Aran Suddi's Reviews
Once Upon a Jester is surprising game for me and I do recommend it, especially if you are looking for something comedic and that is only a few hours long. It might be over rather quickly, but will stay with you for quite a while.
Fading Serenades is a nice, chill courier game on a nice little island where life is pretty laid back. But there are hints of something more sinister that the story explores in a bit of detail, but not enough. The game can get repetitive quite quickly, but it looks and sounds good.
Nine years on from the original, Lumo 2 writes another love letter to 80s gaming. While it branches out from isometric gaming with its many enjoyable diversions and asides, they're connected by too many rooms and sections that suffer from your sluggish movement and imprecise platforming.
Keeper captures the essence of Double Fine, packaged in a heartfelt and surreal world where you never quite know what will happen next. The gameplay regularly surprises, but the lack of challenge in even the more elaborate puzzles is a bit of a drawback, along with not being able to control the camera.
Blood of Mehran is a bit of a throwback, taking its inspiration from games a couple of generations back. The foundation has been put in place, but Blood of Mehran is a distinctively average eight hour experience with combat not reaching the levels it could, voice acting that could be better, and various performance issues that need addressing.
Nicktoons & The Dice of Destiny does have entertainment value to it, especially for a younger audience, but those looking for a nostalgic trip revisiting Nickelodeon characters might be a bit disappointed due to how basic the gameplay and levels are. There are also technical hitches that need to be addressed.
EA Sports FC 26 is a better game than FC 25 and can give you a good game of football, especially when Authentic mode in single player comes together properly. However, for that to happen you need to play on World Class difficulty, as anything below that exposes poor defending by the AI. There has been evolution here, but FC 26 is still only a step towards getting the balance right, and not the final stop.
Ghost of Yōtei is an excellent game with an engrossing story, a great lead, deep combat and a land that has so much to discover with a lot of details. This is a truly worthy successor to Ghost of Tsushima.
Fresh Tracks gives a fresh take on the rhythm genre and I really the story set up and some of the songs, which are legit great pieces of music that could be released as singles. It is a game that will attract those who want to perfect runs, and the challenge it provides is tough but worth the entertainment.
Tiny Bookshop is one of the best management games of the year, because there is no stress when it comes to running the store. You cannot fail, all the characters are friendly, and the vibes of the game are so laid back, you can spend hours in Bookstonbury without noticing. If you are a book lover, and even if you are not, Tiny Bookshop deserves your time.
For those who enjoy an experience that delves into questions about life and purpose, as well as having access to some powerful attacks, The Dark Queen of Mortholme packs a punch. It may only be 20 minutes long, but this is worth experiencing for yourself.
A Dream About Parking Lots is an interesting little experience that uses a real life situation many of us would have found ourselves in, and uses it to create a therapy session. It is a short and succinct experience that has quite a lot of depth to it, though it isn't the best looking title.
Dear Me, I Was offers reflection on a life accompanied by eye-catching art and gentle piano music. There's very limited interactivity though, and while the story is relatable at some points, it's not particularly unique. It is worth picking up if you're looking for something that will make you sit back and reflect, but it feels as though Dear Me, I Was will only appeal to a very specific audience.
Atomic Owl is a satisfying roguelike with a simple progression that allows you to make headway quickly through the levels. This does come at the expense of the combat, which is a bit too on the easy side, with the platforming much more challenging than any boss fight. Overall though, if you want a short, simple, and good looking roguelike then Atomic Owl is worth a go.
Shadow Labyrinth has a really great premise, but the execution leaves a lot to be desired. The progression is too slow to keep things fresh and interesting, the story is lacklustre, and the gameplay just doesn't meet the expectations you would have for what is supposed to be a big new turning point for Pac-Man.
I Am Your Beast is an excellent fast-paced first person shooter that has a lot of content to get through, and replayability where you will want to keep pushing for the top marks. There's a well told and well acted story too. It looks and sounds great, but is slightly let down by the lighting in the night missions.
Rematch can be fun in bursts and over time it should grow to have a decent community. The emphasis on player skill over unlocking perks and skill points is refreshing, but can be hindered by the control scheme and camera. Some issues also need to be sorted too. Rematch is a nice distraction as an arcadey football game, and it has its place, but it is a small club that needs to build over time to challenge the bigger ones.
Tainted Grail: Fall of Avalon has a lot of promise but maybe it just wasn't ready to be released just yet. It needed a bit more time to iron out some major issues like the regular crashes that can be triggered by all sorts.
Warhammer 40,000 Space Marine Master Crafted looks very good with its 4k resolution, improved textures, and upgraded character models. It gives people the opportunity to play through the original story of Captain Titus, maintaining the feel of the original release. There were issues with the Master Crafted edition I do not remember experiencing when playing the Anniversary Edition including enemies getting stuck and control issues, though these will hopefully be patched out soon.
Blades of Fire is a very good game, blending tough action RPG combat with a fun and unique weapon forging. The story is a little by the numbers and exploration does have a lot of back and forth, but the different regions and enemies look great and the narrative is elevated by Aran and Adso's relationship.