Splintered Fate is inspired by one of the best games of all time, so coming up short was always in the cards. I think a sequel that provide truly unique runs with more variety in the environment is a must. I like the idea of what the perks and abilities offer, making you stronger, but when you are fighting the same enemies in the same locations, it’s hard to get that excited for the next run. The TMNT have a wide catalog of some pretty mediocre games and just plain awful titles and thankfully, Splintered Fate is not one of them.
Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn has some interesting ideas, decent combat, and gorgeous visuals. However, I don’t know if it does enough to really stand out. The story is interesting but is not conveyed well enough to give the cast their due. Combat can feel very simple in the early hours, but does sharpen up to be pretty damn good when you start adding more options.
While Kali’s journey may be more inspired than original, Noreya: The Gold Project is nonetheless a pretty solid Metroidvania, but does suffer from a few issues that could feel very limiting to seasoned players of the genre. It’s far more simple than I had hoped for, but I still found it to be impressive nonetheless, coming across as being a great time for the 8 or so hours it took to complete.
The First Descendant isn’t shying away from where it’s inspired. Destiny has been a called-out game by its fans and the studio and for good reason, it set the bar. Warframe as well has been a go-to for many in the live service catalog, and by using both as a base and creating something in between, it creates a game that while not terribly original, is an absolute blast to play. Each Descendant has a wealth of skills to make them stand out with a design and graphical fidelity to them that makes this one of the best looking games out there.
Dungeons of Hinterberg was a game I was immediately interested in when it was first shown off. I had been following its development closely and was eager to dive in. In the end, it was an experience that started strong and ended equally that strong. While I certainly have minor issues with some basic combat and its far too simple puzzles, I still find Dungeons of Hinterberg to be a great game, one where its flaws don’t sour my experience.
This 60+ hour adventure to conquer its lands is certainly worth your time and money. Several of the game’s new encounters are among the title’s best, offering battles that will test you in ways most players wanted from the base experience. Shadow of the Erdtree joins the list of being one of the best expansions ever made, an adventure so epic and vast that you’ll continue to write your story in ways that feel as if this adventure is something you are the first to discover.
Kaku: Ancient Seal is often great, but a collective of small issues and bland systems do hold it back. Combat is serviceable in that you have a few options that work well, but you’ll largely find yourself just spamming the best options. The story lacks agency for Kaku himself, making him more of a bystander than an active participant. The localization is being addressed, but as of right now, it certainly has several problems.
Trails through Daybreak does what it needs to do to be a very entertaining new entry will all the action and spectacle needed to succeed. I think it certainly stumbles with some localization issues and a few too many menus for its core systems, but overall, I still rather enjoyed seeing this new era of Legend of Heroes unfold, even if its nowhere near my favorite.