Betshet

Betshet

@betshet.bsky.social

Game programmer & designer Manga & art enthusiast Banner and pfp by @taplaos.bsky.social

121 followers102 following984 posts

Slay the Princess is on sale If you want to play something that reminds you that video games are art, look no further. Here's my review in case you're interested : bsky.app/profile/bets...

Slay the Princess is at an all time high discount of ~60% off~ Get one of the best reviewed games of 2023 for just $7.19! 💯 90 metacritic 🗡️ 96% positive on Steam 🗣️ Get yelled at by Jonathan Sims 👁️ Watch Jonathan Sims also get yelled at by Jonathan Sims 😓 Question every choice you make

Been reading KAKAKAKA, one of the new manga from the latest Jump+ batch So far, it's been really good. Political intrigue in 17th-century China with a genius protagonist who tries to avenge the death of his brother. It takes itself SO seriously, every line of dialogue is spoken with immense gravitas

The plot has been going at a breakneck pace, with almost every chapter ending on a cliffhanger it's captivating but I'm wondering how much material the author is gonna have at this rate Also the art looks pretty bad on a technical level, but the composition, posing and paneling are all great

If there's one thing that's been blowing my expectations out of the water in Order of the Sinking Star so far, it's the scenery You don't often pay attention to it because the main focus is on the puzzles, but god there's so much attention to detail in these backgrounds

Like, each puzzle has its own little scene and decor, its own ambiance, lightning, mood... It's so much effort for something that you're NOT supposed to pay attention to.

Making good progress into Order of the Sinking Star The game is getting pretty good, and I like how the mechanics have progressed as I complete the areas. I just started the Beam area and it's the best one so far. Still waiting for the moment the game really "clicks" the same way The Witness did

Like don't get me wrong, it's a fantastic game so far, with just the right amount of challenge and incredible production quality But this is a Jonathan Blow game, there HAS to be more, and I've seen some hints to something bigger but not much else I still feel like I'm i'm the tutorial of the game.

Started playing Order of the Sinking Star Maybe it's a little bit early to judge the game, but Jonathan Blow has a bad habit of selling his games for more than what they actually are, and this one is not an exception. The production quality IS high however, the game is very pretty.

As it is, it kinda ruins the immersion, since any choice you make can be undone, and jumping around the story like this can make you see some story beats kind of out of order. Of course these are very minor problems, and I adored every second of my playthrough otherwise.

I hope you'll give Mesmalie a try and love Mesmer as much as I did, and I hope I see more games as charming and full of creativity as this one from its creator.

A small nitpick : one of the main selling points of the game is that you can choose to go home at any time during the story. It's a fun gimmick for the first hour, but loses any interest once you realize that it just gives you 1 or 2 paragraphs of text before booting you back to chapter select.

Speaking of the chapter select, you can jump around the story from this menu anytime you want. This is fine once you've finished the game to help you find secrets and endings faster, but I wish this menu only appeared if you've finished the game once.

Mesmer's expressions and animations are such a pleasure to look at, and the story is genuinely gripping. I had so much fun playing the first time, and even more fun hunting all of the secrets and endings.

As always with these high-effort games made by one or two people, my main complaint is that I wish the game was longer. I finished it in 2 or 3 sessions and was quite sad when the credits rolled. If you want to try it out, do yourself a favor and really take the time to savor the game.

You play as a woman seeking help with her newfound magical abilities. Fortunately, a witch named Mesmer answers her call and accepts to give her lessons to control her power. I fell in love with Mesmer the second I met her, and she is the entire reason why this game gripped me as hard as it did.

She's chaotic, excitable, shy, insecure, and overall a really compelling character to follow, even when it becomes increasingly obvious that she's hiding something from you. The game overflows with charm, attention to detail, secrets, really charming animations, and has a great soundtrack to boot.

Betshet reposted

Games I've played recently Endacopia : one of the coolest games I've played in a long time. I vibed with it like I've rarely vibed with a game before, and it kept surprising me at every turn with how weird, funny, and sometimes surprisingly earnest it could be.

But as a game mainly developped during a game jam and sold for 5 bucks, Pseudoregalia is one of the most impressive 3D platformers I've ever played, and I can't deny that i've had a ton of fun playing it The game knows what it is, and hones in on its strengths while ignoring almost everything else.

In the end, I can't not recommand Pseudoregalia, despite its very rough state. I wish the game was more than a game jam project, but as it is, it's still absolutely worth your time.

