Recent reviews by Raz

Balatro is a game that I do not fiend like many others, more play in seldom bursts. I do not have fanatic sessions of Balatro, nor do I mod it or alter the base experience. I am not a particularly skilled player of Balatro, nor do I study probabilities of success or practice on specific seeds. Even then, Balatro radiates both a shockingly delicate aesthetic polish and an extremely well-optimised gameplay loop. It makes complete sense why this game has exploded on mobile, why it's indulged in so heavily on Steam Deck; though more complex, it might as well be a modern day Tetris.

Simple to learn but complex to master, all it takes is that moment where your score slowly piles up between multipliers, leaving you on the very edge of your seat as you wait to see if you clear the blind. You become infatuated with that moment - relish in it. Wish to see it again, in new decks. In new stakes, with new jokers. With new card combinations. With new scores and new challenges. It would be foolish not to mention the music, which somehow never grates even with only one 20+ minute song to accompany the entire game experience.

LocalThunk is a solo developer who has completed the indie game dream - delivered uncompromisingly on a vision that many would kill to see through with such dedication and experience. Deserves its laurels, and it's new crown.

A must-get for enjoyers of NewBlood's line of works, as well as fans of non-linear level design. Stands out with a strong identity even among a slew of similarly strongly presented games. Flooded to the brim with charm, puzzles and a surprising amount of aesthetic appreciation for how it presents itself.

Looking forward to more as time comes. Is an extremely solid game for such a low, low price - more engaging than releases with six times the price on the tag.

An incredibly fun rhythm-combat game that never takes itself too seriously, and features a mesh-blend of eastern and western art-styles. Finished rather quickly on a first playthrough but knows what it wants to be and executes it well. The developer that made this game has closed down, so this is one of their last productions. It was good, and I enjoyed what I played.

I'd highly recommend playing it before the music license expires and you miss out on the intended vision for the game. The streamer mode music isn't bad... but they bring in some really good licensed tracks. Rest in peace to a BAFTA winner.

Worth a re-edit, HELLDIVERS 2 was one of the sole survivors of the 'Sony Live Service' rush. It had rocky beginnings and even bumpier continuings, of that I cannot deny. However, the product it has become after trials and tribulations is one that has been genuinely fun to come back to at least once a week, to vent stresses with the mindless act of pursuing further galactic liberation.

With the constant push-back by the enemies, the new stratagems and weapons, and now even the crossovers, the second galactic war looks bright. One must imagine the Helldivers happy.

Optimization issues for a good chunk of computers on launch and some monetary practices that sour infinitely worse with the former in mind, Dragon's Dogma 2 has an incredibly stellar combat loop with a lot to explore across the world. The satisfaction of my first few boss kills, a lot of which I saw just adventuring, leaves me wanting more already. It is a shame the decisions they have made to this single-player adventure game could be so predatory for the good that the designers, artists, sound techs and more have put into this world.

Christ.

TL;DR Possibly one of the best puzzle-solving co-op experiences you can have in the modern era, assuming you and your second agent are capable of sentient thought (you'd be surprised). There's about three hours of content per agent, meaning the worst critique I could level to this game is that there isn't more of it to digest.

Visual presentation and art style are top notch, with a lot of clarity in User Interface elements. The visually distinct stages for the Agent and the well-polished interfaces for the Hacker have this cartoon-ish postmodern vibe that are all kept different over the course of play. My personal level, the Moving Train, is awesome to experience from either Hacker or Agent side, full of good twists and panic moments throughout the level's 20 minute long run time. The game has a lot of flair and passions put into it, from the polished light to the just-right sound effects really letting you experience the perspectives of the agents. A review should never say "It really makes you feel like X" (unless ironically) but this is one of the moments where I felt extreme gratification after finishing a level, like finally putting the pieces together in the detective sequence, or finally completing the ending of mission six with mere seconds between victory and obliteration.

Not many puzzles or content are re-used, aside from the lock picking experiences which are kept consistent and expanded upon constantly. After playing both sides for myself, the difference in game play between the two agents is shocking; it makes other games of this principle look like they're slacking off by comparison. In Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes, the other players besides the one tinkering with the bomb just get to read a manual for several minutes. In Operation Tango, that "Manual" Is a highly interactive second game that the Hacker is peeling through to get you openings or advantages. I'm baffled in hindsight that this isn't a more common idea.

Since I got into this game on patch 1.01, I experienced an extremely minimal level of glitches. I played Cyberpunk 2077 on release and liked it; nothing this game can hit you with is even NEAR that.

If you cannot stomach the idea of spending thirty Australian dollars on this short-but-ever-so-sweet experience, then you might want to wait until they either add more content or until the game goes on sale. I can say, personally that I'd rate this above games like Trine or even Portal 2's coop.

If you don't mind a turn-based game, and some parched moments of over-world bloat, this game will blow your mind. Quickly swapping from gritty crime thriller discussing the moralities of brotherhood, power and death, and then firing rockets at a lady in a Go-kart racing game. Gives off such an unbelievable air of passion that it's hard to chastise it for. It is, by no means, perfect. And it will only be considered great by a select few that can handle what Yakuza is capable of dishing out, but I found myself with such a dumb smile on my face time after time.

Whether it was the 50 year old man in a diaper screaming at the enemy to lower their defence or subduing a massive bear with four homeless, jobless color-coordinated break-dancers... I can't tell you. But it was something worth not forgetting. I imagine I'll be putting the time in to 100% this soon. Give this a look if you have the time and cash.

Spend around seventy-five turns making the perfect interstellar economy, for another player to decide from ACROSS THE ENTIRE VISIBLE GALAXY that your home system would look better as a universal carbon print, and obliterate you using an accelerated megaton nuclear explosive to destabilise your home star.

4/5 has some consistent flaws but has too many unique and enjoyable mechanics to put down.

♥♥♥♥ the academy also.

This game is hard. This game will kick your ass. Even using a guide, you can be ridden like a race horse by the random enemy placement and sheer horrible odds against you. But that's what makes it all the sweeter when you clear the level for the first time that you and your friends were struggling on for so long. Speaking of, play with three other people you know. At least, that way, you can insult them more personally for all the horrible mistakes you'll make together!