How I Rate Games
The main goal of this site is to inform you, the reader, about media that I think is worth your time. While most reviews come with a short description of what I did and didn't like, I also make sure to include a star rating to help you quickly understand how I felt about a game.
My rating is a grade between 4 and 1 stars. A high score indicates a strong recommendation, the middle two are "yes but" and "no but" respectively, and the lowest is reserved for games I absolutely couldn't stand.
Rating games with this method can be tricky. There are plenty of popular games that don't do it for me, or widely panned games that I love. It's important to remember that my rating is not a measure of something's objective goodness; it's whether I thought it was worthwhile and think people with similar tastes will as well.
It's also worth noting that my ratings skew high: I get to choose what I play and I tend to choose things I think I'll enjoy. Keep that in mind when you see how many things earn a 4. It's a very different grade than a perfect 10 on something like IGN's rating system.
With that out of the way, let's go through what exactly each score means and provide some concrete examples!
: Yes!
A 4 star rating is both my highest and my most common score. Games in this bracket can be recommended emphatically. They may not be perfect, but I never felt bored while playing them. A 4 usually means that a game excelled in multiple areas and the result is more than the sum of its parts. Another way to earn a 4 is to succeed so highly in a specific area (such as gameplay or overall concept) that any concerns are dropped by the wayside; they didn't stop my enjoyment.
If you want to see the absolute cream of the game crop, you can check my list of games that were been the best thing I played that year
Here are some recent games that earned 4 stars:
Nine Sols
Nine Sols has a lot going for it- beautiful hand-drawn animation style, engaging exploration, and blistering parry-focused gameplay. The map is intricately designed and there are tons of nooks and crannies to explore. Combat is tough, but generally fair. Getting your parry timings down takes some practice, but it just so rewarding when you nail it. Rebuking every attack before turning on a boss never got old. There's very little required backtracking which kept everything moving along nicely. Upgrades generally feel meaningful, rewarding careful play. The story is also pretty good. Yi's relationship with the ensemble supports the action and learning more about the world slowly as you slay bosses provided ample reason to keep at it. Difficulty felt right up until the final boss. I ended up cranking down the difficulty because hey, life's too short to keep banging my head against this thing. Proud I made it that far though!
Nine Sols has a lot going for it- beautiful hand-drawn animation style, engaging exploration, and blistering parry-focused gameplay. The map is intricately designed and there are tons of nooks and crannies to explore. Combat is tough, but generally fair. Getting your parry timings down takes some practice, but it just so rewarding when you nail it. Rebuking every attack before turning on a boss never got old. There's very little required backtracking which kept everything moving along nicely. Upgrades generally feel meaningful, rewarding careful play. The story is also pretty good. Yi's relationship with the ensemble supports the action and learning more about the world slowly as you slay bosses provided ample reason to keep at it. Difficulty felt right up until the final boss. I ended up cranking down the difficulty because hey, life's too short to keep banging my head against this thing. Proud I made it that far though!
Another Crab's Treasure
This was basically my introduction to souls-like games and I quite enjoyed it. But I also feel like I "figured out" the combat in a way that made it probably easier than they intended. But maybe that's part of the fun! In any case, the combat felt pretty good overall. It starts slow, but once you get some skills and gear, it really opens up. There's a nice rhythm to the whole thing: attack, block, attack, block. There are platforming sections that provide a nice break from combat despite being a little finicky. The best part is probably the overall presentation. It's a sort of dark story, in the end, but told with big Bikini Bottom vibrancy and tongue-in-cheek humor. Environments are mostly colorful and there's a constant stream of fish puns, jokes, and fish-related curse words that kept the vibe from getting too heavy. The story tackles current events both political and environmental without feeling out of place. They did a good job contextualizing the protagonist's feelings about his whole adventure in a novel way, which I admired. Felt like a good place to start with the genre!
This was basically my introduction to souls-like games and I quite enjoyed it. But I also feel like I "figured out" the combat in a way that made it probably easier than they intended. But maybe that's part of the fun! In any case, the combat felt pretty good overall. It starts slow, but once you get some skills and gear, it really opens up. There's a nice rhythm to the whole thing: attack, block, attack, block. There are platforming sections that provide a nice break from combat despite being a little finicky. The best part is probably the overall presentation. It's a sort of dark story, in the end, but told with big Bikini Bottom vibrancy and tongue-in-cheek humor. Environments are mostly colorful and there's a constant stream of fish puns, jokes, and fish-related curse words that kept the vibe from getting too heavy. The story tackles current events both political and environmental without feeling out of place. They did a good job contextualizing the protagonist's feelings about his whole adventure in a novel way, which I admired. Felt like a good place to start with the genre!
