I’m Kinglink and I just finished off the turkey from Thanksgiving, so that means it’s time for the Humble Choice December 2023 Review.

This month we have 8 games and more.  So last month I forgot to mention there was a 1 month DC Comics subscription, apparently I wasn’t alone because it’s back this month and now it’s in the list of games.   Just want to mention it because I probably will forget it later. 

I’ve done an eight-hour straight stream, checking out these games, though honestly, I didn’t need all that time.  I’ve played over half of these previously, many on Xbox Game Pass, and now have a chance to take a second look and cover them in this series.  So let’s get on with that right away. 

Starting with what’s on-screen…

Expeditions: Rome.  Exploring an ancient civilization through murder and dialogue trees. 

Expeditions: Rome takes the CRPG genre and drops the player into the time period of Ancient Rome.  Meeting Julius Caesar in the first scenes, players will take on the role of a man or woman who quickly ascends to a powerful military position and then joins the war efforts while trying to solve their father’s murder.  The writing here is good, though it does use a lot of Roman terms so players might need to look those up for full comprehension.  However, the story does seem interesting, and the battles are strategic and suitably large.

The Strategy RPG genre though is a mixed bag.  While Expeditions: Rome does a great job of making it clear what each attack does, it also sometimes will feel unfair just due to how the genre uses random dice rolls.  Also, the story has historical inaccuracies which won’t upset most fans, but feels odd because the game shows a lot of love for the period as well though that’s ignoring the pronunciation choices.   And the tactical gameplay won’t appeal to everyone. 

Pick this up if you liked the original Fallout games but can do with less humor.  It’s a strategy RPG, where you get a large party, cruise around, talk to everyone, and wage war on an epic scale.  It might be a bit of a niche, with its heavy story and long gameplay, but it’s also perfect for those who like the genre. 

Midnight Fight Express. Brawling through a lawless city.

Midnight Fight Express does a lot of things right.  The start of the game has a pumping beat, the combat feels tight, the levels are well laid out, there are challenges for each level, just a lot to do, and the idea of a fast past brawler can work.  On paper, all of this is a good idea and in-game everything feels very polished. 

The only problem is nothing ever really feels like it comes together.  Nothing is bad, necessarily, but there’s just something that isn’t as exciting as each of the parts individually, and instead of a bad or a great game, it’s just average.  The music becomes repetitive before the first hour is up even with different stages, the enemies change but not enough, there are upgrades but it will take many levels to earn them all and they don’t change the game as none of them will be required and the only thing that challenges unlock is cosmetics, that don’t affect the gameplay, at least that’s the story we’re told over and over again.  Again, nothing bad, but my excitement went down over the first hour, just as it did the last time I played this. 

Pick this up, you want an interesting case study in how a game just fails to come together, or just want a beat-\em-up game for a while.  Sadly that’s all this is, and it’s a shame, but I will say this, with everything that works here, I’d be interested to see if this studio can turn it on with another title that meshes a bit better because the framework is here, just something is missing. 

Elex 2.  A sequel to a game I’ve forgotten. 

Elex 2 is going to appeal to a certain type of person, and that person probably already has it.  This is from the same company that made Gothic and Risen.  The player loves the studio and their characters, convoluted story, and gameplay that’s not made to be accessible.  

However, this feels like a hard game to love, as do most of the studio’s titles.  Risen felt like a series that arrived about 5 years too late, and just was a dated relic and Elex 2 has that same feeling.  For an action RPG, there are interesting ideas but this isn’t going to compete with Starfield or Cyberpunk 2077, and feels more like a niche game even in the action RPG genre.  It’s hard to say what new fans the studio will pick up in 2023 who haven’t played one of these titles before. 

But worse the story here feels obtuse, in that it expects the players to already have played and studied the first game’s story.   If you haven’t, the game will name-drop a lot and while you might be able to pick things up through context, this is a continuation of the story, not intending for new players to be able to integrate into the tale.   Also, there are bizarre things like a Billy Idol concert with him singing Whiskey and Pills for no reason. That still boggles me, though since that got me muted on Twitch, I’m not even going to attempt to show that here. 

Pick this up if you liked Elex, it was in a Humble Choice a while back so some fans will be here, but this is for fans of that title already, especially those that remember the story.   I barely remember playing it so it’s probably not for me. 

Nobody Saves the World.  Achievement hunting the game. 

You know what’s better than Achievements, lots of them, and in quest form, with multiple different characters, and abilities that you’ll have to use to complete the quests.  You then tie the completion of those achievements into progression in the game, so players are constantly pushed to beat more of the game’s meta quests.   And while this sounds like a sick fantasy of people who care about achievements too much (which I do)… it’s also how Nobody Saves the World works.  

Players will change their form to use different abilities and constantly switch what attacks they’re using so they can beat these mini-quests.  In addition, the game has an interesting and often funny story.  There’s a lot to do in the game, taking about 20 hours for me to beat and I was having a great time throughout. 

