Kona
An interactive story/adventure that has a touch of puzzles, free roam exploration, and mild survival mechanics. It excells with its story-telling, its atmosphere, and its straight forward mechanics. It’s not for everyone, as it’s a bit short, mildly challenging, and not overly scary or exciting.
This is an interactive story first and foremost. The survival and puzzle elements take a back seat, and are more supplementary to the atmosphere than actual gameplay. The difficulty of the game across the board is mild, something more accessible to non-gamers or low-octane adventurers.
– Real player with 18.7 hrs in game
Read More: Best Detective Open World Games.
Welcome To Kona
This is where adventure takes Carl, our hero, who is entrusted with finding out who and why vandalises the properties of the local industrialist called Hamilton. Not long after the first couple of minutes of driving Carl has an accident and he is knocked out for a short while. As he regains consciousness behind the wheel he notices how the environment suddenly turned to white from green - snow quickly arrived in the form of a blizzard.
Now, reaching the general store will be our initial main objective. We find out more once we are there and we can also refuel our vehicle as the store also acts as a gas station. As we look at our map we can see there are a lot of houses and cabins we can visit so we can immediately get back behind the wheel and start our investigation in a town where residents is what’s very difficult to come by.
– Real player with 16.2 hrs in game
Scrutinized
If you are a fan of horror, Papers, Please, Welcome to the Game and challenging games then this is right up your alley.
Like other games released from the Developer, this one too features heavy jump scares that work and a real sense of stress.
This game is all about learning. In order to get better at the game, you need to keep playing it and really get multitasking down. Don’t expect to play it once and just breeze through it. I always see a lot of negative reviews toward these types of games without even learning 1/10 of what’s needed to complete it. Just be persistent, patient, and things will get easier.
– Real player with 48.8 hrs in game
Read More: Best Detective Dark Games.
Warning! Spoilers and huge paragraphs ahead!
Scrutinized is a game where you play as a criminal analyst named Luna Youngman who files reports in search for the person who killed her cousin. Doesn’t sound too complicated, does it? Wrong. You also have two people named Tanner and Dmitri trying to kidnap you. You have to file a certain amount of cases a day to win the night, if you file too many wrong, you lose. If you get kidnapped or killed by either of the men trying to break into your house, you lose. If you don’t lock your windows before you go to bed, you lose. If you don’t check the cameras every 10-15 seconds, you lose. If you don’t check your entire house every 30 seconds, you lose. IIIIt’s a lot. As interesting as this game’s concept is, I just can’t bring myself to like it. I’ve made a total 3 episodes on Scrutinized at this point, and I understand how the game functions more or less. You lock your windows, you check the cameras, file or shred a report, check the cameras again, check the house, check the cameras, file a report and so on. It’s a constant stress that envelops in this game that is only resolved by beating the night, but not even then, if you don’t check your house the kidnapper will kill you in your sleep. And on occasions on the hardest difficulty you have a chance of just dying instantly. The developer has released multiple patches to try and fix this bug, but nothing seems to work. I have seen many, many, many clips on people just dying at the start of nights. Now I haven’t even touched the hardest difficulty because I honestly have no interest to. The ending is the exact same as the normal ending, and dying randomly doesn’t sound very fun to me.
– Real player with 29.1 hrs in game
Montero
Game “Montero” intrigues you from the first minute. At first it seems that the game is quite impassable, but it did not annoy me, but only forced me to try harder. Over time, you understand how the game is arranged, how important preparation, collection of supplies and the choice of weapons are, and the game turns into a pleasure! Fight against the main boss is the end point of your mission, but to be there you need to be well prepared. Even in the Stronghold, you can choose a few items that you can take with you on a mission, and if at first the range of choice is small, then with each completed mission it will expand. In the village, you begin your investigation and arrangements. Five houses - five villagers, each of them can report something about the main monster. In houses, basements, gardens you will find a lot of items (useful and not). You have to provide your Montero with food, potions (fighting and healing) and weapons. After that, you will explore the territory; and the evidence (fur, altars, etc.) will tell you who you will have to defeat. And now you can go for the main boss, the only thing you will have to do is to find it. Don’t forget to check your hunger and stress. Interesting, exciting, intriguing….
