Recycling Center Simulator on Steam was sent to me by Balas Games and I have to be honest the idea of running a recycling center seemed a bit weird at first. I wasn’t sure how fun it would be to to cut deals with places to pick up trash, bring it back, and toss it into a sorting machine then into other machines to make different materials like crushed plastic or wood chips to sell.
Turns out, outside of a few annoyances like using the hand truck which you get used to fast, or having to carry plastic totes around which you can actually just throw a pretty good distance anyway, it is actually a lot of fun. I found myself just tossing on Spotify and letting my hired help do the sorting while I hopped in the truck to various places to pick up more stuff for them to sort and focus on the business side.
This brings me to my biggest complaint. The locations you go to are very much the same over and over again. There only seem to be a handful of places to visit. This is by no means a deal-breaker. You can unlock everything fairly quick if you rush but at a modest price point of $15, you will get your money’s worth. Definitely a 8/10 game. Best wishes and may the gaming gods bring you glory.
Macross Shooting Insight on PS5 was sent to me by Red Art Games which I always appreciate. The game revolves around a series of Anime ( known as Macross or Robotech) that I honestly know nothing about, but it has its own story that will fill you in. It involves flying space mechs. During these space battles, you will collect power-ups that will allow songstresses to sing very catchy songs that will give you different boosts such as dealing or taking less damage as just two examples.
These battles range from side-scrolling to traditional top-down and even a top-down 3-directional type, all using the same basic and easy control scheme. The game itself isn’t easy but has very good accessibility options for those who just want to see the story play out. You can all skip the story entirely if you just want to get to the action.
Each character has different stats and weapons to use, as well as a different story to play through. The game isn’t limited to a simple story mode leaving plenty of replayability. You can take a boss rush mode or an arcade mode. With plenty to do my only real issue was the price. As much fun as I had it just doesn’t feel like a $40 game to me. at $20 I would absolutely recommend this game, it is a solid 7/10. At $40 however, I would wait for a sale. Best wishes and may the gaming gods bring you glory.
I am back today with Scream 6 and I have to say while Scream 6 revitalized the franchise, Scream 6 brought it to another level. The opening scene actually made me think the movie was ruined from the start when they revealed who the killer is from the start. This isn’t really the case, however.
Amber and Tara are now in college, much like in Scream 2. Yes, this movie is continuing to build off the idea that we are restarting the series while not restarting the series, and once again they are very open about this. Even when the killing starts and they get together with the group to discuss this the core 4 from the last movies even openly discuss this and how a franchise has rules and how they can’t count on the rules from Stab 2 (Scream 2) holding up.
Once again I have to admit, this actually has me excited for Scream 7. I didn’t think it would be possible for a franchise to die and come back like a horror villain but it actually has. Best wishes and may the gaming gods bring you glory.
Tavern Manager Simulator on Steam is another long line of Simulator games I have been checking out recently. This one was sent to me by One More time. The game itself is all in the name, you inherit a run-down tavern, clean it up, buy some beer, and start selling it to anyone who walks in. Take these profits to buy more beer and repeat. Do those until you can buy some upgrades. In between you will draw water from the well, wash mugs, and clean up after messy patrons.
Two Girls one Cactus
The issue with this game is while it looks solid enough, it gets boring very quickly. The game loop of buying single servings of beer and then selling them just doesn’t hold up very well. As you add more chairs and food into the mix without the ability to simply hire help gets tedious and frustrating. While you can get help through the use of a special fairy dust it isn’t really the same as simply hiring someone. It would have been nice to simply hire a tavern wench or hunk so to speak to sling beer for me or a cook to make life easier.
That isn’t to say the game is bad, there is fun to be had for many, just not for me. The game has very positive reviews on Steam with close to 3000 reviews, the game is definitely at least a 7/10. For me, there are just better options out there. Best wishes and may the gaming gods bring you glory.
Collectible Card Shop Master was sent to me from Nostra Games which is always appreciated. It is one of many simulator games being released in recent months and I have to say it is kind of a mixed bag. You run a card shop, a premise anyone familiar with TCG Card Shop Simulator (Steam Review) will be familiar with. You name your shop, buy some supplies like card pack, dice, etc and sell them to customers.
Dont forget tables for people to play
The game is quite simple to get into, and its price point looks nice and functions well. Honestly, I was expecting a complete train wreck with glitches everywhere. This, however, is not the cash grab I was expecting. Outside of a few quality-of-life improvements I would like to see, for example, I hate having to put one card at a time on the card stands, this game has everything the Steam competitor has for the most part. Customers come and go, and if the price is too high they will let you know. There are plenty of options to let you set up your shop however you like, but not so many that they seem useless or get confusing.
