GameLight Review - Bulk Indie Game Review

I've fallen behind on reviews and it's starting to stack up again.  I've compiled a list of indie games and my short reviews for them.

[Hotline Miami]
Source: Youtube Channel PlayStation

Recommended: Yes, for mature audiences

Hotline Miami was the most surprising game I played in 2012 and one I wasn't expecting to be so good.  The goal is to kill off all the enemies as quickly and efficiently as possible without being killed.  It has a bit of a puzzle element in that the player must be careful and plan out each attack while reacting quickly to each situation.  The game's graphics and music has a very unique and trippy atmosphere that feels very indie.  The sound effects work hand-in-hand with the gameplay as it creates a visceral experience.  The game's short, but a lot of fun.  It's challenging and totally hilarious.

[Sequence] Source: Youtube Channel gamezplay

Recommended: Maybe, for music rhythm fans

Sequence is another one of those RPG fusion games where it combines gameplay of Music Rhythm games like Dance Dance Revolution with RPG elements similar to those found in Puzzle Quest or Runespell: Overture.  There are times where it's really fun and exciting having to switch between 3 panels and being able to land all those key sequences.  The problem arises when materials for an item is needed and/or the player needs to gain more levels, then it becomes a grind.  Each floor only has 3 enemies and each enemy is associated with a particular song.  When you have to play that single song 5-10 times just to get one item, it gets really boring/tiring.  Songs are also reused throughout the game.  Honestly, the main attraction to the game was the music from Ronald Jenkees.  The voice acting can be pretty bad sometimes, but the writing has some pretty good moments.  The story is okay, but has a very interesting ending.  Once I finished the game though, I didn't want to play it anymore.  I was grinding most of the time for items, levels, and skills.  So I partially enjoyed it, but did find it boring after a certain point.

[Deadlight]
Source: Youtube Channel machinima

Recommended: Yes, for puzzle platformer fans

Deadlight isn't particularly long or difficult, but it does provide a decent experience and story.  There were parts where I was frustrated with the delayed reactions of actions (jumping, climbing, etc.), but other than that it was a pretty fun puzzle platformer with some action elements.  It utilizes the Unreal engine really well with 3D graphics in a 2D gameplay environment which makes for an immersive experience.  I played on the easiest difficulty level, so I assume the game's much harder on nightmare mode.

[Cherry Tree High Comedy Club]
Source: Youtube Channel NyuMedia

Recommended: Yes, it's not for everyone though, it's a niche game

When I first heard about this game, I could not wait for it to come out.  When it finally released, a steam version wasn't ready and I waited an extra six months before it released on Steam.  Well it was worth the wait as I somehow accumulated 20 hours on this little game.  In CTHCC, the player must convince at least 3 out 6 of the characters to join the Comedy Club.  The game is entirely revolved around running around and talking while balancing out homework, rest (fatigue), repertoire (knowledge of topics), money, and time.  By chatting with all the characters and NPCs, the player learns everyone's likes and dislikes, find new ways of working for money, and increasing knowledge about a specific topic.  I've gone through 2.5 playthroughs and I still find news lines that characters say.  For those that enjoy these types of games (visual novel types), it's definitely worth playing.  As the name implies, the game is filled with light-hearted humor.

[Fairy Bloom Freesia]
Source: Youtube Channel Throneful

Recommended: Yes, for hardcore beat-em-up fans

The developer "Edelweiss" sure likes making difficult games.  From the flowery title and the cute animé protagonist, you would think the game is light-hearted and easy going.  In the first few levels, the monsters are slow, weak and non-threatening; however, the game does pick up and get quite challenging as enemies start accumulating at alarming rates and you get juggled into an oblivion.  Finding your groove and executing the longest and most effective combos is the only way to survive each day in the game.  The game is challenging, fast-paced, and a whole lot of fun as you bash enemies into each other and fight really tough boss battles.  The game is deceiving in that it's much more difficult than it lets on, but in turn I enjoyed it that much more because of it.  Beat-em-ups are a niche group in its own already, so adding a more challenging difficulty and animé-style graphics make it more for specific fans than most games.  But definitely pick it up for those who like challenging games and beat-em-ups that don't mind animé themed graphics.

