The Call of Karen
I hate leaving a not so positive review for games, I truly do, but The Call of Karen was just a bit of ….a let down.
As someone who LOVES silly, goofy, mindless games like this The Call of Karen did not deliver. The game play was instantly repeating, but not in a fun or funny way. The crazy mechanics (not sure if this is buggy or the “entity” at work) are the closest things that will get you to laugh but after the first 5 minutes even that wears off. There is minimal game play, a repetitive story and just …nothing to do. The game could be finished in 20 minutes or less but I managed to get an hour out of it since I streamed while playing this the first time. I was hoping for something silly and fun to laugh at while on stream but this quickly became so boring to play I know it may have been a bore to watch with no commentary. I felt like there could have been something fun here but it was squandered. Free game though so …there’s that.
– Real player with 1.1 hrs in game
Read More: Best Lovecraftian Simulation Games.
amzing gme vryn good When the imposter is sus! 😳
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– Real player with 1.1 hrs in game
Cyrano Story
A new short game from Alice & Smith/Funcom, and for free. Yey !
Released with no big announcement, I heard about it when a friend told me about the possible reward for its completion : a key for Moons of Madness, another Funcom game, wishlisted for long.
So, as many people at that moment, I beat the game but faced a server issue (the game needs Internet and we probably DoS-ed it). Too many people following the guide and spamming the answers at the same time killed the game… for about an hour, before the developer quickly fixed the issue. Too late, already a lot of angry reviews. I feel sad.
– Real player with 11.0 hrs in game
Read More: Best Lovecraftian Horror Games.
Although this game has gained some infamy, I think it’s worth a shot, mostly because it’s free(lmao). Heck, you can actually learn some real life facts from this game! The description of some achievement labels can tell you their definitions, as well as the clues to the answers in each ‘difficulty’. I have to warn y’all, there are some achievements which may not unlock even after completing them in the way they are meant to be done, so if you are an achievement hunter(like me), my best advice is to either consult the guides/discussions of the game to know how other people unlocked certain achievements you couldn’t, or simply try and try again. I know it sounds dumb, but as far as I have observed, ‘luck’ literally runs in the games' achievements, as to whether the game/steam will identify if you have unlocked it the correct way, or not. Trying to figure out the answers on your own will definitely give you a hard time, because the clues have almost no relation to the answer, if you’re an average thinking person(I guess?). You will know when you compare the clues in each ‘difficulty’ to the answers in the guides. Believe me, even I didn’t get what link each clue had to the answers. Cross-referencing at its peak. Which brings me to the conclusion of my review for Cyrano Story:
– Real player with 3.7 hrs in game
Alder’s Blood: Prologue
Phew! What a wicked ride this was. Okay, time for reflections.
The Good:
✔️ The audio-visual fidelity is unbelievable, for an indie game.
Is this for real your first game?!?! God damn.
✔️ Turn-based Dark Souls
Really. I am not over-reacting. This ain’t no hack’n’slash. You kill or get killed. No damage tanking - everything’s lethal. You make a mistake - you’re as good as dead. At the same time, if you actually THINK before you ACT - you can be as deadly as your foes.
✔️ Fallout + Lovecraft = Alder’s Blood
– Real player with 2.1 hrs in game
Read More: Best Lovecraftian RPG Games.
A short, free, story prologue showcasing what the full game will have in store for us.
Really, really well crafted, you see the obvious like how the art is made, the style it goes for, but I also appreciated the hud, interactions and information and how it was conveyed a lot as well.
Hover over an area and it’ll neatly and clearly show with red lines if an enemy can see you crossing over there, how much stamina is used from your bar, have a faint but distinct purple line showing if you’re concealed in that location, it was intuitive, easy to understand– But by no means an easy game, this is primarily a stealth game, where you do get to hunt by the looks of things, but the monsters are still a serious threat, and you need to be mindful of that.
– Real player with 1.3 hrs in game
Cthulhu Realms
I’m going to start here by saying - yes, this game is technically a reskin of Star Realms. But so is Hero Realms. And Star Realms itself is nothing more than a reskinned, watered down 2-player variant of Ascension. None of this makes any of those ‘bad games’, so let’s just do away with that right now. If theme is an issue for you, and sci-fi is your favourite theme, play Star Realms. If fantasy theming is your do-or-die, play Ascension. But if theme isn’t a super huge issue for you, or you like Lovecraftian themed games, then you should definitely give Cthulhu Realms a try. In my opinion, the gameplay is FAR superior to Star Realms, as it now includes triggers for cards being discarded and cards being ‘abjured’, or removed from the game (‘trashed’ for those of you who have played Star Realms), and I felt like building colour-themed decks or concept decks actually worked in this game, whereas Star Realms felt like ‘always buy the biggest attack card possible, ignore everything else about the card’ - there are even official strategy guides for the game which say the same thing. Cthulhu Realms is a great deckbuilder, the art is great, and although the iconography of the cards can be a little confusing initially, trust me - you will pick it up very quickly.
