an information regarding developers earlier games and their connection to Burrito Bison game made for mobiles but couldn’t find anything about it. The whole art style looks pretty much similar and some illustrations represent characters from the Burrito game. I am still a bit confused, let me know if you know more than me about the connection in the comments below.
– Real player with 17.5 hrs in game
Read More: Best Adventure Action Games.
This game is awesoooome! It’s an action-adventure platformer with cute artstyle, good animations and silly quests and dialogues.
You will explore 5 different worlds on your quest to save your dad from antagonist who is kidnapping old folks to turn them into hot dogs for his evil plan. Along your way you’ll meet all kinds of weirdos that will give you quests, which just happen to be in areas you need to go to for progression of main objectives anyway.
I liked the level design. It’s simple but interesting and fun to go through. Each area in the world has five stages and your goal in each stage is to reach the well you’ll use to travel to the next stage and so on until you reach the final stage which will have an item you need for main quest. Each area has one collectable sticker to find in one of the stages and each stage has one cupcake to find which you will use to feed fat cat that poops eggs containing hats for your main character and his companion rock.
– Real player with 12.8 hrs in game
Castle of Illusion
One of the best remakes I’ve ever played.
The original game was one of the most iconic titles on the Sega Genesis, it was 1990 so the Sonic games weren’t released yet. The colorful graphics, big Mickey sprite and super detailed animation were an spectacle for that period in time when most people were used to simple 8 bit graphics. Plus, the gameplay was solid and the Disney magic was captured perfectly.
This remake impressed me since it managed to accurately retain the essence of the original despite the graphics modernization and the little gameplay changes.
– Real player with 10.1 hrs in game
Read More: Best Adventure Remake Games.
Let me start by saying that the old school Castle of Illusion on Genesis / Mega Drive remains one of my favorite platformers today.
Let me also say that I was hugely, hugely, hugely disappoint by DuckTales Remastered, which I found boring and lazily done.
So I went into this with low expectations … I mean, how do you live up to a classic? Not sure it’s possible, but I was extremely please with the updated Castle of Illusion on Steam. Great game. It does an excellent job taking the source material as inspiration and trying to update it without shitting all over it.
– Real player with 10.0 hrs in game
Rayman® Legends
Rayman Legends is quite possibly the best 2d platformer released in the past 10 years.
It’s the follow up title to Rayman Origins (also a great game) and if you missed it, 40 of the stages from Origins have been included in Legends as additional re-mastered content.
It features over 120 different stages each with varying atmosphere, amazing music, and plenty of hidden collectibles. Each of the levels are hand drawn and beautiful to look at. Despite not being overly impressive on a technical level, Rayman uses a timeless style. While games like Crysis 3 probably won’t look that great 10 years from now, Rayman Legends will no doubt retain its charm.
– Real player with 34.0 hrs in game
Rayman Legends is absolutely legendary. However, if you plan on playing single player, you are missing out on one of THE best co-op games of all time. I’m not even sure what the storyline nor do I care, because the gameplay is reason enough to play through this side scrolling platformer.
The graphics are gorgeous with what looks like handdrawn sprites in 3D worlds. The animation is smooth, fluid, and the control of the characters are on point. At times the game moves really fast where you have to run constantly or face death, and other times you can explore the level at your own pace. It is fun to watch, and even more fun to play.
– Real player with 29.6 hrs in game
Wonder Boy: The Dragon’s Trap
Wonder Boy III: The Dragon’s Trap was originally made for the Sega Master System and ported to the Game Gear and Turbo Grafx-16. It involved the main character, Wonder Boy, fresh from his last adventure getting cursed by a dragon’s curse and then roaming the land to try to fix that curse.
It also was a fantastic game that rivaled entries like Metroid and allowed players to return to areas they had been in before to find new rooms with abilities earned over time. It was essentially a predecessor to what would be known as a Metroidvania.
– Real player with 29.2 hrs in game
This is how people make an HD Remake of a old game. No crappy graphics, no 90’s radio quality music.
This game is awesome! I guess the saga is one of the first Metroidvania games to exist, playing it feels a bit like playing a platformer Zelda game, but without puzzles to waste your time, you can explore, fight monsters, challenge bosses, aswell as look for secrets. Why didn’t I met this game before? Where have this been all my life? (Probably it’s Monica’s fault…)
This game doesn’t force you to grind so you can buy equipment, or at least not that much, some equipments you need to go killing monsters so you be able to buy them, but still, the game doesn’t make you waste hours killing the same monster for coins to buy your equipment (unless you want to get a certain equipment that is supposed to be acquired way later in the game).
– Real player with 25.7 hrs in game
DuckTales: Remastered
Pogo everything. Leave no survivors.
I was too young to play Capcom’s Ducktales when it originally came to the NES back in 1990 (I was two years old then), but I made up for it by playing the game constantly when it was available on the NEStalgia online emulator a few years back.
What a treat, then, that Ducktales Remastered (a port/remake developed by Wayforward Technologies) is light-years ahead of the original version. I don’t think it’s hyperbole to say that this is a faithful remake that does justice to the license while throwing a boatload of extra content for longtime fans.
– Real player with 41.2 hrs in game
I’m downvoting this game with extreme prejudice because it has a crash bug which has been left unaddressed for over a year: players who have Nvidia cards with up-to-date drivers will find that the game will always freeze on the final boss. It seems that some recent version of Nvidia drivers broke some graphic effects in late-game cutscenes. Unfortunately, the rights to this game are a royal cluster of bureaucracy between Disney, CAPCOM, and WayForward, and nobody seems interested in addressing the issue, or even acknowledging that this game exists anymore. Basically, if you don’t have access to a PC without an Nvidia card, do not buy this game, as you will not be able to finish it without skipping specific cutscenes and using weird workarounds.
