Recent reviews by Ceekur

You play as a therapist who finds himself stuck in a strange yet familiar building. It's been seemingly transported to a place outside of time; in order to solve the mystery, you need to find multiple tapes relating to your patients' lives. You also have an overarching antagonist that doesn't seem to approve of your practice and will amusingly berate you through your journey via the phone or leaving notes, even sometimes interfering at certain points!

Each tape takes place on a fateful day for your patients, with you entering a recreated environment frozen in time. Each location has great world-building from the environment design to various believable notes left around, some of which help point you in the right direction or to solve a puzzle. Each tape has you exploring their thought process and how they saw the world, with your patients now represented as how your diagnosis characterized them, as a level boss you'll need to figure out how to put at ease. The pacing in each level feels great, with a mix between discovering their story through the environment, solving puzzles, and fending off both normal enemies and the boss. It never felt like it leaned too far in one direction, with the game giving plenty of downtime during a puzzle without you being harassed by enemies. The puzzles themselves never felt too obtuse nor were they overly simple.

The combat felt mostly fair and polished for indie psychological horror. You can save a lot of ammo by taking careful aim, as regular enemies take much more damage on a headshot. You do have health, with a generous amount of healing food scattered around. The enemies, obstacles, and level boss only take health away and don't instant kill, which is a welcome sight. You also have ways to repel each boss (typically, only the guns will work on normal enemies) if you start to feel overwhelmed. The hit detection felt accurate and the gun sounds were well done.

Each tape can be returned to at any time for missed secrets or achievements, while you slowly unlock more further progress within your building (acting as your HUB) as each tape gives you a new item to uncover more area within. The items are mundane yet have a supernatural effect upon the world: Your first item, a mirror shard that cuts seemingly indestructible crime scene tape, as well as occasionally revealing messages and hints on walls. They are meaningful to where they were found, each serving a unique function as you find new ones.

This has ended up being a very solid experience, with a tense, thriller-esque atmosphere whenever you discover a new area. And yet it knows how to be lighthearted in just the right spots. At the same time, it handles the importance of mental health very well. I can highly recommend it for its good story, suspenseful atmosphere, and engaging gameplay!

Incoming verbose onslaught... for Monster Bash HD - Let's begin -
Monster Bash is a masterclass 90s PC platformer that encourages methodical play in-between bursts of action. Level flow shifts from attacking patrolling monsters, to travelling or platforming to another part of the level, to lapping up the remaining score potential on a level, and between the game's level design and its engine, it handles this exceptionally well.

Originally released in 1993 for MS-DOS systems, the new 2021 HD version has updated the graphics from EGA to VGA, additional color support, and the removal of some longstanding bugs such as unintended enemy respawning. One of the more obvious intentional differences between the original and this version is the removal of the lives system in favor of a modern level selection, allowing the replay of any level reached. Now the Johnny voodoo dolls award a large sum of points, and indeed Monster Bash has always been a point-chaser game. As your penalty for dying, you lose potential bonus points. Some may take issue with this, but it feels as a step-up from save games and allows you to pick any level to master and work on collecting its items. Also it prevents running short on lives and scraping by one level but being forced to complete the next with your final life. That said, you can still test yourself with a one-life level completion...

New additions include an all-new Nightmare difficulty unlocked after beating an episode, which adds new monster and trap placements unseen on Hard and the level MUST be completed on one life. There is the special Rokket Mushroom hidden deep in one spot somewhere, as is standard for Emberheart Games (unlocks a Gore quantity slider). Finally, take your revenge on Big Red whom tried to make Johnny soup post-Episode 1, in a new secret level! There are two secret levels so far, with one for Episode 3 likely on its way.

Armed with his trusty slingshot, Johnny must rescue his pet Tex and all the other stolen pets from the evil Count Chuck! You move at a moderate speed and can shoot monsters by aiming up at a 45 degree angle or while crouching/jumping, as well as bouncing shots off walls (a necessary trick to get through later levels unscathed). These rebound shots can also free pets and move/break environmental objects from angles not immediately obvious. Being a 90s PC platformer, it was designed with keyboard control in mind and while controllers are now supported, using a keyboard feels very comfortable and handles tightly. Johnny does have a skid animation after running a distance but can be cancelled with most key presses; while jumping is also very precise and has solid air control.

