Some readers may have noticed there hasn't been an article in the last few of weeks. A couple of factors have caused this, I've been short on time to play games and when I do it's mostly been non-Steam games and I also haven't finished anything recently - mostly been poking here and there at a few games. Regardless here are a couple of quick thoughts on some games from my library that I have been actually playing. Cheers!
HOUSE OF THE DYING SUN
This is a light mission based combat-centric spaceship game. HotDS has you piloting and leading a small fleet of ships on quick and intense missions - and I mean quick - each outing is around 5 minutes and you get into the action fast. The flying feels good, with a "close to Newtonian physics model" implemented to that you can pull off some real good space ship stunts. In addition to piloting your own ship there is also a full menu system for ordering your fleet to undertake an array of actions.
I dig like the minimalist clean graphics and the music is really good. The world of HotDS seems like it has some interesting hooks but what the game gives you is very minimal - a few bits here and there - intriguing but I really would have liked more (not a ton more - no need for lore dumps). I am about a third to half way though the game and with it's easy to pick up small session style it's a nice filler. You might balk a bit at a the $20 price but the small studio worked hard on this and it has the feel of a game much bigger.
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DOKI DOKI LITERATURE CLUB
Ok, so let us to an abrupt turn into some anime visual novel gaming shall we? Two things, first while I enjoy the animes from time to time, visual novels are not really my thing (for a lot small reasons) but I heard a lot of whisperings about this one from various people and figured why not give it a try -hey it is completely free. Second thing - there is a warning at the start of this game and trust me - that warning is not f***ing around. Believe it bruv.
The basic premise is you are conned into joining a literature club by a close friend. Turns out the club is just full of cute girls, each personifying a genre stereotype. You have conversations and go through little mini-games as the story goes on and you direct your affection towards the girls you are interested in. So far pretty typical of this style of visual novel. Then s**t gets wild. I really can't say anymore because it's all spoilers after that but Doki Doki Literature Club does some things that are not only off (way off) the beaten path for visual novels, but for video games as a whole. Well done to the developers Team Salvato for making this.
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NOVA-111
Alright now we are back to normal with a turn based action puzzle game. You control a little robot(?) through tight corridored environments one "space" at a time. Every time you move so do the various enemies/aliens that seem really out to get you, each having a particular move and attack pattern that you need to overcome. Mix these little buggers up along with various environmental restrictions you get yourself some puzzles. You have a small set of tools at your disposal that grow as the game goes on. Your ultimate goal is to rescue the lost scientists and make it do the level exit.
Where Nova-111 becomes special is that the game starts to mix real time elements into the puzzles putting the pressure on for you to take turn. So far (I am a couple hours in) none of it is overwhelming - but it certainly keeps me on my toes. Much like House of the Dying Sun it only takes 5-10 minutes to play through one of the levels so it's been fitting into my recently busy schedule. For a tenner (and much cheaper on sale) Nova-111 is a well designed puzzler with seemingly a lot of levels and mechanics to try out.
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