Recent reviews by d4wn

This feels like a game from the PS2 era, but in a bad way.

The story in this game is weirdly strung together with some of it playing out through fully voiced cutscenes and other parts being through ingame NPC dialogue which isn't dubbed. The story also takes big jumps in between chapters leaving you guessing what happened in between. It also doesn't help the story telling that none of the gameplay dialogue is voiced, it is all just noises coming from the character and then text you need to read.

The gameplay itself is unfortunately also really underwhelming, even if it is designed like this with children in mind. This game is split up into three different books each with 6 chapters and where each book covers one of the three elements, water, earth and fire. Each chapter is a mix of puzzles, auto scrollers and boss fights. The puzzles were by far the worst part of this game and there is sadly a lot of them. None of them are really that challenging, just boring and slow. The autoscrollers weren't much fun either, they were really basic and every single one of them just feels like a reskinned version of the last. The boss fights were probably the most exciting part of the game, but they sadly also ended up feeling underwhelming later into the game. The probably only positive thing I can say about this game is that the fighting mechanics themselves were pretty good. They are very simple but fitting for the game and the visual effects of the attacks also look really cool. I did spend a bit of my time in this game just attacking the air to see all the different combinations of the elemental attacks.

I played this on the steam deck, which it ran well on, but I can't really recommend anyone playing this, kids or adults, it will suck either way. The price they ask for it in my region is also outrageous, this game has never been worth 50 euro, not when it was new and not now.
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A VR roguelike bullet hell game is a combination that I hadn't ever thought about before, but turns out to work really well.

This is in many ways very similar to other games in this genre, with different buffs to choose from after every round, different difficulties you can play at and with just lots of things to shoot at. Where this game is a bit different though, beside just being VR, is that the large hordes of enemies we usually see in this genre, are here replaced with boss battles. Here you go through waves of bosses and when it comes to crowd control it is against whatever ability the boss you are fighting is trying to attack you with.

Another place where this game has its own take on this, is where you in most roguelike games choose between different heroes, you here choose between different weapons. There is a total of 5 different weapon types to choose from, with each weapon being unique from the others. The available weapon choices are: (Every weapon variant is dual wielded.)

• The neon saber, which is a melee weapon.
  
• The radiator, which is a laser weapon.
  
• The lighter, which is a pistol with fire damage.
  
• The accumulator, which is a heavy machine gun.
  
• The icicle, which is a rapid fire freeze weapon.

My favorite was the accumulator, as it seemed to do the most damage and was the easiest to use. The neon sabers were by far the worst, as I just couldn't get them to work correctly. They were killing my wrists and didn't seem to do any damage at all. This is most likely just due to user error though.

This is the first VR roguelike bullet hell game I have played and I liked it. This genre works really well in VR. I also think the price is fair enough, most VR titles are priced much higher than the 10 bucks they ask. That said, I received a review copy of this game, so my opinion on the price is irrelevant since I didn't pay anything. I do still recommend it though.
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I found this game both challenging and boring at the same time.

Watching all those small balls bounce off the pins and hit the multipliers just wasn't as exciting as I had initially thought it would be. I also felt like it was missing a “better” feeling of progression inbetween the rounds, to make you feel like you improved since last attempt, something that you usually get from titles in this genre. In this game though every round just felt somewhat similar to the last, just with a higher point count. In addition to that, the effect cards, special balls and pin upgrades also got kinda boring and quickly felt repetitive. I feel like so much more could have been done with this, like actual cool effects on balls and pins that would have taken it to the next level, instead of just +x amount of dollars on hit, +1 extra ball and a small multiplier. All this together with the fact that I suck at this and kept losing pretty early on, made this game not click with me and I probably wont be playing any more for it.

It is a shame though, because I actually like the idea of a roguelike plinko game, I just cant recommend this when there are so many other better alternatives in this genre of games on Steam, that you can buy for around the same price.
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I don't normally play games like these, but this one did look pretty cool, so why not.

I think the closest to a game like this I have played in the past is Spirit City, which I did manage to idle in for around 300-400 hours. This one is very similar to that, with the lofi soundtracks, day and night cycle, weather system and the to do lists. This game does have a different take on it though, with a fully customizable room that you can pretty much do with what you want. The prop library is surprisingly big and it covers a wide range of different items, to where I could easily find everything I was looking for, nothing really felt missing.

That said I do have some wishes that maybe could be added in the future. It would be nice with the option to paint the walls separately and not be forced to always paint over all of them. In addition, having the option to place wall sections would also be a nice feature. I found it really fun trying to build a small compact apartment, but it was a bit hard since you can't put down walls to separate the room with and I therefore had to try to do it using objects, which was challenging. I also think Steam Workshop support could be a great addition to this game, giving the option to share and download player made rooms.

I was given a review copy of this game, so I didn't pay, but I did have a good time with it and I think the price is fair enough for a game like this. That said my opinion on the price is irrelevant when I paid nothing.
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Games like these are so ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ addictive and this one is no different.

I'm not normally a gambling man, but I did catch myself holding my breath a few times when scratching some of the high rolling cards, hoping for the big bonus and not to go billions into debt.