Bash's design and pacing is in stark contrast to another great 90s PC platformer of the day, Jazz Jackrabbit (still love ya Jazz!), where in that game you have unlimited shots, risk running into enemies since you simply move very fast, and specifically cannot shoot enemies off-screen. Johnny can only have 3 shots in the air at one time (except collecting special ammo / depleting a powerup bypasses this) so you'll be left vulnerable if you miss. You are also encouraged to blast enemies from off-screen if you can take the shot to reduce risk. Instead of flying backwards on getting hit, you clip through enemies but with a VERY short invulnerability window.

This version adds a variety of well-thought out achievements, many with clever names even. These range from your standard kill X number of an enemy or activate Y number of checkpoints, but include challenges such as racing Frank Lloyd in E1M1, killing a boss under certain conditions, or smashing a monster with a stone block. There is even one just for entering in the original infinite lives code. There is also a slew involving collecting all candy, shooting every skull, etc, so completionists have their work cut out. Monster Bash isn't an easy game but it's fair in that it gives you all the tools to complete its challenges.

It's often relaxing just flipping through the level tome and selecting any level and tackling it in a new way - are you going for even more points this run, maybe running through to set a new best level time, or working towards an achievement? Each level tracks candy completion, skulls, par time beaten, Johnny dolls taken, and chests broken. These stay checked once completed (don't worry, each level resets fully when you come back next time) so say you forgot some candy but got everything else, you just need to go for candy next time to complete your level checklist. Of course, if you want maximum points in a level, you must do everything in one go, ideally collecting hearts at full health for a huge bonus! However score is not required for 100% within the game.

Finally, another great addition is the comprehensive level creator. You are able to use any block and enemy from the episodes, even bosses, to make your own custom level. It takes some learning, but its documentation is always improving. Overall MBHD is a standout example of how to properly do a soft remake / port of a classic game, and making it properly accessible in the modern era. Sure it is still sprite art, not actual 3D, nor actual HD as in HD textures, but what needed to be refined has been refined, with all of the classic gameplay intact. Even the little things like including both SoundBlaster and original PC Speaker sounds (which were crafted to be unique and not just simple beeps) and being able to select menu items by pressing the first letter of the item are still here. I also must applaud that the original game is still available on Steam which is rare when oft-times a re-release is produced, the original is swiftly removed. If you want a challenging, comprehensive, under-the-radar retro platformer that balances player execution, collecting, and platforming in a solid little package, I highly recommend Monster Bash HD to you.

Renaissance is a fun reboot of the original game from 1997. You control a paddle, mining out gems from bricks using your mining ball (your ship's reactor) in typical arkanoid fashion. The levels may also contain enemies, hazards that manipulate the playfield, and powerups. Instead of just waiting for the ball to break everything, you can use weapons to help blast away the level. If the ball gets out of control, you can fire off more from your reserves instead of dealing with a speeding ball. You may also recollect them at the end of the level now, which is a nice touch, if they're heading back to you at the time. It's also useful given the slight "economic depression" the Rockhopper shop is going through.

The main updates lie in the graphics and mechanics. You can play up to 3 players local coop, with up to 5 different paddle colors. You can even play with the AI now, though they leave you high and dry once the level finishes and the asteroids come! They are just as berserk as ever, shooting wildly while chasing the nearest ball. Fortunately you can turn off friendly fire as well as remove the need for one of each colored ball in play to survive (classic style).

You no longer need to worry about purchasing or losing guns, only the ammo required to fire your machine guns, plasma, or missiles. The machine guns still push enemies and asteroids away from you, which is very helpful. That said, some variety has been removed, with the grenade launcher, ball manipulation (lol) of the graviton, different missile types, and ion accelerator absent.

The missile launcher has inherited the momentum "flick" mechanic of the old grenades, allowing you to hit tough-to-hit bricks. There are design choices that make this tougher than the original: increased ammo consumption, a shop with limited inventory and money (and you no longer can sell your starting lives or save scum anyway), and shrinking your paddle whenever you swap to your weapons.

