The Ambassador: Fractured Timelines
7 ART
8 FEEL
6 DEVS
9 MUSIC
7 WRITING
4 STORYLINE
7 CHARACTERS
7 OVERALL RATING
The gameplay itself is very addictive and enjoyable, with a fair amount of challenge (at least playing without assisted mode). As I did not try assisted mode, I cannot speak on the level of fun in that mode.
The game clearly draws a lot of inspiration from disparate fantasy properties. It also draws inspiration for gameplay from Dark Souls type games, emphasizing attack patterns and usage of various weapon abilities to surpass each challenge. The game is very fair, once you use your brain to figure out what is the optimal way to tackle an area. Good reflexes and skill with a controller certainly help as well.
– Real player with 11.9 hrs in game
WHAT IS IT?
It’s a bullet hell game. Thematic element is fantasy and a bit of sci-fi.
PROS:
1. Fast paced action.
2. Good soundtrack.
CONS:
1. Terrible story/plot.
2. Frustrating levels (ie. not fun).
3. Controls don’t feel fluid compared to using a mouse and keyboard.
4. Diverse item pool but largely useless as you’ll be using just 3 or 4 of them most of the game out of the 30 or so.
CONCLUSION:
I’m usually not a fan of bullet hell games (ie. games that just shoot a bunch of stuff at you filling your screen with orbs/missiles/fireballs/etc.). I gave this one a bit of a try as it came with a Humble Bundle and it just made me hate the genre even more. Don’t get me wrong, I grinded through the game and finished it on the hardest difficulty so I’ve experienced most of what this game has to offer. And it doesn’t really offer much… a plot that doesn’t pull you in, unnecessary item selection for the sake of having items, a large “variety” of enemies that mostly have the same strategies to defeat, and just some overall frustrating levels due to certain enemy types. The game does include an endgame mode which seems more fun than the story mode. The endgame mode throws you in a large arena where you’ll fight waves upon waves of enemies while starting off with only your basic items. As you defeat more waves, you gain more money to purchase better items. This mode doesn’t need to hide behind a weak plot in the main game, I would have liked it to be the main game itself and just scrap the story mode.
– Real player with 9.7 hrs in game
Retromancer
This game is awesome! The speed and progression are excellent. The difficulty is just right. The graphics are flashy and the game has that unknown thing, that soul and mystique that make playing through it so good. Robotron lovers need to get this game now.
– Real player with 4.1 hrs in game
Read More: Best Twin Stick Shooter Bullet Hell Games.
TL;DR: A good time-waster if you can get it on sale.
What I like is that it has a progression system to the powerups. Yes it feels a little tacked-on, but I don’t mind chasing the upgrades.
The game is competent, and the levels are enjoyable with good variety. However I find the graphics all look the same so you can’t distinguish your avatar from the projectiles, from the enemies, the enemy projectiles, etc. It is all a big phony retro blur.
I played it for about 1.5 hours before I grew weary. Probably wouldn’t have lasted that long but I’m a sucker for twin-stick shooters.
– Real player with 3.3 hrs in game
Curse of the Deadwood
Curse of the Deadwood is a unique evolution of the twin-stick genre that will have you taking simultaneous control of two unlikely friends as they fight their way through hordes of wooden zombies. Balance a varied arsenal of long-ranged weapons with devastating melee and magic attacks. Only by working together will you be able to save the Woodlings' beautiful world of Knottington from the Curse of the Deadwood.
UNIQUE ENEMIES
Battle an ever-evolving horde of unique enemies, including the charging Knots, the explosive Thorns, the long-ranged Splinters, and many more! Each Deadwood type has its own strengths and weaknesses that will require you to discover which weapons and attacks are most effective. Take on heart-thumping boss fights that will challenge you to push your strategies to the next level.
ARSENAL OF WEAPONS
Wield a variety of unique weapons including the Saw Mauler, Twig Snapper, Amber Blammer, and more. Unleash on the Deadwood as you upgrade your arsenal with parts you find scattered around the world of Knottington. Customize your weapons by adding new and powerful abilities that will help to see you triumph against the Deadwood.
PLAY STYLE
As you play through Curse of the Deadwood, a variety of ranged weapons and melee attacks become available to you. Every ranged weapon comes with a customizable skill tree for you to unlock and explore. Try out different combinations and find what works best for your play style in each combat scenario.
