Chainsaw

It's okay. Right now, it's so short I don't know if I can fully recommend it, but it seems like it'll be good. The presentation is super cool. The translation can be a little rough (certain lines aren't even translated) but it's not a huge problem. The game is pretty janky. Methods especially feel really weird to use. The perspective also can get pretty wack, and I think the first area is pretty egregious. I'm not sure if it was intentional, but basically nothing there makes sense spatially and it's just kind of weird. I'll be waiting with bated breath for the next episode, probably.

Incredible amounts of jank. I'm not sure if the dialogue or translation is responsible for the "lil bro on ao3" vibes, but it's 3.99 and runs on the steam deck.

レビュー時点ではエピソード1のみ遊ぶことができて、だいたい1時間くらいのボリュームです。 日本語ローカライズもしっかりしていて、キャラクターの性格を読み取れるくらいの自然なセリフ回しになっているのが嬉しいですね。 戦闘やストーリーも面白いし、キャラクターも魅力的。その上で個人的には音楽がかなりのグッドポイントです。今後のアップデートが待ち遠しい、期待の作品です。 「精神的恐怖」「ホラー」とのタグが付けられていますが多分ホラー苦手な人でも大丈夫です。 ジャンプスケアがあるかどうか気になる人は→[spoiler]今のところ私は見つけていません。ゲームオーバー画面は最初ギョッとするかも。[/spoiler]

already like what i'm playing. not too far in but its got that old rpg maker weird/coolness to it. love it.

Story told schizophrenically, with payoffs without any setup (the 4th wall immediately breaking being one of them, the MC judging choices you didn't make being another one, but the most egregious one is everything revolving around the Tsubaki scene. I honestly could only assume there was a coding mistake and a lategame cutscene was triggered before the first dungeon, because it was so meaninglessly cheap I'd rather not think it was supposed to happen there), trying its best to be Deltarune without having the personality or wit of Toby Fox (which is severely hit-or-miss to begin with; Toby tells 300 jokes a second and 3 different ones land for a variety of people, allowing everyone to agree it's funny, even if for different reasons) and just exposition-dumping this and that. Battles are RPG Maker battles, even greater games like Look Outside don't have anything remarkable to the system itself, but the variety in char skills and weapon skills at least makes you feel something in how you design your team. Having no build variety is eh, but I won't cast stones for the system being how it is, or the battle design being the way it is. The enemy design, however, is awful. The equivalent of the slime of an ordinary feels tanky until you get a few levels, but doesn't pose a challenge either, and there are 20 on the field. Meanwhile a "secret" encounter to get a key to a chest with 5 Elixir inside has enemies that die in one hit and also deal no damage. The dungeon encounters are, excluding the slime, a doll that feels tanky again, two robots which indeed feel like a secret boss with how much damage they deal and damage they sponge (if these were guarding the elixirs I wouldn't blink, but since they're a random encounter in a hallway it's very ???, even more so because the boss encounter afterwards is such a nothing fight that I still came out feeling the robots were the only true encounter and yet they were just meant to be there as a passing battle.) The Method system is overcomplicating mechanics, adding a meaningless strata of inconvenience to the game design and a disregard to what should be known regarding RPG Maker (it is janky. you should program around that, not on top of that). To use a method you need the right character walking at the top of the Formation, then you open the menu, item, method, equip method, press Z. The sound effect of Kubikiri will remain there during cutscenes, the .png of Mary Poppins will remain there if you switch on/off fast enough. To open the menu after activating the Method first you need to deactivate it. Why program all of this and open so many can of worms with what can go wrong with these systems RPGmaker wasn't made for, when there's nothing wrong with simply following a formula like Pokemon, and having [Char] in the party and [Method] in inventory opens a choice when you [Interact] with an object that the char/method can handle? The aesthetic and premise sincerely interested me, and I was excited to play it, but the way the story was delivered, the gameplay designed and the dialogues written, I can't recommend it and didn't feel like continuing it much longer. PS: Very personal and worthless nitpick: Isaac Sousa, Mark, Catherine, Tsubaki in the city of Chagas. In the steam page Mark shows up as Marco Coelho. I wish the names stayed consistently Brazilian for the world to feel realer, instead of this mish-mash of tipically BR, tipically EN, tipically JP. inb4 there's deepest lore to explain why it is so and they're actually all from different countries, but it's less about the logic that can be forced retroactively to explain it after you chose their names, but about making me feel the terroir of the game. Indie Brazilian Novels also often have English names and it bothers me identically. I want BR authors to have the courage to give their characters Brazilian names.

The choices and emotional stuff give me major Oneshot vibes, while the grotesque, messed-up side feels straight outta LISA!

sou suspeito para falar, pois, além de acompanhar o projeto, tive a chance de [b]participar do betatesting e de traduzir[/b] Chainsaw para todos os idiomas que passei um tempo [b]considerável[/b] estudando, mas Chainsaw é um projeto que vejo muito valor e potencial. numa vibe [b]Yume Nikki/OFF/Oneshot-esque[/b], para mim o jogo inteiro foi uma [b]experiência muita boa[/b], das artes incríveis de ikiru997 aos diálogos [i]"lil bro on ao3"[/i] como descrito em uma outra análise, tive um tempo de [b]muita diversão[/b] fazendo, mais uma vez, todas as rotas e finais possíveis do primeiro episódio de Chainsaw. fico muito feliz em ver o público abraçando, [b]mesmo com a curta duração se você for mais experiente[/b], do Dream Logistics. [b]e que venha o episódio dois, Pastforwad, vida longa a Chainsaw![/b]

When I first saw this game about to be available on the 12th, the title card dragged me in with its unique artwork and vibe! Of course it takes more than just a first glance to make a good game, but it definitely grabbed my attention right away! I did some minor research before finally buying it the day it came out and I must say, I was not disappointed. It wears its inspirations on its sleeve in the best way. Chainsaw definitely strikes similar notes in style to titles like Yume Nikki, Undertale, One Shot, Earthbound and other such rpgs. That said, its story is something else. It doesn't hold your hand and you're constantly looking to see what can be done and what you need to do in order to make it through this charming, yet unsettling world where a dark story slowly unfolds. Despite being the first episode of the whole story, there's enough to satisfy and keep you wanting more. If you're down for a cozy little rpg game with plenty of fun beats and unnerving atmosphere, this is definitely for you! On the whole, the game is a joy! Battles are tense while not being extremely difficult, the music is fitting for the world and slaps during battle sequences, and the atmosphere is on point and keeps you involved! That said, you may experience one or two small bugs (which the devs are keeping an eye on to fix in future updates) and there may be some times when you might trip up slightly either by dialogue or confusing areas uncertain of where to go next. Despite this being a part of my experience, I ultimately was able to get through the game with no issue and found it a very pleasant and fun experience! I may even go for another round to find more interesting secrets I didn't uncover my first time through! Very much recommended! We need more games with heart, and there is no lack of that in Chainsaw!

Chainsaw’s first episode, Dream Logistics, lays a solid foundation for its surreal, angst-fueled narrative to build on in future installments. As is, the atmosphere and worldbuilding are the highlights, while the characters and combat system need further development and fine-tuning. Those looking for unrestrained creativity and some rough edges in their games should feel right at home in ikiru997’s unique world. Review written for Noisy Pixel which can be viewed here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vpk5ZP8-_Qs