Pierre-Yves Lanthier's Reviews
To be honest, I racked my brain to TRY and find something positive to say about this game. I can’t begin to imagine how much work goes into creating and executing a video game, and I don’t WANT to shit all over someone’s art. However, I also just can’t bring myself to promote something that is so irresponsible. What Happened had the potential to be an important commentary on mental illness, personal struggle, and hopelessness. Instead, it was a hopeless mess.
So overall, Thorium’s Undermine is a fantastic Roguelike on both the PC where it has released from Early Access and on the XB1 where players are now playing for the first time. Top down and only designed to keep being entertaining hours down the line as you push further and further into the mine, here is a Roguelike that is both accessible to players new to the style and to long time veterans looking for a new challenge. Check back next week for some Let’s Plays as we were wonderfully treated to both an XB1 and a PC code to cover Undermine!
Nostalgia aside though, Hellbound is a well refined first person shooter that has you diving through the forces of hell in a high octane killfest supported by heavy metal tracks to keep the pace up as your heart pumps blood to the beat of the music. It’s bloody hard but it’s fun in that classic sense where you have to be better than the game as the game won’t just hand victory over to you.
Overall though? If you’ve been wanting to return to Gamindustri as it’s been a while or you want a solid RPG for your Switch that you want to bring around with you or play comfortably while our on a balcony during this social distancing time, Compile Heart and Idea Factory’s Megadimension Neptunia VII is a great choice and one that you should really look into.
Overall, West of Dead is a really neat Twin-Stick Shooter style and I look forward to hopefully seeing more of it in the future.
Overall though, Brigandine: The Legend of Runersia is an excellent simulation strategy for the Nintendo Switch. It works both in handheld and in cradle modes for short or long periods as you decide how much time you’re going to spend that day in order to conquer the lands. With plenty of different elements all blending together, there’s something here for fans of different types of strategy though just keep in mind that there’s a large amount of effort on the player’s part in order to get started. Once you have though? The next playthroughs will go much smoother as you already know what you’re doing. You’ll just be able to sit and enjoy the combat, the strategy and the story of the nation that you decided to take command of.
Overall, Catherine: Full Body is a great remake of a dark and very adult story that was rather refreshing to go through. With tons of choices to do, or not do, and plenty of moments that can make you cringe and really wonder if that was the right thing to do, there are so many different outcomes available that makes this eight to twelve hour adventure worth going back again and again before even getting into the gameplay challenges and online leaderboards.
So overall, Biped is an amazing coop experience for you and someone else. The stages are fun, the levels are appropriately challenging, and the graphics are super cute with fun music to add to the atmosphere. Being on the Switch also helps for you to bring it along as long as you’re being safe in the current climate that we find ourselves in with Social Distancing.
There are other XCOM-likes available on Switch, and you could argue that titles like Mutant Year Zero represent a step forward for the genre that has now left XCOM itself behind. The intensity of this game’s narrative, of the resistance against overwhelming odds and the way that the game gives you reason to celebrate even the small victories does make it worth another look, though.
So overall, Warborn provides some good Turned Based Strategy. The campaign is fun and provides some challenge but other than getting a higher rank, it doesn’t provide much replayability so it’s a good thing that there’s both an offline skirmish mode and online cross platform multiplayer mode between the Xbox One, the Switch and the PC to keep you busy for a while to come!
That said, Ys: Memories of Celceta is both a wonderful action adventure RPG just as much as it is a solid entry into the Ys Series. Having made its way to the PS4, there are now three options to experience this adventure and fans that want to get back into it from the original Vita version will be happy to know that they share a trophy list. With plenty of ground to cover, plenty of monsters to fight and puzzles to solve, this re-release of one of Adol’s earlier adventures may be exactly what you need to tide you over as we wait for the localization of Ys IX: Nox Monstrum.
So overall, in just the last six months Crumbling World has come a long way and I’m impressed with the current result. With different character classes offering different approaches to combat while the ground falls out from under your feet, there’s a nice challenge to it all making it more than just another Hack & Slash to go through.
So overall, Dungeon Defenders: Awakened is a good return for the series. It’s fun to play both with friends and family though it will be interesting to see where things go from here. With the original success of the first, the troubles of the second, and then technically the original revamp of the first, Awakened has the opportunity to expand with the knowledge of the titles that came before it while also avoiding the issues that came along for the ride. I just hope that I get my Barbarian back...
So overall, while Minecraft Dungeons plays it rather safe with the Dungeon Crawling style, it’s fun to play either on your own or with friends. With the current state of affairs, #playapartogether and COVID-19, it is nice that there are both a local and online multiplayer so that families in the same house can play off of one console while friends can just easily add each together to go hacking & slashing against the evil hordes that threaten the land. With more content coming soon as showcased on the world map, I’m interested in seeing what comes next. Source: Ultimate Game Pass Subscription provided by Microsoft for Minecraft Dungeons Review
Overall, Children of Morta is a fantastic Roguelike experience that makes itself rather accessible even if the genre is not your forte. With multiple characters to be used with unique gameplay styles and a well narrated story to tie it all together, this is one that should be looked into and I’m looking forward to seeing what comes next in the later updates.
Dread Nautical was simply amazing to sit down to. The turned based elements mesh perfectly with the Roguelike setting that has been presented through a cruise ship stuck somewhere out there in the high seas. With plenty of possible party members, tons of replayability, and simply just being fun to play, I can only hope to see more of this down the line and maybe a Dread Nautical inspired Pinball Machine.
Overall Daymare 1998 isn’t a bad zombie title, but it isn’t a great one either. Sitting somewhere in the middle, there are both classic and newer elements that blend together nicely but when added with the visual issues and the more mechanical ones like zombies not dying, there’s a bit of work to be done in order to make this the amazing title that it should be.
I would highly encourage anyone to experience Deliver us the Moon either on the PC or the consoles that have now launched. It’s not very long clocking in anywhere between six to eight hours depending on how lost you get, but it’s a well told and well built experience that had me feeling rather emotional by the end. With plenty of trials to overcome and a silent protagonist that is probably one of the better ones that I’ve ever had the chance to travel with, finding out if you had indeed Deliver the Moon is a question that you should answer for yourselves.
While realistic simulators like TT Isle of Man Ride on the Edge 2 may not be for everyone, I would suggest at least checking it out if you’re interested in something new and different. Amazing in the visuals department, there’s an accessibility to the entry that curbs that steep learning curve that would otherwise exist allowing people not familiar with the style to get just as much enjoyment as those riding up near the top and looking for new challenges that the latest entry provides.
And ALL OF THIS is wrapped into an amazing blend of story, characters, music and visuals that sing so well together. I think it goes without saying, Persona 5 Royal is a shining example of what both an RPG and a revamp of an already stellar RPG should be. With the plenty of amazing dialog, emotions, environments and the general crazy that comes with a Shin Megami Tensei, the return of the Phantom Thieves may yet again steal away that Game of the Year title as right now? It’s currently mine!