Three more “Early Access” games have blessed my library and it’s time to weigh in and see how they look. Like the other articles in this series, it’s important to note that my opinions are subject to change as the games aren’t out of the development phase (yet). As such, the below are not reviews, but merely first impressions based upon the build I played at the time.
Cosmochoria – “Cosmochoria” is a strange, strange game. This doesn’t mean that it isn’t fun mind you, though flying into this game blind will confuse the heck out of you for a little while until you get an idea of the general gameplay. In short, you’ll be planting seeds on planets to bring them back to life. Once that happens, they’ll heal you (but drain its heart in the process). Planting more seeds will refresh the planet’s life force so that it can continue to heal you. At any time, you can travel to other planets via a jetpack and repeat the process. While this is happening, the game gets progressively harder and throws more enemies at you. Luckily, you can use the diamonds you pick up to purchase upgrades for your profile (which stays with you from game to game). Overall, it’s a pretty fun game with a lot of potential. You can find it on Steam’s Early Access program for $9.99.
Tabletop Simulator – “Tabletop Simulator” is one giant toy box, giving you the tools you’ll need to flex your imagination. The program does not keep track of the rules and tell you when you’re playing incorrectly, so you’ll need to know how to play the games in advance. I like the fact that you can upload JPGs to the internet and then link to them when custom-creating a board, table, card deck, figurine, and etc. Of course, flipping the table into oblivion is fun too. You can find it on Steam’s Early Access program for $14.99 with a price increase planned down the line.
DieselStormers – “DieselStormers” has a lot of potential. I like the fact that you can upgrade your gun parts to customize its abilities as well as make it more powerful. The green and red arrows available when comparing part stats is a nice touch. I would like to see some sort of button prompt for when you’re ready to go on a mission…once you have a map selected and run past a particular spot of your home base, you’ll automatically embark whether you’re ready to go or not. The controls were my biggest hurdle…I actually got acclimated faster to the gameplay mechanics than I did the control scheme. In its current state (as of 10/8/14), it’s a fairly good side-scrolling action platformer. I’m looking forward to trying out the multiplayer aspect as I have not had a chance to do so (yet). You can find it on Steam’s Early Access program for $18.99 with a price increase planned down the line.
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Gameplay Videos:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yWCH2o4KkSQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-p5lF_qzaS4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qU44F3jTLgA