Hawke64

If I'm not mistaken, the lighting/light sources in cut-scenes are different from the ones during gameplay, which allows to improve performance (players see mostly their characters' backs), while keeping the perceived visual quality high. Not sure how it interacts with photo modes, though. Completed The Feast. It is a point-and-click adventure/visual novel, and is focused on the Russian society after the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The story follows a young person during a family dinner where a dead man is hanging from the chandelier. There are 3 meters (Approval, Ruining the Party, and Suspicion) and numerous actions determining the outcome. The visual and audio design are minimalistic, expressive, and fitting. The controls are not rebindable but comfortable enough - WASD movement and mouse for choosing interaction or dialogue options. While it is not possible to save the progress, the length of one playthrough is around 20 minutes. The settings are limited only to the graphics presets, and it is not possible to adjust the sound volume in-game. Song of Farca. The mid-game cases have (not clearly explained) choices, it seems. Or at least I cannot connect the MC's replies with the outcomes. Also, the late-game cases introduce a limit on the persuasion attempts, which would be great if it were consistent throughout the game and clearly indicated.

Thank you for sharing the article. I strongly detest TW3 and agree that cut-scenes and VA are a resource sink, but it does not mean that the cut-scene-heavy RPGs and action-adventures with light RPG elements (such an inventory system) are going anywhere. I just would prefer to stop calling TW3 and, for example, Assassin's Creed, RPGs. They are not, otherwise Half-Life is and we are role-playing Gordon Freeman. Also, Larian's D&D game has a lot of cut-scenes, and the MC auto-comments OOC and without the player's input, so it is quite "cinematic". Fortunately, as far as I can tell, there is enough freedom to roleplay and develop the player's character.

Song of Farca. The linearity is becoming slightly uncomfortable - the MC blackmailed a random person in order to get a gift for her girlfriend. I suppose, the game highlights nicely why you don't want anything in your apartment to be connected to the Internet unless absolutely necessary (so the phone and the PC only, with the cameras and microphones unattached or covered while not in active use). The story in general has been interesting enough - some of the cases are related to major city (the titular Farca) events.

Steam reviews are mostly negative at the moment. I assume, the PC post suffers from the typical lack of polish and optimisation*, which should be fixed by the next major Steam Sale. The game itself seems to be something between Nioh (of the same developer) and Sekiro. I have mixed feelings about both (disliked the RNG'ed piles of loot in the former and the movement/combat/controls in the latter, liked the wide range of the customisation options including the spirits and the coherence of the world/location; also the bosses). *Edit. Mentioned in the PC Gamer review, but briefly, and nothing about the KB&M controls, aka the native PC input devices.

Song of Farca. It's a point&click adventure/visual novel. Looks nice, runs well, though somehow linear. I've reached the point of applying everything to everything by the end of the second investigation. In retrospect, the solution does make sense, though. Tried Arx Fatalis. Was successfully defeated by the first guard. For some reason, Steam Overlay wasn't working and the proposed on the forums solution did not help. Tried Celeste. Looks and runs well, and the climbing mechanic is interesting. The map, on the other hand, seems rather complex.

Finished Blue Fire. Managed to die once to the second-to-final boss. Defeated the final boss on the first attempt, but I doubt that I would be able to do so without looking up the guide after burning through a half of the healing items (the jumping outside of the arena part was unconventional, to put it politely). Overall, the game is fine, but rather light on the story and has some odd gameplay design (the wall-running controls and the sense of depth, in particular). Review:

I loved the game and I am happy to see that Obsidian are not going to worsen its performance or force me to download the content I cannot use. Considering that they did mess up the critical path in PoEII in one of the last updates, seeing that this is optional and, to be completely safe, paid is a relief. Which also reminds me that I wanted to replay both of them (PoEII before the "Ultimate" update, of course).

The Forgotten City. The game looks gorgeous on medium settings, and there is a photo mode.

The Forgotten City. Replayed the beginning as a soldier (had a gun and 10 bullets), discovered that a. (most of) the NPC don't have their keys on them (e.g. Horatius, the Philosopher, Desius) and b. the bullets can stop the shooting golden statues. So still had fun with it, though would prefer to be able to get the keys.

The Forgotten City. Completed the game. It is an excellent adventure game with immersive sim elements - the investigation makes sense, the writing and dialogues are consistent and fitting, the controls and movement are comfortable, the combat is present yet non-intrusive.