Still, this is very meta quest and achievement style gameplay, so players who want to focus on the large epic journey and get annoyed by achievements in games should steer clear, that’s most of what the game does.  The art style is a take-or-leave-it number, and while I like it, it took me a while to get comfortable with those empty eyes. 

Pick this up if, I keep saying it, but if you like metagaming.  This was an engaging title, and I even picked it up myself because I wanted to play the whole thing after seeing it on Game Pass, but I’m also thrilled more people will get the chance to check this out. 

The Gunk.  Creating a lush beautiful world out of slime pools. 

The Gunk has a beautiful moment where the player removes the last of the Gunk in an area and the player flashes a green sphere and the world’s flora comes back into view.  That moment plays again and again about every five minutes or so, and each one feels uplifting.  The beauty being restored is never really lost on the player as they explore the massive world that surrounds them even if it’s a guided path.   While there is combat, this is almost a casual game, with a great story and interesting locations to discover. 

At the same time, there’s just enough combat to make this more active than most casual games, as well as some platforming.  Only a few moments have a real challenge, but it’s in a weird position.  The idea of cleaning up a world while investigating what caused the calamity might not appeal to everyone, but this is a unique title in that respect. 

Pick this up if you like what you’re seeing.  This is just an odd game to gauge but I enjoyed myself and fully played through this title on Game Pass.  It took me 6 hours and while 5 of them were great, the last hour dragged just a bit, but it still has an interesting tale, and I will applaud there’s a lot said in the story without being shoved in the player’s face. 

The Pale Beyond.  Sailing into the frozen south to find a mysterious wreck. 

The Pale Beyond starts with an interview for the main character to join the interviewer’s crew as a first mate.  The game is played in a slow story-based style where players have to make choices but also those questions will make the player think a bit about their character.  The game says that decisions will change the crew, their opinions of the player, and their morale.  There are also several resources that players will have to balance between food, fire, and the aforementioned morale.   The game moves at a brisk pace but there’s probably a lot more to discover after the first hour.  

At the same time, this does seem to be very story-heavy.  I’m not sure how much each decision will matter, and the game pretty much forces most of the important choices in the first hour.  It’s likely just holding the player’s hand but as usual, this is a game claiming “choices will matter”, and the question as always is “how much”.  It seems the gameplay is more about staying alive than necessarily changing the ending, but that’s also where the challenge will lie. 

Pick this up if you like a story-based game.  Parts of me were thinking about Return of the Ober Din due to the language and an experience on a ship, but that was more of a puzzle game and this is more of a narrative.  Still, something is intriguing about this story so far so it’s possible I’ll play much more. 

Last Call BBS.  The final new title from Zachtronics 

Last Call BBS came out last year.  It was a bit of a surprise, being announced as Zachtronics’ final release.  While they did release a solitaire collection after this, this is more of a collection of the games that never got made.  There are 7 unique titles here, and they range from a game where you lay out metal for a chip, a game where you automate a kitchen and a game where you build Gundam models, which is far more interesting than it should be. 

But ultimately this is Zachtronics, it’s all the same negative.  It’s a game built for a programmer or logic mindset, and while I love that, it’s not going to appeal to most players.  There’s a good amount of content but a few games feel a little short, mostly the Gundam models or at least legally-distinct-giant-mecha models, I just want a hundred of them.  Also, this feels like prototypes the studio made and never built for a full game.  It’s not a huge negative but feels a bit like leftovers. 

Pick this up if you enjoy Zachtronics games.  I keep saying this and this is absolutely another for that pile.  I adore this company, I said goodbye to them when this game came out, and looking at this once more gives me a lot of nostalgia.  I would highly recommend checking this out if you ever enjoyed any of their games.  And I know of their new company Coincidence, I can’t wait to see what happens with them. 

From Space.  A Multiplayer twin-stick shooter.

From Space appears to be geared towards four-player combat where players look around a map, lower the infestation level, and probably at some point clear the map and move on to the next.  There’s a story mode and a new horde mode, though the story mostly just has missions that take you to locations so different combat activities occur.  There are also 6 classes in the game, with 6 more available in DLC. 

Nothing stands out here, but a lot of issues seem to come up.  The early guns lack an enjoyable feedback loop but even once you get a Uzi or an AK47, you’re doing more damage but it just feels like you’re firing into bullet sponges.  The AI is horrible at times, such as when an enemy stood above me and wouldn’t attempt to walk downstairs.   Big brutes don’t even turn their shields as you strafe around them, and there’s no self-preservation from friendly following you so you have to manage traps not just for you but for one of the dumbest AIs I’ve seen in a game. 

Pick this up if…You know play Warframe, Deep Rock Galactic, Risk of Rain 2, Diablo 4, or something else.  This one really isn’t worth your time, and the community is pretty dead on Steamcharts, having only 20 players at the peak before the Humble Choice, and that’s probably spot on.   There is just nothing that exciting here. 

And that’s what I have, again I will mention a free month of DC Infinite, but at least one person I talked to had some trouble activating that, still, it’d be good if you’re interested in reading the history of the DC comic characters.

Like always we’ll take a visit to IsThereAnyDeal, and of course, there is.  There are quite a few here that are a good value.  I will mention Gunk is listed as 0 but is 24 dollars on the Steam store.  Elex2 and The Pale Beyond has never been cheaper than 12 bucks, All the titles except for From Space are currently more than 12, and most games hover around 11 or 10 dollars, so not a bad deal.  The only repackage is From Space but… yeah. 

I’ll also say having played most of these with Game Pass, owning as well as beating a couple, this is a rather solid bundle.  The Gunk, Nobody Saves the World, and Last Call BBS are games I’m glad that are here.  Even when I didn’t enjoy the game, it’s still a good addition, except… well one title. 

I’m just going to quickly move us to the Tier List this month, and talk about that.  We have four categories, Games worth the full bundle prices, strong contenders, average titles, and misses.  A reminder this is a personal opinion, not meant as a price of the game, but more value of the experience,  and with that said we have one title in that last category 

Our miss this month is still playing on the screen.  It’s From Space.  This is a game that just feels like an afterthought, both in development and inclusion.  I’d love to dive deep with the team and find out what they were aiming for, but honestly, this just isn’t good enough. 

For the average tier, we have two titles.  Midnight Fight Express is our first.  I wish I had the time and could explain more but this is a game whose excitement wears off very fast and there’s not much left beyond that.  I feel like this game got a lot of mileage out of a free download on Game Pass at launch.

The other game in the average tier is Elex II.  This does seem functional but there’s just so much here that feels dated. Still, even if you are interested, this does feel like it requires that first title to fully appreciate it, so try that one first and you should know for sure if you want more.

This is how the tier list looks after half the tiers.  Not bad, five games left, let’s move on to the two games in Strong Contenders.  

The first title here is The Gunk.  I enjoyed myself with this title, but I barely talked about it after.  It’s not a strong recommendation to others, but when I saw it in the Humble Choice, I thought “OH I enjoyed that game” And… that’s pretty much a good summary of it. 

The other title in the Strong Contenders is The Pale Beyond.  I enjoyed the storytelling here, but I’m sure a playthrough or two will be enough of this game.  It’s a different experience but isn’t going to stand out too much on its own.  Still, it’s one of the few games in recent months that feels different and that’s a good thing. 

This leaves us with three titles remaining and a tier list that looks like this.  So we’ll continue onwards.

The bottom of the Full Bundle.  Personal opinion, but come on.  One more Zachtronics game.  And listen, I promise the Solitaire collection won’t be up here if and when it is on Humble, but Zachtronics is still my favorite company and Last Call BBS is still an amazing finale for them.   Also, it’s the bottom of this tier, which means there are two more games I would recommend over it.  

The middle of the tier is Expeditions: Rome   This is a forty-hour CRPG, so there’s a good length here.  The strategy in the combat is pretty interesting and the writing was good, so if you’re a fan of the genre, this is a pretty safe bet.  This is for fans of this style but there’s a lot to sink your teeth into here. 

Which leads us to Nobody Saves the World.  This is a game I spent 20 hours with and loved every minute of it.  It hits that part of my brain that makes me chase after achievements, but it’s also funny, and charismatic, and trust me the art style will grow on you.  Or at least it grew on me.  This was a ton of fun and like I said, a 20-hour title, easily worth a strong recommendation. 

And that’s what we have for this month.  This is the final tier list and with that said, we can move on to some alternatives. 

I do highly recommend this Humble Choice but if you want something a bit different, well let me offer two alternatives.  These will be available until two weeks after I release this video, I believe it’s December 21st. 

First up we have the Uplifting Adventures Bundle.  This seems like a nice cute bundle, I can personally say Tinykin is a great game.  It’s like Pikmin on the PC, and that’s something I’ve wanted for a long time, so this might be worth checking out.  

The other bundle I’ll call out is due to people always saying they want JRPGs, well here you go.  Note that’s 7 games and a coupon, not the same thing, Humble, but I can say Edge of Eternity is pretty good.  Bug Fables is almost like a Paper Mario-style game so those I can recommend, the others are new to me, but should be interesting enough. 

And that’s what I have, this is the end of the year, which means I’m working on my best-of-the-year list, and I’ll try to fit that in with several other things going on.  If you didn’t see last month I released a second video.  A retro review of Dolphin, where I talked about the game but also talked about the achievement set I made for it on Retroachievements, if you want to check that video out, I would appreciate it, I’m hoping to have some news on that front but it’s kind of out of my hands at the moment.  So maybe we’ll have a second video this month, or maybe January might get a little crowded with videos. 

With that said, if you are interested in the humble choice, my retro reviews, or even what I thought of last year, subscribe, ring the bell, and keep an eye on this channel.  If you prefer I do have a discord channel that will also pop up, and I welcome you there. 

So I’ll pop up that Retro review here and also I’ll link to my send-off of Zachtronics, it’s a bit sad, but honestly it’s also a good memory because they gave me a lot of hours of interesting gameplay. 

See you next time.