Rage 2 - Review

Rage 2 is a game I have been quite excited to play.  I really enjoyed the first game and was curious what Avalanche Studios and ID Software could achieve together.  Avalanche Studios is known for their open world games; the Just Cause series and 2015's Mad Max.  Of course, ID Software is well known for its rich body of work on first-person shooters; and created both Quake and Doom.


Anyone that knows me would find it hard to describe me as refined.  When it comes to food it's not much different, although I am partial to cheese and crackers with a drop of red wine.   There are so many great cheeses and quite a variety of crackers, don't even get me started on red wine.  I have, unfortunately, had some mediocre experiences with cheese and crackers.  This is normally caused by the cheese drying out or the crackers getting soft.  Playing Rage 2 I found asking was this a tasty experience or a mediocre one leaving me with a bad taste in my mouth?

Story

Rage 2 is set in a dystopian world, where the world as we know it is gone.  There are few safeish places for people to hang out but it is very much a cruel cruel world with bandits and mutants ready to kill anything that moves.  There is an army of sorts fighting the good fight who have specialists called Rangers.  Life wasn't hard enough so General Cross, an old enemy long thought dead, appears to remind everyone it could always be worse.  After Cross wipes out almost every soldier including the Rangers he leaves smugly. You play as Walker, a young soldier who has stolen/borrowed some Ranger armor. If Doom Guys and Master Chiefs armor is full-fat Coke then the Ranger armor is Coke Zero.  Walker swears revenge against General Cross and goes in search of a way to stop him once and for all.

There are side missions/stories but with the exception of rewards it doesn't add anything the story and most people you return seemed to give you a shoulder shrug and 'meh' reaction.  I thought this was a shame as it would have been a great way to expand on the Rage universe.  The main story itself is okay but with so few missions it never really fully drew me in.

Visuals

The visuals in Rage 2 are...interesting?  Despite the world being pretty much a wasteland, there is actually a lot of bright colors.  I liked this for the most part and helped provide light in a very dark world.  The non-human enemies look really well and could certainly see how Doom influenced the game.  When it comes to the human faces and details the world sometimes looked a little simplistic, non-rendered or slight underdeveloped.  I found this to be a real shame and similar to the story it just seemed like it never reached its full potential.

Overall there were some great visuals, but they were let down by some the lesser ones used in the game.

Music 

I enjoyed the music used in the game, a few styles of electronic music blended together to make a great soundtrack for the world of Rage 2.  Unfortunately, it's not very easy to find the actual music just a Spotify 'Official Soundtrack' none of the songs the best of my recollection were used in the game.   The score was composed by Swedish composers, Andreas Kinger, Johan Nilsson and Eirik Røland.  Between them, they worked on the music for, Gauntlet, Elite Dangerous, and Renegade Ops.

There is a one-hour main theme you can listen to on YouTube which seems to contain some of the music used in the game.  Elias Adaptive Software was used to produce the soundtrack, it basically helps create a dynamic soundtrack rather than a static to help produce a more immersive experience.

Overall a pretty solid soundtrack that was well suited for the wasteland of Rage 2.

Gameplay

The game is a first-person shooter and playing it did remind a little of playing Doom (not really a bad thing).  There are a limited number of weapons in the game, all of which can be upgraded.  There also secondary items like grenades, drones and the return of the wing stick (kind of like a mix of the Glaive from the movie Skrull and a boomerang).  Then there is your Ranger armor, it offers some interesting abilities like ground smash, das, and vortex.  While they were good I found most of the time I relied on my weapons as they were faster, especially the assault rifle and combat shotgun.

Each ability you learn can be upgraded and additional perks can be purchased too. There are also projects which can be used to make minor and major changes to the gameplay.   Some of my favorites being able to carry more ammunition, health, being able to find items more easily.  A pretty solid system and a bit different from the normal skill tree leveling systems found in many games.

There are cars available in the game, which you will need as the world is quite vast.  There are many upgrades to purchase and some of them can help you own the roads, such as rockets, improved chassis, and auto-cannons.

There are tons of side objectives which all help in making you stronger.  Initially, I was thinking 'yeah I'm going to get everything' and then after twelve hours I thought 'no I'm good'.  Quickly they became very rinse and repeat and decided to focus on the main story.  Unfortunately, the story itself is extremely short and definitely could have used, well, more.

