Now, without further ado, here are the games I bought and what I rate them!
Thumper
The first thing I noticed about Thumper was how industrial the music was. It was percussion-heavy, metal, and heavy. It really makes it pound for a rhythm game. I only played a few hours before I took a break and tried out my other games, but I enjoyed it and will definitely continue playing it. There’s a surprising amount of content in the game, so I’m sure I’ll dump in quite a few more hours into it. The game is really fast-paced and visually intense. You have to really feel the music and pay attention to the screen in order to succeed. There’s just a certain satisfaction of finally getting the boss fight perfect after failing over and over again. The game isn’t very forgiving for mistakes. You can find yourself dying very quickly after just a simple mistake, but the game just puts you right back into the action with little wait. It’s one of the things that makes this game great. It dumps you right back where you left off so you can try again. The game also avoids repetition by adding new complexities to the game. I’m not sure how far that will go, but in the first few hours, it makes it so that it’s not just the same thing over and over. 8/10.
Shadow of Mordor
I am currently addicted to this game. I am actually a little surprised how much I enjoy this game. A gamer once coined this game as “like Assassin’s Creed, but fun.” While I’ve never played Assassin’s Creed, this certainly feels like it, jumping off high ledges to assassinate orcs, sneaking through a camp to free slaves, scoping out targets’ weaknesses and using it against them. I love it. The game does an extraordinarily good job at making your actions feel like they have weight to them. I’ve dumped over 20 hours so far into this game, and I’ve just finished the main story line. The story is interesting, with loveable and hateable characters. Sometimes the camera can be wonky and it interrupts gameplay, but once you get used to it, you can avoid it most of the time. There’s more content still beyond the main story line that I’m excited to explore. Overall, I’d definitely recommend getting it, especially since it’s only $3.99 during the summer sale. Well worth the value! 9/10.
Ori and the Blind Forest
I fell in love with this game almost instantly. I don’t usually play platformers, but I am glad I got this game. The visuals are stunning. The world is full of color and is just beautiful. The story is tragic yet full of hope and goodness. The gameplay is challenging, but the challenge never detracts from the enjoyment. The game builds upon your experience as you unlock new abilities, introducing new elements of gameplay in a way that doesn’t require lengthy tutorials but still forces you to use and master the new abilities. The save system makes saving something that requires resources but never to the point where you are afraid of losing your progress. It also allows for rapid reentry once you’ve died, allowing you to get right back into the game to tackle that next challenge. The game rewards smart thinking and exploration with hidden experience and level-ups throughout the world. Progress changes the world and the game itself, opening up new challenges and opportunities. One of the things I love most is how well the game does the little things. Ori, the cute white creature you play, puts his paws on walls when you stand next to them and looks off ledges if you stand next to them. The little details the developers included just make the world come to life.
There are a few times when you enter a very special challenge which requires split-second timing and quick reflexes. There’s no opportunity for saving during these, which means you have to start over at the beginning of the challenge when you die. These are particularly stressful but so rewarding when you finish them. However, the graphics requirement uptakes significantly during these, which makes them harder yet easier. Harder because the controls are less responsive than you’d want, but easier because you have a few more milliseconds to process what to do next. Even with this, I still love the game. It can be frustrating at times, but it’s amazing. Definitely a 10/10
The Witcher III
I was excited to play this game. I had heard great things about it, and since I’ve loved the Elder Scrolls series, I was excited to play what I had heard was “everything right about TES and then some.” The opening animation was intense. I was thrilled. Then, I entered the world and my framerate dropped to between 5 and 10, and it stayed there no matter what I did with the settings. I got maybe five minutes in before it started into the fighting tutorial, and I knew that I could not play this game on my poor little laptop. It looked amazing. The faces and movement of the characters had subtleties. The outdoors looked amazing, even though I had very little exposure to them. I should note now that this game involved nudity. Well, in the way that Naked and Afraid has nudity. Meaning butts. Two characters are bathing when the game starts, so you get to see butts of both sexes. Just a fair warning.
Since I didn’t get to really play the game, I can’t rate it. However, I can still recommend the game if you’re willing to drop down 25 smackeroos (during the sale) and have a rig that can handle the requirements since all other reviews have raved over it. ?/10.
The Last Door Seasons 1 and 2
I had played a little of this game when it was for free, and since it was so cheap (and I was spending so much money), I decided to throw it in to finish off the series. However, a few hours into it, and the game crashed on me. I haven’t picked it up since. However, based on my previous experience with the game, I would recommend it to anyone looking for a horror game that meshes genuine scary atmosphere with well-placed scares. It’s a point-and-click game that takes inspiration from Poe and Lovecraft. The game can be slow at times, and the graphics is just pixel. However, it still does horror pretty well. I want to finish the story, but if it crashes again, I’m afraid that I won’t be able to. There was a new update, so hopefully that’s fixed. Still, 8/10.
Don’t Starve DLC
I’ve already written a little about Don’t Starve and Don’t Starve Together, but over the Steam Summer Sale, I bought the DLC for the base game. It changes everything. The two DLCs make the base game something else, increasing the difficulty and complexity while keeping the original feel of the game. I definitely recommend getting Don’t Starve with the DLCs or Don’t Starve Together. Or all of them. They’re all good. 9/10.
Hollow Knight
I haven’t actually played this one yet, but I’ve heard a lot of good things about it. It’s another platformer, so I’m excited to see how this one turns out. ?/10.
Portal and Portal 2
I haven’t played either of these yet, but I’ve heard they’re a lot of fun. The second one is multiplayer, and during the Summer Sale, you can get both for under $3 (which is, like, 90% off). I’d recommend getting them just because they’re pretty cheap, but that’s up to you. ?/10
I wanted to post this much earlier since the sale ends on the 5th, but time slipped away from me. I kinda lost track of time this past week and weekend, and the next thing I knew it was Monday again. Enjoy your week, and don't let time slip away from you!