Genesis Alpha One is a game with some good ideas but no elegant way to execute them all. The merging of ship building and exploration is quite good once you understand how to do it. DNA splicing is also a neat little touch, but it doesn't fix the fact that the clones are as dumb as bricks and about half as useful. Planetary exploration feels fine, but the gunplay is undercooked. All in all, there's a decent title here if you're able to overcome all of its issues.
Katana Zero is a mesmerizing title. The narrative twists and turns in odd ways, and the payoff is both open and satisfying. The action is crisp if you can commit everything to memory well enough to create small, bloody masterpieces. With a familiar yet attractive presentation, Kata Zero feels right at home on the indie-loving machine that is the Nintendo Switch.
Everybody's Golf VR feels like a good first step in getting the sport on to a new technology. Once you get used to the controls — specifically controlling the shot direction and amount of power needed — you'll find the game to be very immersive due to its presentation.
As a stand-alone title, Knowledge is Power: Decades is fine. The mechanics taken from the first game still hold up well enough, and the small improvements give the game some more depth, such as the ability to remove power-ups and the new modes that remove trivia questions or challenge rounds. The easy and straightforward questions and the small selection of available decades make this feel like it should be DLC instead of a full-fledged game. Decades is a better purchase if you didn't pick up the first game, as owners of that are better off waiting for a big sale before adding this to the rotation.
A Plague Tale: Innocence is a pleasant surprise during a season that usually has few significant releases. The story starts off in a fascinating way, and despite a few bumps along the way, the game maintains a player's curiosity throughout its runtime. The mechanics are great, especially since the title doesn't have many of the expected drawbacks, and it's all reinforced by an excellent all-around presentation. For those who want a rich story and strong gameplay, A Plague Tale is definitely worth checking out.
Rage 2 is an engaging game that's hindered by a number of annoyances.
Despite this, Nairi: Tower of Shirin remains a charming and engaging point-and-click adventure game. The story is conveyed well via good writing, with enough twists and revelations that make it feel like a children's show due to the subject matter and higher stakes involved. The puzzles are great brain teasers but also have the good sense to not fall into the trap of being difficult for the sake of it. Most of all, that art style is too attractive to pass up, with every character being extremely likeable. Provided you don't mind the cliffhanger ending, Nairi is a worthy pickup for adventure fans.
Overall, World War Z provides a decent co-op zombie experience, despite some drawbacks. The weapons lack oomph, even when powered up, but they are still decent. The class system doesn't make anyone feel too different, but much like the weapons, there aren't any terrible classes
The Exorcist: Legion VR is easily one of the more effective horror games on the platform to date. Its reliance on relative unease rather than jump-scares makes it stand out from other horror games on the platform, while the number of challenging puzzles gives the title some real substance. While there's no doubt that more effective horror games can hit VR in the near future, The Exorcist is one of the better ones that you can find today.
In the end, Transference is in an odd position. The atmosphere is completely engrossing, since the crumbling digital landscape and ominous repeated dialogue and other sounds create an unsettling world. Jump-scares are light, and almost all the puzzles are easy enough to solve even with some fumbling around. With that said, the tale can seem disturbing, but the scattershot way it's told doesn't make the game very memorable when compared to either its horror or walking simulator contemporaries. Transference remains a game that's worth checking out, but it's not one that players should be in a rush to seek out over other similar titles.
In the end, your enjoyment of Close to the Sun will depend on whether you want to be surprised. If you've played some of the previously mentioned games, you know exactly what to expect in terms of pacing and story, even if the subject matter is different. The lack of combat is an interesting choice, but the simple puzzles and slightly frustrating chase sequences dull the experience, while the inability to view collectibles after you leave a level significantly diminishes their value.
Giga Wrecker Alt. is still a solid Metroidvania game, even though we're getting more of them nowadays. Even though the collision and physics can sometimes be wonky, the puzzle platforming is inventive and matches well with the combat, which goes at a nice flow once you master the rhythm of the controls. Despite some blurry parts here and there, the graphical art style is good, and the soundtrack is absolutely perfect for the genre. The additions made at the sacrifice of the level builder are worth the exchange, so adventure fans will find Giga Wrecker Alt. to be well worth checking out.
Overall, Ashen is a great title. The Souls formula may be adapted nearly wholesale, but the art style gives the game a different vibe. The presence of co-op at all times makes each run feel feasible, since the odds rarely feel impossible to overcome, and the presence of a community to grow gives you a real sense of progression and purpose. Unless you're completely burned out by the formula, Ashen is an adventure that's well worth checking out.
Home Sweet Home is a decent horror title. It mostly relies on jump scares, but the brilliant use of sound builds up suspense where needed. The puzzles are decent, but some can be too obtuse for many to solve on their own, and the breakdown of AI at times means that some of your escapes are due to dumb luck. The explanation of Thai mythology would've been nice, and the VR use should've been better, but the fact that this isn't labeled as an episodic game will annoy players the most. Home Sweet Home is worth checking out — but only if you aren't already tired of the genre.
Vane is a game that sticks to its ideals at the detriment of everything else. It's a noble idea to let players figure out everything on their own — until you realize that the large environments and the number of interactive but ultimately useless elements mean more time wasted in activities without a payoff.
As stated at the beginning of the review, The Bug Butcher is an absolutely solid homage to classic arcade shooters. It nails the shooting mechanic and provides a gradual level of difficulty that doesn't veer too much into impossible territory. Though it's a short game, there's enough to keep people interested for more than an afternoon, and it's a good fit on the Switch thanks to the short levels and co-op gameplay for endless mode. This is another indie port to Nintendo's console that's worth checking out.
The content is plentiful, replayability remains high, and the presentation easily makes Ace Combat 7 one of the better arcade-style flight games on the PC. It has been a long time coming, but action flight fans and those who love the series won't be disappointed by Ace Combat 7.
The Textorcist: The Story of Ray Bibbia is an experiment that works better than expected. The focus on boss fights is the right one, as the exploration and puzzle sections are novel but not noteworthy. The controls can seem unwieldy at first, but part of the charm and excitement is in trying to concentrate on typing and moving at the same time. The presentation is excellent, and the length is perfect, as it never feels like the game goes on for too long. The Textorcist may seem like an odd game on the surface, but give it a chance, and you'll find it to be one of the more inventive and fun experiences out there.
Worbital's features mean that it'll take some time before players get acclimated to it. Once you get used to the gameplay, you'll find it to be a perfect blend of RTS and artillery shooter, with some gravity effects thrown in. It's a shame that the online community is practically nonexistent, but the presence of local multiplayer and the ability to earn currency while playing against friends or bots ensures that it isn't a completely dead game once the campaign has been completed. If you're looking for something different and fun, give Worbital a shot.
Below is divisive. Few will argue about the bleak beauty of the game, but everything else sets it up as a title you'll either love or hate, with few reservations.