Simply put: Happy Birthdays is an oyster of joy. Seeing images or trailers of this game does not do it justice. One may think it's a mere child's game just from the cover, but it's suitable for all ages and the surprising amount of depth can only be experienced personally. This might be a sleeper hit, but it deserves more recognition. Yasuhiro Wada along the help of his development teams created another clever and fantastic jewel of a game. If terrain editing, creating a living ecosystem and collecting is up your alley then don't overlook Happy Birthdays.
Robbie Swifthand and the Orb of Mysteries is a fine platformer. The quality in its graphics, controls and gameplay mechanics make the challenge worth going through. It's also nice that the humor will keep things light when going through the darkness of death. You may die a lot, and you should, but that's the journey. The occasional frustration of some levels are due to the challenge itself and not by bad design. There's some interesting things to see here. For players who want a little more finesse to their platforming, there's plenty of fun here.
New Super Lucky's Tale is the most refined version of the game to date. There's so many tweaks, additions and improvements to the game that it's perfect that it got the treatment it deserves when hopefully more people get their hands-on time with it. It's Conker's Good Fur Day. Any one who enjoys 3D platformers such as the typical Super Mario or Banjo-Kazooie should give this a look. The only downside is that it's easier, but that still doesn't mean it can't be fun with the tight controls and gameplay variety it has to back that up. New Super Lucky's Tale has been part of the resurgence of 3D platformers and I just hope it's enough to get a true sequel.
Max: The Curse of Brotherhood's presentation and creative use of puzzle-platforming are really well done. It has a difficulty curve that is accessible for all ages and remains fun. It looks beautiful despite running at a lower resolution and its appeal can be good for both parents and children to play together.
This is a shoot-'em-up catered to players who don't want a frantic & flashy game and would rather play something that's more chill while playing with minor simulation elements. The game's smooth controls are attributed to that.
A roguelike Bomberman experience that brings its own flavor set in a Zelda style overworld with bosses and replayability. It has a nice style and the randomization to the gameplay will keep things fresh. There's also local multiplayer which fleshes this package out a bit more. Anyone not comfortable with a gameplay focused on challenging you might be turned away, but for those who enjoy learning to become better and earn new upgrades will find plenty here for them. There's a lot to like here. I'm excited to see what else Mode4 will bring to the table.
SENRAN KAGURA Peach Ball is not to be overlooked when looking at it from a gameplay perspective. The core mechanics are fun and use interesting ideas that add more flare to a plain table experience and will have you coming back for another round to top your last score. Fans of the series now have their sexy shinobi as the centerpiece of the pinball table, which also serves as a gameplay element. The detail on each table with its objects and gimmicks, the visual effects and sound only better the experience. HD rumble feels great. Plenty to unlock and customize. There's a lot going for it in regards to both the pinball aspect and the ladies involved. Sometimes the story is cute, but it's really the only downside to Peach Ball as it's mostly slow and re-purposed for each girl's set of story missions which makes it an overall drag; if you care about a story for an addicting pinball game involving provocative, busty females.
Salt and Sanctuary is purely a Dark Souls clone for the 2D style of gaming. It's not a carbon copy, but it offers rewarding combat and exploration. With an open-ended world and varied enemies & bosses, a decent character progression system, secrets to find, numerous weapon types and a grim atmosphere, it's easy to be sucked in and master being a better fight than you were since your last death. This isn't a game about impossibility, but rather adapting and honing your skills. For that alone, Salt and Sanctuary is one of the best 2D action-RPG's available.
Anyone who never got into Minecraft might find something enjoyable with Portal Knights. There is more structure, customization, variety and fresh ideas to keep things interesting. The game can become addicting and if you have a friend to play with the experience is even more enjoyable. There is no pure creation-only mode, but that shouldn't stop anyone from creating anything they want. The world's are purposefully constructed as well as giving you your own lands to play around in. These kinds of games can be a bit ambitious to pursue when creating them and that may be where some of the implementations such as inventory and leveling up are not thought out very well, but all the things surrounding those are pretty good.
The Spectrum Retreat is a wonderful first-person puzzle game. It contains clever puzzling and a mysterious story involving the past of the main character you play as. It's $12.99 on the Switch eShop, had a 5 year development cycle from Dan Smith himself, and is totally deserving of the price tag. There's an appreciated elegance to The Spectrum Retreat. I'm sure Dan Smith Studios is goin' places and most likely up from here.
