The Tower on the Borderland

I got to the evil spider basement and noped right out.

Has impeccable PS1-Era vibes and mixes survival horror & semi-metroidvania exploration really well. Definitely worth a look if you want something nostalgic, but also entirely fresh and new in a lot of ways.

This game is being marketed as a Metroid-like, but it isn't really that at all. This game is Parasite Eve meets Dark Souls (with a dash of Silent Hill for flavor), in that you're a badass lady fighting bug monsters, in a sprawling map that is surprisingly interconnected, with the help of a handy radio to help navigate through the fog.

The intro is just too hard, but I'm glad I pushed through. Once you find a few upgrades and make it past the first boss, the game really opens up. There's almost too much to explore where I'm at right now, but I'm making good progress.

The world and visual design is really spot on, and for the time being I'm pretty happy with my purchase. Only bummer is combat is rough. I really wish there was a way to manually aim with the gun-- and that ammo could replenish between save points. The game wants to be BloodBorne without the depth of combat, so it's mostly melee attacks with occasional shots from your gun. All around a recommend, but there are some rough spots for sure.

I just can't. I tried it because it was bundled (I can't seem to learn that never pans out), and I feel like I got got. Like someone programmed this game by prompting "give me a Playstation-era heroine, set it in a building, and creepy monsters with guns or something." I see that this developer posts online, I see they project values of care and love for their work, but from one artist to another- this is weak sauce. The animations are garbage; running looks stiff, the "DODGE" is kind of a poorly timed squat, and the knifing animation feels inaccurate and weak. I thought maybe it was a Super Metroid temporary "power fantasy" limitation, that eventually we'd see the character expand their move set or something. Nope. Just one sloggy battle after another through similar looking "tower environments," "Super Metroid" must mean "find an assault rifle."

It just reeks of bad game design from the word go. It sets up a "story" by showing some cryptic stuff surrounded by heavy BROMS, as you're a solider (but not a solider) who is guarding a location with no weapons. The game then pushes you down some visually interesting hallways in the beginning, before dumping you in sames-ville after the cool post-start intro. Even Tomb Raider made each location memorable and a joy to explore. This game isn't that concerned with making memorable sets, or creating an easily navigable titular tower, but with looking cool for screenshots and fast advertising. If this is fully baked, you need to change the recipe.

I watched the rest online, because I thought maybe the ending might make it worth it. I just played The Station, and loved it's nice ending, despite an only somewhat slightly better than average bit of gameplay. I felt satisfied in the end. This one- yeah, it ends with the same faux-arthouse sentimentality where they think the less they're saying is more. It's not- this storyline doesn't say anything, and it feels like an excuse to dump premade assets together and call it a day. Honestly, listen to the huge "WHOOSH" sound your character makes when lightly kneeling when they dodge- that CAN'T be a decision by a person. It lacks an overall cohesion, and I think it's because there's AI at play here.

I could be wrong. I just find it crazy that someone who cites Grasshopper and FromSoft as inspiration is onto their third game and this is the result. You didn't nail the Souls-like aspect, but you do come close to having Grasshopper's style down. I honestly can't think of a single positive thing to say about your game, or heroine who looks completely different than your cover art. This can't be a real attempt. This reminds me so much of Back in 1995, but I PLAYED that game, and in the end the developer harrasses you for even ENJOYING this kind of uninspired retro throw-back BS. This isn't even a love letter like they were describing, but ALL of their games look like this.

Sorry if this stings anyone on the creative side- but man, you all need to step it up, because this ain't it.