Game Reviews

Game Title: Balatro Released:  February 20, 2024 Game Length:  Unknown Grade:  B+  Prelude Style:   Balatro  is a game that was getting way too much attention in 2024. I've seen several famous reviewers who applaud the extent an indie developer was willing to go to revolutionize the game of Poker. There is a catch. The game can be excruciatingly difficult, and not just to new players. Winning or losing can boil down to knowing all the little intricacies of the game and adapting to the cards you are dealt.  It is possible to make no mistakes and still lose . Some players gloat that they can win 80% of the time while others can spend 25 hours playing before winning a single game. It really is all about 50% skill and 50% luck.  Skill Jokers:  Learning which jokers stand above the others  is one key advantage to knowing how to advance in the game. There are many joker cards that are very situational. They might only give you a perk after yo...

Game Title: Monster Sanctuary Released:  December 8, 2020 Game Length:  40 Hours Grade:  A- Prelude Development:   Monster Sanctuary   is a game that has been around for a long time. About a dozen developers have been working on this project since 2015. Around 2018, they produced a small demo and wanted to  start a Kickstarter project  for more content. Some who donated more than the others would even get a hand in helping design monsters, characters, or encounters. They were able to get so many contributors that they were able to reach their goals to produce over 100 monsters (instead of just around 60), add special game modes, and other types of support. The game would release in 2020 and add additional features in a completely free update in 2022. Levels Enemy Levels:  It is  very   important to pay attention to how levels work in this game. Each room you traverse with an encounter will increase the global monster level. The monste...

Game Title: There is No Game: Wrong Dimension Released:  August 6, 2020 Game Length:  5 Hours Grade: B+ The Beginning First No Game:  A long time ago when Adobe Flash was used by creative artists to make games, one person by the name of Pascal Cammisotto created a short 20-minute interactive experience. He even created a  preview on Youtube  showing it off. You can still play the  Jam Edition  or visit any website that still hosts HTML5 games like  on CoolMathGames . It was cute, charming, and definitely some out-of-the-box thinking when it came to an engaging story.  Failed Kickstarter:  Unfortunately, there was very little publicity when it came to those who wanted to support a full-fledged game. In 2016, he barely managed to receive 10% of the funds from his  Kickstarter Project . The video itself only received 6,000 views at the time. This was a far cry from the 4 million who played the Jam Edition on Steam. Despite the s...

  Palia Update Release:  Since August 3rd, 2023, Palia  has been slowly releasing a series of builds as early as 0.165. Although they launched on Steam March 25th 2024 with Build 0.180, the developers still had their hands full trying to keep players busy. June 2024, EG7 buys Singularity 6 and enlists  Palia  with  Daybreak . This was my moment to try the game and wrote an  extensive review  of their systems. As part of their target demographic, the game was good. My last achievement was on August 13th when I completed the Bundle of the Gales that becomes available after visiting all the temples.  Slow Builds:  Since their release, every content patch had you collecting some new decoration set, toying around with some new feature, and a bunch of new cosmetics to purchase. For approximately a year, the only new buildings that were available released while I was playing with the Grand Harvest House in May and the Conservatory in July. Tour...

Game Title: Starcom Unknown Space Released:  September 2, 2024 Game Length:  30 Hours Grade: B Features Setting:   Kevin Lin  has been an indie game developer for quite some time dating back to 2013. He hosted Wx3 Labs, LLC and made Starcom: Nexus in 2019. He later revamped the game with an overhaul and released a sequel in 2024. The game straddles the line by keeping clear of any sort of base building you might find in 4X games like  Stellar  while still providing you some sort of ship building like in  Starcontrol 2 . There are a number of ways you can flee battles as there is no self-contained space fighting other ships. Options:  In addition to some accessibility options like colorblindness, there is a difficulty meter that modifies how much damage you and your enemy ships may receive in battle. There are many ways to travel with the help of your autopilot by clicking on objects from your map or edge of your screen, cruise control so you don...

Game Watch Explanation:  Every now and then, there are a number of games that continuously appear in my feed. A lot of players might find these games appealing for a number of reasons, but that doesn't necessarily make them as enjoyable to me. Down below are games that might have once populated my watchlist but upon further review were dropped. Necesse  - There's a pixelated game that was in Early Access for about 6 years. I've heard a bunch of people try to describe it by throwing a bunch of similarly built games like Minecraft, Terraria, Core Keeper, and Rimworld. It had so many features from other games that it ultimately stood unique over them all. I played a good 8 hours of the game before realizing the complexity of its mechanics. There is an above and below world. There is a day and night cycle. Most importantly, there is a  settler system  where you can invite people to your little town, assign them duties, provide them access to chests, and equip them for ad...