Joonatan Itkonen's Reviews
Sword of the Sea is a gorgeous and hypnotic arthouse epic full of incredible set pieces and stunning visuals that sets another high bar for studio Giant Squid as the premiere destination for meditative gameplay.
Review in Finnish | Read full review
Mafia: The Old Country is an often chaotic mess of ideas and gameplay elements, each of which were dated well over a decade ago. Yet it's also a wonderfully directed and acted linear action game that, at just a little over ten hours, feels like a refreshing throwback in this era of bloat.
Patapon 1+2 Replay doesn't reinvent a thing, but it does remind us why this charming oddity became such a beloved cult classic in the first place. The whimsy is as timeless as ever, even if the rest isn't.
Review in Finnish | Read full review
Wuchang: Fallen Feathers is an ambitious and often pretty game that suffers from poorly balanced combat, terrible design choices, and some truly awful technical glitches. This one is for diehard fans of the genre, and even they should consider replaying something else first.
Review in Finnish | Read full review
With innovative gameplay and a spectacular world, Donkey Kong Bananza is a modern masterpiece and a true must-own title for the Switch 2.
It's fun, unexpected, and challenging. Everything you'd want from a title like this. Even if it doesn't look and feel exactly like we initially imagined.
Mario Kart World re-imagines the iconic franchise into something familiar and wildly new. The result is a definitive racer for the new generation, one that might be enough to sell the new system on its own.
Dune: Awakening is a story of eternal change. In a year, it won't be the same game it is today. At the present, it has plenty of untapped potential and great ideas, none of which work together. One day, that will change, but we can't review potential. In a way, such contradictions are only fitting for this franchise, even if it's a frustrating experience to actually play.
Review in Finnish | Read full review
Death Stranding 2 is the encapsulation of Hideo Kojima's ambition to marry films and games into one seamless experience. For the first time, it's not him emulating the cinema he adores. Instead, it's Kojima directing a vast, emotionally charged epic that others will imitate in years to come. It is a masterpiece of storytelling and game design. A peerless exploration of grief, found family, and all that we leave behind.
If you like thrillers, platformers, horror, or a combination of all three, you owe it to yourself to play Out of Sight. It's one of the best games of the year so far.
There is a better, more nuanced game buried underneath the blind love for the genre. I'm just not certain The Precinct has the interest or skill to find it. As it stands, this is an acceptable if not great GTA clone that stumbles by ignoring the elephant in the room.
With satisfying combat, fun exploration, and some of the finest accessibility options out there, Doom: The Dark Ages is an epic heavy metal odyssey that proves the iconic franchise is still king of the genre.
The Midnight Walk is a simple and morbidly cozy walking simulator that owes a lot to the works of Tim Burton and Henry Selick. It's cute, slight, and mostly a demo for a VR system few play anymore.
Review in Finnish | Read full review
If you're a fan of big robots, melodrama, and love exploration, Xenoblade Chronicles X should be right up your alley. It's a wonderful time capsule from a console that barely got its due, and a terrific example of how well some of these almost forgotten games have stood the test of time.
For old-school fans, this is a welcome addition to the collection. It has everything you might remember, only better and more polished than before. For those curious about classic RPGs, Saga Frontier 2 represents an island in time that, for the first time, is more accessible than ever. If we can't have a full remake, then this is the next best thing. Especially if it's your first time with the saga.
It’s a weird juxtaposition to have a progressive story against a regressive game, but that kind of contradiction feels almost perfect for South of Midnight. It is, after all, a game about how messy we are as people, and how, sometimes, it makes us so unique in the end.
Civilization VII feels like an Early Access title with a premium price tag. Its foundations are solid as ever, and it's still fun to play. But there are fewer reasons than before to jump ship into the latest chapter of the illustrious series, especially as Civ VI is around. Give it a year, and we'll talk again.
Review in Finnish | Read full review
Superbly written, gorgeous to look at, and a thrill to play, Assassin's Creed Shadows is a triumph for the iconic series.
Monster Hunter Wilds is the most accessible, grand, and finely-tuned adventure in Capcom's illustrious series to date. It's a blast to play and explore, and the new mechanics make it a fantastic first introduction for a whole new generation of monster hunters.
Review in Finnish | Read full review
At its price point, Ender Magnolia is a terrific game. It won’t reinvent the genre, but that’s hardly a knock at it. Sometimes it’s enough to just be one of the best.