The only way in which this game feels polished is in the movement. The game's protagonist, Sybil, has some of the smoothest and most satisfying movement I've ever played in a 3D game, and I was genuinely delighted to simply move, jump, dive, and summersault through the game.

But here lies the dilemma : how do you judge this game? As a piece of art, it feels like the only reason the game exists is to show off the incredible moveset of Sybil and give her a few obstacle courses to run around in. The world feels empty, the levels unfinished, the combat an afterthought.

Pseudoregalia : Quick review 🧵 store.steampowered.com/app/2365810/... In his review of Hollow Knight, Joseph Anderson said something that stuck with me, and still bounces in my head to this day. What is the difference between a review and a critique?

store.steampowered.comPseudoregalia on SteamDeep within the realm of sleep, Sybil finds herself pulled to a distorted castle. Grow strong, and unlock new abilities to build up a deep movement system, fight enemies, find secrets, and free the we...

In the video, he says that as a piece of art, Hollow Knight is great, but flawed. But as a product sold for 15$, it is flawless and immune to criticism because it's such a great ratio of quality to price. I am writing this as a preamble because I feel the same way towards Pseudoregalia.

The game looks very incomplete, and the lack of polish makes itself known immediately from the stretched fonts and textures, the haphazard level design, and the complete lack of story. Even for being "retro-inspired", the game looks rough. It even feels unfinished at times.

god this arc of 7th Prince is so incredible The author took a break a few months ago to plan this whole arc and it shows, it feel a lot tighter and well-written, the pacing is impeccable

Game where every level builds up to a climactic bossfight but when you get to the boss arena the boss isn't there but every NPC acts as if it is You do the entire game like this and there's a metanarrative where you the player need to figure out why the game is broken

Still thinking about the epilogue of Stanley Parable Ultra Deluxe I think I can now admit to myself that I was pretty disappointed by Wanderstop, in large part because Stanley and Beginner's Guide marked me so deeply It was a really good game, just not at all what I was expecting after those two

Games I've played recently Endacopia : one of the coolest games I've played in a long time. I vibed with it like I've rarely vibed with a game before, and it kept surprising me at every turn with how weird, funny, and sometimes surprisingly earnest it could be.

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Solarpunk : Went in with high expectations, immediately fell off a cliff. A disappointing experience, feels incredibly incomplete and barebones, and looks more like an early access game. Solid base, early game could use so polish, but mid to late game could use ~two years of regular content updates.

Denshattack! : An incredible concept, executed with style and passion. What an incredible vision for a game, a visual and auditive treat. Gameplay got kinda repetitive after a while though, and I don't think I have it in me to finish it, but I defninitely recommand you give it a try.

Games I've played recently Endacopia : one of the coolest games I've played in a long time. I vibed with it like I've rarely vibed with a game before, and it kept surprising me at every turn with how weird, funny, and sometimes surprisingly earnest it could be.

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Nine Sols : Bounced off pretty hard with that one, mainly because of the way the game implements the Dark Souls bloodstains. Really beautiful, very intriguing story, hard to master combat, but kinda shallow exploration and a difficulty curve that's out of whack. Don't think I'll be finishing it.

(the) Gnorp Apologue : Small little incremental game with fun systems and deep synergies you need to master. Pretty short, especially for the genre, but hits the dopamine center like a truck for a few days.

Games I've played recently Endacopia : one of the coolest games I've played in a long time. I vibed with it like I've rarely vibed with a game before, and it kept surprising me at every turn with how weird, funny, and sometimes surprisingly earnest it could be.

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Big Walk : A masterclass on how to do game design in a coop game. Really depends on who you're playing with, but as long as it's with the right people, an unforgettable experience. I do wish the puzzles had a little more variety, most of them boiled down to "telephone but with a twist".

Gambonanza : "Balatro but with chess", a cool concept executed with elegance. The game is noticably harder than Balatro, especially as you rise through the different "stakes", but it also feels pretty reptitive after a while, mainly because of the joker equivalent (gambits) not feeling very deep.

Games I've played recently Endacopia : one of the coolest games I've played in a long time. I vibed with it like I've rarely vibed with a game before, and it kept surprising me at every turn with how weird, funny, and sometimes surprisingly earnest it could be.

The Cosmic Wheel Sisterhood : A deeply profound, immersive, and moving experience. This game surprised me by just how much I loved playing it, and how quickly the story grabbed me. The dialogue is funny, witty, really well written, and I wish I could have kept playing for 15 more hours.

Half of the work of a game designer is copying ideas and concepts you like from other games and trying to fit them in your game The other half is copying ideas you didn't like from other games and changing them so they work more like you wanted them to