Scaling and Review Notes

Personal Hours Played: 2.4

Review Disclaimer

Every game ranked was played, but also scaled based on research, talking to developers & your feedback. The priority with the scale's initial design was to compare similarity on relatively objective features - so it doesn't claim to include reviews of the depth and clarity you'd get at a games journalism site, nor the intensive time played you might get from player reviews on steam. We try to incorporate and link all of that along with a 'review scale' that checks for bugs. See the heatmap and breakdown! Time played noted so you can take any notes with a big grain of salt! I can't get to high level gameplay in 850+ games so I heavily research every game. Over 80 game creators let me interview or survey them! I Hope to go back and refine. Please argue or submit your own scores and reviews to be incorporated with credit into the notes and score numbers.

Added or last checked on 10/23/2023

Gunlocked puts a spin on the survivors-like formula by switching format to a vertically scrolling shooter. It's an auto shooter with only movement control but the primary mechanic (expressed with many pilots and weapons) is 'locking' or positioning your shot by moving the aiming reticule into place along with your ship - so it gets a partial score in 'aiming.' We're going to call "upgrade data", where I have to go in a certain point to get an upgrade, a "treasure chest" on the scale.

Ships are cosmetic unfortunately, but pilots have a interesting variety of skills. Soundtrack is great, though maybe could be more procedural or have more tracks. Overall the game is very satisfying, from the challenge to upgrade loop, though it doesn't have quite the same 'mowing down hordes of enemies' vibe and surprisingly few bullets for the shmup stylings.

I think it's great and will play more, but not for the same reason I play overpowered screenwiping games like PoE or VS.

Scaling and Review Notes

Personal Hours Played: 3.4

Review Disclaimer

Every game ranked was played, but also scaled based on research, talking to developers & your feedback. The priority with the scale's initial design was to compare similarity on relatively objective features - so it doesn't claim to include reviews of the depth and clarity you'd get at a games journalism site, nor the intensive time played you might get from player reviews on steam. We try to incorporate and link all of that along with a 'review scale' that checks for bugs. See the heatmap and breakdown! Time played noted so you can take any notes with a big grain of salt! I can't get to high level gameplay in 850+ games so I heavily research every game. Over 80 game creators let me interview or survey them! I Hope to go back and refine. Please argue or submit your own scores and reviews to be incorporated with credit into the notes and score numbers.

Added or last checked on 11/16/2023

Underworldly anime styled survivors-like staring cute gals sweeping up baddies and operating out of a cafe hub world. First impressions are generally positive!

Enemies feel slow and awkward at first, because the less lofi art style kind of exposes that mechanic in the early game (some games do some great work to make the slower movement feel more natural, but I can accept it as a quirk.) It's not quite as bad as it is in some of the 3D titles and some characters like the bats feel animated quite nicely even while slowly drifting in. It's not something I spent too long worrying about as they can quickly overwhelm you. Map obstacles like lava on the ground add another level of complexity to dodging enemies.

You can save the game on quit which is pretty useful. There is a dash unlocked via in run ability selection (so possible to go without seeing at times). Sound effects are a little crunchy. There's a store in Endless Mode.

The translation issues were kind of persistent through the game, often confusing me as to basic mechanics. I think most of the meta upgrades are actually fairly typical of the genre, so the stumbling wasn't too bad, but when it came to the weapon related menus I admit I'm still not entirely sure what the options mean. I wish "drinks" (crafted difficulty modifiers) didn't limit other achievements and could be saved for later if the particular mix of positive and negative changes doesn't appeal for the next session.

I got the DLC for it, not really sure why honestly. I don't feel upset about it but it does feel a little silly in retrospect with a genre that's mostly about unlocking stuff in terms of giving you a reason for another run. Generally all the paid DLC and cosmetics and stuff is what has turned people off from other popular genres and lead them here - but it's worth noting that Vampire Survivors also has DLC now!

