Golden Krone Hotel
Latest (Experimental) Update Review
The updates for this game have elevated this game to the status of roguelike gem in my eyes. Before, I would have recommended this to anyone who is interested in roguelikes. Now, I would say it is an absolute must-play for any roguelike fan as well as point to it as THE quintessential introductory roguelike. I would say it is certainly better than the standard introductory roguelike recommendations (Brogue and Dungeon Crawl Stone Soup) because of its streamlined controls, well-implemented mouse control (you can do everything there is to do in the game with a mouse), well-designed menus (best menus in any roguelike I can think of), high customizability (can play with 4 directional or 8 directional movement, with mouse+keyboard or controller, with tiles or ASCII), rebindable controls (surprisingly not common in roguelikes), gameplay that isn’t dependant on spoilers (lots of roguelikes require spoilers to progress), difficulty settings (so a new player can actually see the end of the game and learn of mechanics that would otherwise kill them), great visuals (Dungeon Crawl Stone Soup has static and admittedly subpar tiles while Brogue has ASCII that Golden Krone Hotel simply beats with animated 8-bit tiles), music and sound (once again, not common in other roguelikes), and just the fact that it presents interesting mechanics and gameplay to players much sooner than any other roguelike typically does (a common complaint with Dungeon Crawl Stone Soup is that the game isn’t interesting until you reach Lair).
– Real player with 85.8 hrs in game
Read More: Best Vampire Gothic Games.
Disclaimer: This review is for version 1.8 of the game which is the only one that I played. My understanding is that the game has improved significantly since its release and some of the features that I talk about here have been added after the original release (for example controller support).
Pros:
-
The music is great and fits well with the vampire theme of the game.
-
I love the controller support. This is very uncommon for rogue-like games and allowed me to play the game exclusively on my tv.
– Real player with 63.9 hrs in game
BloodLust Shadowhunter
After 115 hours of gameplay I decided that it is time to write a small review about a well made classic WOD game.
Story
In Bloodlust Shadowhunter you are playing a newborn fledgling woken up in the middle of some ruins. Having no idea about what has /is happening he starts seeking the meaning of his existence. Fortunately he got help by a voice that is talking and guiding him in the beginning.
Character
In the very first minutes you can select to be a male or female vampire or a dhampir (ok, dhampir sounds funny). A Dhampirs is half vampire, half human, that means he is a bit weaker as a regular vampire, but he also requires less blood and is more resistant to fire, light and silver.
– Real player with 117.9 hrs in game
Read More: Best Vampire Action RPG Games.
BloodLust Shadowhunter is one of those rare games where the gameplay loop is so good it alleviates the flaws of which any other game would painfully suffer from. It has a very rough entrance, but after enduring the first 30 minutes or so, when the main flesh of the game becomes exposed, it turns into a very addictive dungeon crawler that will keep you entertained for a good stretch of your pathetic mortal existence. Never has a vampire game felt so addictive that I literally cursed the sun as it rose to greet a new day, knowing I had to abandon my current crawl and spend the day with that slug of a so-called step mother.
– Real player with 45.0 hrs in game
Immortal Darkness: Curse of The Pale King
This game is truly a hidden gem. It’s a shame that more people aren’t talking about this seemingly-unknown game. It’s been one of my favorite accidental discoveries in recent memory.
-
Wonderful handcrafted levels.
-
Enjoyable, light puzzles.
-
Fun combat
-
Excellent, tight controls; M+KB only at the time I played. I thought the lack of controller support would be a detriment, but I’m glad to say I didn’t miss a controller at all with this game.
The best thing I can say is that I’ve put over 100 hours into it, and I really didn’t want the game to end. However, after finding everything and playing the game as all characters, there wasn’t anything else for me to do. Perhaps more content will be released in the future.
– Real player with 103.0 hrs in game
Read More: Best Vampire Dark Fantasy Games.
Immortal Darkness is a hidden gem. Agreed with all the “recommended” reviewers about it being a fun RPG dungeon crawler.
