REVIEW: Hell Architect on PC (Steam)

Review by GamingCouchPotato.co.uk Staff

Today we are here to review the very interesting "Hell Architect" by Woodland Games, I will say, that wouldn't Hell's Architect be a better name? Just seems more grammatically correct. Oh well.

When I started playing Hell Architect, the first thing I noticed was the similarities to Hammerting, a game I reviewed back in October 2020, same viewpoint, same general gameplay, but luckily as I started playing through the tutorial of Hell Architect, I realised that Hell Architect was an infinitely better game. So, if you had a bad experience with Hammerting, then give Hell Architect a play, as it gets right, almost everything that Hammerting got wrong.

You play as the "Architect of Hell", you play from a 2D vertical side on view point, and like other vertical mining colony sim type games, your job is to dig, craft and build, but with the twist being that you are running hell. Instead of dwarves, you have sinners and lost souls, you need to make these evildoers suffer, you can build prisons and torture devices, all while keeping your hell running smoothly. 

You have 9 levels of hell to complete in single player mode, or you can just go to work creating your own perfect hell in sandbox mode. In single player mode you will try to gain the approval of demons and even the devil himself. But running hell is not an easy task, unfortunately there is more to hell than just punishing sinners, you have to build power stations, places for your sinners to eat food, and more and more intricate torture devices. You will need to harvest resources, the usual dirt, stone, coal and so on, but also if you dig far enough you can find ancient artifacts that will give you special powers.

At its core Hell Architect is a vertical 2D management sim, but with such a nice twist, that being you are running hell.

The Good

The graphics are crisp, well animated, and I need to give a special mention to how well this game is optimized, it ran perfectly on an old laptop of mine, as well as perfectly on my fancy desktop. This is so important, since many games are released that are so poorly optimized that unless you have a £2000 setup, you can't play them, but Hell Architect really is so well made, I was pleasantly surprised by the relatively low download size, and just how smooth everything is. 

The tutorial is perfect, really helps you learn the basics of the game, everything is easy to find and navigate, you can tell that the game makers have really spent time making sure the basics of the game are perfect, and I really appreciate that, especially considering the frustrations I had with similar games I have played in this genre.

The Bad

If you like Vertical 2D management sim type games, then there is no bad. This game is almost the perfect representation of the genre.

Overall

Can you tell I like this game yet? The true greatness of any game, especially for someone like me who is in general only playing it to review it, is if after I have finished my review, if I will keep playing it, it is that simple, if I never play it again, then the game is perhaps not that great, but with Hell Architect I will definitely keep playing it. It is just so damn good.

I score the game a near perfect 9/10 Absolutely loved it.

Review by GamingCouchPotato.co.uk Staff.

REVIEW: Mask of Mists - Nintendo Switch

Mask of Mists is the latest game released by Sometimes You on Nintendo Switch.

A first-person perspective game whereby you play as a mercenary, your job is a simple one, to find one of the Archmages of the Academy who has gone missing, while researching in the Infected Territory!

The Infected Territory is an interesting place, after being exposed to "monstrous amounts of magic", it has become overwhelmed with evil creatures from the abyss, as the barrier between the normal world and the world of evil and chaos has broken down.

You start the game looking at a book, that explains to you the story, and gives you the context of what you are about to do, and see.

As you play you will need to find notes left by the missing Archmage to help you progress, explaining to you things he did, what he failed at, as well as where he succeeded, his notes go into your notebook for future reference. You will face puzzles that need to be solved, as you solve them, they have a direct effect on the world, new parts of the map will be revealed, areas that were previously deadly, become harmless.

But it is not just exploration and puzzles, there is an action element to the game, you will have to fight the monsters from the abyss, you have a gun and a sword, and as you play, and inevitably lose health, you can drink potions to help you recover. Potions which you can create from various magic plants you will find.

Although the game is relatively short and you will most likely complete it in about 4 hours, it is a fun experience, and despite the ending feeling a bit flat since it goes back to the same book to explain things, as a whole the game is a rewarding experience. And there is definitely a feeling of wanting to replay the game, explore more, collect everything, and try to find every single secret.

