Mortal Kombat 1

Posted by BinaryMessiah on 07/22/2024
Posted in: Microsoft Consoles, Nintendo Consoles, PC Reviews, PlayStation 5, Sony Consoles, Steam Deck Verification, Steam Deck Verified, Switch, Xbox Series X|S. Leave a comment

Publisher: Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment

Developer: NetherRealm Studios

Release Date: 09/14/2023


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Here we are 30 years later, and the series has literally made a full circle. Mortal Kombat is my favorite video game series, and it was the first game I ever played as a toddler on the Sega Genesis back in 1992/93. While this game is technically a reboot, it’s still a continuation of the overall timeline and a sequel to Mortal Kombat 11‘s story. You follow the cast of characters: Liu Kang and Kronika split time into multiple timelines. Liu Kang wanted to reset everything and create a timeline of peace, but somehow old enemies are returning, and he can’t explain why. I don’t want to spoil anything. Mortal Kombat still has the best story out of any fighting game to date, and this story is fantastic. There were a lot of twists and turns, and I was sad when it ended. The voice acting is fantastic, and many favorite characters return.

Clearly, Ed Boon and his team were reminiscing about the later 3D games, from Deadly Alliance to Armageddon, because there are a lot of references and characters returning from that era. Nitara, Ashrah, Darius, Shujinko, Sareena, and Havik are among those returning. These characters were one-offs who never made it into any other game, and it’s quite shocking to see these seemingly nobodies make a huge comeback. The only caveat is that they aren’t all playable. More on that later.

The story mode plays out the same as in MK9. You watch a cut scene, and it flows into a single fight. Not all characters are playable during the story, but you get rewards for every fight you win; more on the extra content later. I highly recommend completing the more advanced tutorials, followed by the challenges for learning specific characters. They have tweaked and refined the fight system to make it feel faster-paced and more reminiscent of the classic 2D Mortal Kombat games we all grew to love. Air combat has come back, and there is a higher emphasis on creating your own combos rather than relying on set combos already programmed into the game. There’s a lot more freedom in the fighting system.

Of course, there are more advanced systems in play, such as cancellations, interrupts, combo breakers, and the usual throws and final blows. The same tri-segmented special meter is back, allowing you to enhance your moves almost exclusively, just like before. After removing the shackles of pre-programmed combos that have been around since Deadly Alliance, you feel more in control, and the game is so crunchy, punchy, and fluid. The game’s animations and controls are incredibly smooth, enabling even the most advanced players to cancel and interrupt as they please.

Kameos is a new major gameplay feature. We had tag battles before in MK9, but these characters aren’t playable. Kameos have replaced environmental interactions. You can no longer throw someone into the background or grab things. Your health bar now features a Kameo meter, which you can summon twice before it requires charging. You can combo in and out of Kameo summons, as well as hold down the button to use more advanced moves. Throws and fatal blows now bind Kameos. Most fatal blows only have one or two X-ray shots rather than the usual three. They still look cool and are one of the best features to ever make it into a fighting game.

Mortal Kombat 1 is the first MK game in a very long time that actually lacks content. Gone are the multiple modes for replay value or experimental ideas. We only get a new Konquest-style mode that has you moving along a grid on various maps. Each tile has something on it, from a reward to a fight, but gaining Koins (there is only a single currency now) is a serious grind and feels worse than MK11‘s grind. Customizing characters is awesome, and the outfits here are much more varied than MK11‘s numerous pallet swaps. You can even personalize your Kameo fighters. Sadly, the new Konquest mode is sluggish, mostly boring, and resets with each new season. Yeah, MK1 has seasons now. Yikes.

I sadly have to admit that this might be the beginning of the franchise’s downfall. With a bigger emphasis on microtransactions (cosmetic only) and making the player grind into tedium for cosmetic items, the series is losing what made fans love it for so many years. The fight system itself is better than ever, with top-notch animations and a fantastic story mode, but this is short-lived. Online play increases replay value, but the costumes and unlocks are what MK fans love, and they’re being turned into something to profit off of. Though stunning, the images don’t quite erase the vinegary taste of greed.