One reviewer seemed confused they couldn't "get the nsfw scenes" but I don't think there are supposed to be any haha. I didn't get the impression it's particularly horny. I like the art style but can't help wishing it was a pixel style or at least closer to the cut scene style in game. I hope it gets better localization and more descriptive stats, I'll be checking in to play more.

Free on Android, but with gacha transactions.

Scaling and Review Notes

Personal Hours Played: 1.7

Review Disclaimer

Every game ranked was played, but also scaled based on research, talking to developers & your feedback. The priority with the scale's initial design was to compare similarity on relatively objective features - so it doesn't claim to include reviews of the depth and clarity you'd get at a games journalism site, nor the intensive time played you might get from player reviews on steam. We try to incorporate and link all of that along with a 'review scale' that checks for bugs. See the heatmap and breakdown! Time played noted so you can take any notes with a big grain of salt! I can't get to high level gameplay in 850+ games so I heavily research every game. Over 80 game creators let me interview or survey them! I Hope to go back and refine. Please argue or submit your own scores and reviews to be incorporated with credit into the notes and score numbers.

Added or last checked on 10/13/2023

Bounced at first, but came back later and it feels less janky. Note: for high end computers, you'll want to check through all the advanced graphics options, some things should be disabled or set to lower levels to prevent it from looking muddy. Reddit likes this one a lot.

Seems to be a fairly straight rip but I don't like the graphics as much - anyone wanna sell me on it? Loses points in the VS-Likes for not pixel art, lofi aesthetic, or humor/originality. The nature of the 3D animation makes it feel slower even when it's moving the same speed as pixels technically.

Trying to come up with something else to write about this one. This review will get more fleshed out later as I go back through the sheet to actually review the games added earlier.

Scaling and Review Notes

Personal Hours Played: 4.1

Review Disclaimer

Every game ranked was played, but also scaled based on research, talking to developers & your feedback. The priority with the scale's initial design was to compare similarity on relatively objective features - so it doesn't claim to include reviews of the depth and clarity you'd get at a games journalism site, nor the intensive time played you might get from player reviews on steam. We try to incorporate and link all of that along with a 'review scale' that checks for bugs. See the heatmap and breakdown! Time played noted so you can take any notes with a big grain of salt! I can't get to high level gameplay in 850+ games so I heavily research every game. Over 80 game creators let me interview or survey them! I Hope to go back and refine. Please argue or submit your own scores and reviews to be incorporated with credit into the notes and score numbers.

Added or last checked on 10/23/2023

Space auto-shooter with a deck building aspect. Meta progression includes using currency to unlock new cards. When you pick your level options, you then pick where to put the equipment on your ship, which adds a fun shipbuilding / tower defense feeling mechanic. There is a more Rogue-like campaign mode in addition to the more familiar challenge and endless modes using your unlocked cards, each with their own deck availabilities. The complexity is a big challenge in endless mode, since you don't just disable some items, you have to construct your deck.

Once accidentally started with only one card and tried to stick it out - it gives you some single use events on level until you die. Aim is important because boost pushes you in the direction you are facing, but you can use thrusters to strafe, which can be very challenging. There's speed and zoom options which is cool. Counting "Astrochicken" spawn as ground health. Maps seem endless but mostly empty. I like a lot about this one!

Graphics / vibe is a bit generic, but gameplay is challenging and build variety interesting. Most negative reviews seem to mention technical issues, which may hurt your experience. It could use more enemy variety and maybe interesting exploration on big maps, I would love that. I'm very excited to come back to this one as it evolves.

Scaling and Review Notes

Personal Hours Played: 7.0

Review Disclaimer

Every game ranked was played, but also scaled based on research, talking to developers & your feedback. The priority with the scale's initial design was to compare similarity on relatively objective features - so it doesn't claim to include reviews of the depth and clarity you'd get at a games journalism site, nor the intensive time played you might get from player reviews on steam. We try to incorporate and link all of that along with a 'review scale' that checks for bugs. See the heatmap and breakdown! Time played noted so you can take any notes with a big grain of salt! I can't get to high level gameplay in 850+ games so I heavily research every game. Over 80 game creators let me interview or survey them! I Hope to go back and refine. Please argue or submit your own scores and reviews to be incorporated with credit into the notes and score numbers.

