Resolutiion
My playtime: 40.8h (based on steam, 100% achievement, 2x playthrough)
Grindy Achievement(s): Yes (1 achievement).
Optional Achievement(s): Yes (10 achievements).
Difficult Achievement(s): No.
Intro
Resolutiion is a fast-paced action-adventure game with exploration as its focus. The game has a lot of vast maps and secret areas that you have to find.
Pros:
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You can tackle most areas in any order that you want
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Secret areas and optional collectibles to find
– Real player with 40.8 hrs in game
Read More: Best Atmospheric Exploration Games.
There are a lot of games that were inspired by ‘Hyper Light Drifter’ and they mostly failed as individual games for various reasons, but out of those that I played I liked this one the most. Despite the visual similarities to HLD that many people are calling a ripoff, Resolutiion clearly had a talented artist and I don’t want to take anything away from him; the games might look similar but it’s not a clone of HLD. Surprisingly the best part of this game was the story, the writing was just excellent and absorbed me into the universe, although the delivery of that story was somewhat questionable, mainly because I felt like the characters came and went too quickly. Still, I thought the lore for the universe was very compelling, from what I understand the humanity was taken over by technological advances and those few that remained isolated started a war against the ‘progress’, although It was kinda vague and confusing.
– Real player with 34.9 hrs in game
Expand
Disclaimer: A review key was provided by the studio.
ESPRESSO REVIEW
Not a meditative, relaxing game as I assumed, but more a good reflex dodge em up with great rotational labyrinths to escape from. The remaining impression of rotating, expanding and collapsing levels will stick with you after you are done.
PROS
Intricate mazes to figure out
Monochromatic layout is a gorgeous modern art experience
Not as easy as you would expect
Music is a very nice low key electronic soundtrack that is well composed
– Real player with 11.8 hrs in game
Read More: Best Atmospheric Minimalist Games.
Follow me, says the game with a chime.
A week ago, I received an email from Expand developer Chris Johnson inviting me to play the game ahead of release. Since it was a game I was already interested in, I jumped at the opportunity.
Chris describes the game as a “meditative exploration through shifting circular labyrinths”. It is a game that I find hard to frame my thoughts on - Chris' words are certainly accurate, but the game has another quality to it that’s a little more difficult to define.
– Real player with 9.3 hrs in game
Cosmic: A Journey Among Shadows
🌑 A mysterious universe inhabited by weird characters whose shadows have their own distinct personalities, where light and shadow dictate its metaphysical rules
🌘 Fast-paced 2D gameplay with two distinguished styles: use the light to unleash the beastly shadow attached to Cosmic and perform deadly melee combos or use agility and subterfuge to escape danger while in the dark
🌗 Multiple exotic worlds to explore with expansive maps filled with puzzles, secrets, and challenges. Find new items, unlock new abilities and use them to travel back and forth through space and time to explore what you previously couldn’t access
🌔 Flawlessly fluid animations that enhance the gameplay experience, and a distinguishable art style that plays with contrasts
🌕 Developed by a team of industry veterans who worked on Cyberpunk 2077, Serial Cleaner and Vampire: The Masquerade – Coteries of New York, and more!
In Cosmic: A Journey Among Shadows, the player controls Cosmic, a seemingly cute yet mischievous being whose sole and best friend is his own shadow. One day, due to a thoughtless wish, Cosmic loses his shadow and finds himself powerless at the bottom of an unknown world. However, Cosmic soon discovers that he has acquired a new, bigger shadow – that of a powerful beast whose owner is already on the hunt for him. Will Cosmic and his new shadow manage to cooperate and survive in this dangerous journey across time and space?
Read More: Best Atmospheric Singleplayer Games.
Extra Coin
You are invited to join The Arcade, the virtual existence where you can finally become someone
Extra Coin is a one-of-a-kind adventure game set within a virtual social network called The Arcade. You play as Mika, a girl determined to find her lost parents after they abandon their mortal existence. Dive into and explore this virtual and colorful world, making new friends and testing your skills against your foes to find the truth behind The Arcade. Will you be worthy enough?
FEATURES
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Peculiar game mechanics which mix adventure, action and RPG elements
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A lore-rich, engaging story with an original multiple endings branching system
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Unique visual style which mixes pixel art with 3D environments
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Total freedom to customize and build your character with ** 60 passive skills**, ** 50 ultimates**. All freely combinable to obtain unique effects and game styles
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** 100 cosmetics** to visually customize your character with
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Management of player in-game social profile, with ** 700 text posts** available and ** 150 photos**
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Lots of unlockable and collectible content ( 100 achievements, 50 challenges and 40 medals)
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A fully-voiced cast of characters
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Lots of replayability thanks to the Arcade Mode
Golf Club Wasteland
A neat little mini-golf game set in the post apocalypse. The vibes are pretty depressing, since you ARE golfing in the wasteland, but it’s easily offset by RADIO NOSTALGIA FROM MARS!!!! (There used to be a mini review here but I’m done with this game for now)
After trying out iron mode for 5-6 hours, I can confidently say that this mode is a gimmick and that the developers did not play-test this mode at all. Want proof? Check out the achievement statistics, you’ll see that the Iron mode achievement has a VERY low % of the players completing it. Clearly, this a cardinal sin of laziness, with the developers thinking that it’s okay to slap a mode like this into the game and market it but not attempt it themselves. This is a ridiculous challenge in of itself, the weakest point of the game, and you bet your ass that I’m going to give some brutally honest feedback for it.