Completed Lamentum. It is a horror adventure game with combat. The main character arrives at an old mansion with his wife in hopes of saving her. Then something goes wrong, and the amnesiac protagonist spends the rest of the game looking for her in the mansion overrun by the undead. The more-talkative inhabitants of the mansion can provide assistance or hinder his search. Unfortunately, it is not possible to knife the suspicious but not outright hostile NPC. On the other hand, there are several weapons to dispose of the visible monsters, though combat in general is somehow clunky - there is delay between pressing the dodge button and the MC dodging and the weapons found later in the game, while more powerful, are also slower. The lack of rebindable controls does not help. The boss battles are unavoidable and reasonably challenging. But the bosses are not the only obstacle. Most of the puzzles are logical and there is enough information to solve them, thus gaining access to other parts of the mansion. The maps have to be found and are reasonably helpful - they show the current objective, discovered save points (the game uses manual saving at checkpoints), opened paths, and the current location. What they do not show is whether everything has been collected, and there are no maps for some of the areas, which is related to the several flaws of the game - the inventory space is limited and there are missable items that affect the endings. While it is possible to achieve a reasonably satisfying one, the "best" ending requires collecting several missable barely visible items, some of which in the temporary accessible areas without maps. Some of the less important items are hidden behind the environment as well. The graphics, sound, and GUI are good. Overall, recommended despite the above-mentioned issues. Started Record of Lodoss War-Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth-. The game looks gorgeous, the movement is fluid and the controls are rebindable, though the mouse is not supported. As I understand, the story is a prequel or a sequel of an anime series.

Alaloth.

Played for 2 hours and requested a refund. It is a hack and slash action game. You get attribute points from clearing combat zones. There are character customisation and AI-controlled companions, but no dialogue choices, non-combat skills, or tactical combat (can't give commands to the companions or pause). One save slot per character.

Started Alaloth. It gives me the "Diablo with stamina" impression so far, but the store page claims similarity to Pillars of Eternity. Has anyone played and/or completed it? Blue Fire. Reached the Steam House and got 3 (out of 4) McGuffins. In general, despite the level design and story, the action/platforming-focused gameplay is quite enjoyable, even if simplistic. The penalty for falling into lava is also very low - 1/4 of a heart (I think, you start with 5-6 and obtain one more for every challenge room completed) and returning to the nearest safe platform, except for the challenge room, which return to the last checkpoint within the room.

Not exactly news, but RockPaperShotgun has been covering noteworthy independent games about magic this week. https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/celebrate-magical-games-of-witchcraft-and-wizardry-with-magic-week-on-rps https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/the-last-spells-magic-ruined-the-world-and-im-so-here-for-it Considering the volume and quality of the new releases on Steam, it is most welcome.

Blue Fire. Reached the Lava River, defeating 2 main bosses on the way. It is a metroidvania, after all. The level design even in terms of gameplay has become noticeably odd - in many cases I was not sure if I was on the right path (clipped through a wall once). The story came to the "gather 4 McGuffins" (a knight's soul fragments) part with the MC being the chosen one. In general, the story is certainly present, but somehow as generic as it can be. Same with the combat - it is there, but poorly made. The character development system includes the HP (for completing the platforming challenges), MP (for XP from combat), damage (the swords found), and passive abilities (e.g. higher movement speed or negating the falling damage). On the other hand, the robes (the only aspect of visual customisation) are somehow amusing, though they do not provide any gameplay advantage. Replaying Shadow of the Colossus. It is an excellent and concise action game - only the Colossi to slay, no gathering/crafting/trash mobs, no Assassin's Creed-like icon hunting. Also, the aiming somehow much more comfortable than in Uncharted, though less comfortable than it would be with a mouse.

Started Gamedec (it's been on my wishlist for some time, but I've got it during EGS giveaway). It is an RPG, but dialogue-focused and without a combat system. The graphics are nice, and the fixed camera angle and position are welcome. There are several character customisation options (also several premade PCs, including the MC from another game), though allocating the stats before the Professions (i.e. the thing you need the stats for) are known seemed rather odd. The dialogues have some easily noticeable typos, and the general quality of writing, while adequate, is lower than in Disco Elysium. On the other hand, it does not have RNG skill checks - you either have the information/Profession/previous action or you don't, which is brilliant. The dialogue options provide some space for roleplay, but they also required to earn stats (the stat-giving options are marked only after they have been chosen) to unlock more dialogue options. I think, there is an overarching story, though I am in the middle of the second case, and it does not seem anyhow connected to the previous one. The journal and the Deduction (decisions?) pages could give more context, but decent otherwise. I probably will pause the playthrough for now. Started Blue Fire. It is a platformer, which I had thought to be a metroidvania. The controls are partially rebindable and comfortable. The graphical settings are lacking, but the game is heavily stylised (the MC looks like a balloon with a cape). The location design is fine for a platformer - does not quite make sense in terms of realism, with the Void (challenge rooms) having floating platforms with spikes.

Despite it neither being isometric nor having a silent protagonist (i.e. less resources would be wasted on decreasing roleplay options in an RPG), it sounds generally fine. Console-orientated controls handle tactical combat poorly either way, and a hub has been around for some time. While the game originally seems to have MP elements, at least it is single-player now, and hopefully single-player only.