– Real player with 109.9 hrs in game
A lot of people from the Humble Monthly are not familiar with Star Realms, but to break it down simply, this game is basically a variation on Star Realms, it is not meant to be like Hearthstone or Magic–in fact, I think it’s deliberately trying to avoid that format for something that you can pick up and play without worrying about “long-term investment.” Once you know the rules of the game and the basic mechanics, you’re set. It’s NOT a collectible card game. That’s kind of the point.
It is a deckbuilding game, predicated on factional synnergy. It’s highly similar to Star Realms, so let me explain the differences from that:
– Real player with 15.3 hrs in game
Mansions of Madness
At the beginning, it didn’t seem to work with my GPU… I’ve tried 800x600, 1024x768, full resolution either in desktop or mobile graphics quality, full screen or windowed and the game never started. I could just hear the rain falling (I guess this is what you hear when you are at the main menu?). The screen didn’t even change, not even in black screen. it just stuck having captured my desktop background.
On the other hand, someone from the software dev team of Fantasy Flight came immediately in contact with me in order to solve the problem.
– Real player with 65.1 hrs in game
This game is a complete rip off. The MSRP is 100$ and you get exactly 4 scenarios with next to no replayability, in some levels the tiles layout and monster spawns change a bit, but thats it (some stay almost a100% identical). The narrative and the core elements are always the same, there arent even branching story trees, like in the first edition. Sure you CAN replay it for the challenge, using different characters etc. but for someone like me, who enjoys the story, there is no replay value whatsoever. The first two expansions are even worse, for arround 50$ each you get the components from the first edition (and its add ons) and exactly ONE mission, 50$ for ONE mission!!! The DLCs are okay, having to pay 5$ each, but Heidelberger/Asmodee can’t be arsed to do their job and localize them. Same with the 4th Expansion, it has been out since last autumn/ early winter and it hasnt even been announced to be localized into German yet. Don’t get me wrong, I really LOVED this game and the missions they made, but 25-50$ for a one time playthrough between 2-4hours is just so horribly overprized, that I can’t recommend the game to anyone who isn’t filthy rich or just wants to play the game for its mechanics, rather than its immersive story. If they should decide to add more digital DLC, and get their shit together with the physical expansions and the localisations, I might change my mind, but for the money you have to invest here you could easily get 3-4 video / board games with way more bang for your buck. Oh and while they offer the game on almost all digital plattforms, there is no way to transfer your purchases betwen them, so you have to buy it again if you want to play it on your apple/ android devices. Technically this app is also rather primitive, no mutliple save games, no customisation options (you have to confirm so much stuff all the time, and there is no way of getting rid of all the confirmations “do you really want to end the round?” YES I DO, thank you very much!). And I don’t think that it can be too hard implementing those things, considering there is a fanmade app for this game, created by one or two guys, that tackles all those issues. So Asmodee/FFG/Heidelberger, please stop counting your money and fix your game.
– Real player with 50.8 hrs in game
Caliban Below
Great teaser of immersive and narrative VR that is something that I have found very lacking in the VR content out there. The world is engaging with a haunted beauty that draws the viewer in. Having a narrator guide you through the experience give it the feel of a gothic tale unfolding in front of your eyes.
This gives a much deeper view into the Abbot’s Book world. I have a much clearer idea now of where the director wants to take the viewer. I look forward to more direct player interaction and am eager to see what surprises await us in the catacombs.
– Real player with 0.8 hrs in game
Wow. Ok. I haven’t been much of a VR supporter, but having worked in the visual effects industry for some 30+ years one of my friends recently told me that I should really check this out. Evidently the developers come from a VFX background, and after a few minutes of playing you can really tell they’ve brought their skills to bear.
Having not been overly interested in game play, per say, the idea of VR as a story telling medium intrigues me. Unlike reading a book or watching a film, VR presents a host of challenges for driving a story arc and guiding the viewer while also allowing them the freedom to explore a given space. It’s still an open landscape; without a formula or established structure to lean on. While I don’t think anyone has yet hit upon a distinct set of rules for establishing the way a story should unfold in VR, it’s clear Blackthorn are the people to watch when it comes to breaking open the ways and means for a narrative VR experience.
