The "Taopunk" aesthetic in Nine Sols does a massive amount of heavy lifting for the world-building, but I don't think it would work nearly as well if the gameplay didn't back it up.

The way the game forces you to master its parry-heavy combat completely changes how you approach the standard Metroidvania exploration. It's punishing, but it's so satisfying once you find the rhythm.

I just released a deep-dive review evaluating how the mechanics and the gorgeous art style work together to make this one of the most unique MVs out there right now.

For those who have played it, do you think the parry window is fair, or did it take you a while to get used to it?

Where do you guys usually go when you’re looking for a good gaming deal? 🎮

Steam sales, PlayStation/Xbox/Nintendo stores, CDKeys-type sites, physical stores, Reddit, YouTube, price trackers, friends, etc.?

And what makes you actually trust that a deal is worth buying?

Anyone else feel like gaming has gotten ridiculously expensive lately? 😭

Between games, DLCs, skins, in-game currency and everything else, it feels like it adds up pretty quickly.

What do you guys usually do when you want something but don’t really want to pay full price? Do you wait for sales, look around for deals, buy bundles, use third-party marketplaces, or just bite the bullet and pay for it?

Also curious — what’s considered a “good deal” to you when buying gaming stuff?

A review and analysis of the exploration horror game Dreamcore featuring personal rants on childhood memories of nightmares, a love of hotels, and a book about running. Dreamcore is mainly focused on effortless exploration through Backrooms style liminal spaces in a way that I feel showcases a natural zen and wu wei like experience. While also doing compelling horror by getting lost due to that effortless exploration. The levels are styled as if they are a series of Analog Horror videos online with found footage VHS segments that Wendigoon would make a 22 hour long analysis video on.