I’m Kinglink and it’s August… So it’s time for Humble Choice August 2023 Review.  This is my birthday month and this bundle is a great present, it’s amazing, except for a minor thing I will talk about later.

 I’ve covered half of these games previously, most on Game Pass, and played them all on stream for an hour, so I’m ready to dive deep into these games and tell you, how they play, what is worth checking out, and who will probably enjoy it.

I’m excited to talk about them, so let’s start with what’s already on the screen.

Disco Elysium – The Final Cut.  An amazing storytelling experience.

Disco Elysium is not like other games, I think of it a bit like a CRPG without combat, you develop a character, build out their stats and skill, and then roleplay as the main character.    The game is fully voiced now that the Final Cut version is out, and it’s fantastic.   There are skill checks for which your stats matter, but for the most part, this is much more about storytelling and world-building.  The main character too starts as a mess of a human but what’s interesting is it’s up to the player if he stays that way or tries to better himself, and you empathize with him. 

But Disco Elysium is fully story driven.  90 percent of the game is just reading or hearing the story, and anyone who wants more than that will have issues.  The writing style is unique but, of course, that means some players might not enjoy it.  Also, a lot of the brilliance comes from how many ways there are to the quests or goals, and I feel like people might not be able to fully understand the grand design without trying a different character and seeing there’s more than one way to solve almost every puzzle.

Pick this up if you think narrative or stories are important to games, or just want a fantastic world to discover.  This is a dystopian future, but the entire game is told in such a way that players will be compelled to discover more and more about the game, and its characters.  The way the story is told there’s also a great ability to replay the game to see even more interactions with many stats values and skills unlocking different story pieces.

One last thing though, Disco Elysium is awesome, but it’s also a bit mature.  The F word is spoken multiple times, the themes in the game are darker than most games, and there are a few slurs censored, but still it’s obvious what’s said.  If you’d have a problem with that, this should be avoided, but I also feel it works in the story that is told here. 

Chivalry 2.  Multiplayer Melee Mayhem.

Chivalry 2 has players joining massive multiplayer matches of up to 64 players, trying to earn a victory for their side, honor, and praise.  These matches always turn into a wild frenzy of blood and guts where working in a group will always be valuable, but the battle is exciting and you can always earn some level of honor even if you’re not that skilled.   The combat is exceptional as well as deep, and it needs to be because so much of the game relies on it.

On the other hand, this is a multiplayer-only game, and it’s often a frenzy, if you get overwhelmed with huge groups, this might trigger you.  There are not a ton of modes, mostly focusing on objective maps and deathmatch.  And  I have to call out there’s a battle pass that mostly goes for real money.  It’s not time-limited, which is good, but it still is a microtransaction as well as other microtransactions, though many of those can be earned by in-game play. 

Pick this up if you want a multiplayer game, especially one focused on melee.  There is archery, but at some point, you’re going to be fighting face-to-face.  However this is popular, there’s a strong community, 2000 players as a daily max consistently on Steam Chart, and that’s not even considering cross-play is here.  I was able to get into every match in under a minute, and mostly it’s waiting for people to load in.  

Road 96.  A look at a totalitarian government through the eyes of the fleeing youth.

Road 96 seems simple, players start as a character and meet various people as they proceed through the game.  After about an hour, players will usually escape the country or come to an unhappy end, and then Road 96 shows what it’s about.  It’s not the story of the character, but rather a long-term look at the country, through multiple various fleeing teenagers, with each character’s actions affecting the overall story.

The downside is of course this is mostly a story-based game, so players wanting combat or action will be a little displeased.  Also, the game does suggest that it’s procedurally generated, but that’s mostly a lie without getting into specifics.  While I enjoy the writing it doesn’t do a great job hiding its big reveals, most of which you can guess fairly early, but are still enjoyable. 

