This is a DELIGHT of a game...if you have aspirin. 😕 💊💊💊

Review: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EByoD1NGuf8

Utterly fantastic. Very clever.

A deeply endearing and touching experience. I loved it.

A Real Page-Turner of a Mystery Game!

Introduction

I found out about this game a few months back and have been eagerly awaiting it's arrival. Now that it is here, I can happily say that it is as interesting, artistic and enthralling as the best hard-boiled, yet cozy mysteries books out there. My favorite author is Agatha Christie and this game gives me the same satisfied thrill that Christie's classic, Murder on the Orient Express, does. A Case of Distrust is best enjoyed snugly wrapped up with a cup of tea and a kitty or two nearby.

Also Ben Wander, the developer, packed this game full of real historical detail from 1924. The man did his research, down to the last detail (such as whether rear-view mirrors existed at that time. (Hint: They didn't.) So you will learn something as well as being entertained. Tip: Talk to the taxi drivers!

Gameplay

Gameplay is very simple and yet surprisingly well-thought out. You progress the story and then ask the suspects about topics in your notebook. But I was surprised and pleased to note that you can ask suspects about EVERYTHING in your notebook - and, to my surprise - there are answers written for most of it. So despite that fact that there is only one ending to this game, I do think there is replayability because you can choose different answers for how you are "roleplaying" PC Malone. In our livestreams, we are playing her as super hard-boiled, doesn't want to face her emotions, chip-on-her-shoulder type and I can see getting a somewhat different experience if we played her another way.

Pros

• Incredibly beautiful art style and design
  
• A rich world, full of REAL history, that keeps you clicking
  
• A jazzy, snapping soundtrack to accompany your adventures
  
• Clean language, this one is fine to play with your kids around - or invite them to help you solve the case!

Cons

• At about 3-4 hours, it is bit short. But that's cause I am greedy.
  
• It is not yet available on tablets, as far as I know. Would be a GREAT game to play in bed on a tablet.

Final Thoughts

If you like The Thin Man movies, The Last Express game, Agatha Christie and Raymond Chandler's Phillip Marlowe books, with a liberal dash of 1920's era history, you are going to love this game. Honestly, I was hard-put to think of anything negative about it. A real treat.

This review was submitted by The Jessa Channel, a YouTube channel that focuses on gaming Let's Plays served up with a soupçon of silly and a whole lot of story. Although Ben Wander provided a copy for review, all thoughts and opinions are entirely my own.

If you would like to know more about A Case of Distrust's developer Ben Wander and his process in making this game, check out this interview:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0hM-hzFAZEU

An Interactive Comic Book that You Print Out and Color? Yes, Please!

Introduction

This wonderful little gem, All You Can Eat, is a perfect blend of comic and game. The gameplay is just like any adventure title, complete with inventory, and simple point and click. It centers on our intrepid, but very lazy, main character. He is without a name in the game but in my playthrough, I called him "Bob." He just seemed like a Bob. He needs to save his favorite all-you-can-eat diner from foreclosure and is forced into the wide world of his neighborhood to do so. The humor is corny and mostly clean (just a few curse words).

Gameplay

As I mentioned, it is simple gameplay, even as young as five could enjoy the game if an adult read it to him/her. But here is the neat thing. After you play, a comic book PDF appears on your desktop in the EXACT order you played the game! So each time you can choose a different order and get a different book. The outcome is always the same, but I saw a few panels from the developer that I did not see in my playthrough. So there is some variety.

Pros

• Mostly clean, a few curse words
  
• Cute, corny, funny story
  
• A PRINTABLE comic book! How cool is that?

Cons

• It is a bit short, takes about 30-40 minutes to play
  
• The PDF did not fit well on standard 8.5x11 inch paper, there was a large margin at the bottom

Final Thoughts

This game makes a great gift. Think of it. You can buy the game for someone, they play it and then they can print out there playthrough and color it in! Unique!

This review was submitted by The Jessa Channel, a YouTube channel that focuses on gaming Let's Plays served up with a soupçon of silly and a whole lot of story. Though Gamechuck provided a copy for review, all thoughts and opinions are entirely my own.

If you would like to check out the game in action, here's a gameplay video to enjoy:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8xlBXN6_psY

I CANNOT STOP THINKING ABOUT THIS WONDERFUL GAME

Introduction

When I first discovered this gem of a game, I immediately fell in love with the sweet art style and the Minim characters. But boy, was I in for a treat: the story is just as sweet and wonderful as the art. The story is, in essence, about the pilgrimage of Mii, a minim, to find his partner Mo who has gone missing. But in his travels to find her he ends up exploring himself and learning about important choices. But the game is not preachy or saccharine - it hits all the right notes that make your feel as if you are exploring right along with Mii. Plus, he is adorable.

Gameplay

Gameplay is simple - this is a point and click game so most of the interaction is with the mouse. I did, at first, get stuck with the "looking around" mechanic - it involves holding down a key and moving the mouse - but I soon got used to it. Some may find it annoying but I did not - once I understood it. I think that it could be simplified to be honest; instead of holding down a key just moving the mouse should move the view.

The puzzles are just right - not too hard - but keep in mind that I HATE puzzles - so I was really happy with the tips system. If you want hard puzzles, this might not be the game for you. The developers did a great job in keeping the tediousness down with one exception: at one point you need to keep a hamster fed in order to go up and down a mountain. Having to constantly go through three steps when the milk ran out was annoying.

