Justin Oneil's Reviews
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.
Gynoug should be a fun trip for anyone looking to see what one of the oldest shoot ‘em ups has to offer. The game is punishing but newly added options make it so anyone can see it though to the end. It will only last you a couple hours but considering it’s only a few dollars you’ll get plenty of bang for your buck here.
G-Darius HD still holds up as a great shoot ‘em up even over twenty years later. The game can be a little intimidating due to it not explaining its systems clearly but difficulty options and unlimited continues should help alleviate that somewhat. This is still very much the same game as it was back in 1997 however and whether that’s worth paying $29.99 for is up to each individual. If you’re a fan of shoot ‘em ups though and you never played this game then I recommend you get it at some point.
Fans of 3D platformers would do well not to overlook Demon Turf this year. The game’s visual style is unique and one of the best things about it but the platforming is equally as enjoyable.
Youtubers Life 2 is a deeper experience than the first game and is a solid new addition to the life simulation genre. There is plenty to do to keep you busy while trying to rise through the Youtuber ranks but to me it got a bit repetitive.
Space Invaders: The Invincible Collection is a good collection of Space Invaders titles that have released over the past forty years with a couple of nice extras. It includes more titles than the recently released Space Invaders Forever but for double the price this is going to be a steep ask for a lot of people. If you have really been wanting to play titles like Space Invaders II or Majestic Twelve and you’re fine paying the asking price then you will find a lot to enjoy here.
Hell Let Loose is a different type of shooter from what most players will expect but one that is rewarding so long as you have proper teamwork. When you are on a team that is properly communicating and coordinating the feeling you get from this game is awesome. On the other hand, when you aren’t on one of those teams it can make it very easy to want to jump ship into one of the many other shooters available.
Lemnis Gate is a unique, strategic, turn-based first-person shooter that has some good things going for it. The mechanics work well together and trying out different operatives and strategies is fun for sure. That said, there isn’t a ton of content here and whether there will be anyone to play against will depend on whether Ratloop can push out ongoing content to keep players coming back.
Super Monkey Ball: Banana Mania is a great remake of some of the best Super Monkey Ball games ever made. There is a ton of content here and plenty of reasons to replay it whether it be to unlock all the content in the shop, set new best personal online leaderboard times, or sitting down to play the mini-games with friends locally. The only things that could’ve made it better was more online functionality and maybe some slight changes to the physics. Super Monkey Ball: Banana Mania is a must for fans of the franchise and a great way to celebrate the 20th anniversary.