Hawke64

Clash: Artefacts of Chaos I had thought that they are individual characters rather than species. The hardcore water snakes swim though the ground. The lore dump (2 screenshots) It is a bug that was supposed to be fixed 2 years ago. The final boss Oceanwork

The cat looks adorable. Also, I've just noticed that the screenshots are uploaded to a private server. Thought for a second that it was the game's. Finished Clash: Artefacts of Chaos. The "true ending" is disappointing. Otherwise, the game is as generic as it gets, excluding the visual style, which looks like something produced by a genAI model. While there are lore reasons, unless you consider it a completely symbolic abstraction, the practical aspects don't really work. The main gameplay loop is the usual action-adventure corridor with light "platforming" of climbing the clearly marked stone slabs (but not waist-high fences) and very explicit arena battles, with random loot scattered in the corners. The Night mode, which changes the time of day, offers mostly padding, unless one really likes the combat - everything met is hostile, but you are not locked into the encounters and can just run to the mini-boss, which I did. The only somewhat original quality of the combat is that the main means of attack is unarmed combat stances, while the weapons provide limited support (they break). The story of a stoic warrior who adopts the Chosen One child and realigns with his emotions (that are not apathy or rage) is not exactly original either. In terms of narrative themes, the "we create our own imaginary cages" message with the artefacts working only because all participants agree that they work (apparently, including the bees which are summoned by some of them) was spelt out by the lore-dump NPC and hard to disagree with. Social constructs exist only as long as the complacent majority go along with it. The "no laws without justice" sentiment is welcome as well. A relatively small detail I liked was that the enemies were able to damage each other, instead of clipping through. The OST was fairly unpleasant in-game, but fine to listen to separately (no idea what the language is). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TyP-AOAjVYM&list=PLfuHaTW9nnaBWUou9bklAyOviDKz19yJ0&index=1 So, overall, the execution was lacking, despite the ideas. I have finished Oceanwork. The story is about a person sentenced to underwater mining for an unspecified crime. The pace of the exploration and upgrades is good and the environment is interesting to explore, despite the very few points of interest. The upgrades are visible on the character model and the UI is quite helpful. The game is free, so it lacks saving or rebindable controls, but it is also short and uses only WASD, E, and LMB (might be uncomfortable for the left-handed players). It also lacks subtitles for the intro and any visual aid for the approaching sharks which you can only hear before they attack. https://warrrkus.itch.io/oceanwork

Brush Burial If the key is heavy enough, it can work for people too. Saints Row It actually worked. It's the Steamboat. Dungeons of Hinterberg, Unity Clash: Artefacts of Chaos, Unreal Engine (probably 4, as it at least runs) The plant did not bite. Making the environment interactive takes effort.

Tried Brush Burial. It is a stealth-focused immersive sim in a fantasy setting. Realised that I need to see the PC's model to navigate effectively (less of an issue when everything is slower and/or the PC feels "heavier"). Also, a map. So, I've got the 2 plants I needed to unlock the next level, but I do not know how to return to the portal I need to stick them in. The controls are not rebindable, the game saves when you kick a checkpoint, and, when you reload, everything respawns. The health is restored only on reloading, which is odd. The game does look quite good - the visual style reminds of the PS1 games and it is coherent. The UI does not - the health bar is the MC's face, while the inventory panel either takes too much space or you have to guess what items you have (no 3D model for the selected item; the key in hand is shown as an icon, but 2 of them have the same colour), the grab icon is black and mixes with dark environments. The sound design is present (i.e. there is combat music and things make sounds) and there is no VA. Also tried to resume my Serpent in the Staglands playthrough. It did not go well, as I did not remember where and why I stopped or how to play. I liked the story premise (a god stripped of their power trying to recover it) and the visual style, but the lack of a quest log (that is not a map in the inventory with the "Go there and talk to Bob" note; "Bob" was several rooms deep and unhelpful). The very close camera distance, the lack of item highlights, and the respawning enemies did not help either. Dungeons of Hinterberg looks and feels much less junky after playing Clash - the target lock actually works and you can both chase the target or hit in another direction effectively, the visuals are clear and crisp, and the game has a functional saving system. I also dropped the difficulty from Hard to Normal. It did not do much difference, but the opponents became less spongy. Clash: Artefacts of Chaos. Got the second Great Artfact out of 4-5 (not sure), then a corridor run started. Fortunately, the game helpfully highlighted the corridor I was to run and the levels are much shorter when cleared of enemies. Then the boss battle with an unavoidable mini-game started and the auto-battle option was unavailable for story reasons. The boss was both tanky and quite hard-hitting. I am fairly certain that this is a character from the previous game in the series, but I do not remember much from it. It also might be an effective roadblock as the game does not have difficulty settings.

