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João Duarte

Loulé
The_Atmultima
OPAH!!gaming

Favorite Games:
  • The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
  • Final Fantasy III
  • Dark Souls

34 games reviewed
65.3 average score
70 median score
41.2% of games recommended

João Duarte's Reviews

I'm just some dude with a dream of entertaining people by talking about videogames. My favorite genre is JRPG, I love Zelda and Dragon Quest, I want to play Breath of the Wild so much and I hate David Cage.
May 30, 2016

Super Meat Boy is one of the most marvelously-crafted and designed platform games to have been released in the current century. With its rich and varied levels, multiple motivations to keep playing, magnificent gameplay and fine-tuned difficulty curve, there's little standing in the way of Super Meat Boy to be one of the most memorable platform games to have been released in the last few years.

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5 / 10 - Mighty No. 9
Aug 25, 2016

Mighty No. 9 created very high expectations and could have reached a perfect formula for success but as it is, it failed to capture Mega Man's essence and doesn't build up on what its inspiration did best.

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Sep 27, 2016

Quest of Dungeons may not be a groundbreaking game or an instant classic but it does its job: it's a fun dungeon crawler, with good skills and combat systems and a visual style which will fit perfectly with the nostalgic crowd.

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Oct 29, 2016

Its gameplay is extremely frustrating and entirely based on trial and error, forcing the players to repeat the sames stages over and over under an extremely tight time limit and making use of very inaccurate and imprecise controls, which will only aggravate the players' overwhelming sense of frustration.

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Nov 15, 2016

Pokémon Sun & Moon are among the best entries in the series and while it doesn't break any significant new grounds, Game Freak's latest opus adds an additional layer of strategic planning to the gameplay and features a beautiful audiovisual environment topped with the series' best plot so far. It's not very clear where Poké Finder fits in and the performance is less on par in the original 3DS but the Pokémon series is definitely showing that it's still alive and kicking...and worthy of the players' attention.

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Dec 16, 2016

While Kingdom's Item Shop has a concept that on its own, could be enough to stand out, its execution turns it into a dull and extremely repetitive game, where players will find themselves performing the same actions again and again and following unclear instructions, much to their disappointment and frustration. Were it not for this, Kingdom's Item Shop could actually be a fun and original title to get to know.

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6 / 10 - Legna Tactica
Apr 17, 2017

Legna Tactica is a tactical/strategy RPG that is competent enough to respect all the hallmarks of the genre, including an enjoyable combat system and a good difficulty curve. Unfortunately it doesn't dare to go beyond that and suffers from a lack of originality that make it nearly impossible for Legna Tactica to stand out on its own and an easily forgettable title that will disappoint many fans of the genre.

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7 / 10 - ChromaGun
Jan 23, 2018

While not being the perfect child of its inspirational father, ChromaGun brings forth a very well executed mechanic and some very compelling puzzles that will put the player's wits and creativity to the test. Its audiovisual component could certainly be improved and the game is lacking as far as the atmosphere is concerned but fans of creative puzzle games have something to explore.

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Mar 15, 2018

Darkest Dungeon is a game that does not go easy on any aspect. Demanding, tough and frustrating on many occasions, it's also very well designed and executed and while it clearly isn't for everyone, it will find its place with many players out there. The most difficult elements include the game's random nature and how on many moments they just feel like they have no reason to be whereas its atmosphere and presentation are worthy of every praise.

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Apr 7, 2018

Minigames and party games need to feature plenty of quality content to stand out and sadly, Scribblenauts Showdown has neither. Other than a rather attractive art style, Scribblenauts Showdown offers nothing but a short and poor set of minigames, some of them designed without much into consideration, which are either dull and repetitive or frustrating. Hardly an experience to recommend to anyone looking for quick and fun moments with their friends.

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4 / 10 - Bit Dungeon+
May 13, 2018

Bit Dungeon+ features some nostalgia-inducing visuals and some fun combats in its dungeon crawler meets roguelike approach. It doesn't quite succeed on its other components and turns out to be way too simplistic for its own good. Due to way too frequent glitches, a skills system that doesn't make much sense and a low-quality soundtrack, Bit Dungeon+ turns out to be a low par performer that could have turned out much better.

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Jun 22, 2018

Breaks are for Losers is a fun racing game with a rather original concept and which allows for an entertaining experience thanks to its simple and direct gameplay. It doesn't go much further than that and quickly enough its limitations become all too obvious, as the game starts losing appeal on the short-term and it will make its players feel less compelled to return to it.

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Jul 11, 2018

Thanks to its marvelous level design, camera orientation and delightful audiovisual presentation, Captain Toad is certain to bring some very welcome charm and fun to the growing catalogue of the Nintendo Switch.

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9 / 10 - Hollow Knight
Aug 6, 2018

Hollow Knight is not just another Matroidvania, it's a whole experience that everyone should try. With its immense exploration, fine controls, marvelous audiovisual component and subtle but well-written plot, Hollow Knight is full of reasons why everyone should give this indie game not just an opportunity but a time of their lives.

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8 / 10 - Dead Cells
Sep 3, 2018

Dead Cells is a unique work that combines metroidvania and roguelike elements, and while that may sound paradoxical at first, Dead Cells found a way to make it work, even if it's not perfect. Thanks to its gameplay cycles, it will be possible to build up a sizeable arsenal while repeating procedurally generated levels with plenty of enjoyment and the game's fluid and fun combat system make this an involving and very entertaining experience.

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Dark Souls: Remastered has the ambition of bringing one of the most influential games of the previous generation to a contemporary audience and it gets part of the job right on its Nintendo Switch incarnation. All the main elements are there and the bonus of playing Dark Souls on the go is very appealing, which is certainly a relief from its poor audio performance and an obvious visual downgrading when compared to the other versions of the same remaster. Nevertheless and despite its flaws, this is still a major piece of gaming that Nintendo players finally get to enjoy.

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5 / 10 - InkSplosion
Nov 25, 2018

InkSplosion doesn't manage to stand out amidst the shoot'em ups available for the Nintendo Switch. While its visual environment is worthy of praise and its controls are responsive and well implemented, the game itself suffers from a lack of variety which turns it into a dull and repetitive effort, without any reason to attract any players to this work.

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7 / 10 - Rogue Legacy
Dec 29, 2018

Rogue Legacy may not be the typical roguelike game but that doesn't mean there no advantages to that. In fact, this game goes beyond some of the genre's usual formulas and in a good way, allowing for some liberties with the progression that bring an additional level of motivation, even though some of the roguelikes' typical problems can still be found here.

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5 / 10 - Abzu
Jan 17, 2019

ABZÛ fits into the type of games that want to offer an unorthodox experience. It's possible to do wonders within that realm but unfortunately, ABZÛ falls behind expectations. Not that its audiovisual environment does not try, if the game's visual world looks stunning, ABZÛ's soundtrack is simply out of this world, but the almost entire lack of a compelling and motivating gameplay experience seriously impairs ABZÛ's ability to deliver something memorable.

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6 / 10 - I Am The Hero
Feb 25, 2019

I Am the Hero evokes memories of the sidescrolling beat'em ups that made so much success in the late 1980s/early 1990s, aided by its very representative art style and overall amount of combos and attacks. Where I Am the Hero does not do its job well is on the overall gameplay experience, which feels repetitive, not to mention the flaws in its control system, which feel clunky difficult to use. Alas, it looks like this game falls short of the threshold that sidescrolling beat'em up fans hold.

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