Wyatt Daniels
Knights of Azure 2 was not an awful experience, just a thoroughly mediocre one. Combat is dull and simplistic; game performance lacks; many of its systems never amount to much and – its visuals are likely held back by the Vita, a device that westerners forgot about 5 years ago.
Eliminating the rough edges and making the leveling up actually fun and frequent would go a long way to improving Rogue Stormers. It drips compelling things every now and then, but those don’t justify all the grind and frustration that lords over them.
Many aspects of Time Recoil show potential, but the only part that is actualized is its gameplay. The typically confusing time-travel plot impedes enjoyment as does the randomness in levels, which nearly diminishes that stellar gameplay.
Despite the outside-the-box premise and the unboxing mechanic, this package is a by-the-numbers platformer with a few rough edges. 'Feel' is a huge part of a platformer and in that regard, Unbox: Newbies Adventure is fine for the majority of the time, that is, until the physics decide to freak out.
Nebulous is a challenging puzzle game that allows for creativity and freedom in completing the levels. There are aspects of the game that are unnecessary and there are a few polish issues, but what remains is a game with more than one unique idea.
Risk: Urban Assault, while flawed and bare-bones, has renewed my interest in Risk. Risk’s biggest issue, pacing, is only half-solved in Urban Assault with the “Fast AI” system. Most Disappointingly though, it lacks any semblance of a campaign
Candle: The Power of the Flame is a beautiful game with a charming and emotionally resonant story.
With Pit People, Behemoth tried something new and was only partially successful. It has excellent art design, unique world-building and some truly funny moments, but the problems with its combat and structure hinder what could be a hit. Understandably, the game's weakest parts are those that the studio doesn't have much experience with.
The town of light does some really unique and innovative things for the horror genre but its adventure game aspects are simultaneously mundane and confusing. Still, its real-life horrors stick with you longer than the more fantastical and gruesome images that are commonly seen in other games.
Riddled Corpses' solid gameplay and faithful "retro feel" mostly make up for a limited and sometimes disappointing progression system. It's likely to please those who don't mind grinding as well as those who enjoy a challenge – superficial and linear as it may be.