Kathy Rain: Director’s Cut
Welcome to crazy town
Kathy Rain Director’s Cut is a re-release of the original game with slight enhancements and bonuses.
The game is great and owners of the original got a good discount but still it would’ve been nice to make this a free upgrade. There’s not enough enhancements or new content to justify the price.
Story and gameplay are things which makes this game awesome.
Kathy is a troubled young woman living with her christian roommate. Kathy’s mother is locked up in a mental institution, she smokes and has a bike. A very lovable character with amazing sense of humor and the whole story about her is just amazing. The game starts with a funeral and since then Kathy embarks on a journey to dig some stuff about her family’s past.
– Real player with 18.0 hrs in game
Read More: Best Point & Click Pixel Graphics Games.
Kathy Rain is a point n click adventure set in the 90s but with modernized controls over the early classics that we love.
The story, characters and dialogues are very good. The puzzles aren’t too hard but are pretty fun and creative. So if you love point N click but feel rusty over the puzzle solving this game is excellent to come back. The truth is that this game is a must play for every point N click lover or jst anyone who wants to dive into the genre.
This director’s cut edition is the definitive way to play it. Fix everything and adds new content. Also if you have played the original around four years ago like me, you’ll enjoy replaying this edition.
– Real player with 12.2 hrs in game
Bear With Me: The Lost Robots
This is a first impressions style of review, as I haven’t finished the game, and I’m part way through what I guess is the prequel.
Firstly, I love the art style. Growing up, seeing some Don Bluth animations, and Space Ace / Dragons Lair arcade games, the cartoon quality animations always made me go “wow”. Now we take it for granted. However this is one of those games that makes you go “wow”, with the film noir 1930’s / 1940’s style, with the modern animation. I really do like it. And surprisingly, the grey scale works amazingly well and fits in with the whole style.
– Real player with 26.8 hrs in game
Read More: Best Point & Click Noir Games.
A trully masterfully made little game that at first glance seem to have no right to actually be as good as it is.
Bear with me is a mix of a noir style detective narrative, with some clever humor sprinkled in that at times is way to cynical to be targeted at children, so don’t be fooled by the graphics style. To top the noir atmosphere there’s a very layered narrative that can be enjoyed both by kids on a surface level (with the cute looking characters) or on a deeper level by adults who might reminis about their past. The DLC even has a bit of twin peaks thrown in for good measure and is generally darker than the main game.
– Real player with 24.8 hrs in game
Best Month Ever!
Best Month Ever is a modern point-and-click story-driven adventure of Louise and her son Mitch. Life is hard for Louise as a single mom, struggling to make ends meet. But things can always get worse, and after being diagnosed with a terminal illness that leaves her with one month to live, the clock is ticking for her to raise her son. But how do you explain that to an 8-year old kid? Mitch is picking up things fast - like a duckling, he observes his mother and imitates her behavior - but time is running out and Louise has to think carefully about making the right decisions and setting a good example for Mitch to follow. Together, they hit the road to take back the time that was stolen from them and live a lifetime as mother and son in 4 short weeks…
This intense family trip takes place during a groovy 60s era. Mother and son are thrown into both dangerous and funny situations, all of which impact their relationship and future. Their intimate tale plays out against the backdrop of a United States torn apart by political tensions and divided by brutal social inequality.
You will learn about the facts and decisions from the past in flashbacks and through memories of the grown-up Mitch - the narration constantly switches between the “past” (the 60s) and the “present” (the 70s). Finally, we jump back in time to decide what choices Louise made and how they affected the future of the two. Players’ decisions will also help shape a unique image of her as to what kind of person she was.
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Decisions REALLY matter! To keep track of Mitch’s growth as a person, each choice you make adds positive or negative influence to three statistics: Righteousness, Confidence, and Relations. As a result, this changes your story on the go, which makes each player’s experience feel unique.
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Mother & Son relationship - Not only will their individual fates be subject to change, but also their mutual relationship. Best Month Ever is above all else the story of the touching, challenging and unique bond that can only exist between a mother and son.
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Different Outcomes - Turn on, tune in, drop out… and decide! Different choices result in different endings of the game. It is up to the player to decide what kind of person Mitch will become and what exactly happened during his memorable journey through the USA with his mother.
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Weird 60s trip - What a time to travel it was! Canned Heat was singing about “Going Up the Country” while Bob Dylan asked “How does it feel” to have no home and live on the street. Louise and Mitch travel across the country, meeting bikers, hippies, Klansmen, Native Americans, and far-out wanderers of all sorts.
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No losers here! - Don’t be a square, you can’t ‘lose’ in Best Month Ever! Your decision will shape Mitch as an adult person. He may of course get some kicks on the way, but hey, the story will still be unique and rewarding! Can you dig it?
