The Gentleman Ducky

4 GAMES DEFEATED!

  • BROTHERS: A TALE OF TWO SONS

A simple puzzle game with a beautiful atmosphere and a pretty sad ending. I had fun playing the game even though none of the puzzles were very hard or required a lot of thought. The ending, on the other hand, was heart-breaking and tugged at my heartstrings. It’s a pretty casual game lasting about 4 hours. I imagine somebody not interested in the achievements might finish it sooner. I recommend the game, especially if you have a few hours to fill before starting another big game.

  • HOMEFRONT

Got this in the winter sale and only just managed to play it. It focuses around what would happen if North Korea invaded America and puts us in the shoes of a resistance fighter. It’s a pretty short game with only 7 levels and I’d say the story is quite mediocre. The multiplayer is dead, though I did manage to find one server, where I played for a few hours. The multiplayer is actually fun, where 2 teams, the Resistance and the Koreans, are pitted against each other. You are supposed capture points and kill enemies, which earns you battle points that you can use to buy vehicles and other additional things. However, since the multiplayer is dead, you’ll have a hard time finding a match.

  • HOMEFRONT: THE REVOLUTION

Another game I picked up in the Winter sale, even though, it was mostly negative at the time, iirc. I’m honestly glad to say that I enjoyed the game quite a lot, evident by the 77 hours I spent on it. The story is nothing special, focusing on the resistance effort in Philadelphia, and us playing as Ethan Brady, a new recruit. The Revolution is not a direct sequel to the previous Homefront. It is a reimagining which is based on what would happen if the technological boom had occurred in the Silicon River in North Korea, instead of the Silicon Valley. It features 3 separate zones; the red zone where there is no civilian presence and KPA patrols are very frequent along with giant airships in the sky; the yellow zone which is populated by normal citizens and where KPA presence is lower; and the green zone where the elite of the regime live. It is quite a fun game to play as most of the bugs have been patched out. There are still some bugs, like enemies just randomly vanishing but nothing game breaking.

I also managed to grab the expansion pass for this that contains all of the 3 single player campaigns. The first one called The Voice of Freedom is a prequel to the game and lasts about 45 mins to an hour. It’s story is mediocre and has Benjamin Walker, leader of the Resistance, navigating the subways while battling the 9-0, a group of survivalist nutters who’re against the KPA and the Resistance. The 2nd campaign brings back Ethan Brady, but this time he’s voiced! It’s set after the main game and involves rescuing, and if failing that, eliminating Benjamin Walker, who after being captured by the KPA, has been broken and is now being broadcast while spouting anti-Resistance propaganda. It’s a pretty good story campaign and I enjoyed it quite a lot. I won’t go into detail about the 3rd campaign since it is the best of the bunch and should be experienced firsthand.

The game also features a resistance mode where you and 3 other players are part of the Wraiths, a special resistance strike team and are tasked to perform missions in several areas of the main game. It has a skill system where after completing each mission, you gain money, which can be used to buy better gear, weaponry and attachments; and XP which can used to buy skills of your choice from 4 skill trees. It is pretty enjoyable but sadly I had to play this mode solo, since it is dead.

Homefront The Revolution was 10$ in the recent sale, which I think is a fair price for it. I suggest getting the expansion pass for about 5$ with it since it features some very good content.

  • LARA CROFT GO
    I picked this up in the recent sale since I had some money left and it looked fun. The game is more puzzle-oriented rather than focusing on action like the recent tomb raider titles. You walk from node to node, which counts as a single move, solving puzzles and avoiding enemies. There is a variety of enemies and puzzles which made me sit and think for a while. It has a great art style with brilliant colors that are just beautiful to watch. For about 3$, it is a steal if you’re in the market for a casual puzzler that won’t take up a lot of time.
bubblevixen83

Oh my days! I absolutely loved Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons. I admit, I actually cried at this game. It was only the second one to do so, (the first being To the Moon) and it was such a well written story, and I felt so attached to the characters all the way through. I didn’t actually have anything bad to say about it at all. It’s amazing how a game can hit so many emotions.

Lara Croft Go was one game that I wish I’d picked up in the sale, even if it was just to shelve it to play at a later date. I have very little time most days to play, so with you saying its a casual puzzler, and your overall experience was good, I guess I’ll re-add it to my wish list and hope that it goes on sale again a some point :D

The Gentleman Ducky

Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons is amazing. I loved it simply because I could easily relate to the dynamic between the two siblings, simply because that is the way I often interact with my younger brother. I had tears welling up in my eyes throughout the ending sequence, which is why this game is so memorable for me.

As for Lara Croft GO, you should definitely give it a try. Since there’s no strict narrative to the game, it makes it very easy to pick up and play the game whenever you have time for it. This is the first time I’ve played a game like it and it was pleasantly different from what I’ve experienced in terms of puzzle games. You have ample time to figure puzzles out because everything moves when you move. Overall, it’s a pretty solid game.

Formidolosus

Wow some good choices this month! I also loved brothers and enjoyed the homefront games, it is just a pity the multiplayer is dead. I tried playing on that same server and whilst it is a lot of fun, the ping is just too high for me. If ever you want to try and play the resistance mode with a teammate to get those few achievements, add me as a friend on steam. I only need the two achievements for reviving another played and letting them use an active skill, so I’m sure we could help each other out if you’re keen to get 100%.

The Gentleman Ducky

That sounds great! I’ll add you on steam though you might have to wait a little since I have already uninstalled the game and need to reinstall it which now makes me realize that I probably should’ve waited instead of being so hasty.

My ping in the Homefront servers was higher than the others on it but it was still manageable enough. However, the last few days even that server was empty and I just decided to leave it.

MiniTaurus

Lara Croft Go looks interesting, thanks for the review ^^

The Gentleman Ducky

You’re welcome! :D