Noah Kupetsky's Reviews
Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii is a fantastic entry in the series, and while it doesn't reach the heights of Infinite Wealth, it's still a joy to play. The story is filled with great moments and a cast of memorable characters, along with solid gameplay mechanics and a ton of activities to partake in. The progression systems were okay, with ship navigation and crew formation feeling a little underwhelming, but the choices you have and activities to do make up for it. For a spin-off entry in this franchise, RGG Studio succeeded in creating an engaging, gripping experience that paid off in the end. And while there are some compromises needed, Pirate Yakuza is a fantastic time on the Steam Deck. It is optimized enough to be very versatile, whether you want a high framerate for smooth gameplay or the highest quality settings with upscaling, all while retaining its visuals. I am so glad it runs as well as it does, and I can happily recommend it to anyone who would mainly play this on the go.
Lost Records: Bloom and Rage has a lot of great moments with just a few outliers that keep it from being an amazing experience. The story is great, which is elevated thanks to a wonderful cast and an interesting way of telling it. The basic gameplay for these kinds of games is here again, but with an intriguing Memoir feature to record different objects to create your own mini-videos. I wish the magical elements and finale were a bit more impactful, but I feel the narrative had enough to keep me interested in how they would continue the tale. It is also playable on the Steam Deck, albeit with some compromises. I wish I could get it to a fully stable 30 FPS without major visual downgrades, but with a game like this, the short drops down below weren't the end of the world. This is still going to be an enjoyable portable experience, and I had a blast playing it on the go.
Tomb Raider 4-6 Remastered is a fantastic remaster of some of the classic Tomb Raider titles that makes them as playable as possible. Aspyr's enhancements have made these titles much better looking and easier to enjoy, with great new features like the wonderful photo mode and fly-by camera for cinematic shots. The original games do have some quality-of-life features to make them more playable, but there are still some issues with controls and speed that still keep them feeling more like a slog for newcomers. Still, this is easily the best way to enjoy the games currently, and they can be a ton of fun if you have the patience. They all run especially well on the Steam Deck too. The Last Revelation and Chronicles run better than The Angel of Darkness, but they're all a joy to play on the go with solid battery life and an easy 60 or 90 FPS.
Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 is quite possibly one of the best non-linear RPGs I have ever played. No game has ever made me feel like anything could actually happen based on my choices to the degree this game has. The story and side content are both varied and enticing, making me want to stop and just go experience all the side quests I could. The combat and progression mechanics are also solid, and I even loved the more realistic mini-games like smithing or alchemy, which give a nice break from the fighting and running around. There are some minor issues here and there, like getting stuck on terrain and the pre-rendered cutscenes taking out a little of the immersion, but these are small in the grand scheme. Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 is a fantastic game through and through, and it would be a shame not to have this one in your library.
Sniper Elite: Resistance is a wonderful new adventure in the Sniper Elite franchise that doesn't break the mold the series has perfected, but it doesn't need to. The fantastic sandbox-like gameplay and excellently crafted levels make it feel like I could replay them multiple different ways, with it still feeling fresh and exciting. With customizable weapons, skills to unlock, different tools to use and set up traps, different collectibles, different game modes, and co-op and competitive multiplayer, there are many reasons to come back and play more. Resistance does feel a lot like Sniper Elite 5, with some aspects like the gameplay mechanics and UI being near identical. It does have different levels, story, and new tools, which do help make Resistance feel worthwhile, especially if you just want more Sniper Elite. I also encountered some bugs that ended up getting me killed, but it didn't happen often. Even with the glaring similarities, I had a blast playing Sniper Elite: Resistance and happily recommend it to fans of the series and someone who wants a great third-person Action-Stealth experience to enjoy.
Tales of Graces f has become one of my favorite games in the series. The combat feels amazing and addicting thanks to the fast-paced action and great progression depth with the Titles and Dualize system. The story isn't the most surprising, but the cast of characters is fantastic and carries the plot as it continues. The visuals hold up nicely, too, thanks to the cel-shaded aesthetic. It can be a little obnoxious to run from place to place, and the story is predictable at times, but it's still an incredible way to experience one of the best Tales games in existence. It also runs wonderfully on the Steam Deck, with only some minor issues here and there that are inconsistent. Since the issues don't always pop up, I would say this is a safe bet to play on your Deck without problems, and I recommend setting the TDP limit a little lower to save on battery without compromises.
