Splinter Zone

Splinter Zone

Alright so I’m only an hour and a bit into this but

I have to write a review on this because the game needs them and first impressions are always important for getting a game.

Splinter Zone is almost what happens if you have Vlambeer remake Megaman 1-3.

Here’s what I mean by that:

If you have played Megaman’s 1 to 3, some of the level segments will feel VERY familiar. .So will some of the enemy behaviours. This is not a bad thing. It’s charmingly familiar.

The Vlambeer part comes in with this RIDICULOUSLY MEATY GUN NOISES and the OBLIGATORY SCREENSHAKE (which you can tone down if you wish in the settings). I cannot tell you how delicious the explosions are too, you have to see them for yourself.

Real player with 23.0 hrs in game


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I love this game. The controls are really on point. The shooting, especially when you’re on a higher level, is so much fun. There is so much variation in the construction of the worlds. I have to admit, that it’s not the easiest game I played so far but I love the challenge and it’s still fun because I’m getting better every time I play it.

The enemies seem to be easy targets most of the time but there are quite a few that can be really tedious. All the more fun when you’ve figured out their weak spot. The most interesting part about this game seems to be, that when you’re on a certain skill-level, you can pretty much go on forever. But I think, there’s more to it, than to just beat your own highscore over and over again. The story seems to be, that you can decide for yourself, if you wanna stay in this sourrounding of shoot, kill, die, repeat or if there’s a way out of it. I’ve yet to find this way, but I’m eager to progress towards this alternative goal.

Real player with 10.8 hrs in game

Splinter Zone on Steam

Cyberemo 2007

Cyberemo 2007

This is a mixed review.

I have no idea what I played. I can kinda recommend it as a “so bad it’s good” kind of game.

The gameplay is fine. On higher difficulties, there are traps similar to what you might see in “I wanna be the guy”. I like these games, but I understand that some people might hate it.

When enemies hit you, you are stunned. Also, when multiple enemies hit you in a certain way, you might get stunlocked. I still don’t like that a single enemy sometimes hits you twice rapidly.

Real player with 4.2 hrs in game


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CD Projekt Red did deliver the promised version of Cyberpunk 2077, but changed the name to Cyberemo 2007. This game has top notch music, no bugs and comes with stunning graphics!

As a bonus, it comes with the movies ‘Cabin in the Woods’ and ‘Casino Royale’ and the beloved ‘Crab People’ from ‘Southepark’. Also featuring the A+ game ‘The Last of Us’.

Did I already mentioned the mini game ‘Duck Hunt’?

Real player with 2.0 hrs in game

Cyberemo 2007 on Steam

Howdy, Jacob!

Howdy, Jacob!

This was a visual trip, it’s kinda like Where’s Waldo but with psychedelics. It has a very interesting approach to storytelling which I like and the music is fun and upbeat. It gave me some nostalgic vibes. I was reminded of the video overlays in one of the Police Quest games for the storytelling and the levels have a sort of wondrous mystique to them that you don’t experience much in games these days. There’s a totally dark vibe to the story without being too scary.

If I had to list one criticism it would be that I struggled to find the exit button during a level, but it all worked out of course. Overall it was worth the $10 for sure.

Real player with 3.3 hrs in game


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Disclosure: I was on the video capture and performance team for the game, but did not have anything to do with gameplay, art, or design.

Howdy, Jacob! shines brightest in its rich world and great writing. The characters are interesting and diverse, and curious players are always rewarded with a little bit of content wherever they look. It is a world that feels much, much bigger than the game, and fascinating!

The other high point is the art! The images are very vivid and unique, and the style sticks with you!

Real player with 3.1 hrs in game

Howdy, Jacob! on Steam

NORCO

NORCO

NORCO is a sci-fi Southern Gothic Adventure that immerses the player in the sinking suburbs and verdant industrial swamps of Louisiana’s petrochemical hinterlands. Your brother Blake has gone missing in the aftermath of your mother’s death. In the hopes of finding him, you must follow a fugitive security cyborg through the refineries, strip malls, and drainage ditches of suburban New Orleans.

Immerse yourself in an uncanny and surreal South Louisiana

NORCO features detail-rich and atmospheric pixel art born from the natural and industrial landscapes of South Louisiana, accompanied by the eclectic soundscapes of composer Gewgawly I.

Meet strange, unforgettable, and dangerous characters

Navigate your way through a world of uncertainty and moral ambiguity as you venture deeper into the swamp to unravel the threads left by your brother. Fight, sneak, or fast-talk your way past any hometown bullies, security contractors, or death cults that stand in your way.

Explore vast scenic landscapes of pulsing nightlife and eerie solitude

Skulk through the crowds of downtown New Orleans, recruit a wild-eyed river dog, break into a refinery, boat through cypress swamps, and explore the desolate batture woods of the Mississippi River.

Discover a world haunted by both past and future

From Southern Gothic literature to adventure game classics to experimental indies, NORCO fuses its wide sources of inspiration into something new and unseen.

NVC: That’s when your dreams began?

Catherine: Yes. Towers falling from the sky. I’d stay awake just to avoid them.

NVC: You say here that they lasted for years.

Catherine: I worry that I somehow passed them onto Kay. She’d have nightmares of cell tower lights. She said they grew closer every night.

NVC: Have you told anyone about these dreams?

Catherine: No.

NVC: And tell me about the robot.

Catherine: Million?

NVC: That’s right.

Catherine: She came to me in the parking lot when Kay was twelve or so. She knew Blue from his days at the refinery. I stared for a long time into her constellation of eyes. They swirled in a kind of desperation. I took her home, knowing it was a mistake.

