Recent reviews by fixedfridgehinge

Do you know who drank all the soup?
Abiotic Factor is the result of a mad science experiment where you combined the classic charm of Half-Life with the survival crafting gameplay of titles like Subnautica, The Forest and Grounded.
The crafting system is a bit overwhelming at first, but you'll soon be thinking up and crafting makeshift tools, weapons, gadgets and resources in no time.
The world and level design is very well done and really sells the idea of a vast subterranean facility with tons of exploration and secrets to discover.
Visually this game is amazing, the art team have really nailed the look of the GoldSrc engine but with plenty of modern features like lighting, particle effects and animations.
You can definitely play this solo, but the game is at it's best when you team up with some fellow nerds
Abiotic Factor is extremely promising even in an Early Access state. There's already plenty of content to get through, with lots more promised in the future roadmap.

You get a chainsaw leg, enough said

Wow, just wow.
I'm a long time fan of Black Mesa, I joined the forums in 2006 and closely followed the project to around the time of the mod release in 2012.

I held off playing the retail release on Steam, wanting to wait for Xen so I could experience the whole package.
And it's finally here, I just finished a complete playthrough from start to finish.

The core game is great, expanding on everything from visuals, to gameplay and sound, while still remaining very faithful to the original HL.

Xen is amazing. It's visual design is stunning. The changes are big enough for it to feel like a new game while still retaining enough familiar elements of the original. It expands on the lore of the Half-Life universe in a way that doesn't contradict anything.

I just want to congratulate the Devs for seeing this project through to completion, this is easily the best fan made remake of a game that exists today.
I look forward to the 1.0 release, I'll play through it again to see the improvements they've made.
One thing I hope is included (or updated on the workshop) for the 1,0 release is the uncut On a Rail chapter, as I felt it was still too short from the original.

Highly reccommended from a long time fan, to anyone remotely interested in the HL series.

Hollow Knight is a truly beautiful game. The gameplay, art and music all come together to form one of the best platformers I've played recently. It starts off a bit slow, but as you slowly gain abilities and explore more of the world, the game really opens up.

Gameplay:

like most metroidvanias, exploration is essential, as there are many secrets and hidden items throughout the game. Normally backtracking through areas you've been through before is a pain, but in Hollow Knight it's a blast! Once you've unlocked the full moveset, the tight controls allow you to dash, jump and fight through areas efficiently.

It's easy to see that this game has been influenced by Dark Souls, but that's not a bad thing. I had some very tense moments where I had to recover my soul or risk losing lots of Geo. This game is quite challenging (especially some of the later boss fights) and you will die a lot, so keep that in mind.


I clocked in at around 30 hours to finish the game, and there's still stuff I haven't uncovered.

Art:

What can I say, this is easily one of the best looking 2D games I've played in a while. I would put this up there Ori and the Blind Forest in terms of the level of quality. The parallax, multi layered backgrounds are beatuiful, and each area has its own distinct look and feel. The world Team Cherry have created is unique and alien, and I don't think I've seen many other games besides Botanicula use the theme of a land of insects before.

The handdrawn character animations are fluid and look great in motion. Over 100 varieties of enemies ensure there isn't too much repetition. Along your journey, you'll meet a cast of interesting and quirky npcs.

Sound and Music:

From the moment you start the game, a chilling, melancholy piano track plays over an eerie wind. As soon as I heard this, I sat there and listened to it for a good few minutes to get into the mood of the music.
The fantastic soundtrack carries this mood throughout the rest of the game, and perfectly adds to the mysterious atmosphere already created by the visuals.
There are some tracks in this game that are absolutely stunning, I would easily listen to this soundtrack outside of the game.
The music for the boss fights and battle segments are great, and really help get you pumped and focused on the fight at hand.

Story:

Like Dark Souls, the story is largely told through NPCS and in game items, besides a few opening and closing cutscenes. There is enough information scattered around the world to piece together what happened, and what your purpose in the story is. I still haven't really got a good hold on what the story is about, but I have a rough idea.

Overall:

One of the best games I've played in 2017 and recently. If you're a fan of metroidvanias like Ori and the Blind Forest, challenging games like Dark Souls I can't reccomend this game highly enough!

10/10 Whishkeys, pardner!

A charming 3D platformer about a drunken robot called BUD, who climbs things and gets really high. I give this game 4/20.

Even in an early state, The Long Dark is a compelling survival experience. There are no zombies, cannibals or other players to fend against here, just the harsh, frigid, uncaring wilderness and packs of hungry wolves. Sandbox mode is great at the moment for testing out work in progress mechanics, but Story Mode is what will really bring this game together. If you're a fan of atmospheric single player, and/or survival games, definately give this one a go.