Recent reviews by Doonis

Let me be clear, if there was a neutral score review option, I'd pick that instead.
Also, I only played through the main campaign as of this review, so if there's something in the other modes that fixes all these problems, shame on me.

Let me give some context:

I LOVE me some platformers. I even 100%'d Super Meat Boy in middle school cause I'm a psycho. I can definitely feel the Meat Boy, Celeste and even Scourge Bringer influence in this. The controls are mostly great, though there are some oddities like slipping off of a walljump when it seems like you hit it just right, or how it sometimes feels like walljumps are inconsistent in their arc. But honestly, overall the controls are above average.

I ALSO love my roguelikes. Isaac, Dead Cells, Slay the Spire, Risk of Rain, Balatro, you name it, I've probably played it. I clearly am not opposed to games relying on repeating content to a degree as long as it's done well and provides variety.

Those things are not the problem.

RUN is supposed to be a procedurally generated platformer, but what does that actually mean for the gameplay of RUN itself?

Imagine if Super Meat Boy only had like 6 or 7 levels per world for 7 worlds, each level takes 10 seconds or less to clear, and you have to beat a random assortment of levels of the world you're in, and even some of the previous worlds levels. And you have to beat the whole group without dying to make a fraction of progress toward moving on to the next world. Essentially meaning you're going to be seeing the exact same platforming challenges over and over and over and over again, regardless of how many times you flawlessly completed them, and if you make a mistake, that entire group of patterns is forfeit and you gotta try an entire other random group of the same level patterns. In a precision platformer, a form of platformer reliant on dying multiple times to a challenge until you finally do it juuuust right. I hope this is ringing some alarm bells in your head.

It took me a mere hour to beat the campaign, and even then it felt like one of the most padded campaigns I ever played. If it was just a string of levels that once you've beaten one, you've beaten it for good, I honestly think I would have beaten it in 10 min or so, and I would have had much nicer things to say frankly. I think there are multiple difficulties after normal, and MAYBE they provide more level variety, but honestly I was dreading the idea of continuing to do what I had been already doing for an hour even if it provided more difficulty, which is something I generally like. I just had enough.

Look, the people behind this are clearly capable of making a good platformer, but it feels like a tiny tiny tiny tiny TINY game desperately trying to make itself look like its at LEAST a "short" game, to the detriment of its own fun and pacing. I genuinely would have gone on to the other modes to look for more content and ways to play if I wasn't absolutely worn out on just how repetitive the campaign was. I NEVER wanted to see those platforming levels again.

I think this game is proof that these guys are capable of making great things, but MAN does the execution of this game's concept not work whatsoever.

For me, anyhow. Lots of people seem to like it despite all this, so make of that what you will.

Don't let the lack of marketing of this game and their games before and after this one fool you, this is a miraculous masterpiece. I don't have any pretentious game reviewer-ey things to say about it except that you should play it.
Now.
This instant.
I am 20 miles from your location and approaching rapidly to make sure you play it -

Some of the best combat and flow I've experienced in a platformer, silky smooth and consistent all the way through. Incredible game worthy of - and even outdoing most of - it's main inspiration, Mega Man X.

If you like Mega Man, this is a no-brainer. Otherwise, this is "just" a damn good game worthy of your time.

///NO SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW, BUT I STRONGLY RECOMMEND PLAYING THIS GAME AS BLINDLY AS POSSIBLE. JUST KNOW THAT I THINK THIS GAME IS A MUST-BUY.///

This is an absolutely god-tier sh'mup.

Its gameplay is near flawless and has no dumb deaths or cheap traps, there is not a single part of any level that I dislike. There is plenty of enemy variety and the game is constantly throwing new and differently-functioning attacks. There are many bosses and minibosses in this game, and I love fighting every single one of them.

The OST is glorious, and I constantly find myself nodding my head to the music without thinking, and that is not something I do often. The game's style and worldbuilding is superb and I, someone who rarely cares about games stories, was hopelessly intrigued at how the game confidently told so little directly, and instead lays loads of worldbuilding and visual storytelling, and has you go out of your way to find lore. This is a game that knows what it's doing, and does everything it set out to do flawlessly.

There are loads of things that I adore about this game that I refuse to put in this review because this game deserves to not be spoiled. Just know that going in blind, this game is a constant roller coaster of intrigue and surprises.

This is a phenomenal game. If you are even SLIGHTLY intrigued by this game, I BEG of you to buy it and try it out. This game and those who work on it deserves much more than the full price.

A very cute and wholesome game about spiders and other insects, if you could believe it.

Very quaint and weirdly well made, I was expecting the controls to be annoying but playing on keyboard and mouse gave me no issues, movement felt great.

The game has a lot of collectibles, but the game itself is very short. With the amount of hours I played, I 100%'d it, and I wasn't going very fast. Do with that what you will.

In any case I'd say this game is very nice. Not incredible, but a nice, relaxing platformer for when you just wanna make some webs as a spider.

Incredible. Just incredible.

Don't spoil yourself. Just let it happen.

The Obelisk.

The actual gameplay is great, and has a lot of potential for goofy plays and builds/destructions. The gameplay is so good in fact that even just spectating a match is fun while you watch all the players build and fight and big things happen.

It's a shame the community is one of the absolute worst ones I've seen in video games. And many of them wonder why this game's player count is dreadful.

A shame, when I can't recommend an unironically great game because of the people playing it.

Without mods? I'd give it like, a 6.5/10.

Still good, well above average, but just too little there, even with the paid DLC (most of which are songs and artists I don't really care about, and there are WAY too many DLC packs for my liking, but those are personal issues). The mechanics are solid, especially for a VR game, but there were like, 6 songs I liked vanilla. That's just how my tastes are, though.

