Reviews - Ysengrim

In a lot of ways this game is more like an action RPG than a strategy game: you have various stats that can be upgraded, can can around equipment, and maneuver your ship for maximum firepower (you only command your personal battleship). None of this is a bad mind you, just be aware of it in case you mistakenly thought that this was a strategy game.

And honestly, it's really a lot of fun commanding your ship. There are lots of little details to keep in mind; where your turrets fire, managing the energy in your subsystems, keeping your shield from being completely destroyed, determining when and where to deploy platforms, etc. At first it seems like a lot of little detail to start the player off with, but the game is paced well enough that you don't have to master all the controls until a third of the way through.

On the downside not managing your resources carefully, or upgrading something you don't need early on, can really cripple you for some missions. On the brightside, even if you lose a mission you still get a few resources, so if you've backed yourself into a corner you can at least dig yourself out eventually.

Later missions tend to devolve into a war of attrition, where you basically fire everything you've got at its maximum range until enough gotten through the enemy's point defense screens to do damage, which might not appeal to some people.

Visually, it's really quite enjoyable. You can watch each of your turrets track targets and fire individually - same for the enemies, and watching space light up with explosions as missles and fighters are bounced by your point defense is always entertaining.

The plot is mostly there to move you from one fight to the next, but is never obnoxious or overbearing.

So, the TL;DR of it is that if you like tactical action RPGs, or sci-fi space battles in general, then you'll definitely find this medium length game entertaining. If you were hoping for a slow strategy game, you may want to look elsewhere.

I genuinely have nothing bad to say about this game. The controls are precise, the graphics perfectly fit the game's style, and there are multiple characters each with their own style of gameplay and slightly varying story. The first character, Xoda, plays like a beat 'em up; the next two characters play like a run 'n gun platformer and a light gun arcade respectively.

The plot is humourous, and doesn't take itself seriously. The bosses are all unique both visually and gameplay-wise.

Like I said, I REALLY can't say anything bad about it - it's a crisp, short, focused, action packed game.

The worst I CAN say about it is that it's a short action game. It's paced perfectly in my opinion, but if you're in the market for a long game, or if you're looking for something slow and sedate then this game isn't for you.

But honestly, this is a game where you punch a robot dressed like Death from Castlevania while falling down an exploding tower, and that's only a midboss. Really, every level could be described as AWESOME and left at that.

So, the TL;DR of it is that this is a short, inexpensive, fast-paced, action-packed, crisp, solid game with multiple characters and game-play types - whose only downside is that it's a game that is designed to be beaten in one sitting and might not be a genre you like.

I've played through the game once, and I have to say it really exceeded my expectations. Although the game suffers a bit from repetition, I feel like it's really got a good tempo; let me explain what I mean by tempo. There's always something to do, and you're (until near the end) always getting stronger in some way. The best way I could describe it is to draw comparisons to Pirates!.

New mission types are introduced at a reasonable pace and keep the game interesting. Maybe you'll start out doing a planetary invasion, and when you get back "Quick! Scramble the fighters" because an enemy fleet has jumped in! Then after fighting off the invaders you get a mission to attack their space station. And then you take a moment to upgrade your skills. And then after that, you get a mission to explore a new wormhole. And when you get back, you decide to go bounty hunting. And then you decide to upgrade a few of your weapons. And so on.

There's always something to do. But the best part? You're never really FORCED (until near the end) to do any one particular thing. Don't like space missions? Tell your commander you're not interested, and then wait for a planetary invasion mission to come up.

Plus, there's lots of nice little details. When you walk around a base, you can see the soldiers wandering around, see colony and space station statistics on the monitors in the Mission Control room, and you can watch fighters actually scramble when invasion fleets are detected.

On the down side, the galaxy is fairly small and one space battle is much like another. The plot is mostly there to keep things moving along. Planets, although sometimes pretty (especially the first wormhole one), always feel rather empty.

Really, the TL;DR of it is that if you liked Pirates! and are a fan of sci-fi games then you'll definitely enjoy this solid game. Otherwise, you might be turned off by the repetition (especially by the time you reach commander) and the bare bones plot.

I can understand why this is poorly rated. It's short and simple, and people may not feel like the game is worth the cost. Yet I still found it enjoyable.

At its core, Stay Dead is a rhythm game. If you play it for awhile, you can really get into how fights flow. You'll notice how scenes change and be able to predict what button you'll need to press before it even comes up on screen.

I do admire what the developer is trying to go for - basically making a cinematic game that's as fun to watch as it is to play - but its hangups as a game diminish its effect. The plot is non-existent in the game appart from having to go from one fight to the next, and you have to look up their website or pay close attention to your opponent's names to get any idea of what's going on, and even then the plot is non-existant.

Really, the best I can say about this is that is tries something different. Yet those flaws still exist, regardless of intentions. I hope they continue to make games, and hope that with time and polish they'll be able to come out with something closer to what they're striving for.

The TL;DR of it is: if you like rhythm games, you might enjoy Stay Dead. Otherwise, you'll be turned off by the short game length (beat it in a single sitting), and non-existent plot.

What really got me interested in the game in the first place was the art style. Its got a visual feel to it that really grabs you. But I was definitely pleased with the gameplay.

Basically, it's a stealth game where you're invisible. Despite what you'd imagine is a massive advantege, you're severly handicapped by the fact that you still make noise, can get covered in blood and paint, and die in a single hit. Honestly, I really like this take on stealth: it is easier to stay stealthly if you remain stealthly, but if you get backed into a corner you can use poison or your claws to escape. Yet resorting to violence is discouraged by then making stealth harder, and ensuring that you really CAN'T fight your way past all the guards.

Storywise, what little we get in the beta is intriguing. I won't spoil anything, but I will say that it definitely sounds like something from mythology, the player's character has his own history and motivations, and snippets of backstory you hear from the various palace inhabitants are interesting.

This is a stealth/puzzle game, so if that's a genre that interests you then this is definitely the game for you.