Pick this up if you enjoy stories and want an interestingly told tale.  This is unique, and the pacing of the scenes between all the characters and the different ways you get to know them stand out.  There are a lot of good scenes and interesting people to meet on the road, and learning about the country will keep players coming back for the entire experience.

Trek to Yomi.  A beautiful cinematic samurai game. 

Trek to Yomi’s cutscenes are gorgeous.  The level of detail on most characters’ faces is beautiful, and the scenery and backgrounds are gorgeous celebrations of the artform.  Battles are visceral, with your blade killing most enemies in two or three strikes, and the story is very good. The game evokes a sense of old Japanese Samurai movies, especially those of Akira Kurosawa.  All of this makes me kind of ignore the game’s flaws. 

But honestly, Trek to Yomi’s combat is a bit shallow, and I’ve heard it never really gets the depth it deserves.  While the backgrounds are lush, all combat is done on a 2d plane.  The exploration is quite weak with almost no value to finding collectibles, and sometimes it’s hard to know where to go because of the gorgeous art.  It’s also only a 5-hour title. 

Pick this up if you’re enchanted with what you’re seeing on screen.  I am, and I’ve played this before and still just love the look and feel of the game.  The story is good, and the combat is sufficient, but if you want a deeper and more robust combat experience that’s not this.  Still, I think this is a satisfying experience. 

Arcade Paradise.  Laundromat simulator.

Arcade Paradise might be where the game eventually gets, but early on players are running a laundromat, having to wash and dry clothes for money, and able to play arcade games in the back while waiting for the machines to finish.  Over time earning money will let players expand and I assume play more games.  Having to mix time between the laundromat and the arcade machine is challenging, but hopefully, that isn’t as much a part of the title.

The downside is the games aren’t the deepest, and even the few games that are surprisingly deep at the beginning don’t work well in the one to two-minute range players have to play them.   There are also 8 games available as DLC, the total price of those titles is almost as much as the base game as well.  While there are 35 titles contained in the game, immediately seeing a hand held out for more money always rubs me the wrong way.   Also, some of the games are a bit “meh”, so I’m not sure if the ones I haven’t played yet will be amazing.

Pick this up if you love the simulator genre and old arcade games.  There’s a lot of work that went into this, and I’m curious how much deeper the game goes, but I’m not sure how long this one can keep my attention.  Still, the idea of running an arcade is one of those things 90s kids always wanted to do. 

SuchArt: Genius Artist Simulator. A lovely Art Simulator. 

Not to make this review about me, but I’m not very artistic, especially traditional art.  I hate painting and drawing, and I inflict my programmer art on every new employee who joins my team at work and I take a silent joy in doing so.  Sufficient to say art is not my thing.  

After playing an hour of Such Art, I found myself enjoying drawing.  Well not enjoying but at least having a good enough time that I wouldn’t mind continuing.  There are enough unique suggestions and requests, that I found myself having fun even with my lack of ability.  The desire to build a gallery, the chance to challenge myself, and painting mechanics that are unique and good.  In addition, if you have a tablet, the game claims you can use that for the art if you prefer. 

On the other hand, this is a simulator game, it’s more focused on the game mechanics than the art.  If you want to go create art, use Krita or Gimp, or some other art program.  But this is more about the experience of being an artist, and it does well with that.   There are limitations to what you can use at least at first, but that can also push you to do something even better with the limitations and most of the limitations will make you a bit more inventive. 

Pick this up if you love art, and want to play a game focused on creating art.  The game also allows you to feature and display the art in a virtual gallery, take pictures of it, and have a real sense of pride in what you create. I’ll be honest, I’m not going to be returning, but I’d still recommend this to anyone who enjoys artistic pursuits because it’s not you, Such Art… it’s me.  Also, I didn’t really love Passpartout: The Starving Artist, but this game is definitely speaking more to me, but if you enjoyed that title, this is definitely for you. 

Finally, I have to say I call this game Su Chart a lot, I know it’s Such Art, but with it all capitalized, that’s how I read it at first,  I know it’s stupid but it makes me laugh.  SuChart!  

