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Windrose

I am a mighty Pirate named Chop

You know the feeling. It’s that phantom itch in the back of your brain that only a good "Game of Chop" can scratch. You start the evening thinking you’ll just gather enough fiber for a bedroll, and suddenly it’s 2 AM, your floor is covered in wood shavings, and you’ve somehow pioneered a new era of naval architecture.Windrose is that kind of obsession. It’s a pirate-themed survival crafter that understands the primal satisfaction of a well-felled tree. In an era where "survival" often means "struggle against a menu," Windrose makes the act of gathering feel like a rhythmic dance. On land, the loop is tight; you’re not just surviving, you’re conquering. The tech tree is a traditional grind to "just one more unlock," branching out with a logic that feels earned. You start with a stick and a dream, and before long, you’re looking at blueprints for frigates and Caribbean-style haciendas. The transition from land to sea is where most games of this ilk usually trip over their own anchors. Not here. Slipping from the shore onto the deck of a vessel you built with your own two hands-literally-is a high I am looking forward to as my starter dingy just doesn't cut it. The sailing isn't just a loading screen with extra steps; it’s a genuine extension of the gameplay. However, the "Soulslite" combat on land still has some barnacles on it. While the posture-breaking mechanics and parrying are responsive, the game has a nasty habit of throwing "death-by-numbers" at you. I spent 4.5 hours in this world, and a significant chunk of that was spent staring at a "You Died" screen because a pack of boars or a horde of undead sailors decided my personal space was an open invitation. But even when I was dying, and I was dying a lot, I wanted back in. There’s a soul here that modern AAA "pirate simulators" (looking at you, Skull and Bones) completely missed. It’s the difference between a theme park ride and actually holding the compass. THE VERDICT Visual Design 8/10 Stylized realism that nails the "Gloomy Baltic" meets "Tropical Caribbean" vibe. Sound Design 6/10 It's good but I can play it on mute Gameplay 8/10 Exceptional tech tree and building; land-to-sea transition is seamless and satisfying. Longevity 8/10 4.5 hours is just a drop in the bucket, and I'm playing more Fun Factor 7/10 Addictive "Chop" loop hampered by frustrating combat spikes and frequent deaths. OVERALL7 /10 A diamond in the rough that needs a bit more polish on its blade.

community8.5reviewer8.0

Assassin's Creed Odyssey

I used to hate AC games

Since this is a game about history, let’s start off with my history with the Assassin’s Creed games. I own AC1, AC2, AC3 and AC4: Black Flag. I disliked all those games (well at least the first 3 anyway) because they force you to do stealth and it is game over if you don’t do it right. Trailing someone on your first mission is basically (in my head anyway) **NOT FUN**. Since I disliked the first few games, I did not bother with the rest up to now. To salve this apparent gaming slight (according to some of my pals), I read the books by Oliver Bowden (well most of them anyway) and I found them to be fun, if rather generic. Let’s call the books a good summer read over a pint, forgettable by the time you’ve got home. Since I am an avid reader of genre fiction, this seemed to be enough for me where the AC world was concerned. Spinning this out to with wider net, I have mostly avoided the Ubisoft identikit open world games that seemed to start with Far Cry 2. Yes, I played FC:5, but mostly because I could shoot my way through things. I also played GR:WildLands which was amusing multiplayer for sure, but mostly those open world games leave me stone cold. They become an exercise in painting a map more than playing a game. Anyway, back to AC:O. It turns out I have spent 147 hours on it (so far). I have bought the Season Pass separately, something I would never do as I’m old enough to believe that DLC has no place in the world. It took me 11 hours just to complete the prologue of this game, because I had to explore everywhere on the first island. But why? To be honest, I don’t know. If I was being unkind, I could just dismiss the game as Ghost Recon: Greece, since AC:O and GR:W share similar mechanics. There’s a story, that involves doing missions. When you find a base, or any area of interest, you spin up your device for viewing the map (a bird or a drone). You scope out the baddies, and then either go sneaky-sneaky or go loud to kill them all. Rinse and repeat (for apparently 147 hours) while the story revolves around you. That to me is about a 5/10 game at best. So why did this one grab me so much and thus become a 8/10 game? Is it the (now that I have a rig to run it on Ultra everything) absolutely stunning art design? Maybe. It is an undeniably wonderful looking game. It must be because I now understand why taking in game photos is a thing that should be applauded. Is it the overall setting, since I am a sucker for a good swords-and-sandals epic? Quite possibly. Let’s face it, ancient Greece is a fascinating time in human history. If nothing else from an architectural standpoint. I was listening to the No such thing as a Fish podcast the other day and learnt that the concrete they used around that sort of time is better than the concrete we use today (something about sea water). How can that era not be absolutely intriguing in real life, even if the plot of this game itself is fairly boilerplate? Is it because they have made it into a sort of RPG? More than likely, since it makes it more like Mass Effect 2. While the plot is mostly predictable, the fact that they have bolted RPG mechanics to it that affects how the plot unfolds deviates sufficiently from the formula to make me interested. The addition of cultist hunting is padding, as is becoming top mercenary, but it’s not arduous to do the side quests (though there is a bug which can prevent you some becoming top mercenary). To be honest, I think the reason I love this game (and I must do since I have just bought AC: Origins as well since apparently it’s similar) is because it’s quite like Mass Effect 2, it looks stunning, it plays well and it doesn’t penalise you for not doing stealth. It might have taken a lot of AC games to get it right, but I think this one is just plain right. It has taken something generic and now formulaic and made it better. All the others don’t really appeal and I won’t go back and play them. Yes, I might miss out on the over-arching plot, but to be honest I don’t care. I’m off to Greece to battle with the gods of Atlantis (the second DLC), much better than trailing someone for information. Well done Ubisoft, you’ve changed the formula and made a fan out of me again.

