Zack Hage's Reviews
Grand Kingdom is the best non-traditional role playing game I've played this year, and may even take a place on my end of the year list once I fully take in how outstanding it is. But right now, I'm doing things I couldn't have dreamed of being fun yet are, a common trademark of Grand Kingdom's incredible design.
Guilty Gear Xrd Revelator is the best fighter of 2016, and with Injustice 2 being released not even in the next six months, I'm pretty certain it will keep that title. It's attention to detail is refreshing, it's models inventive, and it's gameplay hooking and enormous in depth. It's hard to think that fighters can get any better than this, but Guilty Gear continuously sets the bar.
On the surface, ABZÛ is a simple game, but there's an incredible amount of polish, detail, and artistic integrity at hand. The game is beautiful without sacrificing any of its main components, which makes the whole experience better as a whole. There are a couple technical stumbles, but the overall product is nevertheless exceeding.
I've played a lot of platformers this year, but Ninja Pizza Girl is part of the 10% that truly excels beyond the genre's typical conventions. It's story is enthralling, funny, and amiable, and the same goes for the gameplay and even replay value. Even after completing the game, there's still a whole lot to love and go through again.
Moon Hunters is not only a wonderfully creative game, but it manages to be innovative without getting weighed down by other issues. And, with it’s pick-up-and-play like style, the significance has been added to it’s short rate of completion. The technical prowess isn’t the greatest, but everything else is supremely top-notch.
Steredenn is my contender for the best twinstick shooter of 2016, and I hope it stays this way. While it doesn’t necessarily carve it’s own niche, it does so many things right that it’s rightfully hard to complain. Instead, I’m just having too much fun to worry about specific nitpicks, and let the great gameplay seep back in.
Score Rush Extended is less of a great SHMUP and more of a lesson to others influenced by the genre on how to do it justice. It’s also a great example of how lackluster visuals doesn’t necessarily mean bad gameplay, a fact that still isn’t spread too often nowadays. By accomplishing both of these goals and being a great game overall, Score Rush Extended is a definite keeper.
Chambara is a multiplayer titan and courageously reinvents the wheel without fail. I could complain about the game’s lack of modes, but that goes against the entertainment you really are receiving. After all, nothing I’ve played this year matches this kinetic, effortless, and overall enticing concept.
Drawful 2 is an excellent, although mechanically unsubstantial sequel to a hit party game. A small portion of gamers might be disappointed at the lack of true changes, but the hilarity outweighs the innovation, and for good reason. Drawful 2 is a comedic masterpiece.
Super Mutant Alien Assault may not have an excellent title, but it makes up for this with it’s fantastic and furiously frantic gameplay. I can’t wait to go back and experiment with the weapon library, which I hope gets expanded in the future. At the end of the day, this alien killing masterpiece is not a lesson in anger, just good passionate fun.
Broken Bots is the next essential Playstation 4 competitive indie game, and I hope it finds an audience. It’s design elements are smart and rival what’s traditionally seen in it’s genre, and just enough content is there that replayability should last a good while. Overall, it’s a pleasant and greatly enjoyable experience.
Art of Balance is probably the best puzzle primary game I’ve played all year. Although the premise seems like it would fit better during the tediousness of a Sunday night train ride, it’s a game I can now see myself playing in nearly any occasion. Other puzzle games fall short, and Art of Balance simply shows them how it’s done.
You can call #KILLALLZOMBIES inferior in terms of name alone, but everything else it exceeds proficiently at. If anything, it's ambitious and amazing to see this amount of concepts and ideas pressed into something that could have so easily been screwed up. It's not always perfect, but there's a lot of fun to be had.
Spy Chameleon isn't the best indie game on the market, but it's definitely up there and sets it's place in a rather empty niche. It's not completely original, but it reminded me that shouldn't always be the case for a game to be fun. In other words, it's not completely perfect, but nowhere near cold blooded. (Oh the irony)
Neverwinter is one of the better MMO's to release this generation, and especially on console. It's competence is far and wide, and the developers have clearly put in enough effort to give this game a long life-cycle. There will probably be a dip as usual, but with how great it is, I'm expecting much less so.
Among the Sleep is one of the better horror titles I've come across in recent memory. It's unique take doesn't take away any of the scares, and the plot doesn't overstay it's welcome and creates a collection of memorable scenarios. The same can't be said for the presentation, which is the one urgent issue of fixing.
It didn't seem this way at first, but ImageForm proved Steamworld Heist to be the next logical step after Steamworld Dig. On top of fabulous gameplay and overall intuitiveness, it grasps a personality some other indie games could only dream of. Just get ready for a fun space challenge.
Full Mojo Rampage is another excellent game from Nicalis, that carries the torch for roguelike shooter mashups into the coming years. It's smart and creative, and holds challenge that is tough to overcome, but never insurmountable. If you need a great summer indie game, you may have just found your choice.
ADIOS is far from an accurate description of space, but it's another game that proves that you don't need to yield from any topic to make an intriguing interactive property. In-game additions like game references and secret levels make the trip even merrier, making space feel like that one true home.
All in all, Stranger of Sword City is a far surpassing RPG in gameplay, but is brought down to lesser degrees by a majority of flaws found everywhere else. This does not discount the fun I did have with it though, and I would still recommend it to anyone willing to explore the more forgotten parts of JRPG lineage.