Onsen Master

Long overdue review for this...and I will never forget the horrible experience I had. I tried this game and bought a key for this game at PAX West where I didn't have any issues with the game play or visuals. For some reason, now there's a good inch and a half when the game starts that is blurred - this is incredibly frustrating as this sometimes blurs walkable paths and customer orders. I tried to get over this but got motion sick in the end. I like where it's trying to go but this was unplayable.

I've only played the story-mode in single player but it was super cute! The story was very touching and sweet, and the gameplay was fun and challenging! There are difficultly modes if the gameplay is too difficult and the devs are working on making it so you can change the difficulty mid save. I can definitely see how multiplayer/arcade mode will be a lot of fun to play on party nights and look forward to trying it out soon!

Virtually unplayable with keyboard using default settings (try using WASD while holding the Z key to clean). That can be remapped to match what the tutorial instructs (P), but really this should be done with a controller as intended and as the game advises. However, controller doesn't seem to work, even after messing around with Steam input / No Steam input and trying to customize layout. Truly awful controls, making even the first level challenging to say the least. Great idea and lovely theme, but atrocious controls.

Luckily, I got this game as part of a bundle, so it did not cost me much. I am a fan of the genre, and have gotten to know many similar titles, I might even dare to say that I am skilled in these kind of games, but Onsen Master did not give me the thrill that a well-built, well-balanced dash game would (and should). Even on the Easy difficulty, it is a chore: although there are only so many buttons to press, they sometimes fail; the pacing is off even at the very beginning, and I did not enjoy the way the level were built either. Honestly, I did not care about the story, and the boss levels were extremely annoying. The art style is also not something I am a fan of, but it wouldn't bother me much if the gameplay was good. The story achivements are also bugged, so I really haven't got many nice things to say about this title, sadly.

I really want to like and play this game. But the tutorial sucks. Both on my Steam Deck and my laptop, I don't understand what the heck I'm doing and I can't find out which controls to use. I really do want to like this game, but in the current state it is, I really don't recommend buying it.

If you like games like Overcooked and KeyWe this is definitely a game you should get. I wishlisted this after demo-ing it at PAX last year and bought it immediately upon release. This is a REALLY fun game and it is much more challenging than I thought it would be! I struggle to get three stars even on easy. I hate to think about the harder modes are like, but for me that is part of the fun! It's unfortunate to see a few reviews from people who sound like they just haven't gotten control of this kind of chaotic management game. If a game like Overcooked stresses you out or isn't fun for you, this probably won't be either. I also haven't had any issues with buggy tutorials or anything like that.

Played this game at PAX West and immediately loved it. Wishlisted it and saw it released yesterday, so I picked it up. This game is great because it is fast paced and makes you develop a rhythm to serving the customers at the onsen which can be very satisfying at times, especially when things get really out of hand. The game so far as I can see right now is short but sweet depending on how well you can handle the bosses and the higher difficulties. Did I mention the music was well paired too? Anyways, I recommend to pick this game up and give it a try. A controller is a must but not required. Only thing I would ask the devs to fix is the tutorial, as I saw at PAX, it was a little confusing and I imagine others have the same issues of understanding how to play the game off the start. Overall a great game!

Onsen Master has nothing on offer that dozens of free mobile titles can't provide you. At the end of the day, this innoffensively boring game simply feels bad to play and will likely be forgotten soon.

It's an interesting concept for a micromanagement style game. The game is a bit broken - it detected my ps5 controller but the analog was registered backwards so I had to fiddle with steam's controller settings to fix it. and achievements do not seem to unlock correctly.

Onsen Master is hot springs managing co-op game where the player also helps people and yokai. The graphics are bright and cute. Characters are adorable. The player must advance through different levels by defeating a yokai boss at the end of each level. We really enjoyed the boss fights. Also, we appreciated the wholesome story about friendship, helping others, and hard work. Gameplay is a lot of fun in Onsen Master especially with others if you enjoy game such as Overcooked. I did have a hard time navigating some of the terrain in the skelly level but it wasn't unworkable and the game was still fun. I just had to try not to take shortcuts getting to where I needed to be. lol Below is our Indie Gameplay video. https://youtu.be/C_8lx4Rix8c