Growing Up
Interesting spin on the “visual novel” genre that is lovingly crafted, but has its issues and is not quite as expansive as the store page makes it out to be. Still, considering the price, it is worth it, and given the casual nature and the topic, also suitable for people just interested in trying out this kind of games, or for those who would be turned off by weeb stuff.
Rating: 7/10
As is obvious, the game revolves around growing up and going through all of the early stages of life, and it does a remarkably good job at it too, at times at least. The characters, although in some regards laden with cliches, are fairly well written and I am not ashamed to admit, objectively looking at how I behaved and what I thought as a teenager especially, and what I remember of my friends, this is pretty spot on, lol. Unfortunately, the earlier stages of the game are quite rushed, and they are more of a short tutorial than anything, which is a bit of a wasted oportunity - the game really starts when you reach teen years.
– Real player with 38.2 hrs in game
Read More: Best Choices Matter Life Sim Games.
UPDATED REVIEW @ 22 Hrs:
Growing Up is a life simulation that fairly-accurately simulates the experience of growing up in a relatively affluent family in a reasonably well-to-do area of the United States in the mid-to-late 1990s.
I’m a fan of this game for a lot of reasons. The writing is pretty good, and the resource management gameplay is challenging enough to be fun while never feeling unfair or too difficult. The music ranges from unobtrusive to fantastic, and the interface is intuitive; simple without being too stupid (more on this below). If you’re a fan of resource management games, or if you like visual novels and don’t mind some casual gameplay mixed in, this is one to pick up even at full price.
– Real player with 31.1 hrs in game
Kargast
“You just woke up but… oh, wait! This is not right! Everything seems weird and.. where did everyone go?”
Kargast is a dark, hand-crafted, story and narrative driven turn-based
RPG where every choice you make matters. It tells the story of an unwell
child on the brink of death, and his adventures through his surreal,
cryptic surroundings. You must guide him through a place of torment,
confront the unknown and make vital choices along the way. Travel
through dark and mysterious environments with your shiny little
companion, fight your way through dozens of odd and malformed creatures,
and uncover what strange truths lay hidden before it’s too late.
Features:
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A story-driven turn-based RPG where your choices matter.
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Authentic synthwave soundtrack that fits the atmosphere.
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Original art with thoughtfully crafted locations.
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A naive protagonist.
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Ability to make friends, unlike real life.
#### About Us
Hey! Thanks for checking out Kargast, which is our third project. We developed and released our first title in 2017. Under the name of Frymore we are just two friends who have a big desire to create unique games. Hope you have a wonderful journey in Kargast!
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Read More: Best Choices Matter RPG Games.
Vesper
Beautiful game.
Game play and mechanics are straight forward and well done, but the visual and audio atmosphere of the game are where it really shines
– Real player with 13.3 hrs in game
Read More: Best Choices Matter Dark Games.
I’ve played about 90 minutes so far and I’m really enjoying this. The graphics and sound design are top notch. The game play is virtually identical to Abe’s Odyssey, but I really enjoyed that game too so it’s all good!
– Real player with 8.4 hrs in game
I Saw Black Clouds
I Saw Silver Linings
It doesn’t show its hand until it will have tested the patience of many, but I think in the pantheon of modern FMV titles it’s sufficiently interesting to recommend (with some caveats).
Consider me an avid indie FMV game dabbler . Over time I’ve realised that the real beauty of such interactive films, much like VR games, isn’t that they continuously break new ground towards some singularity future entertainment form. It’s that indie creator spirit that flows through their design and writing and all the quirks and eccentricities that come with that. I’m British, so I always love the underdog.
– Real player with 9.6 hrs in game
As a big fan of FMV games, I give this a 6 out of 10. So a mild recommendation mostly for other fans of the genre. There are just too many elements here that could be improved on to rate it any higher, some of which have been mentioned in other reviews.