[Super House of Dead Ninjas]
Source: Youtube Channel requisitosdejogos

Recommended: Yes, for hardcore Action-Platformer fans

With a weird and cheesy name like "Super House of Dead Ninjas", I wasn't expecting anything great.  The game apparently started off as a free game on Adult Swim and was then revamped and released on Steam.  It's an Action-platformer with Rogue-like elements.  Levels are randomly generated with different rooms while the player can earn/pick up new items as they continue to play through the game each time.  The player races through the rooms with a count-down timer while killing enemies and getting to the boss.  The game is super fast-paced and really tough with surprises and traps each step of the way.  Each play though lasts anywhere from 1-10 minutes so it's a great game to play during short breaks.  Players can also make their own levels and share them with others on Steam.

[Lone Survivor]
Source: Youtube Channel Jasper Byrne

Recommended: No, It's not a game I can easily recommend

Lone Survivor is a bit difficult to judge as it does some things really well for a horror game, but doesn't play out as smoothly.  The goal of the game is to escape from the city while surviving day to day with very limited resources.  For 2D pixel-based graphics, the game can be pretty scary.  The best immersion into the game is to play in the dark with headphones on.  What makes the game work so well in its element is the effective use of sound effects, difficulty in seeing things clearly, and the whole atmosphere it portrays.  Seeing one of those slim-man zombie-like things for the first time was scary enough, but having them make this weird and freaky screeching cry when it's after you is scarier than most 3D horror games I've played.  The soundtrack is pretty good with an indie-rock, electronic sort of feel to it.  The problem is that the game is very confusing because it encompasses a 3rd dimension in 2D form which makes navigation annoying, the controls are clunky (on purpose though, it's a design choice to make action react a bit slower for the desperation effect), the character is always hungry with very little food found throughout the game, and boss-like scenes are long and tedious.  The story is really good though, and has quite the ending (though I suspected it from the very beginning as it hints it throughout the game).  So in terms of atmosphere and aesthetics, I think the game's amazing in achieving such an experience.  But in terms of gameplay, it was frustrating and boring a lot of the times.  It's not a game I could recommend, but fans of survival-horror might find it appealing.

NewNews - Cherry Tree High Comedy Club finally out on Steam!

Official site: http://cherrytreehigh.com/
Steam Page: http://store.steampowered.com/app/214610/

Finally, Cherry Tree High Comedy Club is available on Steam after 7 months from its official release!  I first mentioned this game back in April and have mentioned it again on several different posts relating to Nyu Media and the games they're translating.  Cherry Tree High Comedy Club is a sort of Visual Novel/Adventure that requires reading and making decisions.  It's meant to be light-hearted and have lasting appeal with an endless mode after you've complete the main part of the game (or so I hear).  As excited as I am for this game, I'm going to wait just a little longer as a possible fall sale might be coming up as well as the annual winter sale considering I have a large back log to keep me busy anyways.  Chery Tree High Comedy Club is out now for $7.99!

GameLight - Cherry Tree High Comedy Club

Official Site: http://cherrytreehigh.com/
Source: Youtube Channel NyuMedia

Indie games have become a more prominent force in the market, but Japan has had indie games for the longest time created by "circles" or sometimes "individuals".  A lot of great indie games have been created in Japan for the longest time and only those who know about them has a chance of trying some of them out.  Certain indie games require a significant amount of reading but are still great games which leave non-speaking Japanese players out of the loop.  Luckily, more translating groups such as Nyu Media are established to give us English speaking gamers a chance to play those awesome Japanese indie games.

Cherry Tree High Comedy Club, although not entirely clarified, is a sort of adventure/visual novel game where much of the gameplay revolves around talking and decision making.  The main character is trying to create a comedy club within her school but is required to have at least 5 members to establish it (this should sound familiar to those who've watched Suzumiya Haruhi no Yūutsu).  So the player goes around earning money, recruiting members, and building up conversational skills to finally get the club up and going.  The game is light hearted with humor, original animé-styled sprites and graphics, laid-back and catchy music, and all sorts of interesting characters.  Talking as a main gameplay concept might sound boring, but if you've played any adventure game like the Sam & Max series, visual novel type games like the Phoenix Wright series (I know it's sort of like a mystery and adventure game too), or any of BioWare's RPGs and enjoyed the dialogue parts of the game, there's a good chance that Comedy Club will be a very enjoyable game to play.  I've never heard of this game before (as I do try to keep up with some Japanese doujin/indie games), but I think it has made me that much more excited that Nyu Media/Capcom is surprising me with a game I've never seen.  I'm very excited about Cherry Tree High Comedy Club and thank Nyu Media for bringing it over to the Western market to give us a chance to play it.

Cherry Tree High Comedy Club releases on April 27th, 2012 on Steam, GamersGate, GameTap, GameFly, Impulse and the Capcom Store as well as their own site up on the top link for $7.99.