As an added bonus, trophy hunters can get the platinum in about 20-30 minutes. That isn’t to say the game is short. Having the platinum simply isn’t linked to actual progression. They all have to do with opening card packs or selling items and waiting on customers. When you have it there are still plenty of things to unlock.
If you are on a console the game is good enough to scratch the itch, it is a 7/10. While I prefer the Steam release myself this is a good alternative that even as I write this received an update I haven’t played yet. I will update this if there is anything in it worth mentioning. Best wishes and may the gaming gods bring you glory.
The Nameless- Slay dragon is one of those games I wasn’t sure about, but Whisper Games is one of those companies I have always had a great relationship with and I had to take the chance. The Nameless- Slay dragon sits at over 1000 reviews on Steam and is very positive, and with very good reason. The newest Mythic Update has added a ton of content including a new game plus, new professions and so much more.
The game itself is a true RPG. Not just turned-based combat, but a tabletop RPG turned into a video game. Searching for things and talking to people will all increase skills and change outcomes, for better or worse. A bad early game roll had me fighting some trees at level one solo that decimated me, but an early lucky roll let me avoid an early battle with some elves and even got me some high-level items. These are the kind of things any DnD player will tell you create awesome memories.
Another great aspect of this game is the customization of characters. While characters do come with a sort of class given to them, how they develop is up to you. Your magic user can focus on one element or all of them. Do you want your ranger to have a dagger or a bow? Don’t limit yourself, do both if you want. Create a character that can steal items while slamming enemies with a huge axe if you want. I am not saying these are the optimal ways to play the game, but you can do it if you want.
if its a dragon, kill it. or don’t, I’m not your boss
The story itself is also deep, with a world covered in lore to discover. You not only are killing dragons in a world with elves and magic but there is a very good reason for it. The elves aren’t very popular, but again there is a very good reason for it. Most of it also isn’t the typical Elves and Humans are different so they hate each other, it goes back to a time living humans don’t remember but most elves can tell you in detail where it comes from.
With nice graphics, a fantastic story, plenty of replayability, and a price point of just under $20 there is no reason to hold off getting this game. 9/10, best wishes and may the gaming gods bring you glory.
Librarian Simulator on Steam was sent to me by the fine folks over at Nuuvem and Little Giants. For those of you that have followed me for a long time you know I love simulator games like this. This one is actually rough for me to review. I will be honest right now, I did not like this one for a number of reasons.
First and most importantly, I never had any fun with it. The game loop is simple: books get delivered seemingly randomly, you put them on a shelf, and people borrow them. You don’t choose what books are in stock, and sorting them at the start is damn near impossible depending on what gets sent because the variety and how many shelves you have won’t really match up.
It is cool to see real-life books you have read.
Second, you only have two options for gameplay. You can play until you lose, or you can play for 15 days. You never really feel like you are building up a library so much as you are racing against the clock in a race to get as much done as fast as possible or to go as far as possible before it becomes impossible to keep customers happy.
The third thing I didn’t enjoy was simply that there never seemed to be a point I felt like I was doing anything other than doing busy work while playing the game rather than running the library.
Everything I said up until this point however is subjective. The game cost $7, and at that price point (and in early access) the game does look and sound nice. Far better than many games at that price point. Reading Steam reviews the game is also sitting at positive reviews, with many people saying the game is better while using its online co-op and this is honestly true. Having someone to help you sort books and find the customers what they want does make the game more enjoyable.
While for me the game wasn’t fun, the game functions well and is very reasonably priced. I will say it is a 7/10 and many people will find hours of enjoyment, I just was not one of them. Best wishes and may the gaming gods bring you glory.
Even vampires must endure the emotional turbulence of relationships, something players will witness first-hand in Vampire Therapist: Couples Therapy. The brand-new DLC for Little Bat Games’ critically acclaimed debut title is available on Steam today! This expansion builds on the award-winning blend of comedy, history, and real-life therapy techniques that made Vampire Therapist a critical darling.
Players will slip back into the spurred boots of Sam Walls, a reformed cowboy turned accomplished therapist. Sam has his work cut out for him as he seeks to help two vampires, battling with both domestic and personal struggles, as well as social discontentment following their demises during bloody revolutions in France and Iran.
But that’s not all! This juicy new helping of content takes place during the annual Bachfest in Leipzig — home of Johann Sebastian Bach— where a ghost of Leipzig haunts the streets. It’s Sam’s job to track down the troubled soul between therapy sessions.
Vampire Therapist: Couples Therapy will explore themes of revolt, duty to humanity, and the complications that can arise from age gaps – hey, what’s a couple hundred years when you’re in love?
