Earlier in August, another boat-faring game by the name of Spiritfarer was also released, and which I also reviewed, and if you are going to get one game about boats and oceans this month, get Spiritfarer. In fact, I would have a difficult time recommending Windbound over almost any game, and for almost any reason. In most regards, Windbound struggles to feel like a game at all, instead playing like a demo for a far-from-release Kickstarter project, or the alpha build of a new engine, where game mechanics have only been implemented for testing purposes. This isn't an early access project, but is a full release with an audacious asking price of $29.99 for an adventure that, according to Steam metrics, took me all of 4.3 hours to breeze through. The best part is that it only took me less than five hours to see the ending credits. Oh well, at least Tony Hawk comes out this week. DON'T LET ME DOWN, TONY!
Playing video games should always be a fun experience, and if I find myself not enjoying time spent in a game, I begin to seriously question my use of said time. There were moments of Mabel and the Wood that I genuinely enjoyed, but bugs, glitches, poor design, and frustrating mechanics created an affair of disappointment. Considering I was actually unable to finish the campaign to completion, as well as the multitude of quality metroidvania adventures available on nearly every gaming platform, I can not in good conscious recommend a game that is, at its core, broken.
Cat Quest II inhabits the same world as its predecessor, though stars different characters and locations, and those familiar with Cat Quest will discover the experience has not substantially differed in its sequel. The same action-RPG gameplay abounds in the new entry, with plenty of dungeons, collectibles, and pet-related puns to keep you busy with light-hearted fun for a few hours. Unfortunately, if you’ve already play Cat Quest or are not a fan of action-RPGs, there may not be a lot of substance in this feline frenzy to feast upon.
Super Meat Boy Forever has for many years been one of my most anticipated indie releases, and to say I didn't enjoy it would be disingenuous. Nevertheless, I feel there's an expectation from Team Meat to make an impressively difficult and worthy sequel to their 2010 smash hit. The problems present aren't the type that can be patched out - they're fundamental to the design of the game and, unfortunately, we may be waiting another ten years should they ever decide to travel the road of Meat Boy ever again. If you like Super Meat Boy, then you'll probably enjoy much of what Forever offers, but a patient gamer will likely find this as a free offering from Epic Game Store before long.
My spooky investigation of The Suicide of Rachel Foster was overall enjoyable, and being compared at all to some of its obvious influences is a compliment in its own right. Nevertheless, I walked away feeling like the story could’ve had more to give. I spent just over three hours at the Timberline Hotel, which could have been extended some to prevent feeling rushed in the final act. Retailing at $17.99 USD, the money-to-time investment ratio could be fairly compared to purchasing a movie. If story-driven or horror-themed walking simulators are your preferred brand, this shouldn’t be a game you miss. Otherwise, a Steam sale sometime this year will likely feature this game at a nice discount.
BoxBoy! + BoxGirl! is a fun and interesting game concept that could have been a wonderful entrance for the characters onto Nintendo’s new platform, but falls short in game length and exploration of its mechanics. I enjoyed the time I spent with the game, but did not ultimately feel that the total experience justified the $9.99 price point. With Nintendo’s recent foray into mobile games, I can’t help but wonder whether these characters and this franchise wouldn’t be more appropriate to represent Nintendo in that market.
There's a good base of a game in Skul: The Hero Slayer, and fans of the genre will definitely find a few hours of rewarding gameplay offered. The game does work, and well, with only the occasional small graphical glitch that ultimately affected nothing. Running through the game endlessly will grow tiresome quickly for many that play, but for the persistent that find the rare powerful skull, you'll be treated with a very fun time. At $19.99 on Steam, it won't break the bank to pick up Skul: The Hero Slayer, but for all but the hardcore rogue-lite crowd, waiting for a sale or inclusion in some online bundle may be a worthwhile exercise in patience.
Luckily for PS5 owners, Bugsnax was added as the first free game for PS+ users, so there was little risk in jumping in to it for any players that enjoy playing online. The end of Bugsnax hit around the 10-hour mark, and I enjoyed most of my time spent on Snaktooth Island. The actual decisions made in the plot, as well as the overall absurd premise, often left me scratching my head more than the mystery of Lizbert’s disappearance, but the bright oddities of this bizarre planet, with its hilariously-combined food creatures and its animated residents, were enough to keep me playing all the way through. My own children enjoyed the silly antics of the bugs as well, and though they didn’t catch to the more adult-themed nuances, were interested in Snaktooth’s tale. If you have a PS5, are subscribed to PS+, and aren’t expecting a masterpiece, then Bugsnax is worth your time as a silly, absurdist escape.
Dépanneur Nocturne is only $4.99 on Steam, a measly sum that is worth the price of entry for the handful of hours you can easily spend exploring. There will likely be sales in the future, and I could imagine this being a free game in a future Epic giveaway, but it's always nice to support these small independent studios when I have the opportunity. Dépanneur Nocturne isn't likely to win any year-end awards, but on a Wednesday afternoon in a quiet home, I was happy to be whisked away for a quick diversion from these otherwise hectic times.