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Mayflash F500 V2

Myst (2020)

Posted by BinaryMessiah on 07/18/2024
Posted in: iOS, Mac, Microsoft Consoles, Mobile Reviews, PC Reviews, Steam Deck Verification, Steam Deck Verified, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S. Leave a comment

Publisher: Cyan Worlds

Developer: Cyan Worlds

Release Date: 12/10/2020


Available On

Myst is notorious for its incredibly complex puzzles, yet its captivating world and style captivate and compel exploration. I remember and recall playing Myst III in the early 2000s in my local library, having only seen copies of the game on the shelf for various systems at stores throughout the years. However, I refrained from playing it due to its incredibly complex puzzles, which even a small child would struggle to understand. Cyan completely remakes the game in real-time, so you can freely walk around these areas, unlike previous versions, which were fixed pre-rendered images. 

Myst isn’t very story-heavy, but the world is interesting, and as you explore the main island, you eventually learn the pattern of how to travel to other islands and get to the ending. Technically, you can reach the end of the game in two minutes (there’s an achievement for it, and I got it after many frustrating tries), but you also want all four endings, so I recommend following a guide the first time around. This game is very landmark-heavy, so it’s important you remember where everything is. The main island has a hub that will transport you to the islands, but you must solve the puzzle to unlock their doors.

You can follow this pattern by locating a map in the main library and directing the laser to various locations. Once you have done this, you can go up the library elevator and look for a single clue to help unlock the door to that island. These puzzles on the island are fairly easy and not hard to figure out at all, and each island’s puzzle gets progressively more complex and obtuse. Channelwood Island is the easiest, with just levers that you need to flip to make water run through a pipe to power elevators and bridges. It’s very straight-forward. By the end of the game, you are using audio cues to determine what direction a train goes via a compass rose. These sounds are from another island, which you hopefully wrote down or memorized. It’s very overwhelming at first, but doing a guide playthrough allows you to do randomized playthroughs later to get the last few achievements. 

Outside of the run button, the gameplay is very simple. You interact with objects, and that’s pretty much it. Each island has a very linear path, so you can’t get lost, but the cryptic symbols on doors and switches may scare some players and turn many away. I did run across a glitch here and there, such as an achievement not popping up or getting stuck in the game world (there’s a reset option, thankfully), and you can save anywhere, which is nice. Despite the pleasant music and voiced dialog in the cutscenes, the game still feels dated, even with effects like HDR and ray-tracing enabled. The textures are fairly low-resolution, and the lighting just feels very artificial. There’s also a low draw distance, so outside of the island you are on, there’s just endless fog. I would have liked to have seen more stuff in the distance. 

Overall, Myst is mostly for those who played it years ago, in 1993, but newcomers who crave brain-scraping puzzles will love this game. With a guide, you can breeze through the game in about 2 hours, but I went back and got all but three achievements, as they were fun to get. Once you get to know the island and the puzzles, the game becomes more fun with random playthroughs. Even though the puzzle solutions vary, you already know how to solve them, which is half the fight.

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Mediterranea Inferno

Posted by BinaryMessiah on 07/09/2024
Posted in: Mac, Microsoft Consoles, Nintendo Consoles, PC Reviews, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Sony Consoles, Steam Deck Verification, Steam Deck Verified, Switch, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S. Leave a comment

Publisher: Santa Ragione

Developer: Eyeguys

Release Date: 08/24/2023


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I’m not the biggest fan of visual novels. Most visual novels, or VNs as the community likes to call them, either lack a compelling story or engaging characters, or they drag on for more than 30 hours without achieving anything. Mediterranea Inferno drew me in because of its visual style and advertised player choices that could shift the story. While this does exist, the story is incredibly basic, with some very elementary writing and characters that are as interesting as a wet napkin.

The game’s inclusion of queer culture may offend many people, but for individuals like me, it suggests that the story could feature some intriguing characters. The game takes place in modern-day Italy, amidst the COVID-19 pandemic (it’s mind-boggling to think we’ve built entire game stories around this pandemic), and depicts the disintegration of these three friends during that period. The overall story hints at how COVID broke friends apart and how the isolation and lockdowns made it difficult for all three of these men to maintain their social lifestyles.