Read More: Best Point & Click Walking Simulator Games.
Cognition: An Erica Reed Thriller
When I started playing Cognition: An Erica Reed Thriller in 2016 the game’s unusually brutal and violent nature caught me unaware and scared me away (the fact that the pace of the game slowed down after the opening events was also one of the reasons why I stopped playing it). When giving it a second chance more than 2 years later, I was positively disappointed. After having finished it I must say this is the goriest adventure game I have ever seen - many characters ended up getting killed/mutilated by the time the credits started to roll. This unexpectedly serious tone of course has nothing (or at least little) to do with Cognition: An Erica Reed Thriller being a great point and click adventure game, if we can overlook some of its shortcomings (and the base concept of the use of psychic abilities).
– Real player with 30.5 hrs in game
Introduction
When I first encountered Cognition: An Erica Reed Thriller, it was in a bundle -It looked interesting but I put it on the back burner since I was busy with other games. Fast forward a few years, I asked my friends on Steam what game I should play as a break from my usual things, and this title came up. After looking into I realized this seemed like a great idea! I had not played a point-and-click adventure game in a while, the other reviews seemed positive and it was recommended by friends as well. Drawn in by the comic book art style and the opportunity to play a female protagonist I booted the game up and instantly became addicted. This title offers a solid story, good gameplay and hours of fun for any gamer.
– Real player with 26.6 hrs in game
Shikon-X Astro Defense Fortress
In Shikon-X Astro Defense Fortress, you play as Major Daaia, the best pilot in the Federation, who, during her first combat mission, receives a mysterious message from humanity’s mortal enemy, the Rolars.
That message kick-starts an intergalactic adventure of epic proportions, where you’ll visit alien planets, meet all kinds of weird and silly characters, and even discover the truth about the war and why you’ve been chosen to uncover it all.
You’ve never played an adventure game like this before! Shikon-X features streamlined controls: you only have one inventory and one interaction button, no verbs and no pixel hunting, just interact with the environment and characters, and don’t worry about anything else. There are also a lot of arcade-style mini-games to enjoy along the way.
And remember, in space, no one can hear you call the hint line…
Shikon-X Astro Defense Fortress features:
Adventure game gameplay, with a twist
Shikon-X is an adventure game at heart, like Monkey Island, Day of the Tentacle, Thimbleweed Park, and many others from the golden era of Point & Click games.
In Shikon-X’s case, we trimmed down all the fat –no mouse, no verbs, no weird wheels of actions—you just interact with something, and things happen!
Arcade mini-games
The story starts with your first combat mission, and that’s not just text or a video: it’s a playable arcade mini-game! You’ll also play a fully-featured pinball table and many other games during your adventure. And this is not just for show: every game serves a purpose, and even some story beats will develop during these scenes.
80s and 90s Saturday morning anime style
The characters and the story are inspired by series like Robotech/Macross, Cobra, Mazinger, Captain Harlock and all the cool 80s and 90s anime.
Jump into Shikon-X, the most advanced defense ship in the Federation, protect the energy capsules, and unravel a mystery so big that will change your life forever (or at least it’ll entertain you for a few hours).
Art of Murder - FBI Confidential
I know I gave this game a positive vote and I stand by that recommendation, but this game is absolutely terrible. There is no attention to simple details, such as the fact that telephone numbers (which actually play a huge part in the game) are not in a North American format, despite the game supposedly taking place in the USA. A minor detail, but still detracts from the immersion hard. The dialogue was obviously not written by a native English speaker. Nobody talks like that. Nowhere. Ever. Not in the US. Not in Canada. Not in the UK. Not in Australia or anywhere people actually speak English. Not even in movies or TV. THE VOICE OF THE MAIN CHARACTER IS ALSO THE WORST ONE IN THE GAME. Aside from the language and speech issues, the puzzles are maddeningly stupid. Do you know how electricity works? Do you know how a fuse functions? (These are rhetorical questions. You do not know how even basic stuff makes the fun and exciting world you inhabit keep on keeping on). Good game though. Woo.
– Real player with 14.8 hrs in game
A pretty good point and click game with an interesting plot. It plays very much more like a tv detective drama than a movie one and that’s okay. Both are entertaining in their own way. The story is linear, which I appreciated. This game is about 6-8 hours depending on how fast you catch on to the objectives you need to do.
The game strongly encourages just following the plot instead of going your own way. It prevents you from collecting every item you can click on, stating you don’t know what to use it for just yet. There’s a very handy dandy hint system I recommend you using. It dictates what can be examined/picked up.