The start of this game is really exciting with a lot of highs and lows, like having earned millions of dollars killing your wrist, to then destroy all of that by scratching a ticket putting you billions in the minus, leaving you with no other option but to take a loan with a 6000% interest and work your way back up. Or at least until you, like me, figure out way too late that you can just throw losing tickets in the trash and not lose anything on them. This made me feel pretty stupid.

Late game is a totally different experience though. Once you "prestiged" a bit and got some of those good perma upgrades, this game transforms into pretty much every other game in this genre, a game you leave on in the background till you got enough of whatever you need to win the game. While I did still enjoy the late game, the early game is definitely where this shines the most and I definitely recommend trying it out.

It took me like 11 hours to finish and in that time I also tested it out on the Steam Deck which it also runs well on. This is definitely one of the better idlers I have played and especially for the 5 bucks I paid.
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This is the best music rhythm game I have played since Guitar Hero and it is in many ways also very similar to that.

I used to play a lot of Guitar Hero back in my Xbox 360 days and it was for a short while my primary game, so I was pretty excited when I randomly found this game on the Steam store.

This is a respectful and modern rendition of the old Guitar Hero games and it thankfully plays really well. I have played through some of the campaign now and a few songs I bought on the ingame store and it has been really fun so far.

I don't know how they managed to acquire all these "big" songs, but it really is what carries this game. There is quite a big set list with all sorts of different songs that can be beaten on the four difficulties, easy, medium, hard and extreme. In the campaign you will also face some songs with special modifiers attached. I am not a big fan of these modifiers, like when they force you to wear boxing gloves or the "Incoming attacks" effects where it shoots black oil on the screen. It is a fun idea, but I think it fits better as a mini game mode on the side than a part of the main campaign.

Like in Guitar Hero, there is an ingame store that sells different cosmetics. In this game you can shop for new skins for your hands, drum set and drum sticks, using the ingame currency that is earned by playing the game. You can also buy songs early that you havent unlocked yet.

I highly recommend this if you like me played a lot of Guitar Hero, Rock Band, Band Hero or whatever. The drumming is essentially a lot like it is in those games, though I feel like this might be more accurate to real life?
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Everything from the story, to the visuals and to the voice acting is spot on to what the show felt like and just really enjoyable, but man, do I wish the combat wasn't turn-based.

I assume this game is made with kids in mind and I find it hard to imagine how most kids would, first of all enjoy a fighting style like this, but also how they would be able to beat some of the fights you face in this game. I found quite a few of the fights in this game way more challenging than I think they should have been and some were just straight up frustrating. Thankfully I could just choose to run away and try to skip the enemies by jumping around them, but no kid is gonna do that. I know that not liking turn based combat is a personal thing and isn't something everyone is gonna agree with, but I just feel like this game would have benefitted a lot more from realtime combat.

One gameplay related thing I did really like though was the interrogations. I actually think they made them really well with the good cop, bad cop dynamic and where you try to feel the situation and characters personality before choosing what kind of response you want to give. These interrogations also blended really well into the cutscenes and made them feel playable in a way. Just a cool addition.

Another thing they did do really well is the world design. It is beautiful and they really did a great job transforming the 2D cartoon world into an explorable 3D environment. I was actually really surprised to see that they had gone for open world with main and side quests. Not really what I expected going into it.

Playing this game was like taking part in a long episode from the show, they really nailed this part of the game and that is why I recommend it. I think this is a good game for teens and adults that are fans of the show and who can accept the turn-based thing. I wouldn't recommend this to kids though, I think the gameplay is too complex and not all that intuitive really.
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This game is perfect for like a 5 year old, but any older than that and it would get too easy.

I'm too old to really know what this show is about, but I do know it is very popular with small children and since I have now played quite a few of these titles, why not try out Paw Patrol.

This is a very simple platformer. You run through a bunch of levels which are all so simple that if they were any simpler it would all just be one long flat surface. You play as these dogs, which I assume are the Paw Patrol, and your goal is to get to the other end of the level, straight forward. On the way you can collect dog treats and golden paw prints and if you happen to get everything in a level, you will unlock special awards after completing it. Every level also has a set of different special obstacles, which is anything from a broken bridge to a big gap in the level that the dogs will have to clear. You can counter these obstacles by using one of the dogs unique special abilities. This is all very easy to figure out in game, as there is a narrator constantly telling you what button to press.

I didn't finish this game and there is no way I was gonna finish it, it is just way too boring and that narrator kid backseating you throughout every level was really starting to piss me off. That said, I do think a 5 year old would enjoy this game, since you are constantly being walked through everything and every part of every level is very intuitive. That said, the 30 euro they ask in my region is steep and I don’t think it is really worth that much. Luckily it often drops down 75% during sale.
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This is probably the closest we get to a VR version of Wii Sports on steam.

I recently got this game on the spring sale for like 5 bucks I think. I had had it on my wishlist for a while as I was looking for the best VR alternative to Wii Sports and I think this is getting pretty close to that.

As of the time writing this review, there are 16 different playable sports in this game, some better than others. I decided to just review every single one individually. I'll start with the modes I liked.