– Real player with 11.2 hrs in game
Oddworld: Abe’s Oddysee®
WARNING! THIS GAME CAN BE DIFFICULT!
But, AH! The memories! :D
The protagonist of this memorable tale is named Abe. A Mudokon who was born a slave and works for RuptureFarms, a meat processing factory. One day Abe discovers that he and his kind are to be sent to the slaughterhouse. Not only that, they will soon become the “new & tasty” delicasy on the menu! He decides that he better make a break from the Glukkons who hold him captive and decides to rescue as many of his fellow Mudokons as he can along the way.
– Real player with 18.2 hrs in game
My playtime: 14.1h (based on steam, game completed, bad ending)
Intro
Oddworld: Abe’s Oddysee® is a puzzle game with a bit of stealth element where you have to dodge obstacles and avoid enemies to save your fellow aliens from being killed.
Pros:
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2 endings
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Secret areas
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Freedom to save or kill the aliens
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Puzzles are not too easy and not too hard either
Cons:
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Cutscenes don’t run smoothly
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Terrible controls
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Tile-based and slow movement
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Weird saving mechanics
– Real player with 14.1 hrs in game
The Cave
A Scientist, Hillbilly, Timetraveler, Knight, Monk, Adventurer, and Twins walk in to a cave….. No this is not a joke set up seriously these 8 people walk in to a cave in groups of 3 to launch a nuclear weapon, travel back in time to kill the caveman ancestor of their co-worker, burn a carnival down and have other adventures.
A fun puzzle-platformer that requires at least 6 play throughs to get the entire story so you get your money’s worth. Each character has their own level and powers that you can play in any order. They do drag after serveral replays considering no matter what set of characters you choose you need to play the same 4 levels but the puzzles are challenging and real thinkers if you are in to platformers and headscratchers this is a game for you. Puzzle solutions are very creative such as using a parrot to record a dog barking, making yourself stink like a dinosaur to attract a live dinosaur to crush with an ancient wheel to make oil to run an ancient engine and other crazy puzzles. Ther are 2 endings for each character fun visuals, sorta silly jokes and a quirky narration by The Cave itself. Pretty much The Cave is the American cousin of the the Narrator from The Stanely Parable who is not as funny but would get a one shot Comedy Central 30 min special that is mildly amusing and watchable 2 more times before becoming less humorous each and everytime afterwards and you end up flipping the channel to some reruns of Bob Ross to get his voice out of your head.
– Real player with 26.1 hrs in game
I am quite the fan of Double Fines work, and I’m glad to say this game wasn’t a let-down for me. I’ve heard it didn’t get the best reviews, but in all honesty, i think they couldn’t be more wrong.
You start your adventure choosing your selection of characters, there is about 7 completely different characters, with different personalities, story lines and lives. All looking to venture through the cave to find something they desire.
You pick three at a time, so it takes about 3 play throughs to see each story. I found the way you navigate the cave quite clever, your characters can only get into the section that’s for one of the three, so you aren’t dragging yourself through stories for people that aren’t even there.
– Real player with 20.1 hrs in game
Sea of Solitude
EA is usually known for two things: microtransactions and more microtransactions. As a result, many gamers overlook their EA Original lineup, which features unique indie titles. One such is Sea of Solitude.
Shallow Sea
It’s always amazing to see developers find creative and unique ways of tackling themes surrounding mental health issues. Some succeed, some fail. Sadly, Sea of Solitude falls in the latter camp.
It fails for a couple of reasons. First, the writing. Instead of providing a more in-depth commentary on a particular issue, it opts for quantity over quality. As a result, it only skims over them and does a rather shallow take that boils down to “this is good” and “this is bad”.
– Real player with 6.4 hrs in game
There are a bunch of short little 5 hour games or under now that you can play on the EA 5 bucks a month deal. This game and Unravel 1 and 2 etc. If you pick up the monthly pass to play these games you will knock them out in a single session or a week at most and will still have 3 weeks left to download and play a bunch of other neat games. Sea of Solitude is a once and done game for me so it is a perfect candidate for the monthly pass. But we are not here to talk about whether the EA pass has value or not we are here to talk about this game. So what can I tell you about it? Unfortunately not a lot. Spoilers.
– Real player with 5.1 hrs in game
LostWinds
This game is horrible. Avoid at all costs. Here’s the pros & cons:
Pros
beautiful in some areas
new mechanic where jumps are completely controlled with the mouse (wii ported)
you get the power of flying after 60% of the struggle
Cons
Brace yourself. This is going to be a handful.
One checkpoint every half an hour or so
Clumsy click-n-drag to guide - check youtube video
Unnecessary “black dolls” that you need to avoid while you’re flying. gets much worse later in the game (I’ll show proof, hang in there).
– Real player with 8.6 hrs in game
A Wiiware port. One of the very good games that was ported from the Nintendo wii. Gamplay structure and set up is similar to the metroid series, which require you to explore and only allow you to get further with a new ability. Being this game is a wiiport, the game mechanics requires you do do flick of the wrist jestures, which in my opinion can be strenuous on the wrist when using a mouse. This game is very short and quick to the point, which is good for my very short attention span.
The music is very majestic, personally speaking. In this day and age when music requires a dept of instruments and different degrees of melodic tunes in one instrumental. LostWinds has nice serene music that fits the vibe. Maybe i haven’t paid attention but i think i heard 2 or 3 different music throughout the game. The music isn’t aggressively annoying as some games, when recycling its music, rather more relaxing.
– Real player with 5.0 hrs in game