The original levels have been recreated with modern crisp graphics. They use a scaling vector sprite design, allowing them to be re-drawn to any crazy resolution. With 100 levels, plus an additional 100 within the Renaissance pack, on top of a very comprehensive level editor, you will have a solid breakout time.

Fang is a good boy.


The new Rivals Pack is less polarizing than the Usurpers, but that doesn't mean they're boring at all. All the heroes are
well-designed with good animations, models, and audio.

Griotte (F:4,B:4,W:5,S:3) takes the most forethought and planning of any trickster Hero. You gain additional affinity dice for each Trickery card played during the day, which lasts during the night until dawn, even through other heroes' turns or her death. Pair her with the new Cats' Eye ring giving a 1 gold discount on your first Trickery card played per turn and she can certainly live up to her Butcher title!

Hargrave the Cannoneer (5,5,4,2) has a solid spread of stats, making for a decent bunny fighter next to Barnaby. His passive is hilarious to watch, blasting ANY nearby creature for 1 damage if he had ended his turn on a mountain or plains, incurring any related benefits or penalties of having done so (see: guards).

Yordana (2,5,4,5) deals with curses, needling the other heroes down with minor annoying pacts that lasts until one of them dies. You roll a random Pact or spell by cooking a spell card during your turn, making self-buffing difficult (must be done off-turn). With 2 fight, Yordana is not likely to survive many battles. You would do better to avoid them similar to Sana until you get good gear, though her low starting gold means you may also end up starving if you're not careful.

Fang (6,5,3,2) is a force to be reckoned with. The only character starting with 6 fight, he can equip Rubellite and Scratch to steamroll anything in front of him. During an attack, if he overkills his target by 3+ damage, they do not get to hit back, making pragmatic glass cannon builds amazing. Exiled from the Wolves due to dabbling in the Rot (starts with 1 point), it does little to truly hinder him. His portrait would be a werewolf in any other setting.

UCH is a charming competitive platformer designed for both casual party crowds and masterful try-hards. You control one of (currently) 7 hand-drawn animal characters as they frantically try to make their way to the exit. You compete against 3 other players as you each choose a random item, platform, or trap from the Party Box and place it anywhere on the level. Your aim is to strategically hinder your friends while keeping it in line with your own skill to pass. It quickly gets hectic as gravity-defying platforms are scattered all around, as traps, teleporters, and projectiles threaten you with a close shave.

Each animal has the same movement stats and control the same way, with your decision only up to how you like their dance animation, sounds, and outfits. You can crouch under hazards (but not crawl), slide on and jump off of most walls, sprint, and dance. Though you cannot double-jump, your critter can reach far distances if you know your limits and make use of your environment, even if other players give up. Many traps can be used as makeshift platforms; likewise innocent platforms can end up knocking the fuzzy fellows into a trap if placed right (aka somebody hits their head and that causes them to jump differently than they expected).

Points are earned for different qualifications and matches can be close if players of similar skill play together. (There is now a handicap option if leeway needs to be made, however. This reduces points earned by the higher-skilled player by a percentage) You earn points for completing the map, but with bonuses for being the only player to survive, coin collection, trap kills, first to the exit, and so forth. Any of these may be turned off by the host, with many other options such as a placement timer, point/time limit, item disables, etc. The game is highly customizable, especially now with the added freeplay and level creation modes. Even in regular levels, expect crazy contraptions to be built with the moving platforms combined with the glue item.

Despite its toony casual appearance, the movement system is very competent and it is possible to become a very experienced player over time. Characters have friction and stop quicker if they have less momentum. Holding sprint while wall-jumping will cause your animal to jump back slightly farther than wall-jumping without holding sprint, leaving it up to you to decide which to be doing at the time. You can hold up while wall-sliding to slide slower, allowing you to time a critical jump near traps. Tapping jump will do a smaller hop instead of a full leap. You will be able to get in tune with the controls and deaths will start to feel less like the game screwing you over, and more of what precise button presses you have to make to survive.