The Good

Graphically the game is very good, everything plays smoothly and the controls are easy enough to learn.

The Bad

The beginning and end and the use of simple book to explain things, seems a bit lazy, and perhaps rushed to avoid spending time creating an animated open and close.

Overall

A fun, engaging game, that despite its flaws will definitely have me making another playthrough.

I score Mask of Mists a solid 7/10

Review by GamingCouchPotato.co.uk Staff

Out now on Nintendo Switch

https://www.nintendo.com/games/detail/mask-of-mists-switch/

REVIEW: Deadly Days - Xbox

Review by GamingCouchPotato.co.uk Staff

Deadly Days is the latest rogue-lite game from Pixel Split Games. You play within a zombie apocalypse, because, well, why not. You are in charge of a group of survivors and you have to try to stop the catastrophe, survive and play through procedurally generated cities and missions.

The basic gameplay consists of controlling your characters around the map, looking for loot, while at the same time fighting off waves of zombies. Once you collect everything an area has to give, you return to your base to drop off everything you found.

To loot a building, a character will by targeting to enter, while other characters will remain outside to defend against the zombies. The defending and fighting of the zombies is done automatically, think of the game more as you managing a group of characters, as opposed to you actively controlling their actions. 

Did I mention apples? These are of upmost importance, you will use apples to level up your characters, keep them well fed, and so on.

As you play through the maps, you will be able to better equip your characters, this is important as the zombies get consistently harder the more you play, including kamikaze zombies and spitter zombies. Time to call in an airstrike to clear the way! The maps can be a bit small, but there is still plenty to explore and collect.

There is a nice learning curve in the game, so early on everything is quite easy as you get to grips with everything. 

The Good

Deadly Days is a nice simple, easy to play game, lots of weapons to collect, characters to meet, and even the story is probably more than what you would expect in such a game.

The Bad

As I already mentioned, the maps are a little small, and the game plays more like a management game than a classic rogue-lite, and perhaps the game is lacking in a few areas that will keep you coming back.

Overall

A fun, interesting game, with some unique and original ideas.

I score Deadly Days a strong 7/10

Review by GamingCouchPotato.co.uk Staff

Deadly Days is out now on Xbox

https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/p/deadly-days/9P6XD4F453DG

PREVIEW: Glitchpunk Early Access

By GamingCouchPotato.co.uk Staff

Before I start let me make it clear that the game is Early Access, for those who do not know, that means it is not finished, and often nowhere near finished, it means the game is barebones, something that the developers can release that lets people play the game, and in turn help them find bugs, get ideas, improve gameplay and so on.

It is a bit like releasing the first chapter draft of a book you are writing, so please keep all of this in mind any time you play an Early Access title.

Onto the game itself, Glitchpunk is a top-down action game, think the original GTA games but in a dystopian future. I really hate the word dystopian; everything has to be dystopian these days! come on guys, be original!

In Glitchpunk you shoot, steal and drive your way around as you maim your victims, you are an android bounter hunter. You have a "glitch" in your programming which allows you to break your programming, yes, I know, not the most original idea, but we are in a dystopian future after all. Anyway, since you have broken your programming, you have decided that you want to "destabilize the tyrannical governments of the post-nuclear world", and as such you just want to cause havoc. There are gangs to kill, police to take on, and generally trouble to cause.

As you play, you will accept contracts, earn money to make upgrades, buy cybernetic modules which give you new abilities, for example the ability to hack into others and control their behaviour, make alliances, lose alliances and more.

As of writing there is only one city to play in, eventually there will be 4.

In general, this game is GTA but with modern graphics.

The Good

As with all Early Access games, the question always has to be "does this game have potential?" And Glitchpunk has all the potential in the world. Is it very cliché and full of unoriginal ideas? Yes, but still that is not always a bad thing if done well.