community8.5reviewer9.0

Dispatch

Is it a game?

Watching this game, listening to this game, choosing the path through this game. All of these things are excellent. The "gameplay" of dispatching your hero team to help the public, well personally it does nothing for me. Could I watch this all day long? Absolutely Could I play it all day long? I'm not sure Is it still an excellent experience? Without doubt

community9.0reviewer9.0

Hades II

Not just more of the same

Hades was an excellent game that I was reasonable at. I have never finished it and never will. The sequel is in some ways more of the same, you start a run and get some way through it. You meet a foe or foes you cannot conquer and you die. You then spend as long as you possibly can talking to any and all of the wonderful NPCs in the game. What sets the sequel apart really is that they are even better than the first game. So, if you like a game with a wonderful art style, great voice acting and soundtrack, that is tough as nails - then this is the game for you. If you own Hades, then you already know this and have bought it anyway

community8.5reviewer9.0

Assassin's Creed Odyssey

Malaka, souring high like Icarus

tl:dr - A staggeringly vast and beautiful open-world ARPG game. Featuring some of the best combat, quests, and characterizations that I have played in a while. "Tell me where they are, or I'll shove my spear so far down your throat you'll be shitting iron at the gates of Hades!" Kassandra/Alexios, Assassin's Creed Odyssey. Bought on a whim after liking the art style and setting, 'Assassin's Creed: Odyssey' really grabbed me by the nuts from the get-go. It was when the opening title screen appeared after I had already been playing for nearly 4 hours that I knew I was in it for the long run. This ridiculously large and lavish action role-playing game was only just beginning, and I was loving every single second of it. I initially started the game playing as Alexios, the male hero of the story. But I quickly got tired of the voice acting, with him seemingly unable to do anything but shout at people. So, a quick restart later and I was following Kassandra on her journey through the, faithfully recreated, but a little smaller, Greek islands. The landscapes change depending on where about you are on the map. The height of the mountain or the city you are visiting have an effect on vista and even after nearly 100 hours in the game it never really gets boring. The main quest line takes you on a journey of self-discovery, telling you more about your family and their history. While the side quests help to fill in some gaps, get you more loot or just act as a little bit of light-hearted distraction. Along the way, you will get to meet a lot of NPC characters, some of which seem more fleshed out than others with decent backstories and quests. With actual relationships with these characters forming over a few hours. Yes, the quests do get a little samey and combat can become a bit repetitive, but nothing stops being fun. You continually want to explore, to find new mythical creatures to slay or to upgrade your hero's various abilities. This game can just go on and on, much like this review! So, what could I say to summarise? This Assassin's Creed game is easy to pick up and put down. A casual arcadey take on what used to be a stealth-em-up open-world. Think of this as the Forza Horizon to the Forza Motorsports! Kill your foes in open combat, or slay them from the shadows, it's your choice with zero repercussions.

community9.0reviewer9.0

Core Keeper

Is Core Keeper the new King of Base Building?

I discovered Core Keeper through one of the users of this site, he had posted a few images and spoken about it in the discord a few times and I was rather captivated. Created by the talented team over at Swedish developer Pug Storm, Core Keeper is a base-building, resource gathering, survival game that shows an incredible amount of promise. At the time of writing this review, I'm 60 hours in and still have plenty to discover. With plenty more content on the horizon, including new biomes, additional bosses, new recipes, new crafting blueprints, and more automation options, Core Keeper has the potential to be a game that lasts into the hundreds of hours. The familiar loop of mine, level, build, repeat is here in all its glory, but is done in such a way that doesn't get tiring. You begin with the ability to craft simple wooden tools, meaning only the dirt walls around you need to be worried, mining further will see you soon hit clay and stone where your wooden pickaxe simply won't cut it. This is where you need to find your first ore type, often copper, allowing you to craft copper tools and be able to venture further out into the wild - discovering more ore types, foods and more. ——— Original ratings: • Visual Design: 9/10 • Sound Design: 8/10 • Gameplay: 9/10 • Longevity: 9/10 • Fun: 8/10