The game supports gamepads and keyboards equally effectively, allowing many controllers and keys to be detected. Both types can be rebound to your taste, even with one action bound to two separate buttons at once. The kicker is being able to play with local friends while playing online at the same time, with multiple controllers (or one player on keyboard) being used at the same time. The control methods are very refined and the devs are staying on top of game bugs constantly.

Overall, I highly recommend this game as a very good party game and platformer for all skill levels. Whether you intend to be a more casual player wanting to party with your friends, shouting at their obnoxious trap placements, or a "pro player" eager to know the ins and outs of the game, still shouting at the ridiculous speed the level spirals out of control, it's bound to be a fun and hilarious experience for many people.

Armello is a mostly turn-based strategy game played with up to 4 players. Your ultimate goal is to overthrow the Mad King and restore peace to the land. Or rule over it with an iron paw; this game isn't about what comes after, but the hard-fought journey to it. It is a fresh take in the turn-based genre, where you don't simply go from point A to point B and finish first. You must use this strange land as a tool to build up and achieve victory through combat, magicks, or trickery (usually a combo of all three!). Each player chooses a hero each with their own passive ability and allocation of stat points. Afterwards, you choose a ring, granting an ability based on what clan they hail from. Then an amulet from a shared set that can boost a stat by 1 or make a particular victory condition slightly easier to obtain.

Dice appear in combat and perils (traps that require the dice to match symbols), where you either hit, miss, or defend. Each shield blocks one hit, where misses are 33% likely, hits are 50% likely, and shields are merely 1/6 likely. Attacks are resolved at the same time, so mutual kills can often happen unless you were geared up defensively. I don't feel this is a flaw exactly, just a design that requires player understanding and adjusting accordingly. However, you can guarantee certain dice rolls by burning your cards, matching its symbol on the top-right.

Card decks are used whenever you start your turn and draw new cards up to your Wits stat. You may choose from Items (healing, equipment, movement), Magic (stat buffs, teleportation, peril spells), and Trickery (traps, resource stealing, sabotage). While you are free to pick, your ideal choice lies with your character, position on the board, and time of day. Almost nightfall and you still have some magic? Draw a spell and use it up before you receive more for free. Have a lot of settlements under control? Draw trickery and take advantage of your discount per owned town.

I say it is mostly a turn-based game, in that you can play cards during other player turns. You can equip items to prepare for a potential battle, use buffing magic cards, play perils on the board, even teleport off-turn. While you cannot use a spell directly onto a player currently moving, you can still place traps in their way. Overall, this is the best time to modify or cement the strategy to be used on your next turn, rather than always being bored waiting for the three other players.

The "rule of four numbers" is a reoccurring theme in this game. There are four hero clans: Wolf, Rat, Bear, Rabbit; and you must always play with 4 players, even if the remainder is AI-controlled. There are four main stat points: Fight, Wit, Body, Spirit. There are four "resources": Gold, Magic, Prestige, Rot. There are four ways to win the game, and you must keep all of them in mind to hinder the other players' progress while slowly reaching your own under the radar.

Each player starts in their Clan Grounds and have 3 movement points to use on the board, which itself is divided into different hexes. Each hex is a particular terrain type which may help or hurt you or your enemy from their current goal. This is an important distinction from other board games: CURRENT goal. Maybe you need to finish a quest to get another stat point, maybe you need a couple towns under your control for gold next dawn, maybe you're hunting a monster (Banes) or another player for more Prestige. None of these actions is a direct victory action; you are building tools and resources to aid you in reaching victory.

The map is not very big, but the land of Armello is a dynamic, living entity that is randomly generated each match. During the match, perils, hazards, and enemies will move around or be added/removed by player actions and influence. As the King is slowly dying each day, there is a time-limit for the players to work. You may win by Prestige where you inherit the crown after the King passes. You may collect 4 Spirit Stones to banish him after you breach the palace grounds. Or you may throw down the gauntlet and use brute force to combat him directly. OR take to the dark side and show just how corrupt one can get before facing him.

