Tomas Franzese's Reviews
While it can sometimes be hard to pick and chose which of many Metroidvanias to try out as the market is very crowded, genre fans definitely shouldn't pass on Chasm. The game took the developers six years to make, and this is seems to have paid off when looking at in the quality of the visuals, controls, and how well the Chasm's take on procedural generation and the placement of its rooms works out.
Fortunately for This is the Police 2, its writing, world-building, and story are great, and are likely what players will remember most from this experience. While there are a couple of problems when it comes to gameplay pacing, This is the Police 2 manages to tell a relevant and enthralling story that stands out within its genre and as better than the original.
If the procedurally generated levels were better, I'd wholeheartedly recommend 20XX to anyone, but with how it currently functions, I can only recommend it to Mega Man fans who need that itch scratched. With that said, Mega Man X Legacy Collection releases later this month, and Mega Man 11 arrives in October, so that window is already dwindling. 20XX is a game that controls nicely and surely felt needed and relevant back when it hit Early Access in 2014, but winds up feeling underwhelming in 2018.
If you haven't tried Sonic Mania yet, now is a better time than ever to jump in — whether you opt to pick up Sonic Mania Plus and all the extra things it brings, or just download the Encore DLC and free updates.
Even though its online multiplayer isn't perfect, and the Switch version specifically can occasionally suffer from a lack of precision when using a controller, Sushi Striker: The Way of Sushido wound up being one of the most original and entertaining puzzle games I have played in years. It exudes the quirk and charm typically associated with some of Nintendo's most popular IPs, so I hope this isn't the last we see of Sushi Striker and its adorably odd world.
If you can get past Everspace's few flaws, a game that merges the best parts of roguelikes and space shooters exposes itself. The game manages to stand on its own as a unique entity within both the above genres, so Everspace should have no problem finding an audience in the sea of modern roguelikes and space shooters.
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The Council – Episode 2: Hide and Seek does bring more interesting characters and puzzles into the mix, and I am definitely curious to see where The Council's plot as a whole goes from here. Sadly, Hide and Seek is ultimately a poor follow up to The Mad Ones, resulting in a short, technically flawed, and an overall disappointing episode that has killed some the anticipation I had for future episodes of The Council.
If you are itching for a new space shooter on Switch, you may be able to squeeze a bit of enjoyment out of Manticore – Galaxy on Fire, but you are probably just better to wait until Everspace or a new Star Fox comes to the system. If the game still interests you, it's probably best to just check it out on mobile, where it is available for free. While I do see the potential in bringing mobile games over to consoles like the Switch and improving upon them, Manticore – Galaxy on Fire's mobile origins still hold it back in too many areas to make it a proper example of what can be done with that transition.
As a fan of the genre, I can see myself consistently returning to For the King, and think other roguelike fans and people who enjoy tabletop RPGs will find something to enjoy here.
If you are looking for a game that will give you an adrenalin rush by letting you fight a giant ogre, then you may come away satisfied from Extinction. When you are felling a Ravenii in slow motion, things can get real gratifying, you just do have to trudge through a ton of mediocre and repetitive elements to get there. Extinction's story and some repetitiveness do ultimately let the package down as a whole, but I am glad to see Iron Galaxy tried tackle a different idea outside of their comfort zone, even if it didn't pan out entirely.
This niche of the RTS genre isn't often catered-to outside of the Pikmin series, so it's nice to see these developers branch out and be successful. While the game may have benefitted from more puzzles, the combat focus of Masters of Anima shows that there is still room to expand and be unique in this segment of the genre. If you are looking for a new strategy game to tide you over until a genuine Pikmin 4 comes out, I definitely recommend Masters of Anima.
If you can get past the slow start and some of the glaring technical problems of The Mad Ones, then you will find the most innovative episodic adventure games to come from a studio other than Telltale. I can see The Council becoming a standout title within its genre when it's finished, but as it stands The Mad Ones has enough problems to where everyone may not be on board just yet.
While I have come out of Kingdom Come: Deliverance somewhat disappointed, Warhorse Studios still did deliver on their original KickStarter promise of creating a realistic RPG unlike any other. While the developers did squeeze as much potential as their studio could out of this concept, to sometimes remarkable results, Kingdom Come: Deliverance may have been a tad too bit ambitious for them on a technical level, and it really shows.
If you are a huge racing game fan that is interested in what the game is trying to do, it may be worth checking out, as it's not a poorly-made game. Otherwise, I'd wait for a price drop before adding this to your collection. Gravel does have a lot of room to expand for a sequel, so I do hope Milestone gives this type of racing game another stab with more memorable results.
If you can get past the somewhat janky visuals and combat, you will find a decent action-adventure game that does an excellent job exposing new people to an intriguing culture and mythology. If you are a fan of games that infuse history or different mythologies into the experience and have not heard of the Tarahumara people, Mulaka is definitely worth checking out. It is vital to preserve smaller and somewhat ignored cultures through things like storytelling, so I'm glad Lienzo choose to do so for the Tarahumara people in an interactive way with Mulaka.
On top of that, there is a great story that addresses themes of depression, self-discovery, and ultimately perseverance, which can be applied to both one's personal life and the experience one has in general when playing a difficult game. You may get mad at a few points, but that peak is always there waiting for you, within reach, and is something we should all strive for, whether it is in-game or not.
If you are a fan of pixel art or Amiga-style twin-stick shooters, you will probably have a nice time with Tower 57, especially if you are playing with a friend. Unfortunately, if you are playing in single-player, the title's flaws become a lot more noticeable and annoying, leaving me tepid wanting. If the game was polished up a bit more and made its way to a co-op friendly console like the Nintendo Switch, I could recommend it more, but as it stands, Tower 57 is best suited for those I mentioned above.
It is a shame to see the series fizzle out like this on 3DS. At this point, I just want Nintendo to bring the game over to the Switch with Mario Party 11, as that may be the breath of fresh air this series desperately needs to stay relevant. If that doesn't work out, then it may be time for Nintendo and Nd Cube to finally put this once great series to rest.