Overall I had fun playing Rage 2 I was always felt wanting something a little more that never quite materialized. 

Final Thoughts

So after sixteen hours how did I feel?  A little underwhelmed.  The story was okay, the visuals were okay, the music was good and so was the gameplay.  The issue I had overall was that the game had potential but never quite managed to achieve it, the game was okay but nothing beyond that.  This one gets 3 out of 5

My Friend Pedro - Review

I initially played My Friend Pedro last year when it was an online flash game.  I had so much fun playing it I hoped it would become a full-fledged game. After a little checking, I found they were, in fact, working on a full game and earlier this month it was released by Devolver Digital.


I like bananas - not every day, but I like them.  I like banana flavored drinks and sweets but what I love is Banoffee.  If you have never had banoffee pie you are missing out, it contains bananas, toffee, a biscuit base and cream.  I have had really really good ones like the one I had in Scoozi's earlier this week but I have also had some awful ones.  Playing My Friend Pedro I found myself was this is a really good mouth water banoffi or did it have me reaching for the toilet?

Story


How do I even being to discuss My Friend Pedro's story?  You wake after taking a knock on the head, floating in front of you is a talking banana called Pedro.  He helps guide you out of the meat packing plant you are in and provide guidance and some cheesy and sometimes dark humor.  The story starts by feeling a little all over the place to start with but quickly turns into you trying to stop the Dictator of the Internet (the internet is actually a real place).


Overall the story is crazy, outlandish and never takes itself seriously, all of which helped in making the game really fun through my time playing.

Visuals


There is an interesting variety when it comes to the visuals in My Friend Pedro, there is everything from industrial, abandoned buildings and futuristic buildings, to a sprawling highway, and the sanctuary where a sentient banana goes to relax. The visuals in some ways can be jarring but it works.  Sometimes you are walking through a bunch of derelict buildings, then you are falling out a high rise head first killing floating bad guys.  Other times you get to hang out with a banana and use his uncle propeller hat to fly through the air.


Overall the game has a rich variety of visuals which are not only fun but help you keep you on your toes when enemies are nearby, which is always.




Music


The music in My Friend Pedro combines elements of electronic, industrial and chillout-style music which suits the kind of game it is.  The music was composed by Naive D, Nounverber, Noisecream and Marks_SF.  Nounverber worked on Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number and released an album called Midnight Album and Noisescream released an album titled Bananas. Unfortunately could not find any information on the others.


The soundtrack runs a little over two hours, while the start of it is slow it quickly finds its rhythm.  There are a number of stand out tracks my favorites being;  'Cave Crawl', 'Sambafellas', 'Low Life on the Highway', 'Sink Drip', 'Stop and Watch', 'Most of Rage', 'Pendulum', 'Overshadowed' and 'Starselect'.


Overall a solid soundtrack for the game with a number of really good tracks that work well with the game.

Gameplay


The gameplay is...hmm, how best to describe it.  Imagine if Max Payne and TV show Happy! made a game, that game would be My Friend Pedro.  At its core, the game is a shooter but it is so much more than that.   Ever kicked a frying pan into the air and shot at it so the bullets deflect off it and kill enemies around you?  I have.  Have you spun gracefully in the air while shooting two pistols killing enemies and avoiding a barrage of bullets? I have.  This is just the tip of the iceberg with My Friend Pedro.


The game allows players to shoot, dodge and slow down time to get many many kills and avoid certain death.  There are two objectives in the game, the first complete each mission the second is to complete it with the highest possible ranking.  This can be achieved by avoiding getting shot, using a skateboard to roll past enemies in style (while killing them) or dropping a barrel on an enemy's head.  There is so much fun to be had with when killing.


Each level is broken into small sections that can be completed in between one and three minutes.  At the end of each level, Pedro gives you a rank between S and C. S is for silky smooth,  A is for Aww Yeah, B is for Bravissimo and C is for Come On.  There are variations on each these which often made me smile.


Overall the gameplay was a lot of fun and is a great example of, easy to learn hard to master.  It is game I have no doubt I will revisit in the future if nothing else than to get praise from a sentient banana named Pedro.