Added or last checked on 10/18/2023

Note, stuff dropped on the ground disappears if you walk away which is a big difference! Also may be a kind of awkward hitbox. I played a fair amount of this one, because it's easy to, but eventually felt that it wasn't just going as hard as others. Perhaps it's the art style, which is kind of phone game, 2010s web game vibe, or the abilities not feeling super inspired or exciting. It's got a good amount of content.

Tries to do something different with the skill tree style unlock menu, though I'm not sure I loved it long term as it kind of slowed down my one more run cycle. Never gets quite as over the top. Character diversity is good but questionable depictions, not very exciting vibe to them. If it's on sale or you love the art style you might want to give it a try!

I admit I couldn't wait to go onto the next one while I was checking it out again to review, which may not be the best sign with so much competition. I'm not sure if there are any secrets?

Scaling and Review Notes

Personal Hours Played: 2.1

Review Disclaimer

Every game ranked was played, but also scaled based on research, talking to developers & your feedback. The priority with the scale's initial design was to compare similarity on relatively objective features - so it doesn't claim to include reviews of the depth and clarity you'd get at a games journalism site, nor the intensive time played you might get from player reviews on steam. We try to incorporate and link all of that along with a 'review scale' that checks for bugs. See the heatmap and breakdown! Time played noted so you can take any notes with a big grain of salt! I can't get to high level gameplay in 850+ games so I heavily research every game. Over 80 game creators let me interview or survey them! I Hope to go back and refine. Please argue or submit your own scores and reviews to be incorporated with credit into the notes and score numbers.

Added or last checked on 11/13/2023

Consider this Early Access first impressions.

This one is a straight up Vampire Survivors clone so highly similar in terms of controls, gameplay, enemy behavior and weapons. That means if you're looking to get more of basically the exact gameplay you'll find that here. It also means you might feel you're getting a lower quality version of the game you love and not much else. I wasn't put off by it, though, the cuteness and eastern themes drew me in, I just didn't have much reason to play more of it yet.

The weapons aren't inspired but the enemies are relatively unique and well animated. (It's the backgrounds that feel off.) It's got relatively small maps, with loot events for chests, etc, that require you standing in one place for a certain amount of time. The enemies come in organic waves that have pretty good formation, generally leaving a satisfying path to wind through that requires enough concentration to keep you engaged. It gets that aspect of the gameplay pretty well, which is nice because many of these games do not (instead thinking that a game like Vampire Survivors is simply an automated twin stick shooter rather than a movement game.)

Graphics feel cheap phone gaming, but they are cute. The reason it gets a 0 in the graphics and sound section of the review score is the sound is also kind of chunky and cheap sounding with pretty but again generic music. But I'm kind of torn because the mid 2000s web game graphics hit a nostalgia spot for me as well.

Controls for the menu are bound weird on the controller (right bumper to select?) and it feels pretty janky. My partner tried playing and quit out feeling it was bugged, only then did I realize I had been resulting to the Steam Deck's right trackpad to select levels (and that was kind of annoying actually).

Has a town hub for level select and to look over unlocked items but it feels a little sparse for the amount of wandering around it requires it doesn't feel like hubs usually add much to me. (That's not a firm rule, though, as Hades is a good example of how it can really help make a game feel complete.) Since this is a pretty arcade style game with no plot that I could determine, I'm not sure I need a walkable menu. At least one weapon has aiming. I do very appreciate the 2x speed option and am considering making a column about those options in the metadata.

The weapons I've unlocked so far are mostly projectile based, which is a little disappointing because I feel it keeps it from being a real garlic-like mowing game. You're avoiding enemies and collecting jewels but not as much of the third common movement focused element.

What's odd is that despite there not being much new or interesting here, the technically subpar graphics and UI, etc, I still kind of like this one. It's charming and while the music isn't bumping or unique it's pretty and relaxing.