Thou I would like that I can trade/sell some items ( like Spells ) I don’t need/want that take up space since I can’t “switch over” items from my bag to the chest to use what is/was in the chest ( like health ) You can’t click to use items straight from the chest, have to delete items to make space.
Everytime I save game, it has 2 file ( GDS and Backup ) So if I save 10 times I’ll end up with 20 files on my local folder.
– Real player with 24.6 hrs in game
BloodLust 2: Nemesis
I bought this game after finishing the first Bloodlust a few months ago and tried it right away then and honestly wasn’t impressed with it then. But it was (and is) early access and then I didn’t have time to play it again until day before yesterday. And while there are still a few things here and there that could use some polish, it was a night and day difference. The game is well worth the money I paid for it and the developer is actively involved in trying to make it a better game. He is active in the forums and pushing out updates and fixes often. He responds when people have issues. Which is really nice to see, in my opinion.
– Real player with 154.4 hrs in game
Only an hour in so take what I say with a grain of salt.
If you liked Bloodlust 1 you will like Bloodlust 2. Feels like the developer took what he had with BL1 and ran with it. A lot of the original complaints have been addressed, mainly the lack of character customization and graphics. They key to enjoying this game is to get it not expecting a AAA polished game. At its core this game is a dungeon crawler where you fight through dungeons to get loot so you can get deeper into the dungeons. At the moment the game is EA, and there are a few things that could use some polishing.
– Real player with 26.7 hrs in game
Vampirem
I like Vampirem, I played quite a bit of it, and plan to play much more.
I recorded my progress. Please check it out here if you prefer a more Audio/Visual format:
Anyway, Vampirem is an Indie, Action RPG Vampire Dungeon Crawler, where you must Fight your way out of your tomb, or Die your Final Death!
In Vampirem, you are Part Ghost, Part Vampire, and All Awesome!
Ghost Vampirem says Boo? Blaaa? Boloaaaa? YES!
Engage in Intense 3rd person Action, as you collect Randomly Generated Loot from the corpses of your dark foes, raiding the treasures of the lost vampire age to gain Power, and bolster your chances, as you traverse Unique and Procedurally generated areas in a bid to make your escape from your unjust imprisonment.
– Real player with 50.9 hrs in game
Basic Breakdown: Vampirem, developed and published by WRF Studios. A story told through the eyes of Ravenblood; a part ghost, part Vampire type creature with special abilities. You traverse through dangerous dungeons and venture on a journey of revenge and ass kicking.
Graphics: I love the style of this game, it doesn’t have to be hyper-realistic to be pretty and convey what it’s trying to perfectly. The graphics being so streamlined makes it easy to run on even low end PC’s and honestly, they suit the style of game really well.
– Real player with 10.8 hrs in game
Midnight’s Curse
This wasn’t a bad game, but it wasn’t necessarily good one either. This looks like a high school project that could’ve gone through a bit more polishing before attempting to sell it. Here’s some good and some bad points that I’ve experienced while playing:
Pros:
-
Art is pleasant on the eyes
-
Gameplay is simple and easy to understand
-
Overall balance is spot on
-
Story is unique and intriguing
Cons:
- Not enough character interactions! I’d like to see more between this odd party of people. Perhaps make inns/rest points have little cut scenes periodically when resting at one.
– Real player with 3.7 hrs in game
Very lazy & poor effort at an RPG Maker game and it makes me angry that lazy developers such as this one give the engine and the genre a bad rep. Unbelievable that publisher Aldorlea Games are selling this, did they even play the game before deciding to sell it?
A good RPG Maker Game starts with a compelling story, interesting characters and sharp dialogues. An interesting plot makes you want to continue playing. This game has none of that: bland characters, very little dialogue and endless grinding. On top of that grinding there hardly is enemy variation, leveling up takes ages abd characters have hardly any abilities. Just everything about this game is bad. A very lazy effort that is just a shameless attempt at grabbing some money.
