Tessera

Michael, Beetle Lord @michael.jagreview.com · 11mo ago

"I went in expecting another second monitor "number go up" time killer and wound up with a shockingly compelling mystery story that sat firmly on my main monitor basically the whole way through." - @michael.jagreview.com Read the full review for Asbury Pines here: jagreview.com/2025/11/24/r...

Review: Asbury Pines (2025)

Platform(s): PC (Steam) Version: Early Access v3.00.004 Verdict: POSITIVE Short Answer: An incremental resource management game with a time-hopping murder mystery narrative twist. The gameplay is s…

jagreview.com

I was recently given a copy of Wednesdays, a visual novel about healing from child sexual abuse. In honor of World Children's Day, the game has been made free to keep if you grab it before November 21. If you'd like to know more before picking it up, you can read my review at the quoted post below.

Save 100% on Wednesdays on Steam

"The hardest part is not to speak up. It’s being heard." Part video game, part graphic novel, Wednesdays seeks to raise awareness about child sexual abuse through a surprisingly hope-filled ...

store.steampowered.com

Just Another Game Review@jagreview.com · 11mo ago

"It delivers a story that’s as heartbreaking as it is uplifting, and it does so in a way that I don’t think you could replicate with the same impact in any other medium." - @michael.jagreview.com Read the full review for Wednesdays here: jagreview.com/2025/11/19/r...

"It delivers a story that’s as heartbreaking as it is uplifting, and it does so in a way that I don’t think you could replicate with the same impact in any other medium." - @michael.jagreview.com Read the full review for Wednesdays here: jagreview.com/2025/11/19/r...

Review: Wednesdays (2025)

Platform(s): PC (Steam, Itch.io) Version: 250410 Verdict: POSITIVE DISCLAIMER: Game code received for free by the developer. All thoughts and opinions written here are my own. Over the nearly three…

jagreview.com

Michael, Beetle Lord @michael.jagreview.com · 11mo ago

"It wears the skin of BF3, an infinitely better game, without understanding what made that game fun to play." - @gordon.jagreview.com Read the full review for Battlefield 6 here: jagreview.com/2025/11/14/r...

Review: Battlefield 6 (2025)

Platform(s): PC (Steam, Epic Games, EA App), PS5, Xbox Series X|S Verdict: NEGATIVE I haven’t regularly played a modern military shooter in many years, and Battlefield 6 does nothing to make me wan…

jagreview.com

I put off playing this game for way too long, but it ended up being the perfect way to spend a not-so-scary Halloween night (yes I know I'm posting this in like mid-November, I'm slow, don't judge me).

Just Another Game Review@jagreview.com · 11mo ago

"Minor complaints aside, My Friendly Neighborhood was just about everything I could’ve asked for when I set out to play a beginner-friendly survival horror game." - @michael.jagreview.com Read the full review here: jagreview.com/2025/11/09/r...

"Minor complaints aside, My Friendly Neighborhood was just about everything I could’ve asked for when I set out to play a beginner-friendly survival horror game." - @michael.jagreview.com Read the full review here: jagreview.com/2025/11/09/r...

Review: My Friendly Neighborhood (2023)

Platform(s): PC (Steam), PS4 & PS5, Xbox One & Series X|S Verdict: POSITIVE Short Answer: A comedic take on the survival horror and mascot horror genres that had me hooked from start to fin…

jagreview.com

"Misc. was just an absolute joy to play, and it’s without a doubt one of my favorite games of this year." - @michael.jagreview.com Read the full review for Misc. A Tiny Tale here: jagreview.com/2025/09/13/r...

Review: Misc. A Tiny Tale (2025)

Platform(s): PC (Steam), Nintendo Switch & Switch 2 Version: 1.0.5 Verdict: POSITIVE Short Answer: A fun, heartwarming, and unexpectedly inspiring collectathon/platformer about two tiny robots …

jagreview.com

"I don't think that this is a game I'll dump a hundred hours into or anything, but it got me to engage with a genre that I normally don't enjoy playing, and that's got to be worth something." - @michael.jagreview.com Read the full review of Hot Pot Game here: jagreview.com/2025/09/03/r...