Final Thoughts


So after fours of play how did I feel?  I felt like my experience was short lived and was looking forward to playing more.  The story was bizarre and fun, and I quite enjoyed it.  The visuals were often exciting and sometimes crazy, the music suited the game well and help intensify some of the gameplay.  The gameplay was lots of fun and already look forward to improving on my next playthrough.  Overall My Friend Pedro gets a solid 4 out of 5

Red Dead Redemption 2 - Review

I want to start by being upfront here, I did not want to and had no intention of playing Red Dead Redemption 2. Gasps from the crowd, but why?  Well, firstly I don't like Westerns and cowboy themes as I'm not big into them, secondly and more importantly, the original Red Dead Redemption.  As a whole, I like a lot of the games Rockstar release, with Red Dead Redemption being one of the few I don't.  It was a game that was really hyped, people said how great it was, blah, blah, blah.  Decided to play it, found it extremely buggy, a little dull and while it was a large open world it often felt very bare. So naturally, when people were bouncing off the walls about Red Dead Redemption 2 I shrugged my shoulders and said 'meh'. After many strongly worded conversations with my friend Dave, I finally decided to give it a go along with Nolls (who really wanted to play it, having never been biased by the first game).


Food glorious food. Nothing quite beats a nice turkey dinner with all the trimmings.  There is a lot to like about them but some things I don't.  I hate when there are Brussel Sprouts or mashed vegetables (apart from potatoes), or cranberry jelly.  I mean if I'm making it myself no problem but if I'm out or at a friends house, I just have to deal with it, there are enough good things in it to help me ignore the bad.  Playing Red Dead Redemption 2 I found myself asking was there enough tasty stuff to ignore the not so tasty?

Story


It's 1899, the wild west is quickly becoming the tamed west and the time of gunslingers is coming to an end.  Most people are happy about this new civilized society - others, not so much.  Dutch Van Der Linde and his gang are the latter.  Dutch still believes in the old west and wants to shoot and rob his way to freedom.  You play as Arthur, who has been in the gang for a long time and in many ways, Dutch is like your father.   Things are getting more dangerous and you need a big score to buy everyone's freedom.  It may sound strange but that's all the detail I can get into without providing large spoilers.  What I can say is that there are many likable and unlikeable characters, my personal favorites being Sadie, Lenny, and Charles.  Each character feels like a real person, with their own backstories and personalities. Nolls loved these three as well, along with the Irish character Sean. We both hated Strauss and Micah, as we felt was the intention.


There are many, many side quests to explore and in engage in, which Nolls particularly took to. She loved ones including a lion tamer, a very suspicious redneck couple, a slave owner, a widow learning to live off the land alone, a wildlife photographer, a series of missions which leads to you obtaining a rare amped up horse, and a controversial French artist. She thought a lot of these were far better than the main stories in the game, which are quite regularly summed up as: bad plan, everything goes wrong, run away, rinse and repeat. That said, there are also random encounters with people in distress, not quite side-missions, but opportunities to boost your reputation or get some gun store credit later, and she also encountered the same Spaniard being attacked by wolves about five times as she played - she saved him twice but left him to his fate after that because dammit man learn from your mistakes.

Overall the story is compelling enjoyable but on occasion it was frustrating.  The ending left me in many ways disappointed and the epilogue, while enjoyable, did feel needless. Nolls had barely registered the relevant character up to that point so it felt a bit shoehorned to her. We both felt it would have made far more sense as a DLC episode on its own.

Visuals


The game provides breathtaking visuals, warm open country, forested mountains, arid desert, idyllic country ranches, and small towns, a bustling city, an alligator-infested swampland and so much more.  There is so much detail and life around you from plants to animals and more. I was really impressed by the snow as it felt cold and was tough traverse. Nolls frequently took to pointing her horse in the general direction of her destination and ignoring the map entirely to trek cross-country and really enjoy the incredible world.


Overall the visuals are almost beyond words and are probably the strongest element of the game.


Music


I initially struggled to try to think about how to best describe the music in Red Dead Redemption 2, and then it hit me.  Imagine if Dire Straits and Ennio Morricone had a baby and that baby grew up and played with its neighbors, country, and American rock.  The score is composed by American composer, producer, and musician Woody Jackson.  Woody has worked on a number of Rockstar games including; L.A. Noire, Grand Theft Auto V and Max Payne 3.