Starweave The Troubadour is a healer and the Blackguard is a ranger and I am somewhat confused, but the colours help. There is a monster dog behind the column and I could not turn the camera. Saints Row Found the Main Menu decoration. Wavetale Clash - Artefacts of Chaos The bane of all adventurers - the Thigh-High Fence.

Started and finished Starweave. It is 2 hour-long tactical game. It is linear, lacks many QoL features, but also affordable and looks fine. Spent 2 hours sorting and uploading screenshots from the past 2-3 weeks. I suppose, it gives time to reflect on the games played?

Clash - Artefacts of Chaos You can put equipment on your ward. The humaniod boar I've mentioned in the other post. No in-combat screenshots, though. The second one is the finisher move.

Finished Wavetale. A lovely and concise adventure, though easy and the full price does not quite match the quality. Started Clash - Artefacts of Chaos. At some point, I spent 10 minutes staring at the left buttcheek of a humanoid boar because it was the only "safe" spot and the opponent was KO'ing me in 2 hits. Otherwise, the camera is the greatest foe, especially in group battles, and the dice mini-game feels useless. The invisible walls and the MC inability to vault over thigh-high fences is annoying. The unique aspects of the game are the setting (feels like post-apocalypsis) and the focus on the unarmed combat. The bug with the stances (the game auto-selects the second stance randomly while I explicitly kept it empty because there is only one I am comfortable with) is unpleasant. Still, I am going to try to finish it, though cannot recommend. Got the DLC for Saints Row on the latest Steam sale. The LARP one is fairly funny and fun. The heist one is 3 missions. I've also been trying to finish the optional activities on the map with relative success. The issue with pacing is less noticeable after completing the main story, though there is more fairly similar side quests than in the previous parts (as far as I remember). I still enjoyed the timed races ("Pony Express"), but would have preferred there being 50% less of it.

Eurogamer.net"We are not powerless, every action matters" - Indie stud..."We have power together." It takes immense courage to refuse funding, especially now. Their Kickstarter campaign is ongoing with 9 days left. It annoys me quite a lot that developers choose to keep the high-res textures in the base download. Like, I cannot and will not use them, why would I want deadweight on my drive? It used to be more popular moving them into optional downloads a few (10?) years ago.

Looks like a pre-made MC and silly system requirements. I'd say "at least it's not UE5", but it is not a high bar to clear. The combat might be fine, but the visual noise is incredibly annoying. Thus, I might consider getting it for $5 in 5 years. Edit. It does look like TW3 and I strongly disliked that game. While TES VI is development, Ardenfall is closing onto the release date (the last I've heard, "early 2026"). Ardenfall on SteamArdenfall is an immersive RPG set in a world of intricate politics and ancient cultures. Explore flowing plains, rain drenched wetlands, and forgotten dungeons full of danger. Meet countless interesti https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/grapeocean/avaria-iron-rule The Black Geyser developers are preparing to launch a crowdfinding campaign for their new game. The description sounds appealing, even if their previous title was somewhat uneven. The survey: https://forms.gle/ibSV87UBjA9aYoXn8

Creatures of Ava You can pet the lizard-dog.

