Brandon Howard's Reviews
MegaTagmension Blanc + Neptune VS Zombies suffers from the same problems as its predecessors, with a clunky battle system and convoluted storytelling. It's gratuitous fan service for Neptunia fans in the form of a rough and unpolished hack and slash, but it amounts to little else. The robust cast of characters doesn't do much to mask the bigger issues with the combat, and while there are differences between the characters, there are few meaningful choices to be made when selecting one. Even the most devoted Neptunia fans will have a hard time swallowing this one.
Stardew Valley brings new life into what has otherwise been an extremely stagnant genre. While the Story of Seasons series has tried shifting its formula from time to time, none of the recent releases have made great strides in making the experience feel meaningful, especially in regard to character development. While Stardew Valley does keep the daily grind of farm simulation going, it intersperses the mundane with real storytelling moments and endearing characters that will keep you coming back for more.
For horror fans, this is definitely a title worth checking out, even if adventure games aren't your favourite. The writing is incredibly paced and well timed, and the setting is on point. It manages to be chilling and unsettling without resorting to unnecessary jump scares, and even manages to be a great adventure game on top. It's still got its fair share of frustrations, but it's a solid experience, and it's easily one of the best written horror games out there right now.
Atelier Sophie: The Alchemist of the Mysterious Book gets off to an odd start, with its initially confusing crafting sessions and an extremely open-ended story. It does get easier as materials become easier to obtain and as the world opens up, but it's more freeform than the standard JRPG. Still, it has one of the most unique and engaging crafting systems out there, and it's exhilarating coming up with new combinations of items. It's definitely got a unique flavour, but it's charming and addictive all the same.
Shovel Knight: Specter of Torment is exceptional. It's always incredible to see what new ways Yacht Club Games is able to reimagine the same universe, and without fail, it does it in a way that makes the experience feel completely fresh. While the setting may be similar, Specter of Torment is so completely unlike the previous two games, both in setting and gameplay. Everything about it is absolutely addictive and impossible to put down, making it a perfect launch title for the Nintendo Switch.
The Lion's Song: Episode 1 - Silence is poignant and beautiful, although extremely short and linear. The growing friendship between two strangers separated by hundreds of miles in the early age of the phone is compelling, and the musical elements offer a unique flavour to the narrative. While quite short and not especially mechanically deep, it's still an emotional experience well worth the time it takes.
Monster Monpiece has a couple of interesting takes on the digital CCG genre, but it's completely hampered by the horrendous controls and its tasteless and aggravating upgrade system. There's understandably some issues with porting a title that utilised a touchscreen for many in-game actions, but the hybrid mouse/keyboard setup feels awful, and the deckbuilding interface is so clunky that it's pure trial and error to navigate the first few times. With so many amazing digital CCGs out there, there's few good reasons to play this one.
Persona 5 is unrepentantly stylish, and absolutely seamless in keeping its players immersed in its world. Every moment is exciting, from traversing the masterfully crafted dungeons, to living it up with Joker's friends and acquaintances. There are some moments that don't mesh perfectly with the tone of the story, but even they help to paint a portrait of a group of teenagers dissatisfied with the world at large. Persona 5 is a joy from start to finish, and it never drops its fashionable facade - not even for a second.
Scribble definitely carves its own niche as a solid, out of the box party game for the Wii U. Since it doesn't require anyone to mess around with additional Wii Remotes or other accessories, it's really easy to set up and play anytime. It's hard not to wish there was slightly more to the game, and despite the simple controls, it would have been nice if there were a couple of options for alternative control setups. It won't turn any heads, but it's a solid Pictionary clone, and one that's sure to please party-goers of all ages.
Disgaea 5 Complete is a natural fit for the Switch, as the features that make it more accessible than older titles in the series are highlighted through the portability of the platform. While already an excellent SRPG in its own right, the DLC added into the core game both provides a definitive experience for series veterans, while also offering several slight handicaps to newer players. Disgaea 5 Complete's strategic depth and genre-savvy charms feel perfect at home or on the go, making it an excellent addition to any growing Switch library.
