Recent reviews by nymphaea

Not as good as Sludge Life 1 but the developer has a self-insert that says the same thing and the rest is spot on for the vibe so i still dig it. free extra bit of SL

Alright, get ready for a sentimental one with a few spoilers.

Sludge Life pulled me in with its attractive art style just from the steam page. It was on sale at the time for like.... idk, 2 dollars, and so I picked it up. I didn't expect the game that I got.
Opening up sludge life, you're greeted with a nasty desktop that has some warpy effects as you move the mouse around. It sets the tone with the almost blurred VHS filter that I don't quite have the words for. Entering the game, you literally just throw your ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ computer at the wall and see a dirty, messy room of a storage container that functions as an astounding tutorial to the movement the game. Floaty, but on point and satisfying, Sludge Life plays almost like a greatly simplified, streamlined Mirror's Edge. No running on walls or any of the complex maneuvers, but the running, vaulting, etc mechanics are just plain addictive and it makes you wish the map was bigger once you finish the game.

Onto actually playing, though. The gritty, nasty visual effects blend right into the tone of the game, with choppy lettering reminiscent of subtitles from the 80s-early 2000s. It really brings you back to a place that, for people who have at least grown up within the past 20 years, feels almost nostalgic, lost, and homey at the same time. The dialogue is brilliant, comedic, and precisely in tone; One can go from hearing someone talk about how some lady with a scar on her eye stole their washing machine, to hearing someone muse about life and their purpose here, to finding the girl who stole the washing machine and having a nice conversation with her. The people feel like real people, stuck in this sludge of a dump. The way people are either apathetic, philosophical, absurd, or whimsical feels organic and real, the way that one would feel just talking to people they know. Playing through the game, I got a real feeling of understanding for these people, and a connection between my own sludge life and theirs. This game feels like rock bottom, like everyone knows that there's nowhere further down than here.
This game reached me at a very apt time in my life. I won't go into detail, but it's had me feeling a lot of the same ways that this game feels. Lost, wanting for an escape, and just wanting to find your place in all of it. It's helped me kind of redirect my gaze towards it all in at least a small way, and it's helped.
The gameplay tasks of tagging spots is also very neat, and the game gives you plenty of tools to both easily achieve your goals and have a lot of fun doing it. There are multiple spots in which you've got to be a little crafty or clever to get to it, such as a hidden item needing a vent that i eventually found before immediately talking to the person who gives the player a clue about the vent. It was a fun moment.
There's a camera (that has a different file directory than your regular screenshots) that can be used to both seek out tags and take pictures of them, or really anything else you might want.
In short, Sludge Life is a beautiful game that has a lot to say about the world, but doesn't have to directly say much to get to the point. The world feels both lived in and stagnate, like everyone there is alive but have simply given up. Everyone is on strike, so not even the CLOPS (police) will try to do anything about you unless you walk right up to them, in which they'll smack you and usually have a pretty funny line to boot. Almost makes you want to get hit.
I still haven't found everything in the game, with about 2 achievements left to get, but from the first night i played sludge life I knew that it would be a very special game for me. I've heard that there's a second one out, and I cannot wait to play it once i get the money.
Until then, I recommend you play this game at least a little high if you smoke, as it really helps the atmosphere eek into your bones i feel, but it's not necessary to enjoy the experience.
I hope this review helps.
"Hey, Two Eyes. Tell me what this SMACK smells like."

Game wasn't tremendously good, but if you're really bored then that's a fair time to engage in this video game, however there are many, many, many, many, many, many, many, many, many other free games on the steam that are of much higher quality, and I would suggest playing one of those rather than this. Have fun tho.

One of the best action games of all time from the best action series of all time, revamped in this special edition with three new playable characters, tons of costumes, a new game mode, and what looks like updated visuals. A must-have for any action enthusiast.

Very good game, it's one of those RPG adventures that gives you a lot of freedom and stuff. It's pretty creative and always new whenever you play it. Friend bought it for me about a year ago now and the only reason I don't play it more is my computer's inability to play multiplayer. Modding is also pretty great.

This is a really freaking awesome game. I may be biased towards the genre, but I really love the game and the mechanics. It's one of the only games I have where after playing with mods I want to go back to vanilla because it's a whole different experience. Definitely recommend for anyone wanting a good space-age game in the 4X RTS genre. I've got this checked as free because I got it during a sale, but I'd've definitely bought it had I known what it was before.