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Dwerve is the kind of indie game you don't see coming – it surprises you. The concept is clever, the execution honest, and for twenty bucks you clearly get your money's worth. But let's be realistic: it's not an essential must‑play. The story stays surface‑level, the difficulty sometimes goes haywire, and once you're done, you're not desperate to come back.
The core idea is its clever twist: no sword, no shield – you place turrets and traps, then dodge while your machines do the work. When it clicks, it's genuinely satisfying. The upgrade system is generous (over 100 enhancements). But it takes a good half‑hour before the logic sinks in, and the difficulty spikes out of nowhere.
The world has charm – fallen dwarven civilisation, power stones, a witch‑queen – but it's under‑exploited, serving mostly as a backdrop. The pixel art is polished and readable, the optimisation excellent (Steam Deck Verified). The sound is forgettable.
If you like Tower Defense or want a different experience without breaking the bank, go for it – you'll have a good time. If you want a memorable narrative RPG, pass. A good, sincere game that does what it promises without pretending to be more.
Full French review:
https://rogueh24.fr/test-du-jeu-dwerve/
Long storyline, and amazing galaxy system. Unfortunatly, not enought commerce system to continue playing.
I punched the table whenever a baby I'd shorted lived rather than dying young.
🎮>🎬𝗙𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆, 𝗚𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗯𝗲𝗮𝘁 𝗺𝗼𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘀
Either the Curators of the "Bond IP" (as they proudly refer to themselves in the opening) finally have a strategic plan for the franchise's development, or all the cards just fell into place, because I personally think that in 2026 we got the best Bond released in the media, despite the abundance of charismatic actors in the filmography of the British agent, and the previously extensive library of games with 007 in the title, which were always connected to the films, and mind you, the first games defined the FPS genre in their time; So First Light is able to compete with all of these in terms of cinematic blockbuster quality, gameplay variety, and the feeling of a polished, fresh product. It's not that I didn't have any faith in the creators of the successful Hitman, but they were the ones who supervised the shameful failure of Minseye, and, overall, not every studio can handle a major 200 million project involving all sorts of licenses, and we are lucky: 007FL is much more than what the developers have done before (than just a Hitman sandbox), and even if you don’t like that kind of the "social stealth" genre, you will still find something else in the game for yourself, the game turned out to be quite multi-tonal and varied, while the game's core mechanics don't hold up over a long 15-20 hour playtime, it does get a bit tedious by the end.
💥 But the game starts off absolutely brilliantly, for the first time we see a detailed prequel to a well-known character, a reboot with a slightly more serious emphasis in the spirit of Mission: Impossible. His young but already quite savvy version, accidentally found himself in the maelstrom of events between villainous groups and the state on a European island, where an unfamiliar MI6 curator will instruct us due to despair and forced circumstances, while James doesn't particularly need it, demonstrating the mastery of solo stealth with the successful rescue of hostages unfamiliar to him, showing the ability to personally make difficult decisions - the ending of the prologue of the game with the "detonator explosion" is the best thing in the whole game, tensely dark, perfectly cinematically describes the characters, and the nature of their interaction, which cannot be said about the completely unattractive opening: GoldenEye or Skyfall remain the only soundtracks for 007 that still stick in your head, the legendary Bond motives in the game can be chilling at the right moments, but the creators were afraid to remix the classics, leaving behind only weak echoes.