Tin Can.  Life Pod Simulator.

Tin Can starts with the player on a ship that’s about to blow up in 60 seconds.  They can grab all the supplies they can bring to the life pod, one at a time, but after that point, they will escape off the ship and wait for a rescue shuttle to pick them up in that pod.  The main mode has 6 survival missions ranging from 6 minutes to 30 minutes, each with what seems like a set script of what is going to go wrong.  There’s also a challenge mode with different challenges.  

That being said, this is a game mostly about figuring out what is wrong, and how to solve it.  This speaks heavily to the part of my brain that loves Zachtronics games and programming, but that also means most players might not enjoy it at that level.  I had a lot of trouble figuring out the first issue with the pod, but now that I understand that one, the second mission was relatively easy, and I’m looking forward to even more. 

Pick this up if you like puzzle-solving and dealing with problems, especially in a high-pressure situation.  Limiting the problem area, and focusing on diagnosing the computer systems feels pretty fresh, but also there’s probably a limited number of unique missions here, so once you’ve run each survival and completed it, I’m not sure how much there is to do, even the challenges will be a bit limited, as there’s only a certain number of events that can happen.

Hot Brass. SWAT tactics and hostage situations.

In Hot Brass, you’re a member of the police and have to deal with escalating situations.  Players will have to bust in, take down hostiles, control the situation, and get everyone out alive.  Each level has a set of challenges, collectibles, and a goal of trying to avoid killing anyone, as well as not having an infraction of breaking the police code.  There’s also up to four-player local co-op and an online co-op that’s a bit dead, though you can still use it to play with a friend.

At the same time, the AI in the game feels extremely stupid.  I found that sliding on tables makes the enemy stop shooting at you, walking around a corner makes the enemy mindlessly wander over, and I think one guy lost sight of me when I just stepped out of his view cone for a second.  I don’t know if the game is balanced for a single player. Hunting collectibles isn’t that fun and this is almost a feeling of propaganda at times mostly painting the police as paragons of good who will do no wrong.  That’s not reality. 

Pick this up if you want to play a tactical game, especially with other players.  Something is interesting at the core here, but also as a solo game, it feels like it’s missing an important depth that other players will hopefully help with. 

And that’s what I have for this month’s choice. 

Let’s take a look at the Is There Any Deal list.  The value is decent, though a bit less than last month.  Though, Chivalry 2 has never been cheaper, and Such Art has a good value.  Tin Can, Disco Elysium, and Arcade Paradise at around 10 bucks at their lowest means if you want any of those for two bucks more you get the rest. 

The number on the right was how many times they have been bundled, most of the games were offered through Fanatical Platinum Collections, but Chivalry 2 was in a Melee Mayhem bundle on Humble.

Also, there are coupons, but … The coupon for Arcade Paradise makes no sense, it’s 15 percent off the High Score edition of the game, but that includes an extra copy of the game, and goes for 26 dollars, so it’s not worth it. 

I mentioned I had a personal issue with this choice, and it’s that I already personally owned 4 of these titles before picking this bundle up, and that’s not a negative, I owned them because I enjoyed them on Game Pass or on their own.  Those being Disco Elysium, Road 96, and Chivalry 2, though that last one was because it was in a good bundle.  I’m glad to get the others, but I think similarly many players will likely already have the big games they want from this. 

There are two major genres on display here, Disco Elysium and Road 96 are great story-based games that shine with their storytelling.  Arcade Paradise, Such Art, and Tin Can all are First Person Simulator games, even though they are a bit different they all will be interesting to simulator game fans.  If you’re a fan of either style of game, you’ll be well served here.   As a fan of story games though, I can easily say this is what I would want to see for that genre.

With that said, let’s break down the games into tier lists, and four categories: Those games worth the full bundle price, those strong contenders, average titles, and misses.  And remember this is a personal opinion on the games, outside of the discussion of actual value. 

