Recent reviews by RopeDrink

Windblown is a stylish, satisfying, addictive, fast-paced rogue-lite that will keep pulling you back for 'one more run' all day, spliced with an absolute banger of a soundtrack that will almost certainly keep your feet tapping every single time.

Thanks to its vibrant but simple visuals, everything performs smoothly - even on this decade-old rig - while still looking crispy, clean and beautiful throughout its deliciously fast-paced action flow, which can be enjoyed solo or with friends via co-op. Due to being easy to learn, trickier to master, and even harder to put down, Windblown can scratch both a casual and hardcore-minded itch.

Much like most early access titles, the horizon is still long and broad, but thus far, the foundation is rock solid, and I have almost no complaints about this silky-smooth, action-packed visual/audio delight.

Unlike previous games in the Last Stand series, you'll be taking charge of infected survivors who "volunteer" to trek through the zombie-infested land in search of resources for the benefit of virus-immune survivors back at their fortified base. While slowly succumbing to your infection out in the wilderness, your goal is to accomplish various objectives while gathering intel and supplies which your future "volunteers" can use later.

Do NOT expect character creation or anything in-depth regarding your volunteers. They are infected throwaways destined to die for the benefit of the next batch of random characters.

The game performs flawlessly on my five-year-old rig at maximum settings. I haven't experienced any major bugs, crashes, or legitimate concerns - only minor nuisances, such as zombies spawning on rooftops or stuck inside obstacles, wonky grammar, inaccessible loot spots, zombies sometimes disappearing through the floor, and so forth.

The gameplay is simple, smooth, and quite enjoyable. You'll utilize ranged or melee weapons you find (or craft) along your trip, and as your infection takes hold, you'll also be able to avail of "mutations", which give you an edge (at the cost of your maximum health). You can stall your health degradation using scarce antiviral injections, but you cannot avoid it outright, so use your resources wisely. It's an endless tightrope between making the best of your infection versus trying to delay your inevitable end as long as possible.

If you bought this game hoping it would be "more of the same", you may be disappointed. Aftermath is blatantly a "Last Stand" game, but it strives to carve a unique experience rather than replicate past works (such as Dead Zone or Union City). Instead, consider Aftermath when you like the core concept of Last Stand - or ARPGs and zombie games in general - rather than a modern version of the older games.

On my quest for a birthday treat, I spent 30 minutes browsing the Steam Queue, stumbled on DEATH ROAD to CANADA, and promptly began my first adventure.

► Thanks to our glorious leader, we were immediately joined by Gil - a junkyard dog - who seemed very happy.

► After a stressful run through town, my group was accosted by a GIANT SPIDER. Rather than smoosh it, Gil decided to eat it. Everyone was happy!

► We discovered a humongous pile of garbage with a can of beans on top. We could have climbed it... but Gil decided it would be best to eat the pile of trash. Everyone was happy!

► Halfway through our glorious trip, we were suddenly accosted by a "Quiet Bandit". Gil farted in his general direction, which intimidated him into giving us all his stuff. Everyone was happy!

► Riding around in a busted Ice-cream truck, it eventually broke down. Gil decided to punch the vehicle - which magically squeezed a bit more mileage before breaking down completely. Everyone was happy!

► The group soon realized that someone farted in our new car. Gil, being an adept smell detective, not only figured out who it was, but actually 'explained' his deductions in full dog speech. Everyone (except the farter) was happy!

► After a nasty battle, our leader got unceremoniously gobbled by zombies. Gil, our truck-punching, trash eating, fart smelling junkyard dog, was appointed as the new group leader - because logic. Everyone was happy!

► We made it to the outskirts of Canada and were given ample warning that the journey was almost over. Rather than be smart and trade our goods for weapons of zombie destruction, Gil tells the traders to "Cool It". The group got immediately kicked out, but everyone was still happy!

► The entire team, including Gil, became zombie food in the final battle. They're no longer happy, but I'm happy to have bought this game!

10/10 > would recruit a random stray dog again.

Note: My review dates back to the open beta. Icarus may (or may not) have changed since then.

Riders of Icarus is pleasant on the eyes and ears, and one of its selling points is the taming system - the ability to capture most creatures and use them as mounts or companions. It is pretty run-of-the-mill (for the most part), with kill/gather questing around a vibrant and colourful world and occasional visits to a throwaway storyline. As someone who loves checking out MMORPGs, I'm unphased by the old-school formula.