📚 The second hour of the game introduces the 𝗤 𝗹𝗮𝗯𝗼𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆, where you can play with gadgets and trick the scientists, verbally and physically, with tons of cutscenes featuring familiar characters from the series like Moneypenny and Mrs. M. The game also introduces new characters - young participants of the Double Zero program, with whom James briefly becomes "brothers in arms". And all this takes place in one of the 𝗯𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝘁𝘂𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗶𝗻 𝘃𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗼 𝗴𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗵𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆, where cutscenes and gameplay sections alternate seamlessly, simultaneously teaching the player the game's mechanics (In fact, the final capture-the-flag test can be completed by cheating, without even fighting enemies, a feat that YouTube bloggers have already thoroughly explored). Yeah.. it's only after 2-4 hours of playing through the initial levels that you can finally understand its "game loop", the standard pattern by which it works. . It's quite long and interesting to analyze, but still, the game isn't as "tricky" as it might seem at first glance. Yes, it frequently changes the pace and genre of the entire gameplay, but that's its "gift and curse" - First Light is everything at once, but it fails to deepen any one mechanic - It's Uncharted, Watchdogs (constant use of hacking gadgets), Batman Arkham, a meditative detective with elements of an immersive sim, and Spec Ops: The Line (with sniper shootouts from behind cover in the desert). But all aspects of the mechanics are not so numerous, and they can be divided into several components:
🕵️ 𝟏. 𝗦𝗼𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵 𝘀𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀: with dummies (who can't see at point-blank range), and pick-ups (on every table) of batteries and chemicals for causing electronic malfunctions (distractions) or for darts (also distractions), respectively - for luring guards out of passersby in ways that are convenient for you personally, also with the option of bluffing if you've been caught going the wrong way and have accumulated enough energy from successful operations on previous levels (and this can be literally behind the bar counter, realistically). People here generally feel alive, e.g. , constantly snapping at you if you walk carelessly and accidentally brush against them with your shoulders. There are missions where the "crowd" factor at the level radically affects gameplay, changing the tactics for solving problems. The game doesn't lead you by the hand, but provides sufficient scanning elements and the ability to read hints on what you've already clicked while the game is paused - the most common and simple solution every level is to eavesdrop on a conversation between two guards, after which Bond gets an idea and an automatic marker for where to go next. But sometimes there are simply amazing moments that any 𝗶𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝘀𝗶𝗺 would envy, for example, spoiler: you can break glass like in the movie "Real Steel". The dialogue-driven locations are the longest and offer no action, but each one is quite detailed and takes place in completely different settings, you can get stuck in each for an hour.
👊 𝟐. 𝗔𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘀𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀: these are small arenas that can be either scripted, like a fight with a vengeful guy, or "protected zones" arenas if you've failed stealth option: a punch/parry combo with a kick or a stomach kick, a grab and throw over a bar, or a jump into the abyss together with the opponent, isn't particularly challenging, but beating up some jerk in a public restroom is always impressive. The animation quality is average, but there's often decent visual destructibility.
🔫 3. And full-on 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 is only possible in the "license to kill" sections, where the game offers or a running shooting range, or a shooting range with gadgets, or a shooting range from behind cover, or a scripted shooting range where we have to tilt an entire aircraft carrier while firing! The ludonarrative dissonance of the player's super accuracy is resolved by the slow-mo mechanic, which can be used with literally every shot. Machine guns often have only one clip, forcing you to either use a pistol or or turn the tables, rushing towards the enemy and throwing an empty barrel at his forehead, with the ability to smoothly transition into hand-to-hand combat, the mechanics of which remain relevant, stealth in combat arenas is also a viable option.
🏎️ 4. 𝗥𝗮𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗴 sections: they are laughably short; they fly by in just a couple of minutes, the controls are inferior even to arcade games from 2010, but driving a Bentley is still enjoyable. Naturally, the game couldn't help but draw on the old 007 games from the PS1-3 era, so they decided to keep the 𝗿𝗮𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗼𝘄𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸𝘀𝘀. Well, it will add some variety to the menu, but so be it. The combination of four different sides of the new James Bond Rubik's cube overall provides a solid foundation for the gameplay experience, but with some caveats: the mechanics are primitive (remind me 𝗠𝗶𝘅𝘁𝗮𝗽𝗲 in good way), and they become terribly boring if you stay in the game longer than necessary. While the plot has already reached its "climax" several times before the credits roll, and I don't understand why they cut some of the original characters from the script. And by the final levels, the only thing left to draw out your emotions is a rather formulaic villain, and even the over-the-top "rocket pens"" gadgets won't save the situation in the final level - the game starts on 10 but ends on 7. The gameplay simply doesn't have any room for improvement – it's impressive, but it has its limits, and you can't help but feel like the final levels are no different from the first ones. There's no progression other than acquiring new gadgets and re-exploring iconic locations that radically change with new story circumstances. Yes, believe me, you'll be able to explore that same laboratory in every possible guise.
