Lawrence Le's Reviews
Everything you wanted from an Outer Wilds DLC in a package you never thought to expect. Echoes of the Eye puts its own twists on the base game's formula without a single misstep.
A tale straight from our childhood tree forts—Outer Wilds will reawaken the passion for exploration that you thought you lost.
One of this generation's titans finally makes its landmark debut on the Nintendo Switch. For newcomers who can fight through the rocky 30 frames per second and lower resolutions, The Witcher 3 on Switch is a no-brainer. But, for those with no plans to take their monster-killing outside, the game is better enjoyed on other consoles.
Each game could easily go toe to toe with any modern-day juggernaut, but only the BioShocks can be played on the go.
A visceral assault on the senses, Little Nightmares II drowns you in its thick, moody atmosphere and renders you helpless against the Pale City's many horrors. It is a meticulously crafted, devilishly clever puzzle-adventure that weaponizes every tool the medium has to offer to terrify you. While it retains many of the flaws that hurt its predecessor, its length, polish, and ambition propel it to the upper echelon of horror games.
Doki Doki Literature Club Plus! is both a celebration of visual novels and a deep dive into the potential of interactive fiction. This updated version introduces new content that continues to weaponize the game's mastery over the visual novel format to land even more emotional gut punches.
Doki Doki Literature Club Plus! is both a celebration of visual novels and a deep dive into the potential of interactive fiction. This updated version introduces new content that continues to weaponize the game's mastery over the visual novel format to land even more emotional gut punches.
A beautiful blend of whimsical golfing and sardonic commentary wrapped in a blanket of nostalgia and straight-up vibes. Golf Club: Wasteland is a brilliant narrative experience that can't resist imbuing anything and everything with stories.
The zaniness of PHOGS!'s character controller combined with its elegant and diverse puzzle design is a recipe for a fun. The game ensures that every second is a new opportunity for friendship-fueled hilarity.
Every aspect of Flower serves its singular vision: nourishing and maintaining a 1-2 hour Zen-like experience. Vibrant colors, an incredible score, and meticulous eyes overseeing the game's pacing—Flower rises to the occasion. A decade later, little has changed, though the PC port suffers a good deal on account of its mouse and keyboard controls.
A graceful dance of lead and fists through some lovely set pieces and a whole lot of unsuspecting thugs. Nurturing quick, adaptive thinking, John Wick Hex is an excellent distillation of the franchise.
With its wealth of content and comedy, Monster Camp establishes itself as the year's premier dating sim. Fans of the original will feel right at home; the gameplay remains relatively untouched, save for a number of adjustments.
An authentic reimagining of the first act as a 30+ hour action-oriented thrill ride with new sub-plots, characters, and an elegant, modern interpretation of the ATB combat system. The remake is still best experienced on consoles, however, where solid performance and controls can be guaranteed.
Frog Detective 2 makes up for a lack of complexity and length with its dopey, surreal humor and charming visual aesthetic. An evening well spent.
Inertial Drift fuses anime-inspired aesthetics with intuitive, arcade-like gameplay to deliver a blast of adrenaline that few games can accomplish with such simple controls.
Carto is a strong contender for the title of 2020's best adventure. Involved, intimate gameplay and incredible attention to detail make even the smallest islands feel remarkably rich and expansive.
A slick noir mystery with an intoxicating atmosphere and unmatched aesthetics. Combined with its sharp, campy writing and an intriguing storyline, Chicken Police is an indie gem that shouldn't be missed.
Valkyria Chronicles 4 brings the series back to its roots and polishes that experience to a shine. It's a return to form for the decade-old tactical RPG series and its best entry to date, albeit playing it extremely safe. While it does iron out some of the kinks that plagued its predecessors, it does little else.
SoulCalibur VI's combat could crack even the toughest case of fighting game-phobia; it's strategic, fluid, and deep, but remains as accessible as ever. It's unfortunate that it's hampered by a lack of interesting modes, and that its hefty single-player offerings attempt to shift the focus away from the robust combat system and towards stale, cumbersome stories.
Forager marries everything you love about survival-adventures with everything you didn't know you wanted in one. A casual yet chaotic experience that's worth a try despite a slight lack of polish.