– Real player with 0.6 hrs in game
Shrine
Shrine is by far one of the most fun WADs I have played for DOOM 2. It is absolutely worth your time, and the fact this WAD is free is just the cherry on top. It has many pros and only a few cons:
Pros:
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Level design is simple enough that you won’t get lost, yet flows generally quite well and is aesthetically pleasing
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The music and sound design in this WAD is pretty awesome as well - it fits well with the theme of an Eldritch HR Gieger-esque world by having some genuinely spine-shivering screaming that you can hear in some of the Eldritch dimension levels such as “The Womb”
– Real player with 4.3 hrs in game
Shrine is a simple 16-level GZdoom stand-alone mod. The game itself plays okay-ish, however, lacks many factors that make a game, or a doom-like mod really good.
TL;DR: It’s not good, but it ain’t bad either. Worth to play if you don’t have anything better to play; I’d recommend other free mods/TC for doom instead of this though.
PROS:
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Innovative form of ammo (although i personally disliked it), one pickup that grants ammo to all weapons, though ammo is not shared across most of the items
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Map layout is decent, and the use of lighting is really good.
– Real player with 2.0 hrs in game
Yeli Orog
This is the first time I’ve posted a review but this is a new (and imo brilliant) game and I wanted to support it. Originally posted on AdventureGamers.com :
Wow! Just finished it in one sitting (more on that later). What a thrilling, psychedelic ride. That one(?) person could do this is truly impressive. Good puzzles, great storyline and amazing atmosphere. Very innovative.
There were a couple of bold choices made which I’m not sure about. They ended up working for me but may turn some people off.
– Real player with 2.2 hrs in game
Aargh! My kingdom! My kingdom for a save system!
This is a really, really interesting little game. The main thing stopping this from being a great little game is the complete and utter lack of a save mechanic.
It’s really not a good thing when a game that lasts well over an hour not only fails to provide so much as an autosave, but almost encourages you to rush the reading of long - though otherwise well-written - passages of text, by not allowing itself to be played over more than one session. I can’t be the only gamer on the planet who thinks they might get in a quick half-hour of gaming before bed; only to find that they’re obliged to stay awake a good hour beyond that, lest they be forced to start from scratch again.
– Real player with 1.9 hrs in game
Alpha Polaris : A Horror Adventure Game
Tags: Adventure - P&C - Point and Click
Additional Tags: Delete Local Content & Remove from Library
TLDR : A solid engine, and nice enough overall idea for a narrative made completely forgettable by mediocre voice acting, superficial character motivations, questionable writing level, a lack in quantity of musical scores, a rushed plot, few character developments and brickwall undecipherable puzzles using text boxes. The game will probably end before it wears you out, but it will also end before you can truly appreciate or enjoy it. A missed opportunity.
– Real player with 9.0 hrs in game
ARE YOU REALLY LONGING FOR THE 90’S ADVENTURE EXPERIENCE?
Alpha Polaris is a game which follows the 90' adventure genre so rigorously, that while the passion for the genre becomes its defining strength, it also reminds us why the genre is not so popular anymore.
From the very first minute it becomes clear. A dorky looking protagonist(seriously what’s with the haircut?) is tasked to shoot a polar bear. Okay, you search the building and find a rifle and finally a door which leads outside. You climb to a rooftop and see the polar bear and choose the rifle from your inventory and excitedly you click at the bear. Nothing happens. A small text appears which says the rifle doesn’t have any ammunition. At this point you realize this is VERY old school and if the game is for you or not. You either quit the game or go back to the building you came from and search the whole building for the damn ammunition.
– Real player with 8.4 hrs in game
Secret World Legends
I have really enjoyed the Borderlands series and story - The characters made the difference. I wanted to try out my first MMO however I’m extremely picky about “Fantasy” - I usual don’t like it. With TSW, it takes place in the Present. It has a “grown-up” story full of characters, etc. not found in most games. Plus, this game has as much playtime as the entire Borderlands series combined.
There were some Sci Fi MMO’s I considered, but I didn’t want to level grind - TSW has linear growth and I can “spend” my Skill Points where ever to determine my Quality Level (1 - 10).
– Real player with 3423.5 hrs in game
ADDENDUM: We are now approaching the 2 year anniversary of the relaunch. In this time, they have added about two hours worth of new story content. Much of the old story and PVP modes are still missing from Secret World Legends, and they are trickle releasing the holiday event content one year at a time. Anyone still questioning if this was just a cash grab?
Make no mistake about it, the real reason this game died the first time is because Funcom only expanded the game by about 25% over the course of five years. Even after that new content was added, the game really only has about a month worth of content to experience, even for a casual player. Don’t get me wrong, it’s great content… the story is fantastic, with great missions that go far beyond the menial tasks that pass for quests in most MMOs. How will the game die this time around? Read on and find out.
– Real player with 1842.5 hrs in game