Recent reviews by Tlica

Incredible amount of variety, very fun fast-paced combat, a good story with unexpectedly well-written characters, a gorgeous art style and character designs supported by an amazing soundtrack. Each run feels completely different thanks to Boons and weapons, their forms, and how much they have to offer. As someone who isn’t a big fan of the roguelike/roguelite genre, I am amazed by this game.

Almost flawless, other than a few minor issues: The Epilogue felt a bit underwhelming, I would have loved to see interaction between the Gods of Olympus and the Underworld. Some storylines/rapport take too long to progress, most of which are required to get the Epilogue, and some of them also unlock weapon forms and companions, having them a bit earlier would have been better. The main bosses could have been better, they definitely need more movesets and changes in different runs, though you can make them more fun thanks to the Pact, which also keeps the game fresh with some gameplay changes, it isn't enough for me. Still, these points do not change the fact that this game is absolutely amazing and a must-play, especially if you like Greek mythology and satisfying, fast-paced combat.

Very good story with good plot twists, as well as decent exploration supported by a good mix of mythologies for the lore. However, the solutions to problems are far more restrictive than I first thought, and most of the dialogue is either repetitive or the choices lead to the same answers. Also, frequently your actions are not recognized by the characters/game until you reset the timeline. There is also a general janky feel to the game nonetheless, it's still a fun game with a cool story to tell.

Very good game however, it has many issues as well. The story is retconned way too much, to the point where it doesn't even feel like a sequel to the original Half-Life. There are many references to the first game that don't exist in it. Many storylines are underexplored, and it raises more questions than it answers.

Weapon variety is limited and less creative compared to its predecessor, as is enemy variety, and Half-Life 1 felt way more cinematic than this one, enemy encounters were more impressive. Also, it doesn't even have a single boss fight I thought the last boss was going to be an Advisor but nope it just ended there, time to wait for a never coming sequel.

Physics in the game are still better than most modern games but they are a gimmick feature a welcome one but nothing ground-breaking in my opinion, at least today. I appreciate the atmosphere changes especially in Episode One, where it becomes more of a horror game and having Alyx as a companion is good. Vehicle parts are fine, a nice change of pace but some areas feel empty, though not a big deal it's an old game, still even with the issues it definitely worth playing. I hope to see a Half-Life 3 or Episode Three.

Amazing game a mix of Gaiden and Metroidvania games with great meta humour as well as very fun gameplay and creative platforming thanks to time-travel elements. More of those would be even better. The attention to detail between the 8-bit and 16-bit eras is quite impressive the soundtrack, sound effects, and visual changes accordingly between them.

There are a few issues, though. More power-ups could have been so much better to keep the game fresh, because once it becomes a Metroidvania pacing isn't very good since there are no boss battles for a while which is a shame, since the bosses in the game are quite good and distinct from each other. More enemy variety would have helped as well. Even with these downsides it is still an amazing game. I hope it continues, as the ending suggests.

Very impressive for its time, still very good today. Thanks to Valve for preserving their game you can play it without any mods, even though it has lots of glitches I have only encountered two game-breaking glitches which were easy to fix, still pretty good compared to other older games. The weapon variety is pretty good and creative as well as enemy designs and variety, also the enemy encounters and placements are impressive and feels cinematic, well-thought unfortunately that is until the Xen dimension. That part of the game, while visually interesting, was pretty off-putting and unfun in terms of gameplay and platforming sucks at that part especially compared to the Black Mesa levels which are way better designed. The last boss is fine but more having a few more would have been better, even so this game is definitely worth your time i do think it has aged fairly well you should absolutely try it, a classic.

Feels like Max Payne and Doom mix which is great especially bullet time shooting and killing enemies is really fun, and the fast-paced combat is enjoyable, though it doesn't always work as smoothly as I'd hope because occasionally enemies literally one shot you. I appreciate the creepy atmosphere changes in the game, but it falls short on enemy and weapon variety. Most weapons feel useless compared to the shotgun, and there aren't many ways to customize or mod your weapons. Also, there are some balance issues, such as a lack of ammo, health, and armor in the levels. Side missions aren't great either almost all of them are just waves of enemies to kill. That said, when the game works, it works really well, and it can be a lot of fun. You definitely feel like a badass. It's worth trying, especially on sale. I'd love to see a improved sequel to the game, it is built on solid core gameplay and it has really good potential.

Overall, it’s a fun, simple game, but it unfortunately lacks variety in enemies, weapons and such. Some aspects like combat and puzzles are way too simple. The game looks like a souls-like but it’s far too easy for that, and you become strong very quickly. There’s also no punishment for death so the game ultimately lacks challenge because of that last few hours got a bit boring thankfully it's a short game even with all that it’s still worth giving a shot.

Great sequel to the original Portal game. I liked the humor in the previous game better, but this one is still funny. The gameplay improvements and new additions are welcome. The puzzles are more complex and clever, making them very satisfying to solve, even though some levels may feel a bit drawn-out or unnecessarily large.

After completing this game at 95%, I can easily say that it is way better than Hollow Knight, though it is not without issues. First of all, almost everything is an improvement. The art style is more vibrant and expressive, rather than boring and samey throughout it changes depending on the context. The OST is still amazing, maybe even better.

Level design is pretty good, though some areas may feel a bit too linear. Considering the sheer size of the map and its huge amount of content, this is acceptable, and the interconnectedness is nice. The addition of side quests is awesome. Combat is way better thanks to Crests. Boss fights and enemy variety are great. Exploration is both amazing and rewarding I love how there are so many secret areas, items etc. and I like how the world changes as you play the game this makes the world feel alive.

The new tool system, while good, is held back by the beast shard mechanic. Enemies drop too few shards, while tools require too many to repair. Gauntlet/Boss enemies don’t drop shards at all so most of the late game i wasn't able to use tools as much as I like you can farm and buy beasts shards but I don't like farming. I’m also not a big fan of bosses not dropping anything as a reward a huge amount of rosaries and beast shards would have been good and possibly solved shard issue. I also expected more quality-of-life changes, such as the ability to teleport between benches.

My biggest problem probably lies in the unnecessary runbacks to bosses (e.g. Billwater), which could have been solved with more shortcuts, better bench placements, or even better teleportation. Some bosses also have gauntlets before facing them (e.g. Karmelitta or the infamous Choral Tower). If you didn’t need to go through them every time you died to a boss except for the first time it would be much better, more rewarding on its own, and improve the pacing. As it stands, some runbacks just become a chore. Most of the time they aren’t even hard, just time-consuming. I don’t even mind the two-mask damage or some questionable enemy placements that make backtracking more boring. A few more power-ups and some balancing changes would have improved the game, but even with these issues I can’t deny it’s amazing and definitely worth playing even if, like me, you disliked Hollow Knight.

Incredible game for its time and still great today. The portal gun is a truly unique and fun mechanic, and the puzzles are simple, creative, and very enjoyable. The humour is well-written and genuinely fun. Props to Valve for preserving this game for modern PCs just download and play, no third-party mods required. Overall, it’s very short but a must play classic.