EXPLORATION
Explore the beautiful world of Knottington as you rescue its quirky and diverse citizens from the roaming Deadwood. Solve puzzles in lush forests, discover weapon upgrades in vast mountain ranges, and unravel mysteries in spooky swamps. There is always something interesting waiting around the next bend.
STORY DRIVEN
Fully voiced cinematics tell the story of an ancient spell broken, a wicked menace reawakened, and a young Woodling named Lathe who vows to do whatever he must to save his beloved home. But he doesn’t have to do it alone! A mysterious stone giant named Roguard will aid Lathe on his quest. As they take on the darkness together, they learn that, through friendship, anything is possible.
Nine Parchments
achievements
great pick for achievement-hunters. achievements are interesting, without any unfairness. most of them require using magic attacks in some way (deal XXX damage, attack XXX enemies at once, use beam for XXX seconds, etc), which require either picking a right character, leveling-up in some unorthodox way, or finding a right enemy-spawner. sweet, fine and engaging
– Real player with 76.4 hrs in game
Chasing after nine parchments: chaotic but fun
Brief Overview
Nine Parchments is a magical twin-stick shooter which can be played alone or in up to four-person co-op. The game is set in the same universe as the Trine puzzle platformer series and shares the same vibrant surroundings and enchanting atmosphere. Nine Parchments is, however, very different from Trine.
– Real player with 50.0 hrs in game
Marmoreal
Marmoreal is a Bullet Hell Action RPG with magical girls, swords and fully automatic crossbows.
Join the Mages of the Arcanum and the Warriors of Melkirion in their battles against the armies of the undead in their quest to stop the evil Necromancer from becoming an immortal Lich!
Features:
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Two full-length story-driven campaigns. Play as the Mages of the Arcanum and the Warriors of Melkirion as they wage separate battles against a common enemy.
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Six playable characters. Play as a varied cast consisting of mages, knights, soldiers and living suits of armor, each with their own unique abilities and weapons.
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Lots of bullets and enemies. Your enemies aren’t pulling any punches, and will try to overwhelm you with hordes of footsoldiers and swarms of bullets.
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Varied enemy factions. Fight against the undead armies of the Necromancer, the spirits of the forest, the remnants of an ancient empire and various other factions vying for power in these undead lands.
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Procedurally generated loot. Enemies drop rare and unique equipment, all with their own procedurally generated stats and attributes.
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Trait-driven progression system. As you gain levels, you unlock various traits that improve your characters, ranging from simple health and damage boosts to character-specific unique traits.
Ampersat
Ampersat is a shooty, slashy, RPG-y game mixing old-school/retro and modern sensibilities. A blend of influences from Gauntlet and Smash TV to Zelda and a dash of Angband, this is a handcrafted adventure with much appeal to fans of Roguelites. A labor of love from a solo developer, Ampersat distills some favorite childhood gaming experiences into a fresh, fun hybrid that sees you killing a lot of monsters, finding a lot of loot, freeing captured letters (um, what?) and growing from a world-weary warrior mage into a powerful smashing/blasting machine!
Main Features
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More than 50 handcrafted levels, many with exploration and light puzzles
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Optional endless procedural area
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Original gameplay elements based around freeing and capturing letters
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Flexible character progression with extensive skill tree
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Hundreds of unique pieces of loot find, buy, sell and augment
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Upgradeable town hub
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Tackle stages in the order you choose
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50 unique creature types with individual AI, 10 fiendish bosses
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Drop-in local async co-op (and online using Steam Remote Play Together) - suitable for young players to team up with their parents
You may notice the main character and enemies are ASCII letters - yes, this is an aesthetic throwback to the original Rogue games, and the blending of these with colorful 3D top-down environments was the idea that first spawned Ampersat. Likewise, Commodore 64 SID chip sound effects are used alongside real-world music for a distinctive experience. But just what is an “ampersat?” It’s the leading contender for the official name of the @ symbol, of course!
Overview
Gentlheim has been invaded by Lord Z, who has surrounded the village with 5 extraplanar towers and the dungeons beneath, filled with evil creatures. Even worse, he has stolen language itself from the townspeople! As the warrior mage Ampersat, you must venture deep into the dungeons and high above the land in the treacherous towers, defeat countless minions and restore language to Gentlheim so the townsfolk can communicate properly and help you defeat Lord Z himself.
