Recent reviews by Squish That Cat

I read a review that said to just play the demo instead of buying the game, and I think they were right. I got a good feel for the game/'s core find-a-weapon / hunt-the-hunter gameplay loop, but I don't know how enduring it would be. One issue is that the game calls itself a roguelite but you won't experience any of those elements for many plays, so if it has roguelite elements I wouldn't know. Some weapons are better than others, which I'm sure is the point, but it was often a cause for frustration.

Having read about the multiplayer, I can see how that could be fun, not having a mirror and having to rely on talking to your fellow players to figure out what you look like / whether you were yourself or a clone, but I don't know how many times it would be fun.

This game has a great concept behind it, but unfortunately I don't know if there's enough meat on the bone. Avoiding your clone while trying to do something else, like play through a story mode game, or do open world quests like in Shadows of Doubt, seems fun. That said, I don't think the concept is sufficient in isolation to have true replayability. And that's without even engaging with the "it's allegedly a roguelite" part.

If the game eventually has more story or more depth, that's something else the devs should consider- is the best part of your game hidden behind a skill barrier that will prevent players from reaching the hook that keeps them coming back?

A great demonstration of mechanics, although like many student games, the tutorial is a bit too verbose. Save the VN-style dialogue after every action for skippable cutscenes and keep the gameplay focus quick or players will lose interest before they even start.

Some UI/UX thoughts:

1. The player needs the ability to skip picking a new spell. This would save on the player having to choose something just to cancel it on the swap screen.

2. I'm not sure how, but I think there should be a faster way to cast spells without clicking to confirm. I understand that it's like that because some spells have multiple dice to select, but it would be nice if the player could select some dice then immediately go to clicking on their target. Removing a click per cast definitely adds up in making gameplay less tedious.

People complaining about AI don't realize that the students are being taught game design, not a course focused on creating 2D art or game audio. That said, I do wish Jungle Lab put more focus on using royalty-free assets rather than having students reach directly to the AI button. I'm sure the sound effects in particular could have been entirely royalty free, there most be loads of generic game effects from which to choose.

Cursed Words is more about forming patterns than words. The game is literally called "the word game that isn't." That means it's the perfect word game for people who normally wouldn't play word games.

There's fun for everyone- people who don't know a lot of words but like the Boggle format will enjoy being able to use the new mechanics. Meanwhile, brainiacs who like traditional word games can stretch their minds by using their knowledge of phonemes to try to guess how a blank pattern could form a word by adding common letter combinations (or by omitting rare or impossible ones) to maximize their score.

The best part of Cursed Words is its accessibility. Detractors will complain about the lack of "features" that would raise the barrier to entry and make the game difficult for those who aren't English experts, narrowing the audience. Instead, Cursed Words is fun for everyone, giving both experts and casual players different ways to approach the game and succeed.

Cursed Words is Boggle for people who don't like word games. It's perfect in that regard.

I initially expected this game to be clips of the hero moving badly and you having to rearrange them to succeed instead of failing. The idea presented is actually better (my idea would have many fewer solutions, making it boring). I think the idea is a lot of fun and would love to see a continuation of it released. I haven't finished the game yet, but I'm enjoying it as a puzzle game player. I also think the story ideas might be entertaining in an optional objective kind of way, where you as the editor get to exercise "creative control" over some outcomes. Overall, I like it a lot, and I think it's well-executed so far.

A fun game in the vein of Disco Elysium, but infinitely more accessible and less frustrating.

Yes, the game is good. It looks better than it plays. I have an old computer with the graphics turned down and I still think the faces look fantastic. It's an okay game. Serviceable. Higher difficulty just gives every enemy a ton of health and armor on top of it. Nobody should be buying these games for the gunplay. Story and characters are fun enough but based on reviews not everyone agrees. The plot is supposed to be hammy. You can get railroaded by skill check gates sometimes (hacking is a huge "gotcha" in Act 1, and people are rightly mad about it) but if that's your biggest complaint you've already passed most hurdles.

Yes, the price is too high, but $70 now was about $55.50 in October 2019, so if you bought the last game at full price because you were impatient, this one is actually cheaper. Periodic reminder that if your annual raise doesn't outperform inflation, you are getting a pay cut every year.

Dispatch is a truly excellent game, with high quality visuals and a TV-worthy story. Its only disappointment is the episodic release. Otherwise, it takes the gameplay of This Is The Police and improves on it, while delivering a real teaser of a story. It's just a shame we will have to wait to see where it goes.

The weird flash game vibe doesn't change that it's as good a "number go up" dopamine loop as any other, and better than many more.

The Club only serves Long Islands.

Seriously, the game is good, but a bit brief. It reminds me of Gods Will Be Watching but whereas that game was intentionally focused around different episode-style mini-games. Red Strings Club feels less balanced. The lathe and social engineering sections are short and not revisited. The bar tending is interesting in that it makes you wonder how things could have gone differently, but I'm not sure the game moves quickly enough for me to replay repeatedly to get all the content. I don't regret buying the game, but I wouldn't give it the screaming 10/10 reviews others have. It feels like the first part, or an abbreviated part, of something that could have been much bigger and more powerful. It's a small game that's competently executed but will leave you wanting. And the "leaving you wanting" part does diminish it somewhat. The philosophy would be more interesting if there was more substance to back it up.