Yet, these are minor complaints about a game that really is a sublime throwback to 2D adventure games of yesteryear, and they aren't big enough problems to spoil this charming game.
In the end, perhaps it isn't so hard to imagine that a studio whose expertise is mostly technical consulting feels slightly void of inspiration and direction. Extinction has some fine enough ideas, but every aspect of its execution, from the narrative to the combat, feels generic and half-baked.
Atmospherically, ROOT does deliver the sort of intriguing digital dystopia so woefully underused as a genre for modern video games. Unfortunately, problems with some of the gameplay systems and AI spoil the experience and never quite allow the game to live up to its potential.
As of right now, even for someone as desperate to be captivated by a light-hearted adventure like me, Ary and the Secret of the Seasons is an exercise in frustration that isn’t likely to improve your mood.
With this latest installment, it feels as though Machine Games is both running out of ideas and losing the plot a little with what fans have celebrated about this modern era of the Wolfenstein.
While gameplay might not break any new ground, puzzles and crime scenes provide enough interaction to keep you engaged beyond just watching the story unfold. The way in which the Observer uses implants as a means to explore memories is inventive, giving the narrative a grander sense of scale without technically leaving the building.
The concept of Biomutant’s story and world has so much potential. I really think it could have benefited from having a smaller scope with more effort spent on bolstering its narrative, characters, and opting to really flesh out its tribal system. It ends up being a by-the-numbers RPG experience that leans on repetition and fetch questing when I was so hoping the experience of playing it would prove as unique as its unusual premise.
Despite the fun that I’ve had playing Warcraft 3: Reforged and for how it has reminded me what an incredibly influential and brilliant game it is, there’s no way I could recommend anyone outside of the absolute hardcore Warcraft fanbase to purchase it.
Escape the terrifying clutches of Ms. Song as she stalks you through the spooky hallways of Sehwa High School in The Coma: Cutting Class; A short but enjoyable 2D side scrolling stealth survival horror adventure with a strong focus on exploration and narrative. Despite some frustrating gameplay mechanics and level design, the visual presentation and mysterious story are well worth the 4 or so hours of gameplay. The captivating plot and spooky setting will grip most players through to its frightening conclusion.
PONCHO is a 2D side scrolling puzzle platform game by Delve Interactive, which combines a clever gameplay mechanic with detailed and beautifully rendered pixel art. The game uses both back and foreground layers to create complex puzzling challenges and platforming. The results on the whole are mixed, but once the player adjusts to timing the command to zap between layers whilst jumping, there are some moments of entertaining gameplay.
Unless you’re a hardcore Valhalla fan or someone who is particularly enamored with finding a collecting the (admittedly cool-looking) new armor sets, wait for this one to go on sale to satiate your craving to plunder.
I’m sure hardcore Valhalla fans hungry for a new adventure won’t necessarily be upset to hear that Wrath of the Druids delivers more of the same. Certainly, if you loved the main game you’ll appreciate more content to sink your teeth into. For everyone else, play the free seasonal events until there’s a discount.
It’s so damn good, but it’s disappointingly brief. The game looks stunning and it plays fantastically well, but I’ve beaten it twice and I don’t feel as though my hunger for Resident Evil has been satiated.
Echoes of Aetheria does what any good story driven role playing game should do; it tells an epic fantasy story with an array of characters from different backgrounds, and features a deep and engaging battle system. Though, the games narrative lacks any real innovation and is full of tropes typical of JRPG games of yesteryear, it's still a fun 15 hour adventure worth playing through.
When the journey was over, with the credits rolling, I found myself left deep in thought, reflecting on what I had just seen unfold and the meaning of the journey I had embarked on. Quite whether this grand conclusion actually presents more questions than it does answers, I’m still not sure. In any case, I do think Somerville at least succeeds in delivering that punchy, thought-provoking crescendo and conclusion it was always building towards. I just wish it hadn’t been such a slog to get there.
I’m very high on Stray overall, as you can probably tell by now. It might not quite have the substance and complexity in design to elevate the experience to genre-leading heights, but there’s so little to fault and so much to love about it that I’m certain, cat lover or not, it shouldn’t be missed. Stray is a superb achievement for a debut project from a studio in BlueTwelve that I cannot wait to see more from.
Overall, though, I enjoyed my time with Dying Light 2 and found it an entertaining open-world experience that I want to keep playing beyond the 30 or so hours I put into the main storyline. Techland has plans to support Dying Light 2 with five years of post-launch DLC, which is a pledge I’m certain it will deliver given its resume with the original. My hope, then, is that its future content doubles down on the intrigue of the new choice/consequence branching dialog but delivers better and more varied questing to make the unfolding of these stories more engaging.
Still, despite those shortcomings, there’s no question that Ghost of Tsushima Iki Island is an entertaining overall experience and I’m confident most players will find it worth the asking price; in particular, because the story strengthens Jin’s character arc by shining a light on an aspect of his youth not particularly well explained in the base game. For that reason, it works as an adventure played alongside the base game, and equally as an engaging new chapter for those playing it after the fact.
It’s a throwback to old Assassin’s Creed I’m sure fans of the franchise, rather than just fans of Valhalla, will love. And for that reason, in combination with the fact that it tells an interesting story, offers a great reason to reboot or reinstall the game for those who haven’t returned since completing it last year.
It’s a very good RPG –great, even–, just not a seminal one that does anything to push open-world game design beyond what has been done before.