– Real player with 437.8 hrs in game
Read More: Best Detective Indie Games.
Long story, shrt story, this is wat we’ve got.
-This is the only one game in such setting. Trust me, i’ll tryed to find.
-This is a challange. Not for your fingers, like in Dark Souls, but for your mind and ability to work under time pressure. You must managed your resources and always be attentive.
-Music like in Arcanum. True fans will appraise. Hella good ambient, folks!
-This game is a simbul of what we all may do. Its made by a single man ( just immaginate amount of effort ! Graphics, animation, teksts!), who had learnd Unity from 0 and made his dream of being a game dev come true! This is the 2nd game already (check Rayless btw)
– Real player with 9.5 hrs in game
To Ash and Ember
Meet your Maker and Kill Them.
That which was Dead refuses to Die. One of the Slaughtered Gods is resurfacing; bringing with them all the terrors of the night as the world warps under their dead weight. Through hidden doorways and between flesh-strewn trees you seek the name of the one who dares haunt this world and, in fantastic ritual, rip them from out of the Veil to face you in grim combat. Wounded, mentally shattered, and bedeviled by a Godcurse you return triumphant to a city whose people have become further twisted by this game of cosmic import. But how long until your mortal body fails you? In what hour shall your will be finally broken? How many divine curses can your soul bear before it shatters? The embers of chaos still burn and another Fallen God shall surely surface – and again you shall stand against them until either you, this world, or all the Fallen Gods are Ash and Ember.
To Ash and Ember is a singleplayer Dark Fantasy Event-based RPG. It plays like a board-game without needing to shuffle decks, set out a board, or read manuals. This is a game of time management and decisions, of who to save and who to sacrifice, and of a City whose windows and streets grow darker and stranger the longer your battles continue.
Features
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The Slaughtered Gods leave indelible marks. Investigators may become as warped as that which they fight: going mad, growing horns, and perhaps even dying and becoming a Wraith. The City’s locations may burn, be distorted, or become infested with otherworldly abominations.
Battle horrors beyond imagination. In the shadows gleam knives and teeth that shall seek to crush you that their dead God be allowed to return.
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The World forever twists underfoot. You will routinely encounter World Distortions that change how the game is played or impose restrictions as the Slaughtered God stirs in their astral grave.
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Harden your heart, steel your mind, guard your soul. Investigators gain Experience from their trials and battles which they can use to level up, gaining Perks and Quirks: advantages that come with disadvantages. The more experienced, the more Complicated.
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Enlighten the World or Burn it. If all is lost you may abandon a Worldline to its fate and migrate to another. Even if Investigators fall, you can Enkindle new ones to continue the fight against the constant horrors that face this world.
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Fate’s cruel but fair dice. In true board-game fashion, you roll against Fate herself to determine the outcomes of the many tests that face you with six-sided dice; each Investigator has their own strengths and weaknesses.
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This is Your Story. Game events are presented as mini-narratives with branching paths, opportunities, and perils. Your choices may open up new possibilities – or seal them.
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Come as you are – armed to the teeth. Wield, discover, empower, and sell an array of spells, weapons, and beasts alone or with Companions and Allies as you stand against the Resurrection.
Pathologic 2
I had a very hard time thinking of what I’d write for Pathologic 2. Despite the fact that there are so many reviews, this one got some attention, and I really appreciate that. I feel compelled to write something because it’s deep into my bones and it’s not showing any sign of leaving. It just feels like it deserves a review. Having gone through it now multiple times, I can honestly say it’s become one of my favorite games and that’s against a lifetime wasting time on them.
First and foremost, is this a horror game and if you don’t like horror games will this be too intense? The first answer is “kinda” and the second answer is “no”. It’s a horror game in that the tone and mood are quite dark and the general feeling of the game is eerie. There are certainly spooky things you’re going to experience here and there. Is there lots of gore, jumpscares or terribly intense horror movie moments? No, not really, and if you can get through the average episode of the original Twilight Zone then you’re brave enough for Pathologic 2. Tension is there, fear is often present, but it’s the kind of fear and tension that is trying to teach you something, not just give you nightmares. I recommend wearing headphones when you play to get the full experience of the atmosphere, or taking them off if you are feeling yourself getting too creeped out.
