Empires and Tribes

Empires and Tribes

Empires and Tribes offers a lot of what I’ve been searching for in years: a medieval city and castle building game with a lot of freedom to build what you want almost anywhere you want it. But it still needs a lot of improvements to get there…

The positives:

  • a pure medieval city/castle bulding game (no wizards, dragons etc.)

  • beautiful graphics

  • a high level of freedom in building and forming your city and castle keep

  • a lot of citizen/worker activity (makes your city come alive)

  • You can walk through your city in 1st person and build in 3rd person.

Real player with 91.9 hrs in game


Read More: Best First-Person 3D Games.


I really like the game so far!! I now wonder, as a noble and probably the future King/Emperor, will the player have the chance to marry to form an alliance with another nearby faction? (For male players, they marry a female NPC noble/royalty or vice versa, female players marry a male NPC noble/royalty.)

The five suggestions I will bring up to the devs in my game review:

  • Marriage to a daughter of an important prominent noble family (If playing as a male character and vice versa, to a son of an important prominent noble family if playing as female)

Real player with 84.2 hrs in game

Empires and Tribes on Steam

Looking Glass

Looking Glass

A bit of puzzle solving + a bit of maze navigation + a bit of outwitting the baddy = cool little game for the price. My playtime is how long it took me to win for the first time. I played on the Quest linked to PC. You might want to drop by the discussion forums as there is some instructions on how to quickly flip a setting so that you can use the right joystick to turn.

Real player with 1.8 hrs in game


Read More: Best First-Person Indie Games.


Looking Glass is a short, small-scale experience with a complete visual aesthetic that results in tense, potentially terrifying play sessions. It will probably provide 10-20 minutes of play time and though I was fortunate to receive it free during a pre-release testing period, the $5 price feels completely appropriate to me (in fact, when I provided my initial feedback I said - not knowing their plans - that I felt $5 would be the perfect price for this!). Atmosphere, sounds, tense music, cohesive visuals all make for a unique and memorable experience.

Real player with 0.9 hrs in game

Looking Glass on Steam

An Airport for Aliens Currently Run by Dogs

An Airport for Aliens Currently Run by Dogs

I am a ‘dog person’ so this game looked intriguing. I had it on my wish list and picked it up, on sale. Having spent many hours in airports run by dogs, I have very mixed feelings. It is a silly, somewhat mindless game with the biggest challenge being to find specific characters, objects and gates in each of 6 airports. Woven into this is a love story about a long distance relationship between you and Krista (the last two humans left on the planet). Your busy lives intersect at airports and it is sweet to watch the relationship unfold through many brief encounters. Although each airport has very different geography, there is a lot of repetition (the same shops, the same vendors, and much of the same dialog).

Real player with 19.0 hrs in game


Read More: Best First-Person Adventure Games.


Hilariously it was my girlfriend who got me this game, we are long distance, and neither of us actually knew much about the game. I just kinda wishlisted it long ago cause haha cute dogs and alien airports, and she got it cause just frick it we get gifts for each other so sue us (please dont, legal action scares me). Well, 13 hours later and I am all misty eyed over what was supposed to be a silly little game. Even now typin this out I am gettin all teary eyed. Not gonna get too into detail cause I ain’t wanna spoil stuff but heck, this game is gonna last in my brain head for a long while. 10/10, Recommend it forever

Real player with 14.4 hrs in game

An Airport for Aliens Currently Run by Dogs on Steam

ROMBIE

ROMBIE

I’ve been playing phr00t’s games since 3079 (great game in its own right!) and I think this is the best combination of the exploration, kill, loot, upgrade cycle which characterize his rpg-type games.

The loot/repair upgrade system in this game is addicting and definitely doesn’t dole out the good drops like before making the rewards and choices more meaningful. The environment is more streamlined and part of the gameplay, I always felt cover was just a dive or dash away and maintaining jet energy has real consequences with the acid river always below. The shooting feels nice and the new combat mechanic of hitting critical areas on enemies makes even the toughest ROMBIES victim to a carefully planned shot! I really like the cryptocoin economy even though it hasn’t worked out for me yet, it’s awesome making investments and hoping they come through! The standard credits economy is also very well balanced and there are always things to buy as having a surplus of money means you can move faster between areas. The story and writing in general are quite barebones and not as engaging to me as in 5089 but I do like how this game has a few set pieces and story parts. The sound is a step up from previous titles and the soundtrack is great as always.

Real player with 62.7 hrs in game

A phr00t FPS where you can be a head-sniping ninja robot frankenstein who jetpacks across a long series of bleak abstract floating islands filled with infinitely re-spawning modular machines which you harvest for upgrades by leading them into quiet corners and shooting them in the head with projectile-based (not hitscan) self-recharging energy weapons.

@erradical:

Robot mugging simulator.

Accurate.