Gentlheim
Gentlheim has shops to buy and sell goods; an Inn to heal up, level up, and stash gold to retrieve after death; and a deep Well leading to randomly generated procedural levels. There are various structures you can pay to upgrade and, as language returns to the village, townsfolk who may need something… Gentlheim hides a few surprises for the inquisitive gamer and provides a hub area to approach different stages in any order you like, or revisit levels you’ve already beaten.
The Well is where the “roguish” aesthetics are turned up to 11, providing short, sharp, loot-gathering deep delves once you repair it. There’s an old rumor that something very special is buried at the bottom of the well… but no one has ever reached those depths.
Co-op
Ampersat’s async co-op is true drop-in, drop-out at any time. The second player controls a fairy that hovers around Ampersat and also launches attacks. Will you trust them with your best spell? No? They might steal it anyway… While the fairy’s shots aren’t as powerful and contribute to overheating, it has the huge advantage of being invulnerable. The perfect partner… if you can get along.
Trifox
Trifox is a colourful and cartoonish action-adventure featuring a phenomenal fox with a multitude of talents! Choose from a trio of classes – Warrior, Mage, Engineer – or mix-and-match abilities to create a tailor-made hero! Inspired by the golden age of 3D platformers.
After his home is attacked and his TV remote stolen, Trifox sets out in pursuit of the mysterious looters in an action-packed adventure.
Use magic, might, and marvelous gadgets to outfox foes across four danger-filled worlds as you fight your way to a final showdown at Villain HQ!
Key Features
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Three different classes: Wield a giant hammer as a Warrior! Master magic and mystery as a Mage! Use a backpack full of gadgets as an Engineer!
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Mix-and-match styles: Customise your Trifox by combining different class-based abilities! Want to cast spells and fire a Gatling Gun? No problem!
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30 abilities to unlock: Collect and spend coins to gain new skills, such as Spike Slam, Shield Bubble, Guided Missile, and many more!
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Four worlds to beat: Fight hordes of enemies, traverse platforming pitfalls, overcome environmental puzzles, and battle big angry bosses!
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A modern retro adventure: A new and fresh experience designed to evoke the spirit of classic 3D platformers!
Horde Of Plenty
I was going to post this review 3 years ago, but i didn’t, so now i am. My computer can NOT run this well even at low settings, but from what i could grasp. it’s a basic twin stick shooter. No harm, No Foul. that being said if they can make the game run better, than maybe i could recommend it
for some context I was given a code by the Devs on Christmas of 2017 or 2016 (can’t remember)
Edit: Geez they got rid of the Keyboard and Mouse, that’s a bummer
Edit 2: I have a Pentium j2900 with 4 gb of Ram so ya maybe thats why it doesn’t run well.
– Real player with 1.4 hrs in game
This was a fun and quick to pick up twin-stick shooter. The artwork looks great and I liked the fact that each level had different goals to reach to either be quick and casual for new players, or more difficult for people wanting a harder challenge.
– Real player with 1.1 hrs in game
Blue Flame
Ever since my first Iron Pineapple video, I have been snatching up and playing almost every souls-like game that looks worth my time. Heard about Blue Flame. Googled Blue Flame, but nothing came up. Googled Blue Flame Twitter, found an Adult Entertainment twitter profile. Looked through it. Realized I wasn’t in incognito. Cleared my browser history and came to Steam properly.
Added this baby to my wishlist only to realize that it was releasing the next day. Release sale, 20% off, under 10 bucks. Dev diary says game’s about 3-4 hours with about 7 bosses and more content is coming. Can always refund it if bad… It’s Friday, let’s play games.
– Real player with 4.5 hrs in game
This game is a souls experience for sure. Main problem is that it was too easy. Fuck the maze tho, that was just not a great experience, im not buying a maze game. That being said tho, was not too bad took maybe 40 mins of running around. Only had problems with the Harypys, all the bosses pretty much was a first try. Game seems too short too. Overall not too bad, but the lack of players that own the game and the smallest community I have ever been in makes it a problem to even google anything about the game. Wait for sale tho becuse, the game is 4-5 hours and you must likely wont be playing it more then once or twice. I hope the devs add more stuff and maybe a Wiki for the important things like achivements and a small guide for getting stuck on directions despite it being a souls like. 1 thing they could add is more options in the settings menu and maybe a ng+
– Real player with 3.8 hrs in game
Grapple
Grapple is a parkour game built for speedrunning. You’re tasked to reach the end of the level only with the aid of a grappling hook & glider. The game also features an online racing mode! The game has amassed a small speed-running community. Level 2 in particular was a favorite among speedrunners due to the shortcuts it featured