LOST SPHEAR
I’ve done a lot of thinking about this, and having played through the entire story I can safely give my judgement: This is not a good game. It’s adequate, at best.
Sure there is some stuff to like in here, but overall I found it severely lacking. Here’s my nearly free/ only minor spoiler review:
First of all, the writing and characters are absolutely atrocious. If I’m playing any sort of RPG, I want to be invested in who I’m controlling. In this game, every character hits an archetype from the moment you meet them and doesn’t grow at all through the course of the game. This doesn’t hold true for two of the characters: Locke and Van. But even in their cases, we all saw their individual plot-lines coming, right? (If I were doing spoilers in this review, there would be an earful here about how increadibly stupid and plothole filled a character Locke is here)
– Real player with 85.3 hrs in game
Read More: Best Turn-Based Party-Based RPG Games.
A retro-esque JRPG that brings me back to the days when I had to do all my homework before my parents would let me play my videogame… In fact, Lost Sphear is exactly that, as it refuses to let you enjoy its mechanics until you’ve sat through 30-40 hours of uninspired plot first.
It’s narrowly a “no” from me.
If you like mechanics-heavy ATB-based JRPG combat, there’s a lot to love here. Global modifiers in the form of Artifacts allow you to change the battle mechanics, allowing you to warp them to favor your playstyle and character builds. Your characters start out as fairly cookie-cutter JRPG roles, but Momentum and Sublimation, though poorly-explained, allow you to permanently imprint your characters' skills with unique mechanics-abusing effects. Weapons and armor are modifiable, too, making almost every piece of gear technically viable* in its niche.
– Real player with 74.3 hrs in game
Company of Crime
Sometimes at the end of the day, when you need to talk about a game you’d recommend to someone, there are situations where you won’t say it’s a “good” game, or that it’s a particular pleasure to play, but you recommend the game because, for all its flaws and shortcomings, it has a spark. It has something that among the rest, makes it unique and enjoyable. Such is the case for Company of Crime.
A game set in London of the 60s, with a focus of gang wars and a strong influence from modern X-COMs, and to some extend Phantom Doctrine, has something to seduce. And indeed, the ambiance is there. The music, the clothes, the environnement. It’s all there. Yet, the game is, well, it’s janky. There is no hiding it, there are a bunch of bugs, some of with I had the dubious honor of helping to fix, but when you consider only 2 persons did all the QA, and the game was made by a very small team, you need to understand where you’re going. It is very much a game to get in the 15 euros or less, as that’s overall the value of such a game. It’s not big budget game, and what it delivers, I’m afraid to say, can’t possibly compete with a juggernaut like Firaxis backed by the greedy bastards at 2K(“2K, you love it, we ruin it!"). The core loop is repetitive fast, the enemies not varied, and while the heavy melee focused combat feels fresh and in some aspect reminds a bit of Into the Breach by some aspect(positioning and use of your skills to control the battlefield are key, and can lead to nice combos), at the end of the day, it won’t be something able to keep you hooked for too long, which is a bit of a shame.
– Real player with 57.5 hrs in game
Read More: Best Turn-Based RPG Games.
Company of Crime:
Every country and indeed, city, in this beautiful world of ours has notorious individuals or gangs. Some are more famous than others. Al Capone and Lucky Luciano were probably the most notorious and known gangsters during the prohibition in America. In the 1960’s, the small and isolated island known as England had its fair share of dangerous criminals, with the Krays Twins and the Richardson brothers, to mention a couple. So, what is the business of crime? How hard is it to establish yourself and, most importantly, to keep yourself at the top of your game? On the opposite side of the coin, there are people who put their lives on the line to dismantle these organisations and arrest their members one by one. Will you become the next big mobster of the 60’s, or will you fight against them as the boss of Scotland Yard’s task force? One thing is for sure, you’ll know all about Company of Crime!
*– [Real player with 15.2 hrs in game](http://steamcommunity.com/profiles/76561198003030375)*
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## Rebel Cops
Game from the same creators of "This is the Police" and "This is the Police 2" (later refered to as "TiTP").
I've bought all the games and heard nice reviews about TiTP series and was about to play those games, but for whatever reason started with "Rebel Cops" (later refered to as RC). And without any spoilers I would recommend to start aquitance with all above mentioned games with either TiTP1 or this one. [Developers call RC a spin-off](https://steamcommunity.com/app/970960/discussions/0/2952595757899032535/) to TiTP2 and there are definitely reasons for this!
*– [Real player with 40.3 hrs in game](http://steamcommunity.com/profiles/76561198013607303)*
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Read More:
Best Turn-Based Strategy Games.
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In short:
The challenge of this game is unfair and makes for boring gameplay. A single wrong move can result in multiple dead cops, your cover blown, and hours of gameplay down the drain. It's telling that the difficulty settings change how many times you can save, instead of making the game harder or easier.
