Deck13’s latest can’t get off the ground. Like the sandy ruins filling its world, the best parts of Atlas Fallen feel buried beneath the same open-world junk you’ve already done in a bunch of other games.
The central fantasy of every FromSoftware game is pretty much the same—that through close observation and relentless practice you too can bootstrap your way to greatness, slay the dragon, save the kingdom, or solve the puzzle to unlock the mysteries of the universe. In many of the Soulsborne games this means mastering the violent gauntlet ahead of you. In Armored Core VI it means changing yourself until that death march becomes a cakewalk instead. It’s a game about having faith in yourself, even when no one else does, and becoming an ass-kicking mech pilot in the process, not because it will save the world, but because it’s cool as shit.
The thing I loved most about playing Cocoon is how often I found answers without even seeking them. It’s so keen to share its secrets with you that it works harder at creating the illusion of being lost or stuck than it does at actually trying to stump the player or leave them feeling stranded. Like a complex sequence of sleight-of-hand coin tricks, its overwhelming layers are only there to disorient you long enough that you feel surprised and delighted when the object is revealed again. And Cocoon’s tricks are ones I won’t soon forget.
Even after completing everything there is to do in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, I still feel the tug to return and hurl myself down the streets of its New York City one more time. Its serpentine comic-book drama and explosive set pieces might not stick with me for years to come, but I will forever hear the siren call of its bustling world and the effortless grace with which it pulled me through it.
That wasn’t the case with Animal Well. It helps that the game isn’t constantly trying to kill you. The platforming is also pretty forgiving. Falling into water is a no-no but you’re simply returned to the last ledge you were on without losing any health when it happens. The sections of the game where you need to really think fast and execute with precision are few and far between and totally thrilling. “Aha!” I gasped late one night when narrowly surviving a particularly harrowing ordeal after way more do-overs than I care to remember. But I will remember them. I will remember them all. There’s no doubt in my mind that Animal Well is one of the best games of the year. It’s also one I’ll never forget.
Cowboy Bebop and Firefly influence an even bigger, more ambitious cyberpunk noir RPG
The action-RPG series is as beautiful and refined as ever, but more familiar than