There are some tracked playthrough stats like tact and honesty that are poorly explained in relation to the game, to the point I don’t think they have any impact other than reflecting choices you’ve made. There’s no situation where you aren’t tactful enough to continue down a certain path or anything like that. But at the same time there are the stats of denial and acceptance that determine your ending. So some of the stats matter and some don’t and that’s never really made clear.
– Real player with 8.1 hrs in game
Life is Strange 2
Life is Strange 2
Life is Strange 2 is an episodic, story driven, supernatural-ish game in which your decisions will change the outcome of the story between the two brothers as well as their friends they made on the way.
Story
The main protagonist of Life is Strange 2 is Sean Diaz who tries to get to Mexico with his little brother Daniel Diaz after a tragic event at their home, in which Sean discovered that his little brother has some sort of supernatural abillity. Wanted by the police, the two brothers try their best to strengthen their bond on the way to their father’s hometown Puerto Lobos.
– Real player with 52.4 hrs in game
If you’re craving anything even remotely similar to the storytelling in Life is Strange 1 or Before the Storm, you should may as well look elsewhere. If you don’t like social themes in you games – regardless of subtlety or lack thereof – you’re probably wasting your time, too.
Minor plot spoilers for Life is Strange 1 and 2.
On a technical level, LiS 2 far surpasses LiS 1 and even BTS. Environments feel much less static. Dialogue is more fluid. You’ll find yourself wandering around, only to discover little quips and comments from Sean, Daniel, or the other characters minutes later. The animations are spectacular. Lip-syncing is no longer puppet-quality, although that issue was mostly resolved in BTS. You’ve got your standard Dontnod/Deck Nine beautiful environmental shots. While on the topic of visuals, LiS 2 is undoubtedly the most visually diverse Life of Strange game to date. You get to see sleepy small towns blanketed in snow, redwood forests in California, scorched deserts. You even get a small taste of that original LIfe is Strange vibe (you know what I mean if you play it) in Episode 1 that sort of lulls you into a false sense of security. You think for a second that this game will be kind of like the other Life is Strange games. Boy, are you going to be in for a shock.
– Real player with 51.3 hrs in game
Suzerain
Suzerain is a really interesting story exploring the trappings of power, geopolitics, political dynamics, and the push and pull between reform and historic legacy.
Based loosely on the political situation of Turkey in the 1960s, your character inherits the reigns of a semi-democratic, semi-authoritarian country with a troubled past and present in a world increasingly pulled into the spheres of two superpowers. You inherit a recession, tense political situation, and a large, belligerent country breathing down the neck of your own. Your primary mandates are to resolve the political situation by siding with reform or using the tools of state to secure or expand your considerable powers and put an end to dissent; fix the economy; put an end to threat across the northern border through deft political maneuvering or military build up; and, of course, secure reelection.
– Real player with 210.6 hrs in game
Excellent political simulator set in a very well crated world. The world-building is excellent. There are countless ways in which you can see the effects of your actions. The first half of the game is pretty boring especially on replay however second half of the game is always great and is worth the lengthy setup. I can’t recommend this game enough if you like games about politics.
– Real player with 62.8 hrs in game
Beacon Pines
Beacon Pines is a cute and creepy storybook adventure where you use charms to rewrite fate. You play as both the reader of the storybook and its main character, Luka. The game is set within the town of Beacon Pines and something strange is happening at the old factory outside of town. But Luka and his friends are the only ones taking notice! Sneak out late, investigate creepy labs, throw some pigs, uncover the truth, and maybe survive the summer.
There’s something happening at the old factory outside of town and none of the adults are taking any notice! It’s up to you and your friends, Rolo and Beck, to figure out what’s going on and uncover the mystery of that crazy green goo. Sneak out late, investigate creepy labs, throw some pigs and uncover the truth. Who said Summer holidays were boring?
Beacon Pines is a beautiful town set within a magical book. The Book is an unfinished story that, above all else, wants to find resolution. The Book works with the player to sort through the possibilities of its story in order to find a satisfying conclusion. The story can have many endings and ultimately it is up to the player to choose. But will The Book accept the player’s wishes?
