Recent reviews by Angry Owl

Game deserves all the praise it can get!
It manages to subvert your expectations few times in a row, and what started as a simple and straight-forward 8-bit platformer eventually becomes a challenging and engaging metroidvania full of twists and turns.

Strongly recommended for retro platformer\metroidvania folks

Trivia:
- very faithful in recreating retro aesthetics (that music), yet employs modern game designs
- ~10h spent on first play-through (not 100%)
- played on keyboard

A must-have for Commandos and Desperados fans!

Game's very well made, visually pleasant, fun and enjoyable to play and complete.
.. and if you're unsure, it often gets considerable discounts too.

Bloodstained has all the things you'd expect from a retro style 8-bit like platformer (and then some):
- faithful, NES-era graphics (with consistent sprite and tile work)
- solid game play (plus adequate game length and replayability)
- awesome music (not a single dull track)
- and proper challenge! (for both veteran and casual players; checkpoints and no game overs)

My only nitpicks would be: gamepad-oriented UI (though game plays well on a keyboard) and somewhat limited storytelling (inline with 8-bit limitations, true, but Shovel Knight did better in this department).

All in all, highly recommended for Castlevania fans and NES kids.

A unique spin on metroidvania genre - fun little game, lighthearted and charming!
My only nit-pick would be the game's length (though I blame Hollow Knight for spoiling me).

(haven't played any tales except SNES's 'Phantasia' prior to this one; used Gamepad instead of M+KB)

Enjoyed every 185 hour of it (yes, even Steppes on Chaos).
Think, the best things about this one are the Story and Characters ..and also that constant itch to level up and scour for best gear.

PS: If you want a challenge and not afraid of some grind here and there - keep the difficulty at max.

First impressions:
- fun and challenging turn-based strategy
- less random than FTL
- as polished and stylish as FTL (music too)

Beautiful, vivid, challenging, yet fun..
This game is filled to the brim with content and worth every penny!
And then there's and extraordinary post-release support from devs

UPD:
On Grimm Troupe: hey, the NKG only took like, what, 30 tries?..
On Path of Pain: 4 hours is not that much
On Godmaster: 20 hours of practice and I get to see new ending? sure..

Game is super fun, very true to the SEGA original entries

Great game, fun puzzler with quite an engaging story.
Among other strong points are great music and extreme attention to details.
What can be improved:
- game options are scarce (including graphics and controls)
- limited replayability (linear story after all)
- somewhat short story (perhaps a second day?)

Considering the efforts and talent that game developer poured into this game, the price is ok.
Still unsure? Grab it on any sort of discount (even 10%).

PS: name's totally fine, not sure why some people find it weird or something

TLDR: 7.5/10
Ohhh jeez, where do I start with Pyre..

I expected this to be rather easy. I enjoyed previous Super Giant Games a lot (Transistor slightly more), so pre-purchased this without a shadow of a doubt along with Soundtrack. Frankly I was not completely sold on the whole sports-gameplay idea, but trusted SGG's judgement.

So what's the catch? The catch is I didn't fall in love with this one instantly as with the Transistor or Bastion.
Not before the first 3 hours of playthrough that is..


Let's start with the good stuff, the things I enjoyed from the get-go:
#1 Music Darren Korb strikes again. Not a single time the music felt out of place, distracting or monotonous, on the contrary it only improved the experience by immersing me deeper into the atmosphere and story. The SGG staple - the songs - are here yet again and as touching as ever.
#2 Art Vivid and beautiful as in previous titles. Just check the screenshots or reviews! And it all is animated just as masterfully.
#3 Story and Chars The settings feels unique and interesting with whole lot of lore to it (way more than in previous titles). There is a whole range of different characters that fit the picture nicely. Rarely do they feel too cliche, come to thing of it, some of them are, but the devs went extra mile to ensure they are not just a one dimensional cardboard cut-outs. Some got to me, turning seemingly trivial choices into a struggle.
#4 Support This is not a game related, but SGG-related rather. Massive kudos to you guys for quick forum replies and more importantly swift and relentless bug-squashing. Seriously though, as a software development person, I can confirm that handling customer issues is most difficult task, exhausting even which eats so much time. The <24h patches on an error some random player happen to stumble on felt really good.


So what are the cons (actually just one):
#1 Gameplay Not the mechanics themselves (matches are ok and kinda unique), but the gameplay volumes. For me it felt little less than a game, but more of a tale (a book) that sometimes gets interrupted by some interactive, gameplay pieces.
Imagine Bastion where Hub (+cutscene) sequences and combat sequences where swapped around. This creates an interesting predicament: until you get invested in the story (which at start you know nothing of) you simply sit there waiting for the rites to start; but should you click through the dialogues, chances are you won't care much for the story. Though game does it's best to get you involved, after all it is its strongest suit.

So yeah, that's my main gripe with Pyre (then again I never was a "visual novel" genre fan).


Would I recommend this? Yes! It's great, fun and touching at (many) times.
Do I find it the best in SGG's current arsenal? Nah, I still like Transistor more :) But hey Pyre is times longer (20H on one playthrough) and has a happier ending (at least I got that).

PS: suggest raising game's difficulty to the maximum. After all, freedom is a privilege one has to earn.