Review: Hot Pot Game (2025)

Platform(s): PC (Steam) Version: 1.0.4 Verdict: POSITIVE DISCLAIMER: Game code received for free by the developer. All thoughts and opinions written here are my own. Short Answer: A Suika-styl…

jagreview.com

Michael, Beetle Lord @michael.jagreview.com · last yr.

"Even though it could feel very rough around the edges at times, I still had my fair share of fun with Miner Open Chests." - @michael.jagreview.com Read the full review here: jagreview.com/2025/08/26/r...

Review: Miner Open Chests (2024)

Platform(s): PC (Steam) Version: 1.0.1 Verdict: Mixed Short Answer: A retro-inspired block-breaking puzzle game where you collect treasure chests in a series of labyrinthine caves. The mechanics ar…

jagreview.com

Huge thanks to @flebpuzzles.bsky.social for the early review copy. My only "complaint" with his last game 20 Small Mazes (which you should also play, it's free) was that I wished I had more puzzles with that same level of creativity, and playing through Strange Jigsaws finally scratched that itch.

"It's a labor of love from someone with a deep appreciation for puzzles of all kinds, and you'll feel that same appreciation with every new puzzle you solve." - @michael.jagreview.com Read the full review for Strange Jigsaws here: jagreview.com/2025/08/07/s...

Michael, Beetle Lord @michael.jagreview.com · last yr.

"It's a labor of love from someone with a deep appreciation for puzzles of all kinds, and you'll feel that same appreciation with every new puzzle you solve." - @michael.jagreview.com Read the full review for Strange Jigsaws here: jagreview.com/2025/08/07/s...

Strange Jigsaws (2025) — Review

Platform(s): PC (Steam) Version: Pre-release build Verdict: POSITIVE DISCLAIMER: Game code received for free by the developer. All thoughts and opinions written here are my own. Short Answer: An ab…

jagreview.com

I said going into this that it would likely consume me for at least a month, and I was right on the money with that one. I'm so glad to finally play a sequel to one of my all-time favorite games, but now I want to pause the 100+ hour-long games and go back to the more bite-sized stuff for a while.

"...I think despite the occasional missteps, Fantasy Life i is great, both as a standalone game and as a sequel to a game so near and dear to me." - @michael.jagreview.com Read the full review here: jagreview.com/2025/07/07/f...

Gordon @gordon.jagreview.com · last yr.

"...I think despite the occasional missteps, Fantasy Life i is great, both as a standalone game and as a sequel to a game so near and dear to me." - @michael.jagreview.com Read the full review here: jagreview.com/2025/07/07/f...

Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time (2025) — Review

Platform(s): PC (Steam), Nintendo Switch & Switch 2, PS4 & PS5, Xbox Series X|S Version: 1.4.0 Verdict: POSITIVE Short Answer: A casual and family-friendly “slow-life” RPG that&…

jagreview.com

I played Split Fiction, an extremely well-made game, but one with two lead characters who should be thrown in the ocean. Still, it's one of the better games to come out this year. I wrote a review of it for @jagreview.com. You can read the review here: jagreview.com/2025/05/21/s...

Split Fiction (2025) — Review

Platform(s): PC (Steam, Epic Games, EA App), PS5, Xbox Series X|S Verdict: POSITIVE I respect Hazelight Studios for having a clear vision of what it wants its games to be while generally being able…

jagreview.com

Michael, Beetle Lord @michael.jagreview.com · last yr.

"But for all my complaints about some iffy writing and dodgy characters, it’s hard for me to imagine Split Fiction not making it into my favorite games of the year thanks to its overall excellent game design." - @gordon.jagreview.com Read the full review here: jagreview.com/2025/05/21/s...

Split Fiction (2025) — Review

Platform(s): PC (Steam, Epic Games, EA App), PS5, Xbox Series X|S Verdict: POSITIVE I respect Hazelight Studios for having a clear vision of what it wants its games to be while generally being able…

jagreview.com

Fun fact: this game actually went through two Kickstarter campaigns, failing to be funded in the first but succeeding in the second. I'm really glad that the folks at @gallagames.bsky.social got that second chance, because what they ended up releasing is just fantastic.

"...if the full release retained the same polish and charm as [the 2022 demo], then it was sure to be an excellent game. Now I can happily say that it is, in fact, an excellent game." - @michael.jagreview.com Read the full review for Kulebra & the Souls of Limbo here: jagreview.com/2025/05/18/k...

