Recent reviews by Meroka

A strong contender for GOTY 2019 in my opinion. Deciphering an entire fictional language is a deeply engaging and satisfying experience on its own, but an incredible bit of nonlinear space opera unfolding throughout makes it an unforgettable gaming experience

One of the most interesting, unique and engaging shmups in a long time. Roguelike/roguelite elements allow you to build your ship in a million disfferent ways and they're always a ton of fun. Even at Early Access launch it felt like a polished finished product, and it's continually being updated making it ever better. Well worth your time.

One of the most Joyous games I've ever had the pleasure of launching. Oozes happiness thoroughout and keeps things fresh with a novel twist of the formula in every world. Satisfyingly challenging boss fights (mostly) and even a slightly more manageable camera than most 3D platformers (though still not perfect). I only wish it were longer.

Probably one of the best narrative works available in gaming. Starts out somewhat formulaic in Part 1, but grows steadily in complexity and depth over the 4 games, always managing to have new surprises in store. Extremely well written, extremely engaging, and your choices genuinely do continue to have impact throughout the whole story. An absolute must-read.

NB: I played the whole thing on mobile before buying it all again on PC

Plays a lot like Hotline Miami, but with the addition of a very Borderlands-inspired skill, progression and loot system. Clear out rooms of enemies in fast paced combat then loot boxes to find a host of randomised weaponry. The cyberpunk theme is fun, with the story delivered in Visual Novel scenes between levels. The visual novel bits have a great art style, though maybe a little limited in character poses, and the story had me thoroughly engaged in this world and its characters by the end. It's all tied together with a fantastic soundtrack throughout.

A few mechanics of the core gameplay loop perhaps don't stand up to extended play, you can learn ways to exploit mechanics of enemies and the world making the game artificially easier, but for a single play through it's perfectly enjoyable. There are three classes and a New Game+ mode for each though, if you need more.

You can find my full first impressions here:
http://test-steamproxy.haloskins.io/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=624456277

Loading Screen Simulator 2016

Recommended for anyone with an interest in writing or just a creative spark. Don't expect a game in any conventional sense. The game provides you with three beautiful settings based on the works of romantic poets to act as your muse and provides you with a variety of writing prompts. Using the prompts you can fill in blanks to create a written story and share it with the world. For those who want more of an artistic challenge, you can go without the prompts and write about whatever you desire on a blank canvas.

There's not a whole lot more than that, but as long as you have an idea in your head, this game can continue to inspire.

Full first impressions can be found here:
http://test-steamproxy.haloskins.io/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=354090878

First Impressions:

http://test-steamproxy.haloskins.io/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=340256564

Randal's Monday is a fun throwback to old-school point-and-click games. It has a great style, soundtrack and voice acting from stars of Kevin Smith's View Askewniverse films. Hilarious humour, although dark in places, and pop culture references abound.

Breaks little new ground, but a very solid example of the genre

A simple aesthetically pleasing 2D platformer with an extremely elaborate spellcrafting system. 40 different items combine to make endless combinations of spell options, and experimentation is a lot of fun. Reuses the same levels a lot, there are only 5 areas and the missions use procedurally generated maps with a same general layout. Somewhat also has balance issues as some spells can end up ridiculously overpowered even early on.
Full first impressions after 4-5 hours gameplay are in the following video:

http://test-steamproxy.haloskins.io/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=317570168

A bright, visually appealing 2D platformer with very solid gameplay and simple but extremely satisfying combat. Full impressions of the early access version are in the following video:

http://test-steamproxy.haloskins.io/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=317571349