Recent reviews by PixellatedPixie

Don't let Steam give you the wrong idea here - I've played at least 60 hours of this game through its alternate release. I let the Steam version of the game sit open for a while for the sole purpose of writing this.

Fear & Hunger 2: Termina is one of the best survival horror games that I have ever played, the single best survival horror/RPG hybrid, and just one of my favorite games, period. And it's not even complete; the dev is working on another update as I write this, with an intention to release more afterwards.

This game stands alone in terms of being able to produce dread and anxiety - you aren't just managing green herbs and ammo (though you are managing those), you're managing hunger, sanity, infections, how many limbs are intact, for yourself and every other party member that you manage to find... and you've got to manage time, too. You're indirectly responsible for the rest of the cast; your actions or lack thereof during certain parts of the game can factor into who lives, who dies, and who you may have to fight yourself. You will spend a decent chunk of any given playthrough carefully measuring your supplies and capacity to fight, and even then your efforts will fall short at times. That's okay. You can't save everyone or do literally everything right, but there are certainly rewards for trying.

The music, art, and soundscape of this game are even better than the first. Prehevil's atmosphere (and more specifically, the events of the game themselves) is developed in every blade slash, drumbeat, and face that you see. The music is especially a highlight - the dev isn't lying when he talks about being inspired by Akira Yamaoka's works for the Silent Hill franchise. The environments are drab and miserable in a very purposeful, artistic fashion: you can see the decay of this place, and how it has torn itself apart, very clearly.

The story and writing is very good, some basic grammatical/wording errors aside; Miro has a very distinct and powerful writing voice that especially shines in the backstory segments during character creation, and when describing environments through the narration. Termina is, at its core, a story about deception, change, and how our actions and inactions ripple out from us, causing everyone and everything around ourselves to bob up and down like corks in a pond. We are all made up by our experiences which are formed from the behavior of others, and in that way we are all connected, even if not on a personal level. Termina is an exploration of those connections, and how they can change people - for better and for worse.

I do have to say - this game's subject matter is very dark. As much as I'd love to sing its praises from the rooftops and recommend it to every person I know, I can't. Difficulty and learning curve aside, this game is just upsetting, even as someone who doesn't have any triggers; for someone who does, this game will really prove difficult to stomach. Even if you can get through that, it's hard. I feel like this is the sort of game like Ice Pick Lodge's Pathologic: if you gel with it, it'll change your damn life, and if you don't... you're probably going to really dislike it. But hey, that's just how it is sometimes.

If you're still interested, I would try it for at least an hour or so. I'd suggest learning the basic mechanics on Easy(er), and then switching up to the default difficulty. For me, at least, beating the whole game on Easy(er) made the Fear and Hunger difficulty a pretty drastic change, but really just do whatever suits you best. This is not an easy or super accommodating game, so if you're determined to play it, play it however you like.

A brief psychological horror game with a small shift into survival at the very end. It's good, but it's not exactly what I was after. I find the advertising of the game on Steam (of it being mainly focused on the survival aspect) to be a bit misleading, but I understand why the game is paced the way it is. After all, it'd probably get old if that section made up the whole game, and the slow buildup to it is very well done. The story's fairly solid, though I don't like how the main twist was delivered (it should have been shown, rather than told).

My main gripe ended up being the execution of the permadeath gimmick - I had been doing perfect until everything fell apart near the end, and I died as one of the kids died. After restarting that night... he's still dead. I get that this decision was made to prevent cheesing, but it took me right out. I felt like I was being punished for something that I had very little agency in; it felt cheap, rather than tense.

All in all, it's a good game, and it's well worth the price.

nothing quite like getting to take out Tails with a UAV as Ryo Hazuki. 10/10

While this game is far more action-oriented than any other RE game up to that point, and this did spell ill portent for the franchise (for a moment), I don't think there's any denying that this is still a damn good game - campiness and all. It's one of a slim line of games in the franchise that are co-op, and said multiplayer is remarkable (I wish more games in the series had it, especially if they were a bit more focused on the survival horror). The combat feels good, up close and far away, and the game's got no shortage of tense moments. The story's definitely outlandish, but it's compelling and fun nonetheless. While I cannot recommend it to a franchise die-hard without some caveats, I'd still consider it worth one's while.

Truly a classic Wolf RPG Editor horror game. I had a great time playing it and picking apart all of the secrets! It's not terribly long, and it's got some really solid moments.

Delightfully scored, drawn, and designed, this game is a free-time vampire. Even among the roguelike genre that I adore so much (and that has so many masterpieces), this stands at the top of the pack. I could have never imagined this game being just as perfect as it is.

A fun take on classic survival horror - it's not perfect, but the gameplay is compelling, and it's a very unique twist. At times, it almost feels like a roguelike, with your progress on one death carrying over to the next. I do especially like how each character is genuinely unique - different HP pools, movement speed, puzzle solutions and bonus unlocks specific to certain characters, etc. It gives a certain amount of strategy to the whole thing that I'm still working on figuring out. The story's nothing groundbreaking, but it's a nifty subversion of things. All in all, I'm very glad that I picked it up.

My friends and I accidentally found out what it was like to be on the island from Lord of the Flies. If you are easily upset by discord and the innate chaos of man, do not play this with friends. If you welcome the storm, though... it's a bit silly.

this game hates my ♥♥♥♥♥. pretty fun

A masterfully done tribute to the survival horror genre. It hearkens back to those early classics, but it has very clearly put modern game design lessons to use, too. For a fan of the genre, it's a must-have. And for anybody who wants to try survival horror, I'd say that this is a perfect starting point. Short, but not too short; puzzles that are just tricky enough to pick your brain without being aggravating; and a perfect difficulty - you'll never be starved for resources, but you'll never have a glut of them, either. You just *have* to check this one out.