This VN is very “slice-of-life,” with not much going on. The endings express no inner turmoil, and there is no gameplay. The choices you make during Mirages imply that the characters might be taking drugs at these moments. A mysterious character appears and offers a strange fruit that you can peel or turn down to alter the story a bit. You get coins to purchase these fruits by interacting with objects in the mirages. This game’s best ending for each character requires four tarot cards, but only one character can get them in one playthrough. There are three days and three nights to live through.

We learn a small amount of backstory for each of the three men here, but it’s mostly just dialog about complaining or what feels like random, boring daily conversations. I almost wanted to stop the game after the first day, but I kept going, hoping that there would be some crazy plot twist. Sadly, this never happened. I can’t spoil too much of the story (like it matters with how bad it is), but there’s not much here for anyone. Those who enjoy storytelling, queer gamers seeking a connection with LGBTQ+ characters, or anyone seeking a visually appealing game will not find it appealing. The art, while hand-drawn, just isn’t very appealing at all. The game is mostly just a giant slideshow, with an occasional low-poly 3D model thrown in for good measure. 

By day three, I just didn’t know what to really expect anymore. The Mirages are weird, abstract, and poetic, but nothing means anything in this game. There’s no reason to care or keep moving. Early on in the game, there’s no hook to keep you in your seat. Most people will click away before the end of the first day. I understand it takes time to set up a story, but for a game that only has a 2-hour runtime, there isn’t a lot you can do. Overall, there’s not much here to recommend, as there aren’t too many redeeming qualities in this game.

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Voyager-19

Posted by BinaryMessiah on 07/05/2024
Posted in: PC Reviews, Steam Deck Unknown, Steam Deck Verification. Leave a comment

Published: Deep Root Interactive

Developer: Deep Root Interactive

Release Date: 05/19/2024


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I have yet to play Iron Lung, but I know it created a whole new genre of horror games set around claustrophobic spaces and minimal visuals. The PS1-inspired graphics are not much to look at, sadly. The cockpit you are in is almost non-existent, with only some hoses and a monitor. The plot revolves around the disappearance of a spacecraft, and you embark on a 30-to-60 year journey on Voyager-19 to unravel the mystery. The only gameplay is clicking around on buttons on the monitor with various creepy sound effects playing around you. The game is deceptively unnerving and, sadly, doesn’t capitalize on anything that adds up to much.

You have to maintain a certain level of power. You must keep life support on at all times, but you also have power for your camera, radio, navigation system, and thrusters. You have to complete seven missions to finish the game, and these are all exactly the same. Photograph various planets on their lit sides, and record five seconds of radio. On the navigation screen, you will see large orbs, which are suns, and small orbs, which are planets. You’ve got to move your ship to the left, but you can turn while in camera mode to face the planet and adjust. This necessitates the use of thrusters. Once you snap the photo, you record your radio piece, which can be the haunting sounds of planets, and move on.

After each mission, you wake up from hibernation and need to complete the next one. The screen becomes harder to read (in a not-so-fun way, I might mention), and you lose more and more power. This is when the game gets very tedious. The last couple of missions only give you two power bars, so you constantly have to flip around menus, turning things off and on. Occasionally, you may encounter objects in space, yet the game fails to provide further details or allow you to investigate their nature. The game’s limitations shouldn’t constantly leave the player wondering if something interesting will happen, especially when almost nothing ever does.

The game has a lot of potential. Perhaps the game could benefit from varying the missions and providing us with more background information. You have to decrypt a file after every mission, but towards the end, the screen is so hard to read that most people may actually not be able to complete it. There’s too much distortion and effects layered over to make it enjoyable. I liked the atmosphere up until there was no pay-off. I yearned for more reading, seeing, and especially hearing, as these are the primary senses in this type of game. Overall, Voyager-19 will kill an hour of your time if you want an Iron Lung-style adventure, but even for the low price, the game just doesn’t pay off much.

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Mouthole

Posted by BinaryMessiah on 07/03/2024
Posted in: PC Reviews, Steam Deck Unknown, Steam Deck Verification. Leave a comment

Publisher: Anything Nose Productions

Developer: Anything Nose Productions

Release Date: 04/01/2024


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Are you afraid of dentists? Most of us are, and the developers even warn you of dentaphobia at the beginning of the game. Your dentist informs you that you have six days to improve the cleanliness of your mouth. This is a very surreal and trippy game that attacks the senses at every second. You can only explore a limited number of levels, and an object that you must find locks each level away. There are multiple endings. You need to meet specific objectives for each ending, but you can’t finish them all at once. It’s imperative to have multiple saves at different stages so you can go back and branch off to another ending.

