Dave Lambden
In the pursuit of crafting an indistinguishable game world and granting advanced levels of autonomy, the developers forgot to make Vane any fun to play.
Katana ZERO is a game that has a lot going for it. The visual style, music, branching dialogue options, and unique time bending abilities certainly separate it from the crowded pack of 2D side scrolling indie action games. Unfortunately, this isn’t enough to save it from repetitive and aggravating game play.
There is a lot to like about HYPERGUN. While the distinct visuals and sound track only run skin deep, there is a real excitement and allure of unlocking rare weapon attachments and it did help me to push through the more frustrating aspects of the game.
The frustration with Fox n Forests comes from boring repetition and a lazy approach to progression. It’s a shame – there are unique mechanics at play and some pretty fun platforming. The game just doesn’t hold up to keep players around for long.
The game feels provocative in its first few hours, but this isn't enough for a solid recommendation outside of die-hard fans of the point-and-click genre.
There is no doubt that this is a visually impressive game with a healthy amount of replay value. It’s also easy to pick up and play either alone or with a friend. But the core gameplay gets stale way too quickly and won’t be able to keep your attention for long.
Relicta's expert use of magnetism, physics, and momentum coupled with its complex design are what make it easy to recommend for fans of the genre.
Not without its frustrations, GARAGE: Bad Trip offers players a sometimes fun and challenging twin stick adventure. It’s enveloped in an intriguing story line and boasts a memorable soundtrack. With a low cost of entry, the game offers value, some enjoyment and is worth a look, even if for just a bit.
What The Thin Silence sets out to do is ambitious. To capture the tonal and emotional depth of recent successes like Limbo is not an easy task. This game accomplishes that in some respect.
All in all, Dirt 5 is a quality racing game.
9 Monkeys of Shaolin shines through its strengths of variety, a surprising amount of combat depth, and the accessibility of quick jump and out gameplay. The package is both complimented and enhanced by its coop multiplayer and intriguing story. While its performance and design oddities are enough to raise an eye brow, we don’t think it’s enough to nix the fun that the game offers. 9 Monkeys of Shaolin comes easy to recommend for fans of the genre and worth a look for anyone who likes some mindless fun.
Do you f@#$%^&* hate rabbits? Boy do we have a game for you.
Even with gameplay that, on occasion, left something to be desired as well as a slightly crowded cast of characters, Liberated comes easy to recommend with sincere hopes for a sequel.
MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries offers a surprisingly accessible action packed experience with an impressive amount of depth. The managing of resources and expenses creates an intricate and rewarding metagame that expertly complements the intensity of the game's battles. Despite some shortcomings in cumbersome menu design and lacking mission variety, MechWarrior 5 is easy to recommend for both series veterans and newcomers.
Despite Superliminal‘s sometimes less than comfortable gameplay mechanics, it provides an extremely unique take on the genre. Coupling that with a minimalistic but impactful narrative on how we can chose to live our own lives make it a memorable experience, even if not always that fun as a game.
Final Days offers players a lot of fun and won’t break the bank. It’s surprisingly rewarding and takes a refreshing amount of planning to survive.
Given that this is the product of a development team of only two, The Path of Motus is an impressive feat. The game does have it’s downfalls – it doesn’t provide anything particularly ground breaking in the gameplay department and it leaves some of the better gameplay mechanics poorly exposed.
Fans of both action and turn based strategy games should not miss Iron Danger when it releases on Steam on March 25th.
Despite some monotonous grinding and areas that can be a bit overburdened with lore, CrossCode (from @RadicalFishGame) should not be missed by those who haven't had the pleasure of experiencing it before.
Minor technical and control issues aside, A Fold Apart is a game we won't soon forget and comes easy to recommend.