Games Galore #001

I have decided to write more short reviews of videogames and quick glances at demos. Not sure what the best format should be. But the fact that I used three digits for the #001 in the title means I have a lot of time to figure it out.

Replaced

It is still quite unfortunate that we will never get The Last Nite. But regarding 2.5D pixel cyberpunk action-platformer Replaced is the next best thing.

In fact, this one feels like the ultimate flex in pixel graphics. Everything looks just fantastic. After you marvelled at the art they hit you with great lightworks. And after you got used to the 2D world they show you that they have not forgotten about the z axis.

The gameplay on the other hand is ... lacking. In games like this you usually have a bit of platforming, some light puzzles, and stealth passages. Replaced adds combat. In this demo the platforming and puzzles are very easy. During the stealth passage the player feels like moving through mud. The combat is the most interesting part, but also on the easy side if you have a few action titles. Sure, this was just the demo. Hopefully things get a bit more difficult.

Theres also a story, but I found I had no interest in that at all. The character you meet at the end of the demo seems more interesting than the player character.

Current mood: I will probably buy this game because of the insane pixel graphics. For everything else, I'll keep my expectations low for now.

The Eternal Life of Goldman

And another one with great graphics. Handdrawn. Strange creatures around every corner. The intro alone is better than the collected graphics of other games. The rest is platforming with some boss fights. The gimmick is the cane you can upgrade (and downgrade). So far so good.

Current mood: The gameplay is more interesting than in Replaced. But again, I will probably buy this because of the graphics. 
 

Croak

This one turned out exactly as I feared when I saw the trailer. I like the art a lot. But for me the gameplay is a nightmare. The bouncing around is not very precise. Or at least you need to spend some time with the controls to get a good handle on when to press which button for how long. It reminds me of Celeste which also drove me nuts. My mind is not build for this kind of platforming. There are enough people who like this kind of thing. Good for them. I am out.

Current mood: In this case I will (be ok with) just watching someone else do a playthrough.

The Artisan of Glimmith

I stumbled upon this via Thinky Games. The Artisan of Glimmith is »a cozy, relaxing puzzle game about coloring stained glass and restoring the artworks of a kingdom above the clouds.«
The puzzles are all in 2D, distributed in a 3D world. So you wander the world and click on the puzzles to solve them. The irritating part here is that some puzzles are hidden. You need to arrange your position and zoom to find them. I found that quite annoying. At the end of the demo I knew that I was missing one puzzle. I needed more than five minutes to find it - longer than solving any of the puzzles.
As for the puzzles themselves: For my taste they start too easy. It felt like I was bursting through the demo. But you also you get a glimpse of variations which will make the later puzzles more interesting.

Current mood: I guess I will buy this one when it comes out. Some easier puzzles might be nice for some late night gaming.

Titanium Court

Ok. The trailer is wild. Though I have no clue what to expect. So I played the demo. And I still don't know what I am actually playing. I like the weirdness a lot. But I don't like Move-Three-games.

Current mood: Maybe I will try the demo once more in a few weeks. Might be enough for me to watch some YouTuber play this on a second screen. 

Grimslair

It’s the Slay the Spire 2 waiting room. So I couldn’t help to pick up one of the deckbuilders during the Steam Next Festival. But in this case the demo takes too long to get going. I was bored before the game got going. Also I am not a fan of 2D deckbuilding games inside a 3D environment. This can work out, like in Inscryption, but here it felt unnecessary.

Current mood: Maybe I should give this one another chance?