In long:
The gameplay here matches the narrative in ways that just make it painful and unforgiving. I guess it makes sense that you can die from one bullet, that it's really hard to do stealth and that you can ruin an operation in one wrong move, that you're woefully underequipped to the point of not having a revolver for every cop, etc. That all just makes the game less fun.
*– [Real player with 26.3 hrs in game](http://steamcommunity.com/profiles/76561198010289057)*
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## Slay
Part puzzle part strategy, this turn based map domination game is simple but very addictive.
No story, no flashy graphics, minimal sounds, just game play
Similar to risk, but with no random dice to help or hinder your moves.
With 468 maps available as soon as you start the game, this game provides many hours of challenging game play, with the ability to choose another map if you get frustrated. A maps tile coloring and locations will always be the same when you start, the only differences will be what you choose to do. If you make the same moves you did in a previous try, you will find the computer will always react the same way as well. This is in part what can make it like a puzzle. There are some maps that take specific actions in the early turns or they are unbeatable. This however is the exception and over all it is just learning what is the best way to take new territory while protecting what you have. Beating a map seems to have 3 stages; early game trying to create little territories that are big enough and well defended enough that they don't get picked appart, mid game trying to connect the territories that survived, and late game making cutting actions through larger territories to kill enemy units while defending from smaller territories that will nibble at you…. oh also keeping the trees under control.
*– [Real player with 627.2 hrs in game](http://steamcommunity.com/profiles/76561198060629111)*
### What is it?
Slay is a simple, turn-based strategy game of "capture the island" where you must attempt to secure more hexagons on the map than any of the other AI opponents. It's actually a very old game now (I first played the game back in the mid 1990s and have played it ever since) but in recent times the developer has made mobile versions of the game, before finally porting that version back to PC and onto Steam. It would be accurate to say that I've accrued _thousands_ of hours playing versions of the game since 1995, and I don't regret buying this newer version if only by way of thanking the developer for all those lost hours of the last 20+ years!
*– [Real player with 503.7 hrs in game](http://steamcommunity.com/profiles/76561197998084785)*
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## The Battle of Polytopia
I would like to begin with the disclaimer that I received Polytopia for free as I had the privilege of beta-testing it before its Steam release. However, I do not believe that this influences my view of the game in any major way that would impact my review. I also had prior experience with the game in its mobile form prior to its release on Steam.
Polytopia is simply a brilliant game. Midjiwan created a masterpiece that is continually refreshing and new, yet challenging to master. The AI is just punishing enough on higher difficulties to encourage thoughtful and deliberate gameplay, yet lenient enough to reward clever strategic moves. At no point have I felt like the game was too arbitrarily challenging or easy, instead it has consistently maintained a delicate balance in terms of difficulty (unless you happen to be stranded on a 1x1 island with no resources in sight, which although rare, is quite tragic). The game is also super approachable for beginners without much experience in this type of strategy/resource management genre. I think that honestly anyone from any skill level can thoroughly enjoy Polytopia.
*– [Real player with 52.9 hrs in game](http://steamcommunity.com/profiles/76561198305433029)*
I really do recommend this game after playing for about 11 hours. It's the first time I play a game like this, but to my understanding it's quite a lot like Civilisation but much simpler (and cheaper). Like all games, there are both good and bad things to this game. Let's discuss it.
Firstly, I'd like to adress the negatives. Multiplayer mode is not that fun, in my opinion. Pass & Play works if there are two of you, but even then it's a little tiresome to wait for your turn. I tried playing with 2 friends and it just took way too long. I haven't tried online multiplayer because I don't know anyone who owns this game. You can play with strangers as well, but the waiting time to fill a server is too much. That's not really the game's fault though, that's just because not enough people have bought this game yet since it's new.
*– [Real player with 28.7 hrs in game](http://steamcommunity.com/profiles/76561198881301055)*
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## Cthulhu pub
Cthulhu pub is a pub simulator with Lovecraft universe lore.
In Cthulhu pub, you can build your own pub or restaurant. Create cute characters, creepy monsters and establish a small pub or make a large cafe with a big amount of options.
Game features:
* Build walls and floor for your pub!
* Build tables and kitchen appliances
* Set decorations
* Hire your stuff: cook chefs, cleaners, and waitresses
* Hire warriors who will protect your pub
* Buy new recipes for the kitchen
* Grow your food
* Earn billions with your Cthulhu pub!
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## Greed Corp
It's like a cooperatve turn-based board game like carcassonne but instead of helping each other build things, you:
- Help yourself (or your opponents) destroy their natural resources
- Build armies with said opponent's resources and use them to kill said opponent
- Tactically shape the land to your advantage by destroying all of it
- Build structures (that desrtoy things)
Now for the actual gameplay.
