BigBlueWolf

Batch 32 Complete

Four more games and September already gone. No monthly challenges in this batch.

Of course with October looming I intend to focus on horror games for a little while like I usually do. However I may have my backlog work interrupted. We are currently working with a rental broker to find a place to live in Portland. We have some fairly demanding needs, so it might take a bit to find a place. But once we sign a lease and start the moving process I’ll have to pause until we are settled in Oregon :D

Hope everyone is doing well and stay safe!

The Dwarves

The Dwarves

Beaten
Steam Review
15.5 hours, 5/10
31 of 34 achievements
Pint-sized disappointment
Beaten: 29-Sep-2020

Click the "Steam Review" button above!
Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice

Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice

Completed

10 hours, 8/10
14 of 14 achievements
Nordic pyscho-naut
Beaten: 1-Sep-2020

This game has utterly breath-taking graphics and amazing character acting. That's enough to make it worth playing when married to a short runtime. But it also has keenly crafted inner dialogue which breathes life into a woman who is losing her mind over tragic events that convince her to go on a quest to the "Underworld".

The combat is a different story. It's not quite as fun as you might expect, even a bit tedious. And as I got further along I found myself increasingly annoyed by it. In a way it feels tacked on, giving the player something else to do besides explore and react to emotionally charged scenery. At the end it's more of an excuse to make a point, but one that might take some players a lot of time to figure out. I think a lot of it could have been replaced with more puzzle-solving or more variety in combat objectives.

Definitely worth playing, especially because there's nothing quite like it out there.
Black Mesa

Trine 3: The Artifacts of Power

Won on SteamGifts
Completed
Steam Review
9.2 hours, 6/10
28 of 28 achievements
3D threesome
Beaten: 28-Aug-2020

Click the "Steam Review" button above!
The Turing Test

The Turing Test

Completed

6.2 hours, 7/10
15 of 15 achievements
Just keep testing
Beaten: 19-Sep-2020

This is is about as close to a clone of Portal as you can get. Although the story set-up is quite different, the basic game loop is reaching a room exit by manipulating buttons, switches, weighted cubes, light bridges and so forth ... just no Portal Gun. The rooms aren't nearly as challenging either. And your only companion? An AI that has nearly complete control of the facility.

So while it loses points on gameplay originality it does have some interesting banter between the characters.

I really can't think of much else to say. It's not bad. It just doesn't have anything that makes it a must-play experience.
aonrao

I recently finished Portal 2, so learning The Turing Test is very similar to Portal is a bit of a turn off. I’ll eventually get around to playing it probably, but not any time soon. Thanks for sharing your thoughts!

Arbiter Libera

I gave The Dwarves thumbs up on Steam, but otherwise also agreed with some of your points in my review. I just happened to like overall package more because it was more up my alley.