Tokyo Twilight Ghost Hunters: Daybreak Special Gigs is mixed parts good and bad. On one hand, it shows great concepts in its desire to blend visual novels with turn-based strategy RPGs, while also managing to sport genuinely good writing. On the other hand, it spreads itself too thin between both parts, feeling like two betas to two separate games.
Despite a compelling performance from Adam Brown, The Bunker fails to capture that same talent in regards to its writing and direction, leading to a messy pseudo-film filled with pacing issues and a lack of commitment to either of the two mediums it's trying to merge.
While 13 years is certainly a long time to put a series on hold, perhaps another 13 could have been used to help Syberia 3 ready itself for release.
For such a story-heavy RPG, Fairy Fencer F: Advent Dark Force gives little incentive to invest in its rather unoriginal plot. It would be one thing if the story acted as an homage to the RPG narrative of yore, but it simply follows the tired "good god/bad god" routine without bringing anything new to the table. Battles themselves are too easy to take advantage of a potentially good battle system, and poor, underdesigned dungeons rip away any possible depth the gameplay could have had. Newcomers to the genre might be able find something to appreciate about Advent Dark Force despite its flaws, but diehard fans are hard-pressed to find much exciting about a port of an already unimpressive 2013 JRPG.
It's honestly pretty sad how disappointing Rakoo & Friends is, because it's an absolutely stunning looking game. The animated cut-scenes are a real treat, and everything looks so fluid on both the GamePad and television. It just isn't fun, though. Playing through the same levels over and over again to the same grating music can only stay tolerable for so long.
Despite a relatively strong start, this simply isn't worth the time or effort.
Despite featuring what's arguably the best combat system in the series, Bayonetta 3 is nothing short of disappointing. Bayonetta's core gameplay is outstanding, weaving fluid controls together with incredible weapon variety and tons of fun mechanics to play around with. The combo potential is high and battles just feel great to play… as Bayonetta. An unforgivable amount of playtime is dedicated to newcomer Viola, stealth segments that make poor use of Jeanne, and relentless gimmick stages that wear out their welcome immediately. Tossing in mediocre level design, lacklustre performance, and a flavourless story that panders towards the current multiverse craze, and it's clear PlatinumGames have lost their touch when it comes to the Umbran Witch. Bayonetta 3 is simply pitiful.
Exit the Gungeon does a charming job at taking the original's core gameplay loop, and flipping it on its head, but the follow up is more glorified mini-game than it is spin-off. The controls are mechanically tight, and the emphasis on dodge rolling compliments the vertical level design well, but losing the dungeon crawling that defined Enter the Gungeon (and subsequently the thrill of finding secrets) is a tremendous loss. An emphasis on RNG also makes it difficult to enjoy the gunplay, as most weapons gone as soon as they appear. Exit the Gungeon may have Enter the Gungeon's chaos, but it lacks its soul.
PGA Tour 2K21 is a fluid take on golf with incredibly tight mechanics that would be perfect for newcomers were it not for 2K's aggressive microtransactions. All sense of progression is held back by an in-game shop that demands hours of grinding on the player's part or real-life money. What is worse is that this practice makes it difficult to enjoy everything the title has to offer. Player customisation moves too slow and career mode simply offers too few rewards to feel rewarding. There is a good game in PGA Tour 2K21 somewhere, but it will never be found so long as microtransactions hold back actual game design.
It's quite telling that Ever Forward's demo (released independently with the subtitle Prologue) isn't that much shorter than an actual full play-through. Despite the title's tense stealth sections, and fairly involved puzzle-solving, the fact of the matter is that the final product plays out like the tutorial to a much longer adventure that never starts. By the time Maya's story starts to breathe, and the core gameplay begins introducing complex and layered puzzles, the journey is more or less over. The atmosphere is commendable, as are the puzzles actually present, but the is sure to leave genre veterans disappointed, and newcomers desperate for some meat to chew on.
Overpass is a double edged sword by design.
As far as presentation goes, Dry Drowning does put its best foot forward. The excellent sound direction pairs well with the muted, almost gritty art style. Unfortunately, for as aesthetically and stylistically pleasant as the visual novel is, its script leaves quite a bit to be desired.
Although the developers' love for the craft and medium is on full display at all times, Vambrace: Cold Soul does suffer considerably from just how much it proudly lifts from other titles.
Although conceptually sound with a fairly strong setting, This is the Police 2 struggles to say or do anything meaningful with its premise.
For a title with such a strong concept, Airheart does shockingly little with its premise.
At its best, The Lost Child knows how to engage its audience with a creative take on the monster catching format without leaning too heavily into its Shin Megami Tensei influences. Unfortunately, at its worst, and it is more often at its worst, The Lost Child drags the audience along with an incohesive story, lacklustre dungeon design, and a repetitive battle system. The title isn't entirely without merit as everything does tend to mesh well enough in small doses, but longer play sessions reveal the monotony of it all. The Lost Child is an interesting experience, but perhaps one best experienced at a severely reduced price.
While the Enhanced Edition does make for a more tolerable experience, Space Hulk: Deathwing is still held back by an incredibly under-designed campaign, along with clunky mechanics that ooze into the multiplayer. The aesthetic, and overall tone, does shine, but the core gameplay loop feels severely lacking. While it's by no means bad, the combat simply isn't engaging enough to justify long playthroughs and the improved performance does nothing to fix the fundamentally inconsistent level design. Space Hulk: Deathwing might resonate with fans of Warhammer releases, but casual gamers are better off looking elsewhere for co-op first-person shooters.
LEGO The Incredibles is a mediocre action-adventure brawler that fails to live up to the LEGO franchise's reputation. While it's certainly charming to see both films adapted into the LEGO format so succinctly, the whole experience is bogged down by tedious gameplay, technical issues, and sound design that's rough around the edges, at best. Along with a rather uninteresting roster and short play time, LEGO The Incredibles doesn't even come close to the comparatively high standards LEGO Star Wars set nearly a decade and a half ago.
The Long Reach just barely misses the mark thanks to a painfully tone deaf script full of juvenile dialogue and puzzles that rely on process of elimination as much as actual thought-work. The general aesthetic of the world is appealing, with just well-crafted sprites, and the atmosphere is appropriately oppressive, but the overall story feels bound together by a script that can't decide between humour and tension. When every character speaks the same way, alternating between sarcastic quips and actually moving the plot along, it makes for an exhausting experience. Along with repetitive dialogue trees, it's hard to immerse oneself into the narrative. The game is short enough and might be worth buying on sale, but it certainly shouldn't be purchased for full price.
Equin: The Lantern certainly isn't a bad roguelike, but it does come across as rather confused in regards to what it's trying to achieve as a videogame. The main Lantern system is totally unexplained and stamina as a concept, while good overall, can lead to moments where it feels like it was implemented for difficulty purposes over gameplay ingenuity. The RPG elements are all fairly standard, inventory management is simple enough, and the five classes do add a degree of replayability, but the randomness of the procedural generation is what really makes or break a run. It's entirely possible to run through several floors with minimal enemies, but all that means is that the player won't be properly levelled or geared for higher floors. More than anything, Equin is stuck in a miasma of genre conventions with unique mechanics that barely scratch the surface of true individuality.