Even if you explore everywhere and try to figure things out on your own, it’s very difficult to know what to do. Even when your eyes adjust to the insane visuals and haunting sound effects, you will have no idea what to do. Some endings you may stumble upon by accident, while others are more obscure. There is a main area, located inside your mouth, that functions as a kind of branching hub. Once you figure out how to get there, you will only have one of four doors unlocked. Each door has a requirement to be unlocked. Some doors have items you need for certain endings, while others lead to new areas without any items at all. The game lacks significant dialogue and a compelling storyline. This game feels a lot like the LSD Dream Emulator. The PS1-style graphics and audio are a pleasure to behold, and that’s what kept me going. I also sense a hint of humor in the mix. The items are hardly recognizable as belonging to this world.

Once you have explored each area and identified the items present, reaching the endings only becomes a tedious task. While you can do it, the final scene requires you to complete it in three different ways to get all of the true endings. It’s a very slow and tedious ending, and you can’t skip ahead. I found the lack of a cohesive story or characters not very problematic, as the world and the overall ideas in each area are incredibly entertaining. I wish these surreal-style games didn’t rely on being obscure and difficult to understand. This game is nearly impossible to play without a guide.

Overall, if you want a far-out PS1-style game with insane visuals and a weird atmosphere, then this is for you. This is one of the few games in this style in which I actually tried to see all the endings and explore every area. It’s memorable and will stick with you for a long time.

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The Bridge Curse: Road to Salvation

Posted by BinaryMessiah on 07/01/2024
Posted in: Microsoft Consoles, Nintendo Consoles, PC Reviews, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Sony Consoles, Steam Deck Verification, Steam Deck Verified, Switch, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S. Leave a comment

Publisher: Softstar Entertainment

Developer: Softstar Entertainment

Release Date: 08/24/2022


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Another independent horror game featuring a convoluted narrative and characters we find uninteresting. I keep giving these games chances, and while a lot of them nail their main monster and atmosphere, almost none can bring home a good story or good characters. This game is based on Taiwanese mythology and the 2020 film of the same name. I have never seen or heard of the film, but the folktale is interesting. A group of six university students challenge the curse on the bridge near Tunghu University and accidentally “trigger” it. You spend a lot of the game running from ghosts of sorts and finding objects in the first person.

The game begins with a promise for the entire setup. The number of voiced lines and cutscenes suggests a promising story. The voice acting is in Taiwanese and is pretty adequate for what the story needs. The first scene of the game has you running around a small park, hiding from a ghost, and trying to escape. The monsters are fairly well done, but they are nothing we haven’t seen before. Pale skinned girls with long black hair, red eyes, and really skinny. There are a few more imaginative monsters, such as a possessed mannequin, but after so many exposures to this ghost, it’s not scary anymore.

There are a few Asian horror tropes, such as a random limb grabbing something when you open a cupboard, or the main ghost appearing behind someone and showing a single eye. These cheap jump scares detract from the overall game experience and give the impression of a cop-out. Despite this, the atmosphere was rather tense, and just wandering the halls and hearing the ominous music and strange sound effects made me stay on edge for the entire game. The stealth sections were my least favorite parts, and it seems that non-combat horror games tend to focus primarily stealth. The ending sequence was the most frustrating, as these are all trial-and-error events. When caught, you must restart and complete the run in a single attempt because you are unsure of the correct path to take. The ending sequence requires you to restart each time, and you must collect many objects that increase the frustration. I ran into a glitch where a locker wasn’t in the spot I needed, and I couldn’t progress anymore.

Most of the game tells you exactly where to go, and there are signs everywhere that help guide you. There aren’t many puzzles in the game, and the ones that are present are relatively simple. The majority of the game involves revisiting the same locations with six distinct characters, and while their narratives should eventually converge, they never do. The timeline lacks clarity, and the explanation of the school’s shifts and changes remains elusive. Is it a hallucination or is it actually happening? Even reading the flavor text in journals doesn’t explain anything. I’m so tired of the poor storytelling in these games. I feel like there is some sort of love story involved, but I couldn’t really figure it out. 