– Real player with 241.5 hrs in game
I would rate this game 9/10, but it may not be a 9 for everyone. Let me over-explain.
Pathologic 2 is a bit of a mash up of a survival game and plague doctor simulator. The game is both a remake and a sequel of the original Pathologic that was released in 2005. You don’t need to play the original game as it references the original as having happened, but retells the story with big alterations and new plot points. The original game had three characters you could play with different views of the story, but this one only has the Haruspex at the moment. However, even just this one route will give you a full, complete game with an average of 30+ hours of gameplay. The developers are planning to eventually release the other two routes in the future, budget willing. This game was made with the idea that a game doesn’t always have to be fun, sometimes a game can stretch you out and make you question what it’s asking you to do. You will get stressed, you will get frustrated, and you will start to doubt whether you can even do everything the game is asking you to do, but that’s the point. It will take well known tropes and rules of gaming and break them in an attempt to break you. It tries to make you feel as if you’ve actually gone through the experience of trying to save a town from a disease and how crushing, frustrating, and heartbreaking it can be to try to do that. This in turn makes the joy from the moments when things go right that much sweeter.
– Real player with 213.4 hrs in game
Matanga
This was a fun game overall. In the beginning, the jump scares were perfect. After a few times, you begin to understand the pattern and can focus on progression. Tons of bricks to find (your source of defense against Matanga), as well as a good bit of lore. One recommendation I have for my fellow player is to map out the dungeons to prevent a ton of back tracking. If you would like, you can check out my play through below:
– Real player with 3.8 hrs in game
The greatest game ever made.
– Real player with 2.7 hrs in game
Peekazoo
The luxury cruise liner Animals Star just set off on its first voyage and all of the animals are having a great time. However, the crewmates have no idea that there is a conspiracy afoot.
The animals invited aboard by the scientists have no idea that they’re about to become guinea pigs for a new experimental serum. The scientists take the first subjects through a tunnel and into the lab, inject them with the serum, and write down their reactions: “Increased physical function, slightly increased intelligence, decreased eye sight, gradual increase in irritability, increased aggression… the first experiment’s failed! The subjects are out of control!” After losing their minds, the subjects break through the observation chamber, kill the scientists, and take over the ship’s remote control and the keys to the tunnel.
CatMafia
overall 3/10
badly designed and implemented game.
after first few minutes interest to play is gone.
– Real player with 3.0 hrs in game
An excellent shooter where we play as mafia cats.
There are a lot of different opponents in the game, namely: jackals, mice, wolves and many others.
And the best part is that the game is not very demanding with the characteristics of a computer.
– Real player with 2.5 hrs in game
Nightfall
A fun mafia-inspired game to play with a lobby of friends.
The different roles and ability unlocks give way for a TONNE of play styles and strategies.
– Real player with 15.6 hrs in game
An interesting take on the social deception genre, the various equipment unlocks you get from completing quests (or on game start depending on settings), add a lot of depth to the game.
Quests have their own minigame which on completion give you equipment points that allow you to unlock things such as smoke screen, invisiblity or boots of speed.
One of my favourites is the ability to impersonate another player entirely for the round.
I have always enjoyed each game of this I have played, and it is only in early access!
– Real player with 14.0 hrs in game
The Island: Into The Mist
To start off, I first purchased this game just as a way to practice and improve my Korean.
But after playing the game now for over 26 hours, and getting 100% completion with every ending, I have to say that it was also an extremely enjoyable ride.
Throughout the game and its many story lines I feel like I became good friends with every character in this game (except 배일수. I hate you, 배일수.)
There are plenty of twists and turns that will keep you interested, even after you’ve already completed one or more of the endings.
– Real player with 26.5 hrs in game
Personal thoughts: Good game, very satisfied with the full voice acting and character design, potential gameplay to explore, yet at the same time there’s a tid bit features that can really be improved to make this game more worth it. The premise is more to survival than it is to mystery, so don’t expect to find an epic plot twist here, they’re all pretty linear.
! No battle royale, no big discoveries such as human or government experiment either.
PROS:
- Using comic format to tell a prologue.
– Real player with 11.6 hrs in game