Due to the success they’ve had this week, they’ve announced they’re looking at console versions, probably starting with the Switch.
I got Stories: The Path of Destinies as a free bonus for pre-ordering Hob on GOG. I really like it!
The Good Parts:
- Neat structure. One run through the game is pretty short, but what you’re really trying to do is unlock endings and “secrets” that allow your combat and crafting access to expand. There are 24 endings… don’t know how far through that pile I’ll be motivated to get, but I am not tired of it yet!
- Bastion-style narration. Well, let me clarify: It’s not as well-drawn as Bastion, but it’s doing a similar thing, with a dash of goofy humor. Still, it’s surprisingly responsive to the things you do, an example of…
- Narrow but deep content. This game really shows some smart choices from a team with clearly limited resources. Besides the replayable structure, there are just a lot of little details that clearly took time to realize but that the team knew would keep the levels from feeling stale. Parts of the level that collapse as you navigate them, unexpected styles of traversal, and many multiple paths through each level.
- Interesting tone. It’s got anthropomorphic animal characters and fourth-wall-breaking jokes.(I really warmed to these.) But it’s also got some Lovecraftian doom mixed in. And a light love story that nonetheless manages to have some tragic turns.
- Fun combat. Look, the game is very forgiving. This is a benefit in my book, but won’t be for everyone. What I like is that I feel real cool fighting and that when things are hard they’re respawn-just-before-that-hard-combat-and-I’ll-probably-get-through-it-the-second-or-third-time hard.
- Nifty vertical environments. On many occasions, I’ve been really impressed by the construction of the environments and the audacity of the team in tackling tall mountains and skyships and whatnot.
The Less Good Parts:
- The hell kind of title is that?
- Yes, there are relatively few opponents in the game. And there are no boss battles.
- Sometimes the main character’s snark/charm is annoying?
If you liked Torchlight (though this is lighter on the RPG side) or Dust: An Elysian Tale, I think you should check this out.
Jack King Spooner’s (aka jackspinoza) latest is now ready for enjoying. If you are unfamiliar, check out some of his free stuff on gamejolt or itch and see if the aesthetic suits you.
I bought the pre-order limited physical copy and have completed the game. The lo-fi hand made aesthetic is pretty great. There’s a lot of emotion coming through from the dev too. the soundtrack is very good and varied. There’s some cool randomization going on in some of the night clubs that I was very impressed with. It’s a very thoughtful game, I wrote many notes while playing it.
Thanks for bringing this game to my attention Nightgaunt. I’ve been playing through this and think it’s a real gem. PC Gamer did a great job outlining why it’s such a goofy delight.
I’m glad you like it. It’s been getting a great reception, and I’m really proud of my friend and his colleagues for making something so awesome and fun!
Just spent 30 minutes playing Freeways (a $3 game on itch.io and on iOS/Android tablets) and it’s a really nifty game of free-hand drawing highways to create efficient traffic flow.
Heat Signature is great! This was in the maybe worth knowing about thread, but I’ma go ahead and say its worth playing. I am tempted to just not sleep, keep playing, and go to work tired AF. I cannot praise enough how well it controls. Matching speed and docking with craft is so satisfying. In combat, the slow down when aiming is awesome. Going from base, getting a contract, finding your target and breaking in is so streamlined and straightforward, I feel like this is a game that really respects my time as a gamer. Anyways, gushing…
I’ve been watching the development videos on YouTube for a long time, game has come a long way. Looks great.
This does look like fun. I hope it comes to Steam. I looked at the Android version and it seems like there are some game stopping bugs.
I played Heat Signature for a couple of hours last night. Can definitely recommend it.
One of my guys found two silenced shotguns, and putting one in each hand meant he could clear rooms in about two seconds, assuming the mission he was on allowed murder. Of course I got overconfident and some guys in armor hit him with a wrench and he was captured.
It’s really fun to try out different combos of gadgets and weapons.
It’s free and just in time for Halloween.
Discovered this little gem in the Switch e-shop, but it is also on Steam (and mobile too!, thanks @Left_Empty) This is a digital conversion of a card game I’ve never heard of. It’s a solitaire game where you start with a single sheep on your tableau and use cards to grow that into a flock of a thousand, mitigating the damage of hazardous events like meteors, plagues, and the grim reaper along the way.
I’ve only played the basic mode so far, which is pretty cool, but there’s also a challenge mode as well as a story mode of the grim-dark post-apocalyptic world where the sheep are trying to repopulate after all the humans have died off (no, not kidding).
Well worth a look for 5 clams if you are interested in solitaire card games.
Man, game creators are getting freaky good at learning how to push my buttons.
“Sheep. Sheep never change.”
The iOS and Android versions let you play 5 games/day, and you can purchase the rest of the modes for the same price.
My wife was very fond of it for the hour or so it took to her to crack and solve it. She got back to it as her “comfort food” game for a week, mainly because of the theme. Speaking of which, some of those illustrations aren’t safe for work I bet, according to American laws!
Didn’t realize it was on mobile. Played the first story chapter. Pretty cool. A number of cards are removed from the deck and all of the negative events are treated as the plague (which kills all cards of a single value) so you have to focus on maintaining multiple values on the tableau.
I picked up Shephy last night and am enjoying it quite a bit
New incremental game about being an artificial intelligence that makes… paperclips? And then slowly develops the ability to do more. Not your typical clicker. Author is Frank Lantz of the prestigious NYU Game Center. He also made Drop7.
FYI this is no doubt referring to the “paperclip maximizer”
An idle game that ironically idle when you put it in the background or switch tabs. Maybe prestigious, but a bit of a douche that designer is.
Edit: yes, I am butthurt.
Ah-ha! I felt like there was something I was missing.
@Left_Empty – I thought that was a weird decision also. But from what I saw it keeps running if it’s in the background, but not if you’re in another tab in the same browser? Am I wrong?