I didn't know how interested I was in Creature in the Well until I've first seen it. I didn't know how much I wanted it until I first played it. Creature in the Well is a mashup of some stellar genres and it serves up a fresh dish of well-balanced gameplay. There's more skill needed here than a simple hack & slash, but the challenge is enough that it feels satisfying at any level. Though some puzzles are rather simple, others challenge you in all the right ways and reward you for it. It's a unique game that remained fun for its entirety and one that begs for more content and/or a sequel. Another indie highlight for the books.
https://youtu.be/1y23ER6bY74 Langrisser I & II is an important collection to have and be reminded of the finesse that tactical rpg's can have. It's nowhere near as popular as some games already mentioned in this review, but in ways outclassed them for when it released during its time. If you're looking straight up goodness and want plenty of hours to sink your teeth into a meaty strategy rpg experience, Langrisser I & II has been remastered and deserves the attention. It's not going to be seen as groundbreaking in 2020, but it holds up in 2020 and certainly helped pave the way to where we are today.
All-in-all, this is an enjoyable game. The way vehicles handle feel great and despite the lack of variety in courses, they are detailed and beautiful. There's many modes to choose from and playing with others with a similar skill level will be fun. It offers a single player career mode with 150-ish events and you can play it in multiple ways. I'd say it's a bang for your buck. The gameplay is really good, but the surrounding parts aren't up to par. It could just use a few more boosts in the balance department.
Rise & Shine not only has great artwork, but it also feels great to play as well. The shooting is solid and feels polished. Its pace is a little more deliberate thanks to the gun & bullet modifiers that require a slight bit of thinking. Levels never felt stale because the way mechanics were incorporated always kept things sort of fresh and because of that it strongly adheres to replayability; which you might be doing since the experience is a short one.
Old Man's Journey is without a doubt quite the charming game with emotional undertones and stunning artwork. The memories alone are worth seeing. This is the type of game that anyone can play and relate to even if some the events shown aren't any that one has gone through personally. It's about 2 hours, but depending on how you view that, it's the price of movie ticket, but you also get to keep the game in your library. It's a good one to play with family and friends just about anywhere and the art alone is worth to keep. I would love to see another type of this game expanded on in the future.
Nine Parchments doesn't go out of its way to add anything new to the genre. It could actually do more by being less linear and freshen up enemy encounters. What it does do good, makes it fun, however. Dungeon crawling with friends makes for a great time especially when everyone has to work together and play off each other's strengths. Nine Parchments certainly meets the players expectations more than half the way, just not the full nine yards.
Anyone who's looking for a narrative driven experience dealing with character development or just like point & click games in general should give this a look. Luckily, it does both fairly well. What's been said about The Fall Part 2: Unbound leading up to its release is the heavily coined term "Metroidvania" being applied to it. Sure, there are bits of that to be found, and bits they are. It's more like sprinkled on top for a bit of flavor. Despite a few issues relating to bugs and controls, if you're seeking sci-fi, narrative and point & click puzzle solving... it's a solid package.
Penny-Punching Princess has a lot of charm. The pixel art of the characters look good. The music is good. The gameplay is addicting. Anyone looking for mindless fun will get something out of this. Anyone who wants a little more than that and enjoys the visual flare of earning experience points on the fly (in this case coins flying out of enemies) will surely get a kick (and punch) out of it. The bribing element of gameplay is uniquely implemented, but it could be improved. The entire charade of capitalism is a bonus. Certainly a beat-'em-up with style.
Fans of shoot-'em-ups will find a fun game here. The polished controls and action that keeps going with little breaks is a good pick-up & play experience. The arcade gameplay mechanics and slight elements of a plane simulator offers a better take than the usual standard. It's only hindrance is the lack of variety from mission-to-mission, mode-to-mode.
City of Brass stands out for a roguelike. It's one of the first-person roguelikes with an underused visual theme that recognizable and feels more realistic than arcadey. The snap of the whip feels great and the opportunity it presents will vary from run to run. The different items, enemy variety and amount of traps will surely test you. It feels good and there's not much more to it than that. It's a roguelike meant for repeated plays until you unlock get it down with all the things to see and unlock. The gameplay might not be everyone's cup of tea, but it has its audience. For something that feels more weighted and isn't a shooter, City of Brass has you covered; not in sand.