White Night is a valiant attempt at moving the adventure horror genre in a different direction, setting the mood with an atmospheric playground. Repeatedly replaying sections of the game due to ghost placement and a poor camera angle can grow tiresome. While a automated checkpoint system may have solved this issue, it could have produced it's own issues of players blazing through the game without the worry for consequence. The visuals and the tension are the key factors of the game, but I would like to see a more refined effort.
The action can be fierce in Paperbound, but the game should be played in short bursts. The small amount of game modes, and the lack of online multiplayer restricts the longevity of the title. If you are able to gather a few friends, Paperbound will provide an enjoyable old-school arena multiplayer experience for a quick hour or so.
Toren is the first release from Swordtales, and I feel the game could have used a little bit more time to iron out any of the technical issues. There are optional important story sequences that are easy to miss, so you may want to fully explore regions. Randomly falling through the floor randomly, and being able to see through the character models at times is inexcusable, but the narrative of rebirth and completing one's destiny no matter the adversity is well put together.
You won't want to break the cycle because Returnal offers an immersive experience that sucks you in for hours. However, when you finally break the cycle and reach the end of Selene's journey, you will realize just how much of a masterpiece Returnal is.
Hood: Outlaws & Legends is the best PvPvE game I've played in quite some time. Sure, it has its issues; the AI can sometimes feel braindead, class balancing needs to be tweaked, and animations can be a bit janky, but the adrenaline rush of the heist makes up for all of that. Not to mention, this is only a $30 game, and the developers have released a fully fleshed-out roadmap for ongoing support. Players can expect new characters, game modes, seasonal events, cosmetics, and more. And did I forget to mention that the game already has cross-play matchmaking at launch? Hopefully, the developers can expand the party system for cross-platform friends.
Spirit of the North Enhanced Edition is a visually impressive narrative experience that foregoes dialogue for atmosphere and world-building.
Galacide is an intriguing and unique take on the side-scrolling shooter genre. The addition of match-3 tile puzzle mechanics keeps you engaged and forces you to be mindful of your position onscreen. The expert difficulty proved too much while playing alone, but I had a blast with four of us frantically trying to survive amongst the chaos.
Monster Truck Championship is the best monster truck game to be released. The lackluster presentation and technical hiccups hold it from being great. The driving and stunt controls are solid, even if they take some practice. Short draw distance causes frequent pop-ups during races. There's no music during races, and the crowd is completely silent most of the time. It doesn't take that long to make your way through all 30 of the career events, and in the process, earn millions of dollars. Some appearance parts can cost a pretty penny, so you'll need to replay events to unlock everything.
Projection: First Light is a charming tale of a little girl learning perspective and self-enlightenment through various cultures worldwide. The gameplay loop is continually changing as you move through areas, adding new elements such as swinging platforms, fire breathing dragon statues, spikes, massive boulders, and more. There are even a few boss encounters, although the final boss sequence (I won't give too much away) quickly becomes frustrating due to finicky precision controls during a chase scene.
Nickelodeon Kart Racers 2: Grand Prix is the type of sequel that will make you smile, improving every aspect over its predecessor. The racing feels smoother, picking your kart components and crew is fun, and there is much more variety in terms of the intellectual properties used this time around. There are plenty of single-player additions, such as time trials and challenges to complete after beating the Slime Grand Prix cups, online multiplayer for up to eight players, and four-player local split-screen multiplayer. Sadly, the racers are again silent, which is such a missed opportunity to record new voice-overs or use samples from the shows. Considering the title's budget price point, it is hard to dwell on it too much but would have elevated the entire experience.
Hotshot Racing's retro-inspired high-adrenaline arcade racing is simply a joy to experience. The courses themselves are varied, colorful, charming, and full of personality, albeit slightly on the simplistic side in terms of the track designs. Yes, the AI rubber-banding is a relic of the past, but does help deliver tense racing moments. Cranking up the difficulty is similar to moving from 50cc to 150cc in Mario Kart; everything feels faster. The local and online multiplayer should give the game legs, especially considering how fun I found the additional game modes. Now excuse me, I need to live my life drifting through the jungle, avoiding dinosaurs, and trying not to explode.
Shing! delivers a unique approach to the stagnant brawler genre, but still has room for improvements. When a lot of yōkai are on-screen, I found myself wagging the right analog stick like a mad man, attempting to handle so many foes at once. The whole point of advancing the genre is to avoid having to "mash buttons" or, in this case, "waggle." The additional challenges provide added value, and through great voice acting and funny dialogue, I cared about the characters by the time I finished the game.
Lovingly Evil is a charming visual novel dating sim with a humorous premise and well-written characters.
Close to the Sun successfully crafts a tense narrative and world through visual storytelling.
Darius Cozmic Collection Console features a robust selection of the various Darius ports; however, there are some odd decisions. The amazing port of Darius included in the Sega Genesis Mini, which was based on a build that was initially canceled, is absent. I understand it didn't have a home release back in the day, but it is still one of the best ports of the original. I thought the inclusion of games from three different regions was smart, especially considering how popular the Sega Master System remained in Europe well into the life of the Mega Drive. It certainly must have been quite a task to convert/port the arcade games to home consoles over twenty years ago.
Moonlighter: Between Dimensions adds new content to an already enjoyed experience without changing the formula. The new enemies, customer types, and mini-bosses are the highlight, especially when returning to the latest dungeon each night. The DLC is priced right for the amount of content included; make sure you are aware the majority of the substance requires you to complete the base game.
Shred! 2 is a decent take on mountain bikes with the trial and error gameplay from the Trials series. Differentiating between pumping and jumping may take some getting used to, but after some practice, the mechanics start to make sense, although pulling off multiple tricks can feel clunky.
Profane is a devastatingly frantic boss rush bullet-hell twin-stick experience that looks and plays nice on the Nintendo Switch. While you lose the Twitch and Mixer integration that the PC release has, it still includes the rogue-lite challenge mode, leaderboards, and daily challenges to keep you returning for additional runs. The timer-based currency and health system are unique, but some may have a hard time getting past the opening encounter in story mode. Thankfully, the arena mode lets you select from any of the bosses and mess around with all of the abilities already unlocked.
It came from space and are our brains is an enjoyable local multiplayer twin-stick shooter. The gameplay mechanics are very smooth, with responsive controls, and a unique visual style that I adored. It is a bit strange that the game supports drop-out, but not drop-in, especially with the length of the levels. A wave-based survival mode exists outside of the campaign, with double the number of levels that the campaign contains. It does hurt that there is no online multiplayer, especially on PlayStation 4.
7th Sector's atmospheric and immersive puzzle elements add a unique spin on the puzzle-platformer genre.