Justin Oneil's Reviews
Shadow Man Remastered is another great port from the fine folks over at Nightdive Studios. Visual improvements have made the game more atmospheric while a plethora of gameplay improvements and content additions have made for a more enjoyable time. Its 1999 roots still show but old-school fans of the game and newcomers should find enjoyment in this.
Berzerk Studio has crafted something horrifically special with Infernax with it being one of the finest old-school action-adventure games I’ve played in some time. Every part of this game just screams quality from the art work, to the soundtrack, to the gameplay and how your choices affect the world you’re in. The game is unapologetic-ally gory and gruesome and that may not be for everyone but it was absolutely for me. Infernax may have been flying under the radar but you should absolutely add this one to your must-play list in 2022.
Beat Souls is an enjoyable game in the music/rhythm genre but it isn’t a must-play by any means. It’s got a decent set of tracks so long as you enjoy JPop music and you can get plenty of playtime out of it for the price. If it had more variety in the music and wasn’t so busy on-screen then I could recommend it more easily.
Dynasty Warriors 9 Empires improves on the original Dynasty Warriors 9 in some ways and in others it still feels like the same half-baked game. The Conquest mode is a lot to learn but you can spend a lot of time in it once you do. Making decisions, bringing in soldiers, defending your kingdom and so on can be a fun time waster but it won’t be for everyone. It’s also disappointing that the combat and visuals in some other recent Musou games were more enjoyable than what is in this one. If you’re a fan of the Empires games then you’ll probably enjoy this but just don’t expect some kind of big leap over what came before.
Sifu set out to be the kung-fu game of your dreams and for the most part I think it succeeds in being that. When you get into that perfect flow the combat and animation is just superb and this is complimented by some great art direction and a fantastic score. It’s really the difficulty and some unclear tells that hurt the game a bit and may be too much for some to overcome.
Dyna Bomb is a solid action platformer but one that isn’t memorable or in need to be played. The jetpack and bomb gameplay can be fun for a little while but over the course of the 60+ levels it gets repetitive. It also doesn’t help that it looks like barely any work was put into making the presentation look better on consoles compared to the mobile version. Unless you’re after some cheap, easy trophies then I think you can safely pass on Dyna Bomb.
It’s hard for me to be too hard on Ghost Sweeper given that it’s priced at just $5 but you can also probably find a better use for that money. It very much reminded me of Solomon’s Key but it just felt a tad too clunky to play to be very enjoyable. It has some charm to it but just be prepared for some unresponsive controls if you do decide to become a Ghost Sweeper.
Clockwork Aquario is a very short 2D platformer that may or may not be worth your time. It’s a fascinating play knowing how long it took to release and it looks great but you’ll quickly experience all that it has to offer.
White Shadows is a great debut title from Monokel that has great visuals, touches on some dark subject matter, and performs solidly in the gameplay department. It needs a patch or two to tighten up the framerate and Ravengirl’s journey will be over before you know it. The world and environmental storytelling really stuck with me though and it’s one of my favorite indie games of this year.
One Hand Clapping is a vibrant 2D puzzle platformer whose use of voice helps it stand out. Every area in the game looks unique and it is constantly changing up how you have to use your voice to interact with the environments. I think some of the later parts get kind of complicated and I’m not sure what the story in the game is really about if there was one. If you’re looking to use your voice to interact with a game in a new way you should give it a try.
6Souls doesn’t do anything to standout in the crowded retro platformer genre but it can provide a couple hours of fun. You’ll get to explore a castle with a man and his dog while seeking the truth of a missing family and earn some easy trophies along the way. If you’re a fan of titles from Ratalaika Games then you’ll enjoy this one just fine.
Solar Ash just managed to make it out in 2021 but it instantly became one of my favorite games of the year. It has an interesting story that got its hooks in me from the get go and the visuals and art direction are jaw dropping. Even though you spend a lot of the time doing a lot of the same things over and over the gameplay never got old to me as the fast and fluid movement system is so darn thrilling as are the towering boss fights. Solar Ash is a lot different from Hyper Light Drifter but it’s another must-play from Heart Machine.
YUKI isn’t as strong a game as ARVORE’s Pixel Ripped series but I still think it’s one of the better PlayStation VR games we’ve seen in 2021. It’s a smooth controlling bullet hell/roguelike game complimented by some strong art and music. It may not have a ton to see but if it gets its hooks in you you’ll be sticking around for quite awhile trying to get in just one more run.
Windlands 2 expands on what the first game did well but is held back a little by the dated PlayStation VR controllers. Exploring and swinging around these large open areas is thrilling and landing arrows on enemies while doing so is very satisfying. It’s just when tracking issues rear their ugly head the experience is hurt by it. I also recommend playing it with friends if possible for the best experience. If this game gets updated to work on Sony’s next generation PlayStation VR unit then I’ll be coming back to it for sure.
BloodRayne: ReVamped should please anyone who was a fan of the original game and for those who haven’t played it yet it makes for a nice dive back into the early 2000s gaming period. This is the best this game has ever looked or ran but it does show its age in the visuals and controls. I personally enjoyed getting to use Rayne again to rain blood across the screen and I hope that one day we get to see Rayne make a new modern appearance.
Cotton 100% doesn’t do a lot to stand out so you could probably pass up this cute ‘em up. I’m glad that it got a western release finally though and some of the extra features do make it a bit easier. If you’re a huge Cotton fan then you’ll enjoy it but otherwise you aren’t missing much.
Panorama Cotton is a fun 3D rail-shooter and a different take on Cotton from what fans have come to expect. It’s the first time it’s been released in the west so if you’re a Cotton fan it’s worth checking out even though it sadly didn’t get translated.
Epic Chef should appeal to fans of games like Story of Seasons or Stardew Valley. It takes a bit to get going and some of its systems are poorly designed but I still grew quite fond of growing my crops, helping out the townsfolk, and conquering battles to become to top chef around. It’s not the best game in this farming/life simulator genre but it’s certainly worth a look.
Doctor Who: The Edge of Reality has quite a bit to enjoy for Doctor Who fans but you’ll have to trudge through some boring gameplay and put up with irritating bugs to see it through. If it sounds interesting at all to you I would either wait on a sale or wait for some of the issues to hopefully be fixed before jumping in.
Tandem: A Tale of Shadows offers up some nice puzzle-platformer gameplay that should please any fan of the genre. It makes good use of its two characters different perspectives to offer up some challenging and thoughtful puzzles and does so while you traverse through some really cool looking environments. The story doesn’t have much to say though and you’ll likely finish it in a short amount of time. If you’re in the mood for a new puzzle-platformer that has you working with light and shadows this one is worth your time.