The soundtrack is well over three hours long, some of my favorite pieces included; 'Outlaws from the West', 'House Building Theme', 'Bank Robbery Theme', 'Old Friends' and 'Train Heist (Shoot Out)'.  Overall the soundtrack was overly long and while there are many tracks some of them sound very similar to each other. While I understand the game is huge I think the soundtrack could have been shrunk down somewhat and perhaps it would have it more memorable. Nolls really liked the music for the most part but agreed it was largely generic.

Gameplay


Wow, where do I even begin?  There is so much to do in Red Dead Redemption 2, obviously, there are the main story missions, but there are also there are tons of side missions, challenges, and collectibles.  Outside of that, there are all the Legendary Animals and Fish to hunt and regular ones too. There's great freedom in how you live daily life as Arthur and insane amounts of detail in every part of the game - while I was happy to grab supplies from towns, Nolls got a kick out of picking oregano to season her freshly-killed pronghorn deer venison at her makeshift roadside campfires while her horse enjoyed wild carrots she picked herself. She also made sure to regularly buy newspapers from the towns, which would report on shocking train robberies or other crimes committed by unknown folk (Nolls, of course). You can choose to act nobly or criminally, and your reputation will increase or decrease accordingly. Riding around towns greeting everyone in sight will raise your reputation and genuinely give your mood a boost - it's true what Arthur says - "say what you want about the folk round here, they're real friendly".


The game itself doesn't really offer much in the way of a tutorial, this allows you to discover a lot of things through simple trial and error.  The only difficulty I found with the controls is that one slight slip and you would go from greeting someone to sticking your gun in their face.  This could be amusing at times, other times not so much.  Upgrading and customizing your gear is important, firstly because it's fun (don't lie, you enjoyed dressing Arthur up too) and secondly you want to have the best weapons available for the job at hand - be it hunting big or small game, capturing a target alive or taking on an entire gang in a shootout.  Maintaining your weapons is important as well, weapons in poor condition won't work effectively and in a shoot out and you don't want that. You can even improve your weapons or upgrade their appearance - right down to engraving the wooden stock.


While guns are important there is one thing in the game almost equal in importance, your horse. You can find them in the wild and break them, buy them from stables or steal them. If you want the best horse early in the game, you can kill yourself for an hour or more getting an Arabian Horse (to be fair he is badass).  Taking care of your horse is important - feed them, brush them, bond with them and always have a horse reviver on hand in case it gets mortally wounded (Nolls mortally wounded her own horses more than once by accidentally plunging off cliffs, over rocks, or straight into trees at full speed. This is why she doesn't have a real horse).  Horses will help carry your many weapons, equipment, and animal skins. The game prides itself on realistic gameplay actions - something we both learned early on when we frequently ran empty-handed into a gunfight, having completely forgotten that we needed to remove our chosen guns from the horse's saddle upon dismount.


There are a few camps through the main story, each of which can upgrade cosmetically but also from a more practical standpoint.  Upgrading the medicine wagon mean more medicine for you and the gang, the same goes for ammunition.  Dutch will encourage you and others to pay into the pot to help keep the camp afloat if you don't though it's not the end of the world.


There is so much to see and do a few mere paragraphs can hardly describe, plus telling you more would just ruin your own future experience.  Basically, massive open world game where you can do pretty much anything, just not the crazy stuff you see in just cause.  Overall the gameplay is really enjoyable, the controls can be a little fiddly on occasion and the game will glitch on occasion (it crashed twice on Nolls) but this is not very common.





Final Thoughts


So, after seventy plus hours how did I feel?  Pretty good, better than I expected.  The story was interesting, and if I don't linger too much on the ending or epilogue overall it was close to perfect - the vast number of side quests means it would be easy to dismiss the main story if you're not too keen on it anyway.  The visuals were beyond amazing and was always a please to traverse the lands on my horse, the music was okay but lacked a certain something, sometime less is more.  The gameplay initially took me a little while to get used to but overall was pretty fun.  Overall this one gets a 4 out of 5

Katana Zero - Review

Every now then I end up spending so much time playing one particular game I need to take a break from it...by playing another game.  The two games in questions are Red Dead Redemption 2 and Katana Zero.  Katana Zero was already on my list of games this year due in small part to the visuals.  I downloaded the game from Steam and decided to play it to give myself a break from Red Dead Redemption 2, and give Nolls more of a chance to catch up in RDR2 as well.


