Recent reviews by Vernerus

Nice puzzle game, but you need to be patient with the clunky mechanics (especially jumping). Interesting premise and world design. To completionists : some highly missable collectibles/achievements, but there is a good guide which doesn't spoil the puzzles and story.

Unless you're looking for something very casual, I would not recommend this game for two reasons :

- puzzles are too easy and convoluted at the same time. You basically end up with few items in your inventory, and combine them more or less randomly with the few hotspots you can interact with. It's not satisfying.
- joke fatigue : every single line is a joke. Kinda funny at first, but it gets old fast. The same goes with your simpleton sidekick.

At its core, it's a very linear succession of basic puzzles. But the captivating atmosphere and expert execution keep you engaged nonetheless. Despite its gloomy setting, it plays very well as a 'sit back and relax" adventure game with a memorable story. As a side note, I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the young child's voice acting.

Only recommended to fans of old-school point and clicks who are curious about this series.

In terms of gameplay, length and general production value, there are many better games of this type out there. But despite the flaws, I loved the main characters and the writing. The commentary was interesting too.

Recommended to amateurs of "Where's Waldo" only :

+25 maps
+the "aliens vs humans" theme is well executed, with a light story and varied scenes
+a lot of stuff to look for
+you can zoom
+casual-friendly : clues are provided and you don't need to find every single element to get to the following section

+/-most elements are easy to find, but some are much harder; so if you're a completionist you may need a guide or a lot of patience

-the dialogues at the start of each mission are annoying (you can skip them though)
-the gameplay is very limited, as in any game of this type I guess. Unless you're a fan of the genre, it gets boring quickly. I liked playing it in short sessions while listening to music though.

Very fun , BUT :
- the "existential" theme and the abstract world may not be your cup of tea, though it gives a strong identity to the game.
- some very stupid achievements (stupidly grindy or stupidly hard), so not recommended if you want to 100% it.

Casual, pretty good for short sessions or a mindless "podcast game".

++a very well executed top-down view of an original world
+you can save everywhere, easy to pick up
+the land combat is basic but enjoyable
+good variety of weapons
+the grappling mechanic is fun
+bosses are a decent challenge on hard difficulty
+the story is ok, with interesting twists

-I didn't like the ship part. I found the movement sluggish and the repairs/oil management is annoying.
-The writing is average at best. Is it intended for children ?
-There are different characters and locations, but none are fleshed out enough or offer meaningful interaction.
-the crafting part is very generic. It's a shame because the world had the potential to make it fun
-the "raids" are not fun. Fortunately they are completely optional.
-two grindy achievements

It's very satisfying to see your arcade business grow and beat the different arcades meanwhile.

It's more an interactive movie than a video game, but who cares. The writing is a very enjoyable mix of scary, funny and mystery elements. The characters are well fleshed-out and the acting is amazing. Your choices actually define who gets killed or not, enticing multiple playthroughs.

It's not a RPG, but a sophisticated visual novel mixing all the contemporary tropes with older ones. It would be better as a book, but would still not be a very good book.

Pros :
- Some excellent artwork and music
- Well-written prose
- Fleshed out characters

Cons :

1) It's shallow.
- First trope : we play an alcoholic, a glorified loser and an amnesic detective. Wow, how original. I chose to go blind with this game, but knowing this alone would have made me very suspicious.
- Second trope : the ideological "alignments". You are repeatedly urged to choose between caricatures : the heartless capitalist, the despicable fascist or the delusional communist. if you don't, the game labels you as "boring" !
- Third trope : a world with poor nice people exploited by big bad companies, where revolutions are aborted because of foreign imperialists. Nothing new here, except dozens of names dumped at you, without real significance .
- Meaningless choices : whatever ideological alignment you choose, or whatever path you take to solve a quest, it feels you're still on rails.

2) It's not fun
- "skill checks" are dice rolls. Frustrating when you fail, not rewarding when you succeed. I know, it's a common mechanic in RPGs, but sadly not a fun one.
- your "skills" are actually a bunch of stats, you know, for skill checks.
- you have a list of duties, with limited time, and you need to find money to pay your room. Does that ring a bell ?

3) A bland world
- The map is a bit confusing and not interesting to look at.
- There is not much interaction with the world or it's very generic (highlight the trash you can pick up, click on it, select a tool to open a container to get more trash, use a torchlight in dark places...)
- It feels very static. There is no life in this city.

Overall a pretty disappointing experience, given the exceptional praise for the game.