But with mods? 9.5/10, easily. Not perfect, a lot of weird update decisions, but the modding scene alone makes this a must buy for VR. Its amazing how much modding can MAKE a game worth it. Feels great to get a work out in while playing to your favorite songs and memes.

Just be prepared to deal with the issues that modding brings in general, and you'll have a swell time.

And hey, if you don't wanna bother with mods, the vanilla songs are probably someones tastes.
(But still, consider mods)

(Warning: This is a word wall. I divided it into sections for your viewing pleasure, but please understand: I am kind of in love with this game, and I have a LOT to say about it. Feel free to skip this. Hell, I would)
(Also, I tend to hyperbolate a lot, and I like to sound miffed for impact or just because, so please don't take this like I'm actually mad. I made this for my own amusement)


-Introduction (AKA Why did none of you buy this damned game)-

The fact that this game consistently sells so poorly and is so overlooked no matter how many times it's released is a ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ sin that will stain humanity for decades to come. This game won a Guinness World Record award for “Least Commercially Successful Winner of a Game of the Year award” in 2006, for ♥♥♥♥♥ sake.

It was released for the PS2 and the Wii originally. Sold poorly.
Then it was sold as Okami HD on the PS3. And then the PS4, XBox One and now even PC. Still sells poorly.

I'm sorry, are Clover Studios just cursed? Why did barely anyone play Viewtiful Joe? Why does Okami constantly sell poorly? Why does no one, AND I MEAN NO ONE, talk about God Hand and how much of a difficult and fun game it is? Why don't we have a God Hand HD? Have any of you even HEARD of these games or Clover Studios themselves before you read this?!

Okami and God Hand both sold so poorly that Clover Studios had to shut down very soon after. They then went on to create their own studio, it's very niche, you probably never heard of it, it's called PLATINUM GAMES. Y'know, the people who made Bayonetta, Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance and Nier? Yea, a studio with that track record probably didn't make anything too good before it was founded, right?

When a great game releases with no fanfare or popularity, it's a damn shame that comes down to a lot of unfortunate factors, like bad timing or bad advertising, so on and so forth, and I get that...

But when a game has been critically loved for over a decade, over 90% of the people who reviewed this on steam recommend it, and the fact that this is the THIRD TIME THIS GAME HAS BEEN RELEASED... I can't excuse you for not playing it. How many times does a game get released 3 times? And I do NOT wanna hear Skyrim!

Why? Why does Okami always come up short?
Is it just pure, awful luck that Clover just had all of their great games fail remarkably for years, even after their studios died?
Is it because of that one awful Completionist video where he constantly called the game a Zelda clone for 20 minutes, apparently unaware of what a "clone" is, which just so happens to be the first video that comes up on Youtube when you search for "Okami?" What other game with 90% positive reviews has a video saying the game is a lazy clone of some other game as the first result?
What events made it to where, even after Platinum became famous for their fantastic games, this game they made before Platinum was even conceived was forgotten? It's paradoxically FAMOUS for how NOT FAMOUS IT IS! IT WON A ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ AWARD FOR IT!!!

... Okay, I'll calm down. Lets get to an actual review, shall we?


-Review, and Who This Game Is For-


Difficulty: Kirby-level
Listen, this game is not one to kick your ass. It's a game that, unless you intentionally play stupid, you will almost certainly not die. This is not a game for people who value challenge in their games above all else. But listen, before this deters you, I LOOOOOOOVE difficult games, and this game is still very dear to me. This game doesn't have incredible difficulty, but that isn't this game's strong suit.

This game isn't about difficulty as much as it is about exploring and taking in the game's visuals and world. Just roam around, have fun, collect some stuff, fight some demons, unlocks abilities and have a grand ol' time.

Basically, if you can play a Kirby game or Hat in Time and still enjoy it, you'll do just fine here.


Artstyle, Visuals and Atmosphere: Gorgeous
This is not a game that goes for an ultra-realistic style. This is a game with a traditional Japanese watercolor style for everything. It's a style that, in my opinion, hasn't gotten old even though it's a game from 2006. Everything looks so neat and interesting, and fits with the cartoony aesthetic this game goes for. This style can also allow for things to look really cool or intimidating, with boss pictures and effects and so on. This game is a great example of how to give your game an artstyle that works for the game it's applied to and that lasts a looong time without becoming painful to look at or outdated.


Story: Pleasant
This game takes so much inspiration from Japanese mythology and history that even an uncultured swine like myself could notice and appreciate it. The story, though not mind-shattering or complicated, is still a pleasant ride from start to finish, with delightful characters and reasons to keep exploring the world. It's filled with character and charm that you can't help but smile at some of the events that occur while playing. This game can also have it's somber moments, and there is plenty of death, but it's a charming experience through and through.

Keep in mind, since this is a game based on Japanese culture, there is a lot of alcohol and some inappropriate humor here and there, if you really care about that stuff.


-Conclusion-

This is a difficult game for me to review, frankly. If I read a review that said the game was rather easy and that the gameplay was "fine," I'd probably take a pass, but ♥♥♥♥ man, this game is just delightful. You just gotta believe me.

I'm just so tired of this game I love being repeatably ignored, man. This game has had a legendary amount of bad luck. So if this review is what it takes for ONE person to buy this game and they end up enjoying it, I'll consider this review a success.

Please, if this game sounds like you would enjoy it in the SLIGHTEST, give it a try.

I just need SOMEONE to gush to about this game. Please...


I beg you...



... Also remake God Hand, you COWARDS--

Great gameplay with some of the best co-op I've ever seen, with a ton of variety in how you build your load out. It has a great visual style, it is low poly, but is still very detailed and visually distinct. The game also has a lot of character and personality, and the community for this game has surprised me by how not ♥♥♥♥ it is on multiple occasions! And the music, THE MUSIC!

Hell yea.