However, Icarus does harbour several annoyances. For example, unlike almost every other MMORPG on the market, you cannot drag the camera via LMB, nor does the cursor disappear when holding down RMB. Conversely, you can swap between traditional Tab Targeting or Action Combat controls - yet neither feels 100% comfortable. TT-Mode involves very sticky targetting, often forcing the use of ESC, whilst AC-Mode still feels very clicky and tab-target based. The option to swap between them is a plus, but I believe the developers should have picked one method and refined it to perfection (instead of half-catering to both).

Icarus can be very pleasing to the eyes. However, they've opted for many low-res textures across many areas, which can stick out like a sore thumb. Sound - especially music - is light, inoffensive, easy on the ears, and suits the environments and gameplay, but there are a few minor gripes, such as various creatures being entirely soundless - even when hitting you, being hit by you, or dying. There are also sound-channel issues, including effects and dialogues randomly cutting out. The voice acting is passable, though some NPCs flit between different voice actors - such as the first city Stewart who randomly goes from a high-pitched chap to some gruff, old voice out of the blue.

There are many pros and cons to list, but at the end of the day: Icarus is free-to-play, so give it a try if it looks appealing to you. Just don't expect perfection. I'll be eager to see how long it takes for the developers to employ patches that remedy issues within the game (if they bother at all), but thus far, it's not in terrible shape for an Open Beta.

As a Diablo 1/2/3 player, current PoE player, and past Torchlight player - it's safe to say I thoroughly enjoy the genre, so Grim Dawn was a no-brain purchase.

The game provides appropriately 'grim' visuals, complemented by a catchy and memorable soundtrack, which makes your impending murderous killing spree all the more enjoyable. Instead of procedurally generated maps, Grim Dawn opts for a lovingly crafted (preset) world with some randomly spawned locales and dungeon entrances.

Conversely, numerous quests with different outcomes and consequences exist, and you can pick sides between warring factions. In short, despite the 'static' settings, you still have uncertainty spliced with some randomness and replay value, complimented by multiple difficulty settings.

Class/Character building is a decent mix of configurable stats, choosing abilities, and some permanent decisions. You can also mix two classes to form hybrids, adding extra replay value and reasons to experiment.

In summary, Grim Dawn is as familiar as it is unique, and I'd recommend all fans of the ARPG genre to give it a try. There are negatives, sure - but they are drowning in a pool of solid, well-handled positives.

"Serpent in the Staglands" is an old-school gem crafted by loving hands. As an obvious throwback to the pixelated 2D days of no quest markers, note-taking and no hand-holding - your brain is your navigational compass, and your memory (or notes) will be your eyes and ears.

If you bought the game hoping to follow quest markers that signpost everything for you to follow while you sleep - oh dear, you're in the wrong place. Instead, buy it if you enjoy the old-school style, the chance to make your own decisions, and the joy of conquering quests the hard way.

Pros:
► Open world.
► Classic style.
► No hand-holding.
► Decisions to make.

► Classless (no templates, no presets). You make your character(s) from the ground up. You may consider this a positive or negative.

Cons:
► Clunky UI.
► Aimless roaming. The world is generous in terms of huge, empty and rewardless areas.
► Choppy animations. You can forgive it due to the art style, but that doesn't mean you have to like or accept 3-4 frame attacks or the same recycled spell animation.
► Lastly, it's not very exciting. Now, don't mistake that for 'not fun'. It is fun - but if you find yourself short on goals to reach, then prepare for a lot of slow walking while looking for things to do.

Ultimately, this game has a lot going for it. Give it a try if you're looking to step back in time and sample a game that doesn't treat you like you can't figure it out for yourself.

Don't let the "No" recommendation fool you. Age of Conan is by no means a bad game. It looks solid, sounds solid, plays solid, and the right player with the right mindset can enjoy it for free and figure out if it's the type of game for them.

AoC has an impressive soundtrack, many places to explore, and plenty of content. However, the difficulty curve varied wildly based on the class chosen. As no stranger to grinds or patiently levelling classes that are a bit slower than others, I trucked on, enjoying everything I could access - but after a while, the experience faded from memory.

After levelling one character to maximum and an alt halfway, I uninstalled AoC for a break, then re-installed it a year later and couldn't get back into it again - not with everything else available on the market. AoC wasn't as engaging by comparison. Having tried it again early in 2023, AoC reminded me of how dated it is, how diminished the player base has gotten, and how traditional it tried to be without doing anything noticeably different - other than partial nudity.

MMORPG enjoyers who wish to explore what AoC offers should give it a fair chance. However, if you're looking for a highly polished product that will hold your attention indefinitely, you'd do well to invest time and effort into a different title.