Your stats help you combat the hazards in the game. Body is the simplest stat; it is your max health. Fight almost always determines how many dice rolled in combat. Your Wit determines your maximum cards drawn at the start of your turn, your dice if Evading in defensive combat, and rolled dice in some perils. Your Spirit is how many magic points you are balanced to each nightfall and how far you may cast a spell from your character, and your dice against magical perils.

The presentation of the game is fantastic. Every character model is sharp and inspired, with a colorful fairytale-esque aesthetic. Shadows cast across the land based on the time of day/night. Beautiful animated art is on every card in the game, even viewable in the gallery. The idle animations are done well for each hero and fit their personality. They play a "boast" animation on certain conditions, such as on killing their combat target or finishing a quest. Even Guards, Banes, and the King himself have subtle animations that follow these same rules!

Armello is visually designed to feel alive during a match, and when everything comes together, I really get that feeling. Instead of a static board, it is a living world that we adventure in. The developers have invested a lot into polishing this game, and it shows. The music is excellent and further immerses one into its world, covering the right moments of atmosphere, tension, and drama. Hearing more about our heroes in the future would be great. However the lore is provided indirectly through guides and stories that won't immediately be visible during matches. Quest logs do explain what your character is going through to get the throne though.

There is a good amount of randomness to the game, which may turn some players off, as they are expected to be strategic in a game where fate keeps dealing you the wrong cards or combat dice rolls came out poorly despite beating all your opponent's items and stats. Nonetheless, each player can manipulate the situation to best be on top. Try not to end your turn near a dungeon if night is coming and you cannot handle combat if a Bane were to randomly spawn from it. See if you can afford to go around a peril if you aren't prepared to (literally) roll with it. Don't always choose Risk on quest rewards. Don't make enemies too early just because you can. Ultimately, you are your own ally and alliances are temporary - Finding balance between risk and reward, and having a Plan B are key in this game.

The developers are still looking towards future updates and game balance, and are occasionally tweaking different cards, items, and elements. It's a very polished, visually-pleasing game to play that takes 60-90 minutes once you know how to play. Deeper down, there is a lot of replayability to be had if given a chance. Even now, there are elements of counter-play involved when choosing a character. Playing against Thane, the sword-crazy wolf who can passively cause armor-piercing attacks? Play a spell-caster or Zosha who can Ambush at night. In a match with multiple spellcasters try a Witty character and focus on a non-combat victory while countering with Trickery. With four players, there is never a true counter-class to everything, meaning your best skill is improvisation and never surrendering even if you were killed and sent back on the final day.

I have really enjoyed my experiences with the game and encourage others to give it a try. It mixes a board game formula with a very lively aesthetic and dynamic gameplay, pushing you to think ahead about What Ifs, threat priority, and resource management. Don't let the random elements be a turnoff, enjoy the potential the game has to offer, and ultimately play in your way that lets you have fun.

*Includes Impressions Video*
Where to begin with this classic entry of car carnage? It's race how you want at its finest. You can either wreck your opponents or drive over all its spectators (read: everyday bystanders and pedestrians), or merely hit all the checkpoints (still driving way off-track to get there quicker). Hitting opponents and peds award time and credits, the latter used to upgrade your vehicle's armor, engine, and offensive strength. Your race profits determine how many rankings you rise, which unlock new routes and environments to crash through. Once you dip into sub-80s, you unlock additional vehicles through random chance after wrecking certain opponents.

There are dozens of crazy car designs that all handle differently, included with driver info for the completion of crazy. Your standard Eagle (or Die Anna's Hawk) has very good starting stats and will carry the player through most of the game even so though. Once you beat the game, you may want to drive the inaccessible ones even...

There is no race happening, no concern about position, no pit-stops, and no rules. For the player, there is no option but first place. You may get bonuses by knocking objects and lampposts into the peds, driving backwards or sliding into them, or sandwiching them on a wall. Power-ups (although temporary) add to this chaos. They can modify your abilities, increase your engine power, respawn all peds, freeze opponents, turbo the opponents, allow you to drive unhindered underwater, increase your damage strength and so on. This game has introduced some of the wackiest additions to races, including but limited to, Pinball Mode, Jelly Suspension, Gravity From Jupiter, and Wall Climber.