– Real player with 26.6 hrs in game
I’m not recommending this game because the whole package is a bit of a mess, but it does has its merits.
Without talking too much about the story, it’s a bit of a mess in that when you go through and re-read it, things don’t match up or just aren’t very well told. There’s a story here, and then there’s another telling of another tiny story, and those two somewhat contradict each other a bit. The stories told on the radio are also fantastic on their own, but it paints a bit of an incongruent history that might be a bit too scathing for the things it has a bias against; to the point where it sorta ignores how the world works…but I mean, it’s a story; there’s nothing wrong with that besides making it a bit unbelieveable.
– Real player with 6.4 hrs in game
Where the Snow Settles
Absolutely loved Where the Snow Settles! It’s a beautifully put together game with a wonderful narrative and art style. I additionally loved the soundtrack and would often have the game playing in the background whilst I would work from home because I loved it that much. Great to see an Australia team do such terrific work!
– Real player with 6.0 hrs in game
Where the Snow Settles is a gorgeous cinematic experience that’s almost perfectly sized, easily playable over a single long session or two smaller ones.
– Real player with 3.6 hrs in game
BACK OF SPACE
Amazing game, i have every achievement in OLDTV, and i still play it, when i found out and saw the trailer for the new game, i was freaking out. I bought the game and i don’t regret it one bit. :) Would recommend this to anyone. btw C Y A N
– Real player with 18.0 hrs in game
IT’S FINALY OUT GUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUYS
(ahem)
Of course it’s beta, but i REALLY like playing this, and also I got some flashbacks from PlasmaTV
The only question is…
WHERE IS CYAN AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
– Real player with 11.6 hrs in game
HellScape: Two Brothers
Hellscape:Two Brothers
Pros
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An interesting atmospheric world
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Nice low poly and general artstyle
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Deeper story in the in game scrolls
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Not too difficult good for achievement hunters
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nice soundtrack
Cons
- Combat could have been better with a little more work
OVERALL
I would say give this game a go and support the developers for their first game!
and definitely read the scrolls.
– Real player with 1.8 hrs in game
Controls: 3/10.
It’s mouse+kb but doesn’t use the kb to move. Instead it requires to keep the right mouse button pressed. Just no.
Also, it uses random keys like E or S for actions, instead of sensible ones like ctrl or space.
Visibility: 2/10
The illuminated areas are so dark that I can’t even see enemies while they are on me. The mage’s light is a joke.
Legibility: 1/10
Tutorial texts cause strain because they are too small.
NPCs texts are even smaller and disappear after half a second. That’s utterly ridiculous.
– Real player with 0.3 hrs in game
A Painter’s Tale: Curon, 1950
Incredibly deep expression of a very sad event in the history of the world. Excellent game and time well spent!
– Real player with 3.6 hrs in game
A gentle and relaxing game that allows the player to immerse themselves within history. I never thought I would feel such nostalgia from a quaint little town, or receive goosebumps upon my finishing of the game. Though the movement was a bit awkward at times, the shading and colours of Curon were stunning, and the soundtrack was beautiful. The story is novel-like, the visuals are picturesque, and you will walk out of this piece of art with a fleeting, but haunting experience of a tale from the past.
– Real player with 2.8 hrs in game
Cartel Tycoon
First of all, don’t mind the playtime. I am one of the early supporters of the game and have some 280 hours on my profile for the “Earliest Uncut” version of the game. I provided extensive feedback for the game and used to be one of the community playtesters for early builds in the past.
By concept, Cartel Tycoon is a great game. The recipe for this addictive drug is “Tropico meets Frostpunk meets Narcos series”. Visuals, narrative, characters, music - all that is done well and does a lot for the immersion in the setting.
– Real player with 116.1 hrs in game
For the person reading this hoping it’s the cartel management game they’ve always dreamed would be released… here it is baby.
Nothing quite as satisfying as watching a convoy of trucks carrying 100 kilos of cocaine stuffed inside a chicken drive right past the Federales convoy on their way to t1tty f*** your cocoa farms.
Or burning down a warehouse stacked to the ceiling with cash rather than letting the DEA seize it.
So much potential for this game. I played the demo months ago and literally called out sick the day it dropped.
– Real player with 47.3 hrs in game