Evan Norris's Reviews
With inventive transformations, diverse levels, and charm to spare, it's one of the better platformers on a system defined by them. It's just a shame this modern release doesn't do more to contextualize, enhance, and celebrate it.
Jeff Minter is a one-of-a-kind force in the gaming space, a fiercely independent programmer, and one of the industry's most recognizable voices. Llamasoft: The Jeff Minter Story, which provides new insights into his early coding work and boasts over 40 games across multiple platforms, is worthy of his brilliance.
When it comes to run-and-gun games, the more the merrier — even when they fall in the middle of the pack, like Orion Haste does. Although it benefits from some impressive boss battles, several diverse levels, and nice-looking pixel graphics, it can't overcome unimaginative storytelling, ordinary mechanics, and the lack of extra modes & features.
The moment-to-moment action is terrific, level designs and boss battles are mostly great, character and weapon diversity provide high replay value, and customization options allow for an adventure as dangerous or approachable as you like. With a more interesting story, a less tedious progression model, and nicer artistic assets, it would enter that next tier of greatness.
As a commentary on artificial intelligence, and as a science-fiction mystery tale, Return to Grace is a thought-provoking experiment. The questions it asks are compelling, the virtual characters it introduces are endearing, and the retro-futuristic world it proposes is rich in potential. As a first-person adventure game, however, it's less successful, due to perfunctory puzzles, undemanding gameplay, and a short running time.
Cricket Through the Ages benefits from a wacky premise, ironic presentation, and a subversive sense of humor. Regrettably, due to its simple controls, unreliable physics, and flailing gameplay, it's not all that enjoyable as a video game.
Nonograms and farm life don't necessarily belong together, but developer Score Studios has made it work, more or less. With cleaner visuals and greater gameplay depth and diversity — including mechanics borrowed from the farming sim genre — it could be even better.
The Mystery Dungeon of Serpentcoil Island is a triumphant return to the Shiren series, roughly 14 years after the last mainline entry. It benefits from an ever-expanding story, a cast of colorful characters, a revamped asynchronous multiplayer mode, and, most essentially, the same challenging tactical gameplay and extraordinary replay value that has defined the franchise for generations.
The core of Rising Lords shows huge potential. With a better campaign, fewer technical hitches, and deeper combat options, it could be something special.
For purists, the original code remains intact, with all the sharp edges and meticulous controls you remember. For those who've played the trilogy a dozen times before and want a fresh experience, modern visuals and controls change things up considerably — often for the better, sometimes for the worse. Throw in all the expansions and the novelty of photo mode, and you've got a wonderful celebration of the origins of the Tomb Raider franchise.
Turnip Boy Robs a Bank is noticeably better than its predecessor, thanks to an addictive roguelite gameplay loop and a rewarding sense of progression. Unfortunately, its short running time, mediocre boss battles, and late-game difficulty spike keep it from hitting that next level.
It's not quite a definitive version, but it is an easy way to play an underappreciated fourth-generation shoot-'em-up on the go.
Combining the rules of Papers, Please with the whimsical sensibility of classic LucasArts games is far from an obvious choice, but the results speak for themselves. Lil' Guardsman is a lovely adventure game that succeeds mechanically, creatively, and comically.
While Witch Rise looks the part, thanks to its first-person perspective and interplay between 3D and 2D assets, it doesn't deliver what you'd expect from a great old-school FPS.
Ultimately, Blaze in the Deepblue isn't as enjoyable as Gal Guardians, or the better Inti Creates games out there. It's still a fairly good Metroidvania, though, with diverse biomes, tight controls, an interesting set of upgradeable abilities, an approachable crafting system, and striking graphics
Irem Collection Volume 1 is a decent start to ININ's five-part anthology.
Thanks to its multi-genre approach, engaging diving and business simulation mechanics, wealth of content, and striking 2.5D visuals, it's one of the best indie titles of the year. It's not a perfect game — its crowded, everything-but-the-kitchen-sink philosophy makes sure of that — but it's one that's absolutely worth diving into.
Super Mario Bros. Wonder couldn't have a more appropriate name. It's filled with beautiful sights, lovely music, unexpected mechanics, unfamiliar enemies and power-ups, and, thanks to Wonder Seeds, revelation after revelation after revelation. Not everything new about the game works, and it suffers slightly from easy levels and boss battles, but it delivers everything you'd expect from the series, and more.
Fans of rail shooters and Suzuki's early arcade work should give this oddball a chance. While the game's core mechanics are rather shallow and its visual assets unimpressive, it succeeds in replay value, boss battles, and music.
It's admirable that Disney has elected to preserve Gargoyles for future generations, but the game, like Goliath himself, belongs in the past.