Finished Ender Magnolia. Behold, the best benches and the best sitting postures: Not a bench. On the path to the second ending.

If I remember correctly, there were 2 separate EU Steam regions previously, which were later merged into one due to a few publishers being illegally customer-unfriendly. https://steamdb.info/blog/steam-geo-locking-europe/ Finished Ender Magnolia. I've got the second ending and the last few achievements (which required a bit of farming in NG+; I think the bosses' movesets are slightly different there). I've also tried the Boss Rush mode, but not quite successfully - the setup is not possible to switch between the battles and the earlier bosses hit much harder than I remember. I could increase the difficulty and farm mini-bosses to unlock the gallery (sprites and concept art), but I'd rather leave it on a positive note. Overall, it is a delightful Metroidvania. Attempted to resume my playthrough of Absinthia. Realised that I do not like the RPGMaker combat (no positioning, etc.) and controls (the movement grid is very rigid), while there is only so much the developers can do about it. The story is fine - a group of teenagers from a no-name village go after a random bandit/cult leader after their village gets attacked.

In case if it is not obvious, one is more likely to spend £70 on a game when they earn £3,000 per month rather than £300. Without regional pricing, the lower income regions would be spending 0 and obtaining the software via less legal means. Tried Creatures of Ava. Looks suprisingly decent for a UE5 game as the visual style masks the usual smudge well. The story and traversal are functional, the photography part is nice, the combat is not. The MC has a tragic background story and arrived to the planet to save the locals, whether they want it or not. My hopes that it would include hitting things with a stick were unfulfilled - the sci-fi magic stick is to cast a beam and dodge while the beam removes the HP withering from the local wildlife. The controls are rebindable, the saving is possible at will in several slots, the audio mini-game can have visual indicators.

UK. The Green Party of England and Wales won the by-election in Gorton and Denton, leading by 40%. Reform UK (Trump-lite) came second, while the 2 major parties were further behind. It is a promising sight that a party which values human rights, animal rights, and the environment can also be victorious and have the power to implement these ideals. This by-election also shows that we do not have to be locked into a 2-party system.

The Talos Principle 2 I cannot fathom how the team that made The Talos Principle made this. The puzzles were fine, everything else, from the story to visuals, was fairly horrible.

I remember that tactical RTwP game, but not in detail. Shadows Something? MIO, a pretty and infuriating precision platformer I parry-climbed that shaft and there was only a penalty modifer. The general experience in the late-game. Tactical Breach Wizards I put on green outfits for a mission in a desert because I did not know that it would be a desert. Laugh Track Arcade Spirits: The New Challengers Banquet for Fools The Knightling It might look like a gate, but it is, in fact, a wall.

I have finished The Knightling and contacted their tech support about the bugs. When I tried to submit another one, I got the following: The Knightling is an action game in a fantasy setting. The titular nameless knightling (squire) gets separated from their knight, only with the knight's shield and glove remaining behind, and decides to look for him while helping the locals. I am ambivalent about the game, so no Steam review. Overall, while the idea of a light platformer with Devil May Cry-like combat was appealing to me and I greatly appreciate the rebindable controls, saving at will, and the non-binary MC, the actual implementation is lacking - neither the combat nor platforming nor the story feel particularly good. Ender Magnolia is in progress. The combat and exploration are enjoyable and the bosses are reasonably challenging (adjustable). The recruitment/tuning requiring an explicit input from the player feels good.

itch.ioNo ICE in Minnesota by jesthehuman and 651 othersNo ICE in Minnesota: 1439 items for $10.00 There are a few interesting titles, though also surprisingly many TTRPGs. https://hempuli.itch.io/baba https://hthr.itch.io/extreme-meatpunks-forever - beat 'em up action + VN, which I liked. https://peachykeengames.itch.io/calico - boring, but functional https://bucketdrumgames.itch.io/bitrat https://tngineers.itch.io/mudborne https://linker.itch.io/elephantasy - played the sequel, it was a somewhat difficult platformer-Metroidvania https://pd-cgt.itch.io/somnabuster2024 https://knifedemon.itch.io/brush-burial - my Steam wishlist, im-sim/stealth-action https://rocketadrift.itch.io/psychroma - my Steam wishlist, horror-puzzle https://devonwiersma.itch.io/lofty-quest https://zorkie.itch.io/quality-dreams-reasonably-priced - my Steam wishlist, management VN https://standing-cat.itch.io/nekomancer-of-nowhere https://glitch-creative.itch.io/optica https://crawlabeegames.itch.io/ale-aftercare

