Ethan Krieger's Reviews
Towa And The Guardians Of The Sacred Tree is sadly a frustrating, repetitive, poorly balanced experience. It's a shame, because there is a decent amount of heart present, backdropped by beautiful designs and a stellar soundtrack. Unfortunately, the gameplay loop quickly becomes completely mindless, combat is a chore, bosses feel cheap, and your game clock counter just keeps going up while the emotions of the story never hit. There are some nice ideas here, but the execution and implementation still does not lend itself to an enjoyable Roguelite title at all.
Formula Legends is simply fun. The racing is exciting, the attention to detail and depth is a welcome surprise, the love for F1 is charming and hilarious, and I just can't stop playing it. Still, it's probably not as feature-rich as some might desire. It desperately needs multiplayer functionality, the modes are fairly sparse, and there are some visual hiccups. Regardless, at the end of the day, I'm having an absolute blast with this game. This is an arcade racer I plan on working into my regular rotation of long-term gaming titles.
LEGO Voyagers is quite easily my favorite LEGO game ever. It's a super short, but endlessly sweet co-op journey that will tug at your heartstrings by the end and stick with you long after the credits roll.
The presented modes feel bare bones, the lack of custom player creation is a bummer, and the stock characters are largely annoying. Fans of the franchise should stick to the classics, or 2017's Everybody's Golf, which is clearly superior in nearly every facet.
Unfortunately, the platforming eventually starts to feel frustrating due to bad checkpointing, questionable hitboxes, and ultimate lack of variety. Combat is frequent, repetitive, and ended up feeling like a chore. There's heart and charm here, and I think a sequel could eventually turn this into a viable franchise. As it stands, however, Hirogami isn't a must-play.
I like this team's heart, and I am looking forward to seeing them grow from here. For me, The Knightling sadly just wasn't all the way there yet.
Fresh Tracks took an hour or two to click for me, but I was addicted once it did. This is a really unique and fun rhythm game featuring awesome original music that all ties together with an increasingly fun narrative. You'll want to turn off the game's extra/optional sound effects to be able to completely lock-in to the groove, which is a little awkward for a title where sound should be completely dialed in. Still, I can't wait to finish writing this review so I can jump back in and try to improve all my high scores in one of my new favorite rhythm games on the market.
Discounty is the right type of cozy game that you can get completely lost inside for a few days. It thrives in the "Just one more day" zone and has an addictive loop that feels good as a distraction from the real world.
Wuchang: Fallen Feathers doesn't soar all the way to FromSoftware heights, but it comes darn close. What's presented here is likely the best traditional Soulslikes I've ever played from a competitor, and well worth checking out for any fan of the genre.
This is a must-play for musicians that game, but I'd also wholeheartedly recommend it to the non-musicals as well.
The lore and vibe are still incredible, but the moment-to-moment gameplay can sadly be a downright slog. You'll already know if this remaster is for you, and I think you'll enjoy it if that's the case. Curious newbies should just watch a playthrough.
Unfortunately, the few bosses and enemies present here are quite bland, and though the environmental puzzle-solving is initially unique and rewarding, it eventually stalls out in creativity and challenge. Overall, Ruffy ends up feeling a bit inconsistent, but it's still a cute, enjoyable indie that has me looking forward to future efforts from Zockrates Laboratories.
Lost In Random: The Eternal Die is a slightly more accessible entry into the Roguelike genre that's a blast to play and rewards you with meaningful progression after each and every run. The charm of the original Lost In Random's gothic storybook meets Tim Burton movie is alive and well in The Eternal Die, though the narrative never really reaches anything special or poignant. Ultimately, however, this is still a pretty addictive and extremely replayable Roguelike that manages to bring fresh and interesting ideas to the party, and I always had a very good time with it.
Sadly, the repetitive nature and balancing issues also can make it feel like a series of the world's longest Soulslike runbacks ever—over, and over, and over.
It's mechanically highlighted by some creative no-combat boss battles and cute puzzles, though the moment-to-moment gameplay isn't always the most exciting thing in the world. Still, there is a lot to like here, and Kulebra will have no trouble winning most players over who are onboard to discover a thoughtful indie gem with plenty of endearing dialogue.
Not since my first time playing Journey has a title struck as strong an emotional chord with my very soul. The claymation world is absolutely beautiful yet terrifying, the soundtrack is hauntingly gorgeous, and the gameplay is full of wildly unique and creative ideas that I've never experienced before.
Still, the game is definitely fun at the end of the day, and I'm going to stick around for the post-game content to continue cleaning up some quests after rolling credits. It doesn't soar quite as high as I might've hoped, but it's still a deep-space voyage worth embarking on.
Bionic Bay is a truly special platformer that is wildly creative and endlessly smart. Each new section of gameplay is a mini-puzzle that utilizes the game's movement and powers extraordinarily intuitively, leading to continuous rewarding solutions that encourage players to think outside the box and bend the world's mechanics to their will.
Rusty Rabbit isn't a bad game at all, but it is extremely simple for the genre it slots into. It fails at having any sort of real challenge, memorable bosses, interesting puzzles, or rewarding routing.
Monster Energy Supercross 25 is a tough to pick up, but rewarding to learn racing sim. The new physics, courtesy of Unreal Engine 5, makes this iteration of the series more realistic than ever, with ever-evolving track surfaces that make every lap different and exciting with each new attempt.