Justin Nation's Reviews
While I appreciate Bleed's style and energy my quibbles with its control consistently stood in the way of me liking it more...
When Party Planet was announced I’ll admit to feeling some level of nervousness. Game packs like this have a history of crashing and burning critically even while they may be widely purchased by families in search of something to play together. I’m happy to report that overall I found the collection of games offered to be pretty impressive, even if often derivative, and fun to play both solo and with the family. The diverse selection of games should, in terms of both style and skill required, practically guarantee that there will be something that just about anyone, no matter the age, should enjoy.
For the pretty budget price what you get out of Phantom Break: Battle Grounds Overdrive is a beat-em-up with more depth than you'd expect but that I doubt most people are capable of fully extracting either. I think for an average gamer they'll be able to latch onto enough that it can a fun distraction but with the way the challenge ramps up with bosses a few levels in it may be aggravating as well since the game doesn't slowly ramp you up into fully realizing the skills available to you. If you're up for a challenge and think a somewhat complex fighting system in a beat-em-up sounds appealing it may be right for you though.
While Vostok Inc isn’t a terribly complicated game there’s an element to it that can get its hooks into you. I’d say in a way that’s very similar to something like Stardew Valley you can get into a pattern of habits that are somewhat relaxing. Blow up asteroids, upgrade planets, get in some fights, upgrade your ship, take out a boss, move onto the next galaxy and repeat. The addition of the game’s very strange sense of humor at times as you’ll interact with the representatives from each galaxy helps keep things light as well and many of the game’s seemingly infinite achievements are laced with comedic undertones as well. I started playing Vostok Inc expecting to have some silly fun, the fact that it turned out to have some depth and hidden surprises throughout was just icing on the cake.
All said there are many things I really like about Nine Parchments. I found that combat was far more engaging and difficult than the genre normally offers. Each skirmish, especially once you amp up the difficulty to Hard, will test both your planning and your skills as you try to pick apart the combination of enemies thrown at you. That said, for the most part getting through these challenges tends to be very weakly rewarded as the game’s loot system doesn’t ultimately have much to offer. As a whole I’d consider my experience with multiplayer to be a draw with the downsides of joining a group of people, and the chaos it can add, roughly coming out even with the upsides. Playing it solo is most definitely different than with a group though and I can see where people could settle on either as their preference. In the end it all makes for a game that is both compelling and, at times, frustrating but also very unique in its play style.
Overall Dimension Drive isn’t a bad game but its split focus on shooting, precision maneuvering, and to a degree solving puzzles puts it at risk for being a jack of all trades but master of none. When the shooting intensity steps up the focus on shifting settles more into the background and then it can sometimes get into a nice groove but, overall, the game seems determined to keep you shifting. Between the element of challenge and it being split down the middle in terms of its genre focus I’d consider it more of an acquired taste but probably compelling for the right audience.
What it boils down to is whether you’re looking for something light, silly, and generally pressure-free to enjoy for a reasonably low price. If this all looks and sounds like something of interest I’d say it is wonderfully varied and probably has more content than you’ll complete anytime soon. If you like applied geometry and physics, some tricky puzzle scenarios, and a dose of silliness Tennis in the Face isn’t a grand slam but it plays a respectable game nonetheless.
Plantera is simple, generally serene, has steady progression, and provides some simple satisfaction of watching your little sort of farm grow from nothing into something more elaborate. It lacks any sort of complexity but that’s also a big part of its charm for the right audience. If you’re looking for something to just help you relax, or perhaps want to get a game that could probably be played and enjoyed by people of just about any age, Plantera is a chilled out match.
In the game you’ll take control of a your choice of yokai spirits, each with their own pretty unique set of powers...
One nice element of the game is that the various fighters you have to choose from vary pretty wildly in style so there should be an opportunity to find something to suit most tastes...
If you’re a fan of challenging games Slain: Back From Hell is happy to sate your thirst for aggravation, loud music, and pretty copious gore...
If you’re a strategy die hard I’d probably say the game isn’t well-suited to you since even if you eventually get to something challenging it will take some time since the pacing of the battles is pretty slow and meticulous. Graphically it isn’t going to win any awards but it is also very clean and shows glimmers of personality nonetheless. Perhaps even moreso than Mario + Rabbids I’d say this is a very accessible tactical strategy game for all ages and for newcomers it is likely a great fit since at least half of the missions take their time to layer on strategic elements piece by piece. While it isn’t blowing the doors off it is at least a reasonably good game for people interested in checking out strategy games on a budget.
Control is smooth, the drifting is satisfying, and in general it looks great. You can enjoy playing against the AI but it is far better to play with friends locally or online and in general I didn't have issues finding people to play against since it is cross-platform to boot. If you're willing to grind through the Career Mode in order to learn the nuances of the controls and unlock everything the game has to offer it does deliver a satisfying payoff, I just wish tastes of it came sooner.
I attempted to keep everything roughly as vague as possible in the review because I think one of the greatest things for me about the game was coming into it having know very little. This allowed the game to feel a little more magical to me rather than as a chain of expected events and tools to be found. If you enjoy creative and sometimes challenging platforming with a bits of puzzles thrown in Teslagrad is a game to be savored, and stands out as something a bit special among its peers.
All said The End is Nigh isn’t quite as revelatory as Super Meat Boy but then again it also isn’t somewhat single-handedly carving out a new genre. Due to the difficulty it is a bit of an acquired taste but with work and patience the fact is that the game is still very accessible and beatable. If you’re willing to put in the time and effort the amount of hidden and unlocked content in Nigh is truly impressive and while most of it amounts to more challenges of the same nature with some details altered it can still be a lot of fun for the right audience. If you’re a glutton for punishment The End is Nigh is a fitting and satisfying feast.
As a whole I both enjoy Star Ghost and am a big aggravated by it. I love that it set out to do something different, and it has very much accomplished that goal. I like that whether it meant to or not it has some very roguelike elements in its DNA that make it noteworthy and challenging. That said, there are a few elements that may have benefitted from moving the needle a little further back in terms of difficulty to make it more likely accessible to a wider audience. It’s an acquired taste as it stands, and for people seeking out a non-traditional challenge it is a solid value as well.
Overall I’m really impressed with Renegade from top to bottom, especially since (as I’ve noted) this is a game with mobile roots and is being released at a very reasonable price. Not in any way a lazy or lacking port this feels like a game that was meant to be on the Switch from the get-go and does an excellent job of scratching that water racing itch. I look forward to the next incarnation and can only hope that they spend some time pondering over Wave Race and moving things a little further in that direction. They’ve released an excellent speed-based racing game, now I’d just like one that demands a little more technique. Easy to recommend for racing fans of all persuasions.
If you’re a fan of this classic sort of gameplay, but with a few great modern twists, I would have no reservations in recommending it. It truly feels like a classic genre game brought forward to today. However, if there are some old habits from the genre you could do without or you’re not familiar with the agony often associated with the notorious knockback your patience may wear thin as it is a huge part of the game experience unfortunately. If you can get past that Caveman Warriors is a colorful and generally well-executed side-scrolling romp though.
Overall I'm actually very impressed with Tallowmere and would recommend it strongly to any roguelike fans out there looking for a great way to spend some time on something a bit light but still challenging.
All said for the price of admission Red Game Without a Great Name has more to offer than its lacking title would imply. With the likely frustration factor as you get further in it seems mostly suited to playing in shorter bursts and the levels are generally very quick to either complete or fail at before it takes you right back into the action again. If you enjoy some challenge and undoubtedly some aggravation in your gaming it’s not a bad budget title to check out.