I started out with archery, since it seemed like the easiest mode to really get right and it was pretty good, it worked pretty much as I expected. You shoot at a target and the one with the most points win.

In this game, basketball is just shooting hoops, that said, it was still fun and I was surprisingly good at it. The game shuffles you through different positions and you have to score a certain amount of points to advance. The first to finish all positions win.

Air hockey was also one of the better modes, but it has also been adapted to VR many times in the past. This is a 1v1 mode with powerups and you just have to score enough goals to win.

This is another really good mode and may be one of the best. Hit registration just felt right here and it was actually quite immersive. I played a few matches in this before moving on.

Boxing was also pretty fun. In boxing there are three different modes available to choose from. You can fight a match against an opponent, play beat boxing, which is a similar mode to Beat Saber or you can play heavy bag, which is just punching marked locations on a large punching bag. I liked both the beat boxing mode and the actual fighting.

Golf was also quite good, though pretty hard to get the feel for. It took me a while to really understand just how hard I had to hit, especially the closer to the hole I got. The game does help you though by automatically handing you the correct clubs for your position, so your job is just to put it in the hole. That said, it is harder than it looks and takes some getting used to.

This was definitely also one of the better modes. That said I didn't really understand the rules of darts before playing and I still don't, so I just kept losing. It did still feel pretty good though and if I understood how to play, I'm sure I would have enjoyed this even more and probably also played for longer.

One thing I do know how to play though is badminton. I played a lot of this when I was younger and while playing it again in this game isn't anywhere near what it is like in real life, it was still pretty fun. In this mode serving correctly also proved no issue, unlike in tennis which we get to later.

I believe this was the second mode I tried out, as I was really looking forward to playing table tennis again. The first round I got absolutely smoked, but I got a lot better after each attempt and it ended up being one of the better modes. I will say though, that the hit registration is questionable at times, so if you actually play table tennis a lot in real life, you probably won't enjoy this as much.


Like boxing, billiards also offers three different modes to choose from, 8ball, 3cushion and 4ball. I mostly played 8ball when testing it out. The biggest issue in this mode was definitely the guideline on the balls direction. In the start I thought it might just be me who sucked, but after further testing by lining up at different lengths and shooting, it was quite obvious to me that the line is off center on my headset, which makes it pretty hard to play this.

I was actually really looking forward to bowling, since I inherited my VR headset from my granddad who was an experienced bowler before he died. Unfortunately I had to give up on this gamemode, no matter what I did or at which angle I stood, the ball would fly out in the gutters and I think I only succeeded in hitting the pins once.

Volleyball was one of the hardest modes and it didn't feel good at all with the big Meta Quest 2 controllers clunking against each other all the time. I gave up on this before even finishing a match. This was also the mode where I was the most afraid of smashing my hands into something hard.

This was a weird mode and felt a lot like an old Wii Sports gamemode or maybe even like an old EyeToy game from the PS2 era. You pretty much just stand there moving your arms around to match the different colored symbols flying at you. You win when you dealt enough damage to your opponent.

Football was one of the worst modes in the entire game. Most of the time is spent running around after the ball and once you get it, your teammates end up running into you, stunning you and you then have to catch the ball again. This really sucked.

This could easily have been one of the best modes in the game, if it wasn't near impossible to serve a ball without hitting the net. Everything from hit registration to the auto movement was good, it was just the broken serving that made it unplayable for me.

At last, baseball. Baseball offers two different playable modes, a match and batting cages. Batting cages was alright and as expected, but when it came to playing an actual match, I think the AI just broke. In the match I played, the AI never actually successfully connected with a ball and I ended up quitting after a few minutes of just throwing balls around. If the AI isnt broken, it could also just be me not knowing how to play baseball.

Some modes are definitely better than others, but I think it offers enough good for this to still be a good VR game. I mean, it never forces you to play any modes that you may not like. So, overall, I think this is a good alternative to Wii Sports, especially if you also get the chance to get it for just a few bucks like I did.

One last thing, if you are someone who likes to hunt achievements in games, they seem a bit broken in this one, with achievements first unlocking after leaving the game and not all of them. Just good to know.
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I liked Battle for Bikini Bottom, but I liked this one a lot more. This is the best of the SpongeBob games I have played so far.

The story and cutscenes have improved a lot in this sequel and the game really benefits from it. The story flows so much better, and at times it felt like taking part in one long SpongeBob movie, which I really liked. It is a very linear game, but it doesn't feel like it at all when playing, it is made in a way where it makes you feel like you accidentally found the correct way on your own, but it was actually just guiding you the whole way.

The gameplay and combat also just felt smoother and more refined than it did in Battle for Bikini Bottom. That relates to both the free running, combat and the autoscrollers (I especially enjoyed the auto scrollers in this game, they were all super fun). Combat also just has more options in terms of attacks now, especially the heat seeking karate kick was cool and quickly became my preferred way of fighting and moving around.

I had a good time with this game, it ran well on the Steam Deck, the cutscenes were fun and it was exciting to continue through the game, unlocking new areas with their own biomes and unique themes.
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