Stranger Things 3: The Game does little to add to the mythos of the Stranger Things universe, but still serves as a worthy companion piece to champions of the Netflix series. Fan service is high in the game and though it rehashes the story of the third season with each step, I didn’t grow weary of controlling the not-so-young-anymore children through their high-stakes adventure. A lot of the charm from the show’s dialogue is lost in the translation to gaming, but much of what you love about Stranger Things is still very much intact. Side quests and collectibles not mentioned in the show fill in the gaps that otherwise would have made the game feel lacking. This game is not a revolution of television tie-in gaming experiences, but offers enough content for the price point to satisfy even a casual watcher of the series.
I didn’t hate a single minute of my time with Shakedown: Hawaii; in fact, I rather enjoyed almost all of it. The game retails for $19.99, which is a fair price if you are a fan of the genre. Vblank took a pass on the creative storytelling to bring ultimately satisfying and responsive gameplay, and mowing over pedestrians in a hijacked vehicle while shooting an automatic rifle out the window and using a flamethrower to wreak havoc in a trailer park feels (in the most non-psychotic way possible) as fulfilling as you can imagine.
Sometimes, I want to relax and play something that doesn’t require too much effort or thought, and Pikuniku certainly filled that hole in a playing catalogue that, for me, is usually occupied by the newest hardcore, realistic, blood-and-guts grit fest. The game garnered plenty of laughs from me and I’ve recommended it to a few friends to try; especially since it was free on Twitch for Amazon Prime subscribers for a few days. The price tag on Steam is set at $12.99, which may be a little high for a short, low-budget game with little replay value, but if you find yourself bored and looking for something fun to do with a few extra bucks and one of Steam’s frequent sales on your radar, Pikuniku isn’t a bad choice at all.
There’s a lot of good to be said about the world of The Division 2. The world feels very real, characters feel absolutely believable, and the game was crafted with obvious love. For some, especially fans of looter games, they will find a satisfying loop of running, gunning, grenades and gear to please the palate. For others, myself included, the core gameplay loop never becomes anything deeper than exactly what it appears, and the seemingly endless cycle of upgrading gear just to get more will wear itself thin before you reach the highest tiers of power.
Thankfully, you won't have to buy Streets of Rage 4 for its retail price of $24.99 to enjoy it on PC or Xbox - the game is available on Xbox Game Pass, and for most gamers, that will be enough. Streets of Rage 4 wasn't perfect, but it was certainly better than I expected it to be and set a stage for future beat-em-ups that I hope more developers take cues from. Most surprisingly, Streets of Rage 4 made me want to boot up my NES and SNES, pop in the brutal fight fests of my childhood, and teach my 5-year-old just how hard games used to be.
Dauntless is a free-to-play action RPG developed by Phoenix Labs and debuted a full release across Windows, Xbox One, and Playstation 4 with fully functional cross-play. The game closely resembles the gameplay structure of the popular Capcom series, Monster Hunter. Though not without its problems, Dauntless might be one of the best free-to-play games currently available.
Halloween is one of my favorite holidays, and I’ve long adored games that embody the cheery hilarity of the season, including Costume Quest, themed events in Animal Crossing, and the costumes characters might acquire in World of Warcraft. Pumpkin Jack easily enters this pantheon of all-hallowed gaming for me, and I enjoyed nearly every moment I spent with it. Pumpkin Jack is a game that will have little difficulty being enjoyed by gamers of all ages, and I’m excited to get to share an updated version of one of my childhood favorite genres with my own children.
The Pedestrian is a rewarding puzzle game with well-made brain busters that challenge the likes of Portal. This was originally a Kickstarter campaign, so if you’ve made the initial $15 investment to back the game, you should know that your money was well-spent. If you’re looking to pick this up on Steam, $20 is an appropriate price. The only barrier to being worth much more is the overall short length of the game. In case it’s unclear, I thoroughly enjoyed every moment of The Pedestrian.
If you are getting the idea that Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order is a great Star Wars game, then you’re on the right track, and I believe that Respawn (and EA) is too. There is so much great about this game that it can be easy to overlook its obvious flaws: graphical errors and glitches, a static and sometimes flawed combat system, unrewarding collectibles, and lacking RPG elements being chief amongst those complaints. A full play through of the campaign took me just over 12 hours – a span that told a cohesive story with impressive components, but in the end nearly overstayed its welcome and resulted in a game that felt to me rather one-note. Jedi: Fallen Order feels like a great base game that Respawn can build upon to make deeper, richer, and more stable sequels that fully explore the powers of a Jedi while polishing the individual elements borrowed from each different genre.
If you can overcome (or somehow master) the imperfect controls of Luigi’s Mansion 3, you will be presented with the best Luigi’s Mansion experience available. The entire game is brimming with charisma, through the soundtrack, set pieces, and cinematic moments of grandeur. I have felt comfortable combing through each floor at a leisurely pace, my four-year-old excitedly watching over my shoulder every step of the way. Fans of the series shouldn’t be dismayed by the sixty dollar price tag, either. This game is both lengthier and meatier than either of its counterparts, and there is plenty to do and see for casual players and completionists alike.
I’m always delighted by segments of video games that allow me to control an animal, and even more glad to relax and laugh while playing games in my spare time. Rarely do these two all-too-rare genres cross in gaming, but when they do, and with enough clever direction and a pleasing original soundtrack, you get the beautiful gem that is Untitled Goose Game. Purchasing this game on sale would make for a perfect diversion to relax and waste a few hours of clean, simple fun, enjoyable by gamers (and non-gamers) of nearly any age.