In the end, there’s nothing really here for anyone unless you want a cheap 3-hour horror adventure. If it weren’t for the flawed stealth mechanics, I would have enjoyed this game more, but even the graphics fall short of expectations. It uses Unreal Engine 5, and it is very poor at that. The entire time I thought it was Unreal 4 or even 3. However, the lighting effects give the impression that it’s Unreal 5. They are pretty decent, but the texture and modeling are horrible. Even cranked up to max, the game just doesn’t look good. With that said, The Bridge Curse has a lot of potential but falls flat in too many areas.

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Keyboard & Mouse

Ao Oni – 16 Years Later

Posted by BinaryMessiah on 06/29/2024
Posted in: PC Reviews. Leave a comment

Publisher: noprops

Developer: noprops

Release Date: 11/2008


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I’m not quite sure what to make of this game. It’s barely even that. Until recently, I had never heard of Ao Oni, despite it having a huge cult following and inspiring novels, manga, and shows. The game’s history and follow-up seem more interesting than the game itself. While this was made in RPGMaker XP, there is a surprisingly haunting atmosphere present, and the infamous demon himself is unique and original.

You play the role of Hiroshi, a boy who investigates a haunted mansion with his friends, and suddenly everyone starts disappearing. This was a popular manga trope back in the day. A bunch of generic, run-of-the-mill teens enter a house, school, or building, and you start investigating a series of labrynthine hallways and rooms that lead nowhere, solve puzzles, and find objects. Corpse Party reminds me of this game quite a bit, as it’s in the same vein. The game’s demons aren’t exactly spot-on. I can’t expect much from a small group of developers. The visuals are very basic and rudimentary. Even for an RPGMaker game. There is no backstory for any character in the game. There’s nothing to read or learn about what is going on. This game has a raw and pure atmosphere.

The game’s most tense moments occur during triggered chase events. The Ao Oni will chase you for a beneficial 10 seconds and stop. Usually, when you pick up an object, it can advance you to another part of the mansion. There are few scripted events. These typically occur when you encounter another character and initiate a brief dialogue sequence. Why the Ao Oni and haunting don’t have more backstory is beyond me. There’s a serious missed opportunity here. The game’s music helps contribute to the atmosphere—or lack thereof. Some rooms are dead silent, adding to the tension, and while the same audio tracks play throughout the entirety of the game, they are tense and help add to what is going on. 

These types of games often feature puzzles that are rather obtuse. I highly recommend playing with a guide the first time around. You can finish the entire game in less than two hours. There is a lot of effort involved in pressing Enter on every object. Most rooms are barren, and the few that aren’t have interactive objects. You may need to move aside a bookcase or an odd-looking block at times. Once you solve the puzzles, you’ll find their clever design surprising for such a limited game engine.

Overall, Ao Oni’s legacy is more intriguing than the game itself. The goofy-looking purple demons aren’t really that scary, but the atmosphere and music in the game are haunting and well done. I wish there was more story to the game, as we have zero reason to care for anyone here. Despite the puzzles’ obscure nature necessitating a guide to alleviate frustration, a guide enhances the enjoyment of the game.

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Keyboard & Mouse

Still Wakes the Deep

Posted by BinaryMessiah on 06/24/2024
Posted in: Microsoft Consoles, PC Reviews, PlayStation 5, Sony Consoles, Steam Deck Playable, Steam Deck Verification, Xbox Series X|S. Leave a comment

Publisher: Secret Mode

Developer: The Chinese Room

Release Date: 06/18/2024


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Megalophobia. Thalassophobia. Claustrophbia. These are three things I am afraid of, and all of them are present in this game. You play Caz McCleary, an oil rig worker. The Scottish oil rig began operations in the mid-1970s. The game starts out just fine, with everything being peachy. You explore your cabin and get a phone call from your boss to report to his office. We also come across a less than pleasant letter from Caz’s wife. There are problems back home, and the story only touches on this every so often. 

