Recent reviews by IcedApple

I told myself id write a review for this game after I beat all 50 games so I could give it a fair assessment, 80 hours later and there are still probably a dozen games I have not even touched. Considering I spent like 22$ on this game that felt like a good enough deal to recommend this

There are some really really fun games in this collection, like Avianos, an auto battler mixed with a base builder strategy game that I could spend another 20 hours easy playing local co-op on the deck with my pals, or onion delivery a nonsensical top down driving game about delivering onions in the very odd but lovingly crafted "zorrg city"

Thats the best way to put it, you can tell a lot of love went into this project, which considering the devs that worked on this that is not all that surprising.

Obviously not all 50 games will be your cup a tea, and if you dont like retro-esq games it may not be for you at all, but to me this is a no brainer especially if you are playing on steam deck. Very good value, really good games, really cool narrative (and tons of secrets). CLASSIC FUN

I'M ON ANOTHER...ON ANOTHER LEVEL

pls add more tracks

Okay okay....this is one of the best roguelikes i've ever played. Easily top 5. What keeps me coming back is how as you play, you unlock more of the NPCs dialogue (if you can even find them that is) - which gives you more secrets and details of how you can escape the mind prison and how the weird world you've found yourself in works...also they hate you. it feels like you are unraveling this gigantic puzzle and every single aspect of gameplay lends itself to the world building and vibe. Each run you'll unlock a new secret, find a new cool ring/spell or encounter a baffling new creature.

The gameplay itself is incredibly satisfying for what is ultimately just fighting mobs and exploring, but the way you feel as you get deeper and deeper, is unique and fascinating. Enemies bloom into blood and gold pieces as you cut them down or fry them with your blood magic. You will keep finding new funny characters and seeing so many things that genuinely made me laugh, feel surprised and honestly just get excited. This game is very much worth following, get in here before it blows up.

The dev posts often and is super talented and creative. Very much worth your time. I normally dont review with so few hours on a game or before i fully complete it but im so charmed by this experience and i want anyone who is on the fence to know its worth playing

edit: pls play this game

BANGER DELUXE

Balatro is like playing at a casino positioned at the end of time. The titular "Joker" character mocks your failures as you grind your way up to the highest level....the gold stake. I....am bad at this game...or its hard, regardless the difficulty elevates because at the time of writing with 70 hours my highest completion is purple stake, just 2 levels under gold. You craft your run starting with various decks, representing characters in the traditional rogue-like genre and elevating it to the next level with jokers, representing items/power ups. Expect insane synergies and a solitaire-esq mind melting as you play hand after hand scoring millions of chips. Your podcast backlog will never look smaller, as you dissociate into eternity...and did i mention its only 15$?

I have not laughed in 8 months but this game had tears streaming down my face cracking up as my dumbass coworkers dove off ledges to their death and were eaten alive by the horrors of the night - for recreational use only, friends not included, some assembly may be required

Cuphead is a beautiful game that has had its level of challenge overstated in some regards

it has its moments, don't get me wrong. Especially if you decide to play on expert mode. (It's NG alternative, with much harder versions of the classic boss fights ramped up to 11)

but if you aren't looking for anything too tough ignoring the score/grading mechanic for just general completion is totally do-able. I expect most folks who've played a platformer or run and gun in the past to be able to pick this game up and instantly feel one with "the cup" (or the mug if you so choose) and take down everyone in their path with some minor trial and error.

But man oh man, if you love a challenge, S ranking every fight will have your palms sweating and wishing there were more after you've taken down the last big bad. I'm sure I had over 1000 resets but every attempt had me closer than the last and it's a journey I won't soon forget.

Lastly I have to take a moment to bring up something that doesn't typically grab my attention but really did it for me here. The music. it's incredible. it uses a lot of horns and feels very jazzy, definitely on theme with the hand drawn art style to create one of the most pleasing audio/video experiences on the market.

If you are on the fence don't sleep on Cuphead, it's not too expensive for what is ultimately years of hand drawn animation smacked on top of an incredibly satisfying game and I ended up with around 25 hours getting 300% completion.

9/10