If you’re interested in Japanese gaming and you want to know your gaming roots, Space Invaders is a great series to get to know. And the Space Invaders Invincible Collection provides the best possible means to do just that. Shoot ’em up fans should consider it an essential part of their collection.
To sum it all up, Astalon: Tears of the Earth is a wonderful example of what “modern retro” really means. It captures the look and feel of classic 8-bit games while bringing the gameplay bang up to date with lessons learned from some of the very best titles of the last 30 years. If you’re a fan of open-structure, exploration-centric platformers, this should be high on your shopping list.
In short, Vitamin Connection is a game that anyone who mourns the passing of Sony’s Japan Studio owes it to themselves to play. It may not have had the direct involvement of the creative minds behind titles like LocoRoco, but it feels like it did — and I can think of no higher compliment to pay a title like this. It’s a game that wants nothing more than to make you feel good and for you to enjoy yourself — and taking the time to savour that sort of thing is something we should all make sure we’re doing in today’s busy and chaotic age.
As a linear story with no meaningful choices for the player to make along the way, could it have been better delivered through another, more explicitly non-interactive medium? Perhaps there’s an argument to be made for that — but there’s something about the way 7 Years From Now’s abstract presentation and the light degree of player control combine to stoke the fires of the imagination and involve you in its unfolding tale that makes me feel this just wouldn’t quite be the same if it wasn’t a video game.
As with the other Zoo Corporation games that eastasiasoft has brought to console, Pretty Girls Klondike Solitaire is a great game to have on hand for when you just have a few minutes to play,don’t want to have to engage your brain too much and are in the mood for a shot of candy-coloured happiness. This makes it an ideal fit for the Nintendo Switch in handheld mode in particular — so if that’s the kind of experience you fancy, this is a safe addition to your library.
With that caveat in mind, Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 – The Official Video Game is a fun way to while away a few hours. Its straightforward pick-up-and-play nature makes it ideal for when you just fancy a bit of arcade-style fun — or a bit of friendly competition. Its distinctive Sega polish means that it looks, sounds and plays great, too.
Mario Golf: Super Rush’s adventure mode probably won’t take you a long time to clear — likely somewhere around the 6-10 hour mark, depending on how many times you have to retry the tougher challenges — but it’s a great introduction to what the game has to offer, and a perfect example of how Nintendo is willing to infuse one of the most slow-paced, potentially boring sports in the world with a sense of energy, personality and dynamism.
There’s plenty to do in Mario Golf: Super Rush, then. And while it may not be a game you’ll want to play every day once you’ve beaten the Golf Adventure mode, there’s enough here to keep things interesting for many solo and group play sessions. And with the prospect of free updates down the line, the future looks bright for this one — here’s hoping the online community takes to it in the long term.
It’s absolutely fantastic, and should be considered an essential purchase for any discering shoot ’em up fan — particularly if you enjoy the Star Soldier series. Now we just need to find someone up for publishing a nice physical release of that Switch version!
Whether you like to blast through a game’s story as quickly as possible or take your time mastering every possible mechanic along the way, there’s something to like in Atelier Sophie: The Alchemist of the Mysterious Book. So if you’ve passed this installment in the series by up until now, I’d encourage you to give it a go — particularly if you’re one of the series’ many new fans who came along with the introduction of Ryza. You won’t be disappointed!
With its very likeable cast, distinctive and memorable heroine, beautiful presentation and compelling narrative setup, BUSTAFELLOWS should be on the shopping list of every visual novel enthusiast — not just otome fans.
Should you buy a copy if you already have Delicious! Pretty Girls Mahjong Solitaire? Sure! You get more puzzles, more girls, more outfits and some new music — albeit not nearly enough of the latter. Plus, y’know, it’s a fiver; that’s pocket change these days.
Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 is a well-presented game that is full of the typical Nintendo and Sega charm, and is a fun game to bust out when you just fancy some simple, straightforward arcade-style fun for which you don’t have to think too hard. This isn’t a game you’re going to be playing for months at a time — but it is one you may just find yourself wanting to get down off the shelf now and again the next time you fancy seeing Daisy in a leotard.
I could easily go on about Samurai Warriors 5 for another two thousand words at this point, but for the sake of your sanity I will cut that there and simply say that this is one of the best Warriors games for a very long time — not to mention a great starting point for those new to the series. And who knows? It might even kick off a fascination with the real history of Japan — you certainly wouldn’t be the first to draw inspiration from Samurai Warriors in this way!
If you enjoy classic ’90s-style management gameplay, this should be high on your shopping list. And if you’re new to what can be a potentially daunting genre, Idol Manager is an accessible way to get involved; its good humour, slick presentation and enjoyable blend of scripted and emergent narrative all keep things constantly engaging and interesting. And as any veteran of the management sim’s golden age will tell you — that’s a sure-fire recipe for a game that will keep you up until the small hours.
While I will miss delving into the Labyrinth of Time and kicking the snot out of multiple incarnations of Chronodia in this version, I do still have a copy of the PSP version where I can do that any time I want. So while it’s a shame that newcomers to the first Final Fantasy won’t have the opportunity to take part in those enjoyable endgame jaunts, the main game is completely intact — and, with a couple of tweaks, very enjoyable to engage with. Plus, for under a tenner when bought solus, it’s a good deal.
On the whole, bugs aside, I enjoyed my time with Night Delivery. It provides an interesting and compelling story that keeps you guessing until the end — and, unlike a lot of other indie horror games from the last couple of years, it actually provides a satisfying conclusion to the whole thing rather than just fizzling out ambiguously with an unspoken invitation for you to consider “but what did it MEAN?!”
It’d be nice to see some more varied textures on the level walls as you progress through the game, but as previously noted, the wonderful level designs, interesting encounters and well-implemented mechanics more than make up for this slight aesthetic shortcoming — and as a result, The Citadel is a fun, engaging and highly memorable experience that is well worth taking the time to blast your way through.
On the whole, The Convenience Store was, like Night Delivery, an experience I’m glad I had. The game won’t be for everyone due to its slow pace and emphasis on mundane activities before juxtaposing those with the more horrific elements — but if you’re into the idea of an unsettling interactive short story with a surprisingly immersive little world and an interesting narrative, this is definitely a creep show you should get yourself a ticket for.
Missing Children is definitely one of Chilla’s Art’s better titles; its emphasis on investigation and atmosphere rather than outright horror means it will likely appeal to a broader audience than some of the team’s other games, too. So if you’ve typically passed on these titles, you may want to give Missing Children a go — after all, like all its stablemates, it’s only a couple of quid, after all!