The Bad

I hate to say this, but as of right now, the game is pretty bad, numerous graphical errors, poor optimisation, frame drops, freezing, never ending loading screens, poor physics, I could go on, but I keep reminding myself that this is an early access game.

Overall

The game has potential, but I wonder if the game is cursed by the "punk" part of the title. We all know the disaster of the Cyberpunk release, perhaps Glitchpunk should have a name rethink?

A long, long way to go, but the potential is there. Either change the graphical style to be much simpler, or work on that optimisation, even on a decent PC the game really struggled.

By GamingCouchPotato.co.uk Staff

REVIEW: Seed of Life on PC (Steam)

Review by GamingCouchPotato.co.uk Staff

Seed Of Life is the latest action-adventure game from MadLight, You play as Cora, the last survivor of a dying world called Lumia, your world was ravaged by aliens who are stealing the planet's life force. Your job is to activate "The Seed" a device that will save your planet and regenerate the very life force of the planet.

You play in a 3rd person viewpoint, from just behind the character, as you explore, you will come across Talisman Capsules that help you learn new abilities that will help you on your way, collect Lumium to upgrade yourself, and collect various items. You have an alien assistant called Nar. As you play you will have to solve puzzles and generally get from one waypoint to the next.

The game plays in a semi open world environment, there is plenty to explore, and you need to watch out for toxic environments that will slowly drain your health, the game does not hold your hand too much, and you will need to figure things out for yourself, that will be good for some people, and for others you may miss being told exactly what to do.

You will have a compass that will help you decide which way to go, colour coded as to tell you which waypoint will give you which power. As it is a semi open world, when you are away from the Waypoints you may find yourself losing health in the toxic environments, so before you go off exploring too much, make sure you know your way back to the previous waypoint, or find the next one first. This is especially important to make sure you do not lose your progress.

Once you get to grips with the controls and the gameplay, the game is relatively easy and you should complete it in under 10 hours, quicker on the easiest setting.

The Good

The graphics are very pretty and the soundtrack is very relaxing, the gameplay is fun, and although the game is relatively short, it is an enjoyable experience.

The Bad

The voice acting for Cora is terrible, sorry but I have to say that. There is also some issues with precision jumping, there are a few other bugs, but the developers are ironing these out and putting out updates, so these will all get fixed.

Overall

The game is fun, and despite the short play time, I enjoyed the experience. I score the game a solid 7.5/10

Review by GamingCouchPotato.co.uk Staff

REVIEW: Glyph on PC (Steam)

Review by GamingCouchPotato.co.uk Staff

Back in the mid 1980s a game called Marble Madness was released, you controlled a marble through an isometric course. It was pretty unique. Fast forward nearly 40 years and you have Glyph, a beautiful 3D platform game whereby you control a ball, or to be more precise a mechanical scarab, as you make your way through a course and try not to die. Clearly this game pays homage to the great Marble Madness and similar games of that time. But it does so in a truly up to date manner, plus it throws in a load of unique new abilities.

"A mechanical monster has devastated the nation and poisoned the land.

In Glyph, you snatch a fractured civilization from the jaws of doom after runaway technology has destroyed everything.

But safe ground is rare in this dying world.

The desert sands are toxic and destruction has left few places to rest...

So the last shred of hope is for you to collect the resources that will restore life to your home."

That is your basic story.

With over 80 courses to complete, lots of collectables, and insane jumps and manoeuvres to make, Glyph is instantly going to appeal to speed runner gamers, as well as fans of precise 3D platform games. You can dive, climb, roll, twist, crash, edge, skid, glide, sneak, scale, and corkscrew your way to success.

With a beautiful soundtrack and glorious locations to play, the game does feel pretty special. And with any game whereby precision is needed, you will be shouting at the screen one moment, and then revelling in your greatness the next, as you finally complete the level you have been stuck on.

Starting out as a VR game, and then finding its feet as a Nintendo Switch game, the game is now on Steam, so the question remains, is the game any good?

