Alex McCumbers's Reviews
Bounty Battle is not the celebration of indie game culture that I was hoping for; it is an embarrassment that should have been delayed.
Unfortunately, in its current state, I cannot recommend Forma.8 to anyone, even the most hungry fans of the Metroidvania genre. There are better games in that genre that explore similar feelings of isolation and there are better games on Switch that evoke that nostalgic feeling of older systems.
This one could have used more development time and I really hope that whatever game development is done next with My Hero Academia learns from these mistakes.
For anyone looking for a solid platforming experience, I would avoid Trial by Viking like the plague.
I’ve played a lot of anime games through the years with varying degrees of enjoyment, but I don’t even think being a super fan of the Asterisk War franchise would entice me to play Phoenix Fiesta any more than I already have.
There are some cool ideas in Redeemer but they just don’t come together in an enjoyable way. Hopefully, a more refined sequel will put Vasily in a better light. For now, his defiant echoes through the mountains will likely fall on deaf ears.
Whipseey and the Lost Atlas looks and sounds like what I would want in a game emulating a classic platformer, but it lacks the finesse that made those platformers great to begin with.
Phantom Trigger, at least the Switch version, should’ve been delayed.
Akiba’s Beat is definitely not for everyone and for most players it would be a boring affair. If anything, I recommend playing the Vita version instead; at the least it can be played in small bursts absentmindedly.
All in all, anyone wanting to know how not to make a platformer should play Rad Rodgers. It's a surprisingly good example of all the wrong ways to go about it. Anyone else should probably avoid this title.
Dungeon of the Endless just isn’t great on the Switch.
There is a ton of potential in Dyschronia: Chronos Alternate but unfortunately, it lacks some of the best qualities that VR gaming has to offer.
I hope to see more game development from Walker and those that worked alongside him; I commend publishers like Another Indie that go out of their way to find these smaller projects.
Earth Atlantis has some potential to be a unique shooter, but unfortunately there just isn’t enough there to keep players engaged.
Yomawari: Lost in the Dark desperately needs a health system or far fewer run-ins with ghosts that can instantly kill the player. Honestly, allowing the player to be scared but keep trudging through would be better to keep the tone and atmosphere consistent.
In different circumstances, Valkyrie Elysium could have been fantastic but now it will live forever as an oddity.
The puzzles rely on weird logic, the arcade sections are dull, and the courtroom-style quizzes leave a lot to be desired, making Yurukill: The Culmination Games a title that struggles on all fronts.
I would love to see this universe expanded upon. Put this level of gameplay mastery into a world that's as interesting as say anything Gundam or Evangelion and Ragequit Corporation could have a manifesto on their hands. In its current state though, Strike Vector EX will sadly be forgotten, only to be remembered years from now on a "Top Ten Obscure Games" list.
It is really cool that this rather obscure title has been ported to Switch and I do hope that this trend continues from NIS America. I just wish there could’ve been a couple more things tossed in to make this more appealing for a wider audience.
Anyone interested in classic film will probably find something to love and discuss but anyone hoping for something more dreadful than the first game or others like it will probably want to avoid it for now.