Minecraft: Story Mode Season Two fails to capture both the creative freedom of Minecraft, and the meaningful storytelling of a Telltale Games series. While there's definitely some niche appeal for those who are extremely invested in the world and lore of Minecraft, the story and characters don't stand out enough to make this a super compelling title. If Minecraft is something people love playing, they're better off just sticking to it.
While the threat level system theoretically makes for some interesting moment to moment choices, it makes the campaign feel woefully unbalanced at times. Combat also lacks the smoothness one would hope for from the genre, with movement and aiming feeling choppy and imprecise. Between monotonous gameplay and a generally uninteresting story, Solstice Chronicles: MIA lacks the qualities that help shape a successful single-player campaign, and the co-op changes feel like a strict downgrade from its predecessor.
Moero Chronicle is just straight up disappointing. It's a lacklustre dungeon crawler, with time consuming, wasteful mechanics that pad out dungeons. It's a subpar ecchi game far too invested in its own subpar story to excel at the fanservice it offers, and it does all of this with creepy undertones, frustrating interfaces, and an overall aggravating vibe. There might still be a niche Compile Heart fanbase that gets something out of this, but even then, it's a stretch.
Blue Reflection is a solid, if somewhat fanservice-y, JRPG that suffers from some poor pacing issues. The characters themselves are decently fleshed out, and it's worth sticking with them to see how their arcs develop, even if there is a lot to keep track of. The skill customisation is a lot of fun to mess around with, but combat is the weakest part. Despite the excellent combat tracks, most battles feel like a drawn-out exhibition more than anything else. As one of Gust's best titles in years, however, it's definitely worth checking out.
Cyberdimension Neptunia: 4 Goddesses Online is a pleasant surprise, actually. The fast-paced combat is a welcome change from the tedious encounter system from previous games, and the story strikes a good balance of cutesy and interesting. Unfortunately, the gameplay gets really repetitive as bosses and enemies get reused level after level, so it's hard to want to keep at it for long. The balancing is completely off, and there's not a lot of challenge past the first couple of dungeons. Still, the gameplay has its charms, and the solid writing makes this one of the first Neptunia titles casual RPG fans and devout Neptune addicts might both enjoy.
LEGO Worlds is so close to being a fantastic idea that all the little hang-ups feel way more annoying than they should. The creation mode is fantastic, but extremely touchy controls-wise; and it's gated off by necessitating the player to complete the same missions dozens of times each if they want its best tools. The idea of a digital LEGO sandbox is the stuff that dreams are made of and, honestly, it just hasn't been done justice this time around.
Curse of Osiris doesn't really do anything to enhance the Destiny 2 experience, aside from the new raid and some nice quality of life upgrades.
InnerSpace falls more than a bit short of the heights it aspires to. The levels feel hard to navigate and they aren't helped by the laggy controls and constant motion of the Cartographer. It feels poorly optimised for Nintendo Switch, with frequent camera stutters and choppy frame-rates. It's overall a very unsatisfying experience, which is made all the more frustrating by the sheer potential InnerSpace has. The beautiful environments and quietly haunting atmosphere are still enchanting, but everything else just feels empty.
While Destiny 2 has a solid foundation and a robust story campaign, its endgame content feels a little lacklustre. [OpenCritic note: Brandon Howard separately reviewed the PC and PS4 versions. Their scores have been averaged.]
The PC version of Dynasty Warriors 9 is frustrating, more for its wasted potential than anything else. The game is difficult to control on PC, and that significantly hinders a lot of the fun, fast-paced combat, which is all-too scarce at times. Additionally, while the open-world approach is a great direction for the series, it doesn't capture the epic battles that the series is known for in the same way. Maps are either too crowded, or frightfully empty. It's nice to see Omega Force taking the series in a new direction, but this entry hasn't quite found its footing.