Tackling the Itch.io Equality bundle (Batch #1)

Shipwreck is a Zelda clone where you go through different dungeons to retrieve artifacts. The game is similiar to Zelda (specifically Link's Awakening) in many ways. Heart containers, combat, dungeons, story. Even some references.

The story isn't much but the dungeons are fun and it's not very difficult. Sadly I can't review any further because I ran into a game breaking bug. At the very last dungeon I ran into a problem where I can't get passed because enemies that I have to kill won't spawn. I tried writing to the developer so I'm just waiting for a reply.

Hopefully I can beat this some day but for now I'll give it a 3/5. It's worth it for the 3 dollars on steam

Dominique Pamplemousse (say that ten times fast!) is a very unorthodox stop motion point and click musical. You heard that right! There's a lot going on in this game.

You play a detective who is hired to find someone. The gameplay is normal point and click style. Most of the time you'll be talking to the same four characters. The music is awful, but the game is charming enough to forgive it. The game really wasn't for me, but I will give it the fact that it has charm and uniqueness. I've definitely never seen anything like it.

Check out the screenshots and trailer and see if it's for you. Personally I wasn't into it and I think it fits in a very niche department. I'll give it a 2.5 out of 5. For the $1 price tag it is definitely worth it. You can tell the people who made the game had a lot of fun.

A Mortician’s Tale is a short little game where you just got the job at a funeral home. You have to cremate, embalm, and clean the bodies as well as attend the funerals.

You get an email everyday telling you who the deceased is and how they should be presented at the funeral. You also get email updates about the company you work for. Once you read the email, you do whatever task it asks. Each process is really easy and just requires a step-by-step process.
It does get repetitive pretty quickly and there's isn't really anything compelling about it, but I enjoyed learning about how the process works (or at least the quick version of it.)
You can also read daily updates from a funeral blog. I actually enjoyed the blog the most because it was really educational and brought up some things I've never thought about.

Overall, the gameplay is basic but the story and theme of the game keeps you interested. It does have a strangely abrupt ending that makes you think the game could have been something great if they fleshed it out with more features.

I really enjoyed the game though. I felt like I learned some things and it addressed some heavy themes with a different perspective. I'll give A Mortician's Tale a 3.5/5. I don't think it's worth it for the 10 dollars on steam but it is for the 2 dollars it's on sale right now.

Long Days Gone is a turn based pixel rpg. You play Rourke, a new recruit who goes on his first mission and realizes, he might be fighting on the wrong side of this war…

Long Days Gone is a surprisingly good game! It has a very interesting story with equally likable characters. The dialogue is nicely written and I really enjoyed the pixel and 2D art. The beginning is a lot more compelling them the middle, but that's because it does have a very strong hook.

The gameplay is not too interesting. It's turn-based combat with probability mixed in. You pick a target and then choose which part of his body to hit (head, arm, body). The head is critical damage but low accuracy. The body is low damage but high to medium accuracy. The arm is low damage and high accuracy, and usually has a chance to stun.

The game also uses a morale system which I thought was really neat. Depending on what missions or choices you choose, your team can gain or lose morale. If they are happy and have high morale, you get more critical hits in battle. additionally, if you use skills in battle, your character will lose morale. It's a nice balance.

The game isn't finished yet, it's missing the last chapter, but i'm enjoying it so far. It also has a ton of side missions, so you can easily spend a good chunk of time on it.

Overall I'll give Long Days Gone a 4 out of 5. $15 does seem steep, so maybe not full price, but if it looks up your alley, it's not an unreasonable price. If you got it on itchio, definitely give it a shot!

Orion Trail is a luck based choose-your-own adventure game. You have stats and different situations, and you have to choose the right answers to not run out of food,fuel, hull etc. The higher your stats are for each choice, the more chance you’ll win the situations.

I'm not sure whether to put this in the "good" or "meh" category for a few reasons. It's a lot of fun and I enjoy the different scenario's it comes up with. Picking and naming the crew is neat and so are the solo missions you can go on. The problem is that the game is entirely luck based. There is little to no skill involved (except picking the right stats which is really easy) and your winning or losing just depends on what marker the spinner lands on. You can be doing amazing one second and the next, land on a skull and lose half your fuel.