I like crisps and corn snacks, some more than others.  Take Hula Hoops, they have been around for ages and have tried many things, they tried a light version, and an XL version with some interesting flavors -  Beef and Mustard were my favorite, they were the balls! In recent years they have released flavorings which are tangier than their previous ones.  My favorite flavor is the tangy cheese, at its core it still a Hula Hoop but is so much more than that.  Playing Katana Zero I found myself asking while it had similarities to other games I played, did it offer enough to stand on its own two feet?

Story


Katana Zero has a lot to offer when it comes to story.  Initially, you wake up from a nightmare not able to remember who you are or anything about your past.  The only thing you remember is that you can kill, and you are quite proficient at it.  Slowly you discover more about who you are and what happened in your past.  I can't really disclose more about the story without giving away spoilers.  What I can say is that I found it refreshing to find a 2D platformer that provides so much story depth, especially nowadays.


Overall the story was highly engrossing, and I am already hoping there will be some sort of sequel in the future.

Visuals


The visuals are one of the big things that initially attracted me to the game.  The game uses stylish neo-noir visuals and at certain points had me reminiscing about some of the artwork used in the opening and closing of Streets of Rage.  I really liked the small details in the game, the mug of hot herbal tea steaming away on your counter, the way your character looked slumped into the chair, even the backgrounds looking beat up and damage really added something to the overall feel of the game.


Overall Katana Zero is visually impressive, just like the other elements of the game.



Music


The music used in Katana Zero rolls between intense electronic sounds used to drive you during battles, and soft electronic melodies designed to help give you to reflect.  The soundtrack is created by Dutch artist and producer LudoWic who produces electronic music and American artist and composer Bill Kiley. Kiley has created a number of video game soundtracks including; CrittARS, Final Fantasy XV Kings Tale, Valley Rule, A Kitty Dream, Why Am I Dead At Sea?



Overall the soundtrack is awesome.  It could easily focus on intense tracks and hold off on melodies but LudoWic and Kiley decided to do both. The soundtrack itself is little over ninety minutes  I find it hard to pick my favorite tracks as I liked them all a lot, but if I had a gun to my head I would choose; 'Disturbed Lines', 'All For Now', 'Overdose', 'Rain on Brick', 'Blue Room', and 'At Home'.

Gameplay


Katana Zero is sword slashing 2D platformer, and you have three main weapons; your katana, the ability to slow time (which isn't just a gimmick but actually adds to the story), and rolling.  You will need to roll past certain enemy attacks, deflect bullets and pass through lasers to avoid instant death (one hit and you're a goner).


Most missions start with you being given a dossier, which gives you a target to assassinate.  During the missions, you will need to kill a number of bad guys before you get to your main objective. Sometimes you will be able to talk to people along the way, which can be very helpful later on in missions.


There are many interesting elements to the gameplay, two of my favorites are after a mission when you trying to get some downtime in your apartment and the other being just before battle when you pop in a cassette and put on your headphones.  Perhaps I just like the calm, and storm?


There are only a few boss battles, and I found each to be fun in their own way.


Overall there is so much more I want to tell you about the game but simply can't in fear I might spoil it for you.  The gameplay is solid and once you get used to a little trial and error you will be just fine.





Final Thoughts


So after seven or so hours how did I feel? Awesome and sad.  Awesome because I enjoyed the game so much, sad because it was over.  The story, visuals, music and gameplay were all so engrossing and I really do hope there will be a sequel.  This one gets a very solid 5 out of 5

Party Hard - Review

Party Hard was suggested to me when I downloaded Dead Cells (still not completed, pretty tough).  I liked the look of the game and the premise sounded intriguing so I thought why not give it ago.  Nolls and I decided to play this game together, strictly speaking, it's not a two player game but is certainly a lot of fun that way.

Nolls and I recently came back from a trip to London, it was fantastic! Visiting Benihana was one of the best things about it, hadn't been to one and always wanted to go.  I wasn't sure exactly what to expect from it.  The food, the interaction with the chef and others at the table was amazing and look forward to doing it again in the future.  Playing Party Hard, I found myself wondering was this a perfect combination of fun and tasty?

