Video games log 004 (1999, Monks, Spies, Photos and Food)
Didn't think I'd end up being so busy for the whole month of December, but here we are in the new year with a new video game log, finally o(￣▽￣)ブ
Warframe: 1999 quest
What a cool quest! Enjoyed it from start to finish, the whole thing. I'm not going to talk more about the story because spoilers, but it was great. Can't wait to see what Albrecht is going to do next.
The KIM system is pretty cool if a bit short and I hope DE will add new stuff to it in the future, because chatting with the Hex members was a treat. Especially loved the fact that they took the time to change how fast they can type! The first time Amir starts speaking about one of his ideas had me laughing a bit too much.
Höllvania is a great tileset, and I love what they did with the season. The first time I started a mission during summer I wandered here and there because everything was just so pretty.
Cyte-09 is an interesting frame that I'll have to mod properly at some point. It's a fun frame but I still am a bit angry at the line of sight changes the devs made some months ago, only to make him have an ability where he basically shoot through walls.... For the 2 new weapons that released with this update, loved the Reconifex and his perfect-reload-to-get-heat-damage, will have to mod it properly, and I still have to try the Vesper 77.
Overall I had a great time with this new update, and maxed out the Hex syndicate really quickly.
What I finished
Ken Follett's The Pillars of the Earth
Adaptation of, well, The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett. Point and click adventure set mostly in England around 1135-1154.
I absolutely loved playing this game! As I haven't read the book yet, I can't compare the two but I know some characters had it better in the game than their written counterparts (and I found one particular case to be a pretty good show of closure, if a bit on the nose).
The art style and animation have a really nice handmade feel that service the game perfectly, the different places we get to visit have each their own ambiance (like the market scenes feel populated and lively even without the audio, you can feel the calmness in cathedrals, etc). I love how much work went into every piece of background because it's always a pleasure to travel through every scene - especially since they evolve as the time passes.
The main characters are well rounded, and I found myself loving a lot of the monks of the Kingsbridge priory. I loved following Philip's story, between his loss of faith, his sense of duty towards the priory and his hope and love for his brother. My other two faves from the priory were Milius, the friendly cook, and Jonathan, Tom's abandoned kid who was rescued to be raised as a monk. Tom and Jack were awesome in their interest of architecture and were a great way to teach the player a bit about cathedrals. Aliena was pretty awesome, I liked how she ended up selling wool and even if she makes one big stupid decision, it's shown in a way that you can understand why she did it. Really enjoyed the villains as well! One in particular made me want to kick him in the nuts. Repeatedly. With a horse walking over him.
I definitely see myself replaying this game in a few years.
(I started reading the book right after finishing the game, but I'm still at the 1st chapter. I haven't had the time to read that much these last few weeks AND I'm reading the original version in english and not a french translation. It's not something new for me to do but I'm still a bit of a slow reader compared to my native language.)
The Low Road
Point and click adventure as well, but with spies in the 70s.
This one was more puzzle oriented, a tiny bit like the old point and clicks in terms of absurd-ish solutions here and there. Just a tiny bit.
I liked it alright, the story was good and not too long, the humor worked on me and the main characters were pretty cool. It's a 3h game, there's not much to say more than this, it was a good one with a story that didn't stray too much and went to the point.
Tiny Rails
Train/stock management game.
I bought this game because I remembered enjoying its mobile counterpart quite a bit, but ultimately quit because of typical mobile game scam economy... And then after a while I realized the devs abandoned the desktop game because their golden egg was the mobile version. Oh well.
I don't recommend this one because of that, which is a shame because for an idle game it's a pretty okay one (and I like trains).
TOEM: A Photo Adventure
Cozy exploration adventure!
You play as a young photographer going on a quest to see the Toem phenomenon, and as you approach little by little your final destination, you pass through interesting places, help npcs and solve some puzzles. I loved the cute black and white art style, the characters are varied and lively, and each place oozes with activities, especially Logcity! The Basto region that you unlock after finishing the game has a pretty interesting day/night gameplay as well.
My favorite thing was completing the animal compendium, it was fun to discover what kind of little critters could be at each places :)
Shokudo Underworld
Casual restaurant management game!
It's a pretty short game, where you play as a little ghost preparing meals. Well, you mostly have to manage your menu so your travels to get the ingredients aren't too bothersome. But it's not especially difficult or anything, it's a simple little cute game and I liked it for what it was.