Finished MIO and did not like it. Started Ender Magnolia and the game is fantastic - the map is helpful, the bosses are diverse and challenging enough (the first ones at least; the difficulty is adjustable, though the default has been comfortable), the exploration is satisfying, the weapon NPCs and abilities are varied. It is also much lighter on platforming, which I appreciate, and the controls are comfortable (the targeted hook points are clearly highlighted and the hook ability is reliable). The visual design might be a bit less coherent - the MC's sprite is conveniently very bright and visible (the #0000FF coat is great), thus, clashes with the more detailed and grey NPCs and foes. Also started The Knightling. For some reason, the game has noticeable FPS drops in the city without any obvious visual indicators why, aside from more NPCs around.

Hi, Could it be restored for the mobile version for several last pages (e.g., if the thread has 16, then 14, 15, 16) to be clickable without opening the thread? Also, to disable the suggestion of using the app, 'cause that aint happening. I acknowledge the security requirements, appreciate you making the update the least disruptive, and detest the bloat of the new version. The previous one looked and worked better.

https://www.gog.com/en/game/new_arc_line Not every steampunk game tries to be Arcanum, but it is THE Steampunk CRPG, so some developers seem to be trying. Granted, 9/10 times the UE5 tend to look and run poorly for me, thus, I am just watching the particular title.

Finished and strongly disliked The Talos Principle 2. It is the perfect example on how to spoil a decent puzzle game with splattering the "production values" onto everything. It also advertised the DLCs upon starting a new game. While the puzzles themselves are fine, the long runs between them, a lot of visual junk and voiced dialogues with a poorly-implemented skip function are infuriating. The lack of quick saving was irritating in the more complex puzzles and them unlocking only when I was looking at the end-game was unwelcome. So, I tried 2 of them, looked sadly at the fast travel system not working the one time I could actually use it (it activates only from the train and only for the puzzles in the other areas), and proceeded to the ending. Finished and liked Arcade Spirits 2: The New Challengers. Also started Laugh Track from the same developers (free to play with an optional donation DLC). Both are good visual novels. The former offers a lot of character customisation options, though some important parts are hardcoded (e.g. being young, non-disabled, and prone to "inspirational" speeches). Tried Vigilantes. Seems fine. Tried Insomnia: The Ark. Spent 10 minutes running in circles in the third area (appropriately called The Stop) trying to find how to progress. Then I was able to find the first door and walk 10m more, after which I reached a dark corridor with a broken bridge and a lot of invisible walls. The two issues are that the brightness is not possible to adjust in-game and the camera angle is very narrow and points downward (no target lock, as far as I can tell). While there might be an amazing branching sci-fi story with diverse and complex gameplay systems ahead, I like seeing things and not being able to do so does not encourage me to continue. Finished the demo for Tactical Breach Wizards and liked it. A quite jolly tactical game. Spent a few days on and off trying to get MIO to run and recognise the keyboard at the same time. Installed Linux Mint which solved the issue, but have not actually played it yet.

I have started The Talos Principle 2. It is an excellent example of how to mess up a perfectly fine puzzle game. Like, were the developers thinking "I want the player to stare only at the compass while they are trying to find the next puzzle room and jog there for several minutes". The puzzles are fine if easy. The TTP1 PC's rewrite is somewhat disappointing (to be fair, Larian do much worse).

I have a feeling that this is not the same game, but they do look very similar. --- Death Trash Bosses Other spoilers