It's funny how, in the past, all Bond games were tied to film releases, although the connection was rather tenuous, more for marketing purposes. And now 𝗔𝗺𝗮𝘇𝗼𝗻 can't find a new actor for their dumb action films, when all they needed was to come up with an original story with a fresh perspective. I wouldn't even hesitate to call this a contender for game of the year. It could appeal to both action and stealth fans, and bring Bond fans to a new audience. Oh, I wish there was a game like that about Ethan Hunt.. The only thing I'm skeptical about is that IO Interactive will turn it all into a service. For example, the game has saves that are tightly tied to online servers, and there are high-score arenas where you can buy costumes and complete challenges - They're pretty boring, at first they fit into the training as, but it's unlikely the game's assets can be stretched out to cover a bunch of such operations. But the first signs are already there: the developers have published a roadmap for the game, promising a free add-on about the villain, and hinting at long-term, concrete support for the game. I hope First Light remains a self-contained narrative arc, and the developers will focus on a sequel, adding more variety and depth to the mechanics.
😊 𝗦𝘂𝗯 𝘁𝗼 𝗺𝘆 𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺`𝘀 𝗖𝘂𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗼𝗿`𝘀 𝗽𝗮𝗴𝗲: https://store.steampowered.com/curator/41977550/
Either the Curators of the "Bond IP" (as they proudly refer to themselves in the opening) finally have a strategic plan for the franchise's development, or all the cards just fell into place, because I personally think that in 2026 we got the best Bond released in the media, despite the abundance of charismatic actors in the filmography of the British agent, and the previously extensive library of games with 007 in the title, which were always connected to the films, and mind you, the first games defined the FPS genre in their time; So First Light is able to compete with all of these in terms of cinematic blockbuster quality, gameplay variety, and the feeling of a polished, fresh product. It's not that I didn't have any faith in the creators of the successful Hitman, but they were the ones who supervised the shameful failure of Minseye, and, overall, not every studio can handle a major 200 million project involving all sorts of licenses, and we are lucky: 007FL is much more than what the developers have done before (than just a Hitman sandbox), and even if you don’t like that kind of the "social stealth" genre, you will still find something else in the game for yourself, the game turned out to be quite multi-tonal and varied, while the game's core mechanics don't hold up over a long 15-20 hour playtime, it does get a bit tedious by the end.
💥 But the game starts off absolutely brilliantly, for the first time we see a detailed prequel to a well-known character, a reboot with a slightly more serious emphasis in the spirit of Mission: Impossible. His young but already quite savvy version, accidentally found himself in the maelstrom of events between villainous groups and the state on a European island, where an unfamiliar MI6 curator will instruct us due to despair and forced circumstances, while James doesn't particularly need it, demonstrating the mastery of solo stealth with the successful rescue of hostages unfamiliar to him, showing the ability to personally make difficult decisions - the ending of the prologue of the game with the "detonator explosion" is the best thing in the whole game, tensely dark, perfectly cinematically describes the characters, and the nature of their interaction, which cannot be said about the completely unattractive opening: GoldenEye or Skyfall remain the only soundtracks for 007 that still stick in your head, the legendary Bond motives in the game can be chilling at the right moments, but the creators were afraid to remix the classics, leaving behind only weak echoes.