– Real player with 10.4 hrs in game
Beyond the Sky
More interesting reviews on our Fenol Baron Approves Curator Page
I fell in love with Beyond the Sky literally in the first few minutes of the game. With all that I was somewhat wary of the appearance of the main character in the screenshots, the original graphics, but when the game started, it all became clear and correct at once. Wonderful and skillful presentation of the material, a very correct approach to the presentation of the “dark” fairy tale / The last time the fairy tale so fascinated me in “King’s Quest” Chapter 1, it is very noticeable that the developers are guided by the old-school style of plotting the fairy tale, by playing around in the new fashionable trends.
– Real player with 9.8 hrs in game
BRAVO! Wow, I thoroughly enjoyed this game. I just finished it and started to tear up at the end. The story, art, music and puzzles work marvelously together. I am so impressed by how well thought out the entire game was. The puzzles were logical and challenging. I loved that I had to write things down with a pen and paper and really use my brain! Thank you for this breath of fresh air, please make more games like this!!!
– Real player with 5.8 hrs in game
Blackwell Convergence
Blackwell Convergence is the third game in Blackwell series and it continues at the same pace, still being adventure point-n-click. Another solid title of ghost-helping, albeit with removed Notebook combination feature that was making it more unique.
The game still runs on quite old adventure engine, even if it’s updated. It still means that you may encounter small glitches, though… I don’t remember any, unlike Blackwell Legacy. The engine still has this anti-aliasing applied to scaled sprites, ruining pixel-art somewhat, but scaling is rarely used in this part. Pressing Shift+Tab, commonly used for Steam Overlay, will make the game to instaskip all the dialogues, you can fix it by just pressing Tab. No real support for widescreen, but at least image isn’t stretched.
– Real player with 15.3 hrs in game
Blackwell Convergence picks up six months after Blackwell Legacy. Rosangela and Joey are still new to working with each other, but a face from Blackwell universe past makes a reappearance in a shocking way.
Gameplay mechanics are a mix of continuing elements introduced in Blackwell Unbound, a twist on features that have been in both previous games, and of course some awesome new components. The player can continue to switch between our two main characters, Rosangela and Joey. Joey’s ‘blow’ ability is an added skill to the repertoire players can utilize when playing as him. The player can still type when searching for additional information, but since we’re now in the computer age, Rosangela has access to the ‘Oogle’ search engine rather than just the phone book like her Aunt Lauren. In addition, Rosangela also has access to email (which provides some fun easter egg references from previous Wadjet Eye games)! Although Rosangela still has a clue notebook (which Joey can also now access), the mechanic of combining/linking clues to further the story was removed in this game.
– Real player with 9.7 hrs in game
Blackwell Deception
Rosangela Blackwell is a struggling author living in New York, and a medium. Enter Joey Mallone, a ghost and spirit guide tied to the female members of the Blackwell family. When Rosa’s aunt, Lauren Blackwell, passes after being in a coma for decades, Joey is ‘released’ from Lauren and enters Rosa’s life. Details are revealed throughout the five installments of the Blackwell series regarding the female members of the Blackwell family, how Joey came to be, what happened to Aunt Lauren to trap her in a comatose state, etc. Together, Rosa and Joey seek out and help tormented ghosts trapped in the physical world cross over to “the other side” throughout the series.
– Real player with 18.6 hrs in game
Blackwell Deception is the 4th game in the Blackwell Series and so far I think it’s actually my favorite! What really stands out to me is the story. I feel like the makers have begun to really hone their story telling abilities. This game feels like the climax of the overall story arc. It draws in elements from all the previous games and builds on them and though some parts were predictable (many P&C Adventure games are) it did manage provide some unpredictable moments that I didn’t see coming.
– Real player with 11.0 hrs in game
Blackwell Unbound
Blackwell Unbound is a second game in a Blackwell franchise, being yet another point-n-click adventure with pixel-art yet modern approach. This one is actually a budget prequel, starring Rosa’s auntie and jazzy setting of older New York.
The engine is quite old, but trusty and should work just fine, despite sometime being weird about using anti-aliasing over the pixel-art. Mostly when characters sprites are being scaled. It has a weird thing where all dialogue would be insta-skipped after pressing Shift+Tab, commonly used for Steam overlay. Pressing Tab will fix it.
– Real player with 17.7 hrs in game
I wish (like many others) that Steam gave ‘meh’ as a review option. I don’t want to say ‘not recommended’ as it’s not actively bad, but it’s not great either. So I’ll just summarise a few of the pros and cons and hopefully that will help you decide whether this game is for you or not. As context, I played Blackwell Legacy immediately before I played this, and I started off liking that, but by the end of the second game I think some of the mechanics are wearing a little thin.
Pros
- Music much better than Blackwell Legacy (which was pretty irritating and there seemed to be no option to turn it off)
– Real player with 12.3 hrs in game