Recent reviews by Sparky

Polished and effective at what it does. Frustrating to develop in, limitations everywhere. But if you want a no-thoughts, pre-baked, console-like experience with socializing in VR, this is where you go.

If you want to have any control over your avatar, better be ready to learn 3 other programs (one of them a SPECIFIC outdated version) that you need to use in order to import. Or just go to NeosVR.

But if you want to drop in, mess around, relax, and have fun without thinking too hard, go for it!

TURN THAT BIOSLAVE GRINDSET INTO A CEO MINDSET

TOXIC SHOCK THE COMPETITION IN THE GAME THAT SQUADS EVERYWHERE ARE CALLING "The new Gorbino's Quest" AND Punishment RATES 15.6 OUT OF 10 STARS

INVEST IN GAMESGAMES STOCK, MUTANT.

FACTS ABOUT THE AVERAGE CRUELTY SQUAD PLAYER: HIGH IQ, SOFTWARE DEVELOPER, INTJ. THAT'S ME.

It's got a bucket of chicken. I've got a bucket of chicken. Is gud.

It's alright.

Spiral Knights meets Minecraft. Mysticism mixes with technology as you use arcane artifacts to bend the world around you to your will.

That's just the aesthetic, though. The atmosphere is spot-on, from the music (that is, I'll admit, eerily similar to Minecraft's) to the guttural growl of the Miru outside your house as you hide in the light of your moss-burning torch. An eager chase after a nearby Keepa, holder of the arcstones that make such pretty little lights. The awe and shame as you accidentally light a tarpit on fire with your torch. It's all delightful, and it reminds me why I loved playing Minecraft years ago!

I'll admit I'm not very far into the game at all at this point of writing. I've only just gotten my Iron Mining Cell, but I had a heap of fun getting there with my friend. And this game is very much worth playing with friends. Perhaps while you're in voice chat, if possible?

Other reviews say it as well, but this game is immensely easy to set up servers on. Just hop in game, create a world, and start inviting friends! You can even set a password.

This is the only strategy game I feel good when playing. Normally, strategy games are either so insultingly easy you steamroll the enemies without really working out a plan, or complicated enough that I don't understand what's going on when I'm suddenly wiped out.
This game isn't like either of those! There are challenging moments, frustrating events, hilarious little quirks, and of course, beautiful digital environments, but all in all, the game is really genuinely fun to play. I just wish there was more to do, since it ends so quickly.

I don't really know what there is to say about this game, really. It's a ubiquitous game here on Steam, a unique experience as smooth as butter. Buy it! You won't regret it.

I really can't recommend this game. I can't put my finger on why without sounding petty, but I was just overall disappointed while playing this. Nothing seemed to go as expected, I didn't feel like I was actually accomplishing anything most of the time, and the ending was a letdown to me.

I liked some of the puzzles. Some were quite creative! The music and art was nice, too. The hint system was good, most of the time at least. Despite all of this, though, I was unhappy with the game, I'm sad to say. I cannot personally recommend it, but perhaps somebody else will enjoy it despite my pooh-poohing.

The story isn't that great, but it makes up for it with some spectacular suspense and horror elements:

As you head through the hallway, you hear something... Soft scratches behind a door, distant wails... suddenly to your left, something is banging on the door, screaming to be let out! You run down the hallway in terror and close the door behind you, relieved to be away, when a monster steps out of the shadows to attack!

There are lots of little moments like this that I absolutely love about this game, eerie moments that don't need sound to feel strange, soft utterances that make you fear the next corner, visual cues that get your imagination running in top gear like a child afraid of the monster under their bed... Played at night and alone, the isolation can become almost unbearable, enhancing the suspense and terror tenfold. I think my play hours speak for the experience I have had with this.

Had enough of the singleplayer campaign? Try out one of the included free downloadable missions! There's over a dozen of them, each with their own unique style. One of them was even made by the staff of the main game, so it includes more voice acting from Simon's VA, Stig Sydtangen!

As if this spectacular singleplayer gameplay wasn't good enough, there's a co-op, too! I have yet to play through it fully, but it notches up the difficulty and turns it to 11. You need good teamwork and close friends to survive this terror-inducing revisit of the singleplayer campaign.

Considering the game was built using the Half-Life 1 engine, the graphics are absolutely stunning. When I played it, there were occasional crashes, which made Nightmare mode's less-than-five saves frustrating at times, but in some ways it adds to the feeling of suspense as you play.

I think the official reviews on this game are pretty accurate. Dangerously addictive, captivating music, and unstoppable gameplay will hook you the moment you last five seconds.