Michael, Beetle Lord @michael.jagreview.com · last yr.

"...if the full release retained the same polish and charm as [the 2022 demo], then it was sure to be an excellent game. Now I can happily say that it is, in fact, an excellent game." - @michael.jagreview.com Read the full review for Kulebra & the Souls of Limbo here: jagreview.com/2025/05/18/k...

Kulebra and the Souls of Limbo (2025) — Review

Platform(s): PC (Steam, GOG), Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series X|S Version: 1.0.13 Verdict: POSITIVE Short Answer: A gorgeous, well-polished, and utterly charming puzzle/adventure game. It feels both o…

jagreview.com

I tried way too hard to come up with a clever quote that's only there to be later plastered onto social media pages as a summary of the review, if you couldn't tell. Do I sound like a competent game review outlet yet? Anyway, really fun game, looking forward to the sequel coming out next week.

"Like a duck to a good slice of bread, this game had me hooked on the spot and left me eager for more when I was done." - @michael.jagreview.com Read the full review for Duck Detective: The Secret Salami here: jagreview.com/2025/05/14/d...

Michael, Beetle Lord @michael.jagreview.com · last yr.

"Like a duck to a good slice of bread, this game had me hooked on the spot and left me eager for more when I was done." - @michael.jagreview.com Read the full review for Duck Detective: The Secret Salami here: jagreview.com/2025/05/14/d...

Duck Detective: The Secret Salami (2024) — Review

Platform(s): PC (Steam, GOG), Nintendo Switch, Xbox One & Series X|S Version: 1.2.5 Verdict: POSITIVE Short Answer: A comedy-centric detective game with fun Obra Dinn-style puzzles, clever writ…

jagreview.com

I really wanted to like this game more than I did. I can see why my friends and other review outlets consider it one of the best out there, but having to fight with so many random chance mechanics wore me down before I could fully experience the best it has to offer. Here's hoping you fare better.

"If this game vibes with you, there's a good chance that it'll become one of your all-time favorites; but the constant battle with its RNG made it too frustrating for me to feel the same way." - @michael.jagreview.com Read the full review here: jagreview.com/2025/05/09/b...

Gordon @gordon.jagreview.com · last yr.

"If this game vibes with you, there's a good chance that it'll become one of your all-time favorites; but the constant battle with its RNG made it too frustrating for me to feel the same way." - @michael.jagreview.com Read the full review here: jagreview.com/2025/05/09/b...

Blue Prince (2025) — Review

Platform(s): PC (Steam), PS5, Xbox Series X|S Verdict: MIXED Short Answer: A fantastic puzzle game with an engaging story that’s stuck underneath too many layers of RNG for me to fully enjoy.…

jagreview.com

I played Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, a game that is legitimately my favorite of all time. On every level that a video game can be good, it masterfully excels. I wrote a review of it for @jagreview.com. You can read the review here: jagreview.com/2025/05/02/c...

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (2025) — Review

Platform(s): PC (Steam, Epic Games), PS5, Xbox Series X|S Verdict: POSITIVE It kind of sucks when you play the game of the year in April. It means that whatever comes out over the next 8 months jus…

jagreview.com

Michael, Beetle Lord @michael.jagreview.com · last yr.

"Genuinely, this is the closest to perfection in a video game I’ve come across. There is nothing in it that I can say I dislike or feel even slightly bothered by." - @gordon.jagreview.com Read the full review for Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 here: jagreview.com/2025/05/02/c...

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (2025) — Review

Platform(s): PC (Steam, Epic Games), PS5, Xbox Series X|S Verdict: POSITIVE It kind of sucks when you play the game of the year in April. It means that whatever comes out over the next 8 months jus…

jagreview.com

I liked it for what it is—enough to earn every achievement, even—but I also went in expecting a game with the deep crafting mechanics that Atelier is known for, and I think it missed the mark there. That being said, I'm glad I played it, and I hope this isn't the last we see of Yumia and the gang.

"There's a fun JRPG here to be sure; but as an Atelier game specifically, I must admit that it left something to be desired." - @michael.jagreview.com Read the full review here: jagreview.com/2025/04/23/a...