Story

Ever had a night where you can't sleep because of a loud party going on next door, and all you want to do is sleep?  You think about calling the cops but know that nothing will happen.  Perhaps you shout a profanity or two, maybe you even have darker thoughts and wish them dead.  Well in Party Hard one guy can't take it anymore and decides to end the party once and for all, but he doesn't stop there.  The story is recounted by Inspector John West who always seems to just one step behind the killer. While the game could have not bothered following a story and just gone for a wacky set of scenarios, the story is actually genuinely really good, with each chapter adding something new and leaving you wondering where it's all going.

The overall story is interesting and well fleshed out, and we both really enjoyed the ending.

Visuals

I love games that use low-resolution graphics but somehow manages to look amazing.  There are a number of levels that do this really well. Some examples of this would be when you are out in the woods, there is a small lake, a number of tents, it would almost be nice if not for all the blood.  There is a Halloween party, the house it's at looks like a haunted house if you don't include the S & M room.  The rooftop party is a neon-infused level full of bright lights and a cool dance floor. While a couple of the levels seemed derivative of earlier levels, for the most part, there's a surprising amount of diversity and creativity in the types and locations of parties.

The visuals in the game are impressive and are a lot of fun, and honestly, it's hard to flaw them.

Music

The soundtrack is an infusion of disco and bass, which is great for a game called Party Hard.  While that style of music can get annoying fast I never felt that way when playing Party Hard - one of the tracks reminded us of the Beverly Hills Cop theme tune which was really fun.  The composer Ressa Schwarzwald from Belarus.  With the exception of an album called 'Higher', she doesn't seem to have done much else.

The soundtrack lasts little over thirty minutes and contains some greats tracks including; 'Main Theme', 'Don't Stop Party', 'Neon Cobra', and 'Come on Baby'.  Considering this is Schwarzwald's first debut in video games it's a pretty solid start and I hope to see more music from her in the future.

Gameplay

The game has you take control of the pixelated killer, your mission, to kill everyone on the level and don't get caught by the cops or killed.  This is not always easy but you have many tools at your disposal, including your trusty knife, horses, cars, exploding amplifiers, and a wood chipper, to name but a few.

While the game is designed to be tough, sometimes it's a little unfair or perhaps just a little glitchy.  The cops will sometimes be alerted to you even when you have done nothing at all.  The bouncers will sometimes hone in on you from across the level and kick the hell out of you.  It wasn't enough to stop my experience but certainly frustrated us. Generally, though, only a few levels gave us these issues.

There are multiple characters you can play including; chainsaw manic, cop, ninja and the killer.  Each killer has their own interesting abilities but the killer was always my favorite character. Nolls wasn't as impressed by the extra characters as she felt they didn't add much to the game, but we did have some fun with chainsaws.

Once the game is over there are still bonus levels to complete which can be really fun if not a bit a tough.   Overall the game offers some great gameplay with some replayability.

Final Thought

So after twelve hours of gameplay how did we both feel?  Pretty damn good.  The story was interesting, the visuals were really well done as was the music.  While the gameplay was generally good there were a few things that were annoying, but overall a great experience.  Overall this one gets 4 out of 5

Brownie Cove Cancelled - Review

Brownie Cove Cancelled is another odd game that I came across recently.  The concept is that you are stuck in an airport.  It sounds overly simple, and in many ways it is but it is experience that is hard to forget. The game is created by Sand Gardeners, who also made Brownie Cove Express, Exhaust Lands and First Morning to name but a few.


I like sour sweets but sometimes there are some sour sweets that catch me off guard.  They are so sour even I find them a bit much, sour bubble gum is one that springs to mind.  Wandering around Brownie Cove's airport I found myself asking was this too much even for me?

Story


The story is simple, you find yourself in an airport waiting for you flight to board when just a minute before there is announcement.  'This is an announcement for all passengers on flight BC036 to Brownie Cove.  We are sorry to inform you that your flight flight has been delayed.  This is due to...unforeseen circumstances.  Please check the boards for more up-to-date information about this flight.'  That's the whole thing there is no more than to it, and I didn't feel the need to know more.

Visuals 


The visual are a fuzzy pixilated mess designed to make you feel uncomfortable.  There are a few maybe not nice, but odd things to look at including a small gift shop with mini toilets, a vending machine area which is designed in a way that makes them feel overwhelming.


The designs and animations are created by Colin Le Du and Marc Loths. I have never played a game that feel as uncomfortable to look at as Brownie Cove Cancelled, the whole game revolves around this idea.