The Electrifying Incident
A small, tight puzzle game with some cool Sokoban mechanics. It's pretty short, but there's no cruft.
A small, tight puzzle game with some cool Sokoban mechanics. It's pretty short, but there's no cruft.
: Yes, but...
Most games that earn a 3 could have been a 4, but something held them back. Maybe it was a plot that didn't quite line up, poor pacing, or unnecessary papercuts in menus. Whatever it was I was annoyed enough about its shortcomings that I have to qualify this recommendation with a "I liked it, but wish they hadn't done XYZ".
Here are some recent games that earned 3 stars:
Dungeons of Hinterberg
Hinterberg leans heavily on its presentation and characters over depth of gameplay. Joining Persona-style social links to progression felt great. There was good puzzle variety and the unique spells in each world kept dungeons from feeling too samey. The story was surprisingly engaging- it really grapples with the impact of tourism on a small town and how each of its ensemble feels about the associated changes. The sore(st) thumb here is the combat- it starts clunky and never really gets better (just easier). Customization is decent and I loved the charm system (passive abilities that you can "shrink" over time). Too bad it was wasted on such forgettable fights.
Hinterberg leans heavily on its presentation and characters over depth of gameplay. Joining Persona-style social links to progression felt great. There was good puzzle variety and the unique spells in each world kept dungeons from feeling too samey. The story was surprisingly engaging- it really grapples with the impact of tourism on a small town and how each of its ensemble feels about the associated changes. The sore(st) thumb here is the combat- it starts clunky and never really gets better (just easier). Customization is decent and I loved the charm system (passive abilities that you can "shrink" over time). Too bad it was wasted on such forgettable fights.
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle
The story is the star of the show: you get to live an Indiana Jones movie. And, much like its inspiration, the narrative is fun but the details (and gameplay) are lacking. Don't get me wrong- bonking Nazis on the head never really gets old. But the simplistic brawling and plodding platforming drag the good parts of this down. The environments were well designed and fun to explore, but there wasnt much reason to. Combat upgrades and money never felt rewarding. The sidequest stories were good and supported the main narrative well though. It really leans into it's "Indy" vibe and does well with what it's got. But if it were an original character, most folks wouldn't give it a second glance. Make of that what you will.
The story is the star of the show: you get to live an Indiana Jones movie. And, much like its inspiration, the narrative is fun but the details (and gameplay) are lacking. Don't get me wrong- bonking Nazis on the head never really gets old. But the simplistic brawling and plodding platforming drag the good parts of this down. The environments were well designed and fun to explore, but there wasnt much reason to. Combat upgrades and money never felt rewarding. The sidequest stories were good and supported the main narrative well though. It really leans into it's "Indy" vibe and does well with what it's got. But if it were an original character, most folks wouldn't give it a second glance. Make of that what you will.
Return to Grace
Flirted with some interesting story moments. Great voice cast and characterization of this gaggle of AIs. Puzzles were basic and forgettable. Architecture was pretty. Short and sweet overall, but doesn't have the narrative staying power of other games in its class.
Flirted with some interesting story moments. Great voice cast and characterization of this gaggle of AIs. Puzzles were basic and forgettable. Architecture was pretty. Short and sweet overall, but doesn't have the narrative staying power of other games in its class.
: No, but...
Welcome to the bottom half! Games that earn a 2 have more hits than misses, but there are redeeming qualities. It can also mean I would have scored it higher, but I was so put off by something (such as boring gameplay) that I couldn't rate it higher. If you're a fan of this genre you might still find the game worthwhile, but I'd start elsewhere.
Here are some recent games that earned 2 stars:
Eternal Strands
A bunch of good ideas that came together in a less-than-satisfying way. I liked the art direction and vibrancy of the world. The story was intriguing (if jargon-heavy) and the characters were wonderfully voice acted. I liked the idea of the physics powers mixed with combat. Unfortunately, using the powers felt weak and clunky compared to just hitting enemies with a sword. Exploration and backtracking got old quickly. The crafting system felt rewarding and had some cool design touches (like being able to improve parts of the item without redoing the whole thing). The bosses were cool at first, but they also only actually had a few variations (tall one, flying one, etc). Outside of bosses, most of your time is spent doing basic combat, which got samey (even in my short time playing it). There's a lot of junk resources and inventory management got old as well. It was tough that quests were only ever "kill a thing" or "find a thing" (and good luck with the latter). On the whole, a mixed bag that I liked the idea of more than actually playing.
