TheSixthAxis
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Blood West is a great addition to the horror western genre with level design and a range of approaches that would be fitting for an immersive sim. The chapter bosses can be a little underwhelming, but after nearly 30 hours spent in this world, I highly recommend you do the same. Just don't expect to come back alive…
Whilst multiplayer games are plentiful, it's still surprisingly difficult to find decent two-player local co-op games. Thankfully, with Ship of Fools, you and a friend don't need to worry, as you'll be happily blasting sea-beasts for hours, days, weeks, and months to come. Ridiculously fun and stupidly addictive, Ship of Fools is a delight!
Granblue Fantasy Versus: Rising is a decent anime fighter and a clear step up from its predecessor, but it isn't without its problems, some of which persist from the last game. I'm also not entirely sure of the longevity of the game, especially with how extortionate the Season 1 Pass is and the low install base this soon after launch, but fans of anime fighting games and the Granblue universe should be pleased with the overall package here.
Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora is an astonishing achievement, with exquisite visuals and a remarkable balance between pacifism and action. This is an enthralling alien world that plays host to a unique FPS.
My Time at Sandrock is the perfect follow-up to My Time at Portia - building upon every solid idea from that first title, while also doing so much to give this new one a unique world and unique mechanics that set it apart from any other farm sim.
Multiverses may be overdone in moviedom, but they've provided some fresh and very welcome ideas in Trinity Fusion. As such, this is one of the most enjoyable rogue-lites I've played all year. Add to that the responsive controls and engaging combat and this is easily Angry Mob Games' best release yet.
They say never to judge a video game by its graphics but, when it comes to Cookie Cutter that is easy to do. The 2D visuals and animation in this game are simply outstanding. Perhaps, with some hefty patching, the rest of the game might one day match those gorgeous looks.
The narrative in Undying is touching and I really wanted to see it through to the end but the main issue here is a tonal mismatch between the emotional narrative and the traditional grind of a survival/crafting game. If you prepare yourself for slow incremental progress then there is a solid survival sim here, just not quite what I was hoping for given the fascinating setup.
Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince isn't reinventing the wheel or changing the way we should view the monster-catching genre, but it is a huge amount of fun, and offers a lot of playtime for those who want to spend their time just seeing what kinds of weird and wonderful creatures they can end up playing with. The systems are clear and easy to grasp, the voice acting is great, the music is incredible, and it's just a very fun game.
Born of Bread may look unique but in reality, this is your run-of-the-mill action RPG. Some decent ideas can't disguise the formulaic ingredients on offer. In terms of bread, it's more supermarkets' own than an artisanal sourdough. When it comes to bread-based games, you deserve butter.
Despite the many technical issues Arizona Sunshine 2 is still a good game for VR gamers. There's really nothing like wandering around a zombie wasteland with your pet dog, but you may want to wait until a patch or two has been released to fix the bigger problems.
Yuki's Wish and Zagan's Ritual are two good pieces of DLC that adds to the overall lore and gameplay of Shadow Gambit. Both provide quite a few additional hours of content, with six missions each, plus their badges to earn too. If I were to pick one of the two to go with first it would be Yuki's Wish.
A Highland Song is a very different kind of game visually to Inkle’s previous work but is very much in keeping with their narrative focus. Combined with satisfying mechanics and a beautiful aesthetic this is a real treat, all topped off with folk music that’ll have your feet gaily tapping and a central performance brimming with personality. All in all a perfect game to curl up with on a cold winter’s night with a glass of single malt, or, perhaps, an Irn Bru.
Worldless is a fun and challenging action platformer that has a great minimalist style, and a battle system that is fun to master. However, there are bits that need tightening up to make it truly great.
Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria has the potential to be a challenging and enjoyable multiplayer experience. The loop of mining, crafting, and exploring is a satisfying one when overwhelming hordes of goblins aren't haranguing you. There doesn't seem to be any real optimisation for solo players so I'd probably stay clear unless you can get a band of dwarves together to brave the darkness of the mines.
Talos Principle 2 is the best puzzler since 2011. This is as good as the genre gets and absolutely essential for puzzle game fans.
SteamWorld Build will scratch that itch of town builder and dungeon crawler alike. It's an easy game to pick up and play, gradually introducing each layer of society and underground mining at a steady pace. A few elements could be improved to help levels flow better, but overall it's a very good experience that digs up yet another new genre for the SteamWorld franchise.
Gangs of Sherwood is exactly what it needs to be: fun for everyone playing it. It's definitely a game you'll want to play with friends for the best possible experience though, so do keep that in mind if you're more of a single player kind of person. I've been having a blast with it though, and if I can convince some friends to join me, I'd imagine I'll be playing it for a fair bit of time to come.
American Arcadia takes The Truman Show's core concept and updates it for the 2020s with a two-sided tale of escape, freedom and corporate control. The gameplay is mainly there to help deliver this story, but I always wanted Trevor to keep running to get me to the final moments and grand reveal.
Flashback 2 is a shameful nostalgia cash-in that is an affront to the classic original. Unfortunately awful in every way imaginable, do not buy this game.