If you want to see some stellar performances, or experience some chilling horror, or simply find solutions to fiendish puzzles, then do it with Dead Take, and do it in one sitting. Because the four hours I spent wandering the darkened halls of this mansion will haunt me for some time yet.
On the whole, I got a lot of joy from Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound, and perhaps in different hands, more skilled hands, the opinion would be even more positive. Perhaps those who will play this, yearning for the days of TMNT in a grotty arcade will get a kick out of the quirks and eccentricities here. I have my complaints, but I’d still recommend this game to everyone I know who likes a challenge or appreciates the retro style.
I can’t help but love Hell Clock, because it exemplifies the reason I love indie gaming so much. This space offers unique, personal stories paired with enigmatic gameplay that refuses to let me go.
As I came to the end of my time in Tamagotchi Plaza, it became an insipid place to roam - an existential nightmare where everyone is constantly happy, living in a cycle of benign pleasantries. The constant repetition only serving to chip away at my sanity, much like when I owned my first Tamagotchi as a kid, hearing it chirrup for attention until I shoved it in a drawer to die.
While I don’t think Wuchang: Fallen Feathers is going to become the sudden favourite of soulslike fans, I can see it getting plenty of time in the sun. The issues I felt are, in the grand scheme of things, relatively minor and can all be worked around, or even patched out by the developers. Which leaves me with an utterly engaging world, filled with sheer beauty, and plenty of fresh ideas.
For all the gorgeous visuals, and flashy, beautiful effects that spark and burn from abilities, there’s nothing offering any real bite. There’s no hook, and if a roguelike needs one thing, it’s a hook; give me an excuse to stay up until 2am figuring out new builds and synergies to slay your, admittedly, brilliant, bullet hell enemies. And so, I walked away from Dragon is Dead, which is a very odd title, by the way, feeling underwhelmed.
I think if I was more invested in the TRON world, or had a passion for the narratives that have already been told, I would have enjoyed TRON: Catalyst much more. With the lack of drive to see this world unfurl before me, it really felt like a simple action game, moving from point-to-point, with decent combat.
I desperately want to be able to recommend this game to fans of the genre, and when it worked properly, it felt wonderful to play. Even now, I kind of miss the world within this game because it evokes a great sense of place and time through genuinely lush pixel visuals. In the state that it’s currently in, I can’t do this. There were too many moments when I walked away from the game in frustration, not because of my skill level, but because the controls of the Sandfox weren’t responsive enough, or traipsing back through old areas created tedium.
To a T is not a Takahashi classic, however, it’s a welcome distraction from a unique mind that can’t help but make you smile.
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is, thankfully, more wonderful than it is disappointing. It whisks the player away into a truly impactful world, with a powerful and emotional story bubbling away, enhanced by some stellar acting. There were moments I was brought to spilling a couple of tears, alongside some that had me laughing riotously. The battles, which can so often feel stagnant in a bustling genre, are refreshing, tactical, and delightful. This is a wonderfully imaginative game, bursting with identity, and it has a lot to say about important topics. Yes, the path is a bit muddy and cumbersome, but the destination is worth it, and the journey is magical.
What frustrates me the most, is I really wanted to love Star Overdrive. I wrote about it for a little news story, highlighting how good it looked - honestly, the visual design is simply lush. The trailers sold me on a joyous adventure balancing combat and exploration, and I ended up wishing for more, and feeling sadly disappointed.
I came away from Promise Mascot Agency feeling overwhelmingly cheery and inspired, and, above all, entertained. Every mascot is brilliantly designed both visually and in terms of their characteristics. Michi is an adorable and gruff protagonist who I’m going to miss now I’ve finished the game, and the mechanics of the agency are smart and engaging.
Tetris Forever isn’t just for historians and archivists who want to know more about the franchise. It’s a treasure trove of joy that rolls back the years and shows that with a simple formula, games can last forever. If you enjoy the classic game, this is the definitive way to play it. Sure, there might not be a lot in rewatching the historical segments over and over, but they’re simply extra flavouring in a banquet of gaming that is already delectable in every form.
It’s okay that Red Ronin doesn’t feature a killer story, because the actual gameplay does exactly what it needs to, and it does it well.
So, here I am comparing Sir Lovelot to a game made eleven years ago. Had the developers made one or two slightly different decisions, Sir Lovelot would earn a place in my heart. Instead, I tore through the game in two hours – though this could be extended if you want to find all the hidden items and secrets. I felt deflated after every level. Like a jilted lover, Sir Lovelot did not perform.
This is where SOLAS 128 falls down: it doesn’t ever really feel intuitive. It fails to point you in the right direction in the opening moments – a brief explanation of what each button does would go a long way. The vague ‘story’ also lets the whole experience down somewhat; had it been more fleshed out, it would elevate the mechanics.
The issue is only being able to play for short bursts because your eyes hurt. Or because you’re sick of reaching over to the mouse to select a new game mode, even though your controller worked on the main screen. With friends, in short bursts, Kinetic Edge can be fun. But for the most part, it feels like rolling a ball uphill, rather than down: awkward and difficult.
Ultimately, we’re left with a game that doesn’t appear to know exactly what it wants to be. Without the platforming, Blue Fire might have been a Souls-like adventure game. Without the combat, it would excel at precision platforming. But with both aspects in the mix, it doesn’t quite stick the landing of either.
Lonely Mountains is far from lonely, it rekindles a feeling of childhood. Of meeting with friends and exploring the woods, daring each other to take jumps or freewheel through water. It’s a game about being alone, by being at one with nature and the bike beneath you.
So, as the closing moments began to tick away I felt that sadness akin to the fading of a memory; the running of a chalk drawing on a London street. It’s not just the comparison of water moving colours, but with the sense of something special happening. Something magical. GRIS captures imagination, the beauty of movement and the lustre of a sumptuous piece of art, all the while letting the player interact with it, making us feel both insignificant and yet ever more important.