ROMBIE is a ‘real’ shooter, in the sense that aim is a huge part of combat. All the guns shoot slow-moving projectiles which force you to lead your targets a lot more than in your typical “modern” Battlefield-style shooter, and enemies in the game will be far more reliable at shooting you than you, them (which is why you gotta get up close). ROMBIE starts out tough and continues to be dangerous throughout. You’ll be doing a lot of shooting and fleeing (..or cloaking).

Real player with 39.1 hrs in game

ROMBIE on Steam

Battlezone: Combat Commander

Battlezone: Combat Commander

As the lead artist on this project and life long lover of Battlezone 2 (The first real 3d game i played) I wouldn’t have worked on it as hard as I have if i wasn’t going to recommend it, which of course I do.

I worked as faithfully as i could to restore and enhance the battlezone 2 i played and loved, despite initial criticism, much work has commenced to further enhance the battlezone: combat commander experience visually, I knew I had to step the bar up as one of the key elements of BZCC was it’s beautiful graphics and rich, unique worlds in which the war for biometal was raged back in 1999.

Real player with 2435.4 hrs in game

I served as a tester for this game, so I’m going to be as impartial as possible.

I enjoy the game overall, but there were some items removed that I wish weren’t.

There is also plenty room for improvement.

In case someone doesn’t care to read through the bullet points.

For under $20, I would recommend the game.

The following isn’t a comprehensive list, but is a list of items that I could think of at this moment.

Things I liked

  • Shadows have been fixed when compared to 1.3 and older versions of Battlezone II. Shadows never looked correct.

Real player with 733.6 hrs in game

Battlezone: Combat Commander on Steam

RC Flight Simulator 2020 VR

RC Flight Simulator 2020 VR

The video for this game made it look more detailed than it really is, The plane operation and flying is pretty good , but the helicopter and quadcopter flying defintely needs an update to make the movements more fluid, they feel like they are models just moving about in the air and don’t seem to follow any aero dynamics rules and I’ve flown quite a few real ones to know how it should feel. It also give the impression in one video that your place might be up on the frame for erm? modification fixing I guess but nothing like that is possible in the game. You start on the runay so theres no taxi to the runway etc. The jets are pretty slow also so don’t get too exicited waiting to unlock those. Here’s hoping for an update soon and despite the shortfalls I’m a hopeful fan.

Real player with 3.6 hrs in game

Very enjoyable so far! Always wanted a real RC plane but never had the time but this is a great option. Lots of aircraft to unlock with flight time, can’t wait to get to the jets!

I’m sure the physics can be worked on and I suspect the devs will update in the future. if you’re looking for an ultra realistic sim this might not be for you at the moment so you’d have to pay £100 for RealFlight.

If you’re after a bit of fun, this is excellent!

Real player with 3.6 hrs in game

RC Flight Simulator 2020 VR on Steam

Accident

Accident

֍ My score ֍

→ 7/10

❤ Audience ❤

☐ Beginner

☑ Casual Gamer

☑ Normal Gamer

☐ Expert

☼ Graphics ☼

☐ Bad

☐ Alright

☐ Good

☑ Beautiful

☐ Fantastic

♬ Music ♬

☐ Bad

☐ Alright

☐ Good

☑ Beautiful

☐ Fantastic

☠ Difficulty ☠

☑ Easy

☐ Average

☐ Easy to learn / Hard to master

☐ Hard

☐ Unfair

§ Bugs §

☐ Bugs destroy the game

☐ Lots of bugs

☐ Few Bugs

☐ You can use them for speedrun

☑ Nothing encountered

☯ Story ☯

☐ There is none

☐ Bad

☐ Alright

☑ Good

☐ Fantastic

⚔ Gameplay ⚔

☐ Frustrating

☐ Sleepy

☑ Boring

Real player with 10.0 hrs in game

Great idea with mediocre realization.

I usually do not buy games in early access, however, I decided to make an exclusion for this one because I really liked the concept and wanted to support the developers. The beta was nice, had a decent gameplay and diverse enough scenarios, so I was very exited for the release and very disappointed after checking it.

95% of the game was already in beta. They added only one new scenario in the full version and barely changed the previous ones. The whole game can be completed under two hours like it’s specifically made this way, so people definitely couldn’t refund it. Despite the description the game is very linear, scripted and the only real way to fail most of the missions is reaching time limit. You barely can make any mistakes like helping the wrong person or performing false actions. Moreover, you cannot even change the order of mandatory actions, like placing warning triangles while looking for a way to contact ambulance. Furthermore, the game tend to be very strange and unfair: most of the timd you need to look for the position in the car navigator, however, one particular time you have to do it with your mobile phone, which is in your inventory and you get not a single hint about it, plus, the game itself tells you that you should use road marks instead of GPS in real life. Was it so hard to make the game a bit more authentic and realistic, provided that it already has levels where you use road marks?! In another scenario you have to move a large log like you are some superman and not just a random driver, was it so hard to make a crawling camera or just remove that log completely? Or why our “protagonist” can carry a whole med aid kit in his inventory but cannot carry 2 warning triangles at the same time?

