Time Recoil is short and precise. It’s an action packed romp utilising a much loved bullet time mechanic that creates a stylish persona for a rather bland looking game. Although stages don’t differ much from one another you won’t be sticking around in them long enough to care all that much. In essence, Time Recoil is a “burner game” as I like to put it. You can pick it up easily and have fun, it does the job it says it does. But once you’ve finished it -- which won't take long-- you’ll be discarding it as fast you got it.
Uncanny Valley’s take on Survival Horror is grounded in the psychological narrative of Tom’s night terrors and delivers it generously throughout. Uncanny Valley's gameplay will have you solving the mystery surrounding your work environment, yet the horror never really sinks in - even when you find out what's going on.
If you’re a Schmuck for Shmups then you may enjoy what Xenoraid has to offer. With a short campaign and a bland Survival mode, you're enjoyment of Xenoraid may not be long lasting.
Phantom Brave is a charming little game in its own right, one with a lot of potential to unlock and a prized gem for many a JRPG fan. Unfortunately I cannot see the appeal. The awkward gameplay mechanics mixed with the convoluted nature of how the games stats roll to characters being confined to objects on the battlefield went straight over my head.
As a fan of Dishonored, my disbelief in how Dishonored 2 performed on my end was eye opening to say the least. Maybe a few patches down the road could make Dishonored 2 more malleable to a consumer like myself but until then I’ll be setting my second playthrough aside and moving on to better and more serviceable games.
Clandestine had some intriguing aspects, especially in its unique approach to hacking, but audio bugs and poor animation really hamper the overall experience as well as characters that move like tanks.
At the end of it all, Battle Chasers: Nightwar is a novel triumph within the RPG genre with a few glaring faults. Battles are exciting and easy to get a grasp of, I’d even say it's very welcoming of beginners to the genre due to the lack of need of party diversity and strategy.
Sundered, at its heart, is a Metroidvania game that I could only recommend to those who have the tenacity to steel themselves for hours upon hours of grinding. There is a lot of fun to be had with Sundered, but it is quelled by an overwhelming amount of forceful pushback by enemy numbers and its desire to extend its own lifespan.
Rain World is difficult and unrewarding unless you’re willing to persevere through unforgiving trials of time and sheer luck, then you’ll likely find a plain frustrating experience. That said, those who don’t waver are bound to find a gem within the rough.
Overall, Neptune Flux is more suited to being described as an experience than a game.
Neurovoider has its high points that are leveled out by its faults. It’s a fairly solid trial of perseverance with little reward other than its own players self accomplishments within. Its bite sized levels will keep you coming back for more, but its sudden difficulty barriers will send you packing.
The Stick of Truth managed to salvage my love of the series. Now, 3 years later, I feel that South Park: The Fractured but Whole has sought to destroy the bridges its predecessor rebuilt. The funny moments are sporadic, lost amongst a series of tired gags and namechecks, but the gameplay goes someway to saving the overall experience.
There isn't much going on in Sheltered, but as a post-apocalyptic survival sim there wasn't going to be much beyond the baron wasteland. Decision making and difficulty are the major factors that will keep you interest, although some players may feel put-off by these elements.
This Minecraft x 90s shooter foray in to world creation desperately needs a community, without it there is very little to offer over the far superior Minecraft.
Sublevel Zero is an interesting approach to some of the aspects that make Roguelikes great, but even its tight controls feel sloppy in the insurmountable framerate drops.
A frustrating, yet somehow addictive puzzler that pushes you to think your way through every step in game.
Dead or Alive 5: Last Round doesn't add enough to tempt new players while doubling down on bugs. The core fighting is as fun and frantic as ever, but it's hard to fully recommend to anyone but die-hard fans.
Let Them Come offered a surprising amount of variety for what essentially is a glorified shooting range. Weapons and upgrades feel unimpactful at first but quickly build momentum into some more fierce and powerful. Monsters are offered up on a platter for the player to blissfully murder then contorts the players elated murder spree into one of strategy and wit, continually mixing things up. But all this weighs heavy on how much players enjoy tower defence style games.
Granted that you have a few spares hours in the day to get some dirty work in for the mob, Serial Cleaner is not a bad purchase. However, it is fairly simple as far as stealth games go, is hardly demanding and can be completed before it even begins. And maybe that’s a good thing, since Serial Cleaner’s gameplay staggers as you get deeper into The Cleaner’s story.
Regardless it was a bittersweet journey through Gladio’s thoughts and emotions. If this sort of story telling is being done with the rest of our budding king's entourage then I’d more than welcome it, whilst secretly wishing for more.