Beautifully hand drawn art style, each character and environment has been drawn by hand. The result is a vibrant artstyle and a charismatic cast to help you survive the long summer holidays.
Use charms to rewrite past events and discover different stories. Every character in Beacon Pines has their own unique story where every conversation you have, drives the story’s narrative. What will Luka say to insult a bully? What’s the weather like? What the heck is that thing lurking in the bushes? It’s up to you!
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1269640/Beacon_Pines/
Detroit: Become Human
Have you ever watched a TV series and thought to yourself, man, this character is dumb. Why would they go in there? Why would they do that? It is so stupid. For me, it happens more often than I would care to experience. But now, YOU can be in charge of your own TV series. That’s right, you can make the characters do dumb things and then know that you made them do it. Much more satisfying lol. So much power.
That is only half a joke, because that is what this game is. It is essentially a high budget TV production where you have some sprinkled ‘game-play’. Nothing wrong with that. In fact, I quite enjoyed the ride and if you don’t want to read past this point, just know that if you want to experience a fascinating setting with a compelling narrative then this game is for you.
– Real player with 40.8 hrs in game
So, most of the reviews I see are pretty positive or negative, but not super descriptive? And it really doesn’t do it justice, because this game… Well, it has a lot to say but also nothing at all. I want to preface with that I actually really enjoyed the game. I liked most of the characters, I like that there are so many branching paths in every scene, I LOVED the graphics, and I did actually like the gameplay. Overall, I don’t think you’ll be wasting money if you decide to purchase. It has a high replayability as well, which is just a lot of value.
– Real player with 40.0 hrs in game
Hardland
This is legitimately one of the best games I have ever played. The world building is truly world class, and the game is in many ways a technical masterpiece, fast travel is literally 1 frame, and the lighting… I am not kidding, rivals Red Dead Redemption 2, and this was all done with a custom engine. A team of 2, 1 Artist, and 1 Programmer.
To fully appreciate it though, you must understand that even though it kind of looks like zelda, the game is more like monkey island or another adventure game- you are solving world scale puzzles through interactions with the NPC’s and exploration, and the combat is intended as light gating for certain areas, not as a main focus of the game. It does not hold your hand at all and for this reason it can be hard to tell what you are supposed to do next. There is no journal, nor quest tracker, and the world is big and everyone seems to speak in riddles, but i promise you if you keep picking at it everything starts to come together. The first few hours are for exploring and meeting people. The dot connection will come, but you have to pay attention to the world and what people are saying.
– Real player with 42.4 hrs in game
This game for me was a hidden gem, its a flawed gem but quite a unique one as well. I should probably say that this also isn’t a game for everyone as there are some design decisions that may scare off the less adventurous.
The greatest strength of this game is by far its world building and writing. This may sound strange but you spend almost all of your time talking to NPCs, hearing what they have to say and thinking about what it means. The dialogue is almost always a prompt to continue but sometimes you have to make a dialogue choice. This sounds boring but the dialogue is really part of a puzzle for you to discover then figure out and that is what makes the dialogue so engaging. The game warns you in the title screen to pay attention to what is being said to you and they were not kidding. Some small comment a random NPC makes or some item description can lead you to an important item, character, piece of information or situation. You slowly discover this strange world and who all the players are through paying attention to your surroundings, it feels like you are a detective connecting all the dots. The writing is also quite funny, some dialogue exchanges had me bursting out laughing.
– Real player with 39.3 hrs in game
Kiss Upload
Kiss Upload is a futuristic-themed romance visual novel. It features four involved story paths with even more outcomes.
You play as Tobias, who begins the story in present time, living a below-average life on his own. After receiving a flyer from the owner of an innovative company, Tobias decides to participate in a life-changing science experiment which would land him 500 years in the future. That is, if all goes according to plan.
In Kiss Upload, you can choose between three female and one male love interest. Each are connected to various sides of a conflict. Will you take the side of the FBI? Or will you side with a robotics engineer who calls herself a mad scientist? Maybe you’ll fall for a cute robot. The choice is yours.