Recent reviews by javaDave

Ugh. This is a slog and not a game. You basically read (if you can stomach all the dialogue) and press the ENTER key a thousand or more times to make a few decisions. I just don't get the appeal and the Overwhelmingly Positive rating. And I will not spoil anything, but the spoiler part is dumb.

Definitely worth your time and money, or lack thereof!

2.5D is part of the challenge! This is a good game. It's a little "small," but the price point seems correct, and it's quite deep. I think if you like older isometric games like Transport Tycoon Deluxe, Locomotion, OpenTTD, etc. that emphasize strategy/gameplay over 3D graphics you will enjoy this game. It also seems to scratch the same itch as Project Highrise, which is also recommended, for me. I had my doubts, but the game is actually pretty difficult and poses good challenges as you reach the "inner city" higher level maps. And, it's not cheating difficulty; I failed a few maps and afterward I and was like "oh yeah, why on earth would I do that?" :)

It can be very stressful at times, but ultimately the freedom to play as you like keeps me coming back.

It's just an excellent game overall; highly recommended (look at my playtime)! ONI checks all my boxes: management, simulation, survival, creativity/design, interconnected systems, cuteness, comedy. And, it does them all very well. It's quite worth the price in my opinion. My only two dings are: endgame to me felt like a slog and no multiplayer (yet?).

Project Highrise is sufficiently complex and challenging to satisfy my management sim / builder itch. It doesn't have quite the level of sandbox freedom as other games and I think there are some patterns you have you to learn in order to succeed, but I just realized I also own all the DLC so that's saying something. With 80 hours of fun under my belt and a low price tag, I can say that I would recommend the game.

The perfect management, sandbox, crafting, strategy game! Oh, and you can vengefully use flamethrower turrets to incinerate the nasty aliens attacking your base.

Great visuals! Scrolling around the room and looking at the puzzles is a real treat. Similarly, watching (and listening to) the boxes, etc. "unfold" once you solve something is also very cool. Obviously, this is a puzzle game and I think it's pretty fresh and polished. The puzzles are well thought out and challenging enough. A couple of the "symbol" puzzles got slightly repetitive to me and a thus a bit annoying, but it was not very often that I felt that way. Tip: turn off hints (the ? at the top left of the screen). The puzzle difficulty level is just right in my opinion and anything that shortens your time in the game is a waste.

Bottom line: Recommended, but get it on sale. I guess it took me 4 hours to finish, so at five bucks it's probably a little steep since I usually use the dollar per hour rule. It's definitely a fun distraction that I wish was a bit longer.

Quite possibly the best sandbox game out there. So much has been said for you to read, but it's ten bucks and I have 142 hours on record. That equals "worth buying" and thus recommended.

Excellent remake! The attention to detail and ambiance are amazing and suck you in right from the get-go!

Everything is actually balanced just right. I cut my teeth on the XCOM from the Nineties and was leery about this game, but it gets it all right. Yes, there is some micromanagement missing (soldier carry weights, multiple bases, base defense design, etc.), but it all works together in the end to make for solid gameplay. This game is worth playing if you are a fan of the genre.

Value
As a quick measuring stick, I played one playthrough in about 70 hours and got the game on sale for around half off and consider that worth it. I may play another round with the Second Wave options and/or higher difficulty, but I suspect that will be it.