Justin Oneil's Reviews
Quest for Infamy is a solid throwback to the classic point-and-click adventure days but one that isn’t a must-play by any means. It has some good art, funny writing at times, and some good puzzles but the combat is pretty bland and the voice acting is some of the worst I’ve heard in recent memory. If you really have an itch that needs to be scratched by this style of game give it a look but otherwise you aren’t missing much.
Explosive Candy World is a simple, colorful physics-based platformer that offers good value for the money. It keeps the gameplay fresh by adding new things as you get further and the gameplay is both simple to play but challenging to master. Sure, it seems like something you’d play on your phone but console owners can also have quite a bit of fun launching their little man around with candy.
There really isn’t much about Ball laB that stands out from other precision platformers but what it does it does well. For a few dollars you are getting a minimalist, challenging platformer that anyone can play and you even get some very easy trophies along the way.
Roguebook will be right up your alley if you are a fan of Slay the Spire or deck building games in general. It’s got a beautiful fantasy world that is fun to navigate using the ink mechanic and the different playable characters and card variety makes the battles very strategic. Sure, some runs seemed doomed to failure from the start but I always wanted to jump back onto the page to give it another go.
Submerged: Hidden Depths mostly treads the same water as the first game but does so while improving on certain things. The gameplay is simple and combat free so that anyone can set sail in this world and enjoy it and it is just long enough to not end up feeling boring. The world is gorgeous to behold and the music is equally as enjoyable. If you find laid back exploration games like this boring than this won’t be for you but for everyone else this is a voyage worth setting sail on.
Atelier Sophie 2: The Alchemist of the Mysterious Dream is the perfect way to celebrate 25 years of the franchise as it’s one of the best entries yet. The game has another interesting story as we get to join Sophie and a bunch of charming characters on an emotional journey. Furthermore, exploring and gathering materials is made more interesting by the new weather system, new layers to the battle system open up some fun possibilities and the crafting system is one of the most addictive yet. It was a surprise to go from Atelier Ryza 2 back to Atelier Sophie but it’s one that I’m very thankful the team sprung on us.
Horizon Forbidden West takes mostly everything that the first game did so well and improves on it to make it one of the early must-have titles for the PlayStation 5. The story is once again full of unexpected and emotional moments and the characters throughout are memorable. The gameplay has seen many improvements to make exploring this gorgeous world and fighting the dozens of different machines fun and exciting. Add those things with the top-notch visuals, soundtrack and performances and you have what is sure to be a Game of the Year contender come the end of 2022.
Venus: Improbable Dream won’t do anything to bring you into its story if you aren’t a fan of visual novels but if you are there is a pretty decent one here for you. It takes a bit to get going and the lack of choices is disappointing but the subject matter it touches on and how it handles it are rarely seen in the video game space. If you’ve struggled with social anxiety then this game will hit right at home and pull on your heartstrings.
El Gancho is a fun pixel-art action platformer but one that isn’t a must play. The randomly generated levels and fast paced gameplay can make it addictive to want to give it one more run but there are also so many other options out there to get this experience from. It’s very affordable however so if you’re looking for something on the cheap to get a lot of play out of then this is worth a try.
Mastho is Together is a great precision platformer but one that doesn’t have much personality or things that stand out about it. The gameplay is responsive and everything that it sets out to do it does well, it just doesn’t do anything that I haven’t seen or played before. If you are just looking to spend a few dollars for a couple hours of laid back precision platforming fun then it’s worth a shot.
Moto Roader MC is another nice blast from the past from Ratalaika Games. This top-down racer should please those who were fans of it thirty years ago and for those who didn’t it’s worth a look too. It won’t last you long and I think you’re better off getting it if you have local friends to play with but for a few dollars you can certainly do a lot worse.
Breakout: Recharged is a fun spin on the classic formula but one that isn’t as memorable as some other games in recent years. It plays good and it’s nice that you can play pretty much all the modes with a friend locally. Fans of Arkanoid and Breakout games will enjoy it so long as they aren’t looking for something that changes up the formula drastically.
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.