They strike a great balance of accessibility and challenge, and even give the option for players who want more of a challenge to do so. The only glaring flaw is the limited content the package has to offer. While there are some incentives to revisit levels in the form of challenges, those dry up relatively fast which left me wanting more.
The controls feel so good that I know if I die, it's on me and not a fault of the game. Couple that with fun and interesting level design to make a foundation for a great game. Pile on a massive amount of stages littered with extra content and it's hard not to recommend this game to fans of the genre looking for a challenging but fair experience.
No online play, bland levels and not enough of a hook to keep me coming back for more is unfortunately what stands out the most. That's not to say there isn't a place for this game if you have access to a group of friends who can regularly meet up and want a bite sized party game. It does enough right that makes it worth checking out in the right circumstances, just don't expect to play hours on end.
With anticipation comes fear of a letdown, but fortunately Grezzo succeeding in alleviating those fears by delivering a truly superb experience. It's filled with so many things to do, but in a way that feels anything but forced and overwhelmed. Instead, everything works together in harmony to make a truly deep and engaging game that's easy to recommend to anyone.
While the level design is a bit uneven, it's ultimately a minor complaint when looking at the larger whole. Fun boss fights, varied play style of each ship and an overall great presentation equate to one of the more accessible and fun shoot-em-ups out there. Whether you're a veteran revisiting past glories or a newcomer looking to see what the fuss is about, Blazing Star is sure to offer up a great deal of enjoyment.
The game is extremely charming, but ultimately, the gameplay is paper thin. That's only compounded by the fact you'll be replaying many of the mini games multiple times or similar versions with small tweaks. The game does offer a ton of recipes, easily offering up hours of content for those willing to grind through the mini games, but with little incentive outside of an arbitrary score and medal, it quickly becomes a daunting task.
It introduced some unique and interesting ideas while leaving other areas unpolished, resulting in a middling game. It's hard to ignore how awesome the Armor system is, but it's a shame that uninspired level design and some weird design decisions ultimately hold it back from being great. If you're a fan of shoot-em-up games, you'll likely be able to find enjoyment in here, but if you're a casual fan just looking to jump in and play, it might be best to think twice.
Each run has its own unique feel that continues to keep the game incredibly fresh, whether it's your tenth or hundredth run. While it's a shame there's no way to submit a score offline, the rest of the game shines so bright it's easy to overlook. If you're looking for a challenging, but insanely satisfying roguelike, look no further.
The Boxboy series seemingly came out of nowhere and launched a simple yet challenging puzzle series with an adorable protagonist. Bye-Bye Boxboy gives Qbby a great send-off with some really fun additions to the series despite losing one of the more interesting abilities from the previous installment. With over 20 worlds of puzzles to explore and even more challenge worlds to unlock, Bye-Bye Boxboy will keep even the most seasoned puzzle players busy for quite some time.
Snake Pass sets out to bring a familiar feeling with a unique twist that sets it apart from its predecessors. While it does exactly that, it isn’t without fault, as overcoming the challenge of platforming without a jump might scare off the faint of heart. If you can overcome the early struggles and the occasional moments of frustration, the game offers a beautiful world to explore and plenty of collectables to keep you busy.
Vroom in the Night Sky is the epitome of a rushed launch title, a game that offers so little content that after just a few minutes you'll have seen just about everything it has to offer.
While the game stands tall from a presentation aspect, where it lacks most is in the act of playing it. Puzzles offer some clever ideas, but they never truly explore how far each idea could be pushed which results in a simple game that never challenges the player. This might appeal to a casual puzzle fan, but it certainly won’t scratch the itch for veterans of the genre.
The combination of visuals, audio and technical prowess makes for an incredibly sound and fun game. The lack of online options at launch is disappointing, but still doesn’t detract from the overall experience. With Fast RMX, Shin'en Multimedia has managed to deliver a triple A experience for a third of the price.
8 offers a beautiful world to explore with a fun set of abilities and an engrossing assortment of bosses. The experience lasts about six to eight hours, but easily much longer if you're a completionist, as an abundance of hidden items and power ups are nestled throughout. Notwithstanding a few minor issues and lack of GamePad functionality (a constant map would have been greatly appreciated), Forma.8 delivers a great exploration based experience that has left me excited to see what Mixedbag has in store for us next.