The Good

Firstly the game looks great, the soundtrack is awesome, the levels are well thought out, and there are always multiple ways to complete a level, add in time trial events and boss fights and the game does have all the ingredients to keep you coming back, and since you can come back to a hard level any time you like, you may find yourself waiting until you have really grasped the game mechanics before going back and mastering that tough level you struggled on before.

The Bad

I used the mouse and keyboard to play, and I have to say I HATED playing it in this way, no matter how much I fiddled with the camera sensitivity, I just couldn't quite get it to a level whereby I felt comfortable playing like this. Don't get me wrong, I still played the game and enjoyed it, but this is a console game ported to a PC, and playing with a mouse and keyboard just feels awkward, I tried it with a controller and it played much better. But the camera system to me just doesn't quite work.

Overall

This is one of those games whereby the more you play it, the more you get used to its flaws and eventually stop noticing them. The game is beautiful but tough, not as tough as the Switch version I hear, and the learning curve has been improved for the PC release.

If you like precision, ball rolling platformers, then this is probably the best of its genre out there right now.

The game is tough but fair, and I score Glyph a fair 7/10

Review by GamingCouchPotato.co.uk Staff

REVIEW: The Long Gate - Nintendo Switch

Review by GamingCouchPotato.co.uk Staff

The Long Gate is an exploration game, whereby you solve puzzles to progress. Nice and simple right? Not quite, this is a challenging game.

The game itself lets you play how you want, there is no fixed order for the puzzles, for example you do not need to complete one to get to the next, so you really can choose which puzzles you want to take on and in which order, if one is too hard, come back to it later. And more than that the puzzles do not have a one solution outcome, many puzzles have multiples way to be solved.

There are three classes of puzzle, Digital, Analog and Quantum, there are helpful hints if you get stuck. All circuit board based. So basically, you need to solve a puzzle to get power from one part to another.

Apparently, the puzzles are based on real world technologies, and everything is very accurate, we know this as everything has been verified by D-Wave Systems, the world's first commercial quantum computer company.

Although the puzzles are tricky, you do not necessarily need a background in the STEM fields, but if you do, then you might find things even more enjoyable.

Along with an original soundtrack by Nick Newman, you will find yourself exploring beautiful ancient caverns, and glorious scenes of nature.

As you solve the puzzles you will solve the mystery of what happens to the people who created them.

With all that said, is the game any good?

The Good

The soundtrack is wonderful, the puzzles although very challenging are well thought out.

The Bad

Performance on the Switch is poor, it really should be better, but this game has been ported from the PC, and such it is a PC game, and you should probably go play it on a PC instead of the Switch. There is also a lot of assumption by the game makers, they assume too much of the player, and I fear that younger gamers, or people just trying this game out might be disappointed by the lack of help the game gives you at the start.

Overall

Good game, but not on the Nintendo Switch, such a shame as the concept is good, but needs tweaking, especially in the performance department. If you like hard, logic-based puzzle games, then this is for you, but go get it on PC instead.

I Score The Long Gate - Nintendo Switch as sad 5/10

 

Patron Release Trailer

Overseer Games have finally released a full trailer for their "survival city builder" game.

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Patron is a survival city builder with a unique social dynamics system. Gather and produce resources, build your fledgling village into a prosperous city and navigate the intricate social tensions before they reach boiling point.

Key features:

A survival city builder with a unique social dynamics system

Gather and produce resources

Establish sustainable production chains

Build your fledgling village into a prosperous city as you construct and upgrade buildings

Manage your people and steer your citizens towards needed professions

Balance social issues: Class strife, Immigration, Religion, Health, Safety, Loyalty...

Plan growth through an extensive Research Tree and unlock technology, policies and upgrades

Plan production and overseas trade to support your economy through difficult times

Genre: Survival city builder

Platform: PC Windows

Release data: 10th August

Developer: Overseer Games

For more information check out https://www.patronnewworld.com

and Wishlist the game on Steam - https://store.steampowered.com/app/1538570/Patron/