Overall, Nobody Saves the World could have been exceptional, but there are certain aspects that are lacking. The expected Drinkbox Studios humor isn’t pervasive enough to keep people playing to see what’s next, the story is negligible and seems like something tossed in to give players a half-hearted sense of purpose, and the repetitiveness of quests gets tiresome very quickly. The positives of the game – the appealing art style, variety of skills and dungeons, and perhaps multiplayer — might not be enough to keep players interested either. That being said, the gameplay and presentation of Nobody Saves the World will undoubtedly win over many people, and it may capture the attention of others for a solid chunk of time.
These issues are unfortunate because Sable is a remarkable game that would normally warrant a higher rating. But the problems, although minor for the most part, were encountered with such regularity that they can’t be overlooked. Hopefully, Raw Fury will fix these hiccups quickly because, without those flaws, Sable truly is a beautiful and minimalist journey through an open world that is a joy to explore.
Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous provides an impressively deep CRPG experience, but tosses in some frustration and bugs to go with it.
Flightless has also released a game called Element, which the developers describe as a “real-time strategy space game for people who don’t have time to play real-time strategy space games.” That same premise seems to be the purpose of Doomsday Vault. It’s a puzzle game for people who don’t have the time or energy to challenge themselves with a puzzle game. It’s an enjoyable experience, just not a memorable one.
Ender Lilies: Quietus of the Knights is a charming and melancholy Metroidvania that doesn't stray far from its roots and inspirations.
Pathway overall feels like a lite version of a turn-based game, and the monotony sets in fairly quickly. There are no plot twists to keep the story engaging, because there really is no story but rather the shallow foundation of one. Although the game can be beaten in 10 to 20 hours, it's questionable whether many gamers will see it through to the end. It may suck players in for a while, but the game simply is not dynamic enough to maintain interest long term. In the end, Pathway feels all the more dissatisfying because it had such potential. Robotality’s creation can be compared to an itch under the skin that can almost be scratched, but not quite.
In developing Subnautica: Below Zero, Unknown Worlds heeded the lessons learned from Subnautica and the feedback received from players about both games over the years. Below Zero has taken no steps backward and instead offers an even more polished experience than its predecessor. As for gameplay and story, it’s not necessarily a better game, but it is certainly just as good.
NieR Replicant overall is a successful remaster, with a bit of spit and polish improving many facets of the original game, but with some of the negatives unfortunately carrying over as well. The end result is an action RPG that will keep most players entertained for many hours, as the story, combat, and characters outweigh the boredom of Replicant’s sometimes repetitive gameplay.