We can confirm it: Atomfall is an ambitious gamble, successfully won by Rebellion. Set against the backdrop of an imaginary quarantine zone inspired by the real Windscale nuclear disaster in northern England, the British developers' new title succeeds in offering an experience somewhere between exploration, survival and action. Above all, it is a hymn to the sense of discovery in all its declinations thanks to a narrative deconstructed in favor of the maximum possible freedom granted to the player. It is a title that knows how to be both unexpectedly ruthless and utterly rewarding, even minus a few technical smears and some mechanics that are perhaps all too punishing. What mysteries will you discover?
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Atelier Yumia: The Alchemist of Memories & the Envisioned Land represents a potential turning point for Gust's long-running JRPG series. It is a large and ambitious production, with an emphasis on more immediate and accessible gameplay accompanied by a story with a more mature slant. Exactly like a complex alchemical formula, the developers have managed to combine the saga's identity features with the novelties included. At the same time, it is a formula that can be further refined and improved. But one thing is certain: the path is definitely the right one.
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Two Point Museum is yet another triumph of a saga born out of the success of the spiritual sequel to a cult title. Building the museum of one's dreams is a rewarding and fun experience, within the reach of all audiences thanks to the perfect balance of playful features. The franchise's stylistic signature is still marked by irony and levity, which is also reflected in a tendentially permissive gameplay that may not be appreciated by devotees of more challenging management games. But beyond that, this is a title not to be missed. New loves may even blossom toward this genre, we guarantee.
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Trails through Daybreak II is a great little paradox signed by Nihon Falcom. On the one hand, the new installment of The Legend of Heroes refines and enhances the excellent achievements marked by its direct predecessor, representing for all intents and purposes a step forward. On the other hand, it presents a less flawless script than expected with the accompanying return of the related atavistic problem of the stringent and propaedeutic need to have prior knowledge of lore and characters. Van Arkride's new adventure thus experiences a dual nature: a practically unmissable product for those who loved the first Daybreak, a production hardly advisable for all those who have not had the opportunity to approach it instead.
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Sid Meier's Civilization VII represents a chapter destined to mark a new era for the legendary strategy franchise. Ambitious is the will on the part of Firaxis Games to aim toward a revolution such as to simultaneously please fans of the saga and new audiences. Not as impeccable, however, is its implementation, with some choices that risk creating disappointment and discontent especially with the most loyal users. The seventh installment of the 4X king is once again excellent, full of brilliant and intriguing insights. Beware, however: some new features may not be very welcome.
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Turbo Overkill is a frenetic and unscrupulous FPS, at times exhilarating in pace and variety. It is precisely its excesses, however, that may make it less appealing than expected to more purist shooter fans. Indeed, the relentless pursuit of exaggerated escalation of violence ends up leaving some aspects by the wayside that make the title less compact than hoped for, especially in the context of the home console adaptation. And so, the control system ends up showing the side of some excessive nervousness and some features are inexplicably absent. Regardless, it remains a must try for fans of the genre and a commendable debut for Trigger Happy Interactive.
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Avowed represents quintessential game design according to Obsidian Entertainment. While not offering a radically new experience, the return to the world of Eora is an exciting action RPG, graced by the traditional care the development team put into the script. Free to be able to create one's alter ego among a thousand opportunities for customization and to direct it indiscriminately toward the paths of good or evil, Avowed puts players within a setting that is the antithesis of the dispersive risk of an endless open world, with gameplay devoted to action and fun. It may not be a revolution, and technically some hiccups are there, but for all fans of the genre it is a must.
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NINJA GAIDEN 2 Black marks the unexpected return of Ryu Hayabusa, when he now seemed to be confined only to the memories of a few video game generations ago. Instead, here he appears out of nowhere as a warrior who makes shadows his calling, with Team Ninja remastering him for us in Unreal Engine 5. Gallant and entertaining perhaps more so today than in its time, abetted by a landscape that has seen the rarification of pure action, we are faced with a perceptible step forward from Sigma 2. At the same time, however, the features that made the chapter released for the Xbox 360 unforgettable have not been reproduced, effectively materializing a missed opportunity to make the true definitive edition of the title. NINJA GAIDEN 2 Black remains, in any case, a glorious return for the franchise as we look forward to welcoming the fourth chapter at the end of the year.
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Is a product inspired by niche classics itself intended to appeal to a small audience? This is an inevitable rhetorical question that Moons of Darsalon does not shy away from. But this is not necessarily a bad thing. After a long development path, the strategic adventure from Dr. Kucho! Games also arrives on consoles repurposing all the gaming charm of forty years ago (argh), enhanced by modern technologies. It won't be an experience for everyone, that's for sure. But for those who grew up on Lemmings, this could be a very tasty trip down memory lane.
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Big Helmet Heroes is a scrolling beat'em'up that makes the ironic representation of chivalric imagery its strong point. But above all, beyond the production's evidently humorous figure, Exalted Studio makes a genuinely entertaining title, capable of making people smile thanks to its likeable protagonists grappling with sizzling hand-to-hand combat. Certainly, this is not the title of the month and it is not within its ambitions to be so. Nevertheless, it does not detract from the fact that if you want to spend a few hours in merriment, perhaps with a friend on the same couch, this is a title to keep in due consideration.