As you arrive at Rennick’s office, you learn about the game’s little mechanics. You can grip and hold on to ledges and ladders, press buttons, and break open locks and vents. Outside of interacting with objects, there isn’t much gameplay. There aren’t even any puzzles here. The stealth sections when you are hiding from monsters and the scripted events are the biggest gameplay elements. The game is well-paced, and I didn’t want to put it down. There is a good balance between running around, climbing things, and hiding from monsters. There are primary areas where you can conceal yourself, such as vents, holes, and various containers. To send the monster running in the opposite direction, you can throw objects, and any form of running or walking will alert the monster. These monsters are truly amazing, and the entire entity you encounter is a blob of flesh with twisted faces and limbs protruding everywhere. There are multiple monsters, each with their own unique appearance.

Most of the game has you just going from goal to goal, climbing around on monkey bars, ladders, opening doors, popping vents, flipping switches, and answering phones. A couple of times I had to grab a fire extinguisher, put out a small fire, or turn on a heater to warm up. This experience goes far beyond the typical walking simulator that The Chinese Room is known for. There are numerous ambient sound effects and moments of terror, which extend beyond just the presence of monsters. Being stuck on a crumbling hunk of steel in the middle of the ocean will terrify anyone. At times, the prospect of climbing around on the rig and even swimming in tight spaces during floods can evoke a sense of panic. The lighting effects also help, with your flashlight not reaching the surface of the water and barely lighting up small crawl spaces.

The story, sadly, doesn’t really go anywhere. Caz’s backstory remains largely unexplored, focusing only on domestic issues, and the presence of side characters is insufficient to pique our interest. Caz has a lot of inner dialogue, but it’s mostly just cussing at himself and situations. The game’s opening effectively established a potential deeper narrative. The voice-acting is great, and I really wanted more from this game. The game never touches on the origins of this monster and its existence, which I find intriguing. I enjoy games with a lot of scripted events and cinematics, and I don’t mind the lack of traditional gameplay. But I need something else for the payoff, and that’s usually a story. The visuals are excellent, utilizing Unreal Engine 5 to its fullest potential, but they fall short of making this game something I will remember for a long time or want to revisit. There are no collectibles or ways to explore. This is a very linear game, and you can only go down one path.

Overall, Still Wakes the Deep is fun, but it lasts with a very tense and terrifying atmosphere, from the monsters to the closed-in spaces and lack of hope. The exploration of Caz’s backstory falls short, leaving us uncertain about the nature of the monster and its purpose. The stealth sections don’t overstay their welcome, but the lack of traditional gameplay may turn a lot of players away. The visuals are fantastic, with lumen lighting effects, great water effects, and creepy sound effects.

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Keyboard & Mouse

Hollow Cocoon

Posted by BinaryMessiah on 06/23/2024
Posted in: PC Reviews, Steam Deck Verification, Steam Deck Verified. Leave a comment

Publisher: Nayuta Studio

Developer: Nayuta Studio

Release Date: 12/06/2023


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Indie horror games that draw inspiration from Japanese mythical lore are gaining popularity, and while I appreciate this trend, many of them tend to lack uniqueness. The last game I played of this ilk was Ikai, which was mediocre and mostly forgettable. These games are usually filled with good monsters and a great atmosphere, but the puzzles are obtuse, and where to find items ends up becoming a frustrating affair as you’re trying to hide and run from the main monster.

Hollow Cocoon is no exception. Assuming the role of a man whose grandmother is ailing in the hospital, you find yourself spending the night at her silkworm farm, only to uncover the presence of an evil entity. This monster isn’t super scary. It’s a typical long-haired Japanese girl with a scary face and a peculiar body type. The atmosphere is very tense, as sneaking around and hiding at intervals is better than the monster always being present. There are areas in which she won’t come out, and you do get a long period of time before she stalks you again. When you run away and hide (there are two different types of hiding spots), music will play, and you can hear her stalking around. After a few seconds, she will go away, usually spawning in a different part of the house. 

The obtuse puzzles start right from the beginning. While some puzzles may seem obvious, the task of finding objects can be particularly challenging. You can see the large interactive icons from a few feet away, but you must thoroughly inspect every room to ensure you collect everything. The second half of the game is full of key hunting, and there are very few puzzles. Thankfully, the layout of the mansion facilitates easy landmark recall, and the inclusion of a map in the larger mansion area greatly aids navigation. There is no combat in this game, either. The game only provides you with healing pills when the monster attacks you.