What is keeping me from playing it more the most is that it has the incremental meta progression linked to each character, meaning you need to invest in tiny boosts in health, attack speed, etc under each character. This drastically slows down advancement and discourages you mixing things up by trying someone else.

I feel like I can only give "first impressions" without putting in enough time to see anything approaching the endgame myself, but with so many options on the list I have to be honest some games may not get past first impressions. I wish there was a more streamlined meta game, but I'll check back in after Early Access since I genuinely do like the cute pop arcade vibe.

Scaling and Review Notes

Personal Hours Played: 2.0

Review Disclaimer

Every game ranked was played, but also scaled based on research, talking to developers & your feedback. The priority with the scale's initial design was to compare similarity on relatively objective features - so it doesn't claim to include reviews of the depth and clarity you'd get at a games journalism site, nor the intensive time played you might get from player reviews on steam. We try to incorporate and link all of that along with a 'review scale' that checks for bugs. See the heatmap and breakdown! Time played noted so you can take any notes with a big grain of salt! I can't get to high level gameplay in 850+ games so I heavily research every game. Over 80 game creators let me interview or survey them! I Hope to go back and refine. Please argue or submit your own scores and reviews to be incorporated with credit into the notes and score numbers.

Added or last checked on 10/27/2023

A spaceship survivors-like that relies heavily on aiming and mixes it up a bit with a giant gunship you call for your upgrades.

Dev reported -1 in level on xp run gain event, which makes sense because you have to call a ship and dock to upgrade, which has its own timer. You can also buy support moves, we'll call it a vendor also I suppose. Partial score in bestiary/lore for having some ship info but not really an enemy guide. There's a dash move, but you might not have it on your build hence the partial score.

Sometimes it gets a little hard to keep track of what's going on and I perhaps wanted it zoomed in a little more, which is a hard trade off with the high speed of the gameplay. At the same time, the clouds of tiny drones to avoid feel fairly unique, partially because not every enemy swarms your ship and some act more like tiny deadly asteroids. Big swarms coming in are very stressful early on and a nice source of XP later, as they should be.

Some of the most tense 'meteor shower' vibes among the space games here, really seems to be so many enemies though they never seem to crowd out the entire screen.

Gameplay is zippy and fun for the most part and while it's obviously not high budget it does thoughtful stuff visually like showing damage structurally to enemy elite ships. I appreciate some builds are silly, like one that just constantly spins your ship in a way that looks nauseating for anyone inside it.

Menus feel very complex in a way that's a bit cumbersome. I wish it was streamlined in some way so I would move through them on the way to starting a mission perhaps? Overall it's a lot of information to keep track of and some stuff is abbreviated where it maybe doesn't need to be. I guess I do appreciate deep stats, but perhaps it doesn't need to be shown all the time.

For example, when upgrading by it shows me all five levels of the upgrade path of what I'm taking. I don't need to see that right away, and it also kind of takes away me having to remember that stuff to make a build. It also shows metadata on there about what kind of attack it is, the cooldown, etc. I think I get why it shows everything, but really just the one sentence could be big in the middle and a button to see more info there and I would have less decision fatigue on upgrade.

Others might prefer being able to see all that info entirely, though, so I hope the dev takes it with a grain of salt if they see this.

Survival mode is technically endless, but enemies don't get stronger after a point. Fleet Assault is 20 rounds.

I don't think adding auto aim for accessibility would make things easier, perhaps it's just a dev challenge since there are so many enemies on screen at once and many player attacks are directional. Overall so much of the gameplay is still about avoiding enemies that it seems auto aim wouldn't remove too much challenge and perhaps could just be overridden by pressing the right stick when needed. In general it feels hard to hit drones in early play and maybe a tiny bit of magic helping the player would feel satisfying.

This one is still in Early Access and under active development so I look forward to seeing where it goes. I think it could carve out a niche as a less goofy space shooter, but I want to see more impactful upgrades, streamlined UI and some other tweaks for it to really compete with the best around in terms of both space twin stick shooters and survivors-likes.