Pros

• The Mimims and other characters are adorable
  
• The story is interesting and thought-provoking
  
• The game runs smoothly and is GORGEOUS

Cons

• The camera mechanic is clunky
  
• The time restriction on the tips feature is annoying for puzzle-haters like me >.<
  
• Having to constantly feed the hamster to keep going up and down the mountain was tedious.

Final Thoughts

This is, so far, my favorite game of 2016. One of my viewers says it best:

Only one word "BEAUTIFUL" this was an amazing adventure. Thank you Jessa for taking us along for the journey. Now that I have watch you play it, my daughter and I will see if there are new discoveries to learn. I recommend everyone watching to buy and try this as well :) We need more sweet games like this on the market for young ones, family and those that want variety. There should be balance of more games like these to choose from. <3

So yeah, The Minims is a MUST BUY. ♥❤

This review was submitted by The Jessa Channel, a YouTube channel that focuses on gaming Let's Plays served up with a soupçon of silly and a whole lot of story. Though beyondthosehills provided a copy for review, all thoughts and opinions are entirely my own.

If you would like to check out the game in action, here's a gameplay video to enjoy:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n5TXPSgdi58

What a delightful game!

Introduction

This was my first foray into the world of Steve Jackson's Sorcery! and I will be back for more. Let me start with the aspect I love most: the map. It took me back to lazy Saturdays spent in bookstores looking for that one charming, engrossing fantasy novel that I could take home, curl with the cats and escape into a wild world of wonder. When the book had a map on it's first pages, I was in heaven! I felt that same feeling opening this game. Mike Schley, the cartographer, did a fantastic job. See more of his work here: http://mikeschley.com

Gameplay

The gameplay is simple yet very interesting. You make choices and the story unfolds from there. You can rewind (clever!) and replay and different things come about. I rewound and ended not seeing a whole section that I saw the first time. "What could have happened?" is always the questions here. The spell casting seemed more complicated because I kept wanting to check the spellbook first but then realized that not ALL the spells are available and you can just sort of, um, guess. But I do wish that spells that are not available to you because you do not have the items yet would not show up to be picked. That was frustrating.

Pros

• GORGEOUS map that evolves with the story!
  
• The game is so cool, you can rewind a replay over and over
  
• The game runs smoothly at 60 FPS

Cons

• Did not like the spell casting mechanic so much, needs refinement
  

Final Thoughts

Honestly, this is the game to play on a lazy afternoon with a cup of tea and some kitties. It is cannot be compared to a book - that is a singular experience of turning pages and immersion, but Sorcery! 3 gives you choices and really bring alive the age-old question: "What happens next?"

This review was submitted by The Jessa Channel, a YouTube channel that focuses on gaming Let's Plays served up with a soupçon of silly and a whole lot of story. Though inkle Studios provided a copy for review, all thoughts and opinions are entirely my own.

If you would like to check out the game in action, here's a gameplay video to enjoy:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lzgBCs7mBBM

AVAST, YA SCURVY DOGS!

Introduction

The Inner Sea is a beautiful game - it reminds me of playing with toy boats in the bathtub - with some naval battles and trading for good measure. I was struck at the menu screen with the beautiful music - through I did find it a bit repetitive after being in game for 20 minutes.

You start out with one ship, blown into an archipelago. Though the game's blurb mentions that it is in the 17th century, I did not see a lot that reflect that, i.e. clothing style, etc. It did not look modern, just not historical enough to my eyes. Maybe dsquare will improve upon that - perhaps add in your captain that you can dress in different styles - like as your fleet gains more power you can make your captain and crew look more cool - more "piratey". What helps me to feel a "immersed" is to be able to connect with your characters.

Gameplay

I played some time in the game and did not get to a bigger ship, just my little guy The Buccaneer, and we were handed some tasks from different governors on different islands. Since the first part of the game is mostly discovering the map, there needs to be a lot more to do - what is available now is fishing (which seems to be infinite - you can fish as much as you want - a bit cheaty) and getting ivory. My understanding is that there are sea monsters but I did not see any while I played. I would suggest perhaps caves to explore or treasure maps that you can find/steal, for example.

I also noticed islands that were empty. It was unclear whether you could claim the island and build it up and become governor or not. A base-building aspect would be awesome!

The naval battles were simple - you just steer your ship so that it is broadside to the enemy and it will automatically fire. But, and a big but here, the game automatically goes to slow/normal speed and will not allow you to change it back. This sucked because I ended up with some very, very slow naval chases while some big pirate ship chase my little ship out of it's waters. I could not speed up the game and was forced to just sit there. Hmph.

The battles could be added onto with a lot of cool ideas, like taking prisoners or gathering other factions to your side to band together or even romancing the other captains!

Pros

• Beautiful artsylte
  
• Lovely seafaring music
  
• Lots of potential
  
• Responsive dev team

Cons

• Battles are forced to normal speed
  
• There needs to be a lot more music tracks
  
• Freer camera control is needed, not just one direction, three zoom levels

Final Thoughts

The Inner Sea has a LOT of promise. It could be the addictive, sandboxy, naval goodness I want - but for now, the game lacks more to DO, more to engage with in the early game. But, since I believe that dsquare is devoted to the project and actively listening to suggestion, I think your early-access purchase would be worth it - even though you may have to wait a bit for the full game experience you want.

This review was submitted by The Jessa Channel, a YouTube channel that focuses on gaming Let's Plays served up with a soupçon of silly and a whole lot of story. Though dsquare provided a copy for review, all thoughts and opinions are entirely my own.

If you would like to check out the game in action, here's a gameplay video to enjoy:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNnVERPaiIs