Hob

I cannot recommend this game enough. It is very much more puzzle oriented than hack and slash. The dialogue is some of the best I've ever experienced. There are no tips, which especially for puzzle games is incredibly refreshing. FITFO at its purist. The levels are flawlessly designed to include enabling shortcuts to prevent repetition. The environment is dynamic and engaging/engageable. Exploration pays off, even accidentally. Lastly, it flows. There never seems to be a stopping point and you can quickly lose yourself in the game, yet with the significant amount of autosaves, you can stop and pick up whenever. Highly recommended.

This game is the definition of a hidden gem, everyone should know about for all kinds of reasons and yet if is completely forgotten. For it has an absolutely gorgeous cell shaded art style and pretty much everything looks incredible. It is essentially a 3D metroitvania, a 3D plarformer, a puzzle game and it even has some sweet combat. The result is a beautiful adventure that is in many ways one of a kind.

This is a very "tactile" game. By which I mean it involves a lot of satisfying interacting with the world with lots of clicking and grinding and whirring. It's a game that first and foremost wants to spark your imagination by showing you cool environments with cool sounds and making you feel like you're part of something huge and complex. I'd call it one of the few actually good walking simulators. It actually has gameplay, which is something I need all my games to have.
The gameplay is centered around exploration and observational puzzles. There are not many if any logic puzzles, which for me is good because I don't like being held up. While combat is not the main focus of the game there is a fair bit of it and it is perfectly fine. Not deep, most of the moves and abilities you learn are not necessary or not needed often, but that's fine, not every game needs deep combat. If you're someone who is good at video games though, you should play at the very highest difficulty level. The game is far, far too easy otherwise.
I don't think there's anything this game does badly, but it only really excels in a couple ways. But those two aspects are so good it propels into what I consider a hall of fame game. Its environments and atmosphere are stellar. The game does a great job raising intrigue and making you curious. You'll be asking yourself what is all this? Who built it? What is it for? It's one of those "just a little further and I'll stop" games. The art style of the world makes interacting with it feel like playing with a very cool toy as a kid. The sound design is fantastic, really makes the world feel alive.
The second thing this game does great is the progression system. Leveling up your character in this game requires exploration, which is almost always very rewarding. The game gives you many opportunities to find upgrades of different varieties in out of the way places. It pays to go the wrong way in this game and to double back. It plays a lot like a metroidvania game in that you will gradually unlock new ways of traversal and tools to explore and there is cool stuff to be found. Sometimes even finding neat little things in the world will help you, like petting an animal or relaxing to look at the view. If you play on the highest difficulty which you probably should, you may appreciate having those upgrades at the final boss. Pay attention, remember what you've seen in the distance and look for hidden paths.
I especially love your weapon in this game. The mechanical sword is like a keyblade and it starts to really look cool as you forge new versions. It's my favorite video game weapon. Even though the combat is not deep in this game, the sword and progression system make it very fun for me, even if it's a fairly casual romp. It doesn't usually challenge you that much but it will keep you engaged, which the least I can ask.
I liked this game so much on nintendo switch that as soon as I saw it on sale on steam I knew I had to snap it up to play on my steam deck oled. Very good decision, the deck is the superior way to play. Use the medium graphical settings and cap your fps at 45. Perfectly smooth enough for this game.
As much as I love this game I think if you're on the fence about it you should wait for a sale. It's not that it isn't worth 20 bucks, it's just such a good deal for around 5. You'll feel like you made out like a bandit if you end up liking it. And since it probably isn't for everyone, if you don't like it you won't feel like you're down that much. I hope you will give this game a try someday, and allow it to fill you with a sense of childlike wonderment and fun.

This is a pretty game but dont mistake this to be like a zelda game. Yes, people call it zelda-LIKE and it kinda is but if zelda was more about the puzzles and less about the fighting. there's also a bit of backtracking but the game does marks things on the map so you have an idea where to find stuff later. During gameplay you can find sword bits, life parts, mp parts, and currency (for abilities and outfits you find). The story is told without intelligible dialog (some things make noises) so it's mainly told though character actions, wall pictographs, and a bit of interpretation.
my thoughts about the story (not a spoiler): I feel the game is saying technology can't coexist with nature or they are just naturally at war. I feel this is fundamentally wrong. Yes, most of OUR tech is anti-nature but we also have some that isn't. I also feel using to much anti-nature tech leads to a dead end for that species (like a skill check). If that's what the devs are saying that is fine (it's their game) and anything that gets people thinking/talking about this subject is good.

Amazing world created by Runic Games with a soundtrack of iconic Matt Uelmen known from Diablo I and II music, so sad that developers like this are disappearing from the market...

This game has been a great addition to my library and plays great on the SteamDeck. The puzzles are difficult enough that I need stop and think it through but not difficult enough to look for walkthroughs. Also its been a really nice casual game for "when I get a minute" to jump in as I can quickly recall what I need to do next in its simple map system. Its a really nice "zelda-like" title and would be fitting for young and old alike.

Good game. The silent narrative makes the plot captivating, there is much that remains unexplained that makes you wonder about what exactly happened before the events of the game start.
Now, the bad: the camera is your main enemy, collisions are very bugged (I died falling through the floor more than once), the game seems to have an hard time loading assets in a timely manner, with bushes popping into existence and A-posing enemies, it's an indie so it gets a pass but you need to know what you're getting into.
It's a very enjoyable game, it runs great on Deck, pick it up next sales.