Scaling and Review Notes

Personal Hours Played: 22.1

Review Disclaimer

Every game ranked was played, but also scaled based on research, talking to developers & your feedback. The priority with the scale's initial design was to compare similarity on relatively objective features - so it doesn't claim to include reviews of the depth and clarity you'd get at a games journalism site, nor the intensive time played you might get from player reviews on steam. We try to incorporate and link all of that along with a 'review scale' that checks for bugs. See the heatmap and breakdown! Time played noted so you can take any notes with a big grain of salt! I can't get to high level gameplay in 850+ games so I heavily research every game. Over 80 game creators let me interview or survey them! I Hope to go back and refine. Please argue or submit your own scores and reviews to be incorporated with credit into the notes and score numbers.

Added or last checked on 10/18/2023

A Rogue-lite well known for its enjoyable meta progression and humorous inheritance inspired twist on classes, it's also very different from Vampire Survivors as it is a sidescroller and not at all a bullet heaven. As a side note, this game's chompy first castle music is really great, just awesome.

Played about 10 hours on steam and another 12 or so on Switch. Can't get that far into the game because I suck at jumping, but I enjoyed it enough to play the early parts twice. Sequel is great too.

Sometimes people would respond to a question about games like Vampire Survivors with this and other rogue-lites in suggestion. It made more sense when there weren't a lot of games mechanically like Vampire Survivors in the running, but now there are.

Scaling and Review Notes

Review Disclaimer

Every game ranked was played, but also scaled based on research, talking to developers & your feedback. The priority with the scale's initial design was to compare similarity on relatively objective features - so it doesn't claim to include reviews of the depth and clarity you'd get at a games journalism site, nor the intensive time played you might get from player reviews on steam. We try to incorporate and link all of that along with a 'review scale' that checks for bugs. See the heatmap and breakdown! Time played noted so you can take any notes with a big grain of salt! I can't get to high level gameplay in 850+ games so I heavily research every game. Over 80 game creators let me interview or survey them! I Hope to go back and refine. Please argue or submit your own scores and reviews to be incorporated with credit into the notes and score numbers.

Added or last checked on 10/29/2023

Scale scoring from scorecard submitted by Developer. Once evaluated after a couple hours play and some research, will be adjusted and moved up into the ranking proper.

Help us rank this game! [Submit Review]

Scaling and Review Notes

Review Disclaimer

Every game ranked was played, but also scaled based on research, talking to developers & your feedback. The priority with the scale's initial design was to compare similarity on relatively objective features - so it doesn't claim to include reviews of the depth and clarity you'd get at a games journalism site, nor the intensive time played you might get from player reviews on steam. We try to incorporate and link all of that along with a 'review scale' that checks for bugs. See the heatmap and breakdown! Time played noted so you can take any notes with a big grain of salt! I can't get to high level gameplay in 850+ games so I heavily research every game. Over 80 game creators let me interview or survey them! I Hope to go back and refine. Please argue or submit your own scores and reviews to be incorporated with credit into the notes and score numbers.

Added or last checked on 10/28/2023

Scale scoring from scorecard submitted by Developer. Once evaluated after a couple hours play and some research, will be adjusted and moved up into the ranking proper.

Help us rank this game! [Submit Review]

Scaling and Review Notes

Review Disclaimer

Every game ranked was played, but also scaled based on research, talking to developers & your feedback. The priority with the scale's initial design was to compare similarity on relatively objective features - so it doesn't claim to include reviews of the depth and clarity you'd get at a games journalism site, nor the intensive time played you might get from player reviews on steam. We try to incorporate and link all of that along with a 'review scale' that checks for bugs. See the heatmap and breakdown! Time played noted so you can take any notes with a big grain of salt! I can't get to high level gameplay in 850+ games so I heavily research every game. Over 80 game creators let me interview or survey them! I Hope to go back and refine. Please argue or submit your own scores and reviews to be incorporated with credit into the notes and score numbers.

Added or last checked on 11/15/2023

Scale scoring from scorecard submitted by Developer. Once evaluated after a couple hours play and some research, will be adjusted and moved up into the ranking proper.

Help us rank this game! [Submit Review]