Dynasty Warriors: Origins grew on me the more I played it, and it quickly became one of my favorite entries in the series. The focus on a singular character was one I didn't expect to enjoy so much, and Koei Tecmo did a great job with the progression system to keep me playing with the variety of weapons instead of just settling on one. The battles are just as intense as ever, and with the new mechanics and more cinematic angles, I was having a blast. I also appreciate the overworld map with the smaller Skirmishes and other missions, so I didn't have to battle the larger ones all the time. They are great ways to break up the story moments with some solid rewards. However, I do wish the story revolving around our protagonist's back story was more fleshed out. Some of the mechanics that are locked until you beat the game should really be usable before beating the game, but it does give a good reason to come back and play more. I was also quite impressed with how well it runs on the Steam Deck. It isn't perfect, but the preset for the settings works quite well, and it doesn't need upscaling, which keeps everything looking sharp. For a game like this, it is essential, and because of the optimization they put in, it's very playable on the go. I love playing this in the palm of my hands, and even with the sacrifices to battery and frame rate, it's still very worthwhile.
Freedom Wars Remastered is a wonderful upgrade over the 2014 original, but there are a couple of components I wish had some quality-of-life changes to get rid of some of the stiffness. Fighting against giant robots and ripping them apart is a blast, and I enjoyed the story and setting of this totalitarian, post-apocalyptic world. However, navigating through menus, moving around, and fighting against the smaller bots and human fodder didn't feel as great, and how often you need to do all of that affected my enjoyment overall. Playing on the Steam Deck is my favorite way to play the game, and it fits right at home. It does seem like there may be some engine limitations for multiplayer, which are causing some issues with performance, but it's still playable and can be configured to save some extra battery, which I appreciate. Freedom Wars Remastered definitely won't replace Monster Hunter, but the pros outweigh the cons, and I still had a blast playing.
On Your Tail is a great cozy detective game that succeeds in almost every aspect that it needs to, with only some minor inconveniences sprinkled throughout. The core gameplay loop is solid, and I really enjoy the way you both get clues and figure out the timeline of events. The mini-games are also a great way to break up the loop, and the world itself is amazing and colorful to explore. It is a bit difficult to navigate sometimes, and using the Chronolens isn't the easiest, but it doesn't change how enjoyable the game is. And it is wonderful to play on the Steam Deck. The default settings look great and perform well, and with some slight changes to framerate and refresh rate, we can enjoy the portable experience, making this easily the best way to play.
FANTASIAN Neo Dimension has a lot of pros and cons to it, and while it isn't perfect, I highly recommend picking it up if you are a JRPG fan. I really enjoy the combat mechanics and dimension battles, and the world is just downright gorgeous with a great mixture of real-life dioramas and digital 3D models. It made me think of the older Final Fantasy titles often as I traveled throughout the world. I do wish the progression systems came into play earlier, and the story was a bit tighter, but it does the job and still felt satisfying as I played through the 40 - 60 hour experience. Playing on the Steam Deck is a joy, and I have no complaints with the performance. Outside of controlling your character as you run through different camera angles, which would be an issue playing with any controller or gamepad, it's a perfect experience on Deck. Even with its issues, this was a wonderful experience, and I think anyone who enjoys RPGs or JRPGs should pick it up.
THRESHOLD is an interesting and creepy tale that succeeds in creating an intriguing tale, even if it has some minor issues here and there. The story is extremely entertaining, and I was taken aback throughout the game when I figured out what was going on. It is a bit short, and the gameplay is very basic, but it does the job and, with the fantastic visual style, complements the story which absolutely shocked me. I do wish the experience was a bit better with a controller and on the Steam Deck, and some optimization on both fronts would have helped a lot. It's still playable, but I wouldn't consider it the best experience. It's an awesome game, and may still be worth it given the short time it takes to complete. Hopefully these smaller Deck/controller issues can be fixed through patches!
Sorry We're Closed is a unique experience with a great story, wonderful writing, and engaging gameplay. It successfully invokes the games that inspired it while also carving its own path. The shifting from static camera angles to first person when aiming to attack and how the third eye works are both very enjoyable, while it was easy for me to get very invested in the story and its characters. The controls are a little bit hard to grasp at first, and it is a shorter game compared to others, but it's one worth playing through. The game also runs almost flawlessly on the Steam Deck, hitting 90 FPS with a very low battery drain. It's a near perfect game to play on the go, and I highly recommend it.
Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D Remake is a fantastic re-imagining of one of the best entries in the Dragon Quest series, even if it misses some quality-of-life improvements I would have loved to see. The game is drop-dead gorgeous and has a solid gameplay loop that I enjoyed. The extra features to speed up battles and automatically let your team fight helps with late-game grinding, and the vocation system is a joy to play around with. The new content is also a nice touch, and I particularly enjoyed playing with the new Monster Tamer vocation. However, there are some little nuisances here and there that I wish were touched on. Some of the text can take a long time to read, with some unnecessary pauses, which is in stark contrast to how fast-paced other parts of the game are, and it ends up feeling like a nuisance. It's small in the grand scheme, but it happens in almost every battle or whenever you need to save, and many other JRPGs go a lot faster when doing something similar. However, Dragon Quest 3 is a joy to play on the Steam Deck. The small compromises don't hinder the performance and playability of the Steam Deck, and it deserves that Verified badge it has. Regardless of how you play it, whether you want better battery life or 60 FPS, it will be wonderful no matter what.
Metaphor: ReFantazio is a step forward for ATLUS, of which I am a huge fan. The story and characters are both fantastic and engaging, while the combat and the new changes from them are wonderful. I love the entire archetype system and the new fantasy world that they built. It still has the deep story and meaning behind it that we have come to know from the Persona series, but with a new fantasy angle that I dig. There are a couple of areas that feel a bit monochrome or textures that don't look amazing, and I do wish getting around was a bit easier, but these criticisms are far few compared to just how enjoyable the game is.
Slitterhead is a mixed bag at times, but it is an intriguing and enjoyable time for the most part. The combat feels great and utilizing abilities, regular attacks, deflecting, and swapping bodies on the fly makes for a very rewarding experience. The story itself is wonderful, and the visuals exemplify the horrific nature of these monsters and how they form. It can feel a bit stiff at times, and I wasn't a fan of how the backstory was told, but it's still a great time that feels unique against the current lineup of horror games. It is hit or miss on the Steam Deck in some areas, but it will hold for the most part. It feels great on the portable screen, especially with HDR support. Overall, this is a wonderful experience, and I highly recommend it!
Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven is one of my favorite JRPGs I have played in recent years. The wonderful gameplay mechanics and storytelling that feel unconventional and non-linear succeed in creating a distinctive experience that can't be easily found anywhere else. I love that the decisions you make impact each aspect of the game, and the Inheritance mechanic is a cool way to change up your playstyle throughout the game and progress the narrative. It won't appeal to everybody, and I didn't feel that invested in the characters, but the pros heavily outweighed the cons. I am also so pleased that playing on the Steam Deck works so well. It's a ton of fun, runs extremely well, and is such a joy. This is easily the best way to play, and I can't recommend it enough!
Ys X: Nordics is one of the best entries in the Ys series thanks to great on-foot combat, an engaging cast of characters, and beautiful visuals, even though the general story, variety of locations, and naval combat could have been improved. It is also wonderfully optimized, making it near perfect for the Steam Deck.
Shadows of the Damned: Hella Remastered is a faithful remaster of the 2011 release, which is both a great change-up from newer releases and sadly missing some nice quality-of-life features that make third-person shooters more enjoyable.
Romance of the Three Kingdoms 8 Remake is a solid strategy game that feels like it may have needed some more modern enhancements. The team clearly wanted to stay faithful to the original, and I think that's awesome, but it ended up making the game feel a bit slow and repetitive. The mechanics do take a little bit of time to get into, but once you do, it gets a lot more enjoyable, and I had a blast trying to take over the map and use my own custom officers to try to take down Lu Bu and Yuan Shao. It runs pretty decently on the Steam Deck, with most of the text being very readable and having great controller support. It does drain the battery more than I expected, but it's very playable, and I found this the best way to enjoy it, thanks to being able to suspend/resume the game whenever. It's a solid choice for strategy fans, and it will be awesome for those who loved the original, but it may be hard to digest for newer fans.
Fear the Spotlight became one of my favorite horror games, and I almost immediately played it this year. The story is engaging, even if it is semi-predictable, and I love how you interact with the world and how the physics works. I do wish it was a little longer, and it is quite short and easy, but it's a great experience that I recommend, especially if you enjoy classic horror games. It also runs almost flawlessly on the Steam Deck, both at 30 FPS for a more retro feel and 60 FPS for a more modern feel. Both are great ways to experience the game; you can't go wrong either way.