#puzzle's thoughts

[puzzledghostgames]

Criminally Yours - My Review - MDNI (18+)

(Played version 2.1) - 9.6/10

Honestly, I thought this game was pretty good. I liked a lot of the features it had, including the chapter system (I do kinda wish there was a way to go back and select each one without a save).

I really liked Nik/Chronos a lot and enjoyed getting to learn more about his character/background throughout the game. It was really nice seeing him open up about his past and how he fell in love with the MC in the first place.

One thing I love is that a decent amount of lines are fully voiced instead of just partially voiced. I also like that you get to see Oracle/MC's visions and not just hear/read what they are.

The character designs in this game were also cool and I enjoyed seeing the little icons (I can't recall the proper names for them) that popped up next to Chronos during dialogue.

While this game doesn't have much in terms of player character customization, it does have achievements, an art gallery, and a "jazz lounge" where you can play different music from the game.

This was one I replayed to get both endings, I might revisit it in the future if I decide to buy the DLC at some point (only about $5 USD).

I do love a good yandere game, so I had a lot of fun with this one and I think it'd be pretty good for most people who are into that sorta thing.

Criminally Yours by Meant to Bee Studios, Skywrite Studios, FlowersforJoy

He's both your work crush and the villain you need to stop...?

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[puzzlebean]

Look I know the chances of Max winning Singapore are 1% or less but it would be so fucking funny if he finally did it with this tincan

[puzzledghostgames]

Binary Star Hero - My Review - MDNI (18+)

(Played version release?) 9.7/10

I'm starting to think I need more hero/villain visual novels, they have started to become an obsession of mine.

This one was really fun to play through, I enjoyed the story quite a bit (though I do wish it had been a little bit longer). I ended up using the walkthrough to get all the endings, I will say it's definitely worth putting in the time to play through them all.

I'm a sucker for a yandere so Ray totally won me over, I loved his good ending and the after story it had. I also really like Haley's ending + after story and learning more about their character from it.

I also loved their mouths being animated during dialogue, that's not something I see super often and I think it's a really nice detail to have.

So other than picking a name, there isn't really any character customization. But this one does have achievements, an album, and after stories.

Tip: If you do decide to go for all the achievements, I'd suggest clicking on the red one when you get it.

Honestly I really had fun playing this and might replay in the future.

This is another yandere game so if you're into that, I'd check this one out! This one does have some blood/gore in it so please go check the warnings and tags before playing!

Binary Star Hero by CONCRETEPARASITE

A shining hero will always cast a shadow. Find out who Binary Star is behind the mask.

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[puzzlebean]

I love how basically every person who has met Max or worked with him is like oh he's so nice, he's such a polite guy, and people are still desperately acting like he's an asshole and a villain.

[puzzledghostgames]

Threads of You: Beyond the Bay DEMO - My Review - MDNI (18+)

DEMO (played version 2.7) - 9.9/10

I really enjoyed this game. Despite it only having 4 days to play, it still took me a while to get through every "route" (I played once for each of the 7 love interests). I also thought the character designs and little animations (mainly eyes blinking) were very cute.

Out of all the characters I'd say Wyatt was my favorite, he kinda reminds me of Elliott from Stardew Valley in some ways (though I'll note, Elliott isn't my love interest in SDV). I'd say second on my list is Kai, he seems much more like someone I'd hangout with irl.

Honestly I did like all the love interests for different reasons, though I'm starting to realize that 7 may be a few too many options for me personally lol. I did enjoy all the little dialogue changes you could get if you interacted with certain people (usually friends of the character) or saw the same person multiple times in a row.

Speaking of, I really love the ability to pick where you go and knowing who is going to be there! It made it much easier to focus on specific people and know when they weren't around.

Another thing I always love to see is character customization! This one allows you to give yourself a little player "icon" during dialogue along with getting to customize the room you're staying in! (and the usual pronoun options + getting to select specific things with how people refer to you).

Overall I did enjoy the game quite a bit and will most likely be playing the full game sometime after it releases. It was a very cozy game and I'd suggest checking it out if you're looking for something a bit more chill. If you're looking to support the creators I'd check out their Kickstarter! It's should be somewhere near the top of the page.

Threads of You: Beyond the Bay by Lavendeer Studios

A broken down car, 2 weeks in a hidden seaside town, and 7 men waiting to sweep you off your feet.

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[puzzlebean]

Truly impressed by how emotionally mature Max is and how hard he's worked to keep all the different sides of Red Bull together and to get things civil between his father and his boss again. All of this is on top of being in a title battle in what is not the fastest car. And aside from a few wobbles (mainly when things were very tense in the team and everything was going wrong during a race), he's managed to keep it calm and collected and also hasn't been playing games in the media and hasn't been rude about his competitors. And those few wobbles? Well he has managed to straighten those out quickly too, especially with the people involved. Very very impressive.

[puzzledghostgames]

Online Obsession - My Review - MDNI (18+)

DEMO (played version 0.1.0) - 9.8/10

Holy shit man, that was something... (in a good way). Overall rather short but it is a DEMO, so that makes sense. Honestly I really enjoyed it.

I'm really curious to learn more about Adisorn, especially with the way the DEMO ended. His character design was also interesting to see, and I am really curious how he got so many scars in the first place.

Speaking of character design, the little pixel icons were cute as fuck, along with the backgrounds being really well done. I legit can't wait to see more of it in the future.

Gotta say I fucking love having minigames/interactive gameplay! It was really fun to go through and learn the mechanics of everything, plus being able to click on and look at random things before moving on to the next part of the game.

There were so many little things I noticed and messed with during the game (like when you hover over the "quit" button) that I thought were really fun to find.

100% want to play the full game when it comes out!

Now I will warn, DO NOT BE FOOLED BY THE CUTE ART! This is a psychological horror and you should read the tags/warnings before playing! Also it's a yandere (if "obsession" didn't already give that away) so you know what you're signing up for here.

Online Obsession by sourmilk

What could go wrong when you finally meet your online friend?

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[puzzledghostgames]

The Kid At The Back - My Review - MDNI (18+)

DEMO (Version played 2.3.3) - 10.6/10

Fuck I need more of this. I had so much fun playing this one. Honestly I can't pick a favorite between Sol and Crowe, I love them both so much for very different reasons and each route I played just made me love the characters more.

I loved how many choices changed the outcome of things (I went through everything a whole bunch of times to get all the art gallery photos). It made me super excited to go back and choose different options just to see what new moments I'd get to see.

I know I already mentioned the art gallery, but like holy shit I loved being able to look back and remember all those moments. part of me wishes I could look at the animated moments too but I totally get why they wouldn't be there.

I really do love the art style for the characters/art gallery moments is super fucking cool/pretty. I always love seeing a more unique art styles in games and other media!

10/10 will totally be playing again if/when more comes out! From what I'm aware they are on a long term hiatus, so be aware of that if you're looking for something that is more actively updating.

NOTE FOR THOSE WHO ARE SENSITIVE TO BLOOD/GORE/VIOLENCE! Please, please, read the warnings for this one if you're going to play! While I enjoyed this one very much, I know it might be triggering to those who are sensitive to some of the stuff in it.

The Kid at the Back (DEMO) by 𝖋𝖆𝖓𝖙𝖆𝖘𝖎𝖆 | TealCat

How come you've never seen him before?

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