📚 The second hour of the game introduces the 𝗤 𝗹𝗮𝗯𝗼𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆, where you can play with gadgets and trick the scientists, verbally and physically, with tons of cutscenes featuring familiar characters from the series like Moneypenny and Mrs. M. The game also introduces new characters - young participants of the Double Zero program, with whom James briefly becomes "brothers in arms". And all this takes place in one of the 𝗯𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝘁𝘂𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗶𝗻 𝘃𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗼 𝗴𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗵𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆, where cutscenes and gameplay sections alternate seamlessly, simultaneously teaching the player the game's mechanics (In fact, the final capture-the-flag test can be completed by cheating, without even fighting enemies, a feat that YouTube bloggers have already thoroughly explored). Yeah.. it's only after 2-4 hours of playing through the initial levels that you can finally understand its "game loop", the standard pattern by which it works. . It's quite long and interesting to analyze, but still, the game isn't as "tricky" as it might seem at first glance. Yes, it frequently changes the pace and genre of the entire gameplay, but that's its "gift and curse" - First Light is everything at once, but it fails to deepen any one mechanic - It's Uncharted, Watchdogs (constant use of hacking gadgets), Batman Arkham, a meditative detective with elements of an immersive sim, and Spec Ops: The Line (with sniper shootouts from behind cover in the desert). But all aspects of the mechanics are not so numerous, and they can be divided into several components:
🕵️ 𝟏. 𝗦𝗼𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵 𝘀𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀: with dummies (who can't see at point-blank range), and pick-ups (on every table) of batteries and chemicals for causing electronic malfunctions (distractions) or for darts (also distractions), respectively - for luring guards out of passersby in ways that are convenient for you personally, also with the option of bluffing if you've been caught going the wrong way and have accumulated enough energy from successful operations on previous levels (and this can be literally behind the bar counter, realistically). People here generally feel alive, e.g. , constantly snapping at you if you walk carelessly and accidentally brush against them with your shoulders. There are missions where the "crowd" factor at the level radically affects gameplay, changing the tactics for solving problems. The game doesn't lead you by the hand, but provides sufficient scanning elements and the ability to read hints on what you've already clicked while the game is paused - the most common and simple solution every level is to eavesdrop on a conversation between two guards, after which Bond gets an idea and an automatic marker for where to go next. But sometimes there are simply amazing moments that any 𝗶𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝘀𝗶𝗺 would envy, for example, spoiler: you can break glass like in the movie "Real Steel". The dialogue-driven locations are the longest and offer no action, but each one is quite detailed and takes place in completely different settings, you can get stuck in each for an hour.
👊 𝟐. 𝗔𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘀𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀: these are small arenas that can be either scripted, like a fight with a vengeful guy, or "protected zones" arenas if you've failed stealth option: a punch/parry combo with a kick or a stomach kick, a grab and throw over a bar, or a jump into the abyss together with the opponent, isn't particularly challenging, but beating up some jerk in a public restroom is always impressive. The animation quality is average, but there's often decent visual destructibility.
🔫 3. And full-on 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 is only possible in the "license to kill" sections, where the game offers or a running shooting range, or a shooting range with gadgets, or a shooting range from behind cover, or a scripted shooting range where we have to tilt an entire aircraft carrier while firing! The ludonarrative dissonance of the player's super accuracy is resolved by the slow-mo mechanic, which can be used with literally every shot. Machine guns often have only one clip, forcing you to either use a pistol or or turn the tables, rushing towards the enemy and throwing an empty barrel at his forehead, with the ability to smoothly transition into hand-to-hand combat, the mechanics of which remain relevant, stealth in combat arenas is also a viable option.
🏎️ 4. 𝗥𝗮𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗴 sections: they are laughably short; they fly by in just a couple of minutes, the controls are inferior even to arcade games from 2010, but driving a Bentley is still enjoyable. Naturally, the game couldn't help but draw on the old 007 games from the PS1-3 era, so they decided to keep the 𝗿𝗮𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗼𝘄𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸𝘀𝘀. Well, it will add some variety to the menu, but so be it. The combination of four different sides of the new James Bond Rubik's cube overall provides a solid foundation for the gameplay experience, but with some caveats: the mechanics are primitive (remind me 𝗠𝗶𝘅𝘁𝗮𝗽𝗲 in good way), and they become terribly boring if you stay in the game longer than necessary. While the plot has already reached its "climax" several times before the credits roll, and I don't understand why they cut some of the original characters from the script. And by the final levels, the only thing left to draw out your emotions is a rather formulaic villain, and even the over-the-top "rocket pens"" gadgets won't save the situation in the final level - the game starts on 10 but ends on 7. The gameplay simply doesn't have any room for improvement – it's impressive, but it has its limits, and you can't help but feel like the final levels are no different from the first ones. There's no progression other than acquiring new gadgets and re-exploring iconic locations that radically change with new story circumstances. Yes, believe me, you'll be able to explore that same laboratory in every possible guise.