Music


There is no music just ambient sounds that you would hear in an airport, echoing noises, trolley and luggage move around and the occasional intercom sound.  That lack of music makes Brownie Cove Cancelled feel all the more uncomfortable and really reminds me of times I was caught in an airport.
These sounds are put together by Sam Machell who like his colleagues are great at making you feel uneasy.

Gameplay


The game leaves you open to explore the airport, walking blindly around as you wait for your delay flight - which will never arrive.  The other people in the airport look unhappy and you are either seeing their thoughts in speech bubbles or they are muttering to themselves.  While you explore you will come across floating fish moving around like it's not big them, a graveyard because of course airports aren't fun enough already.  If you decide you don't want to walk around yourself you can let your character do it and see what they do.


Every game is an experience but very few come close to feeling like Brownie Cove Cancelled.  If someone had never been to an airport and you were trying to describe it to them show them this game.  They would probably never go to an airport.




Final Thoughts


So after mindlessly roaming the Brownie Cove airport for an hour how did I feel?  Uncomfortable, anxiety ridden and couldn't wait to leave.  Now as this is the purpose of the game I can't fault it, I can only imagine how much more intense it would be if I had tried it on a VR headset (not available, but who knows).  This was strange one and hard to rate, this one gets a 3 out 5

Yet Another Exhausting Day - Review

Every now and then I come across a random game that makes me think 'yes, I'm must play this'.  Yet Another Exhausting Day by Gao Ming is one such game.  Mostly because the concept sounded so random, but I'll reveal all soon.


Sometimes we need a snack, in my case, it's usually unhealthy like a bag of crisps.  One of my go-to crisps is salt and vinegar Hula Hoops, simple tasty but not exactly filling.  Playing Yet Another Exhausting Day I found myself asking was this simple snack just what I needed?

Story

Humans spend a third of their lives sleeping, imagine if you could do more, imagine if you could be a superhero.  Or at least that's what the protagonist wants to try and be.  The game has you fall asleep but rather than relax you get to navigate the world (your home).  That's the story, it's not overly fleshed out but like the old flash games of old that you would find on Mini-Clip, there is no real need for it.

Visuals

The visuals are quite good in Yet Another Exhausting Day, which is unusual for such a small game.  The textures of the chairs look really detailed and the wood surface tops look good as well.  There are fun visuals like dancing milk pots and a giant smartphone which have to try and interact with.

Overall the visuals are charming and fun, and while simple has a strange depth to them.

Music

The music is fun and often starts up beats but fades out like when you see a character falling asleep, the best of example I can think of is in Bad Santa where Billy Bob Thorton eats a load of chocolate and finishes off a bottle of alcohol and then fall over and passes out.  Don't worry quickly it goes back to being positive again.

There are a handful of tracks in the game each as fun as the other, as there were no credits at the end of the game I can only take Gao Ming himself created the music.

Gameplay

Yet Another Exhausting Day is a 3D physics crawler, you use your body to roll and push yourself forward similar to a worm.  Occasionally you will have to use your head to activate certain items.  The aim of the game is to escape each of the rooms by collecting a key and getting to a padlocked door.

The physics are funny in the game and can take a while to get used, especially when crawling up a wall or moving sideways across a chest of drawers.  There are two main enemies in the game, pillows and milk pots.  The pillows if you touch them make you fall unconscious (damn pillows, all cozy feeling the warm embrace as the san..dman...come...I'm awake!).  Then there are the milk bottles, as we all know milk is good for you just before bed, you fall asleep if you touch it or skirts milk at you.  There is one friend though, beer!  That's right, and just like really like it gives you superpowers and makes you move fast.  The game can be tough when it comes to navigation but as it is quite forgiving as a whole it's easy to overlook. 

When you complete one of the two main areas you end up being able to access a dressing room and a superpowers lab.  They are just for fun and not really needed, coins and gems can be collected during the game and these can be used to make purchases. 

Overall there is a lot of fun gameplay and I was left wanting more.

Final Thoughts

So, after just over an hour how did I feel?  Really really positive.  I enjoyed my short time with Yet Another Exhausting Day.  The story may have been a little lacking but the visuals, music, and gameplay made up for it.  A fun gem that you can donate any amount you want to purchase it.  Gao Ming has a number of other fun looking games that I will likely delve into.  This one gets a solid 4 out of 5