Recent reviews by sweetcuppincakes

At its best, Indika is a shining example of how games can convey ideas and tell stories in ways that other mediums cannot. At its worst, it is dull to actually play.

Going from point A to point B is often uninteresting, but it is a way to move the story along, show off the strange world that is mystifying and familar at the same time, or gives the characters an opportunity for conversation. The puzzles and obstacles are not that interesting either. However, the mechanics, the visual style, the plot, characters, and dialogue all work together so well.

Indika most definitely left its mark. It made me feel so much hope and sorrow for the characters. It has some significant things to say about religion and faith and a person's struggle to make sense of the nonsensical.

Indika is a game that is heavy on style and ideas, but light on gameplay. There isn't really anything "fun" about playing it, but I am glad that I stuck with it. This is certainly not a game for everyone, but is one to check out for those who appreciate games as art.

Hollow Knight but with robots. Haiku is not shy about where it draws its inspiration. HK is a great game to imitate though, and Haiku does it well. The sparse color palate and somber music create a beautifully dismal world in decline. There's plenty of exploration and little details to discover. The care that went into this game shows in all aspects.

I'm writing this review after my first win and based on the collection, I have maybe a third of everything unlocked. I can see this being a game that I spend countless hours on. It is already my favorite deckbuilder. Balatro's mechanics just click for me. The poker theme may seem simplistic compared to games like Slay the Spire and Monster Train, but when a game is crafted well, you can just tell. And on top of that, the style is so crisp. The effects on the cards are great. The art is fun. As limited as a deck of cards can be creatively, Balatro has run with the theme. All around, this is a solid game that I think about when I'm not playing it. Discovering how to "break" the game is so fun. I've achieved a hand that earns me over 1 million chips (only $13), but based on Endless mode, this appears to be barely sufficient. I look forward to seeing how far I can take Balatro.

This is a great local multiplayer/party game. I have a lot more than my listed hours, but Steam doesn't count offline playtime. The more players, the better, but it is still fun with 2 players. There's a good variety of game types. Don't be deterred by the graphics. Requires controllers, but I've never had any compatibility issues playing with a variety of different controller types.

Fun to delve into for the complexities, but also fun to chill and dominate. I find it's a good game to play in small batches when you're in the mood for a run or 2. Fun in co-op too. Very easy to recommend, especially for such a low price and with all the continuing updates.

I would play a 40 hour version of this awkward not-really-pizza-man trying to bluff his way through undercover missions by lying about his cooking ability and trying to pull off amazing dance moves.

I beat this game months ago and still think about it. It is one of the more bizarre worlds I've gotten to experience in a game. It's haunting, violent, mysterious, and heavy in atmosphere. There is no dialogue and nothing is spelled out for you. I didn't have an issue with that at all. I devised an explanation that makes sense to me. Whether it is what the developers intended or not, I don't know, but I feel like that is what was intended. Scorn is not an action game. The combat can be frustrating and at times feels tacked on. This is a strange and contemplative puzzle/walking simulator inspired by H R Giger. Seems some people didn't understand that going in, but I got exactly what I wanted from the game.

An obvious homage to Shadow of the Colossus, which isn't a bad thing at all. I didn't like the survival elements or having limited inventory slots. Those and the snow storms made it a hassle to explore, which was a pleasant part of SotC. Also unfortunate because it seemed like they put some thought into creating some interesting puzzles. I did like having the parachute and hookshot. Otherwise, it plays mostly like SotC, just maybe not as good all around. Still, it is worth playing to get to experience climbing and taking down giants again.

I bought DRG during the Summer sale 2021 and it has already become one of my most-played games. With randoms, with friends, or solo, there is a lot of fun and challenge to be had. It has the best and friendliest community. There are now officially supported mods for all sorts of QoL and fun changes. And a completely free battle pass. This is a dev that really gets it. Rock and Stone!

You get to kill your dad over and over again. It's great!

For a game that's all about repetition, they did a good job of advancing the story piece by piece and keeping your attention. It also has a variety of weapon styles and challenges that keep things fresh. There are some interesting ways of incorporating grinding into the gameplay loop that don't make it feel so grindy. Also it's just fun to play.