A massive improvement over the previous title, this ARPG doubles down on the strengths of its predecessor, namely story and setting. However, like the former, the action in Anima: Gate of Memories - The Nameless Chronicles is in many ways lacking due to its repetitive nature, bad platforming, and occasionally atrocious camera angles. Despite these harsh words, it is an overall solid dark RPG that should be played mostly for the story.
Despite some balance issues, and problems of the game running away from the player very easily, there's actually some good, basic fun here. Playing different factions, trying different weapons, and ultimately, simply trying to be the last person in the solar system is fun. With a friend or two, multiplayer can be a fun romp, and the campaign was oddly alluring despite its ultimately simple premise.
Looking at screenshots, and playing the game briefly, it does not seem like it might be as good as it actually is. But there is something oddly addicting trying 'just one more time' to get further. The progression could use some quickening, and other things could use expanding; but the flair the game possesses is hard to deny. Really the only thing stopping this from a higher score is the lack of depth, such as a story, better upgrade systems, or anything along these lines, but for what it is, it is surprisingly solid.
Despite its cartoony graphics, this game is a surprisingly solid city builder. There is enough here that fans of the various genres this takes from will find it enjoyable as they craft their ever-growing city and automation empire. Programming the robots is oddly satisfying as is watching them roll around and taking care of the smaller tasks. A couple of small bugs and some pacing issues prevent it from being truly great, but those remotely interested in the genre will definitely have a lot of fun with this one.
Anyone looking for an anime brawler will find this one to be a very good one. It is not to be played for its highly-compressed retelling of a former story, nor its short length; but for mindless action and fighting it delivers fairly well. The combat is fun with enough to it to stay fairly interesting for the ten or so hours it takes to beat, just be warned there isn't some great adventure to partake in here.
They Are Billions does a lot of things great. The survival twist of a city-builder is unique, and lots of fun. Dealing with the huge waves is always as fun as it is stressful, including the huge final waves. Things that hold the game back are difficulty playing a computer game on console controls, and various UI and graphics issues as well as slowdown. This being said, it's a solid and unique RTS title.
A curious example of a title being both more refined, but also less good than its predecessor. The action is smoother, better, and overall much more engaging. Purely as a platformer it is great fun, can be picked up cheap, and is only marred by simplistic, one-way levels and its short length. As an entry it is inferior to its predecessor with the removal of various gear, crafting, and challenges, making it a one-trick pony.
Great graphics, a compelling experience, and overall heart, paint the general picture of this adventure game. While some aspects of the story go unexplored and the animal-shifting aspect largely goes under-utilized, these are not enough to distract from a positive experience. Gamers need to know going in that Lost Ember is a very casual-friendly experience, but one that is still well done. The only thing holding it back is a lack of truly diving into the mechanics presented, or truly investigating the story themes brought forth.
For a RTS where you do not attack the other player with units, there is a lot going on here. The raw amount of things to keep track of and options available, are in some ways overwhelming. The core of it all is great fun, and it is completely novel for a RTS to avoid just massing units and rolling out. The amount of stuff happening takes away some of the enjoyment, as playthroughs quickly get away from players if they are not using every option available to them. Finally, the pace is so fast that there is no enjoyment about surviving on these hostile planets.
There is everything here to make a great game. The only thing it really needed was a few more months testing things out. Notably, the graphics need some upgrading, and combat devolves into repetition very soon. Smoothing some of these problems out would easily push this into a very high recommendation. As it stands now it acts as a novel throwback if nothing else.
Truly exemplifying the maxim of 'too much of a good thing,' there is simply too much here that bogs itself down. The battle and strategic systems have some really cool and interesting ideas, but there is far too much... stuff that takes both of them down a notch. The strategic layer has way too many things to do with too much consequence, and the battle system takes too long, and is replete with a dizzying number of little things that must be taken into account, lest destruction result. It's really too bad as the core of the game is extremely solid, yet there is just too much in the way for it to shine.
Tower of Time does everything right an RPG in this style should. It feels like a breath of fresh air, and a throwback at the era when PC games where in their heyday, with stellar writing carrying them instead of graphical prowess. The sense of exploration and story interwoven is very good. The sole thing, and it is a big one, is the controls and general port are a mess. Controls should not be this bad, and it drags down an otherwise great title.
For an unknown studio they come out swinging pretty good with Dreamscaper, the core game is fairly engaging and interesting, but the core loop has some serious progression issues, as well as bad difficulty balance. Trying new moves and weapons is the highlight of the experience, but the very slow lack of progress and difficulty walls hold this back from being truly great.
If there is one problem with Caligula Effect 2 it is pacing. The beginning hits incredibly hard, with great characterization and drawing the player into the plot. The hours-long plodding dungeons and 'slice of life' sections kill what otherwise is actually a pretty cool story. Much like the first game, the core experience of fights and story is solid, but it is absolutely buried in detail which is unfortunate as it makes it far less accessible.
Shinrai Broken Beyond Despair was a pleasant surprise given its comparison to far-better funded titles in the visual novel genre. While there are some obvious issues such as graphics that never go past being simplistic and bigger issues of pacing problems, the core tale is oddly intriguing. The mystery is fun to sit through, and perhaps the only real criticism is the core narrative should have taken longer, and the various 'side stories' take far too long and detract from the main story.
Paradoxically, Neptunia x Senran Kagura: Ninja Wars is both too long and too short. The ingredients are there to make a surprisingly awesome game, such as a type of sphere grid, tons of different moves and equipment. However, in reality it is largely a button masher that needs far too much grind which artificially inflates the length. Overall, it was surprising how good it actually was, and there is hope they make a second one.
Despite the additions of the other systems, Warstone TD at its root is a tower defence. The systems are actually a great addition to the usual formula, but it is not deep enough to entertain players of other genres. The levels eventually become so long that unless someone is a die-hard TD fan, they will start to lose interest, which is one of the only major complaints.
For what it is, Circle Empires is actually pretty fun. The experience is streamlined, fast, and enjoyable. The lack of any depth is what ultimately kills the game and stops it from becoming anything greater. It is fun for a few romps, or enough to beat the "campaign" of sorts, but there is not enough meat to encourage longer than a few hours' play, maximum. Those few are fun but, after that, the magic at hand quickly wears away.
At its root, this city builder is thematically and structurally solid. The only issues with it is that the growth of a city is a very linear and repetitive process that only a few romps through the scenarios and a player will have easily seen almost all there is to see. Those plays will have been fun, but there is little longevity in here at all. While building a city a few times is fun, it is so similar every time it quickly loses its charm.
There are some really great ideas here, but weighed down by simple problems. As it is, it freezes, the menu hangs, and the absolute precision needed for nearly every move (and an oddly complex control scheme) makes the game get in the way of itself far more than it ever should.