It's funny how, in the past, all Bond games were tied to film releases, although the connection was rather tenuous, more for marketing purposes. And now 𝗔𝗺𝗮𝘇𝗼𝗻 can't find a new actor for their dumb action films, when all they needed was to come up with an original story with a fresh perspective. I wouldn't even hesitate to call this a contender for game of the year. It could appeal to both action and stealth fans, and bring Bond fans to a new audience. Oh, I wish there was a game like that about Ethan Hunt.. The only thing I'm skeptical about is that IO Interactive will turn it all into a service. For example, the game has saves that are tightly tied to online servers, and there are high-score arenas where you can buy costumes and complete challenges - They're pretty boring, at first they fit into the training as, but it's unlikely the game's assets can be stretched out to cover a bunch of such operations. But the first signs are already there: the developers have published a roadmap for the game, promising a free add-on about the villain, and hinting at long-term, concrete support for the game. I hope First Light remains a self-contained narrative arc, and the developers will focus on a sequel, adding more variety and depth to the mechanics.
😊 𝗦𝘂𝗯 𝘁𝗼 𝗺𝘆 𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺`𝘀 𝗖𝘂𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗼𝗿`𝘀 𝗽𝗮𝗴𝗲: https://store.steampowered.com/curator/41977550/
Mediocre decisions game - your choices don't matter. Tries to be funny, but its not
Badly made neuroslop game. Has a lot of bugs - almost unplayable
Good take on solitaire with balatro-like elements and some of ARG-horror elements
Badly made VN with strange artsyle
Strange game about gathering a puzzle with medieval death pictures
Yet another boring asset-slop platformer crafting mix with steampunk themes
Yet another boring cozy mining-crafting game
Rather enjoyed this one. Spent way too much time dealing with equipment but enjoyed the gameplay.
Date Completed: 2026-06-14
Playtime: 16h
Enjoyment: 8/10
Recommendation: Yeah
Date Completed: 2026-06-14
Playtime: 16h
Enjoyment: 8/10
Recommendation: Yeah
Decent game, had enough after completing a run. It'll be too repetitive to keep me going.
Date Completed: 2026-06-14
Playtime: 6h
Enjoyment: 7/10
Recommendation: Yeah, for the couch coop
Date Completed: 2026-06-14
Playtime: 6h
Enjoyment: 7/10
Recommendation: Yeah, for the couch coop
Gothic 1 Remake is a beautiful, sincere piece of work that respects what made the original unique: the oppressive atmosphere, the brutal, reactive world, the living factions, the sharp dialogue. It's all here, visually modernised, and it has real personality. But the absence of a minimap and objective GPS – the deliberate choice to exclude modern comfort features – is a wall.
For those seeking authentic difficulty, pure challenge, an RPG that doesn't hold your hand, this is an absolute must-have. The combat is punishing, the exploration is organic, every victory feels earned. One of the most authentic genre experiences available today.
But for everyone else – those who want to experience the story without friction – the lack of these features will regularly break the pleasure. A mixed note for a game excellent in its intentions, but not for everyone. Beautifully authentic, fiercely uncompromising – and deliberately inaccessible.
Full French review:
https://rogueh24.fr/test-du-jeu-gothic-1-remake/
«Time-tested»
Badly made MtG-clone
Mafia: The Old Country is exactly what this franchise needed to become again. A game that doesn't try to be huge or inflate its length, but simply tells a great story with conviction. Enzo Favara's tale is beautiful, sad, and constructed with a narrative intelligence rare in modern gaming. The sun-drenched Sicilian setting is gorgeous to explore, the driving is a pleasure, and the Sicilian voice acting adds an unexpected authenticity that lands hard.
The story is the star here. Enzo's rise from desperate sulfur miner to reluctant mob soldier is handled with genuine nuance and emotional weight. The final act lingers with you long after the credits roll. Authentic period detail, mature writing, and a protagonist you truly root for – this is Hangar 13 at their best.
Technically, the game stumbles. I encountered multiple crashes during key cinematic scenes, each one ripping the heart out of the moment. Animations feel stiff and dated, and the visuals don't consistently deliver on their promise.
None of that, however, eclipses the raw emotional force of what this game achieves in its brief, intense runtime. A focused, heartfelt, character‑driven masterpiece that respects your time and your intelligence. A must‑own. Short, intense, unforgettable.
Full French review:
https://rogueh24.fr/test-du-jeu-mafia-the-old-country/
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«Sit back and relax»
Mediocre rhythm game