Same. It was fixed in DSR, which was a much more enjoyable experience. In the later FormSoftware games (I think, from DS3 onwards) there was full KB+M support, from 5-button mice to the correct on-screen prompts. I would like to play Demon's Souls on PC as well, though due to it being a PS# (4? 5?) exclusive, it is unlikely. Bloodborne also would be welcome, but it seems to require quite quick reaction time. In general, the input device is a personal preference and the only possible issue is the quality of the port, not the game's features (granted, I doubt that grand strategies or FPS are fun with controllers, but it is not impossible to optimise them). I find playing anything with a controller much harder than with KB+M/KB only. The current frame of reference are Dragon's Dogma (a perfect PC port) and Prince of Persia (2008; some QTEs are extremely hard to complete with controller).

Expeditions: Rome. The location design is impressive, considering the perspective. Also, the surface effects, which are somehow more user-friendly than in DOS2. The timers are not so much. The dialogues are interesting. Not quite "I don't like you. Die!", though.

DS2 v.2 is somehow more diverse yet consistent than DS2 v.1 in terms of enemy encounters and item locations, at least. I've heard that the lore-friendly reason why the areas are seem to be taped together is that the PC is losing their memories due to the Undead Curse. The out-of-universe reason is the developers running out of funds and time, as far as I know. DS3 has a similar location structure to DS2, but with a more clearly articulated in-game explanation (the resting places of the Lords of Cinder are the only things to remain while the world is collapsing into itself) and definitely not due to the deadlines. I think, Sekiro is the only other FromSoftware game on PC that had an interconnected world similar to DS1, though the "paths" are still more linear than in DS1. Expeditions: Rome. Conquered the first area, only the story quests left. The general opinion (better combat, but more bloat and RNG than in Vikings) has not changed.

I'd say that ME3 lacked the player's agency regarding the MC (the whole Earth thing - none of the backgrounds would see it as anything more than a prison, but especially the PTSD dreams; I'd be more sympathetic if it was a pyjak the MC accidentally ran over in the first game) and the Cerberus plotline was somehow odd (Kai Leng and the BBG's long monologue at the end; the latter was thematically justifiable but nonetheless irritating). I somehow disliked the insinuation that the uncontrolled military "doing what needs to be done at any cost" is an anyhow good thing, but it might be the logical continuation from the first game and the Spectres. Would prefer to be able to swap Hackett for anything else or at least purposefully disconnect mid-call, though. Structurally and in terms of pacing, ME3 seemed fine, the gameplay had not changed much from ME2, most of the story lines got some conclusion. Some side quests were timed and it was reasonable to complete them (e.g. so the opponents don't gain resources).

Finished Uncharted 3. I suppose, it was somehow entertaining - the locations and graphics in general looked good, though the story, combat, and controls varied from ridiculous to horrible. I managed to punch my way through most of the opponents, because it was nearly impossible to aim with a controller. Binding the grab attack and rolling to the same button was a rather unwise decision by the developers, even taking the general lack of keys into account. The MC was completely unable to plan anything beyond "Nate wants the treasure", while murdering hordes of evil minions and destroying historical buildings. The said minions had no self-preservation, but were able to almost literally rain from the sky. The pacing in general was quite good in the beginning, but descended into arena battles in the late game. I guess, if it was a parody of the American action movies from the 90s, it was successful.

MEA has jetpacks and a controllable car. And the Vaults (more platformer-like sequences). Also the MC not being a part of the military was refreshing, considering ME3. DAI certainly was very enjoyable when I had more time and the ability to focus. Tried replaying it for the 3rd or 4th time a year ago on Hard with some of the new difficulty options enabled. The combat was satisfying (everything could one-hit you), but there was too much of it (and exploration). A more concise (DAO/2) presentation would be preferable. Haven't played Anthem, not fond of online-only DRM and looter-shooters in general. After playing Expeditions: Rome a bit more the lack of maps and the presence of RNG and timers on activities (e.g. crafting, healing, resource capturing) are becoming more irritating, but the tactical combat is engaging enough. On another note, I missed the control and the exact numbers in DAI ("We don't have enough people to storm the castle" "How many people do we have? The ones at the courtyard?"), but in Rome the very same things feel overwhelming. I would prefer to know them still, but also to give the legion more general directions (e.g. to capture all resources in a conquered region, instead of clicking on each one then waiting), while micromanaging only the major battles.

Completed Momodora - Reverie Under the Moonlight. I suppose, it was decent, though the combination of saving system and insta-killing environmental hazards was unpleasant, and the no-damage boss battle rewards puzzling. Also the contact damage. It should not exist unless the foe is covered in spikes. The graphics, sound, and controls were good. The story was there and it was enough to explain why the MC goes on a murder spree, but nothing exceptional. The combat and character development were rather minimalistic and too much focused on the bow - there were several upgrades for it and only one for the melee weapon, which apparently determined the ending. After some progress in Expeditions: Rome the positive changes from Viking became more apparent - the looting system (you can loot multiple corpses in one click, there are less containers with generic materials in general) and the companion interactions (you can ask them about the missions completed, though the replies are rather limited). The combat system is definitely more fluid and engaging (some abilities that can be used without spending an action point, some class-specific, some equipment-specific; though the latter, equipment stats in general, are RNG-reliant, which is unpleasant). Also most of the management and some of the customisation options are bound to the Legion Management.