And we’ll skip the Miss category.  I think everything will find an audience, though the question is will that audience be you?

So moving up to Average, and I think the lowest game is just lacking a lot of polish.  That’s what we’ve been watching, Hot Brass.  It’s not a bad game, I enjoyed myself with it, but I also have no desire to return and I think it probably needs more players, even though it allows solo play. 

Following that up, we have Arcade Paradise.  I’m sure this game will get better, and running the laundromat becomes less of a thing, I honestly think I’m right on the tipping point of that.  But the one thing I worry about is being unable to spend the time to play the games because the simulator aspects get in the way.  Also, the DLC situation is frustrating.

That’s the Average tier and two games aren’t bad.  Though the next title was kind of on the border.  

The bottom of Strong Contenders is Tin Can.  I’m giving this the thumbs up because I enjoyed this and this is the game I’m probably going to play first out of the bundle. It’s not going to be that long but the gameplay of figuring out what’s going on or how to solve things works here, and I enjoyed it.  Honestly, it might even be worth trying to get my VR headset working again to try this out in VR. 

The middle of Strong contenders is Trek to Yomi.  The style of this game is just brilliant, it looks amazing, it’s got that great story and visceral gameplay, but it’s a little short, and when I break it down, I start to see the pieces, instead of the presentation.  Still worth checking out. 

And the top of the strong contenders is SuChart… I told you I say that all the time.  Such Art is a brilliant art program.  I mean I’m putting it here and I likely will never return to it.  But if you even have a slight desire to create art… Go for it, it definitely will satisfy you, also you can draw on everything which makes it special.  I’m tempted to show this one to my wife who loves creating things.

And that’s where we are after the Strong Contenders.  There are three games left so let’s go down the list. 

The Bottom of the games worth the Full Bundle is Road 96.  I’m a fan of story-based games, and the way Road 96 tells its story is very compelling.  Ignore the promise of a procedural system, but if you enjoy a good narrative, this is exactly what you’ll want.  Memorable characters, major reveals, and interesting events will keep you coming back to see it all.

This leads us to the next game, which is Chivalry 2.  I don’t play a lot of multiplayer games.  But Chivalry 2 makes me want to play more of it, and the combat is really good. I’ve played quite a bit on Game Pass, and I’m hoping to play even more on Steam.   This just feels amazing.

But that leaves just one game… and of course, it’s Disco Elysium.  This might be one of my top ten games of all time.  There’s no question what was getting the top spot.  The writing is so good, the style is amazing, the characters are unbelievable, and the fact I don’t even want to use the main character’s name because that and everything else is part of an amazing tale and really should tell you that this should be experienced.  

One note for Uber fans of the channel.  Some of you are probably asking “How can you heap that praise on Disco Elysium as one of your favorites when it didn’t earn the game of the year when you played it?”  Well, that’s because Hades came out in that same year, and dear god, did I play the hell out of that game too.  And that decision was still very close.  Disco Elysium is worth your time if you haven’t played it already.

With that said, this is the final tier list, and yeah.  As I said, I’m so happy with how this lineup looks, even though other months may have similar metrics, those top three games… this month is almost guaranteed a top spot this year… Or we might find Hades in a bundle when Hades 2 drops… We’ll see. 

If you enjoyed this video and want more from me, consider subscribing to my channel, ring the bell to get notifications, and remember no shorts, no fluff, I make videos when I have something to say.  Like, share, and comment, it always helps and be good to each other.

If you want to see something else I’ve worked on, I made a short video on Brotato and what makes it stand out.  That’s released on the Switch on August 3rd, the day I’m recording this, and is already on Steam. It’s a five-dollar title you shouldn’t miss… 

And speaking of Disco Elysium I have a video where I tear down an opening quest to show why that game stands out.  So if you’re still on the fence, check that out.  Ok, I’ve praised that game enough, I know I’ll stop … for this month. 

See you next time.