Recent reviews by colamander

Ups the ante in surprising ways, with a larger cast and multiple factions at play. While Episode 1 has a more personal emotional core to its mystery, the scale and political intrigue of Episode 2 provides a different flavor of mystery while still being engaging.

The new musical tracks are phenomenal and I'd often just leave the game running so I can hear Scarlet Draw loop a few times. Morgan's tough facade is chipped away more in this episode and we get to learn more about her. The loose threads that are set up for Episode 3 are tantalizing in a big way; nth Circle Studios is setting up of the Devil to be The Great American (visual) Novel.

Not just a skating game, but a skating story.

It has a phenomenal soundtrack that matches the tone of the trippy worlds you skate through perfectly. The controls are easy to learn and fun to master. There are the occasional bugs when it comes to clipping through level geometry but it is never game-ruining, the respawn system after any crash is very quick and forgiving. The narrative is thought-provoking and sprinkled with absurd humor but still speaks to the heart. It's a story about what it means to suffer and overcome the weight of responsibility and guilt.

You are a demon made out of glass and pain.

Incredibly fun and well-designed party racing game. The crossover character events that are held twice a month are a fun way to spend a weekend if you are able to not let "FOMO" mess with your head.

This is a truly breathtaking and beautiful game that's incredibly well-designed and challenging without being cruel about it. Well designed "dungeons" make for an extremely fun metroidvania experience. The story is especially eye-popping and I will think about this world and cast of characters until the day I die and return to the great tao.

This is a pretty nutritionally complete gacha game. Lots of stuff to do even without inputting your credit card information. If you check gametora to see what is coming in future banners, it's fairly easy to coordinate and save up the free premium currency.

If you are prone to spending easily and loosely, I'd be careful to avoid this game as it can be tempting to want to sink real money in to chase after banner pulls. As always, be mindful and set a budget so you can spend money safely if you choose to do so.

I want to open-mouth kiss this game.

It's sincerely everything I could have wanted and expected from the development team and more. Incredibly solid writing on all fronts and full of content. I'm looking forward to chipping away at this throughout the rest of 2025, maybe even into 2026 if I have my hands full elsewhere.

An especially huge shout out to the soundtrack.

(Disclosure: I am one of the playtesters for this game, as shown during the credits sequence.)

Every character is utilized in a cohesive way that contributes to the greater mystery at play. The seeds planted in this episode show a promising future for the rest of the episodes that are yet to come. If you are the type of person who has to wait for all of the episodes to come out for a game before playing it, you are actively doing yourself a disservice; Waiting is the best part!

Serra is my best friend. Forever.

An extremely well-written game with a likable and entertaining cast of characters. If you were to put a gun to my head, I would sincerely not be able to say that I dislike any of these characters, which is so important for this type of game. You'll root for the villains and cry for the heroes. The mysteries are the right blend of complex and solvable, meaning you'll never feel cheated when the game is hard but you'll also feel genuinely smart when it all clicks into place. The presentation is fantastic, with CGs and sprites that convey so much emotion and stellar sound design - both for its music and when you're slapping down 'cards' to prove the prosecution wrong.

Every episode that has yet to come out will be my most anticipated game of their respective year.

This is a stunning game with a truly unique format to tell its narrative. Light platforming-style puzzles and navigation keep it fresh but the world and characters are so gripping that it's a cherry on top, rather than something needed to keep it engaging. I will carry these characters with me for the rest of my life.