Overland Review (﷽TenStars)
disclaimer: i had this game on itch.io and had a looot more hours there. despite what achievements may imply, i didn't get a perfect run on my first ever run LOL
this used to be one of my favorite games when i was 14 or so, and i would say it still is a fav. jocelyn reyes' music is super cool and atmospheric and perfectly sets the tone (i actually specifically came back to this game after listening to the ost on bandcamp recently). the game also looks amazing. all the bugs look just creepy enough without venturing into horror game territory. the environments also look really pretty, and the diorama style of the levels is a really sick and unique touch
the gameplay is also phenomenal and scratches all the right itches for me. the ticking clock of bugs closing in and each one you kill causing more to emerge makes for some great tension as levels turn into races to get to supplies before the bugs get to you. occasionally you'll perfectly execute some crazy strategy or flawlessly deal with some awful situation and it just leaves you feeling like a genius, it's awesome
i'd recommend playing it on hard or expert though (you can switch difficulty by starting a new game from the menu during the intro, it doesn't let u choose initially). the default "normal" mode is actually an easy mode added a year post-launch, with one of its defining features being giving you 3 action points for all characters instead of 2, which completely breaks the challenge of the game imo
but overall yeah, hard recommend. this game is a bit overshadowed by some of finji's other hits, but it's satisfied me in a way i haven't really seen many other games pull off. definitely an underrated gem