Recent reviews by Althalin

Certainly not an uncommon comparison, but it's not wrong to describe this as Vampire Survivors: The Tower Defense Game. Multiple different characters (and variants!) to unlock, punishing wave survival, and (in this case) a rocking synthwave and electronic metal soundtrack.

At the time of this review, Rimworld is my most-played game on Steam.

If you've ever been enchanted by the idea of a highly-detailed, brutal story generator/colony sim (Dwarf Fortress comes to mind), you should give Rimworld a try. A vocal portion of the community talks about war crimes - don't worry too much about that. You'll get there... eventually.

Adding to the longevity of the game is the massive, enthusiastic modding community. I truly don't have the words to describe the level to which talented people have tweaked, extended, and sometimes distorted, Rimworld. It's a thing of beauty.

The 2-hour steam refund window is likely not going to give you a good picture of the game if you're on the fence. If you are on the fence, I'd recommend waiting for a sale. Kaleb, that includes you.

Bottom Line Up Front: Peglin scratches that chill Peggle itch; it's probably not worth $20 at this point, but definitely something to watch.

In its current state, Peglin is an incredibly chill game.

If you're looking for the next deep, deck-building roguelike a la Slay the Spire: Peglin probably ain't for you. It scratches a similar itch, but synergies are much more limited (granted, it is still in Early Access)

If you want something casual to play with a nice, chiptune-inspired soundtrack and solid pixel graphics; or, like me, you played an unhealthy amount of Peggle back in the day and want to scratch that itch, you'll probably enjoy Peglin.

If you're on the fence, Steam's 2-hour-played refund policy should be plenty to get to grips with what the game is (and isn't). Two hours is enough to get a good sense of what the game has to offer, and you can make an informed decision.

Larian has made it clear that this is a very early access. That said, the game looks fantastic, and plays well.

Clearly, there will be differences between this implementation of Dungeons and Dragons rules and the tabletop; in general, I think the changes are generally understandable, and in some cases an improvement.

Is it worth $60 at this time? I think that depends on what you'd like to get out of your play experience. If you like Larian games, if you want to see a reasonable interpretation of D&D 5e rules in a video game, are willing to test an incomplete project, and are enthusiastic & excited about the finished product, absolutely.

While a casual glance would see Satisfactory as a 3D Factorio, it stands out on more merit than just an extra dimension.

Because I imagine that's the basis by which many will judge this game, I'll draw some quick comparisons.

- Crafting is substantially different, requiring you to physically interact with various crafting stations, rather than magically happening in the inventory
- Early game automated mining doesn't require power, but it also cannot be attached to conveyor belts
- Automated crafting is substantially more intensive in terms of planning and resource requirements. The most basic Constructor (think "Assembler") can only turn one input into one output - eg Iron Ingots into Iron Plates
- The local fauna, while not entirely friendly, doesn't (or at least "hasn't yet") attack your factory; this doesn't mean that everything is incredibly easy, as setting up logistics networks is much more time- and effort-intensive.

Also, 10/10, there are alien doggos you can pet. This isn't my choice of terms - you can find "Lizard Doggos" and the UI helpfully gives you a prompt to pet them.

As a number of Brothers can attest, this is an entertaining game for a number of reasons. Whether you're playing alone and actually want to accomplish something, or playing with a group and just make ridiculous rockets (I'm lookijng at you, Brett), it's fun all around.

If you have any interest in space, rocket science, or just launching little green men with giant heads on rockets, pick up Kerbal. You won't regret it.