Real player with 5.1 hrs in game

Accident on Steam

BattleGroupVR

BattleGroupVR

BattleGroup VR

BattleGroup VR is my opening argument in the case of why VR is an amazing platform for RTS. Commanding from the bridge is immersive, and having the crew around you is a great way to let the story play out without cutscenes. And I think the developer is solo.

Pros

  • VR. This game is built around a clever use of VR. IRL: Stand in a room and use controllers. In Game: Stand on a platform on the bridge of your flagship and interact with holographic controls. It’s very cool.

Real player with 24.6 hrs in game

After playing Stellaris, Sins of a Solar Empire, Empire at War, and Battlefleet Gothic, this outdoes all of them in getting you in the battle. Besides the fact combat is actually 3D, sitting in the bridge, getting reports from your commanders about their statuses, watching a barrage of lasers and missiles fire from your ship as it descends on the enemy fleet, it’s fun and looks great.

Pros

-The ship designs are original and pretty good looking

-As someone who can’t have more than 2 people in Blade and Sorcery, this game has never slowed down

Real player with 19.0 hrs in game

BattleGroupVR on Steam

Heroes of the Monkey Tavern

Heroes of the Monkey Tavern

I recently received Heroes of the Monkey Tavern in a bundle. Like the tags say, it’s a fundamental, lightweight, old-school, grid based, dungeon (actually 10 level tower) crawler from 2016. Some explorers (like me) will find it fun and creative. However, if traditional games like Eye of the Beholder and recent games like the Grimrocks don’t interest you, skip it. In fact, this should be considered as a truly basic version of an RPG game. Details follow.

** Game Play: You manage four characters: Warrior, Spellcasters (e.g. Priest), Thief, etc. Once you start a real-time encounter (battle), you click on the armed weapon or the spell to cast. The graphics on the title page are representative. You must decide what type of eligible weapon, equipment, or spell to activate. Players that despise pixel-hunting MUST socially distance themselves from this game.

Real player with 43.8 hrs in game

I received a copy of this, to test it - and I actually fell in love :)

This is an old-school looking dungeon crawler, but with really nice graphics ( My first try on a game looking like this ).

Pro’s :

First of all - This is Fun ! Easy , partly relaxing, partly exiting ! Fun ! - Highly recommended !

1. Easy to understand the controls (I use an Xbox 360 controller and mouse, but keyboard works perfectly , too )

2. Game-play is perfectly smooth .

3. Well made surprises and puzzles .

4. Beautiful music ! - actually a bit chilling and haunting, especially if you play this a late night, sitting alone .

Real player with 41.6 hrs in game

Heroes of the Monkey Tavern on Steam

Nevergrind Online

Nevergrind Online

Nevergrind Online is a real-time cooperative multiplayer online RPG where you and a group of adventurers join forces to protect the Kingdom of Edenburg from the sinister forces of darkness. Up to five players can form a party and venture forth to help restore peace and order to the Kingdom.

Your adventure starts in the peaceful Kingdom of Edenburg, the trading capital of Vandamor, which has recently been under siege by agents of chaos outside of its castle walls. Supplies are running low in the Kingdom due to recent disruptions in major trade routes to the Kingdom. Your first orders from the King are to investigate who is blocking the trade routes, and to what end? Your adventure will lead you on a perilous journey across the furthest reaches of Vandamor, to creepy crypts, forgotten fortresses, and ravaged ruins!

Choose to fight alone or join forces with up to four other players in a party! Before you embark you must prepare and organize in the Kingdom of Edenburg. There are seven buildings that offer various services.

Kingdom of Edenburg

  • Tavern: Choose from a list of quests, get tips from the innkeeper, or check out the leaderboard.

  • Academy: Seek class-specific training for all of your skills—for a price of course!

  • Merchant: Buy and sell goods from the merchant, who offers the widest variety of items in Edenburg.

  • Bank: Store valued items in the bank which can be shared with your other characters.

  • Apothecary: Buy and sell potions, scrolls, cloth armor, jewelry, and staves.

  • Guild Hall: Create a guild to help organize and communicate with a group of friends.

  • Blacksmith: Buy and sell weapons and armor, including mail and plate!

Features

  • Create a character from 12 races and 14 classes! Allocate attributes that favor your playing style!

  • Level up 12 different skills for each class! Will you train them evenly or decide to specialize?

  • Discover thousands of different items including magical, rare, set, and unique items, which feature a wide variety of useful properties!

  • Crawl through procedurally generated dungeons which offer a new layout with each quest!

  • Complete dozens of quests through 14 different zones in the world of Vandamor!

  • Communicate with allies and forge friendships using a robust chat system!

  • Encounter more than 40 different types of mobs which appear in various types including rare, champion, and bosses, each with their own unique traits!

  • For the fearless—hardcore mode offers the ultimate adrenaline rush! One death brings your illustrious journey to an abrupt end!

Nevergrind Online on Steam