You can collect material to read to help give details on the story, and there are 10 yen pieces used to play UFO pachinko-type games to unlock different endings. There is some bonus content, such as unlocks to dress up the monster in new playthroughs, but unless you really love this game, I don’t see any reason to go back through. Sadly, the story isn’t captivating enough to be memorable and isn’t any different from other short indie horror games in this same setting. Outside of the slightly better visuals and level design, nothing stands out.

Overall, Hollow Cocoon is just average, but I appreciate the tense atmosphere, maps, and mostly excellent level design. I also like how you get breaks from the monster throughout the game and can explore some areas with freedom. I also appreciate the Japanese voice-acting, but other than that, you will forget this game and move on.

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Keyboard & Mouse

1000xResist

Posted by BinaryMessiah on 06/18/2024
Posted in: Nintendo Consoles, PC Reviews, Steam Deck Playable, Steam Deck Verification, Switch. Leave a comment

Publisher: Fellow Traveler

Developer: Sunset Visitor

Release Date: 05/09/2024


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I absolutely love walking simulators and adventure games. Any day, I will choose a game with a fantastic story over anything else. The complex story and moral choices in 1000xResist initially drew my attention, but ultimately, it left me with a walking simulator filled with anime tropes and more questions than answers. This game swiftly teaches you that there are no definitive answers or absolutes. The game begins with a reasonable number of questions, but towards the end, only a few remain. What remained for me was a game I will soon forget.

You play a character named Watcher. She is one of the Six Sisters, who are part of some sort of post-apocalyptic society or group. The environment is very sterile and too perfect. It almost feels like a starship or something else. The game thrusts you into an unknown part of this timeline. It is up to you to unravel and follow the linear path that the game leads you on. There are a few instances where you have more control over Watcher, specifically when you explore the “center” and engage in conversations with people. This ends up feeling like a chore because you have to do it multiple times, and only yesterday (as of this writing) did the developers patch in a map. There is almost no gameplay. If you consider zipping around the sky on some flying orbs as gameplay, you shouldn’t expect much more. You will likely navigate through thousands of lines of spoken dialogue. The voice-over is decent, if mundane. Even side characters and NPCs speak in every scene.

The pacing is the only thing the game has going for it. While the first few chapters feel repetitive, as you commune with various sisters, you go from location to location, simply walking around in small rooms and engaging in dialogue. This will bore anyone who isn’t an adventure game fan. The story is hard enough to follow, and when you try to make sense of it all, you get more characters to trust you. The game advances when you talk to the correct person. At times, the game presents this as a task, while at others, it becomes more evident.

This game defies easy description or explanation. At times, the dialogue and story can be quite poignant, touching on topics such as adolescence and parental conflict and separation. Additionally, the game heavily references the COVID-19 pandemic, with characters donning masks and discussing a disease that could potentially wipe out humanity. Honestly. I can’t even tell you if that’s exactly what the story is about, as it’s so vague all the time. We don’t get any true, hard facts on what’s going on in this world. The “Allmother” named Iris serves as the foundation for these Six Sisters, who have the ability to replicate themselves. It’s just a bunch of confusing threads that don’t really lead anywhere.

I had a strong desire to enjoy this game. The narrative exhibits promise, featuring numerous characters on the verge of likability or memorability, yet it succumbs to the anime conventions of guiding you through a perpetually perplexing plot, only to leave you feeling let down at the conclusion. At times, the narrative excels, presenting you with a flurry of answers towards the conclusion. This can be satisfying and memorable, but 1000xResist just refuses to give in. I just wanted the game to end, but it goes on for 10–12 hours even if you read all of the dialog and skip most of the voice lines. The choices don’t really matter until the very end of the game, and even then, you aren’t sure if there were choices earlier that mattered. 

1000xResist is hard to recommend, even to anime lovers. The animations, visuals, and everything else are fairly generic, forgettable, and mostly dull. The game’s overuse of bloom and lack of lip-syncing during dialog gives it a cheap, low-budget feel, which is normally acceptable if executed well. The game drags the player along for so long that, in the end, you expect a massive pay-off but end up with a fizzle and sputter. I can’t really recommend this game to anyone outside of die-hard adventure game fans.

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