Check out the trailer for Vampire Therapist: Couples Therapy below:
Vampire Therapist’s all-new DLCwill continue the hallmarks of Little Bat Games creations: deep, history-informed writing exploring systemic issues, screwball comedy, academic partnerships, best-in-class voice acting, and stunning artwork. Try your hand at analysing affairs of the heart and purchase today on Steam for £2.49/€2,99/$2.99.
“In a time of political turmoil, we hope Vampire Therapist: Couples Therapy will help players process difficult questions about the citizen’s role in civil society and find a little respite in love and compassion. And if all else fails, we have vampire fart jokes.” said Cyrus Nemati, Creative Director of Little Bat Games.
Shujinkou is an upcoming Dungeon Crawling RPG from Ricegames. It will be available on Steam and PlayStation on February 13th, and the big selling point of this game is that it tells an intricate story about a man named Shu as well as Jin and Kou. You will travel a world full of political intrigue, and real people just going about their lives trying to survive.
The game starts out with you playing as Shu, a retired samurai living with his little sister, Momo, whom he adores. Momo just wants to grow up and make tea. It isn’t long however before this peaceful village is shattered when an Omi attacks killing a villager and Shu is forced out of retirement to protect the village.
If you use the Japanese kana to spell enemy names you get a significant boost in damage
I won’t go into the story too much because there is a lot to cover, but I will say it is a solid story, far better than I ever expected from a game that says it is built to be able to teach you a foreign language, but we will get to that. The combat is built around a turn-based system like many dungeon-crawling RPGs. Every enemy name is given to you as “??” marks which denote how many kanas or syllables their name is. For example cat is “Neko” and in hiragana, this uses the kana Ne and Ko, which I do not know how to type on an English keyboard admittedly but I did find this pretty accurate image. If you are fighting a cat and spell this out however you will receive a significant damage boost permanently.
Now I am no expert on the language, going into this game I didn’t know any of this. The game does however teach you all of this, and at the push of a button you can literally just shut it all off. In fact, the game will ask you at the start if you are even interested. Outside of a few trophies, you aren’t even punished for not learning. The game is perfectly playable without knowing or learning any Japanese.
Another totally optional but awesome thing, the game will remind you to practice writing
This brings me to one last thing, is this game fun to play? As great as the game looks and sounds, it means nothing if it isn’t fun. I am happy to say everything isn’t tossed at you at once. As you explore the dungeons you will come across new kana to learn and the characters will give you explanations of them. Sign boards will teach you sentence structure that you can study or ignore. The menus are in both Japanese and English so there is no guesswork or stress involved.
The game starts out with a message from Julian Rice explaining that he and his team made this game as he helped a family member through a medical issue and sadly she did not live long enough to see it finished. As one of the first people to have seen this message, I am happy to say that Mr. Rice and his team have succeeded in their goal. I won’t say you can fully learn Japanese from this game, no single source will teach you any language. This game will however absolutely give you a solid foundation. The game also succeeds in being a fun and in-depth RPG.
Originally I intended to review this on its merits as a game and as a learning tool separately. Instead, the game is simply a 9/10. What I thought was simply a gimmick turned out to be fantastically built into the game as an optional part of the experience that anyone can enjoy. Best wishes, and may the gaming gods bring you glory.
Cryptical Path on Steam was sent to me by the people at Old Skull Games for which I am very grateful. There are a lot of rogue games out there but this is the first rogue builder I have come across.
Now the game flow is what you would expect, start a run, fight some enemies, collect power-ups and different currency, fight a boss, and hopefully win. When you die start all over again with new abilities, power-ups, and hopefully make some better decisions.
Build a room, any room.
The key difference here is this time around you are the master of the dungeon, someone has simply usurped some control of it. You as the master are back to reclaim it. This allows you to build your route to the boss room. Need a shop? Just build one, need to heal? Feel free to build that as well. It isn’t free for all though. You only have so many crystals to build rooms with and this is where you will need to decide do you fight enemies to gain more crystals and money or not. You can go into the negative, you will just be cursed for doing so.
Also don’t even think about taking the easy way out, because once you hit negative 10 it is a one-way ticket to the boss’s room.
Good luck with this chick your first run
This is one of those games I don’t want to undersell too much, but I also don’t want to undersell it. Suffice it to say, if this ever comes to a console it is a must-buy for me. The game is a 9/10, and you would be doing yourself a disservice by not picking this up for $15 it cost, and with very positive reviews on Steam, I am not alone in this. Best wishes and may the gaming gods bring you glory.
Savior Gaming 