Haley Perry
At its surface, Stranded Sails: Explorers of the Cursed Islands looks like an adorable and endearing addition to this genre, and though I so badly wanted to love it, I’d have difficulty recommending it to almost anyone other than young children. There is certainly a place in the gaming world for peaceful, low-pressure exploration and farming games, but unfortunately, I’m not convinced that Stranded Sails is one that belongs.
It’s the fundamental premise of the game to struggle, but putting in a dozen attempts just to throw a package on to the bed of a truck simply doesn’t feel rewarding when you’re working towards the same goal over and over again.
If you've platinumed the game and crave a few more hours of gameplay, The Heist does the job just fine. Just don't expect a wildly stimulating plot or any radical new additions. It's more of the same, and for some, that's okay.
Overall, Dream Alone brims with potential but falls slightly short in multiple areas.
Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons looks like it would be a fun, artsy game to play with a buddy, but most of what you do feels like pointless busy work with almost no trace of the story past the two-minute mark.
It pains me to speak ill of a series I’ve thoroughly enjoyed in the past, but Just Cause 4 is a disappointing extension that needs to aim a lot higher and is, frankly, kind of boring. In the climate of exceptional games that have preceded it this year, it simply does not hold up.
Though the price tag on the game is pretty modest, the gameplay is very short — less than four hours from start to finish — and may not be worth the purchase for players seeking an exhilarating experience.
Overall, Walden, a game turns a gorgeous piece of literary work into an interactive experience where the player can truly live out Thoreau's vision and experiment.
…there isn't really much story beyond: Fight the bad guys taking over the world, and get the pretty girl back.
Ultimately, Black Desert on PS4 is very user-friendly, and looks fantastic when running at a premium performance level. But while Black Desert’s aesthetic prowess and customizable sandbox experience is an achievement in the world of MMOs, it’s not a game that offers enough enticement in the minute-to-minute gameplay — or even in the grander, month-to-month scope of things — to leave me thirsty for more.
Ary and the Secret of Seasons reminds me greatly of an animated children’s film. It also reminds me of an early-2000s online computer game for kids, complete with choppy cutscenes and terrible graphical performance. There’s a ton of charm to be found in the soft animation and the silly characters, but there’s also a disappointing level of detail that’s missing from this unpolished adventure.
I can’t knock Dead End Job for anything other than its redundant level design and mechanics, as it really does succeed in every other aspect pretty well.
Overall, Port Royale 4 lends beautiful design to its historical ships and detailed buildings, and the turn-based strategy naval battles are a nice change of pace from the large, lulling overview map you will spend most of your time in.
While future Bomberman games have the potential to assert themselves as more lengthy and strategy-demanding titles deserving of a mind-blowing rating, the current release really is just lighthearted and fun … and that's just fine.
Its laid-back gameplay and overall simplicity is extremely peaceful and addicting, but I would advise that new players manage their expectations.
The enemies feel more dynamic, and while the content is limited, the story is short, and the plot is easy to feel indifferent towards, Turf Wars is fun and leaves us wanting more in the way of Yuri’s ominous storyline.
Galak-Z may not have the most jaw-dropping storyline or complex gameplay, but it is still greatly worth the playthrough — especially since it comes at no charge to you.
While it may not the most exciting action-adventure platformer out there, the artwork and stylish storytelling is impressive and makes the experience worthwhile.
Monster Camp in a nutshell is about enjoying the story, admiring the whacky, graphic-novel style artwork, and building up your stats over the course of the summer to make sure you have enough points to win over your monster and secure a date to the meteor shower. The dialogue features a great deal of vulgarity, and it’s certainly not meant for the eyes of children. It’s outrageous and hilarious, and the scenarios are just as over-the-top as you would expect. It’s all about savoring the journey, and for most fans of this genre, there is a lot to appreciate.