The game features only a few things you can build/do, but the combination of them and the landscape has many tactical possibilities to offer.
*– [Real player with 109.7 hrs in game](http://steamcommunity.com/profiles/76561198077370582)*
I bought this game during the 2014 holiday sale when I had a few bucks left over and nothing else on my wish list. I am very glad I got it now, as opposed to the other prospects I had lined up.
This game plays like Risk, but has some really awesome new mechanics that make the game worth getting. The biggest mechanic is the game's titular use of greed to change the landscape: you can use harvesters to work the land and get money, but ever time you do, the land they stand on is slowly lowered until it collapses. This introduces some seriously awesome strategies in the game; one time I planted a harvester in the middle of an enemy island in order to collapse it and take out everyone on the island. I didn't have to use any of my troops or engage in a time-consuming siege- all I had to do was attack an unprotected square my opponent had left neglected, plant a harvester there, and laugh as the ground literally crumbled under their troops.
*– [Real player with 19.3 hrs in game](http://steamcommunity.com/profiles/76561198136046041)*
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## Realm of Heroes
Realm of Heroes is a strategy game in which players build castles to defend their lands and recruit heroes to fight for their cause. Players not only move against each other, but also must deal with an evolving board that can derail the best laid plans. Using minimal luck, Realm of Heroes is a game in which a player on top can find himself in a rapidly collapsing position.
After the map is set up, each player places his leader and a tower on the map. During a player's turn; existing plague may spread to nearby locations, unsupported heroes die and are replaced by plague, players may reinforce their position by placing or upgrading units on the map and finally players move their heroes around the map to capture more territory, destroy other heroes and capture the other players' leaders to win the game.
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## Citizens of Earth
Rarely have I ever been graced with a Game I would consider Perfect.
With the recent failures and patches of games, its outstanding to see a game as amazingly perfect as Citizens of Earth.
But like many things my opinion can be taken worth a grain of salt, what matters to you is how much that salt is worth to you?
So if you enjoy RPG’s like Earthbound and Chrono Trigger, and games inspired by Pokémon, this game is a must have and a contender for Game of the Year of 2015.
If you didn’t know, Nintendo doesn’t show much love to the Mother and Earthbound series, only porting Earthbound to the Wii u due to the demands of fans.
*– [Real player with 151.2 hrs in game](http://steamcommunity.com/profiles/76561198067505253)*
Do you love Earthbound? Well, let me tell you in advance: Citizens of Earth isn’t Earthbound, even though it tries to be.
Despite that, I had a ton of fun and still think it’s worth playing, though there are some design flaws that weigh its positives down. The game has some really great graphics, enjoyable music and dialog, and lots of fun in style. I will run through a quick overview and then into some negatives of the game.
The game is an old-fashioned 2D RPG where you play as the Vice President of the whole world. He was just recently put into office with the main President, but then some absurd events begin happening very quickly. The story unveils itself slowly, in a haphazard manner, but you eventually learn just about everything that has happened, and it is funny along the way.
*– [Real player with 35.0 hrs in game](http://steamcommunity.com/profiles/76561198104392527)*
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## Desktop Dungeons
### TL;DR Not a hack-and-slash
Quick and surprisingly addictive dungeon-crawler with lots of mazes, simple rules, high strategy and low luck – you only die when you've made a blunder, or backed yourself into a corner by poor planning.
This may seem like a simple hack-and-slash, but it's not. There's almost no luck and a surprising amount of planning involved. Each dungeon is like a puzzle, and might take 15-45 minutes to complete. You start each dungeon as a lowly level 1 character. Kill the monsters in a certain order and gain the power-ups at the right times and you will be able to defeat the boss-monster and thus "win" each dungeon. if you randomly charge in like a hack-and-slash game, you won't maximize your powerups and you won't have enough health to tackle the tougher monsters. Same if you spend the power-ups too soon. If you don't defeat the tougher monsters, you don't gain the experience-point bonuses to increase your abilities enough to tackle the boss-monster. As you complete dungeons, you can unlock other character classes (again, you start each dungeon back as level 1 and the layout of each dungeon is randomly generated each time).
*– [Real player with 435.9 hrs in game](http://steamcommunity.com/profiles/76561197993862065)*
I was wary of this. I played a ton of alpha, even after I had unlocked everything and finished all the levels. It was a lot of fun, and I appreciated the minimalism of the game. I paid for the advance copy something like three years ago, played the game, then stopped and sort of put it behind me for a while.
Then, just a couple weeks ago, I saw that it was released on steam. While I thought about looking up my copy of it, minutes later I received a message saying because I paid in advance I got a steam key!
*– [Real player with 136.9 hrs in game](http://steamcommunity.com/profiles/76561197993255188)*
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