Matchstick: Cosmic Flame

Only the first 2 chapters were available at the time of the review, about 30+90 minutes of content between them. My overall impressions were mildly positive, I think the game has very good visual effects for something that is retro inspired, you don't really get a good feel for it in the trailer, but there was some decent modeling across the game, with the second chapter taking place in some weird megastructure. Also, it's not really a horror game in my opinion, it feels more on a cerebral side with some cosmic type mystery. The game didn't have as much combat as I expected, leaning more into easy puzzles and immersive navigation, the level design sometimes reminded me of Lost in Vivo with all the weird tunnels, minus the spooky vibes. Honestly, the combat feel was so undercooked I wonder why it's even in the game, but I do think it's possible to salvage it, you just need a better stagger system because right now the enemies just keep coming even if they get stunned for like a fraction of a second. The game has some familiar mechanics like the grappling hook and the teleport, it vaguely feels like it was inspired by some legacy games from Valve, and other retro FPS games, but I c…

Wow what a fun game! LOVE the environments, The gameplay is a perfect mix of monsters and puzzles. Really great game and bonus for the super fast sprint! Highly recommend! Also: Not a point and click you need a bit of Half-Life skills at least.

very atmospheric and fun dimension hopping exploration game with some light horror

https://youtu.be/BT9i37hncdE Pretty good and solid game so far but this game seriously needs a pop up on some mechanics like how you can shoot those one orbs to grab onto because I got confused for so long trying to figure out where to go before I randomly shot at one and saw that you can. In some areas I feel like a bunnyhop mechanic would be nice too since some places are massive and some more enemy variety would be nice too since they are very easy to deal with. Level design wise the game is pretty nice especially in the beginning. The beginning was also easy to get through but the next chapter the difficulty slider gets turned up since the obstacles you have to do can get very hard. Good luck if you have a steam deck or something on this particular one since even with a mouse I struggled a bit to shoot the orbs to then grab on to because if you fail you just die lmao and get sent back to a not so good checkpoint. Story is there though but most of the game you'll be pushing forward through levels and doesn't really play a big part so to speak. Mostly mystery around the whole thing so far in the early access. Early access is good but still needs polish but my main complaints …

HIDDEN GEM. High level of polish for an early access game. you might get confused at times but the solution is usually obvious when you stop and use your head. LOVE the atomsphere and music. Keen to play more.

Top notch atmosphere, can't wait to finish chapter two and see what the future chapters hold. Very keen for more!