There is also not really an endgame cutscene, or at least in the itchio version, so It was really anticlimactic when I finished it.

Overall I did have a lot of fun. I liked building the crew, reading the situations, deciding the least dangerous paths. I'm still going to consider this a good game and give it a 3.5 out of 5. Just know what your getting yourself into!

I really enjoyed this game. Dead & Breakfast is a story about Corine Cross. Corinne’s high school acquaintance, Gale has recently died. She promises Gale’s sickly mother that she’ll look after the house while she recovers in the hospital. Little did Corinne know, that it was a haunted bed & breakfast!

The game mostly consists of gardening, cooking, and talking to ghosts and living beings. Everything is really easy and it’s a very relaxing game. The characters are very likable and it has a lovely little story.

The game is just delightful and wholesome, with a good story. It also has a new game plus feature. I haven't used it, but I appreciate that it exists.

Overall, Corrine Cross deserves a 4 out of 5. It's worth the $5 dollars on steam or a moment of your time on itchio.

Death and Taxes was on my wishlist so I was very happy it showed up in the bundle. The game is similar to Papers, Please and other related games, in the way that you have to make choices that will effect the outcome of the world and ending. You're the new grim reaper. Summoned to choose who lives and dies. You do have to follow certain rules of course, we aren't barbarians! Will you decide to follow the rules even if you can see how it effects the world?

The game is a lot of fun and if you enjoy papers, please you'll probably enjoy this. It has a more light hearted tone, even if it is talking about the subject of death. There are multiple endings, interesting characters, and fun outfits to wear.

I'll give Death and Taxes a 4 out of 5.

Just Another Day at the Office is a sidescroller game where you get fed up at work and decide to murder your co-workers. Everything about this game is low effort. No original assets, movement and gameplay is janky. Dialogue is horribly written. This is just one of those games that can be made in a matter of minutes.

Destiny Fails Us is a choice based otome about a girl named Idril. She is trying to balance school, friends, home life, and her recent break up.

The game isn't groundbreaking or too unique, but it has some good qualities. The writing isn't bad and a lot of the characters are likable. Some characters are very unlikable and you wonder why the mc gives them her time of day, but thats a small flaw.

The game has some darker themes that it explores, which did give it a more interesting plot. I haven't done all the paths, but it did make me curious on how things would go. It also has some small stat building and a text message feature where you can sometimes respond to friends or family.

The writing can be generic but it's also believable and there are many paths this VN can go. The art is not great, but it makes up the effort the creator put into the story.

This VN won't amaze you, but it could be worth your time. I'll give it a 3.5 out of 5.

Lonely Wolf Treat is a cute little rpg-maker game about a wolf who is stranded by an avalanche and forced to live by a bunnies village. The wolf, who is used to relentless discrimination, is surprised when a little bunny wants to make him curry…

The game is very basic and to the point. No side quests or extra activities. You follow a one hour story to the end. It has nice art and music and the message is wholesome. There’s nothing you won’t predict, but for free, it’s a nice one hour spent.

1365 is a platformer where you ignore your anxiety and get through your first day of school. Overall the game isn’t very good. The message is nice but it's been done before many times. The platforming isn’t fun. The controls are too slidey and it’s hard to land on specific spaces. Some enemies were impossible to get through without getting hit. At first I thought it was designed that way, but way to many times I fell down when it wasn’t possible otherwise. There isn’t really an ending and it just kind of abruptly ends. It’s only like 20 minutes and it left me feeling empty.

Can Androids Pray is a short game where you play a dying android who is talking to another dying android about life, god, and the meaning of it all.
This just wasn't for me. I didn't really feel connected and I needed more backstory to put myself in their shoes.

I don't think it's so much the game makers fault but my own preferences. Overall it was just okay.

Conversations With My Anxiety is a cute little game where you go on a first date and try not to flub it up. You make choices and every so often the little anxiety people in your head attempt to complicate things. There isn't much to it and it's fun but not too memorable. Overall it had some sweet and funny moments and I'd give it a 3 out of 5.