The damage modeling is dynamic and even today we are only just starting to refine how this is done, such as with BeamNG and Next Car Game. Burnout may be considered one of the first, but Carmageddon really is the first to feature real-time 60 fps 3D racing as well as dynamic damage modeling based on how you have collided your car. No two impacts are the same (and your opponents will never be left the same!). Internal damage is incurred through these high-speed impacts and usually matches the severity of the cosmetic damage. Each component is given a damage indicator which moves from Unmarked, Green, and Red/Orange, to flashing Red, finally Black - Damaged wheels are not straight on the axle and bounce your car around, while a broken transmission will constantly stall your car back into the first gear. A damaged steeling column will hinder your turning ability, randomly making it turn the opposite way, with blackened disabling steering altogether.

The Max Pack includes both the original Carma and its Splat Pack expansion, launching through the DOSBox emulator. You are given the option of launching with original software graphics, or emulating it in 3DFX Glide, which beautifully renders the models and environment on modern graphics cards. Most of the textures handle modern resolutions well, and using Nvidia's Anti-Alias override (on the DOSBOX exe) smoothes out any minor jaggies remaining. It uses the original CD images of the games, then mounts them virtually. This is not a port, but rather a very good package that lets these classics run out of the box.

Online play appears to be a possibility in this version, with selectable "Launch Carmageddon Multiplayer Host" and "Client" launch options. In practice, it actually does work without any third-party tools, with the host only needing to forward Port 213 in their router. However it has severe desync issues, especially randomly freezing the other car (for one player though) if they separate into another area of the map - which instantly means a desync. This package is provided as-is, so we will have to see if this area is ever improved. It is likely to be a dosbox issue more than Carmageddon itself though.

On the whole, side, front, half, this game is really recommended. Fans of the game should like what they get; it is as close to the original as can be played on modern systems. It is as fun as you remember it. The damage systems and gameplay style have aged fairly well. The physics are arcadey and floaty (in a good way), as you find yourself flying through the air when you ramp off a sign, then somehow land on your wheels. Despite that, you can still keep your wheels straight without randomly losing traction, even at decent speed. For newcomers, I would say the learning curve is not much (stress-relief ya know) and they will enjoy its charm and freedom even with newer car games now available.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZJ_G5-En4yw

Heavily reminiscent of Snowblind's previous games, mainly Baldar's Gate: Dark Alliance. The same formula is applied here, with instanced dungeons leading from point A to B with some chests scattered through-out. Multiplayer coop is an asset to players, though opting for solo will include the two other classes on your journey under AI control.

The interface is polished and pleasant to use, with tabs for skill trees, inventory, stats, and quests. The graphical quality is good and I have not noticed any blurry / lazy textures. It is an interesting use of the Snowblind-style engine combined with the LotR universe.

Beat Hazard Ultra is a solid space shooter that runs off your own music. The game pace ramps up or down based on the music's pace. Your ship fires a kind of deadly colorful laser / bullet stream mix, and its intensity varies on the music as well. The game's effects are very vivid and very expressive of the action. For their chaos, they *are* consistent to what's going on (mainly you destroying hoards of various ship types and dodging everything else) and you can adjust the intensity of the downright euphoric effects.

You earn money and point ranks as you play the game, which grant you perks and the ability to level them up. These may add score bonuses, extra lives, instant starting power-ups, and special weapons (shield, micro-missiles). The many perks to unlock along with the very pretty visuals will keep the player coming back for more, while the large difficulty range and endless music possibilities will ensure many different players will find something they enjoy.

An independent first-person shooter / first-person brawler title made using Valve's Source engine, it features a unique story and setting for the player to experience. You have the main mode to play through the story in, as well as a challenge tower. There are several uniquely designed weapons, both in concept and construction, at your (and their) arsenal, including some morbid ones (using a crossbow to slingshot shrunken skulls at your enemies anyone?).

While the game is pretty much linear, the art style, the peculiar yet entertaining characters, and the immersing gameplay (you really feel the power behind an overhead swing of a club, or that you have no choice but to tirelessly beat down 3 foes at once with your fists) all keep you engaged and entertained within the game.