– Real player with 2.0 hrs in game
Skeleton Crew
Welcome to the crumbling world of Karpathia where humans are the endangered species. Only the Yeoman Eldritch Extermination Team can protect humanity against the hordes of chaos.
Fight battles solo or with friends in this frantic gothic butt brawler, platform-brawling, co-op adventure for 1-4 players. Experience fast paced tactical combat as you battle a host of enemies, minibosses and giant bosses
Pick up, aim and kick everything you can lay your hands on - stunned foes, skulls, brains, rocks, cabbages or even friends
12 playable diverse gothic heroes to find, recruit and upgrade. Unlock and collect an array of usable scrolls, potions, weapons, traps, staffs, grenade bags and many other items
17 hand-crafted non-linear levels to explore across 3 vast regions. Lush, hand-painted artwork complemented by glossy VFX depicts an atmospheric world of ghosts, demons and ghouls that chills and charms
Coming soon
Slimey Champions
It’s terrible
– Real player with 0.2 hrs in game
The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing II
Time Bought: Pre Ordered
Money Spent: $37.50
Worth The Price?: Yes
Position In Game At Time Of Review: Have all my classes max leveled, have game & DLCs on 2 steam accts, got most of the sets epics and all godlikes, farming
After adding the first Van Helsing to one of the most favorite games I’ve ever played, VH2 only polished and added to the enjoyment where the first one left off. I was still playing the first one up to the release of this game and continued playing it during this one. But VH2 not only left off where the last story ended, but improved on tons of things to make this game even more enjoyable than the first. So with this in mind, I wrote a review for people new to the series as well as one for people who have played the first game and are considering getting this one.
– Real player with 163.7 hrs in game
Van Helsing has his work cut out for him. For all the monsters he’s slain, the looming spectres of Diablo, Torchlight, and Path of Exile cast an imposing shadow over the rugged hero. To set itself apart, this modern dungeon crawler has to find a way to truly sink its claws into the player beyond the usual loot’n’grind. The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing II, the second part of a planned trilogy by Neocore Games, succeeds remarkably in carving out its own identity, but at the potentially steep price of polish and balance.
– Real player with 114.1 hrs in game
The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing
Review
Van Helsing is sold pretty cheap every now and then. Despite the huge success of the first game, the sequels and the final cut which bundles all the games in one huge playtrough got very bad reviews. I am not a huge fan of hack & slash rpg´s but i like them sometimes so i decided to give the trilogy a shot. I managed to finish the game in a long session after 2 days and had lots of fun with this game.
Gameplay
Van Helsing doesnt really do anything new that any other game in its genre didnt do already. But what they did was adding the best aspects on many games and combine them. That doesnt mean the game is perfect, its far away from that. The different aspects work good together and offer a solid foundation for a great game.
– Real player with 142.8 hrs in game
Stop what you’re doing, do yourself a favour, just go buy and play this game. Or wait for a discount, it’s your wallet after all. I mean who am I to tell you how to live your life. I heard that they give you discounts up to 70%, which is always great. But this game is worth to buy either way.
The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing, to which I’ll be referring as “TIAoVH” from now on for convenience purposes, is a great game with it’s gothic/steampunk atmosphere and memorable characters. The game takes place in the 19th-century Eastern Europe where magic and weird technology is real. You play as the son of the famous vampire hunter Abraham Van Helsing and take on various adventures in order to defeat the reign of the mad scientists Dr. Fulmigati. Of course you encounter a wide variety of enemies from robots to werewolfs, harpies to mutant abominations, bandits to creatures that’ll be the very seed of your nightmares on the way. I mean, come on, it wouldn’t be a Van Helsing game unless you get to kill tons of different mobs. Also, your lovely ghost companion Lady Katarina is there to help you out along your journey. The balance between the characteristics of charming and witty Katarina and more down to earth, serious Helsing makes the dialogue in game much more enjoyable.
– Real player with 126.0 hrs in game