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Dynasty Warriors: Origins succeeds in an almost impossible mission: unhinging the most entrenched beliefs and paradigms related to the musou genre, while not disavowing its fundamental and defining characteristics. Omega Force's signature relaunch of the saga combines the best of the saga with modern insights that finally make the experience more varied, fresh and tantalizing. Some sacrifices and compromises might turn the noses of fans of the series, however, while those who have never experienced the appeal of such a unique genre will not necessarily be charmed by the novelties. In any case, Origins represents the highest point reached by the saga as well as a new beginning that could bring enormous satisfaction even to those who have never approached the battles of the Three Kingdoms.
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Eternal Strands marks a welcome return to the video game scene for Mike Laidlaw. An action RPG that draws from the best game design lessons of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Shadow of the Colossus to create a multi-layered interactive adventure that is as galvanizing in its premise as it is satisfying in its execution. Unfortunately, this is not a flawless project, starting with an overly derivative art direction through repetitive quest design and a combat system that is acerbic in its fundamentals. In any case, it is impossible not to greet with applause the ambitious project of Yellow Brick Games, which has the incontrovertible and indisputable merit of wanting to dare something more than the majority of productions in the same genre. And this is no small feat, far from it.
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Tales of Graces f Remastered represents the best opportunity to rediscover one of the most underrated chapters in the historic Bandai Namco series. Beyond a technical aspect only marginally pulled together, the comprehensiveness of the content and a rich set of quality-of-life improvements enhance an aged combat system with elegance and harmony. Story and characters continue to be as controversial elements of the work today as they were fifteen years ago, yet highlighting how at the time perhaps the judgment was far too austere in this regard. If you want to recover a little gem of the genre (and if you especially want to appreciate its indiscernible historical importance), now is the time.
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Upon our testing, Enotria: The Last Song proved to be a competent, artistically inspired soulslike with a pleasant rate of challenge. Contrary to an edgy reception given to the Italian project in the past few months, the Jyamma Games title entertained and engaged us, also aided by a fine level design and a fun combat system. Not everything works as it should, let's be clear. The technical compartment even on Xbox Series X shows the side of some graphical bugs, some framerate uncertainties and sporadic glitches. The RPG elements and customizations are sometimes far too excessive, resulting in an overabundance of options. All this aside, however, the adventure of the Maskless One deserves to be enjoyed not only by fans of the genre, but also by all those who want to immerse themselves in the folklore of our home.
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Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 1 & 2 Remastered is a dream come true, for all fans of the historic dark fantasy franchise. A modernization project that pays homage to two legendary titles that contributed, in their own way, to the development of the media in new directions. The work of Aspyr and Crystal Dynamics is commendable in preserving the charm and appeal of the original products, although some of the ludic elements may appear, to the contemporary gamer, unpolished. A remastering to be jealously guarded: the story of Nosgoth deserves to be shared, today as well as over two decades ago.
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FANTASIAN Neo Dimension attests to the liberation of the legendary Hironobu Sakaguchi's latest work from the shackles of its exclusivity for mobile devices. The Mistwalker production is an exciting homage to a classic vision of JRPGs by one of its absolute masters. However, its very traditionalism, as well as certain limitations inherent in the project's origins, may be a limitation in the contemporary landscape that, ironically, the very creator of Final Fantasy helped found. For those who lived through the golden age of the genre between the 1990s and the beginning of the next millennium, this is a journey worth taking.
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FAIRY TAIL 2 is a minor disappointment. After the intriguing but acerbic 2020 debut, Gust picks up the celebrated IP to tell a new chapter in the adventures of Natsu Dragneel envisioned by Hiro Mashima. However, the final product fails to elevate the potential of its predecessor, ending up as a far too apathetic RPG despite the rethinking of the combat system. It is a product that ends up appealing exclusively to fans of the original work, who will be able to appreciate its qualities and nuances even after the shortcomings and a less-than-excellent technical compartment.
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Spirit Mancer represents a convincing debut for the Thai team Sunny Syrup Studio. An intriguing production in aesthetics as much as in gameplay, it mixes such ludic concepts as hack & slash adventure, deck-building and monster taming with stimulating ideas. The end result is a fun and tasty indie, capable of engaging through the compelling loop of combat. Not all the mechanics are perfectly calibrated and there are sometimes minor concept naiveté, but it matters little: Sebastien and Mary's quest may win you over.
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Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 is a monument to aviation in its broadest and most all-encompassing form. Asobo Studio restarts from the excellent base of the previous chapter to make the Redmond-based company's historic simulation even more vast, majestic and outsized. Stemming the difficulties of the early days related to the cloud infrastructure, the production now opens up with its unparalleled offering, for the first time smiling at the audience that is also looking for a more traditionally playful facility in addition to simulation as an end in itself. With the knowledge that the title will only get better with time (and become even more technically stable), there is no doubt about it: get ready to fly the skies around the world... for real.
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Farming Simulator 25 is the new iteration of the popular series developed by GIANTS Software, even richer and more complete than in the past. Complex and rewarding, if incredibly peaceful and relaxing once the mechanics are assimilated, the farming and livestock simulation reaches new heights with brand new biomes and crops, as well as a number of interesting updates and improvements. This is not a title for everyone; however, those looking for a different and relaxing experience will find a true bucolic paradise.
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