And short impressions, highlighted in red the ones that are on my voting list:
99 Spirits - I really didnt like the fighting system, it felt super tedious to me, although I appreciated the way they presented the game and the story.
Among the Sleep - Suprisingly interesting representation of what it means to be a small child when being alone everything can be creepy.
Ballpoint Universe - Absolutely gorgeous game, its rare that a game manages to reward the player with visuals and the charming visuals plus engaging base shmup mechanics make this definitely a game to check out this month.
Candy Box - Cute application of the RPG mechanics for a highly addictive browser game. Unfortunately, it ended in a grind-athon, but I really need to check out that similar horror game next month.
Chasm - Plays great, but the rooms arent differentiating themselves enough right now, plus the missing save feature is highly annoying.
Cry of Fear - Cool start for an 1st person horror game, but lots of technical issues for me. 2 crashes in 20 minutes. Definitely worth checking out since its free though.
Data Hacker - Initiation - I need to play it some more,but the beginning showed the same issues as the original .hack games - unique setting, slightly boring execution
Dust - An Elysian Tail - Someone put it nicely into words: "There are games which you just need to see in motion yourself". I wasnt interested in this game much, but it looks GREAT in motion and plays better than what I'd expect judging from the screenshots. Definitely one of my surprise highlights this month.
Fibrillation - It was really, really interesting to explore this game. Another "notgame", but the level design and aesthetics seemed to invite for exploration and doubt in the players mind.
Four Scepters - Cute simplification of the roguelike mechanics, but not interesting enough to win any Toma awards. Still a nice time waster though.
Fragment - Supposedly a stealth game, and I was interested due to its MGS influences, but unfortunately its basically unplayable to me since the "lowest" mouse setting makes me already spin 720° when moving the mouse an inch.
Fragments of Him - Tried playing it, but wasnt in the mood for what it tried to do. Unfair of me, but I'd appreciate if someone gave me a good impression as a reason to give it another chance.
Gallery - Nice little puzzle game with a small twist.I definitely suggest giving it a try if you like puzzle games.
Gunpoint - Fan-tas-tic. A stealth puzzle game made after what I would have liked to build myself. Highly satisfying gameplay mechanics, although the content was lacking a bit. Definitely looking forward to more community levels eventually.
Heroine Dusk - This game has a neat base, but somehow it wasnt ... fun? Maybe because the game was still missing a hub that would allow me to actually venture "forward" instead of a seemingly random direction. The exploration was also very unsatisfying since it wasnt fun to walk confused through the woods.
Hope: The other side of adventure - Interesting meta narrative, but the gameplay was a bit crude and couldnt hold my interest.
Icefishing V - Extremely pretty "Notgame", and although I didnt care much for the noise soundtrack, it adds to the atmosphere and the idea of building a game as an album release is just blowing all kinds of my mind. And seriously, the game has some VERY pretty things going on. Try it and play around with it!
Ilamentia - Surprisingly not an art/notgame, but a puzzle game that gives you no clues other than how the environments react to your input. Each level requires a different way to solve it. Very intriguing, but I couldnt even beat all the levels in the demo.
Leaf Me Alone - Cute metroidvania on a small scale. Very charming too, definitely worth a try.
Little Inferno - People talking about this game sound like pyromaniacs, but its just... so... satisfying to burn things. So satisfying. Apparently it has a good end too, so I probably should play through it one of these days.
Lumiere - I love the worlds this guy is building. They feel a bit sterile, yet... draw me in as a passenger and silent watcher of the scenery. Definitely not something many people will like, since its literally just a scenery to walk around in.
Mono - Short puzzle game that was certainly worth my time with some interesting levels, although its nothing game changing.
Moon Rising - I ... tried, but this game is not possible to play without proper instructions. Its a turn based strategy base building MP game that you either play against another human or in a skirmish against AI, but I really need to check out some gameplay intros before I can properly comment on it.
Mr. Rescue - Surprisingly fun arcade game with the best, BEST gameplay mechanic for saving people ever
Its arcade nature lends itself very well to highscore gaming and makes me wish I'd have used it for competetive play during this month. Really fun little game with a nice soundtrack.
No one has to die - Application of the 999 story mechanics, without wanting to spoil too much. The game has a huge UI issue and it was weird to understand how it needs to be played, but its a neat little puzzle game with an intriguing story.
Potato Dungeon - Surprising main gameplay mechanic. Another one of those small browser games people should really check out because it does something small and unique that just feels fresh and makes me wish more bigger games would go out of their way to try unique gameplay mechanics.
Pulse Shift - Motion sickness hell. Cant play this game, unfortunate and impossible. Its a 3D puzzle game in which you shift gravity, which seemed nice but I cant give any more impressions on this one.
Reus - Very pretty and engaging sandbox god game. They also managed to include interesting unlock mechanics for the game progress which all fits together very, very well. One of the best surprises this month and I highly urge you guys to check it out.
Save the Date - I loved reading how the game ended up all the time, but considering you can "finish" the game by just clicking randomly, I didnt have much fun with the "game" itself, although I really liked the endings and the way the main character tried to argue with the other character.
Sentinel - Best tower defense game I played in years, not only based on the TD mechanics (which ARE novel), but especially due to the music and the music integration. I absolutely adore the soundtrack and just start this game up sometimes to drown in the tunes while twiddling with my towers.
Skyward Collapse - Really deep mechanics that are horribly hidden from most players. It seems similar to Reus in how its a god game about balancing elements, but it simply didnt spark any fun in me. I know Arcen tweaks their games a lot, so I trust in them improving the game eventually. Going to check it out at one point again.
The Queen of Snakes - Very unique style for an adventure game with rather easy puzzle elements. Still somehow enjoyed walking through the world and unraveling the mysteries it held. Something about the aesthetics just appealed to me I guess without being a groundbreaking game in itself.
The Yawhg - Highly intriguing MP coop game that unfortunately is rather short and a bit too expensive for it. But if you have a gf/bf to try it with, I definitely recommend grabbing it when you see it for cheap in a bundle.
Toom - Very, very short and free adventure game where I loved the artstyle and the way it made my brain fill in the story blanks.
Undertale - Another game (RPG) with a unique combat mechanic, but this one was very intriguing and made me interested in checking out the full game eventually. Also seems to offer choices and interesting character design.
Voxel Runner - Cute Bit.Trip clone but doesnt feel as tight and the music doesnt perfectly fit with the gameplay, which is a wasted opportunity.
Didnt play:
Delver (gameplay doesnt seem all too interesting from videos, and I am curious to check it out, but not for that price)
Game Dev Tycoon (Game Dev Story clone, not paying the current price for it)
Nowhere (Too expensive for an early alpha, but I am very interested)
Patchwork (Wasnt in the mood for adventure games)
Residue (Wasnt in the mood for adventure games)
The Perfidious Petrol Station (Wasnt in the mood for adventure games)
Rogue Legacy (Waiting for the full release tomorrow, might add it to my voting list later)
The Swapper (I fear I might not be as madly in love as others, so I held onto my money for now and instead bought a million other Indies
)
I was considering giving Undertale, Mono, Little Inferno or Lumiere my votes too, but I needed to decide on SOMETHING. Really tough this month, even with 10 games to decide on ( I am leaving the last spot for Rogue Legacy, which likely gets my vote too).
- The true power of Xbox One.
