Ultimately, Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope is a game about taking the leash off and letting the player run free.
Shovel Knight Dig is another smart repackaging of the brand. Yacht Club games already proved it could repurpose its ideas into a tile-based roguelike with Pocket Dungeon, and now Dig demonstrates what happens when the platformer gameplay is remixed for a deadly descent into a dark pit.
Despite being set between the second and third games in the series, Return to Monkey Island feels like a beautiful climax to a franchise that's seen games spread across four decades.
Thymesia wears its inspirations on its sleeve, and the rest of its outfit screams “we want to make a Dark Souls game.” Even the messages that appears when you activate a checkpoint or die in combat carry similar fonts and colors. Yet it feels acceptable in this instance, because despite the clear influences or borderline copycat mechanics, the result is a very enjoyable game.
Frogun hearkens back to a bygone era of platformers, for better or worse — usually better. While the physics of Renata’s moves occasionally hampers the experience, there is more delight than frustration as you explore each level.
If Until Dawn is The Legend of Zelda, then The Quarry is A Link to the Past or Ocarina of Time: the next evolution of a great idea, presented in a new and exciting format.
From the top, Weird West tells you that actions have consequences, and it proves that thesis at every turn. The decisions you make, the laws you break, the lives you take — they all blend together for an exciting, engaging romp in the wild west.
Influences from other games are quite present in Solar Ash — Tony Hawk's line-following, Super Mario Galaxy's wraparound camera, Shadow of the Colossus's massive bosses. While those together may seem incongruous, they come together to make it an exciting, fast-paced platformer that gives you the tools to move smoothly and complete the challenges before you. It's so satisfying to nail those obstacle courses, clear anomalies, and topple skyscraping Remnants. The roller coaster of Solar Ash is well worth riding.
One Piece Unlimited World Red offers great combat, even if the battles occur in dull places.
A varied and charming platformer, only blighted when it lets players get a little overpowered.
1001 Spikes is one of the most difficult platformers out there, but finishing a level feels so much better when you overcome the challenge.