The Cosmic Wheel Sisterhood is one of those games I wish got made more often. Rather than spending dozens of hours simply being ok, it chooses to spend what little time it has being fantastic. It’s the kind of game that sticks with you for ages after you’ve put it down. I know that contrasts with what I just said about wanting more, but at the end of the day I think it’s far better to be left wanting more than to have a forgettable time.
It has its flaws, but still proves to be a very enjoyable game that I had trouble putting down (as the sparse nature of this review can testify.) If you’re a fan of the series or picking up a Dynasty Warriors game for the first time, I highly recommend this.
What flaws it has do little to change the fact that the gameplay is satisfying and the characters will make you smile. The title is a little on the short side, at around ten hours, but it’s ten very enjoyable hours that don’t overstay their welcome.
What time I had with it was enjoyable, but I was left wanting more. As far as problems a game can have, that’s a relatively minor one.
Overall, Dragon’s Crown is a highly enjoyable, gorgeous, old-school beat ’em up. The new things it introduces all add complexity and depth to the standard beat ’em up formula while still keeping a simple arcade feel to it, and it’s managed to be some of the best couch co-op I’ve played in ages.
Overall, Omensight is well worth the price of admission. It’s short and the lack of a chapter select is a bummer, but I highly enjoyed what time I spent with it.
At the end of the day, the one thing I can definitively say is that it is a game that I enjoyed, but also one where I can very well understand if others dislike it.
All told, Yomawari: The Long Night Collection is an enjoyable title for any who want to get into the Halloween spirit and don’t mind a fair amount of darkness and blood. Those who played the original versions on the Vita may wish to give this a pass, but for any who missed out before I highly recommend picking it up.
Barring a few minor issues here and there, Corpse Party: Blood Drive continues to be one of the most enjoyable visual novels I’ve played. It’s campy, gruesome, a little fanservicey…so a lot like the scary movies I grew up with through a different cultural lens.
There’s a bit of polish it can use here and there, but it’s certainly one of the better visual novels I’ve played this year.
This game is exceptionally short, at about an hour for a playthrough, but it spends that hour well. You’re given enough time to get to know the cast, explore the city, and leave once the city’s secrets have been laid bare and the remaining answers lie beyond in a later volume.
It’s not without the occasional hiccup, and some of the puzzles could do with a few more hints, but overall? Song of Horror is one of the best horror games I’ve played this year.
More than anything, Card Shark is an experience. It’s not an exceptionally long game, coming in at eight hours, but it very much suits its length. I wasn’t left unsatisfied, nor did it feel padded. The emphasis on the tricks themselves was oddly compelling as well. By the end of the game I had learned the theory behind a good number of techniques, and I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t tempted to practice some of these for real.
That’s not to say it’s completely perfect. There is a little bit of that indie game jank, it’s not terribly long, and there are a few bugs here and there ranging from minor graphical ones to more major ones that halted my progress temporarily. Thankfully the devs are already hard at work on a patch, and while the main story may be short, I’ve managed to sink 20 hours in so far and I’m nowhere close to stopping.
Overall, Yooka-Laylee is a game with a ton of retro-inspired heart, but a definite lack of polish may disappoint fans who expected the quality of their previous Banjo-Kazooie titles.
If you’ve not played this game before, it proves to be an enjoyable action RPG, even if you’ve not played the earlier games in the series. For those who have played the PSP version, however, this new edition adds nothing new of note and can probably be passed over.
Overall, Corpse Party: Book of Shadows is a spooky and unsettling experience, but it’s not without some flaws. There is the occasional line that’s at a significantly lower volume than those before or after, making it hard to hear. The exploration mechanic also becomes quite repetitious over time, especially when events in an episode make it so any room could have something new in it, requiring players to go back and check every room they have access to for anything new.
If there’s one take-away I have about Travis Strikes Again: No More Heroes, it’s that it feels like a lower budget take on the series. I’m reminded of when a series on the PSX or GameCube would get a game on the GBA; It’s noticeably different, and not as highly polished, but in the end it’s still fun for what it is.
Toejam & Earl: Back in the Groove is definitely an odd title. It has a focus on exploration over combat, and embraces randomness in a way that keeps things exciting. While it’s likely not for everyone, it’s definitely a unique game in this day and age, and is worth a shot for that alone.
Cat Quest II is relatively short, but I’d argue it’s as long as it needs to be. I didn’t feel a need to break from the adventure solely for the sake of grinding, and I finished before I grew bored of the simple gameplay loop.