A bunch of good ideas that came together in a less-than-satisfying way. I liked the art direction and vibrancy of the world. The story was intriguing (if jargon-heavy) and the characters were wonderfully voice acted. I liked the idea of the physics powers mixed with combat. Unfortunately, using the powers felt weak and clunky compared to just hitting enemies with a sword. Exploration and backtracking got old quickly. The crafting system felt rewarding and had some cool design touches (like being able to improve parts of the item without redoing the whole thing). The bosses were cool at first, but they also only actually had a few variations (tall one, flying one, etc). Outside of bosses, most of your time is spent doing basic combat, which got samey (even in my short time playing it). There's a lot of junk resources and inventory management got old as well. It was tough that quests were only ever "kill a thing" or "find a thing" (and good luck with the latter). On the whole, a mixed bag that I liked the idea of more than actually playing.
Sonic Frontiers
A total mess of design, but not altogether unpleasant. The islands are large and plain, but the bumpers and rails everywhere give it a sort of cool, proto-skatepark vibe. It plays with scale well- bosses are huge and the micro platforming challenges can span pretty large areas. The 3D platforming is sort of fun, while I did the mind-numbing fishing game rather than do any of the 2D levels. Exploring and mapping was neat, and you _do_ get to go fast. I also enjoyed some of the combat, weirdly, which had more depth than many previous Sonic games. The story is messy and there more than a few frustrating required mini-games that gate progression. All that said, I did play through to the end. It's a good game for turning your brain off.
A total mess of design, but not altogether unpleasant. The islands are large and plain, but the bumpers and rails everywhere give it a sort of cool, proto-skatepark vibe. It plays with scale well- bosses are huge and the micro platforming challenges can span pretty large areas. The 3D platforming is sort of fun, while I did the mind-numbing fishing game rather than do any of the 2D levels. Exploring and mapping was neat, and you _do_ get to go fast. I also enjoyed some of the combat, weirdly, which had more depth than many previous Sonic games. The story is messy and there more than a few frustrating required mini-games that gate progression. All that said, I did play through to the end. It's a good game for turning your brain off.
Epigraph
A game for absolute puzzle sickos. You're tasked with translating a ancient language, basically from scratch. It sets you loose without any guidance, which might work for people with backgrounds in linguistics but was frustrating for me. There are some good quality of life features to assist in your translations (being able to define a word once and see that translation everywhere), but I found the game way too hard and undirected.
A game for absolute puzzle sickos. You're tasked with translating a ancient language, basically from scratch. It sets you loose without any guidance, which might work for people with backgrounds in linguistics but was frustrating for me. There are some good quality of life features to assist in your translations (being able to define a word once and see that translation everywhere), but I found the game way too hard and undirected.
: No!
The lowly 1 is my rarest rating. Because I mostly play things I (hope to) enjoy, for something to earn a 1 it's got to really fail across multiple areas. As long as a game has reasonable plot, gameplay, or artistic direction, I'll usually find enough to like about it that it earns a 2. Earning a 1 means I feel bad for having spent time on this game at all.
Here are some recent games that earned 1 stars:
Nour: Play with Your Food
Sort of an interesting little physics sim, but the physics are all floaty and gummy. Has sort of a goose game / katamari chaos charm, but lacks enough cohesion to make it particularly worthwhile. Some funny interactions, but not something I needed to spend more time with.
Sort of an interesting little physics sim, but the physics are all floaty and gummy. Has sort of a goose game / katamari chaos charm, but lacks enough cohesion to make it particularly worthwhile. Some funny interactions, but not something I needed to spend more time with.
Far from Noise
This stretches the definition of "game"- it's more of a guided meditation with dialogue choices. Unfortunately, not something I'm looking for...
This stretches the definition of "game"- it's more of a guided meditation with dialogue choices. Unfortunately, not something I'm looking for...
The First Tree
While the environments look ok, the fox doesn't control well and the dialogue is pretty poorly written. It attempts to pull at heartstrings, but is more frustrating than compelling.
While the environments look ok, the fox doesn't control well and the dialogue is pretty poorly written. It attempts to pull at heartstrings, but is more frustrating than compelling.