Recent reviews by m0uthful

Metal Garden has an unmatched atmosphere of desolation, conveyed through a startlingly accurate 2000's-era FPS presentation. It was so bang-on that I literally couldn't figure out what engine this was made with until I saw "TSR" in the graphics settings, indicating Unreal Engine. And while Unreal has a pretty poor reputation these days, the way Metal Garden makes use of its features is very resourceful, utilizing only what it needs.

I found myself easily pushing 400+ fps at all times, and I mean... just LOOK at this game. Most of the legwork is the modeling and texturing, with shaders being kept pretty simple, but there are some nifty uses of shadow and particle tech that I think breathe a lot of subtle life into the game's art direction.

The combat reminds me of some bits I loved in Borderlands 2, with slightly floaty jumps, keeping your distance wisely, and steady, focused fire. It's nice and simple, and surprisingly frantic, given the game's usual pacing is more grounded and slow.

On that note, don't hesitate to take the game at your own pace and just breathe in the awesome environment art. While most of the areas are a bit same-y, I like the look of it enough that it never bores me, and it manages to throw in a new sensibly-cool setpiece every so often. There is a very clear history to this game's world, and if that's especially your thing, there are plenty of lore-nuggets dotted around for you to investigate.

Metal Garden evokes a really unique feeling that I think has been far too absent from games for the last 10 or so years. I'd really love to see more of this world, and whatever comes next from Alexandra Herout.

I dismissed an employee and he frowned as he left. It was genuinely heart wrenching. Never dismissing employees again. 11/10 game FR

FlyKnight is an immersive and surprisingly dense romp. If you're a fan of really any kind of action RPG, but specifically Souls-likes or even CRPGs, you'll really appreciate what this game has to offer.

I was immediately drawn to FlyKnight because of its very OSRS-inspired art style. That aspect alone impresses me more and more the further I get into the game - classic RuneScape graphical quirks are re-imagined and brought to life using modern rendering techniques. The draw distance is purposely a bit kneecapped, which adds a fun layer of mystery and scale while navigating each excellently-crafted environment. And for every single thing that another game renders as a smooth gradient or blur, FlyKnight instead separates into its individual shades, giving things that primitive Java look I love so much. The real cherry on top is the inclusion of a couple animation options, allowing you to tweak how choppy everything should look.

Beneath that gorgeous presentation is a slow, but engaging, combat loop full of surprises that keep you thinking on your feet. It's maybe not breaking any new ground, but it is a genuinely very well thought-out combat system, and it rewards understanding how your gear & spells work. In place of typical potions is a simple fishing system, which is both a cute activity, and a fun way to stock up on buffs.

Then of course, there's the Souls-like stuff, as I kind of alluded to before. You've got your Bonfire and Estus Flask analogues; that sort of thing. I already really like these systems in similar games, so unsurprisingly, I'm glad they're here. They fit right in with the rest of the gameplay.

My only real concerns were:

- Network desync. While the states of enemies, players, and items all seemed to synchronize perfectly, some aspects such as elevators wouldn't always be so lucky. As someone who also develops games, desync is pretty easy to run into as a developer. Online multiplayer is a wretched beast to wrangle no matter what, and thankfully, the most important stuff syncs well enough in FlyKnight that this can be forgiven.

- Item randomization. Chest loot is instanced, meaning each player gets a copy of the item, without taking each other's loot. This is a very useful choice, but I don't think those items are randomized between players... so everyone gets the same item. It's not offensive or anything, but it makes collecting loot less interesting, and doesn't offer a whole lot of potential for trading.

Despite its minor flaws, and self-described "half cooked" state, I thoroughly enjoy FlyKnight, and I'm excited to see what kind of improvements and changes can be made in an eventual patch. I'm also delighted to know there are plans for a sequel, and I'm very interested in seeing what that could offer. Definitely give this game a go!

Here's the situation:
- Crimson Heart (Boss Blind)
- Swashbuckler Joker
- Negative Gros Michel
- Polychrome Misprint
- Polychrome Mad Joker
- Polychrome Ice Cream
- Polychrome Splash (Two of them btw)
- Negative Ramen

Final hand, I make a Straight. I fail to realize one of my cards was a Wild Card (works as any suit), and do not play it, missing what could have been a winning Straight Flush.

One more bump.

dude

My only criticism of this game is that it doesn't appear to be a true third entry in an existing series. If there is a 1 and 2, I need to play it expeditiously.

EDIT: It is a third game. The first and second are available on the developer's itch.io page:
https://joeveno.itch.io/

Become a Master Baiter

Buddy,

Best way to hook up your PS controllers to your PC. Plenty of options, especially for the DualSense, and generally very high compatibility with any XInput-based game that Steam isn't quite handling right. Give it some dosh & a whirl if you're running into a roadblock with your PS controller.

A stellar remaster of one of the best FPS games of all time. Unfortunately, it is in the hands of one of the worst companies of all time.