NORCO on Steam

Ticket

Ticket

Don’t let the initial presentation fool you - this is an incredibly creative 2D platformer with unique visuals and an outstanding soundtrack. My first playthrough, I constantly found myself saying “the next level couldn’t get any weirder than this” only for the game to do just that.

The only caveat is that some levels are a bit obtuse and frustrating to figure out without a guide - but that’s something you can find easily enough.

Real player with 30.8 hrs in game

Ticket is the product that challenges your preconceived notions of what games are about. It is certain that the so-called seriously taken game reviewers would not be able to give acclaim to this game, as it does not follow the conventional rules of high quality game design. This tells about the sad state of gaming industry rather than about Ticket though. If you are the person who thinks that good games follow strict rulesets of certain design-economic and mathematically measured criteria and are usually some sports titles followed by a running year number or the latest installment of a well-established series, then Ticket might not be for you.

Real player with 9.3 hrs in game

Ticket on Steam

Chuusotsu! 1st Graduation: Time After Time

Chuusotsu! 1st Graduation: Time After Time

Review with accompanying gameplay videos on Sinical Network

https://www.sinicalanimenetwork.com/post/2018/09/02/chuusotsu-first-graduation-time-after-time-review

I recently received this game for free as a curator connect offer for my group Visual novel, JRPG, Anime. This kinetic visual novel from Studio Beast and Fruitbat Factory features a trio of unemployed teenage girls Arue Marisugawa, Koiro Hachisuka and Arara Fujisaki with Arue as the protagonist in this episode.

Arue, Koiro and Arara were ineligible to wear any authorization seal which renders them unable to hold any permanent stable employment and hence became Chuusotsu. Arue plans to take a re-evaluation exam and become a government official after missing a crucial exam during middle school from being hospitalized. To be able to survive in a foreign city on a stipend without having to work, Arue has to participate in an experimental study where she has to stay in Tabula Rasa apartments with Koiro and Arara, achieve sufficient synchronicity among themselves and give an answer to the philosophy of life.

Real player with 11.4 hrs in game

Chuusotsu is a cute sci-fi slice of life medium length (by medium I mean between 8-18hs, anything above is already into the longer side) kinetic visual novel with a lot of layers behind the seemingly simplistic front.

You follow the misadventures of Marisugawa Arue as she tries to reform her life as a shut-in, reach her dreams and obviously make some friends along the way. However, things quickly take a turn into the weird and strange but thankfully with a satisfactory conclusion and lead up to the mini sequel.

Real player with 11.4 hrs in game

Chuusotsu! 1st Graduation: Time After Time on Steam

Submachine: Legacy

Submachine: Legacy

Submachine is a point and click adventure game. You will explore a network of interconnected rooms and solve puzzles with items you find along the way.

This is a complete remaster of the entire Submachine series. It includes all Submachines from main storyline (1-10) as well as Submachine: Zero, Submachine: FLF and Submachine: 32 Chambers.

You didn’t wake up in a room and you do remember. You remember you’ve been playing a game: Submachine. You remember it was long ago, in some internet browser, in different times, when flash games were running the show. Welcome back.

Submachine: Legacy on Steam

Kaverini Nuuk Adventures

Kaverini Nuuk Adventures

Welcome to Nuuk, the capital of Greenland! Design or choose your own character and immerse yourself as a tourist in a fanciful cartoon RPG depiction of a legendary Arctic city!

Explore the ice sheet, boating trips and the fjord alongside shopping malls, nightclubs, bars and museums!

Get drawn into a plot that places YOU as one of the most pivotal revolutionaries in the history of the world!

You may encounter foes of all sorts, be they sentient machines, rebellious foods, the occasional frustrated tourist, a frightened animal, or even the elements themselves, but never fear! Your emotional intelligence can disarm them all with no guns or sticks required!

Kaverini Nuuk Adventures on Steam

A Chamber of Stars

A Chamber of Stars

Each person has a universe inside of them.

A personal universe with characters influenced by the observable reality around them. Your friends, the fans, the local shop clerk, each person you pass without giving pause is another universe. You make up a story about them, they form a story about you. The universes expand.

I always wonder how similar our universes can be. You and I. Will I ever be able to pierce through and present myself, my real self, or will the information be lost in translation? The thing rattling around in our heads can’t be all that different. We both still get choked up over the same melodies, it’s only human to do so, right?

Maybe, if you would like it, I could play something for you. Lord knows your songs are still rattling around in my head.

The singularly named Starr, an enigmatic performer, guitarist and songwriter, has somehow survived the constant shifting tide of the musical landscape. Decade after decade, this artist has remained relevant in culture’s eye. After multiple personas, genre manipulations and controversies, the public is still buzzing. “What will Starr do next?” The rumors say their upcoming album will be the fated magnum opus…

A Chamber of Stars is the sequel to 2018’s The Endless Empty. Through six unique worlds the life of the rock n’ roll hero, Starr, will be pieced together. Exploration, choices and performances will change the course of a life and will alter the songs that are produced. A Chamber of Stars will feature a mix of classic adventure games, puzzle solving and unique rhythm game performances all within a fully realized surrealist universe.

Nothing heavenly or divine; just filthy mortal music here.

A Chamber of Stars on Steam

Automation* of Sorts

Automation* of Sorts

I played the first few levels, and while some of the menu functions need a bit of updating, the gameplay action itself and controls are very solid and a lot of fun! Never ending chaos! My dad and I are having a lot of fun with it in our solo playthroughs.

I will update this review when we get a chance to play multiplayer later.

Real player with 0.2 hrs in game

Automation* of Sorts on Steam