#PC
#PC
by Amr (@siegarettes)
What if a puzzle game removed the cursor and replaced it with a character? That’s Treasure Stack’s big gimmick, turning an otherwise regular competitive puzzle game into a platformer hybrid. The order which you stack blocks not only sets up chains to attack and defend, but creates a space you need to be able to physically traverse to engage with. It’s a solid concept, only rarely explored in other games like Super Puzzle Platformer or Mr. Blocko Super Tournament Edition.
by Amr (@siegarettes)
Eastshade seems like a fruit ripened just for a me–an art school dropout with little sense for painting. Escaping to the life of a traveling artist is still a potent fantasy–seeing new places, capturing them, and making a living off your art are all about as fantastical as the setting of Eastshade itself, after all. I expected to come out with a certain appreciation for painting, maybe a with the game’s pastoral landscapes. Instead, I learned about something else I missed in my truncated art education: the hard material reality of trying to make art for a living.
by Amr (@siegarettes)
From mechanics, aesthetics, down to the extra modes and gameplay options, Devil Engine is saturated with homage to arcade shooters, new and old. It’d be easy to catalog them, and breakdown every influence it takes from its arcade family. But in the heat of the action, Devil Engine gave me an almost racer like vibe. Momentum is deeply important, and losing it feels a lot like running yourself off the road. Knowing how to control my speed and where to attack the stage’s corners and enemy formations is key. Explaining exactly why is complicated, so let’s break it down.
by Amr (@siegarettes)
As someone who spends a lot of their limited time trying to keep up with games, the phrase “rogue-like” tends to get me to immediately back away. I enjoy what a lot of games bring to the style, but the threat of losing all progress each time tends to guarantee I won’t see more than the first or second stage on most runs and ironically shortens my interest in the game.
So knowing Tangledeep gives you the option to opt out of the harshest penalties single-handedly saved it from being ignored. A good thing too, because not only did I find a lot of what I enjoy about rogue-likes in Tangledeep, but it turns out it’s even more varied and customizable than I thought.
by Amr (@siegarettes)
I love Wargroove. At least, when it isn’t seriously pissing me off. When it’s in the groove, it sets up wonderful capsule strategy scenarios. Each of these make me consider the terrain, the set of units I’m restricted to and forces me to experiment and make hard choices to overcome the enemy. The wonderful animations and lovingly rendered maps enhance every victory and mistake, making me hold my breath as I hope that I’ve made the right move.
All of this helps Wargroove perfectly capture the appeal of the old Advance Wars style strategy games. It’s a refreshing return whose capsule battles generally feel more accessible to people who aren’t strategy mavens. And yet, it isn’t the rousing success it should be, thanks to some BIG problems that soured any high points.
by Amr (@siegarettes)
Odallus is definitely the more ambitious of Joymasher’s two retro style games. In contrast to Oniken’s discrete levels and eclectic sci-fi aesthetic, Odallus brings a sprawling map, RPG elements, and a grotesque gothic art direction. The map branches into different paths, and each stage has several passages to take and items that open up new ones. The heavy atmosphere is delightful, but the sprawling approach overreaches and creates an uneven game.
by Amr (@siegarettes)
I’ve made it out of the seaweed forests. The new chainsaw has allowed me to cut through the thick weeds, and uncover more of the history left behind. There are more of those holograms, and even this far in there are massive screens still running news broadcasts. Did they really discover a truly sustainable energy source while I was gone?
Maybe not. At the least there seems to have been a lot of infighting here. Numerous journals describe eco-terrorists taking radical action to stop the development of these cities. What could have been so awful that it was worth fighting the last remains of humanity?
Well, maybe I’m starting to get a sense of it myself. While investigating it I stumbled into the den of the largest octopus I’ve seen. The creatures so far have been massive, but this one was beyond comprehension. The suckers on its tentacles alone dwarfed me. The sea has seemed so vast, terrifying in the way it seemed to continue on. This beast is the first being I’ve met that seems large enough to live comfortably in that vastness.
Our meeting didn’t go well.
by Amr (@siegarettes)
Presented entirely in white silhouette, SilverFrame translates the acrobatic combat and wild missile trajectories of anime space operas into streaks of white that cut through the shadow of space. Each encounter is a dance between missiles, with your craft changing between jet and mech form, easing from and moving into being the leader.
