With its engaging combat and dark world that begs to be explored, King Arthur: Knight’s Tale is a treat for those who love RPGs they can sink their teeth into. It might not be the deepest in terms of mechanics or character development, but that just adds to its allure, keeping it relatively frictionless. It’s the fact that this is your journey that will really win you over though. Will you rule over Camelot as a tyrant, or try to bring peace to the land? It’s up to you. And there are many other important decisions to be made along the way.
If you’re drawn in by the art style, chances are you’ll have some fun with Wildcat Gun Machine. Fans of the twin-stick shooter genre might want to check it out, too. It makes a refreshing change for this type of game to not be a roguelike in the current market, and while it won’t be featuring on anyone’s GOTY lists, there’s still hours of entertainment to be had with it.
With its to-ing and fro-ing and overly basic combat for its first hour or two, Eiyuden Chronicle: Rising won’t be everyone’s cup of tea. Those that stick with it though, will find a game that develops into something very enjoyable indeed. This is a charming adventure, with combat and platforming that grows ever richer with each new upgrade and ability you obtain. But it’s the world that’s the real star here. The story of Eiyuden Chronicle: Rising might not be all that grand, but it’s full of characters that we’ve already grown to love. And so, as a taster for Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes, it does its job admirably.
Ultimately, despite not really doing anything new, Serious Sam: Tormental has that “one more go” draw to it that makes it worth adding to your Steam library, especially if you’re a fan of Sam “Serious” Stone, twin-stick shooters or roguelikes. If you like all three, it’s a must-have. Even better, you can play it in co-op, and it has much more to offer such as challenges and gameplay mods that will increase the difficulty somewhat, but also the score you can earn. This is Serious Sam, but not as you know it. But it’s still a barrel of laughs.
A short but sweet adventure, you might replay Trek to Yomi to collect all of its collectibles and upgrades, perhaps even on a harder difficulty to test your skills. It has multiple endings to discover, too. And so for its modest price it’s easy to recommend to action adventure fans, especially if they also love samurai movies. Its stunning presentation is just the icing on the cake.
Rogue Lords, then, isn’t a roguelike for the masses. And even those keen on the genre might not gel with it. The long-term rewards just aren’t all that rewarding, especially with each run feeling like a slog. And while its unique mechanics separate it from its peers, they also overcomplicate matters. Still, its horror theme is definitely alluring, so roguelike fans who like a bit of darkness might want to give it a go.
If you love side-scrolling beat ’em ups, consider Mayhem Brawler a must-have. Though even those who have simply dabbled with the likes of Streets of Rage or Final Fight should also check it out. This is, without a doubt, one of the best examples of the genre, and a fun game to play alone or with friends or family members while sat on the couch. We can only hope that Hero Concept follows up with a sequel. Because as a first attempt, there are solid foundations here for something special.
Still, even with the control issues, The House of the Dead: Remake is good fun. And while a playthrough will take you less than an hour, this is the type of game you’ll come back to time and time again. MegaPixel Studios has done a good job of bringing new life to a classic, even though its work is somewhat sabotaged by the fact that modern TVs have made traditional light guns defunct. Let’s just hope that a solution is found, and soon. But until then, blasting zombies with a controller will suffice.
Red Wings: American Aces isn’t going to blow your socks off; chances are your time with it will be quickly forgotten once you’ve moved onto the next title. It does offer plenty of fun while it lasts, though, and also looks pretty nice thanks to its comic-book styling. Add in the fact that it doesn’t cost a great deal, and have a game that fans of arcade-style shooters should certainly check out. Especially if you particularly enjoy dogfights.
Liberated: Enhanced Edition is to be commended for trying to do something a bit different. It’s just a shame that the gameplay here isn’t a little deeper and more polished. But ultimately, it’s not really the focus of the experience: that’s the story. If you’re a sucker for tales that draw you into dark, dystopian worlds, chances are you’ll still get a considerable amount of enjoyment out of it.
If you’re up for a challenge and fondly remember classic action games like Shinobi 3 or Strider, you’d be wise to pick Ganryu 2 up. It looks and plays great; aside from some bouts of slowdown and a dearth of options, there’s nothing really to complain about. And best of all, it’s available at a price that won’t break the bank.
Metal Tales: Overkill is a fairly competent game; one that’s somewhat enjoyable but not remarkable in any way. You can have hours of fun with it, and can even play it with a friend or family member by your side thanks to couch co-op, but chances are you aren’t going to remember your time with it all that fondly. Still, if you’re into metal music and roguelikes, it might be worth picking up.
All in all, MotoGP 22 is undoubtedly the best MotoGP game yet, but there’s still room for improvement. Numerous tweaks and additions result in a game that looks and plays better then ever, but it’s the introduction of the documentary-styled Nine Season 2009 that makes this a must for MotoGP fans, even if they own last year’s release.
It’s not without its problems, then, but Chernobylite offers an intoxicating blend of horror, survival, base-building and FPS action. Repetition could be an issue for some, and shying away from playing with the poorly-acted English dialogue is highly recommended. Once you’ve settled in to your quest to find out what happened to your long-lost love, however, it’s hard to not feel the urge to do one more mission before turning it off, ever in the hope of finding valuable resources or a crumb of information.
If the idea of sitting through up to an hour of pointless chit-chat before you can get into a bout of entertaining action doesn’t put you off, then you might get some enjoyment out of Neptunia x Senran Kagura: Ninja Wars. It’s not a bad game by any means, but it doesn’t strike a good balance between story and gameplay. And the story itself isn’t worthy of taking up so much of your time. Still, as Switch ports go this is a good one, and the additional difficulty options are very welcome.
TAPE: Unveil the Memories is a decent-looking game, and it has a nice enough soundtrack, too. It’s just a shame that its blend of engaging puzzles and fairly accomplished storytelling are brought down by poor stealth sections that feel out of place. Still, it’s definitely worth a play if you enjoy a sordid tale full of twists of turns. You’ll just need a little patience and persistence to get through some of its encounters.
Still, the fact stands that Tormented Souls is a great survival horror game, and on Switch it’s more impressive than ever. The visuals are good, the puzzle-heavy gameplay remains engaging, and being able to quickly bring up the map makes a world of difference. If you’re an old-school survival horror fan and haven’t played this yet, get it bought, pronto.
It’s shame that Andro Dunos 2 doesn’t have more modes. And a lack of online leaderboards and display options in this day and age is perplexing. But still, there’s a very well put together shoot ’em up here for anyone keen on some old-school action. It doesn’t do anything particularly new, but its gameplay truly shines, making this very much worth playing.
The fact remains, though, that 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim is an absolute triumph for Vanillaware. Not many games have stories as ambitious as this. Even fewer manage to bring things together without resulting in disappointment. And while the real-time battles may be the weakest element, they’re still very much engaging, and offer a nice change of pace when required. 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim might just be remembered as one of the greatest games of all time, and so whether you’re into sci-fi or not, you should certainly add it to your collection.
If you have the time for another retro FPS in your life, Forgive Me Father will provide some solid entertainment. The fact that it’s fairly inexpensive and has Lovecraft-inspired enemies will be attractive to some, too. There are better examples available in the genre though. So, while it’s in no way a bad game, it’s hard to call it essential. It’s simply an enjoyable but unspectacular old-fashioned romp.